Back at it...

Helllloooooooo! It's been a while and I'm back at it. Yesterday, I was complaining about the drains of early morning-get-out-the-door, back-to-school, back-to-life, back-to-reality. Then I got a call from Dan telling me Discovery was in lockdown because a crazy man was wielding a gun in the lobby. As things were unfolding, he would call or send a text of his whereabouts. Then a shocker - he told me they were going up to the top floor. I was immediately transported back to 9/11 in NYC. (Sadly, the people who went up never came down.) While Dan was "Mr. Calm", I was a bit histrionic, relaying the news from CNN - "The terrorist has explosives on his back. Get out of that building!" You know the rest of the story and when I picked up my hubby/lover/buddy/best friend at the Metro, I hugged him tighter than ever before.

Sure puts my disgruntled morning diddy in perspective. Maybe it's not appropriate to mention a longing for the meandering summer we experienced after what happened. However, I've been showing signs of PTF - post travel funk. PTF* is a low-grade irritability after a trip, voyage, or prolonged vacation (i.e., Summer). Symptoms include the inability to unpack or put away laundry, reapplication of sunscreen throughout the day, longing to get to the beach early even though you are hours away from the coast, or a tendency to pick up the phone and ask for reception. If any of these traits apply, here are some exercises to help. Wear your bathing suit under your clothes all day. Or, imagine where you would like to go on your next fantasy trip and research it. Try pretending that chefs are arriving at your house to prepare dinner and when it is time to eat, go to a restaurant. Pack your luggage for an exotic vacation to determine what you are missing, and go shopping for those items.

Today when I woke up, I was incredibly grateful for the normalcy of the hustle-bustle-get-out-the-door routine. Then I reapplied some sunscreen.

* The Gist magazine, August 2010, Eric Weiner @ worldhum.com

Is the Universe Friendly?

An accident rocked my world last week and whatever I write seems inapt. Here I post a letter of gratitude and a few thoughts...

Dear Mane & Roger,
How fortunate to have brushed up against you. Since last Wednesday when I had the horrendous experience of hitting a pedestrian, my shoulders have been heavy. How quickly life can change. The gentleman who ended up on the hood of my car is physically OK, according to a police update. There's consolation in that matter. And yet I find myself breaking down in tears and searching for answers. It is an awakening to mortality.

There's a line from a Gwendolyn Brooks poem that echoes in my head, "Exhaust the little moment. Soon it dies." Life is short and this experience underscores how important it is to live the day like it's the last. Einstein was asked what he thought the most important question was that a human being needed to answer. His reply, "Is the universe friendly or not?" I believe life is definitely on my side as evidenced by your kindness and support at the accident. I'll never forget having Mane's arm around my waist, holding me. And Roger's calm demeanor was grounding.

With never-ending gratitude,
Cyndy

************************************************
This incident reinforces a way of thinking to live big because we only have one time on this planet. It is the basis for workin' that skirt. It is the reason why I do things like burlesque dancing. Or dressing up in a costume to save the town library. Or hugging people who I barely know. Or being a massive flirt with practically everyone I encounter. Or taking classes to be a better parent. Or being part of the pleasure revolution. Or Or or. My friend Jill, who happens to be a minister, calls it living full out.

It is also a reminder to be present in my life as it unfolds, in the moment, and listen to what is needed. Since the accident, my body craves some feel-good endorphins; I've been running and swimming laps. And, I've also eaten a bunch of brownies.

I Love It When We're Cruising Together

Riding past the town of Gross Proud and seeing signs for the Hungry Mother State Park were just a few noteworthy points about our RV trip to the Cecil Family Fish Fry Reunion Hoedown Hootenanny Shindig. There was also the false start when the engine in our rented Cruise America motor-home was seemingly on fire and started smoking, filling up the cabin and leaving a trail behind us on Route 66. Gigi yelled, "It smells like bacon" as we evacuated. On most road trips, parents are bombarded by the usual, "How much longer until we get there?" Instead, we heard, "How much longer will we be stuck here?" After several hours on the side of the road with the RV rocking every time a semi rolled by, a tow truck arrived.

Outfitted with a new rig, we set out again for TAKE 2, six hours after we originally started. It was during this leg of the trip that the rules of the road became evident. A few examples are on the video at right or the below link - "assume the RV stance" & "suspend reality without seat belts."

The Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah River beckoned as we ventured along the country roads, passing Davy Crockett's birthplace, the Cross-eyed Cricket Campground, and the world's largest fireworks store. Our final stop was at a "fairytale in stone" known as the Luray Caverns. “The road of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same. Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination.”
- Don Williams, Jr. quotes (American Novelist and Poet, b.1968)


For RV Rules of the Road and pics from the Fish Fry, watch the VIDEO by clicking on this link... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G94dGaYOpVQ

Music credits for video - Cruisin by Smokey Robinson, Country Roads by John Denver and Connect by Foxy Shazam.

Say "YES"

Do you ever have a yearning to do something and you hold yourself back? It could be something on your wish list or a dream you've had since you were a child. You never got around to doing it because you got sidetracked, or were afraid, or, or, or. Maybe it is a mid-life awakening but I'm living loud and proud with those buried desires. It is about saying "YES" to the dreams that empassion you. I am feeling called to perform.

Our little town, it's a quiet village (you know the tune from Beauty and the Beast?)... Kensington, Maryland has a super-quaint children's library but because of county budget cuts, there are threats to close it down. A committee was formed, a foundation created, and fund raising ensues. Last weekend was the Storybook Parade and they asked for volunteers to be characters, one of them being Fancy Nancy. I said, "YES!"


Last June at a dinner party, the hostess had us a play the game of truths. You write down three things about yourself, two are true, one is a lie. The crowd has to figure out which one is not real. Dan said that he almost got stampeded by a pack of elephants, had a criminal record, bicycled across the country. I said that I used to be in meetings with Ted Turner, had to break my legs to get Dan to marry me, and that I am a burlesque dancer. One was a falsehood last year but now they are all true. I said "YES" to taking classes in NYC and performed last night with a group of foxy ladies, sparkle shoes and all!

Try it. Say "yes" to something you normally would not do. Put yourself on a "yes" diet every day. Yes to a new phone app. Yes to a crazy eye shadow. Yes to a project at work that you want to do. Yes to a class you want to take. Yes to fake eyelashes. Yes to downloading new music. Yes to trying a new food. We only have one time to go around this planet. Work that skirt!

Picture This

The gang was all in white, lined up for the family picture. The brother got pissed off at his sister, picked up a pile of mud, and wiped it all over her lily-white top. Mayhem ensued and the shots the photog got were the best ever. That episode of Modern Family jogged a memory about our "sitting" a few months ago. We were dressed accordingly and feeling a bit stiff. After 20 minutes of posing, Dan had the brilliant idea to pull out the wigs. Viola, the personalities emerged.

Capturing that "moment" is key and I wanted some professional advice considering summer travel is upon us. My friend and professional Mapplethorpe, Josh Lehrer, has some enlightening tips. http://joshlehrer.com/ Papa Josh has shot portraits of the big guns such as Donald Trump, Richard Meier, and Tina Brown. His conceptual work has been on bigger-than-life Times Square billboards. Currently, the walls of the Mandarin Oriental in Vegas are adorned with Papa's work. Here are his thoughts on creating artistic memories.

• Do the opposite of what the camera instructions say. If they say to put the sun at your back, try the sun facing you for something more interesting and dynamic.
  
• Family shots - Don't worry what the kids are doing. The parents freak out and get themselves in such a tizzy that they end up looking haggard. Take care of yourself. Let the kids be kids. Trust the photographer to get the great shot.
• Travel pics - Put your subject in the extreme foreground with the pyramid in the extreme background.

One final idea - say "money" instead of "cheese." Saying "money" makes the corners of your mouth go back in a more natural way. And if you believe that you conjure what you say out loud, it's much better to picture more money than cheese any day.

In the Zona

Have you been carded lately? It was a thrilling experience last weekend when I was out with my friend Heather in Scottsdale. (They card everyone who looks like they are 30 years old!) Lucky for me, the guy had bad eyesight. There is a standing policy that if asked to show my ID, the requesting person gets a smooch on the cheek. However, in my giddiness of such a special moment, I forgot to give him an appreciation peck.

