Help MC have some fun … and possibly have some fun for yourself!

Sarasota Magazine is running its annual Best of Sarasota Readers Poll — and guess what? — they have a blogger category! If you’d like to help me have some fun by giving me something to have a martini for in celebration — just vote for MC as “best blogger” in the magazine’s online poll. The polling ends this Friday, January 15th, I think. (more…)

Saint Petersblog 2.0 blog links to little ‘ole MC

I just found out that Peter Schorsch’s St. Pete blog supplies a link to MC Reality Online. I appreciate the electronic shout out and invite my readers to check out Mr. Schorsch in return by visiting his Saint Petersblog

Schorsch is a controversial subject for some … you may want to check out

http://blogs.tampabay.com/baybuzz/2009/01/peter-schorsch.html

http://blogs.tampabay.com/baybuzz/2009/05/jamie-bennett-policy-ideas-were-peter-schorschs.html

Friday night fun

Last Friday night (day eight of FANY), I was invited to go hear Fred Eaglesmith perform at a place called Aces — some out of the way watering hole on the outskirts of Bradenton. Since I rarely venture out of Sarasota, I said, yup, sure, count me in and went searching for my cowboy boots.

I went, sans boots, just boring shoes, with a few people, and met a few more there, and the place was so jam-packed you got to second base — with just about everybody — just by trying to make it to the bathroom and back. (more…)

MC speaking at USF campus on blogging

Tomorrow, I’ll be speaking on the University of South Florida/Sarasota campus on the subject of “Blog or Print?” — a look at the blogosphere versus newspapers and my own experiences in building a blog and connecting with readers via the Internet.

I’ll be there as part of the university’s Lifelong Learning education series at the invitation of Jim Brown, a regular contributor to the Sarasota Herald Tribune. This is the second year Brown has asked me to speak to his classroom.

It’s been a while since I’ve spoken to a live audience; last time was my “Sex & Socrates” talk at our much-missed Sarasota News & Books. Looking forward to it.

Fell off the fun wagon

Eek! Yesterday I fell off the fun wagon. I can’t even blame my fall on work. I had read about a lecture I wanted to go to — given by one of the Bielski brothers. If you missed the movie made about their efforts to save Jews during WWII — check out Defiance. It’s a really gripping story, sadly true — but truly inspirational about the power of defiance.

Anyway, I’d planned to go but needed a push to get out the door. I invited a couple of people but neither wanted to go. I could feel my energy waning with each no. I still thought about going — I’m used to doing things on my own, but when I realized the cost was $18, I immediately jumped on that cost as an excuse to not go.

I say excuse because, really, that’s what it was. I had the money — even though I’m trying to be cost-conscious, I could have sprung for the lecture if I’d wanted to. But I convinced myself that I shouldn’t spend $18 and so let myself off the hook for keeping to my new year resolution of having fun.

Now, I’m not saying a lecture about the subject matter of the Holocaust was “fun” per se. But the idea of getting out an hearing a lecture that wasn’t work-related would definitely have felt like fun and the whole idea of my New Year resolution was for me to quit my last-several-years lifestyle/reputation of being a stick-in-the-mud who always works and won’t spend any money on fun. Yuck. That behavior is so 2009.

So, I fell off the wagon on Thursday, January 7 — time to get back in the saddle again (okay, I’m mixing my metaphors but at least they all have to do with horses …).

Friendly fun

Yesterday, all day, I looked forward to the fun I had planned for last night. It’s something that had been on my calendar for quite some time … something I don’t do nearly often enough: I met up with some girlfriends and just talked and listened … and talked some more.

Was very fun to bring in the first week of the New Year with two of the smartest women I know south (and maybe even north) of the Mason-Dixon Line. These are the kind of women who know politics, know Sarasota, and know how to toss off the words “deus ex machina” in casual conversation.

We swapped stories about dating, marriage, careers, the economy, Alex Sink, New Year ambitions, and when the topic of ambition came up, I mentioned a quote from my newly acquired fun 2010 calendar — “Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition.” (Hey, I didn’t write it, I just report it! — and you won’t believe who said that, by the way, Timothy Leary! … of course he was the same guy who infamously said “Turn on, tune in, drop out” or something to that effect.)

Anyway, it was two hours of fun — even though the topics were often serious — it’s hard not to have fun when you’re with two women you like and admire so much. Which brings me to another quote from my new, obviously highly quotable 2010 fun calendar: “In my friend, I find a second self.”

After I said goodnight to my friends, I drove home (don’t worry, I hadn’t had even one martini!) and when I went to bed, I dreamt of dancing. Dancing on a big floor crowded with people. Dancing a bit clumsily, with no partner, and feeling a bit self-conscious, but still with an admirable portion of abandon.

