Beggars and Champagne

Milwaukee seagulls

Once upon a time, there was a magical land far, far away named Milwaukee. It was a land filled with beggars and champagne…

…at least in my eyes, the starry eyes of a non-native.

Before I moved here I led a previous life in Dallas, and a previous-previous life in SoCal. At a young age, Wayne’s World taught me that Milwaukee was Algonquin for “The Good Land”.

Hey, I thought it must be an alright place if Alice Cooper and the Native Americans said so.

Other than that, people told me it was a land of cheese and beer. Seriously, this is all I once knew.

When I first met my Milwaukeean paramour in Dallas, we interrogated each other – as we all do during the dating phase – and naturally we confessed our first dreadful jobs.

Quite casually, he said, “I used to be a beggar.”

Red flag!

“A beggar?” I asked, batting my eyelashes and trying my darnedest to stay open-minded, because man oh man was I smitten!

“You know…at the grocery store.”

Light bulb.

“Oh, a BAGger! You bagged groceries.”

Phew!

“That’s what I said.”

No you didn’t.

It turns out the letter “a” is pronounced a little differently in the Midwest.

We had a good laugh over that…obviously. And, me and my far-from-bumming beau got hitched and moved to Milwaukee, the good land.

*Read the rest of the story over at OnMilwaukee.com (I was invited to write a “Readers Blog” at On Milwaukee, so it would be awesome if you guys could stop by their place…I promise there are more laughs with this kooky tale.)

So, I’m having this book sale…

weighing books

I know, I know. We all have about a grillion choices when it comes to books. There are so many stories out there, and I have written two teeny tiny ones.

I’m not conventional, I’m not mainstream, I’m not famous.

I’m just me. Little indie author…me.

But, here’s the thing – I’ve got coupons! And, who in the hell doesn’t like coupons?

The entire month of February you can get both of my books at a $1 off their usual prices. Think about all the things you can do with that buck you’re saving.

You can – oh wait, nevermind. Even gum costs more than that nowadays!

Oh, well! A buck’s a buck.

Head on over to Smashwords and use the nifty coupon codes below. Before you scratch your head about what the blazes Smashwords is, just know that it’s a swell place for us indie authors to sell our unknown books via any e-book format in existence.

Instructions are right here so you know what to do after you download the format you need. With my Kindle Fire, I just email the mobi file to my Kindle email address and voila…easy squeezy!

Here’s my offbeat WWII spy thriller…

btsg sidebar cover

Click the book to see what it’s all about.

Click here to buy on Smashwords

(just copy and paste coupon code VY57T at check-out)

Here’s my feel-good, modern day thriller…

ENB_sidebar_cover

Click the book to see what it’s all about.

Click here to buy on Smashwords

(just copy and paste coupon code NS94W at check-out)

If you feel so inclined to be even more gorgeous than you already are for giving my books a whirl, it would be beyond awesome if you would take a few moments to leave a review after you have finished. Seriously, it would warm my heart.

THANK YOU kindly for supporting the indie author movement.

I Found Some Change

parking meter
Photo by Rachelle Dale

We lose change all the time: between the car seat and the console, next to a tattered gum wrapper; underneath the worn couch cushion, next to a congregation of pet hair and crumbs; upon the cracked sidewalk, next to a discarded cigarette stained with lipstick.

It’s an elusive being, almost obsolete in this age of plastic money. Yet, it’s still poignant enough for us to need it in our high tech, modern lives.

But we trudge on, forgetting that we ever lost it, and settle into this billing cycle. The days turn into nights, the nights turn into days – time passes like currency, switching from hand to hand, traveling far and wide.

You know something needs to give, but your mind clings onto every last cent of stubborn greed. Even though you would think this mind would be wealthy, rich even, alas it is penniless – it is broke.

In a way I was like the change, rolling and rolling until I hit a wall and was forced to stop. 

A month ago, at the beginning of 2013 to be exact, my life became unexpectedly different.

Officially, I am no longer a dance teacher, and no longer a dancer. Gone are my days of barres, mirrors, leotards, and constant perfectionism. Truth be told, I never had the enviable turn out, the prized high arches, or the skin and bones physique.

Without going into a lengthy conversation, let’s just say my direction was intercepted by change. I’ve been a dancer for 23 years, a dance instructor for 10 of those.

And, call it the end of an era if you want, but maybe it’s more simple than that…I found some change.

Being a dancer often comes with a strange responsibility, where others view you as that – and only that. Perhaps it is the beauty of movement which makes people respond this way, but there was always this image associated with me and I often felt stuck in it.

