What Drives You?

I am not a person who likes to drive. Driving too much in one day requires a nap when I am through. I get tired as a passenger. I'm a horrible road trip partner.

This is not a good trait when you travel for a living. Luckily, most of my travel requires plane tickets instead of driving any distances. (Note I am also asleep before take-off.)

But I think I could turn over a new leaf if I was wearing the new Manolo Blahnik driving loafers. I would never tire of wearing these red (or navy or green, etc.) suede beauties with the pink lining. So if I only wear them while driving... A+B=C, right?

Maybe not, but I think it is worth a try, don't you?

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's... Shallow Gal?

I attended a board retreat last week that started with "speed networking". You were given 4 questions to ask and answer as you went around the room meeting people. One of the questions was, if you were a superhero and could have any superpower you wanted, what would it be? Now, remember, you only had 30 seconds to think of an answer. So think of yours right now. What would it be? And you can't change it!

I said I would be invisible. Basically, so I would always know what was going on around me. The first person I spoke to said he would be able to teleport. Great! We are on the same wavelength. I was feeling pretty good about my choice.

And then I met Michael. Michael said, "I would rid the world of all disease." Seriously? That's what you come up with in 30 seconds??? I'm not saying it isn't totally admirable but what superhero are you basing it on? Am I really that shallow? "Of course", I responded, "well since I am invisible, I can steal all the research you need to help rid the world of disease." Aren't I helpful?

But the more I thought about it, the more shallow I felt so I responded the way any self-respecting cynic would. I shot holes in his superpower. "You know, if you rid the world of all disease, we would have overpopulation and that would result in new problems." Who am I???

I met another teleporter and then a guy who would cure Dementia. And a woman who would make sure all families had all their basic needs met. And a guy who would end starvation in third world countries. Are you kidding me??? What happened to wanting to fly or turn yourself into anything?

And to add insult to injury, someone said they were surprised I wouldn't have asked for all the shoes in the world. OK, first of all, that isn't a superpower. I could ask Santa for that. Second of all, I work for a nonprofit too! Don't I have even the slightest image of wanting to do good in the world?

To add insult to injury, I was wearing my simple, 10 year old Kenneth Cole black patent loafers. And as I walked through ATL, I realized they had given me a blister. Was this shoe karma? Was the universe trying to tell me something? Fine. I'd like to change my response. If I could have any superpower in the world, I would make sure everyone in the world had comfortable, functional, stylish shoes.

Now, what would you call me?

Good Dog (Mom)

"She is perfect. Whatever you are doing keep doing." Music to a dog mom's ears! That's what Dr. Dove said about Sophie yesterday at her annual check-up.

And then he met Stella. Stella, has challenges. Specifically we've been dealing with a skin issue for 4 years. First we went to her primary vet and they couldn't solve the problem. Then she was allergy tested (she doesn't have any) and treated with different recipes of antibiotics by a dermatologist for 2 years. Being on antibiotics for that long can't be good for any body so we decided, after recommendations from other Frenchie families, to go the holistic route. So for two years, she has been on different cocktails of Chinese herbs. (You know you are going an alternative therapy route when the first question the vet asks is, "if Stella had a profession, what profession would it be?" That's simple - banker.)

And 2011 was the year of severe bladder infections for Stelly. Remember the formal affair that wasn't? That included multiple cultures, three weeks on antibiotics, three weeks off, a trip to an internist for a full work-up (good news, her internal organs are perfect), etc. We thought we had kicked it in November for it only to return in December. And none of these treatments are free... as a matter of fact, Stella is basically a car payment a month. So again, we are so thankful for our Grandaddy's generosity! Thus we ended up with Dr. Dove, renowned bulldog specialist, as our last resort.

He also can't figure out what exactly is wrong with her (Dr. Kocen, our holistic vet, said Stella is a zebra in a pack of horses) but prescribed a new course: steroids, antibiotics and potty breaks every 4 hours. What? Yep, every 4 hours including overnight. I was tired just thinking about it. And Stella doesn't wake up easily so I didn't think she would be thrilled either...

So last night, as I turned in, I set my alarm for 1 a.m., 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. Turned out I only need the first alarm because after our first trip outside, I didn't go back to sleep. The good news is, Stella leaped from the crate each time because she needed to go. The bad news is she and Sophie are now sleeping contentedly on the couch while I am trying to stay awake drinking coffee at the computer.

Thankfully my parents gave me great pajamas for Christmas so I'm perfectly dressed for the walks. And the best footwear for taking your dog out in the freezing cold middle of the night? Why, Uggs, of course!

So my question for you, is this good training for potentially being a human mom someday? I asked a special someone that very question and was basically told 4 hours of sleep at a time is a luxury. Oh well, I'm going to maintain the attitude that this is good mom behavior. Regardless, Stella's worth it. But I pray that Dr. Dove can figure out what is wrong with her and get her better. Will you please pray too?

"I Expect More From You"

Recently I went to my office (I am remote so go in as needed) and a colleague commented on my choice of footwear - "I expect more from you." I was shocked! My patent leather pointy toe kitten heel Calvin Klein's are classic. Shouldn't every shoe guru own a pair such as these? They are perfect with a skirt or a suit. Are my normal choices so "out there" that she didn't anticipate seeing me in a classic? Or is this more of a reflection on her fashion naivete? What do you think?

Gotta Dance!

My mother put me in dance class before I was 4. Tap and ballet and I took to it like a fish takes to water. As I got older, I joined a competitive line and expanded into jazz, production and novelty routines. At its height, we were traveling to compete and our weekend long recital included up to 9 routines in 5 performances. My mom recently gave me the videos of those performances and I don't know how she sat through those 3+ hour recitals. Talk about dreadful! I mean, it is one thing to watch your own kid dance but to watch relative strangers? She definitely deserves some type of medal of honor for that!

In my mid-teens I dropped out of dance. Decided I'd rather focus on high school and ended up being a cheerleader for a year. Got kicked off because I didn't like having my back to the game but that is a story for another blog...

I've always loved any type of live theater so was psyched when my Theater Club went to see Billy Elliott last week at the Kennedy Center. And as we walked out, I knew it was time to pick up my tap shoes again. Imagine my delight the next day when I went to tea for my grandmother's birthday to find out that one of my "aunts" taps! So I'm going to start looking for lessons and one of my girlfriends said she would join me. Because watching tap dancing on stage made me happy so I imagine dancing myself will make me even happier! But don't alert Broadway yet!