Writing...Just because!

I really thought I had found my social networking rhythm a few months ago but the tempo’s been speeding up so fast and I’m caught in a crescendo that just seems to keep building. Everyone’s so excited about Twitter (I’ll stick to Twitter here because if I add my anxiety about FaceBook, LinkedIn, UTube, etc. we’ll have a novel instead of a blog)! I’ve been in so many conversations lately that swirl around the questions: How many followers do you have? How often do you tweet a day? What topics are you trending? Are you using Tweetdeck? I try to keep up but I just feel I’m sinking deeper and deeper into the mire and am honestly a bit overwhelmed. I believe in the theory that it’s a “social” network and you use it to develop relationships. So, I am trying not to automate it too much. However, I do see the value in having a program assist you in managing the deluge of information and applications. But what app(s) do you choose? I did finally join SocialOomph because at the very...

  AWARDS

As I was sitting in my home office the other day looking for inspiration to write and I heard a howl and a furious rustling of leaves and looked out my window.  The dust was so thick I could barely see into the neighbors back yard and the trees were being viciously whipped around by a wind that must have been 4 Beaufort (for you sailors out there)...it was a Shamal!  Not nearly the fear-inducing wind and rain that comes with a hurricane (and I've sat through a few of those sitting on the bathroom floor, hugging my cat in Fort Lauderdale) but it's still quite unsettling.  Living in the Middle East (Dubai to be exact), we rarely see any rain so the few drops that the Shamal brought were welcome, although not enough to settle the dust down, other than in your teeth and eyelashes.  Yes, it's that pervasive.  It's so fine that it gets into the smallest cracks and crevices so you spend the next week sweeping and mopping dust and sand from the weirdest places. We a...

Last night I had the very great pleasure of attending the closing ceremonies of the 6th Emirates International Peace Music Festival...FREE!  It was organized by the Emirates Youth symphony, which I didn't even know existed until my friend Mimi told me her son played in the orchestra and invited me to attend.  Anyways, what's inspired me to write this today is that we (my husband and I) were absolutely blown away by the talent of these kids, especially the guest violinist, Ellie Choi from Korea.  This "virtuoso" was only 8 years old and held the audience spellbound.  When the conductor and director of the festival, Riad Kudsi, introduced her, he shared with us that her music selection would typically be played by a very well-seasoned musician but that she had insisted so he left the rest for us to decide.  She was not only meticulous in her playing but exuded a unique flare and passion that's rare in one so young.  I sat there thinking, "this little girl w...

In the run of a day (any day) there is always a moment at some point that I think or say out loud, "as my mother always says"...followed by some pithy quote I've heard her say more than once. She's a wise woman and her words have stayed with me over the years. Just this morning, as I was drying my hair, I found myself grinning as I heard her voice in my head saying, "don't go out with wet hair. You'll catch your death of cold." My smile got even broader the more I thought about it because I live in a desert climate now. A little different from the snow and cold I grew up with in Nova Scotia. But there had to be a reason it popped in my head at that moment. Probably just a moment of pause to make sure I was ready to face the day. Sometimes I hear people say that if they started to sound like their parents to stop them. I feel quite differently. When I mention to my mother that I always quote her she says that most of her pearls of wisdom came...

The human body is an amazing machine and does what it has to do as we grow and change…or that’s what I keep telling myself as I go through “The change” which will ultimately lead to the “M” word (hallelujah...no more monthly visits from my "little friend")! Years ago no one talked about Menopause but today it seems to be all the rage. It’s not something a woman goes through alone anymore but is now an experience the whole family can enjoy! Since it’s been playing on my mind lately I decided that I would write an article for Suite 101 on the lighter side of “The Change.” I posted a note on a couple of the groups I’m part of requesting stories and experiences from a humorous point of view (these are writing groups so I thought I would get some great stuff). The silence was deafening. So far, I have received two comments to my post. The first one from a male group member who said he wouldn’t touch it with a 10-foot pole (I asked for the husband/boyfriend/life...

Well, the last two days have been spent procrastinating. I've got lots to write but just couldn't get down to it. Then it dawned on me that I'm giving a workshop in two weeks called, "Don't Procrastinate...Produce," and it ironically occurred to me that I should put my own advice to good use. I was using every excuse in the book (and creating a few new ones for good measure). We had just gotten back from vacation so I certainly didn't need a rest - maybe a vacation from my vacation? The biggest reason I couldn't get at it was I just didn't "feel" like it. I guess it was just good old fashioned writer's block. Yeah, right! I sat and stared back and forth from the screen to the list of articles and blogs that were awaiting my attention. Then, bling! I couldn't help my eyes from straying to the bottom right of my computer screen to see who had just sent me an email or was trying to chat with me on FaceBook. Too many distra...