Let’s hope this doesn’t end badly…

We’ll just do this short one for today and I’ll reintroduce myself tomorrow.

 

A question:

If a semi-retired blogger writes a post, and nobody reads it, did she actually post?

Here’s to seeing how many people still have me in their reader!

Maybe later…

I firmly believe that if I could change one certain characteristic about myself, my life would be completely different.  That one thing is my horrible propensity towards procrastination.  Which is actually kind of ironic, come to think of it, because I’m always the one that pushes people into taking action.  But when it comes to myself?  Not so much.

Now that I’m starting my new career, procrastination is a serious liability.  I have lost too much business (ok, not a whole lot, but enough to really open my eyes) because I have put off a phone call by even ten minutes.  I wish I was exaggerating.

I’ve heard a lot about a book called “Eat that Frog”, by Brian Tracy.  I found a copy of it yesterday at Half-Price Books and started to read it.  After I read the first chapter, I thought that there were some really good ideas and that I would get right on them.  Tomorrow.

Ok, ok. I know. Pretty sad. I totally admit that it’s bad. But I am trying.  I see some progress here.  I wrote my blog post.  I’m writing my to do list in my head for tomorrow.  And when I’m done here, I’m going to sit down and do the exercises Mr. Tracy talks about in chapters 1 and 2.  Maybe there’s hope for me.

All I know is that there are lots of things I want to do in my life, and if I don’t start being more proactive, they aren’t going to get done.  Maybe a little frog eating is what I need.

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Today’s exercise is to create a link post.  I’m not sure I entirely accomplished that, but I did try.  I’m still a day behind though.  Where are the other days, you may ask?  Well, those were more what I consider “offline” exercises, like analyze blogs in my space and email a commenter. But since I haven’t gotten a lot of comments again, it’s hard to do that second.

The scariest words the parent of a gifted child can hear…

Mom!  I’m bored.

Oh sure, all parents hear this, especially during the summer.  But in our house, it takes on a new and horrifying twist.  They are smart.  They are resourceful.  They are creative. They can use the air compressor.

Ponder that.

The upstairs of my home is really nothing more than a mad scientist’s laboratory.  The area is strewn with half completed projects, plans for more projects, books, legos, models and the general detritus of the creative process.  I love it, but it drives me crazy.

The summer will be over soon, and they’ll go back to school, and it will be a little quieter and a little neater.  And in a shorter amount of time than I ever thought possible, they will be gone and it will be clean and quiet from then on.

And I will miss it with every fiber of my being.

So the next time they say “I’m bored” I will stop what I am doing and join them in their next crazy endeavor.  If for no other reason than to make sure the air compressor doesn’t explode.

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Day three of the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog asks you to promote a post.  So this is the one I will be promoting.  Even thought you are supposed to go beyond FB and Twitter, I’ll stick with those since I’ve never really even done that before.

And yes, I know I did two today.  I’m trying to catch up.  Give me a break!

List-o-matic!

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

The list of things I have decided not to blog about

1.  My mother.

2.  My mother-in-law.

3.  Negative things at work or in groups I am involved in.  Although I see a lot of funny at work and orchestra and church and I will gladly share that with you with all the pertinent details changed.

4.  Knee jerk political discussions.  Well thought out discussions are more than acceptable.

5.  Memes.  This is now a meme free zone.  Unless it’s a really good writing exercise type meme, then I may reconsider.

All of these, except the memes, have gotten me in into majormajormajor trouble in the past.  No more.  Memes are generally pretty lazy.  There are some good ones out there, so I do reserve the right to do one if it is worth it, but I’m not going to make it a regular thing.  Of course if I really have to vent, I do reserve the right to a password protected post.

Things I will blog about:

1.  DIY projects that I do.

2.  What it’s like having my amazing kids under my roof.  Both the good and the bad.

3.  My cello.

4.  Starting a career at almostforty.

5.  Growing in this life with my best friend and husband.  Who, fortunately for me, happen to be the same person.

6.  How current events/politics are affecting the decisions I make in my life.

7.  Anything else that isn’t excluded by the first list.

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Today’s post is a response to “31 Days to Build a Better Blog”.

Today’s task is to write a list post. The purpose of a list post is to provide your readers with information that is easy to read and spread.

Key Concepts:

• Lists are popular for bloggers who want the message to go viral.
• There are a variety of ways of incorporating lists into your blog.
• Lists break down the complicated.
• Lists are easy to read.

Question 1: Have you considered list posts as a way to create meaningful content in the past?

Yes, although they usually end up being silly.  Today, I’m using it to build on yesterday’s elevator pitch idea.  By stating what I will and will not write about, I think that I can stay focused and keep things going a little better.

Question 2: What do you like about reading and writing list posts?

They are short and sweet and to the point.  And sometimes they even make me think.

She’s Alive….ALIVE!!!!

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

**Yawn**

**Stretch**

**Scratch**

God, what day is it?  HOLY CRAP!  Has it really been six months since I’ve written a blog entry?  Bugger.  Do I even have readers anymore?  Does it matter?

Jen, my BFF-if-I-only-lived-in-Boulder gave me an award on her blog.  Mostly as a not-too-subtle hint to get off of my ass and start writing again.

