Well Planned Life

In college, I studied Communication—not Communication s (the study of media and journalism), but Communication, the study of interpersonal and/or organizational communication, how individuals and/or companies communicate (and learn) with (and from) each other. One of the classes I took within this area of study was Cultural Communication, the study of different cultures.  But we’re not talking different geographic cultures, though certainly they would be included in this.  We also studied the culture of sub-groups within a larger culture—“subcultures.”  This covers a wide array of groups.  Basically, anyone with a shared group of values, traits, traditions, and beliefs; they make up a certain subculture.  One of our projects was to discuss a subculture that we are a member of.  Some chose to discuss living in suburbia, one chose to discuss the ways of those living in rural areas, one chose the subculture of being Buddhist.  Just about any group ...

There are still spots available for the New York City Meet-up on June 16.  Details can be found at Philofaxy .

There have been several posts on eReaders lately.   People seem to love them.   I think my opinion of them is in the minority.   I don’t dislike the idea, but currently they are not for me.   Here’s why… I am a book lover.  Like most book lovers, I love the stories, I love reading, I love to escape my own life and dive into someone else’s world, if only for a little while.  But the main reason I am a book lover is because I love the actual books .  I love the smell and feel of books.  I love turning the pages, seeing the progress I make with every chapter I read.  I love how the cover is meant to capture the essence of the story with one photograph—if it’s a good one, I can stare at it for hours thinking of the words that lay just beneath its surface, revealing feelings and relationships and journeys I may never have felt or had or taken without that particular book. I think the idea of eReaders is great—they allow the reader to ca...

Sadly, this post has nothing to do with the movie .  It has everything to do with my new work bag!  (Because I need another bag.  Honestly!) If you’ve read my bag posts , you know that for a while I have been carrying seasonal designer bags for work and more casual bags during the weekends.  This system has worked well, and probably would have continued to work well except that I found something new, which changed my whole way of thinking, as it tends to do. Before I get into my new bag, I just want to say that it seems I go in phases as to the types of bags I favor.  For a while I was buying a new Coach bag every few months until I had one for every season.  (Fear not—I bought them at the outlet and usually with a coupon and/or gift card, so I never spent nearly as much as the retail price.)  I haven’t bought a new Coach bag for a long time since I now have a complete seasonal set. My latest designer bag purchase was my red Dooney ...

I am not a celebrity follower.   While there are some celebrities I like, I don’t need to know what they’re up to at any given time.   And while I enjoy reading the trashy gossip magazines on rare occasions, I do it more as a sarcastic move—basically I read it for entertainment and don’t put much stock in their “truthfulness.” I am also not one to pick up the latest biography.  I do enjoy one now and then but it’s usually about someone that means something to me, someone I like as opposed to the latest news-maker; usually it is not someone from my generation.  However, my latest biography read was Ellen DeGeneres’ Seriously…I’m Kidding .  Ellen (yes, she and I are on a first-name basis, even if she doesn’t know it yet) is one of the celebrities that I do love—she’s funny, she’s happy, she dances, she doesn’t follow the latest trends, nor does she seem to care what others think of her.  And yet, she’s a Cover Girl ! I have read Ellen’s other books ...

Last summer, the daughter of a close friend of mine was diagnosed with cancer.  Her daughter is six. What do you say to someone who has just found out that their daughter has cancer?  Nothing.  No words are appropriate, especially when you are not a parent and couldn’t even begin to understand what this means, what it will come to mean, and everything they will have to face in the next few months. So I did the only thing I could do.  I went to work on a special project. I made a cancer hat.  It’s hard to see from the picture, but the color is a very soft pastel pink, pink being her most favorite color in the whole wide world.  The yarn is made from bamboo and it’s very soft to the touch—perfect for a sensitive scalp. And because she is a twin, I made one for her sister. This one is a deep cream color.  Her favorite color is orange—sadly there was no orange bamboo yarn. And because there is another sister, only a...

Just a reminder that starting tomorrow (Friday) at 9:00 a.m. (US Eastern time), you can email me regarding a spot for the NYC Philofaxy meet up on June 16.  You can read the details  here .