tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1577856401087081242Fri, 03 Feb 2012 06:43:17 +0000nytRMCbritainsgottalentmoviesbooksrainy daysshoppingpostthepositivenaturebirdseventsservicewbonlinebartlettsuperbowltaxesReal WorldsororityviacomWGApetsinceptionerplayschristophernolankidsweatherfacebooklasamuelsknittinleonardodicapriorantssci-fitherealworldskirosgraffiatoobamadisastericeBonoanniversaryholidaysIkeamagazinesseasonsnogginreverb10marketingsquirelsHollywoodroshhashannaspacemovingeducationsensoryseekingscrapbookLos Angelessoapbosnew orleansriotswestwingmilitaryLauraMillerinaugurationopportunityhopedecoratingAIDScreativityRandolphMaconsleepolympicsNaNoWriMomccainearsSonjaPaarcharitydeadlinesProduct(RED)new yearhearingheroestsunamilearningsecondlifeplaylistchefdyspraxiateachingadoptionfadspaper9/11maconbibleelectionMTVperspectivephotographyaolhsmusicoil spillhelpingbunim-murrayPrincetondonationbattlestar galacticasanfranciscoquestionIRSpublishingpedrozamoraenergyfloodwonderwordsbio dadalphagamNewYearwoodschancetlgcoffeestridegumcairowashingtonwritinghealthTop Chefgalaxieswickedillnesscancerwinterwonderlandaaronsorkinnationdisneyrightsgooddoctorskennedy centerthanksgivingpoweroutageMcGraw-Hillartoccupywriters striketrendshometravelsalonnovelspringfamilyListbreast cancernewyorktimescelebrationtv showsblogspalinconstitutionwalkingreflectionsbusinessfireworkslostrealityshowsstormsfourthwicked tourcustomer serviceeconomyagdmatthardingcollegecampingfallschoolgratitudemourningbooks shelvessusanboylebeesfurniturewoodpeckersautumnapraxiagayrightshusbandspeechGarmischeditingphilosopyfunalphagammadeltaflowersstoriessantaagentdo-over4threturnswbolrestaurant2011#occupytogetherchangestaletta festmidrashenvironmentwinter#occupydcprotestsearthquakefundraising2012treesfibromyalgia#occupywallstreetstarbucksinternetwhitehousechoresmad menhappinessdemocratg=faaaaafootballgratefullessonscienceDCfriendsobservationgirlscoutschildrenBeing EricaHokiessleddingmishnabirthdaystressvacationavonpoliticsparty2010NOLAgoalsrmntheaterbidensammysyfydogsorkinBPsoapboxtoysGermanytestsfoodentertainmenthistoryteachjapanvotezamorarockymountainnewsegyptBusiness WeeksnowfictiongreeksmoneyAll that stuff rattling around in my brain presented in a "small" somewhat tasty package.http://dooverslml.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Lisa)Blogger239125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1577856401087081242.post-6941925879536419665Wed, 01 Feb 2012 07:01:00 +00002012-02-01T02:01:35.766-05:00For the past few years I have been dismayed at the level of customer service.  You see, for the most part my career has been in product development of one form or another - mostly entertainment or services.  While products have been getting pretty cool in the past 10 years - think of all the innovations from Apple, Microsoft, the Hybrid car, etc. - service has been falling into a pit of despair Ihttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LiasLife/~3/GFZLb5FNdbs/new-level-of-customer-service.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lisa)2http://dooverslml.blogspot.com/2012/02/new-level-of-customer-service.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1577856401087081242.post-7802904434123801472Tue, 17 Jan 2012 07:24:00 +00002012-01-17T02:28:57.830-05:00helpingdecoratingreturnsshoppingcustomer serviceIkeabooks shelvesfurnitureBy December 28th, 2011 it had become completely apparent we were not going to be able to take our annual trip to Michigan.  We'd been planning for Thanksgiving, been postponed by my father's most recent surgery, rescheduled for December only to be sidelined by what turned out to be a pneumonia like infection - yay me!  Thank goodness for ZPack antibiotics, nurse practitioners who can knock sense http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LiasLife/~3/PoO6Z2GSXlw/and-they-did-it-again-wow.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lisa)3http://dooverslml.blogspot.com/2012/01/and-they-did-it-again-wow.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1577856401087081242.post-5262943586459106761Wed, 11 Jan 2012 06:40:00 +00002012-01-11T01:40:27.367-05:00starbucksgoodNaNoWriMocoffeecustomer servicefriendspublishingwritinghome When I was a little girl there was a coffee shop in a strip mall near our new home here in Virginia.  We didn't go often, but going was a treat for me.  I don't remember my parents drinking too much coffee, but when they did they wanted the good stuff.  This was, of course, the days before Starbucks and a coffee house on every corner.  