Dancing! Having fun! Even in my sleep!

Now that’s the kind of fun I’m talking about.

Having fun … planning some fun

Yesterday, I buzzed through my client work in the morning so that I’d have a clean, clear eight hours to conceive and write an essay for the Sarasota Herald Tribune to consider. By 11:30 am, I started writing and really didn’t come up for air until after 6 p.m. Then, I had to run over to my Mom’s for awhile. By the time I made it back home, I realized I’d once again forgotten my “FANY” resolution. Where was the fun?

I ate dinner, finished up some client work and by the time I had time for fun it was already 10 p.m.! But in truth, writing like I did yesterday is actually fun. A perverse, brain-wracking, mentally exhausting, kind of fun … especially when on deadline .. but still, a definite kind of fun.

Still, writing is my work so it couldn’t be allowed to qualify as fun for yesterday and to keep my resolution I had to come up with some fun before midnight.

And I did the best I could — I had bought a new calendar for 2010 — and specifically selected one that would remind me to have fun and celebrate life and each month —

and so last night I reviewed my 2009 calendar (which brought back more memories than I’d remembered of fun I actually DID have in 2009) and filled in my new calendar with dates to look forward to — birthdays, other special days that I like to celebrate for one reason or another, oh, and cat birthdays of course ;. Filling out my calendar also motivated me to think about the fun I want to create in 2010.

I created a large poster-size list of all the fun things I could think of — everything from kayaking to traveling to Paris to go-cart racing to having a night of Trivial Pursuit and Cocktails with as many smart, martini-loving friends as I can round up (um, all of my friends are smart and martini-loving, naturally!). The list has only 39 items on it right now — and that’s only like a month of FUN!

What I REALLY want to try is the Florida Zip Line Glide Eco Adventure.

Okay, well, my calendar is ready … guess I better start actually making dates to make these things happen.

Finally … some fun!

Holy cow. Yesterday (day four of FANY), I planned a “fun” event and boy, did it deliver! May not sound like fireworks to some of you globe-trotting, gala-going, grand-meisters of fun, but I had an actual blast … for about 20 minutes. And that felt great.

I went on a bike ride around 4:45 p.m. It was pretty cold but within seconds of being bike-born, I was grinning like a fool, spreading my arms out on either side and yelling “This is FUN!”

I rode to a nearby city park and grabbed the crackers I’d stuffed in the top of my three-layer get-up and meant to feed the ducks …

… but instead was cornered within an inch of my life by a flock of ibis.

They drove off the bigger ducks and started making something like a honking noise. They were adorable and snipey and made me smile. I felt genuinely happy to be surrounded by the little curved-beak hooligans. My favorites were the immature teenager ibis that weren’t white yet.

I passed lots of cute dogs in sweaters and lots of dogs not in sweaters and commented on them all as I rode by. I saw a very cute dog ahead — a larger dog and I yelled out “There’s a cutie pie!” and only after I rode by did it occur to me to wonder if the man walking the dog might have thought I was referring to him instead of his dog! 😉

Then I continued on my way around the winding paved path, intermittently yelling at the ducks and ibis who got in my way “Faites attention mes precieux!” And then later, “Je vie!” “Je m’amuse!” at the top of my lungs, no less.

I’m sure the dog walkers and exercisers all thought I was nuts. But I was having a LOAD OF FUN.

Color me happy (and maybe a little crazy).

Feathers and fantasy … a bit o’ fun

Jiminy Cricket! Day four of my FANY (Fun Ambitions for New Year) resolution and I’m in loser-ville! Sheesh. I REALLY thought this thing was going to be a slam dunk. Much easier than losing the 20 pounds I think I should lose (which is more like 40 pounds if you put stock in the words of one of my conservative critics, read here if you want to know what I mean).

So, yesterday, I spent most of the day researching for a column I’m working on — and then suddenly around 6 pm realized “Hell, I haven’t had ANY fun today!” (more…)

Happy feet but unsettled everywhere else

Day three of my 365 days of fun … and yes, honestly, I’m surprised, embarrassed, and a bit saddened to report that it is evidently very hard work for me to have fun.

I spent most of yesterday organizing, prepping for the week ahead, taking time out only to admire the bluejays, tufted titmice, and cardinals outside the window at the feeder. But I did take the time to do what I thought would be fun: I went to Mandala Spa, with a gift certificate I’d been given for Christmas, and had a foot treatment.

It felt good, of course, and it was somewhat relaxing, I guess. But overall, I felt uncomfortable in my skin. (more…)