My blog is equal parts therapy and memoir. I have no offspring to keep my memory around and they say the Internet is forever. Well, this is my little mark on the wall of time to let future generations know I was here. This is my life story! First and foremost, I write it for myself.
My winter has arrived, but I see myself as an eternal spring. That child in me is thriving and out for revenge. So if you knew me back when, look out! I will be as kind to you as you were to me.
In the near future, I intend to blog more about my books as well. I've got a new one co-authored with April Sampson that I hope will be out soon. It's a budget beauty, healthy lifestyle, self-improvement book for women who do not have a lot of disposable income. -- A subject I know well! And April is the most versatile person I know. Besides being a talented illustrator and savvy business woman, she's also highly skilled in the kitchen. Plus she taught a course in nutrition to economically disadvantaged women. She was the perfect person to partner with me on this book.
My end will focus on fashion and beauty by using creativity rather than money. I don't just wear clothes and accessories, I have fun with them! I enjoy experimenting with many different styles. I encourage women to be vain and take pride in their appearance. More on this later!
Also I will continue to blog on a variety of subjects as well. Many times I enjoy just being silly!
As you've probably noticed, I now have a theme song, MY THING IS MY OWN. The first time I heard it, my jaw dropped! I emailed all my friends to tell them, "This is MY song!"
The typical reaction was, "Yeah sure, Dianne." Then I made them listen to it. Afterward, it was, "Wow, that really is YOUR song!"
Surely MY THING IS MY OWN was written centuries ago just for me! In an earlier blog, I stated that my life didn't need a sound track. But I never heard this song until after I entered into my 60's.
My life-long favorite is GREENSLEEVES. According to legend, it was composed by Henry VIII for Anne Boleyn. It has, in my opinion, the most beautiful melody ever written. Whenever I hear it, it's as if my spirit is lilting with the music straight into Heaven. But it's Anne Boleyn's song, not mine.
EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE A THEME SONG!!!
George Armstrong Custer of 7th Cavalry fame took the rousing Irish tune GARRY OWEN as his. I love it as well! I used to get up and perform an uncoordinated jig every time I heard it. -- Do you know the highlight of fashion at Custer's Last Stand? Answer: Arrow shirts! (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)
MY THING IS MY OWN is a feisty tune, not some sappy love song! Just listen to the words! Some readers complain they can't get the tune out of their heads. And they want to, BADLY!
Be warned, I won't censor my opinions because they are unpopular! (Does everyone you know agree with you one hundred percent!!!) Also I'm trying to be honest about my own short-comings and failings. There's a lot of warts on my psyche among the scars. I refuse to hide them.
Still I am proud of who I am! I'm not just an old maid. I am THE old maid!!! -- AND DON'T YOU FORGET IT! It's my identity I love and embrace it.
THANK YOU to all my LinkedIn connections who have endorsed me!!! To everyone out there: if you enjoy my blog, or if you read it just to ridicule me, please become a follower.
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Friday, December 13, 2013
RE-GIFTING SLIGHT OF HAND
Re-gifting is a wonderful way to recycle! It's smart and thrifty. I do it myself. However when it's obvious, that's just plain tacky! Discretion is required, this is where many people fall short.
I'll never forget the book I received for Christmas as a teenager. Inside, in the upper left corner it read: To my cousin Jill, from Susan. This writing could have been easily concealed by pretty floral stickers. And underneath could have been written: To my friend, Dianne.
My birthday always falls 2 weeks to the day after Christmas. When I turned 40, I held a big party. -- About a third of my presents were recycled Christmas gifts!!! It was quite obvious.
One was an expensive alligator purse set. The fact that half the items were still in the original plastic wrapping was a dead give-away! Plus they were all thrown together loose in a gift bag. In this case, I would suggest removing all the plastic, then buying a gift box (They can be found in most Dollar Stores!) and wrapping it! This would have made a far better impression!
Gift bags are just plain lazy! Plus they take away half the fun of receiving presents! Unless you are donating a door prize where the crowd needs to see the gift, wrap it up for crying out loud!
There's a certain thrill to unwrapping a gift that you just can't get with a bag! And I am not the type who carefully unwraps. I rip thru paper like a wild beast tears into a gazelle carcass!
While handing me a gift, a friend told me she couldn't stand to see any tearing, because of all the effort she put into wrapping. Out of respect for her, I refrained. But good grief, the paper is just going to get thrown out anyway! -- Bows however, are almost always recycled.
Also a recycled gift should be appropriate to the recipient. At age 9, I received a giant floodlight with a handle. Even my parents thought it was goofy gift for a 9 year old girl. It was better suited for my father! He ended up with the thing, anyway. Had this person bought me a $1. box of candy, it would have been better received. -- At least that would have been something I could have enjoyed.
