Though the sexiest plane ever is the P51 Mustang….when it comes to BEAUTY and making my heart go pitterpat?  B17…Flying Fortress….

I’ve been doing a little bit of research - not much, but a little….

I can’t believe it’s already the 5th and I haven’t reminded you to go and check out the latest issue of All Things Girl.

It’s a lovely issue.  Writings are wonderful…..Arts is beautiful.  GREAT reviews -and of course, Everything Girl….some really great columns there.

As for me, probably some of the rawest - most honest writing I’ve done in a really long time.

Go.  read.  look.  ENJOY!  Let me know what you think!!!

I’m at the airport…..it’s one of those weeks….busy - but those who know me best know that I prefer to be busy.

Last weekend, I worked and read.  This weekend, I worked on stuff that no one will see the results of for a month or so.  It’s one of those things - what many folks don’t understand is that there is so much prep worked involved in launching a project.  There is work to be done on:

• Mid Issue Update of All Things Girl (Love & Lust)
• Next Issue of All Things Girl (Earth & Sky)
• Launch of the First Edition (Spring 2008) of Pink Nighties.

All of it is very exciting….and I am so thankful for the people in my world that contribute to my total enjoyment of these projects.

My writing has taken a bit of a backseat this week.  It tends to get lost in the shuffle of work and logic.  I’ve had story ideas rolling through my head…and jotted a few things down yesterday so as not to lose them….but it seems it would be easier to process if I had some sort of direct connection between my brain and my laptop.  I would like to have something of my own in Pink Nighties…..but at times, I am so in awe of other writers that my stuff simply doesn’t measure up.

I’ve done some travel planning in the last week or so.  I will be spending some time working…as well as at least one trip for fun.  The Pilot Guys best friend has a birthday coming up, and I’ve been invited to be a surprise dinner guest - so that is something very lovely to look forward to.  I am going to likely add a day to the front of that trip so I can do some sightseeing…maybe do a travel piece…take some photos….

Stop and breathe.

The next day, I should be able to stop and breathe, though.  It’s a work trip, but fortunately, it’s work I enjoy so I can have fun with it.  If you get down to it….as I discussed with one of my co-workers - I love my job - even though I get tired at times.  He told me that he can tell….that it’s obvious I love what I do…and most of the folks around me appreciate my efforts.  That is worth a lot!

Anyhoo….time to wrap things up.  Have a FABULOUS day….

The journey I’ve been on has been certainly has been leading me to spending my time on things that I enjoy. I want more from my life than just going to work and coming home. I want things that feed my intellect…speak to my creative soul….and challenge my gypsy leanings.

All Things Girl has always been a labor of love for me. I love how the energies of others…the creative puzzle pieces mesh together to produce a fabulous end product.

I love the written word. I love writing….but I also love reading well written bits and pieces….I learn more on writing from other writers than I have from a class. I also learn by working with other creative folks: designers, photographers, writers….

Putting my head together with some of the amazing people I know has led to birth of a new ezine…. Pink Nighties.

Pink Nighties is a quarterly ezine focusing on all sides of love and lust from the psychological to the physiological.  We’re looking for inspired and inventive works, so please send us your love stories of candles and wine as well as your tales of lust from handcuffs and threesomes and more.

A discussion with Lee was the seed that began the idea…..Lor  was my next contact…and she agreed to be the developer.  Sending out some threads began to bring in some editors and contributors.

We are planning to launch on March 21st…the first day of Spring.  Each issue will then be released on the first day of each season.  Content will include poetry, short stories, flash fiction, serials, informational articles, opinion pieces, interviews of positive sex industry individuals, and reviews.

It brings together things I am passionate about.  Writing.  Great bits to read.  Interviews with fascinating people.   Wonderfully creative people….putting pieces together to create something fabulous.  I think sex should be something fun….so the name is meant to bring about the light hearted approach…..

We are beginning to take submissions.  Click on the lovely little splash page for the guidelines…..I can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Earlier this year (or was it last year?), Lor recommended a book by David Allen called “Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress Free Productivity”. Since I tend to have spells of too much on my plate….and want to get more done each day, I looked into it. It’s a truly fabulous book with a great system of being more productive.

As typical of me, though, I kind of got out of habit. One of the most productive exercises, though, was the whole core dump thing…..and I have been needing to do it, but simply haven’t taken the time. Yesterday, though, I set my timer and allowed myself 10 minutes to clear my head. Though David recommends full sheets of paper so that you can better file them, I still love my 3×5 cards.

I went through half a pack of cards in ten minutes.

I felt better..just to clear things a bit and figure out what needed to be done in the next day or two.  As well as get a handle on those longer term projects.   I was feeling inspired, so I downloaded the podcast on procrastination, since that has seemed to be a humongous problem for me. I was doing some de-cluttering of my office closet…and wanted something more inspiring to listen to. Something he said just stuck out to me….

