It's tough being creative and trying to handle the scary, left-brain activities necessary in life. How nice it would be to have  a little help with these chores and to learn how to use our creativity productively.

To my great delight, I recently found two women who work with just this subject.

Jennifer Lee has written two books, The Right Brain Business Plan and Building Your Business the Right Brain Way. Her mission is: 

"I help creative people – like you! – who cringe at the thought of writing a business plan find creative ways to turn your dreams into a moola-making enterprise. And yes, I said “moola-making” because hey, that just sounds more fun than “income-generating,” doesn’t it?"

Yes Jennifer, that does sound like more fun! Read about her here:  http://www.rightbrainbusinessplan.com/

Another awesomely creative woman with tools to help is Marney Makridakis and Artella Land, named for "art" and "telling." Marney has a ton of cool stuff at her website, all designed to help us unleash our imagination in an orderly manner. Sort of. Even her bio, or Life Map as she calls it is pretty darn ingenious. Marney wants to: ".. converge her passions into a single focus: to embrace the creative uniqueness of individuals and awaken the creative spirit and rightful prosperity within everyone."


Her new book, Creating Time, is "...a gentle step-by-step guide that helps you control your experience of time and use it in a way that consistently supports you and the highest vision of your life.
http://www.artellawordsandart.com/aboutartella.html

Enjoy these two women on your creative journey. I know I have!

An assassin wants to hide out and ends up mistaken for the new town baker. Turns out, he likes baking, likes the small village he lands in and the quirky residents, and really likes the hot local veterinarian. 

I enjoyed many things about this cute indie movie. It was set in a cozy village in England. Having no idea what a cozy village in England actually looks like, I can only assume this is correct. Do people in England think all of America looks like New York, Hollywood, or Los Angels? That everyone here resembles the actors on Baywatch and CSI? Anyway, I digress. Back to the movie.

There's the main romance between the assassin, Milo, and the vet, Rhiannon, which is done perfectly. Not too cutesy, not overly played. There's also an anti-romance between a henpecked husband and his wife (I mostly like this character, but he really is a wimp since he doesn't have the balls to stand up to the annoying woman who constantly berates him) and another surprise unrequited romance near the end. Then, make sure to watch the credits at the very end because there's another little romantic surprise.

An enjoyable movie with enough action to keep your attention and a few very odd scenes that will have you laughing unexpectedly. 

I rented on Netflix and you can buy it on Amazon.

Aren't plants amazing? Seriously. You put a little seed in some dirt and weeks later, voila! Food and flowers appear. How is gardening like a writing career? So glad you asked.

1. Plant food and fertilizer:  Plants grow better when fed, and my RWA meetings, online classes and craft books supply that for my writing career. Sometimes, the fertilizer is shit, as in a publisher does me wrong, I get a nasty review, etc. Manure helps with growth also, if I use it the right way and learn the lesson from each negative encounter. (I have to put in a plug for  Mary the Muse Charmer and Cassandra Carr, two authors I recently took online classes with. Awesome, both of them!)

2.  Sunshine:  Kind words from friends, good reviews and that happy email or call when a book is accepted at a publisher works as sunshine for me. I need a lot of it, so I continually talk to wonderful people and share happy news and keep putting out those books.

3.  Water:  Cooling and refreshing, I equate this to rest. Some days I have to say "enough" and take a break. I don't write anything strenuous and maybe even use my spare time just to read or watch television. Naps, brunch and shopping with a friend, wine and dinner with another, getting to bed early enough to rock my honey's world, those are the ways I recharge my batteries and stay invigorated.

Enjoy these pictures of my garden. More will follow as the plants go crazy!

This is not normally the type of movie I watch but having recently had an experience with violins, I decided to check it out. The story follows a violin as it goes from person to person over several centuries. Each time it changes hands, a new story is told. Some are happy, some sad, some frightening, but my favorite is the enticing one involving Frederick and Victoria. 

Frederick Pope is a concert violinist and Victoria Byrd is a writer and his muse. Just before a concert, we hear, behind a closed door, Frederick playing his violin and the the sounds of passion. He goes on to perform a new piece of music, inspired by...we know what, even if his audience doesn't. The two are involved in another fabulously passionate scene, where she is trying to write and he interrupts her. He blames it on her beauty and they make up with a tempestuous round of sex. This chapter of the violin's life has a violent moment at the end but I won't ruin it for you. The instrument survives, never fear.

Here is a snippet from Frederick and Victoria's story, where Victoria informs him she must travel to Russia to do research on her book. Oh, the days before the Internet were brutal on love affairs!
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/mv-6fGK/the_red_violin_youre_leaving_me/

Not all the adventures of the Red Violin are this sensual, but passion is always present when great music is played. 

Available on Netflix to rent. Thanks to my brother for this excellent movie tip.

I have to exercise. I can't put it off any longer. I'm stiff and sore, my pants are tight, my stamina is fading. I need new bras but refuse to shop until I drop five more pounds of holiday weight. Uh-oh it's April. I really can't blame the holidays any more, can I?

On a trip to one of my favorite stores, (notice the $5.00 Big Lots sticker. I love Big Lots.) I found this nifty Booty Slide kit and thought I would give it a try. It comes with a DVD, nylon slide booties and two hand slide thingys. It's supposed to be a great workout and  I like the no stress on the joints part.

OMG. I'm so sore. My shoulders feel like I've been hanging by my fingertips from a cliff for hours. I only did the first two units and they involved a lot of plank or push-up position. It was a good workout, I'll say that, and something different than what I'm used to. I'm going to try it again, in a few days, after I've regained full use of my shoulders and arms. Maybe I'll go with a modified plank the next time.

Oh, in the instructions we're told "Do not wear Booties while under the influence of alcohol or drugs." Remember that, if you get the urge to do this workout after a night at the bar. 

You can find out more about Booty Slide at the link below or order it on Amazon but really, check your WalMart or Big Lots first.


http://bootyslide.com/

http://www.amazon.com/As-Seen-On-TV-
Booty/dp/B00B3YZMKU