So here I am, writing again.  I actually tried to start another blog, but that didn’t go anywhere either.  So, to see if I can do this again, I’m going to do the “31 Days to Build a Better Blog” challenge and we’ll see if that jump starts me again.  I’m a few days late to the party, so I’m going to do at least one of them to catch up.  The first challenge was:

Day 1 Task: Write an Elevator Pitch for Your Blog

Key Concepts:

• Doing so helps to focus your blog.
• Good to have different lengths of pitches.
• Try to solve a problem or need.
• Define your audience and keep it clear, short, and intriguing.
• In creating the pitch, brainstorm keywords related to your blog.

Questions:

1. What is your short elevator pitch?
2. Did completing this task change your blog, or change the way you think about your blog?

Wow.  First challenge and I already see the problem.  I lost steam because I think my blog just became a place for me to bitch and whine and it was just no good for me at all on so many levels.  For awhile, I think it actually had purpose and direction, and then….

So.  I guess the first part of what I need to do is to figure out what I do want to blog about.  I do want to blog, I know that.  I’m just sitting here right now and I already feel a little better.  Or maybe that’s the wine talking.  Either way, it is good for me and I need to do it again.  Kind of like the gym, need to be doing that more often as well.

Right.  Where was I?  Oh yeah, the purpose of this blog.  I have lots of things I can  blog about.  I can blog about how hard it is to have two highly gifted children in the house, one with off the charts ADD, and the fun that ensues.  I can blog about what it is like starting a second career at almostforty and how unbelievably stressful/rewarding/scary/challenging that is.  I can blog about my cello.  I can blog about trying to lose weight and get back into shape.  So many choices.

But now that I’ve said all of that, I think at the end of the day, this blog is about change.  The changes I’m going through, the changes my family is going through, the changes the world around me is going through.  And the colorful metaphors I use when dealing with said changes.

Now that I’m done with the whole navel gazing thing, I guess it’s time to work on the pitch.

Colorful Metaphors is about how I deal with the changes in my life.  Some days it’s funny.  Some days it’s not.  Everyday is honest.

What’s your sign?

No, I’m not dead.  Not even a little ill.  I can’t even claim to be overly busy.  Just not inspired to do much here lately.   But I thought I would do something so that my one remaining reader doesn’t get too worried about me.

Getting some scratch in the game….

I am a Longhorn. I have also been known to watch a game or two involving my alma mater. Unless you have been under a rock, you know the Longhorn football team will be playing in a game of some significance Thursday evening.

They will be playing against some other school from some backwater state with little or nothing else going for it. The only redeeming qualities I see from this state are my blog buddies, City Girl and Country Girl. Who, by the way, are far funnier and more talented than I.

I see the potential to make this interesting. What do you say ladies?

The Worst Christmas Present ever….

In retrospect, it was the beginning of the end.

My Mom had just redecorated the house in these wanna-be southwestern colors.  It was bloody awful.  I remember thinking when I came home from college that someone had thrown a Pepto and Vick’s menthols all over the house.  She even had all of the woodwork painted this pink-ish.  Although it wasn’t pink.  It was Southwestern.  Whatever.  It was awful.  I’m not sure if my Dad went along with it or not, hard to tell, but there it was.

So for Christmas that year, he decided to help her enhance the decor.  I kept trying to tell him that even though his thoughts were in the right place, no red-blooded woman would want something like this as a Christmas gift:

Obviously not the same, but this is to give you an idea of what showed up under my Mom’s tree that year

Needless to say, she was upset.  And so was my Dad.  He had put a lot of thought (although I shudder to think of those thoughts) into that gift, but he, as usual, did not actually consider her wishes.  She had told him exactly what she wanted for Christmas that year (some sort of Calphalon set) and he went and did this. It was just another instance that demonstrated the total lack of communication that they had.  The following year, he bought her a car.  She wanted a car, specifically a mini-van.  He got her a two door Subaru instead.  They were divorced a few years later.

Spouse and I joke about the cow head.  It happened the year we started dating so it was some great conversation fodder.  But it was a telling sign of an unhealthy relationship.  Something I kept in mind when I was dating Spouse.  The present wasn’t bad because of what it was (although…) the present was bad because it showed how much they didn’t listen to each other any more.  It was an important lesson as I was deciding on whether or not some people would be a part of my future or not.  Spouse listens to me.  He always has.  And it makes all the difference in the world.

Merry Christmas, Spouse. You are the best present ever.

Jingle them Bells: Monday Mission

Greetings all!  Today’s Monday Mission, hosted by my favorite NOLA resident Painted Maypole, is to write your post in the form of a holiday song.  So, get your bobtails in action and sing to the tune of Jingle Bells!  And then, when you’re finished, check out the other participants at her place.

Christmas Break

Christmas Break

Kids home for two weeks

Heaven knows the carnage and the havoc that they’ll wreak.

Christmas Break

Christmas Break

Don’t know what to think

This much family togetherness is driving me to drink.

Cooking and cleaning

I just cannot catch up

When I get it clean,

The kids just mess it up

They just won’t go to bed

Even though it’s ten

I’ll try to threaten them with coal and see what happens then.

Oh!

Christmas Break

Christmas Break

Holidays are long

Today my therapy will be to write a silly song.

Christmas Break

Christmas Break

Could be worse, I fear

At least I’m not getting a cow head* as a gift this year.

Thankyou.  Thankyouverymuch.

More on the Cow Head tomorrow….