There were lots of other unique moments about our trip to Arizona. Dan's parents took us to a fancy-smancy ranch and we got to see a horse swim in a equine pool. See picture >>>>

At the Museum of Musical Instruments, Marcia and the kids played haunting sounds on the Theremin.
Watch Marcia on this video. >>>>>>

There was also a workin' that skirt moment - I saw an older woman at Target who made my jaw drop. Her hair was adorned with pearls, she had on silver high heels, straight white denim jeans, a white shirt and a smile that could make the midnight sky look like day. Cashier gals were praising her and then saying to one another as she walked away, "She looks better than you and me combined." "That woman sure knows how to do it." "Dottie, ooohhhhh, eeeeee."

Seeing "Dottie" made we want to give her an award, or at least some props* that acknowledge her brilliance and sparkle. I could have showed my gratitude with a big smooch but I have a bad reputation at Target. (See entry "Get Your Head Examined" when I accidently dropped the shopping cart down the escalator - http://workinthatskirt.blogspot.com/2009/06/get-your-head-examined_23.html.) So instead of getting arrested for kissing a stranger, I planted a big appreciation kiss on someone I know, my friend Heather. >>>>>>

* Props, short for Propers, -The entire word "propers" is used in the song "Respect", written by Otis Redding and most famously recorded by Aretha Franklin in 1967. At least, I think it is ("all I'm askin' in return honey is to give me my propers when I get home"). according to Urban Dictionary

Urban Drifting

Urban Drifting is where you walk along without a goal or mission. It is a phrase I learned last weekend at The School of Womanly Arts in NYC. How great to allow yourself to slow down! I had to try it out and here's a video of what was discovered >>>

p.s. Would love your thoughts on my new, fabulous logo created by the extraordinary designer Katherine Leyton.

Crazy Like Me?

The list of things to do was playing in my head so loudly in the middle of the night, I had to get up to make some Sleepy Time Tea. I'm going out of town later this week, have work to do, kids to run around, and a ladies "coffee" to throw. Everything was groovy until last week when a friend said the coffee is actually a "big deal" in town and since I'm hosting, get ready. I've been prepping and tidying like a Whirling Dervish. I even cleaned the top of the frig! Who is going to look there? Yesterday, there was a baking disaster and there is still more to prepare. Poor Dan is even in on the action hanging and re-hanging pictures on the walls. Does anyone else get crazy like me when you are prepping to host?

(coffee cake disaster)

Can we make a pact that if you come to my house, you'll forgive a little mess because the food will be great and we'll have a good time? Let's all unite. And if you are at the shin-dig, don't look in our closets!

P.S. Check out this video which made me laugh while I was trying to keep my swagger on!
THE SWAGGER WAGON http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7coJ0mc09Q

Flower Power

Little did I know that being a chaperone on David Dean's field trip to the Phillips Collection would be so inspiring. Georgia O'Keefe was the artist they were there to visit. What's the big deal about all the flower paintings? Ms. O'Keefe became a giant of twentieth-century modern art and the first American woman painter to gain unanimous respect from both critics and the public. While there's the thought that the flowers symbolize a woman's bits and pieces, it was revealing to learn that she was a groundbreaking artist in the early 1900's because she cropped her subject matter to make abstract art.


Her hubby was a photographer and the technique of cropping his pictures most likely gave her the idea to do the same with her paintings. The docent had the kids look through a piece of paper with a pin hole and try their hand at sketching what they saw. <<<<




I went back with Gigi and her interpretations were fab - a pop sickle (see painting at left), a crab, clouds. Here's to a woman who worked her skirt in a time when women were not encouraged to do very much of anything. She lived until she was 98 and completed more than 800 oil paintings. She said, "You get whatever accomplishment you are willing to declare."

Video on Georgia O'Keefe to get a glimpse of the real woman...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmCjVoFf-cY&feature=channel

Love that belly

Here's my first gratitude through lippy post - I love this girl and give her belly kisses all the time. This one was yesterday at the butterfly garden planting to honor Jazzy, whose light continues to shine in profound ways.

Mom Fantasies

Nothing like a beach weekend with your college girlfriends to provide a much needed recharge from all the mom duties. This year we wanted to play up the theme HATS AND TATS. I brought a bunch of tattoos and on the drive to FloBama, we stopped at several truck stops looking for trucker hats but there were only baseball caps. We came up with our trucker names. I'm Lou Dean, a derivative of Cyndy Lou and my dad's name. Surprisingly, a grocery store had seven hats to complete the mission, plus everything essential for the weekend - brownie mix, Fluff, and red lipstick (I forgot my tube at home). Lip prints started showing up on random objects and will continue to do so. The purchase of Revlon's LOVE THAT RED inspired a campaign for gratitude through lippy. I'm curious to see how life changes by being BOLD and wearing red every day. Check out my blog posts for daily pics and a whole new round of Workin' That Skirt, Year 2.

