I'VE GONE AND DONE IT NOW!

Well, if you know me than you know that I have always wanted to be a talk show host. What you didn't know that? Then where have YOU been?

At the C3 conference I talked about how I wanted to do it and another author in the audience yelled out, "then why don't you?"

Hmm, well she was right. Why hadn't I done it. She was right. I had been talking about it forever! I had a new computer that had the capability to create great videos. I had great friends who would love the chance to sit down and talk to me and I had the personality to carry a 'show".

So I did it! I went and did it! I dragged a friend, ok, well not quite dragged but nagged him enough that he agreed to be my guinea, I mean my first guest on my show. Now the name of the show is The BSW Show because I do everything with BSW.

I sat down with my little sad bunch of flowers, a small table and two folding chairs and started talking.

+Austin Camacho was gracious in granting me an interview. The room was dimly lit and I talked a little to fast but my first 'show' is now on Youtube.

Click here, The BSW Show is live and hoping that you don't judge it to harshly....remember, I have a low budget right now and it will get better.

At least next time, it will be better lighting and the flowers won't be so small. So tell me what you think and be kind....

Oh No! I'm one of THOSE People

Do you see this? Huh? I mean....I actually have workout shoes that are flat to the floor. Gasp! What is happening to me? I can't seem to wrap my mind around the fact that I have tennis shoes. 

As you can see, my 'heels' are trying to intimidate the cute little purple/grey shoes but they are standing their ground! The tennis shoes have taken up residence in my work bag. Correction, my work bag; which used to only hold my laptop, various pens and pencils, a notebook and the occasional bottle of juice or my coffee mug has now become...

A WORKOUT BAG!  I think I feel faint! *fans self in an attempt to not faint*

You see, I went to the gym to help a friend who is on the journey of a life-time. She has lost over 80 pounds by walking and needed a little motivation and she asked me to go. I went and then I asked her to do the circuit training with me. After walking 4 miles in a little under 35 minutes; I was pumped. I was barely sweating so I figured I needed to do something else to get the old sweat glands to work. Like who does that? Well, I do because with me it is all about the competition. I couldn't have THOSE people in the gym looking at me like I was a slacker. I could imagine what that group of women thought when they walked in, "look at her...taking up that machine walking and she aint even sweating''. I can't help it that I don't sweat much! Get off my back! 

Wait, they didn't actually say that but I felt like I wanted to have an attitude with them so off to circuit training I went and for the next 30 minutes I sweated like I was in the park playing frisbee with my dog Mocha. Except he wouldn't catcha frisbee and I wouldn't have him in the park with all of those fleas and ticks. But I digress.

So afterwards, while cooling down and chatting with my friend, I felt alive, I felt new, I felt like; one of THOSE people. I immediately needed new clothes, new shoes, a new workout bag and most of all, one of those emblems for the car! 

I felt like I belonged in the gym, like I wanted to be there all the time, like I wanted to become a workout enthusiast. So I did what I figured most people would do. I joined +Planet Fitness and became a Black Card member that allows me to use the gym whenever I want to and to take advantage of the hydro-therapy massage tables or the massage chairs. The plus side, it only costs me $20 a month because I'm cheap and would never pay anything more than that...so yes, I am officially one of THOSE people. 

You know, the ones with the gym bags, cute little shoes, the weights, water bottles and the emblem on their car (except I'm not putting it on my car; instead its on my workout bag)

So, if you live in Waldorf and are ever at the gym, look for me and my cute little purple and grey tennis shoes; I'll try and leave the +Stilettos at home or at the very least in the locker. 

NEW YEAR, NEW ATTITUDE

Every year people make resolutions and every year, around February, most of the resolutions have been broken.

This year I challenge you NOT to fall into the trap of making a resolution. Instead I challenge you to have a new attitude.

A lot of women fall into the trap of, "I'm going to start my diet" and come December, they look in the mirror and they have not lost one pound but and have gained at least five. Then they moan, groan and complain that they didn't have the right food, or they couldn't make time to work out, or they didn't have support but what they won't do, is blame themselves. 

See most women want to lose weight but they don't have the motivation to do it. They want someone to blame when they don't lose a pound instead of taking the blame themselves. Instead of saying, I chose to eat that entire bag of chips, or I chose to eat out for lunch everyday or I chose to eat that ice cream even though I said I wouldn't. They look for a scapegoat when all they need to do is look in the mirror.

Men are not exempt from this. "I'm going to work out everyday" "I'm going to stop smoking" "I'm going to work harder and get that promotion". But come December, they say, "well I couldn't stop smoking because my job is stressful because they gave that promotion to someone who just started working there a year ago." 

See the pattern? Those people didn't have a new attitude, what they had were new excuses. But come next January 1, 2015; those same people will again make the same 'resolutions'. 

I challenge those people to say, in 2014, I am going to have a new attitude about my eating. I want to be healthy, I want to live longer and I won't make excuses for my behavior. I want them to say, I'm going to try and limit my cigarettes and I am going to try and work out more and I will work harder and apply for that new position.

See, if you do that and post it everywhere. Put it on your computer at work, in the desk drawer that you would have junk food in; or in the drawer you keep those cigarettes. Put it in your bathroom, on your refrigerator; anywhere you will see it everyday because until you change your attitude, you won't lose a pound, you will still smoke and your weight bench will continue to be a clothes rack.

So, what is your new attitude this year? 

Well for me, I am going to try and learn to be patient and learn how to speak up for myself. If I don't like something, I will not let people change my mind about it.

So, tell me; what is your new attitude this year?

IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR

The holiday season is fast ending but I have had a fantastic time enjoying the most wonderful time of the year.

My I Pod has had +Christmas Town music in it since December 1st. My +Christmas Forest and village has been bringing delight to many people who passed through my home and my Christmas cheer has been unstoppable.

Atlas, the season is drawing to a close but I hope you made great memories. I made some great memories with some new friends from the +DMV Weekenders, to a new wife of a special friend to spending some great quality time with my grandchildren and my children.

It doesn't matter what gifts were under the tree; what mattered is that the family was together and together we watched Christmas classics like; +Charlie Brown Christmas and +The Grinch and +National Lampoons Christmas and my new favorite +ELF

All of the laughter and the jokes and the gifts and the decorations will forever be captured in my memory and will live on through photos and videos.

Take this time to make sure that you tell the ones you love how wonderful this time of year was for you and make sure that you make the new year a memorable one.

WHEN TELLING A LIE IS BETTER THAN THE TRUTH

I hadn't planned on lying; really I didn't. It sort of just happened.

Early one morning this week, I was up and getting ready for my day. It was a normal day just like all of the other days of this week. Except for one thing.

I nearly lost my eye! I'm not kidding! I nearly blinded myself with a speck of toothpaste!

Yes, you read it right; toothpaste was the nemesis. It literally, jumped off of the toothbrush and went directly into my left eye.

It had me fumbling around the bathroom, screaming like someone that saw a snake and knocking everything off of the counter.

Towels, cups, jewelry case, mirror, comb, brush...all went tumbling to the floor like dominoes.

I tried to compose myself and rinse out the offensive speck but wouldn't you know..it had bits of "minty crystals for all day protection" in it and got down into my eye so far that I swear it is now in my brain.

I tried to keep my eye closed (not impossible since it closed tighter than a bank vault) but then the unthinkable happened.

You see, the body's natural reaction to something getting into your eye is for your eye to water; to wash the offensive matter out.

Yes that is what happened and I tell you the expletives that flew out of my mouth would put any sailor to shame!

Driving to work became a chore because I wanted to keep my eye closed but kept veering into the other lane; setting off my 'safety feature' that jolted me, causing me to open the offended eye and then a whoosh of air came flooding in, causing as much pain as when the toothpaste flew into my eye thirty minutes prior.

Dear Lord! I am going to be blind or at the very least have pink eye to start the holidays! Not allowed!

So as I walk into the building and head to the bathroom to get a paper towel to put on my eye; which by the way, doesn't help, people now begin to ask me if I am OK.

Do I look OK? I want to yell but I smile and say yes, and then the unthinkable happens. I say that I poked myself in the eye while putting on my makeup.

Gasp! I just LIED! I lied because no one would believe that I got toothpaste in my eye, right?

And as I tell the "makeup" story to one more person, she says..."I thought you didn't wear eye makeup"

Gulp! I'm busted what do I do...what do I say....I say the one thing that could make it better...."Oh, did I say makeup I meant to say I got toothpaste in my eye."

She looks at me and says..."Girl...you are so foolish....toothpaste in your eye." and laughs so hard I wanted to put the toothpaste in HER eye.

Moral of the story: Watch out for your toothpaste....it might just put your eye out! or at the very least have you looking like you have a horrible case of pink eye!

WHAT HAVE I DONE NOW?

I talked myself into a book tour. Yes, that's right; I am going on tour with two lovely ladies and we are #BDOT or #BookDivasOnTour.

This brain child came about as yours truly attended one of the divas book launch in September, +KR Raye is a local author who just released "The Colors Trilogy" and while talking about our respective journeys I blurted out. 'We should go on tour. Diva's on Tour could be a hit!" and she co-signed it.

Oops, did I just say that! Did I just commit myself to being on a book tour with so much stuff already going on. Yep! I damn right I did.

If I don't promote myself, who will? Besides I knew it wouldn't be hard because all I have to do is buy some killer shoes, get some books in a suitcase and pack. How hard could that be, right?

Well, when you factor in the commitment's I already have, it is going to be hard but fun! Imagine three women, oh, did I forget to mention that +Dee Lawrence would also be on tour with us. This diva is another hard working sister and with the three of us; this is going to be a great time.

So, you need to get ready. #BookDivasOnTour is hitting local cities in 2014 and we are looking to have some fun with you. Are you ready?

Contact my publicist, Sandra Bowman at: sandra.bowman@intriguepublishing.com to book us in your area.

We hope to see you soon.

IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR

I know you started singing that Christmas tune as soon as you read the title. Yes, it is the most wonderful time of the year.

It's the time of the year when all good little boys and girls are making their list and checking it twice. It is also the time of the year that retailers are hoping that people will come and spend their hard earned money at their store.

Did you know that it is also the time of the year that small businesses hope to make up profits to keep their stores open for another year?

On the Saturday after thanksgiving, it is 'small business' shopping day. That means that all of us should support the small business. That also means small publishing companies. How many of you would take the chance and shop a small business or small publisher for some great gift ideas?

I did and I found some GREAT bargains! Most small publishers offer their newest releases around this time of year. Think of the authors that you will support by buying from a small publisher. Penguin, Random House, Kensington; they all don't have to worry as much about profits because they will have the loyal fan based. Smaller presses rely on us to support their authors and hope that in the process, you find a new author and become a fan.

If you have small business that you support, why not share their name here. If you are an owner of small publishing company, why not leave a comment so all of my loyal followers can find you and possibly find a new author to support.

Happy Shopping!