Socal Mom by Donna Schwartz Mills

All Over the Place

Yesterday was the first meeting of a marketing workshop I signed up for, in hope of learning how to better sell myself and my services. The workshop is here in the Valley, but I left early to fulfill another AskPatty assignment, which took me out to the Charthouse Restaurant south of Malibu - where I got to look at this:

I think the workshop is going to turn into more than a marketing exercise, as the first assignments seem to be leading us to find the core things we do and focus on those. Difficult, because as my Malibu lunch meeting indicates, I am all over the place:

I write here (sporadically), I take photos, I take video, I freelance for other sites, I help manage the MOMocrats endeavors (which include a podcast, a Facebook page and two newsletters), I contribute posts to other sites (rarely - but I try). I go to events. And I take on virtual assistant jobs (basically, anything that will bring in a check). 

Is it any wonder I feel frazzled? Or that I was late to the first workshop meeting because I was on a post-debate conference call with the Obama campaign?

Here - how about another shot from Pacific Coast Highway?

I am trying really hard not to neglect this blog, which is celebrating its NINTH (!) anniversary next month. To commemorate that, I've been reviewing my old posts and think I'll rerun some of the better ones from time to time over the next year. I truly want to get back into a groove where I'm writing upbeat, thoughtful posts on a more or less daily basis (you know, like I used to do).

In the meantime, I may have to settle for fulfilling one of those Photo a Day challenges that are so popular on InstaMatic and Facebook. This truly is a challenge, because I don't get out from behind this computer very much during the day. The October 1 assignment was to photograph a Fall scene. I took a picture of the Halloween display at Ralph's. Tuesday I was supposed to shoot some leaves -- presumably, autumn-colored, but it did not specify that, so I settled for the green ones on the tree outside my house. Wednesday was bubbles. I settled for the suds in my kitchen sink while washing the dishes.

Yesterday was Day 4, and I had already beat my previous record of sticking with the challenge. The assignment was stairs, and I knew this time I wouldn't be able to shoot something in my one-story house. So that was at the back of my mind when I drove out to the beach yesterday and when I got into the car I was test driving for AskPatty. 

The car companies like to hold these events out by the beach, which provides a beautiful backdrop for photos -- as well as proximity to canyon roads that allow you to really put a new vehicle through its paces. They usually give you a route they want you to follow. They also usually pair two journalists together.

Yesterday's debut of the 2013 Ford Explorer Sport was unusual, in that (a) it was not tightly scheduled and (b) we got to grab a vehicle and drive it solo. I glanced at the route, which took me north on PCH through Malibu Canyon out to Calabasas and back (estimated time 45 minutes). I remarked to the Ford employee who was checking me out that I knew the route well (because it is hard to keep referring to a printed page while you are driving alone).

"Oh, you're local? You know, you don't have to stick to the route as long as you know your way around."

So I didn't. I drove south on PCH and east on Sunset a bit before circling back to the coast and up past the Getty to the Malibu Lumberyard shopping center, where I knew there was a nice-looking staircase. I took a photo, grabbed a latte and made it back to the Charthouse restaurant before the inevitable late afternoon traffic jam would make it tough to get back home to the Valley.

And late last night, I finally posted this:

Broken Vows

"I'm going to lose weight and keep it off."

"I'm going to get that full-time job I've been talking about for the last four years."

"I'm going to be a better person and make more of an effort to be there for my friends."

And now I can add another one:

"I'm going to write a new blog post every day."

Yeah. I said that on Monday. It is now 2:00 on Wednesday. 

Is anyone surprised? I'm not. I'm disappointed with myself - but that's hardly surprising. 

I did, however, do two days of one of those social media photo-a-day challenges, and I've got 12 hours to make it to three.

 

 

If You Can't Stand the Heat

October 1st and the weather reporters have been warning us to expect record high temperatures today.

I think I'm going to die.

I keep wondering why my family didn't choose to settle in Santa Monica 50 years ago instead of the hot San Fernando Valley. (I know the answer: home prices were cheaper here -- just as they are today, which is why I continue to live here.)

It was bad enough when I was a kid. Worse, because we did not have central air conditioning. We did have an AC unit in our dining room window, and I can recall hot August nights when I could not sleep until I had relocated to the dining room floor so I could feel the cold air on my face.

Now, I am dealing with a completely different phenomenon: hot flashes that have been coming on more or less continually. You don't know what I'm talking about until you experience sweat dripping off your face in 50-degree weather, which occurred with frequency last winter while I was driving carpool. The minute those kids were out of the car, I would open all the windows to get some relief on the drive home. 

I have control when I'm alone in the car, but it's tougher in the house. For some reason, the other members of the family complain when I set the thermostat down to 70 because I've got sweat dripping down my face (a sensation I have been particularly fond of). So I do what I can - grab a glass of ice and rub it on my face and neck, or use some of those new products that are being advertised to women in my condition (which work OK but for me, not consistently). 

I've learned that certain things trigger the flashes, which are the body's over-reaction to things like temperature changes outside. The minute the temp in the house gets over 75-degrees, I start to sweat. Coffee and alcohol sometimes set them off. This has made me half-seriously consider giving them up -- except for the fact that the vast majority of the hot flashes occur for no discernible reason. So what would be the point?

It would be nice if I had the time and access to shower more than once a day, but that isn't possible (or practical). So I pray that I do not get to the point where I am offending others. 

In the meantime, I'm preparing myself to be uncomfortable for the day. At least, at 105-degrees, I won't be alone.

 

This Election is Killing Me

By now, everyone who reads me knows where I stand politically -- and if you follow me on Facebook, you've probably already blocked me (even if you are planning to vote the same way as I). So it will not come as a shock to anyone that I was glued to the television the last two weeks for both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions.

I've put a lot of energy into this election, with three different politically-themed newsletters (including daily information I'm pushing out to a group on the President's re-election site). I'm back on Twitter. And last week, I got up the nerve to meet local Obama supporters and join a phone bank.

But I need a breather.

Actually, I've taken a day off from politics here and there to pursue other endeavors. Last week, my husband and I spent an afternoon exploring Evergreen Cemetery; the oldest in Los Angeles. Yes, a detailed post is on its way -- but here's a little preview:

A couple of weeks ago, I visited some of the San Fernando Valley's most "walkable neighborhoods," and wrote a guide to one of them for CBS Los Angeles.

I've accepted some invitations to do some events, which should get me out of the house and hanging out with actual people (you know, instead of hiding behind the computer screen and tweeting out my updates).

Hopefully, I can keep my mind off the election long enough to handle a real conversation without delving into politics.

Labor Day!

It's weird to be three weeks into the school year before the Labor Day holiday.

Circadian rhythms change in the teen years, which is why my former early riser now wants to sleep until noon and is wide awake at midnight. The smart thing would be to start high school classes around 10:00 a.m. and end at 5:00 p.m. I realize this isn't practical for their parents, who have to be at work early -- but it would definitely be better for my kid.

And this year, she has a 0 period. So instead of the 7:50 a.m. start we're accustomed to, I need to get her to the school by 6:50... which means we leave the house at 6:20... which means she has to be out of bed by 5:30...

...and so do I. 

I don't know who hates the 0 period more; she or I.

Today was the start of a four-day weekend, and we took advantage of it in the best possible way... by sleeping in.