Blue Lollipop Road

October 1, 2009 In Uncategorized

Triple Threat

I thought I loved Bev’s Homemade before last weekend as much as I possibly could. 

Until I walked in and saw on the specials board; Nutella Gelato.
Um. Yes please.
Of course I saw the specials board after ordering what I had driven 4 hours for and was on my list to eat during the weekend; An espresso Oreo sugar cone with chocolate sprinkles. Fortunately though, as I slurped down my cone down like a 4 year old, the friendly gal behind the counter gave me a sample of the Nutella gelato too- just put me over the edge of sugary bliss
Bev herself came out from the back and started chatting with my friend and I. She’s probably 65 years old and I have seen her in her little ice cream shop working 90% of the time I go. I think that is pretty cool. Who says treats don’t keep you young? I guess ice cream makes everyone smile and that must make people want to keep working. Between the friendly chatter, the funky colors on the walls and overall vibe in this de-lish spot, I say the whole experience is 100% edible. If you haven’t been- do yourself a favor and go get your slurp on!
Espresso, Oreo’s and Nutella. Can you say heaven? The world could be falling apart around me and I’d be standing in the middle of it all just licking my lips. YUM. 
Dear Bev’s,
Won’t you start an ice cream of the month club? I’ll be your 1st subscriber.
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September 30, 2009 In Uncategorized

Paxton Is Cool

My friend Matt was on TV Monday night for the second time this month. A show called Hoarders on A&E. His company Clutter Cleaner does a lot of cleaning up and organizational stuff I could babble on about, but to black and white it, he and his crew do serious dirty work that helps people live better and healthier lives. It’s amazing. They do the sh*t (literally lots of times)- that no one else would ever want to do. Lets talk about gettin’ down and dirty….sheesh. Matt has busted his butt more than anyone else I have ever known. He’s grown his company, blood, sweat and tears like a true entrepreneur. He has an audacity and drive that I admire immensely. I can’t say I have never been this proud of a friend or family member for their great accomplishments before, because I have, but for whatever reason, seeing Matt on TV this month thrilled me like I can’t explain. Perhaps it’s the exact understanding of trucking on with what you want out of life and doing things you believe in that he practices and we share. Maybe it’s because of all the support and advice he has given or the fact that he has the heart of the kind of person everyone should be lucky enough to know. Probably all three. I wanted to give a far more than well-deserved shout out here.

So absolutely happy for you Paxton. I’m proud and stoked and thrilled and jazzed and elated for you and all that is coming your way. You totally deserve it.
“Don’t ever forget how much of a badass you are.”
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September 29, 2009 In Uncategorized

In Serendipitous Timing…

….to my post yesterday, I just clicked over and read this post by chance on my friend Erin’s blog. Just reading her post and going away this past weekend alone to take space and just think has convinced me I’ve made the right decision to change some things in my life having to do with balance. Space from technology, work overload, constant connection, etc. Thanks for reminding me of the good stuff Erin. 

I’m off to be fat and happy and have lunch on a patio and work the afternoon there in the sun…
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September 29, 2009 In Uncategorized

Fat And Happy

You know those lemonade and iced tea commercials where the cute older gents are sitting on a porch just a rockin’ in their chairs talking to a pal or two or their grandkids? Or in real life do you ever walk or drive by those houses where some peaceful looking elderly lady is just sitting on her porch and just watching? I have thought a lot about these folks this year and have had some great conversation with a few too. These people have “been some places-done some things.” They’ve been through things like wars. They’ve seen the world change before their eyes 10 times over. They’ve experienced love and loss, joy and pain, birth and death- all of it. Stuff that most of us could not imagine and they are wise.

