Holiday Madness Prep
Well all, I hate to disappoint you but Creative Girl hasn’t been doing a great job as of late. There hasn’t been much positive inspiration and the rabbit hole got pretty deep there for a while. I am indeed happy to report that I did manage to climb out of it and there will be plenty of new content coming.
Over the Thanksgiving break, I started a new novel which is yet untitled. I’m categorizing it as fiction although it is heavily based on a very dear friend of mine. We don’t want another James Frey now, do we? In any case, she’s an amazing person and has been through hell and high water in her short time on this planet. I think you’ll find her inspiring, strong, and I know you’ll be cheering her on as she moves throughout the story.
In other news, I’m working on cover art for the extremely talented Jon Yoon (check out my favorites page for more information about him!). His new EP is going to be released in early 2014 and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to work with him. I love the creative process: learning more about an artist’s vision and doing my best to make it come to life.
Last, but certainly not least, I’ll be helping my niece compile some of her artwork from the last two years into a photo book. This may seem like a small feat, but she’s a workhorse. We don’t have a ton of time to finish this, but I’m proud of the work she’s done.
As for real life, or ya know, the rest of it…the OCD has kicked in again. I’ve got lists of lists and I’m crossing off those to-do’s like a crazy person. The holiday gifts are almost all wrapped, the tree will be up shortly and perhaps, if I’m so inspired, there may actually be baking happening this year. If I can get my Little Elves to help in that process, we may actually get it done in time.
As per the usual, the kiddo and I will be spending a week in the Tri-state area with our family and friends. If you’re not Italian, you likely can’t comprehend the insanity that is Christmas Eve. Let’s just say it involves at least a dozen people and about 10 hours of non-stop eating. This doesn’t bode well for a post-op gastric bypass patient, mind you. I swear that every year, I pack on at least 15 pounds from this one meal alone. Possible or not, it’s how it feels!
So, there will be plenty of food, a ridiculous amount of holiday lights (if you’ve never been to Bensonhurst around the holidays, you’re really missing out on something amazing), a ton of wrapping paper to be recycled, and if I’m lucky there will be plenty of creamsicles (orange juice and vanilla vodka, my friends). I’m still determining if there will be a Broadway play in our future and figure out which museum the kiddo wants to tackle this year. A trip to the Sony Wonder Lab would also be pretty sweet.
And as if all of this wasn’t enough for you, I’ll be joining the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center’s Speaker’s Bureau early next year. I’ve got some training in my future, but thankfully all of those communications classes in college and 9/11 speeches give me some sort of experience on which to fall back. For those of you in the Boston area, stay tuned for upcoming talks!
I’m sure I’ll be back before the madness truly kicks in, but in case I’m not, may you all have a wonderful holiday season!