The 16 for 16 List

They want you to think they are funny and cool as well as athletic and hot. But they’ll take funny and cool if the rest is not in their cards…yet. They don’t care that much about makeup—on them or you, but a welcoming smile that makes them think they are funny, cool, athletic or hot goes a long way. They can’t express it but they want to be accepted as they are—just like you—even when they can’t accept themselves. If boys see you value yourself and your dreams they will secretly and sometimes openly admire you. Men love confidence in a woman. Boys respect confidence in a girl and are often drawn to her for it, but can’t explain why….Read More

Surviving Exam Season!

You are a student, you are stressed, and you feel the pressure put on my teachers, parents, and worse – yourself. It’s too much! It really is. Stop and take a breath. Give yourself a little credit. You are more than one exam, one grade, or one day in your life. Do the work you need to do, then get a really good night of sleep. And remember these basic truths! Education is a journey, not a race. It doesn’t matter how long it takes to get there, just that you keep going. Even if you fail, there’s summer school! No grade is worth your life, your health, or your sanity. Take it one test, one day, one hour at…Read More

35 Things To Put On Your Boyfriend List

Hey, I know everyone would like to have a great boyfriend, right? Well, it’s not as easy to find the good ones as you would think. And let’s be honest, it’s a waste of time drifting from guy to guy hoping he’ll be what you are looking for when, you don’t really know who you are and what you are looking for. That’s why I always recommend The Boyfriend List. It’s important to be clear about what you want and expect. And to make sure you’ve got it right, write it down and focus on it. Of course, whatever you want, make sure you can also give it back. You need to be awesome to attract the awesome guy, right? Unlike in…Read More

How to Prepare for Turkey Tummy! 10 Easy Things!

Start taking Probiotics now. Purchase your form of Zantac or Tums and slip some into your pocket or purse. Carry a few extra for a loved one. Drink lots of water – all week – before and after the event! In addition to the recommended 64 ounces, drink 2 portions of water for every 1 glass of wine; 3 portions for every portion of hard liquor; 1 to 1 equal portions for every beer. This is not proven science, just years of testing and experience. Trust me. You will also wake up happier. Contrary to popular advice, I recommend weighing yourself every day this week – just to stay in the general stratosphere of your current weight. Enjoy but make…Read More

Join Me in a Year of Gratitude

I am a person who always strives to be better, as I’m sure most of you are. But ongoing growth requires new and different practices for me. And there’s always so many things to work on it can be overwhelming. So I decided to pick one thing for the year and delve deep into the study and practice of it. It’s sort of my theme for the year, and next year I can pick something new. This, as you’ve guessed from the title of my blog, is all about gratitude. I’m giving it a whole year of focus because I really want this practice to go beyond habit to integrate and transform in who I am at my core, and become…Read More

Day One or One Day. You Decide.

We all have that thing that we put off, dream about, or push to the side and say, “one day…” What’s yours? As I write this month it is knowing that the year before me will be a time of great change—much of it transforming my life in ways I don’t even know yet. My “one day” is drawing near. Last year was my year of gratitude and it truly changed how I feel about everything. I enter this year of change with immense gratitude for all the changes I will make and need to make this year. My first big change: I resigned January 5th from my job with Walt Disney Imagineering where I designed and developed attractions and…Read More

So You Want to Write a Book? I am often approached by people, who after discovering I write books, tell me they’ve been wanting to write a book too. Sound familiar? With the advent of self-publishing, it seems like everyone wants to write a book about as much as everyone wants to write a screenplay. “I started writing a book.” First, there are those, who think there’s big money in writing a book, and think it will be easy to get it published and that it would make a great movie. They’ve started something ages ago. When you ask how far along they are on their book, they might hem and haw a bit, and say only chapter one, or page five….Read More

You Know You’re A Writer When by Adair Lara The following ten gems are from Adair Lara’s little book that sits on my shelf closest to my desk. Occasionally when I’m feeling out of sorts, a little weird, or have been caught talking to myself a little too much – I whip out this treasure, and remember that I’m not alone. Here are just ten of my favorites. There are so many more. If you’re not sure yet, if you’re a writer, you might pick up a copy. It also makes a great gift a writerly friend. You think of eavesdropping as research. You get a book idea while washing the dishes. Sometimes you think in an English accent. As…Read More

When I first purchased these books by Virginia Woolf, it was with the thought that if I’m to be a writer I must read books of other great writers. Thus, Virginia Woolf. A Room of One’s Own and Orlando are more like essays, manifestos or feminist testaments, cleverly written to convey her point with a sharp, satirical and sometime frustrated or angry humor – for which I don’t blame her a bit! I imagine they were greeted with a certain amount of controversy at the time. Virginia was home schooled by her literary father and grew up meeting other literary icons such as Henry James and Julia Margaret Cameron. She later became part of her own literary and artistic circle…Read More