The shop in question was not one where you could get a cup http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LiasLife/~3/jjQ9EVxp_8M/that-lovely-coffee-smell.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lisa)2http://dooverslml.blogspot.com/2012/01/that-lovely-coffee-smell.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1577856401087081242.post-5873665510551500415Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:48:00 +00002012-01-10T11:48:37.757-05:00helpinggooddecoratingreturnsshoppingcustomer serviceIkeafurniture Anyone who follows me on FB knows that I have spent the past two weeks with my husband (the SAINT) and my son turning our illnesses (colds, flu, bronchitis, unknown infection) into good by tackling a project that has plagued our household - organization.  This meant, we thought, a trip to Ikea and hours of building, organizing, etc. Yeah, not so much. Today was our 5th trip.  My 4th trip was http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LiasLife/~3/ZzYz3pmwVOc/turning-bad-into-good.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lisa)0http://dooverslml.blogspot.com/2012/01/turning-bad-into-good.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1577856401087081242.post-5731232671282573994Wed, 28 Dec 2011 23:16:00 +00002011-12-28T18:16:28.681-05:00dyspraxiafamily Yes, this is going to be one of those insufferable posts about family.  You know the one that you get to and go "Oh good grief - a family story!" But then you start to read it and decide to read until the end to see how it finishes just because it feels good?  One of those stories.  But I also promise, it won't be long. Many of you know from reading past posts (or from talking with me in personhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LiasLife/~3/kpCtF7Tgs5U/little-guy-is-growing-up.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lisa)0http://dooverslml.blogspot.com/2011/12/little-guy-is-growing-up.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1577856401087081242.post-6785061928994404220Sat, 24 Dec 2011 06:10:00 +00002011-12-24T01:10:00.047-05:00 So much has gone on with this family and the world this year that I am beginning to hope that 2012 is the beginning of good things to come and not the end of the world as the Mayan calendar knows it. To start these good things - the holiday season.  I say it like that not to tick off any of the rabid holiday specific folks out there but rather to be inclusive.  There are multiple holidays out http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LiasLife/~3/OGMzFehTh9M/its-about-to-get-really-fun.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lisa)0http://dooverslml.blogspot.com/2011/12/its-about-to-get-really-fun.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1577856401087081242.post-7905939626019221077Fri, 09 Dec 2011 03:34:00 +00002011-12-08T23:13:57.997-05:00health If I have seemed a little distracted recently, there is a reason.  A pretty good one. Let's just say that I wish Dr. House really existed, but since he doesn't (at least not in a way that we can access him directly) it's a really good thing that nothing going on with me health wise is more than just really irritating. About six months ago I started noticing that the center of my vision in my http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LiasLife/~3/us6PX7P49tw/distractions.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lisa)1http://dooverslml.blogspot.com/2011/12/distractions.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1577856401087081242.post-6183639988359902739Sat, 26 Nov 2011 03:59:00 +00002011-11-25T23:10:56.602-05:00 I know...it's the day after Thanksgiving.  Some of you spent your brains out today...some of you did not.  I am in the did not category.  Instead, I wrote more than 3000 words on my latest novel.  It's good.  It's really good.  And it would not be written if it weren't for two things. 1) My first creative writing teacher Anne Bobrow Berg, aka Nana.  No, really - my grandmother was an elementaryhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LiasLife/~3/ftD8friwJHk/one-more-plea-for-nanowrimo-fundraising.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lisa)0http://dooverslml.blogspot.com/2011/11/one-more-plea-for-nanowrimo-fundraising.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1577856401087081242.post-1244406114888227359Fri, 18 Nov 2011 06:36:00 +00002011-11-18T02:08:04.144-05:00gayrights#occupydcconstitutionprotestswashington#occupytogetherrightspolitics Look, I get it.  