Category Archives: Writing

Wed, 13 Oct 2010

To The Masses

By somegosoftly

Sitting around here is a bunch of my thoughts and life stories I’d chosen to share with my family and friends. If you google “pumpkin” you might find my Halloween post and glance at it, but I never worried whether or not you’d come back.

This new ‘job’ of mine will only be a success if you find me and are struck by my wit and banter so much so that you come back over and over, increasing the traffic to the site. At least, that’s how I’d measure my success. Not sure if the metrics over there will even tell them it’s my hard work increasing site traffic. I have a few skit and post ideas I’m really excited about executing over the winter, and hope humor and my concept of ‘skiing for the average masses’ connects with readers and helps promote skiing in Utah.

I’m supposed to start with an about me, where I plan to stress that this skiing thing seemed totally inaccessible to me not all that long ago, and then BAM!, here I am now, writing to others to tell them how to break the wall of ‘brosef’ and let skiing come to them in a whole new way.

What I’m wondering is if I’ll see just how effective a blog can be to media and marketing. Why would anyone go to that site? Well, the weather reporting is the bomb. To me, if you live here or have internet access while you’re here skiing, the site tells you where you should be that morning. And that’s valuable. I hope to produce content that makes you just want to hear from me, I think that’s all I can do. Any one else think there’s more to it? Let me know…

Leave a comment | posted in Blog Stuff, Travel, Utah, Writing

Mon, 31 May 2010

Stupid Sentimental Crap

By somegosoftly

MK showed up the afternoon of the 28th with a dozen red roses. Butthead.

I went to WalMart and got him the only other card they had besides the one I got him last year, and some Orbit gum. He’d rather have money in the bank than cheesy gifts that end up in the storage room.

We both got nice new hairdos and since it was no biggie we went out to dinner with MH, who I totally missed while we were gone! It’s hard having such great friends in so many places, I’m always missing someone. We went to a bar afterward. And saw the strangest band. Of all time. Of ALL time. And I’ve seen many bands.

Quite often, if MK and I both drink, we fall back in to the old ways we have only just gotten rid of – where we bicker about each other. It started out of love and was all a big joke to us, but not to people we did it in front of, and we worked hard to knock it off.

But you know what the ass kicker was? He brought up this. My blog.

He called me a wuss.

And you know what? He was right. I am such a freaking wuss. For someone who talks so much I have so little to say. I am so scared. While I was getting my hair done, the super lovely hairdresser seemed surprised that I was terrified of karaoke and daring fashions. But what you might not know about me is that I am so worried about what people think (or maybe I wear that on my sleeve and am totally blind to how obvious it is).

Trying to be a writer made me observe everything. Since college I have become so aware of my surroundings sometimes I can’t even focus. I hear others conversations within ear shot. I have a hard time taking it all in. But I think it goes both ways. I have panic attacks if something embarrassing happens. If I say the wrong thing in front of someone I analyze it for hours afterwards. It can be impossible for me to sleep if I’m stressed about what someone I might not even know that well thought about me in passing.

 I give up too easily. I take the easy way out. As much as I love blogging, I write about how fun my day was instead of how worked up I am that my genius husband won’t take to the internet and tell everyone what really happened to the market on May 5th. Or that I hate lipstick. Or what a terrible driver my bother is.

Because I’m too worried MK might ever see this. Or that you LOVE lipstick. Or that CH won’t still love me if I tell him to not be so aggressive in CA in that BMW of his. And that you’ll think I’m stupid. That you’ll actually fail to realize that my great ideas never happen when my hands are on the keyboard. That you’ll think  this writing at odd quick moments is what my book might look like. What ever happened to that thing…?

So I’m going to give this another go. And take the wuss out of this site. But only a little bit, I’m still nervous to lose you. I have such a wide range of friends, family, and strangers here I really don’t want to fight!

:)

In case this whole entry is a little too retarded for you, check this out.

Another awesome idea (I wish I’d thought of first).

4 comments | posted in Blog Stuff, Drama, Family, Friends, Marriage, Writing

Tue, 11 Aug 2009

Bad Marketing

By somegosoftly

The more I think about what I want to do with myself I think about what I’ve done. I’ve been blogging badly for four years now. It didn’t make me famous. I’ve been running around on the internet looking for ways to think of a next big something. I’ve written books I’m too chicken to show anyone (that’s where all the chicken references come from in case that made no sense).