Another disappointing gift was a box that read: Chocolate Butter Cremes. My mouth watered with anticipation. -- I was crestfallen when I opened it. Inside was a nightgown! I wanted to scream, "Keep the damn nightie! Give me those chocolates!" It was a cruel tease. -- Always cover boxes like that with brown tape, or stickers. Or at least put a giant X across it with a magic marker!
A former Vero Beach neighbor took tacky to new lows. Before handing me her gift bag, she told me it was a decorative candle. "The wick is burned," she said. "I lit it to see if it had a fragrance." From the look of the wick and the candle, I'd say it burned for an hour or more. -- Talk about a used gift! Geez!
This same neighbor returned my Christmas present to her. -- A month later! It was a box of multi-flavored teas. She claimed she didn't remember who had given it to her. And no one in her family liked flavored tea. " So do you want it?" she asked. -- I took back my tea and I enjoyed it too.
These days I don't give many gifts. But when I do, I make the effort to put serious thought into them.
To my dear friend Rose, your Christmas present will NOT be a recycled one. -- At least not this year, anyway!
I'll never forget the book I received for Christmas as a teenager. Inside, in the upper left corner it read: To my cousin Jill, from Susan. This writing could have been easily concealed by pretty floral stickers. And underneath could have been written: To my friend, Dianne.
My birthday always falls 2 weeks to the day after Christmas. When I turned 40, I held a big party. -- About a third of my presents were recycled Christmas gifts!!! It was quite obvious.
One was an expensive alligator purse set. The fact that half the items were still in the original plastic wrapping was a dead give-away! Plus they were all thrown together loose in a gift bag. In this case, I would suggest removing all the plastic, then buying a gift box (They can be found in most Dollar Stores!) and wrapping it! This would have made a far better impression!
Gift bags are just plain lazy! Plus they take away half the fun of receiving presents! Unless you are donating a door prize where the crowd needs to see the gift, wrap it up for crying out loud!
There's a certain thrill to unwrapping a gift that you just can't get with a bag! And I am not the type who carefully unwraps. I rip thru paper like a wild beast tears into a gazelle carcass!
While handing me a gift, a friend told me she couldn't stand to see any tearing, because of all the effort she put into wrapping. Out of respect for her, I refrained. But good grief, the paper is just going to get thrown out anyway! -- Bows however, are almost always recycled.
Also a recycled gift should be appropriate to the recipient. At age 9, I received a giant floodlight with a handle. Even my parents thought it was goofy gift for a 9 year old girl. It was better suited for my father! He ended up with the thing, anyway. Had this person bought me a $1. box of candy, it would have been better received. -- At least that would have been something I could have enjoyed.
Another disappointing gift was a box that read: Chocolate Butter Cremes. My mouth watered with anticipation. -- I was crestfallen when I opened it. Inside was a nightgown! I wanted to scream, "Keep the damn nightie! Give me those chocolates!" It was a cruel tease. -- Always cover boxes like that with brown tape, or stickers. Or at least put a giant X across it with a magic marker!
A former Vero Beach neighbor took tacky to new lows. Before handing me her gift bag, she told me it was a decorative candle. "The wick is burned," she said. "I lit it to see if it had a fragrance." From the look of the wick and the candle, I'd say it burned for an hour or more. -- Talk about a used gift! Geez!
This same neighbor returned my Christmas present to her. -- A month later! It was a box of multi-flavored teas. She claimed she didn't remember who had given it to her. And no one in her family liked flavored tea. " So do you want it?" she asked. -- I took back my tea and I enjoyed it too.
These days I don't give many gifts. But when I do, I make the effort to put serious thought into them.
To my dear friend Rose, your Christmas present will NOT be a recycled one. -- At least not this year, anyway!
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
CONFESSIONS OF A LINKEDIN LOOSE WOMAN
If you read my blog, you know that when it comes to technology I'm in the same category as an Amish woman. -- I take that back! There are probably Amish women who are quite tech savvy. (Remember Rumspringa!) However, I'm learning as I go along.
Several years back, I didn't know how to get on LinkedIn! A nice lady from the business networking luncheons put me on so we could connect.
For the first couple of years, I had about 8 connections. Everyone else seemed to have around 200. So I was kind of embarrassed. But at least I knew all 8 people.
Then I received an invitation from an unfamiliar name. I thought it might be someone from one of the networking luncheons. I meet so many people, I can't remember all their names. So I connected! Then I looked at the profile. Whoa, I thought, this is a total stranger! A few weeks later, a similar thing happened. And I didn't hesitate to connect. Yippeee!!! I had 10 connections, now!