The thing that comes closest to touching your soul is what you procrastinate on the most.

Wow. Now that struck a nerve. I fiddle fart around the house instead of writing a lot. Moreso than I ever used to do. I think it still boils down to the fear thing….is it I am afraid of what other people will think when they read it - or is it that I’m afraid of my own innermost demons? Considering that one of my guiding principals for 2008 is Courage, well….I need to work on overcoming that fear, right?

Even knowing how true it was, I put off writing this morning. I did laundry. Unloaded the dishwasher. Made my bed. Fixed coffee. Read the paper. Talked to Laura when she got here to clean. Surfed blogs. Cleared out the Christmas stuff that was up in the kitchen.

I did get quite a bit done on de-cluttering yesterday (yes, I know it was Christmas, but I had a quiet hour!). I relocated all the photo albums from my office closet, discovered a photo of my grandmother that is going to go above my desk. Organized all the papers that need to be sorted into one box. You can walk into my closet now, which is great, because I need to get some things organized if I am going to get accomplished in 2008 what I truly want to accomplish.

A huge chuck of my 2008, though, revolves around writing and development. I need that solid, uninterrupted writing time again. Among Christine Kane’s 66 Ways to Build your courage post is #56: Wake up at 5 AM and write. Very good advice, I think, especially considering that I’ve always been a bit of a morning person. When I blogged a long time ago, I wrote every morning before going to the gym. When I was doing the erotic blog, I would get up and write.

It’s a successful time for me…..early morning hours when my body is waking…but my mind is still hanging on to the pieces of my dreams. It’s just getting past my fears and doing it.

By the way, I need to pick up a new copy of GTD. It’s nowhere to be found. I spent some time looking everywhere for the book, by the way, this morning, too. Just another way to stay away from my desk. I think I left it in a hotel room somewhere or on a plane. But I think it would be a good thing to put it into my carry on for the next couple of weeks of travel.

I’ve also been putting off getting into suitable clothing and running my errands…..

When I was a little girl, you could go into the 7-11 and get a Hershey for twenty-five cents. There was just something about those little squares….breaking the bars apart until there were a dozen tiny chocolates in the foil wrapper just for me.

Sometimes, I would toss them in my mouth…quickly chew…and swallow so the chocolaty goodness would find a home down in my tummy. Other times, I would place a single square on my tongue…allowing the warmth of my mouth to melt the chocolate into something gooey and soft….savoring the taste as it flowed past my tongue and down my throat.

Then I discovered other kinds of chocolate. Hershey had a bar that was a bit harder to find in the 70’s than it is today: Special Dark. It was a bittersweet bar…one that was a little harder to chew, but at times…more delicious and satisfying than the wholesome milky goodness of the classic Hershey Bar.

Chocolate came in so many forms. Chocolate ice cream and chocolate syrup (which I was squirt out on a spoon and eat straight). And let’s not forget the time I discovered a Baker’s Secret bar in the fridge….only to discover that I couldn’t quite take it unsweetened. That was certainly a shock.

I remember the little Russell Stover sampler boxes. Chocolate covered items….all looking equally yummy on the outside….but each and every piece was different….some filled with nuts, some with a fruit flavored cream, and some with incredibly rich and chewy caramel. It was an adventure to just snag one and take a bite, never knowing for sure what you would get. Unless you approached the box like my mother: with a toothpick to poke and prod each piece before determining if it was one you would like.

I can’t remember the exact age, but I can tell you that I was an older more experienced chocolate connoisseur when I discovered high-end chocolate….Godiva. Talk about bliss…one open oyster from Godiva Chocolates was surely pure heaven.

Was it love? lust? I wasn’t sure, but chocolate, at times in my life, has become an obsession. Was it a want? Or were there times in my life that chocolate fulfilled a need?

Now that I am almost 40, I see sex much the same way as I have do chocolate. Sex is certainly obtainable by anyone….it’s like those first experiences with the Hershey bar. Sometimes sex is fast…just to finish the bar. Sometimes sex is slow and to be savored….allow each tiny moment to be experienced.

You could also so that sometimes, sex can leave you feeling empty…and cheap. Who hasn’t had a one night stand that left you feeling that way, just as you did when you bought that off-brand candy bar and scarfed it down? At other times, sex is like Godiva. Rich. Indulgent. Leaving you with feelings like you were worth a million dollars.

I’ve also discovered that sex can be like that box of chocolates: an adventure. Some folks poke and prod the chocolates, looking the tastes that will keep them safe in their little cocoon. Others discover the joy of simply jumping in…tasting everything that can be offered….appreciating the surprises and learning to expand their taste buds with something unexpected.

As I’ve aged, I have learned that I am appreciating all sides of sex. Like chocolate, there is a lot to be savored out there. There is nothing wrong with a good ole Hershey Bar…and there is something special about a piece of Godiva.