My sales pitch might be the problem. “Tastes like chicken” might not be the most thoughtful tagline. I’ve been thinking about what to put on my resume for how lazy I’ve been the last three years – I never thought “housewife” could be me until I watched those Bravo shows and realized you don’t need to do crap to be called a “housewife”. We joked about getting business cards- Realtors keep asking MK for one and we both laugh. What we he do with those? Build card towers? It would have his name and email, which is his name. And maybe his phone number, which ironically is also his name.

from toothpastefordinner.com

from toothpastefordinner.com

Can you tagline yourself? What would your tagline be? “Hard worker”? “Mother of 18″? “Boisterous”? “Business oriented with a goal of success and growth in an emerging new media industry”? Tell me in the comments.

7 comments | posted in Blog Stuff, Life, Writing

Tue, 14 Jul 2009

Journaling

By somegosoftly

Even though I’ve found this website a great place to chronicle adventures, I don’t post ‘here’s what I did today’ everyday. I just try to stay in the habit of writing little blurbs to make my brain work. I wanted to post stories and poetry but have totally chickened out for three years straight. Then I thought about socail commentary until I realized my thoughts on current events aren’t all that funny or though-provoking.

What I have done, since high school in fact, is buy a planner every year and keep track of what I do day to day. Even if it’s laundry. It was so fun to go back around the time we got married and remember all our dates. As the years go by, I’m less meticulous, some weeks accidentally go empty as I draw a blank when I sit down to jot down notes. But for the most part, there is my life, at least the events that comprise it, in a hard copy, on paper.

I would readily suggest to anyone with a terrible memory like mine to try journaling. A dream journal, or a day planner. Maybe even one quote a day that you find and like. Taking pen to paper just feels more rewarding than the laptop sometimes.

2 comments | posted in Writing

Mon, 13 Apr 2009

I’m Asking The Question(s)

By somegosoftly

The interaction we have on this site is my favorite, more than telling you about my day, or making you look at pictures of me, or making lists for you. So I’m going to try to force a little on you and see if it works. I want all of you, even the ones who aren’t regular commentors (make up a name if you’re shy, no one has to know) to answer my question in the comments.

Let’s say that you get stopped on the street and offered 100$ to write a quick informational article about anything, simply based on your own knowledge. “Write what you know”.

What topic* would you pick that you’d consider yourself most expert on?

 If you are a stay at home mom parenting articles should come naturally to you. If you are a home school parent you know that is a full time job and will lead to many good topics. Your hobbies are a good place to start. Things like classic cars or crafts. Things that may be routine to you are totally foreign to many of us. If you do it for a living you are probably more knowledgeable than 95 percent of us on that topic.2

Think of things that you get asked questions about by friends and family. What do people call you for advice on? That would be a great place to brainstorm. Do you get called for cooking tips? Are you the neighborhood backyard mechanic? Maybe you have a great marriage and your friend ask you for relationship advice. Anything people turn to you to pick your brain is a viable topic. (via ehow.com)
Does this count as an example?
;)
*Of course if you’re so smart you can’t pick just one, I’ll accept lists**.
**Craig.

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9 comments | posted in Meme, Writing

Wed, 5 Nov 2008

Normal Is Chaos

By somegosoftly

Oh, by the way- we’re in Austin. We moved into our new home on Halloween, spent the night checking out the kiddo’s costumes at the B’s, then grabbed a plane at the crack of dawn. MK wouldn’t let me party style announce our trip because apparently we had so much to do – I think that was mostly he wanted to be in peace while he had his Rudy’s, Taco Cabana, and Rudy’s breakfast tacos. And Brick Oven, and more Rudy’s.

We did accomplish going through all our things and I now have nothing to whine about missing besides my desk. It at first felt depressing but I can remind myself better now than I did years ago that it’s all an adventure some people wish for. PH was hilariously thinking it was a dream come true without any drama, setting her straight on our virtual eviction from paradise was fun. Also letting the H’s know if they don’t visit us in Winter Wonderland they are dead to us was hopefully productive – and hilarious.

Important to note is that it is November. If you feel like perusing- here’s last November. For the last two years I wrote books with NaNoWriMo in November. Last year I also blogged every day for NaBloPoMo. This year, I am going to focus on publishing a book instead of starting another one. And this bog clearly didn’t make the first week, so I’m going to keep it normal around here this month. That’s plenty.

Most importantly, there was this election- maybe you heard about it. It meant something very meaningful to me. MK and I got to take his mother to vote for the first time in her life. Regardless of the outcome – you know I’m not going to fight with you about that here – moments like that make a statement too. It was fun to watch the news into the night with her and hear MK answer all her questions.

We’ll be back in Park City soon – apparently we already missed the first snowfall. But I’m not too worried – something tells me there will be more.

8 comments | posted in Austin, Texas, Life, Park City, Utah, Politics, Travel, Writing

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