Wisdom:
Something you just can’t get/don’t have (no matter how hard you try) until you just live lots of time and experiences. 
In thinking about all the good and bad insanity and chaos of life and how to become wise, I’ve thought about how many times we say things to ourselves like; “This is the worst thing I can possibly imagine. How the hell am I going to do/get through this?” or “This is the most incredible thing ever! I can’t imagine anything ever being better!”-then the bad somehow always works out just fine and the good somehow gets even better. If we can manage to find ways to practice grace and patience in all of the years of madness, choose to have a positive mindset during all the hard growth, take everything as a lesson and never stop dusting off and trying again, thats what makes us wise and leads to perfection.
Perfection:  
Perfection to me is being fat and happy. “Fat and happy” is the place where when you’re up in years sitting on a porch with a belly, a cigar, a lemonade, some scotch-whatever your flavor, rocking in your chair watching the world go by or relaxing on a couch for hours with someone you love sharing time and just not giving a damn about anything else but that time. No thoughts about things called Blackberry’s, laptops, meetings or Facebook. The place where you’re too busy enjoying the moment just being in the moment to worry or think about anything else at all. You say things to us worriers and wonderers who ask you how you can just sit and relax like that without a worry; “Oh nothing could phase me at this point honey, I’ve been some places and done some things and all that matters is right here right now.”
Then you wise and perfect ones sit there, take another sip, look at us worriers and wonderers and smile- to which we smile back with a sudden sense of content, thinking; I am so looking forward to being fat and happy someday.
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September 24, 2009 In Uncategorized

I Do Not Like Green Eggs And Ham

I am hoping someone out there can clear this up for me. 

Why is it that even after you tell someone that you don’t want (because you just don’t), don’t like (maybe because you’ve tried it before and you just don’t like it), can’t eat (maybe because you’re on a diet, allergic, etc.) or have no interest in (because you just don’t) something, they STILL ask you if you’d want to/like to/be interested in “it.”
What part of “No way! Thanks anyway though, I appreciate it”- is foggy or questionable?
I read something a long time ago that talked about the word; but. I can’t remember exactly what the article said, but it essentially stated that if/when you see/read/hear the word “but”, everything written or heard ahead of it gets erased/is basically pointless. 
Example:
“I know you loathe carrots and cold weather, but…”
But what? Suddenly I am going to become Peter Cottontail and hop through gardens eating the orange stuff or want to buy a ski chalet in Aspen and hit the slopes?
Sigh.
No.
No.
No!
This reminds me of a portion of this classic. 
I could not, would not on a boat.
I will not, will not, with a goat.
I will not eat them in the rain.
I will not eat them on a train.
Not in the dark! Not in a tree!
Not in a car! You let me be!
I do not like them in a box.
I do not like them with a fox.
I will not eat them in a house.
I do not like them with a mouse.
I do not like them here or there.
I do not like them ANYWHERE!
No means no today and it will mean no tomorrow. “But” good try. Thanks for asking yet again. 
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September 23, 2009 In Uncategorized

Nike

I hate being MIA from here and then trying to make excuses as to why, because excuses suck. I will say though, that I have been busy scrambling to find and place to live, help launch a company and put and event series together and dive into/get involved in my community. (Among other things.) With all this I have tried to take a step back and observe my surroundings. Here’s what I have found:

People like to talk about stuff, but not do stuff.
It’s ridiculous.
I can’t say I haven’t been guilty of it at times myself, but overall I think I’ve gotten off my a** and made things happen when I’ve wanted to. I’m not a hero, just a woman who was raised to earn it and do it herself and never expected anyone else to do “it” for me.
I have lived in and spent time several cities at this point in my life. In them I have over-volunteered, been over-involved, been overly-concerned, had a huge bleeding heart. While being/doing these things I’ve met lots of those key community people/business leaders/”important” people as well as been invited to join and participate in, this group and that board of such-and-such. While I have met incredible people, learned immeasurable things and been fortunate to find a mentor or two- I have also found that so many people seem to like to sit around and talk about “making things better” and not actually make things better. 
I had to write about this today because it’s part of the reason I’ve disappeared for a few days. I’ve been trying to take some time and space to have these conversations. I wonder why everyone seems to be so afraid to stand up/dive in and just do it. The common thread in every single conversation I have had in the past week personally and professionally seems to center around a “Yeah! We need to do this and that!” …and then nobody seems to take action. 
Talk is cheap.
Put your money where your mouth is.
Well behaved women rarely make history.
(Insert 9,967,367,912,980 other lines here…)
Give me a task or challenge- I’ll do it. Give yourself a task or challenge- then do it. Let’s all try to practice a lot less sh*t-talking and a lot more doing. We do not live in a place where you are ordered to sit down and shut up- so why are we all sitting down and shutting up? If going after what you want and what you believe in makes you obnoxious- then sign me up for president of the obnoxious club. We’ve got one life. ONE. And the clock is ticking. What are we waiting for?
Thanks for lunch yesterday Malcom. You might not know this, but it was so much more than a good chat about work.
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