Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder? And Other Happenings...

Well hel-lo strangers. I've been kind of remiss on the blog lately. 3 weeks w/o a post. Shameful. Especially with all the great photos and whatnot we've been taking.

Yesterday was my birthday. Still clinging to the 30s, almost barely. A regular day during the day but then my lovely husband treated me to a dinner at X20 in Yonkers - an outpost of the famous Xaviar's up northern way in Piermont. Yum. Definitely will need to make a return visit.

We've had a lot of developments at our house. We have a driveway! And as I type, there is a team of guys out in front of my house laying a new walk, fixing some steps. Next week...the whole lawn will get tilled and seeded and graded. Oh my. It will look like...a house. That's not in construction. Pictures to come.

G is Walking. Walking with a capital W, yes. As in, on her own, talking and carrying things, turning around, doing laps...walking. She's that "little person" now. It's too much.

Okay - consider this the clif notes update. More fun this weekend. I'll catch us all up a bit.

Don't Get Lost, Now

Or....now.

I had a meeting on Wednesday morning at the Harvard Club in NYC, with Susan W. Bird. I've been a number of times before, for other meetings - but I always get confused on whether it is on 44th or 45th. So, I googled it on my bb.

And I thought...huh. I really can't get lost anymore. I have a TomTom in my car, I can search for anything via mobile, anywhere I go, and pull up a map if needed. I can't get lost. Actually, that means most people I know can't get lost.



Okay, who can get lost? Well, my mom. She doesn't do the tech thing so much. We take care of a cell for her, but let's be honest...she calls me on it, and she certainly isn't going to be doing any typing on a mobile device - she doesn't have a regular email address. (Please note I'm not poking fun here; she'd be the first to tell you the same thing.)

Susan and I had an interesting conversation about it - what that means, and how it will be so strange to my children when I recount some "old" anecdote about how their dad and I got lost somewhere and they'll say "well, how did you do that? Was there no wifi or cell service in that area?" Actually...they probably wouldn't even have that issue. Le sigh.

(On a side note, Susan is fascinating, and has a fascinating company, wf360...check it out.)

So then I came home at the end of that day, and thought about it a little more, and I recall my daughter's Christening last fall. A relative got lost on his way. There was some ensuing impatience with the fact that he's "old school" (sans mobile) from certain members of my family. And how there is no understanding....how it almost seems ridiculous.

Did we lose our patience that fast? Did we all just lose the opportunity to get lost and actually find something new in the process? Good, or bad? Or....both.

Personal Business

I have a friend, a mentor of sorts, introduced to me by another mentor of sorts (who, come to think of it...was introduced to me by another mentor of sorts....but I digress...), who articulated the point that business and personal interactions aren't necessarily neatly separated, and that's a good thing.

I completely agree with this. Now that I've been at this work-for-myself thing for 6 months (yee-ha, btw), I have the ability to work on what I want to work on. With who I want to work with, more importantly.

And you know what...I only reach out to the people I really enjoyed working with. Sure, I'm networking my head off, but I have the luxury of pursuing engagement with folks I liked before, and that I know I'll enjoy working with again. I've got that handful of folks in my past that I could reach out to...big positions at big places...movers and shakers, if you will...but if I didn't like working with them then, why would I now?

I can't detach people from business. People DO business. I like people. Most, anyway.

Astronomy Lesson

Apologies for being such an absent blogger. Sheesh, what good am I?

O gave me some great fodder today. We went to IKEA this weekend, picked up a new roll of paper for his easel. Hooked it up today and he started drawing late this afternoon. Of course, I am not allowed to look at it until he is finished.

Here is his masterpiece. It is a picture of "space."


"See the rocketship? That's me, me in the rocketship...and that up there, that's the alien spaceship. That alien spaceship is trying to destroy my rocket but I'm not going to let it." (note shooting in picture)

"Wow, bud - that's pretty cool. I like the spaceship, but those are bad guys, right? What's down at the bottom?"

"That's an alien."

"He's a good alien?"

"Yeah, he's a good alien. And then that (points to top of picture)...that's...uh....that's the thing in space - the thing - the thing in space that pours milk. Yeah, what is that called Mom, that thing in space that pours milk?"

"Umm...(significant pause)...the big dipper?"

"Yeah, that's the big dipper. Yeah...that's what it is."

Super-Inspired

I have to give it to my pal K from Kwana Writes who pointed out the WAY fun site The Hero Factory. You can "make yourself" into a superhero.

Considering my dear husband is a bit of a comic book geek, I figured he would get a big kick out of seeing his wife superhero-fied. So here I am:


No, I did not come up with the name...and yes, I opted for the skirt/chick uniform. You know tailored + girly has always been my thing.

I love it! Take a spin and make yourself super today.

Okay...I'm working now.

Walk, baby, walk

G is walking! We had officially 6 steps tonight, all by herself, no holding on. So exciting!

Haven't caught her in mid-stride yet, but this is how we felt watching her, anyhow...



Oh, and happy St. Pat's! We all got in the spirit today, particularly O....

Recession-onomy

It sucks. Let's just say it, lay it on the table, get over it.
Too many people are belly-aching about the recession. Bottom line is, you have to get off your tush (as we say in this house) and deal.

I don't mean to sound unsympathetic. I have friends that have been affected, that have lost their jobs because accounts have left, financials are in disarray, management is poor, etc, etc. But you have to think about it...it's LESS about you personally now than it may be otherwise. So you can't wholeheartedly let it get to you.

I have been consulting, as of October. Some people think I'm crazy to do that now. I am confident with some diligent searching that I can find a position, if I wanted one, in advertising.

But I'm greedy. Not money-greedy...life-greedy.

And that's a greedy that I'm ok with. Means that I want it all...enough to live a decent life, enough time to spend with my family, enough freedom, enough happy. Admittedly - it sometimes takes a while to get priorities in order and grow up. But eventually, it happens.

I say...this is actually a good time to take advantage of an opportunity out there. A different mindset than the one we're used to, and sick of.

Perhaps the country (world? am I getting too grand?) wouldn't be in this mess if everyone was a bit more life-greedy, and a bit less money-greedy. If there were less Madoffs, less CEOs that justify their millions while cutting others' salaries, less politics in the workplace. Judging people on who they are - doing business that is good.

Problem is, it just takes a handful to mess up the rest of us.

Look around you. You decide what makes you wealthy.
Happy recession. Just go out and do better on account of it.