The Occupy protests are unlike anything we've seen before.  For a loosely organized group of protests without a dynamic leader or two and no discernible or specific goals they seem to be gaining some traction worldwide and that can be scary for some folks. But anyone who thinks that every single police department in each of the individual cities other than Washington, DC just http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LiasLife/~3/RzuIBxVk9tQ/im-getting-little-concerned.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lisa)0http://dooverslml.blogspot.com/2011/11/im-getting-little-concerned.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1577856401087081242.post-1510627865217024660Sun, 06 Nov 2011 19:34:00 +00002011-11-06T14:36:11.417-05:00#occupydc2011occupy2012#occupytogetherpolitics#occupywallstreet In April 2010, I was invited to my alma matar for a wonderful evening of food, discussion and literature with one of my all time favorite authors.  There was no way I was turing down the opportunity to meet Margaret Atwood so I took the train down and stayed overnight at a small inn by the railroad tracks. But today I am not writing about that wonderful evening with Ms. Atwood at http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LiasLife/~3/N9B_BCaqUuM/somethings-not-working.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lisa)0http://dooverslml.blogspot.com/2011/11/somethings-not-working.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1577856401087081242.post-3141633025205402398Tue, 01 Nov 2011 02:46:00 +00002011-10-31T22:46:38.938-04:00DCrestaurantgraffiato This summer my husband and I went to Mike Isabella's new restaurant Graffiato near the Verizon Center in DC for our anniversary.  What we didn't realize until the following week was that we went on day 3 of operations.  It was so good that there was no way to tell - really.  I posted about it here. Today I did something I used to do a lot but now don't really get a chance to do.  I drove to myhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LiasLife/~3/ebHx2mpjU98/yep-its-still-yummy.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lisa)2http://dooverslml.blogspot.com/2011/10/yep-its-still-yummy.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1577856401087081242.post-4776823696166601732Sun, 30 Oct 2011 06:16:00 +00002011-10-30T02:19:05.333-04:00NaNoWriMo2011washingtonNOLAwriting It's that time of year again.  The time of year where my brain goes into overdrive and words fly out of my fingers as quickly as possible.  Hopefully at least 1667 words a day will find their way into my computer and more specifically into my new novel. So, what exactly is this time of year?  November. You see, every November hundreds of thousands of aspiring novelists dredge up their aspiringhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LiasLife/~3/rKvGvShxHRE/writing-by-seat-of-my-pants.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lisa)0http://dooverslml.blogspot.com/2011/10/writing-by-seat-of-my-pants.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1577856401087081242.post-1201566853673298197Sun, 23 Oct 2011 05:40:00 +00002011-10-23T01:40:05.771-04:00dyspraxia2011children Today was a banner day.  No, it really was. First you should know that we all have colds, or are fighting them, so we decided that a low key day (a.k.a Pajama Day) was in order.  It lasted until we left for dinner and was wonderful for all of us.  We sat around, didn't do too much that "needed" to be done and chatted about nonsense and new topics. This is unique in my house - not because we http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LiasLife/~3/FBuM3znnwoY/future-dreams.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lisa)0http://dooverslml.blogspot.com/2011/10/future-dreams.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1577856401087081242.post-8369480732909936116Sat, 22 Oct 2011 05:55:00 +00002011-10-23T01:40:41.686-04:00tv showsBeing Erica2011writing Fans of CBC (Canadian Broadcasting) may recognize the blatant riff of the title for this post.  For those of you who have not had the pleasure of watching "Being Erica" you may want to check it out.  (Hulu.com has seasons 1-3 currently.)  It may not be something you enjoy - you must be open to the concept that therapy can change you, but only if you are open to revisiting your regrets in a very,http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LiasLife/~3/pD25yC-pR-o/being-lisa.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lisa)0http://dooverslml.blogspot.com/2011/10/being-lisa.