I recently read somewhere that, “you are what you tweet.” Although this may not be exactly true, I do think that Twittering has the power to shape people’s perceptions of you DRAMATICALLY.

For instance, if someone’s tweets are constantly whines and complaints, I start to think they are negative. I start to change the way that I interact with them, in person and online.

And the reverse is true too. I feel myself drawn to friends on Twitter who are constantly encouraging and educating. I enjoy interacting with these tweeps. I am happy to pass along (RT) their tweets.

And I consciously think…I want to be more like those people. (more…)

I told you early this week that I am working on being “real.” So here it is, I am usually A TOTAL SLACKER when it comes to remembering Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. Sure, I always pull through with the day-of phone call, but I never quite get the card in the mail in time. Who is with me? (Okay, maybe you all are better children/grandchildren than me.)

In typical fashion it is the Thursday before Father’s Day. I’m in Tennessee, my dad is in Texas, and his card is still at Walgreen’s. So I started playing on Smilebox. And I whipped together something hopefully my dad will love. Here it is:

Make a Smilebox greeting

I hope he likes it, and more importantly, I hope he knows how much he means to me. He really is the best dad in the world.

I love you, Dad. Thank you for your love, support, and encouragement.

Lately I have been “trying” to be “real.”

Not So "Real"

I would never go so far as saying that normally I am fake, but sometimes when situations are tough, sometimes when relationships are frustrating, sometimes when life isn’t fair, I can be fake-ish. (I know, I know, that really isn’t a word, but why don’t you just give me a break?) (more…)

I am going to Bonnaroo tomorrow afternoon with a friend. As we bantered back and forth about what we’d need for the weekend, she asked me if I was going to bring a “book bag.” I said, “a what?” wondering why in the world I would take a bag full of books to a music festival. I work for a publisher and love books but that just seems WEIRD. She quickly clarified that she meant a “backpack.” She just grew up some backwards place where they call “backpacks” “book bags.” She preceded to tell me that she calls a “trunk” a “boot” which threw me for a total loop.

"Backpack" or "Book bag"???

This confusing conversation got me thinking about how regionally people use different words to describe basic things. The most common would be the whole “soda”, “pop”, “Coke” thing. (Be sure to check out this map that spells out the most common name for soft drinks by county.) But here are some others that just make me giggle: (more…)

Last Saturday night, ColdPlay was in Nashville. And I went to see them perform at The Sommet Center.

Yellow

And as Michael Hyatt, would say it was a “wow experience.”

And it was not just a “wow experience” because I had low expectations. My Birmingham friends had certainly built the experience up during long play-by-play recaps on the phone and on Facebook. (more…)

Way back when, during my time in the Brownies (the pre-Girl Scout society) we used to sing this song: “Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other’s gold.”

Allison, Sarah and I - Jordan Vineyard, Sonoma Valley, Memorial Day 2009

I never had much of a singing voice (actually I never had ANY of a singing voice) but those lyrics sung over-and-over again in a round stuck with me. But I am not sure that I understood what they meant until now. I never understood how important it is to value both old and new friends, because each are precious treasures. (more…)