I decided to experiment. I sent off volumes of invitations to strangers. Some received invites just because I liked their hair! I really didn't expect any of them to actually connect.
The next time I checked my Inbox, I couldn't believe it! Almost all of them did!
So I continued sending out invitations. My goal was to reach 100 connections before the weekend was over. Success, I did it!!!
I felt rather hypocritical. -- I had been reluctant to get on Facebook because I didn't want strange people trying to friend me!
Of course some did reject me. A few even contacted me just to tell me so! I got the vibe they were trying to feel superior by putting me in my place. Good grief, they had the option of ignoring my invitation. So this was unnecessary!
The most arrogant was a woman with a pageboy and thick glasses. -- I don't know why I sent her an invitation in the 1st place. She looked like a real pill just from her photo!
Early the following week, I met my friend Rose for lunch. "What have you been up to?" she asked.
I told her I had become a LinkedIn whore! I spent the entire weekend connecting with total strangers. It was a 2-day orgy!!!
"Then I'm a phone whore!" Rose declared. "I'm constantly changing my phone plan to get a better deal."
We laughed loudly that we were a pair of whores! The couple seated beside us on the other side of the partition got up and changed their seat!
I've had more than a few men try to hit on me thru LinkedIn. Perhaps it has to do with the fact I'm one of the rare women on there displaying cleavage.
One fellow was discombobulated when I told him I was over 60. -- Yes, my profile photo is recent, no touch-ups or photo-shopping involved. (I look young for my age in person, too!) However, I understood why he wanted nothing more to do with me. I totally get it! I'm shallow, too! What made me really angry was that he disconnected with me on LinkedIn. It's NOT a dating site!
Anyway, I've got well over 500 connections, now! Plus my profile was one of the 10 most viewed of 2012! NOW, YOU KNOW WHY! Seems every few days I receive an invitation from someone I've never met.
Lately, I've ignored a couple because I had an wary feeling. But it's rare for me to turn anyone away. So if you're reading my blog and want to connect, send me an invitation. I'm easy!
Several years back, I didn't know how to get on LinkedIn! A nice lady from the business networking luncheons put me on so we could connect.
For the first couple of years, I had about 8 connections. Everyone else seemed to have around 200. So I was kind of embarrassed. But at least I knew all 8 people.
Then I received an invitation from an unfamiliar name. I thought it might be someone from one of the networking luncheons. I meet so many people, I can't remember all their names. So I connected! Then I looked at the profile. Whoa, I thought, this is a total stranger! A few weeks later, a similar thing happened. And I didn't hesitate to connect. Yippeee!!! I had 10 connections, now!
I decided to experiment. I sent off volumes of invitations to strangers. Some received invites just because I liked their hair! I really didn't expect any of them to actually connect.
The next time I checked my Inbox, I couldn't believe it! Almost all of them did!
So I continued sending out invitations. My goal was to reach 100 connections before the weekend was over. Success, I did it!!!
I felt rather hypocritical. -- I had been reluctant to get on Facebook because I didn't want strange people trying to friend me!
Of course some did reject me. A few even contacted me just to tell me so! I got the vibe they were trying to feel superior by putting me in my place. Good grief, they had the option of ignoring my invitation. So this was unnecessary!
The most arrogant was a woman with a pageboy and thick glasses. -- I don't know why I sent her an invitation in the 1st place. She looked like a real pill just from her photo!
Early the following week, I met my friend Rose for lunch. "What have you been up to?" she asked.
I told her I had become a LinkedIn whore! I spent the entire weekend connecting with total strangers. It was a 2-day orgy!!!
"Then I'm a phone whore!" Rose declared. "I'm constantly changing my phone plan to get a better deal."
We laughed loudly that we were a pair of whores! The couple seated beside us on the other side of the partition got up and changed their seat!
I've had more than a few men try to hit on me thru LinkedIn. Perhaps it has to do with the fact I'm one of the rare women on there displaying cleavage.
One fellow was discombobulated when I told him I was over 60. -- Yes, my profile photo is recent, no touch-ups or photo-shopping involved. (I look young for my age in person, too!) However, I understood why he wanted nothing more to do with me. I totally get it! I'm shallow, too! What made me really angry was that he disconnected with me on LinkedIn. It's NOT a dating site!
Anyway, I've got well over 500 connections, now! Plus my profile was one of the 10 most viewed of 2012! NOW, YOU KNOW WHY! Seems every few days I receive an invitation from someone I've never met.
Lately, I've ignored a couple because I had an wary feeling. But it's rare for me to turn anyone away. So if you're reading my blog and want to connect, send me an invitation. I'm easy!
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