The trucker babes took a break from pool lounging (rainy afternoon) and decided to see the movie DATE NIGHT. It captures what it is like be with someone for a long time with work, activities, and kids getting in the way. There is a scene where Tina Fey and Steve Carell are discussing their marriage and Steve tells his wife that is OK to have fantasies. She admits to him that she does and he starts to get a bit excited. He wants to hear about it. She tells him that she imagines being in a luxurious hotel room. (He leans in closely to hear her .) She says she is on the bed all alone. (He starts wiggling in his seat.) She needs a drink and goes to the mini-bar. (He starts to froth a bit.) She pulls out a Diet Sprite and drinks it... all by herself...without anyone asking her to get them anything, take them anywhere, do anything for them. (He is confused.)

In honor of Mother's Day, I wish you all the fantasy-come-true of finding time for yourself. And to my sweet mom, here's a big RED kiss! Wishing you the day of your dreams.

There was a card I found that outlines other mom ultimate fantasies:

• I sleep past dawn.
• Housekeeping standards are reduced nation-wide.
• My hair looks good every day!
• The kids decide to quit soccer and start their own business.
• Chocolate becomes a vitamin.
• Chicken fingers cause weight loss.
• I can have it all..with a glass of Merlot (for me, Vodka drinkie).
• I have my own private carpool lane.
• I get an "A" on my science project.
• Ketchup is declared a vegetable.

Spring Chicken

I called my grandma & pap-paw the other day and learned they had a tift over a woman who was flirting with my gramps. The other woman offered to let my grandpa use her dock (they live on a lake). Evidently, the other woman made a comment my grandma didn't like. Granny was mad as a hornet.

Now, my grandma is no spring chicken, she's about to turn 86, but she has a lot of spring in her step. We were talking about her upcoming birthday and how almost all of her eight brothers/sisters, and friends are dying. I asked her why she was still kicking it strong and she said she thinks it is because she loves life. She doesn't sit around and mope. She tends to her garden of tomatoes and corn and peas. She socializes. She plays cards. She goes to church. She loves her huge family. She gives grandpa hell and makes him get out of his favorite chair to do a little this and that. She has been workin' her skirt for 86 years and I dedicate this entry to granny, who will always be a spring chicken...

Basil SPRING Chicken Roulades - HOW TO VIDEO >>>

Basil Chicken Roulades with Mustard/Yogurt Sauce
Grocery Items: 6 thinly sliced chicken breasts, plain (Greek) yogurt, Dijon Mustard, Chives, Bunch of Fresh Basil, Bread Crumbs, Parmesan Cheese, Shallot, Veggie & Rice

Preheat oven 400, either butter baking dish or spray with non-stick Pam
Dipping Sauce to serve with meal -1/2 c plain yogurt (Go Greek if ya can + 1 tbs Dijon mustard (I use coarse mustard + 2 tsp chivesMake production line: 6 thinly sliced chicken breasts, bunch of basil chopped, 1 shallot, chopped, 1 cup bread crumbs + 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, mustard/yogurt sauce - 1/2 cup plain yogurt + 1 tbs Dijon mustard

Dip chicken breast in sauce, roll in bread crumb/parm, lay flat on baking sheet and layer basil + shallots, (drizzle melted butter on top of basil if you want to be naughty), roll breast, put on baking sheet, repeat

Bake at 400 for 35-40 minutes

Hey, Lekker Ding

Isn't it crazy when the world collides, like wearing a very popular nail polish color "Dutch Tulip" and meeting a bunch of people from Holland stuck in New York City because volcanic ash is grounding them?! I was in "the city" for my Womanly Arts conference - imagine 300 women digging for treasure in a massive clothing swap with the likes of Gucci and Tocca. There was also an inspiring talk given by money expert Barbara Stanny. She lost her inheritance from her father, the R in H&R Block, and rebuilt a fortune by following the steps of successful women earning six figures. I'm about to take her class. Here's her website for more info - http://www.barbarastanny.com/ And, speaking of classes, I took a burlesque class and learned a thing or two about tassles.