A few years ago, Yoga nestled into my life quite purposefully, and brought so much healthy wealth to my life that I even decided to pursue my teaching certification this year.

After all, teaching is my heart.

Yoga teaches us to accept who we are just as we are, rather than forcing us to be something we’re not…to move exactly like someone else– and in the dancing world of costumes, hair, and make-up – to even look exactly like someone else.

If you’re not skinny enough, get skinnier. If your leg doesn’t go that high, get it higher.

And, it is that nourishment of the uniqueness I craved so deeply which finally settled what I owed myself. It slowly moved me away from the way I had always moved, as a dancer.

Truthfully my catchy little tagline – writer. dancer. life enthusiast – has been staring me in the face for several months now, perhaps since its inception. Now that I am moving on from that lifelong part of me, it doesn’t make sense to identify myself in the same way.

attitude

Writer. Yes, I am that.

Dancer. Yes, I once was that.

Life enthusiast. Yes, I will always be that.

I don’t know if I found change or if it found me. Either way I am truly humbled by this profound pirouette in my life.

I stand here with my pockets turned inside out – empty, but open and full of grace – and ready to be filled with change.

I’ll start with this…writer. yogi. life enthusiast.

The buck stops here.

Grinnin’ Through the Grind: Keep it Healthy

Last week I shared my life update – a major switch from starving artist gal to steady paycheck gal. (In case you missed Goodbye, jammies…hello, grind.)

Reinstating this hectic schedule has been a challenging transition, and it got me thinking about the healthiest approach, the surefire way to hold onto a grain of peace amidst the sea of chaos.

Hence, this little three part series…Grinnin’ Through the Grind.

cat and brown bag
Hazel the cat loves real food!

Our daily food habits can make or break us – simple as that.

Being strapped for time sends us into the arms of fast food, frozen meals, and vending machines. Eww, eww, and eww.

I’m going to tell you my biggest secret for staying healthy. I make food a priority.

Here are some sustenance musts that not only get me through the day, but keep me fulfilled without filling out my waistline…

  1. Eat a big ass breakfast  If you start off your day right, you will not go wrong. It always shocks me how many people skip breakfast. An hour into work they’re weak, grumpy, and heading for something conveniently yucky just to hold over until lunch. I love fresh oatmeal with cinnamon and fruit or raisins (please ditch the packet oatmeal…it’s so not the same!) or veggie scrambles.
  2. Snacks aren’t just for kids  Those long periods in between “meal times” should not exist. Lightly fuel your body every few hours. Nuts or nut butter and fruit, Greek yogurt with honey or cinnamon, hummus and veggie of choice, or straight up baby carrots. Not a day goes by when I’m not chomping on carrots at my computer.
  3. Brown bag it  The eating out thing every day? Costly for your wallet and your girlish figure. Grab a chunk of organic turkey from a deli, add some fresh tomato, and a little bit of cheese or avocado. Also, use those Sundays to make a ginormous batch of goodness. My hubby and I trade off between homemade soup, pasta salad, or my new fave…zesty quinoa salad (I add extra veggies and decrease the cumin). The best way to keep the leftovers interesting: add fresh spinach, tomatoes, or a little cheese – something different each day – and depending on the dish, alternate between serving hot and cold.
  4. Healthy choice my foot!   Food in a box is not really food. It may seem like the better choice, and compared to fast food, I suppose it’s marginally better. But, long winded chemicals in the ingredients is the red flag, people. And, I’ve gotta ask you…does it even taste like food? Didn’t think so.
  5. Caffeine is not your friend  You feel like ass, your energy levels skyrocket then dive bomb, and let’s be honest…your breath is funky. Let me introduce you to two friends who will always make you feel like a million bucks…water and tea. No matter what, water should be your constant companion. Tea is a great way to change up the water routine and add some herby extras. A phenomenal alternative for you coffee drinkers out there is black chai tea. Black tea, the most robust member of the tea family, has way less caffeine then coffee, so it gives you a friendly kick in the butt instead of a punch in the groin.

But, what about the vending machine in the break room, Britt?

My dear friend, if you have to ask you need to reevaluate the numbered offerings in that crusty machine. Go ahead and look at every single piece of packaged crap in there. Row after row of obscenely processed calories which are probably well past their expiration – it’s quite the party.

And, there you have it…eww.

Your eating habits dictate your life. And, when you’re working long days, you need clean energy to get the job done. If you feed your body with kindness, you may even find yourself grinnin’ through the grind.

How do YOU keep it healthy on the job?

*Coming next week…Grinnin’ Through the Grind: Keep it Classy