All My Favo(u)rite Things

Close of business on a dreary and cold (finally!) Friday...and all I can think about is "My Favorite Things" from the musical, Sound of Music, by Rogers & Hammerstein. Here's the reprise version, the reunion with the children:

The run up to my big "round number" birthday is all about my favorite things. It's going to be a lovely next 7-8 days filled with Snoopy & the Great Pumpkin, The Sound of Music, Bruce Springsteen (of course!), our cats, James, yummy favorite foods....

Stressy weeks require extra de-stressing too! Someone recently wrote: "Always affirm the outcome you want!" Positive affirmations are definitely much more helpful than worrying about a nasty surprise. You can reap what you sow, and even if you don't, the ride is much more pleasant if you stay positive. Enjoy it, why put up with pain if you don't have to?

A friend of mine in Basel had a baby yesterday. I went to the hospital today and she let me hold him, oh my God! Just a day old! Amazing little thing he is! So strong already, the kicks in the womb must of been helping him strengthen those legs. The father is so wonderful and I am so happy for both of them. They are so blessed.

Really, all I want is to be able to testify. To be a testament to those who want to listen. To say something about my life, my universe, my everything. To give thanks to the universe for this beautiful life and the privilege to work with Love.

I miss my mother, I miss my father, and I miss my brother. I miss my bunny and niece and nephew. I miss my sister-in-law. I miss my "scuzzy roommates". I miss my Italian-American and French-American "mothers". I miss redwire and 53Esquire, skyjocky, PrettyRedRose, misadventure, nikita, and sixtyninechevy. I miss the Big Man. I miss N, J, T, G and PPP, A, E, J, and the Australian mötley crew.

So, I simply remember my favorite things....

Autumn and my life cycle

Here it is: my happy poem, "An Ode to Autumn". Published in a community newsletter, slightly anonymized, but who cares. It's a start.

This poem chronicles a bit my experience in Switzerland over the last 9 years. I am getting a bit nostalgic as I approach my 10th anniversary in March 2013. Here's my (nearly) line-by-line breakdown:

• dusts, heroes of summer: think of "The Rising" Bruce Springsteen
• born: yes I mean literally. Some of the best people I know are born between Sept 21 and December 21, typical autumn in the Northern Hemisphere
• boys shooting: this refers to the autumnal festival called Knabbenschiessen, loosely translated as "boys shooting" in Zürich, where I lived for 5 years. The translation is quite funny. Recently though, a young Swiss girl has entered the competition and been a great success.
• Öpfelkiechli or (Öpfel Küchli): Swiss-German dialect for these lovely deep-fried battered apple rings at the Basel Autumn Fair, or Herbstmesse, coming soon end of October. Mmmm. There's a very specific stand, and a very specific lady who makes these. I won't eat any other!
• The bells of Switzerland: there are a lot. Not just church bells. Cow and sheep (and other mountain animals) bells, sleigh bells, door bells... I love them all. Saturday evening they ring for 10 minutes. Really. OK, church bells only.
• Been listening to a lot of R.E.M. lately. Three words from the album, Green (1988). Song: "You Are The Everything". Find it, buy it. Love it!

• OK, we didn't get married in Autumn, but we did get engaged. Friends of ours got married in Autumn. 
• I guess the ol' October 1st heating rule is quite old. Must also be a Zürich thing.
• Yeah, the Dragon / drago in Italian / Draco. Read what you will into that.
• There used to be a branch of the Swiss army that wore yellow berets.
• Yeah, there's always the end of year rush to get things done, not only in Switzerland, but everywhere. Post-its are like leaves...
• Odd use of winter as a "dénouement" is a bit circular ;)

I'm making my first recipe of pumpkin-apple strudel later on today. A variation of Jamie Oliver's Pumpkin Strudel but better. ;) Can't wait!!!

The first step is the biggest

Here it goes. I've made a decision to change my life and my work. Now I have to see my dream through. I have been given 3 months personal leave of absence from my "real day job" and I am taking it for all it is. Although the clock doesn't start ticking for another 6 weeks, I am in planning and preparation mode, setting up my pilot plant experiment.

I am an engineer. I have been one for almost 15 years. I once was a writer, of poems of plays, of short prose, twenty years ago. I now want to make my life's work, writing fiction. This blog will be dedicated to documenting my successes, daily and weekly, and monthly, until I reach my new status.

One must re-invent themselves from time to time. Madonna and her music her styles over the years is a perfect example. In marketing terms, its called "life cycle management", and represents a planned shift in the brand to match trends in the market. New indications, new mediums, new outlets must be boldly tried. Madonna can afford to fail at this point, but most of us who are in the process of re-invention can not fail so much. A little failure of course is expected, setbacks happen all the time. The key is to stay positive, and motivated towards reading the market and giving it from yourself the best you can offer. The ideas have to come inside out, but once they come, it's past due time to figure out how to best market them. Market research and knowing thyself come hand in hand.

Thirty-five seems to be a magical age. It's about half way to retirement, and if you are a woman like me, the clock seems to be ticking faster. It's time to figure out my brand, what I am all about, and bring forth my uniqueness to market. For me, it has to be more than doing someone else's idea of a job, agency work, or lab work that I am not particularly fond. I have to really love this idea, and believe in it with all my heart, thus maintaining my commitment. Commitment also then to knowing my brand's life cycle. This will come in time.

Stay tuned here.