A friend of mine told me that every pore of my being seems to exude sensuality at times. I find it creeping through my writing and find those who think along those lines as well.

I love All Things Girl. It has been the creative home to me since 2002. But I have more in me than I can share there. All Things Girl runs like a well oiled machine at times. And I was wanting an additional challenge. In talking with one of my closest friends (Lee) she asked me why I didn’t just start another ezine - one with tales of silk stockings and one night stands? The first person I talked to after that was Lorissa. I wouldn’t undertake any kind of new web endeavor without a top-notch designer. She agreed to hop in board as the developer and designer. I also knew that I would need a strong writer as an editor, and contacted Tamara Palmer, one of the regular contributors to ATG. She was thrilled and shared that some of her writings had taken that branch. She’s agreed to be an editor.

I’m not leaving ATG, by the way. I’m just expanding my horizons a bit…

I wanted an e-zine to feature erotic stuff. Nothing pornographic, but well written pieces that make the reader think. Romantic tales of candles and champagne. Pulp pieces with high heels, fur coats and cigarettes. Maybe edgier pieces…with blindfolds and handcuffs. Coming up with a name is harder that it seems. Poor Lee, Lor and Tami have been bombarded with emails and phone calls with my many bouncings.

I liked Love and Lust, but that’s not an available domain name. And then for some reason the word Chocolate Cake hit me. Love, Lust and Chocolate Cake. Food is decadent…and fulfills as times a want and a need - just like sex. Lee reminded me that she prefers pie over cake, so how about just…chocolate? Tami had sent me a very pulp fiction feeling piece, and I thought of Oranges (with or without pulp!) and Soda Pop. We tossed around amazing food names. Passion Fruit. Strawberries. Cherries. Oranges. Strawberry Pop. I could see a visual tie-in to each and every one of those titles, important when it comes to an e-zine.

My mind keeps coming back to chocolate. One really decadent recipe to feature, that anyone could make if they allow the time. Surrounded by tales of lust…and poems of love. Throw in a pair of silk stockings and some red nail polish, and I am THERE baby.

Love. Lust. and Chocolate.

I think we’ve found what we were looking for.

I am hoping for a quiet yet productive day today. I don’t have to travel this week, and I have some backed-up work to do for my main client (I hate typing up meeting minutes) and I need to do my weekly billings.

Mainly, though, I need to get some writing done. I have a couple of blog entries in my head for the ATG blog as well as the need to write my Dec column.   I also have a couple of interviews to get sent off to authors as well as some book reviews.

And I am working on a couple of short fiction pieces.

I know you don’t want to hear me whine - so feel free to just click the back button. I have all this stuff in my head…yet feel that I am failing as a writer because of my inability to get it from my head to the computer. There is this quote by Jimmy Buffet (Yes, Margaritaville Buffet) in his book “A Pirate Looks at 50″.

Anyone bellying up to a bar with a few shots of tequila swimming around the bloodstream can tell a story. The challenge is to wake up the next day and carve through the hangover minefield and a million other excuses and be able to cohesively get it down on paper.

And that is what keeps running through my head when I sit and the words roll in my head yet don’t make it from my brain to my fingers…. I’m unable to complete that challenge…it isn’t a hangover I’m trying to carve through…its the crowd in my own head.

My head is just too crowded…and the words of my writing get wound in with the words of life and responsibilities.

I try…try…try to follow good routines. My body wakes up around the same time every day - no matter how late I went to bed….or how early. But when it comes to true routines, that’s about the only thing I have on a consistent basis.

Of course, I have my travel rituals and routines - otherwise I wouldn’t survive the sheer volume. But when I am home, I have yet to settle in on a true schedule that seems to work as well as keep me motivated.

I think it’s the unpredictability of my business and the ebb and flow of my other projects. ATG, for example, has a big push every other month. I eat, sleep and breathe it…when I am home, once I get kiddos to school, it’s a matter of what is screaming at me.

Everything I read about being organized talks about how important routines are. I know from dealing with the ADD children in my life that they function better when they have a more solid schedule. I go through spells, of course….and it makes me feel like a bit of a failure that I can’t find the self discipline to get this for myself.

I used to be a structure person. I carried a more than full load in college (always 18 to 21 hours a semester -why I got my Bachelors in 3 1/2 years). When my children were younger, I worked full time, was a PTA officer, and still kept a daily blog and wrote other stuff. I would love to blame it on my hormones - but I was great at writing my erotic stuff after the hysterectomy -and the divorce.

The time of my double life was a lack of routine in many ways, I guess.  My inability to be honest with those around me affected my creativity.
Hmmm. How to fix it - and how to….overcome my own roadblocks. THAT is the question of the day…..  My life certainly isn’t really Doubled anymore….