Archives


What adventures call to your heart?

What adventures call to your heart?

How the hell do you do that? It’s a question my husband and I have gotten frequently since 2011. That’s when we first went to live in New Orleans for two months. Since then we’ve returned to New Orleans multiple times, we have lived for a month in San Francisco, then after that in a small town in southern Long Island close…

Who decides what's appropriate to wear?

Who decides what's appropriate to wear?

Though the 10 years I’ve been in New York are apparently long enough to give myself permission to buy some pretty outrageous clothing and jewelry, the Midwesterner in me worries my choices might be too far from the norm. I imagine arriving at a party, a restaurant or the office and all of a sudden it’s middle school again and the cool girls are snickering.

Light up your night bike riding to stay safe

Light up your night bike riding to stay safe

I cringe every time I see a fellow biker with no lights. Not only is having a white front light and a red rear light the law, it’s just good common sense to make yourself visible to drivers, pedestrians and other bikers. You wouldn’t drive your car at night without turning on your lights, would you?

When friends decide it's time to use the L word

When friends decide it's time to use the L word

I’ve really been feeling the love lately.
More accurately, I’ve been hearing the love.
I have been conscious recently of how many of our friends will give me a big hug and say, “I love you” or maybe more often “I love you guys,” wrapping me and John into the declaration of affection.

On unexpectedly kicking my caffeine habit

On unexpectedly kicking my caffeine habit

Preparing for our three weeks of clean living, I weaned down from two cups a day to just one. Then I started mixing decaf into my morning cup to make it half-caf.
Still, I braced for sluggishness and headaches. Instead, much to my surprise, I felt great. I didn’t have that morning fog I’d experienced for years, and had always cut through with coffee immediately upon waking up.

You can learn a lot when you don't assume

You can learn a lot when you don't assume

You know that saying about how when you assume, you make an ass out of “u” and me? I recently read an excellent blog post that drove that idea home — in language that’s pretty close to the cliché. (It’s also language more delicate readers might not enjoy. If that’s you, maybe skip this one? Perhaps you could look at some…

Marketing Monday: Social media is about being social

Marketing Monday: Social media is about being social

This year at SXSW Interactive, I heard a speaker say something that made me want to leap up, throw my hands in the air and yell, “Amen!” He suggested that many new technologies, whether that’s smartphones, social media or the Internet itself, have been around long enough that we should no longer be infatuated with their gee-whiz factor and instead…

Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name

Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name

I have a fantasy about being a regular at the perfect bar. When I walk in, I’m greeted with a big smile by a server who knows what I like. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQpL5ZLQHyw] Problem is, I’m not the kind of person who can easily cultivate regular status. I’ve read articles that give pointers on becoming a regular, with suggestions like: Go to…

SXSW, part II: Serendipity's role in success and how to cultivate it

SXSW, part II: Serendipity's role in success and how to cultivate it

Earlier this week I blogged about one theme I heard in digital marketing conversations at South by Southwest Interactive — authenticity — but the panel that really rocked me was about serendipity: Serendipity is a fuzzy concept that has a powerful effect on our lives. More than blind luck, it’s the product of lots of passion, insight, or proximity. As…