Remabulous

And another goal bites the dust! Madame Bovary is finished.

So... another day, another goal completed. I was up in Santa Barbara on a retreat with my amazing mastermind partners and planning out next steps of our year to make 2010 the best year ever as business owners.

One of the best parts about retreats is the ability to sit and read for more than five minutes at a time and especially to do it at other times than right before bed when I am liable not to remember half of what I've read.

So... did I enjoy Madame Bovary? Definitely.

Even though I read it on the Nook instead of as a paper page traditional book?

I did.

Here are my thoughts on both.

And damn do I wish Netflix would get on it and release this version of the movie so I can watch it. I love Isabelle Huppert. Can't wait!

Omnivore's Dilemma: a Remabulous Read

Many moons ago, I promised in a newsletter that I was going to read and review the Omnivore's Dilemma. I got a ton of positive responses to this announcement, then promptly got very busy and was waylaid in my reading. 

We keep our promises here at Remabulous, and so here I am a few weeks late with thoughts on the book.

It is a heavy hitter. I had to go to the grocery store today to pick up a few things and found myself reading the entire milk container to make sure I was picking the organic milk from the closest dairy and found myself wanting to visit the dairy to make sure I approved of its practices. When they say the cows get to exercise, what does that mean exactly?

Food is something we take for granted on an increasingly dangerous level in this country. And sadly, instead of learning from countries with healthier attitudes than our own, we seem to pass our own practices on to them.

What does this have to do with business? A whole lot, I think, as much of what has gotten us in this mess is everything to do with business. "It's just business" is the reason behind lots of suffering. I do eat meat, and this book did not send me back to my vegetarian past, but it did ensure that the meat I do eat will come from the farmer's market and a source I can talk to about its practices rather than an anonymous grocery store.

We as entrepreneurs have such a gift we can give the world- our businesses can set the standard for new practices and ways of being in the world that can be shared with many others. Your cause may be different than mine, but these are my thoughts on why it's important to have a cause and what you can do in your business to support it:

image: KdB1.

Who's Got Your Back? The Remabulous read of the week.

Who's Got Your Back by Keith Ferrazzi was one of the books that didn't make the cut for travel to Spain, but that was only because I had to make a "No Hardbacks" rule in order to cut down on the number of books I was bringing.

I was knee deep in this baby before I left for a reason: it has great advice, especially for people who work alone.

We all know we need contact with others to spur new ideas. When sitting at home in pajamas at three in the afternoon in front of the computer and having forgotten to eat lunch for the third day in a row, most of us at-home entrepreneurs have an a-ha moment:

"It might be useful for me to have someone to talk to and keep me on track," we think. "Hmmm."

Ferrazzi steps in with his book to help you find the best possible people to connect with at these moments. Here's how and why, according to the book...

Thankful about getting to work.

Thanksgiving is always a treat. Food, escaping from everyday routine, time with family, and just a break to sit, read, and think has been a wonderful treat this year. And there is a lot more to think about after recent events. My recent reading selection has been inspiring me to think more deeply about the meaning of work in both a difficult economy and in the wake of an election many of us were more involved in than any time previously.

It seems clear: all of us want to work towards a better world and a new definition of what working means. The question is: how do we start?

image: Caroline Donahue for Remabulous.

Pamela Des Barres and Tristan Taormino: Heroines for the Remabulous Movement.

Last week, Pamela Des Barres read at Book Soup. Her book, Take Another Piece of My Heart, A Groupie Grows Up was re-relased the beginning of this month. Dubbed "Queen of the Groupies," Pamela is an icon among those who followed bands in the sixties as well as anyone who has ever dreamed of getting backstage and getting busy with a musician. She took the idea of the girl groupie and made it something powerful for women. Her writing talks about love, music, and what it meant for her to grow up in this world.

The most noteworthy part of the event? Not only did Pamela read from her book, but so did two of her exes: ex-husband Michael des Barres, as well as ex boyfriend Jimmy Quill. Des Barres, the champion of love between musician and muse did divorce husband Michael Des Barres over infidelity over a decade ago, but now enjoys a close friendship with him that was inspiring to watch through the event.

This lady is the real deal. Why do I talk about her as a Remabulous Heroine? Because she has achieved the ultimate goal: making the life you've dreamed of a reality, even if it doesn't happen in the way you'd expect. As I have noticed the language people use when talking about the ideal job starting to parallel the descriptions of the ideal mate, I realize that the two goals may not be so different on a philosophical level.

image: Pamela and Michael Des Barres at the Austin Music awards c/o Austin Chronicle.

Straight Up and Dirty is a straight up delight.

