Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Hurricane Sandy, my flip flop and water's fury



Only hours after Hurricane Sandy swept through the U.S. Northeast earlier this week, I found myself walking in an offshoot of the wreckage in Turks & Caicos, thousands of miles South of Times Square – in the Caribbean Sea. Locals told me it was the roughest current they’d seen in decades. Yet it didn’t bother me that the normally calm, pristine swatch of sand was now hip-height water, the waves curling and uncurling so much that I lost one of my red flip flops. It was literally yanked off my foot as my jaw fell, marveling at the power of water during a storm, thinking that this is nothing compared to boardwalks crumbling in New Jersey.

Instead of panicking I waited for the predictable wave to undulate back to the shore, my red flip flop in its clutch. I snatched it, enjoying the thrill. Who needs a calm beach anyway? Isn’t that a tad predictable?

I kept thinking that those waves are a lot like life. Just when we think we’ve got it all figured out with work, trips to the grocery store, paying bills, coffee dates with friends – boom. Something, or someone, throws us a whammy whether it’s a flat tire on your car, a friend’s accusations that stab at your character or a medical emergency. We make the best of it, plodding through that same ocean, knowing there’s a sunny, calm day on the horizon.


Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Who are you without the band?

                                   
Not too long ago, my boyfriend and I checked out Rhett Miller, the lead singer and a songwriter for one of our favorite bands (Old 97's). We've seen the Old 97's perform all over, from an annual music festival in our city to Golden Gate Park on a crisp fall afternoon. We were nervous, though. By himself on the stage, would Rhett carry that same energy as he does with the band, minus the drums, the bass guitar, the back-up vocals?

The good news is that Rhett rocked the house. But it got me thinking. As writers, who are we without our "band?" When you strip away the layers of your published articles -- headlines, deks, photos, fancy fonts, etc. -- is the writing still solid? Or are you bolstered by all of that to the point where your voice fades out? I'd like to think that my words can sing without all the back-ups. Yet it's given me pause, and inspired me to just put it all out there when I write the lede on a story. After all, do I want a glossy photo to steal the show or do I wish to be like Rhett and rock the house?

Photo credit: Wikipedia.org


Sunday, August 5, 2012

Are you a "giver?"


As the yoga practice came to a close, the instructor’s soft voice wove into a narrative about the symbiotic nature of relationships. “It’s about the giving, the taking, the giving, the taking,” she said, as waves crashed against the rocks below, and the sun continued its upward crest towards the horizon. I was at a beach hotel in Cozumel, Mexico, on assignment for Destination Weddings & Honeymoons Magazine. I'd set down my notebook and camera in order to begin day #1 of my trip with a yoga class.

Seated cross-legged, my hands resting on my knees, sweat dripping from my brow, I thought back to the night before, when an editor emailed to express a “major concern” – a colleague had used my name (without my permission) to try and get a pay raise. She revealed what I was paid for a recent article -- information I freely shared in an attempt to let her know about a market that might buy her work. Never did I suspect she'd try and leverage my success with that particular market for her own gain. For the 90-minute morning-yoga session at my hotel in Mexico I’d managed to leave that anger behind. Was it time to put it behind me forever?

Freelance writing often means you are the sole decision-maker. You set the parameters for your writing business, nobody else. Since I started writing as an independent contractor in 1999 I’ve made an unconscious decision to network. Only I don’t do it the old-school way where I fly around the country to conferences, slip into high heels and a blazer, and set up dinner dates with other writers. Sure, there were a few conferences here and there. But there were also virtual writers groups I joined in an attempt to stave off isolation, to shake off the feeling that I was the only worker on this island of a business, and to forge community. It worked in more ways than I can count. I shared market leads. I never thought twice about giving. I addressed the frustrations and concerns of my fellow writers with kindness and support (and it came back to me numerous times in late-night phone calls and “you can do this” rah-rah emails, some from writers I had never met). I even landed prosperous gigs by taking this same information when it was given to me. Multiple times I met up with my fellow writers, sometimes on other continents, to match faces with email addresses and Facebook profiles. 

But here is the dirty truth: being a "giver" -- where you freely share information out of kindness -- is a tricky business. Who, exactly, are you giving to? Are the ones taking your information giving something back? If not, it’s time to reevaluate, as the wise yoga teacher said, the nature of that relationship.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

2009's hottest wine stories

For Slashfood.com, and just before the year 2009 wraps, I wrote about the year's hottest wine stories: http://www.slashfood.com/2009/12/22/the-year-in-wine

Philanthropic Wineries

For Slashfood.com, in the season of giving, I suggest three really cool, philanthropic wineries to support. http://www.slashfood.com/2009/12/21/philanthropic-wineries/

Monday, December 14, 2009

knitting and wine

I was able to write about two of my passions -- knitting and wine -- for a story that published on Wine Enthusiast's web site. You can read it here: http://tiny.cc/vWOYt

Monday, November 23, 2009

local food movement

I had a lot of fun chatting with owners of coffee shops around the country to see what kinds of dairy and food products they source from local farms and growers. It's the cover story in the November 2009 issue of Fresh Cup Magazine: www.freshcup.com.