After a full weekend of "conferencing," it was time for a tip toe through the tulips with some girlfriends. We went out for dinner/drinks and encountered the Netherlanders as we were heading home to our hotel. They ribbed us about our super white teeth and we teased them about losing the coolest island on the planet (New York City was formerly known as New Amsterdam). They gave us nicknames that resemble bowling leaguers. I was dubbed "Shirley" and later given a more attractive moniker, "Vonda." The Dutch taught us how to say "lekker ding" which supposedly means "good looking" but without accurate translation, wonder if it really means "Shirley." Here's to workin that skirt with girlfriends!

The cutest video from a colleague is below- he produced it with his 6 year old daughter singing an original song, "Hanging With My Girls" She is a pro, especially at the end!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKdf30h3Jts

My "Friend" Came to Visit

My "friend" came to visit last weekend and it made me want to twirl around, wear white, kick the seashore, and do leg kicks. You know the saying and you know the ridiculous ads for that most glorious time of month that my buddy in LA refers to as, "the time I'm bleeding like a stuck pig." Sorry to be graphic but let's get real. And finally Kotex has. Check out these hilarious ads.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpypeLL1dAs&feature=player_embedded
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOM4AMV050A&feature=player_embedded
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkkTeAP8d5o&NR=1
  

A real friend, a human, did come to visit last weekend from Sag Harbor, NY. Liz Joyce is a Jim Henson award winning puppeteer and one fine singer. She performs Minkie the Monkey shows at her Goat on a Boat Theater in the Hamptons and if you have any connections to the children's TV world, bring 'em on. >>>> see Minkie Time promo >>>>

Although I coaxed her down to Maryland with puppet show performances, we also had an extraordinary night at our local and only restaurant in Old Town Kensington - Cafe 1894. It was Boovie Night (book/movie club) but we didn't talk so much about Girl With a Dragon Tattoo because there was a piano player and Gina B's crutches became microphones while Liz belted out the Boss' 10th Ave Freeze-out. That's when I actually did leg kicks in my white pants and twirled for joy that my friend came to visit.

The Bee Charmer

A Southern peach exudes a thing or two about beauty that makes her one nice piece of fruit. Here is the know-how that came rushing back as we enjoyed a bluegrass hootenanny.

• The higher the hair, the closer to heaven. While the days of Final Net are thankfully over, they served their purpose. Many a gal had pageant hair and some had to support a tiara back in the day. Now it is about BIG SEXY HAIR and it is inspiring. I bought the hair spray as a consolation.
• If there's music, shake your money maker. My pappy doesn't walk around, he jigs like there is a soundtrack playing through his day. There were lots of people feeling the music, including my Gigi who was workin' her skirt on the dance floor.
  
• Wear lipstick - the redder the better. It makes your teeth look whiter. Now if you know me for 5 minutes, I'm re-applying my Plum Dandy or Viva Glam. Mama n'em told me "presentation is everything."
• Find your nature in nature. The sign at the Wetlands said, "You may touch the beaver... very very gently." Had to get a close-up...

• There are lots of uses for the phrase "bless your heart." We have an 80 year old relative who pats a man's bottom instead of hugging him while she bestows her blessing. I figure, when you're 80, you can do whatever you want. She initiated Dan into the family at the Cecil Family Fish Fry a few years back and he liked it enough to stay. It is especially useful to use the line when someone needs a hug OR OR OR if you find them offensive. There was a lady at the bluegrass festival holding a 3 month old baby with a litter of other toddlers around her. She asked the snake wrangler at the reptile exhibit, "Do you have a small python, I have little kids." I sent her a bless your heart thought, as much for her question as for her Mohawk. (She's not in this picture but there is the python.)
  
• Charm and good manners open a door as good as an ivy league education. There is no other way to explain the opportunities I had in my career - working in London, Hong Kong, promotions, management positions. It's about respect for others in this "me" world. More times that I can shake a stick at, my kids hear my recording, "Say, thank you. Say please. Try again with your manners." And at the hoedown, we got extra BBQ sauce! It made me repeat one of my favorite movie lines from Fried Green Tomatoes, "You are a bee charmer." Towanda!