I know it's not her most recent book that I'm pimping here, and I'm sure I will love Moose (her latest) just as much, but when I think about coming home to snuggle up with someone in bed lately it isn't a man, it's Stephanie Klein.

Recently, at the store, someone asked me to recommend a book that would make a friend of hers laugh. The friend was going through a serious breakup that had occurred the day before her birthday. Bummer. I wish I could go back in time and press Straight Up and Dirty into her hands and say "This will help." Instead, using my own broken-up status, I had given her something where the title had made me smile, but not necessarily the writing.

The writing in this book gives me a literary hard-on. It is not just the honesty touted on the cover by every critic that blurbs it. It is the clever yet effortless delivery of terms like slingshot (for thong panties) and wasband (of course he isn't an e-husband- perfect). She is able to articulate things perfectly that it never occurred to me to comment on. She's the daring one who goes the extra mile. It will keep you reading, I assure you.

I have been waiting all day to crawl into jammies and keep reading myself. Thank you, Stephanie, for making the painful destruction of a relationship that never lived up to my hopes feel funny and like it's going to get better. My life is improved from your writing. I am so glad I heard you speak at BlogHer and was inspired to bring this tasty little book home. I hope others do the same.

image: Stephanie Klein at BlogHer closing keynote by Hyku via flickr.

Wabi-Sabi life transitions.

Am currently reading Leonard Koren's book: Wabi- Sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers. It had been sitting on the shelf in my inspiration bookcase for a few months, when a customer came into Book Soup yesterday and requested it. He was so enthusiastic to know that I had heard of it that I knew it was time to read it.

It is a simple quick read, and one that speaks directly to my life at the moment as well as the lives of those around me. So many people I know in Los Angeles and elsewhere seem to be at points of transition. And not easy transition, but painful and wrenching transition, either because of illness, sudden car accidents, break-ups, career changes, and many others. In the arena of there being three legs to the life stool (love and friendship, home, and work), it seems many of us are afraid our stools aren't standing up well enough to hold us.

This book is a beautiful example of how to trust these moments and just keep going... I'll share bits through the time I read it, because I think it is worth writing about more than once.

image: pictoscribe via flickr.

book expo america: bring your wheelbarrow!

one of the perks of working @ book soup is getting my mitts on books months before they are published. now, just imagine that instead of a shelf of galleys in the back of the store, there is an entire convention center full of people who want you to read- and promote- their books. it's a bloodbath in there. i write this from the phone as i walk back from the garage because i could not bear the weight of 4 tote bags of free books any longer. and now... back for round two. that's right, there's a whole second hall to see. help me. look for notes on the best upcoming books on here and on literature life. happy reading!

congrats to the winner of style statement!

congratulations to ann howley, the winner of the contest for a signed copy of carrie & danielle's style statement. what follows is her winning entry. (lesson learned here: flattery is fully welcome here at remabulous!)

ann howley's ideal remabulous day:

I awake without the sound of an alarm.  I am well rested and at ease.  I write my three Artist's Pages and find that I am at peace in my world. I review yesterday and find that I have no regrets or amends for prior actions.  I am clear to walk into this day.  I do so softly with a cup of coffee and the morning paper.  My home is best in the morning when the sunlight streams in the window.  A baby hummingbird is seated on the branch outside my window, maybe thinking about approaching my feeder.  Maybe just resting for a busy day ahead.

 

At my desk (which is clear because all paperwork has been done!), I review the recent emails.  There are no major fires to put out, my day is still at peace.  I review my notes and prepare mentally for my next phone call.  I am lucky today to have an appointment with my Remabulous coach.  We are on the phone for the next hour.  I get some "yay for me's" and virtual pats on the back.  I am stroked for the steps I have made forward.  What appear to be steps backwards are reframed to show that they too have propelled me into a perfect place for me to be.

 

I spend the afternoon working in silence in my office.  I review images from recent travels and determine how to best use them in my photography business.  I know that while the process of creating a photo library is slow, my  remabulous coach is rooting for me via my "Time is Abundant" sign on my white board.

 

As the day's light dims, I haved crossed off all of today's "To Do's".  I gave myself the perfect amount of work for one day...not too much, not too little.  Just like Goldilocks, I got it just right!   I celebrate the day with a girlfriend at our favorite Greek restaurant. We spend the evening talking about all the ups and downs of a creative life.

 

I fall asleep soon after my head hits the pillow, just after saying a prayer of gratitutude for my ideal remambulous day!

style statement giveaway!

carrie and danielle have been kind enough to give me a signed copy of their new book, style statement. i will give this copy away to the lucky reader who sends in the best description of their ideal remabulous day. please email me your story/descriptions and i will post the winner's description in a week and send you the beautiful book!

enjoy and happy friday.