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1577856401087081242.post-7324895324912830234Thu, 29 Sep 2011 06:14:00 +00002011-09-29T02:14:22.481-04:00As with most new beginnings, Rosh Hashanah is a time to reflect on the year that is past and make plans for the year that is starting.  As Jews, we are lucky - we get to do this journey more than once a standard Western year, so I tend to take advantage of the opportunity.  For me that means reflecting upon my spiritual journey during the Jewish High Holy Day season and the more mundane aspects http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LiasLife/~3/J9DC3PP-O0w/lshana-tova-5772.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lisa)1http://dooverslml.blogspot.com/2011/09/lshana-tova-5772.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1577856401087081242.post-6518645632310630903Tue, 27 Sep 2011 00:23:00 +00002011-09-26T20:24:36.679-04:00She is not my daughter.  She is the daughter of a friend of mine, but I check on Abby Boone and her family every day.  Abby is 8 and has leukemia. For those of you who have been watching Abby Boone's story here is a wonderful update.  Since August 13 - just a little over 5 weeks ago - Abby's mom, my friend Kim, has done an amazing job rallying her community to support their new cause, CURE.  http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LiasLife/~3/y6lz7pdh2Jo/i-am-amazed.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lisa)0http://dooverslml.blogspot.com/2011/09/i-am-amazed.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1577856401087081242.post-8335005160348365896Mon, 26 Sep 2011 04:01:00 +00002011-09-29T01:12:04.754-04:00 http://pages.lightthenight.org/nca/WashDC11/EMooreptl On October 15th my husband Eric, my son Sammy and I will be walking in this year's Washington, DC Light the Night walk for Leukemia & Lymphoma and we need your help.  Leukemia and lymphoma and other blood diseases have affected both our families for more than three decades, far too many in my opinion.  Here are our stories. In December http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LiasLife/~3/ZHXHBY_5rbM/light-night.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lisa)0http://dooverslml.blogspot.com/2011/09/light-night.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1577856401087081242.post-1917504194070146784Sun, 11 Sep 2011 03:55:00 +00002011-09-11T21:20:25.697-04:00history9/11Sometimes it is hard to imagine what life was like ten years ago. Ten years ago today was September 10, 2001.  Ten years ago the world was innocent, although we didn't know that yet.  We thought we had seen it all.  We'd fought two wars as a world and two more as the leaders of that world.  We'd seen more than a few financial downturns and had learned how to create magic from thin air. Ten http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LiasLife/~3/4ZUfXpz1kiU/ten-years.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lisa)1Reston, VA, USA38.9586307 -77.357002838.9092422 -77.4359668 39.0080192 -77.2780388http://dooverslml.blogspot.com/2011/09/ten-years.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1577856401087081242.post-1428031923930913894Fri, 09 Sep 2011 05:09:00 +00002011-09-09T01:26:52.725-04:00rainy daysfloodweatherFirst there were earthquakes. Freaked us out, but we managed.Then there was Irene. Freaked us out more because we began to realize the issues actually started when things were about 100+ in the shade not when Irene made her appearance and came across as a lovely house guest. In the past 3 weeks we have had:EarthquakesHurricanes (Irene and Lee_and"some" flooding. Yeah - if some means going http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LiasLife/~3/7LHcy6aiB30/hey-mr-noah-can-we-borrow-your-boat.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lisa)0http://dooverslml.blogspot.com/2011/09/hey-mr-noah-can-we-borrow-your-boat.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1577856401087081242.post-4309684999842368182Wed, 07 Sep 2011 05:58:00 +00002011-09-07T02:01:08.158-04:00No particular reason why - just extreme schedule for the first few weeks of getting small child back to school. Hopefully in a few weeks time I will be able to share more about how I am going back to writing, slamming at writing with both fists actually (and a few keys in between, but you know what I mean) and really giving it a go.In the meanwhile, check out my 100 word stories at Crap http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LiasLife/~3/5bGWvKiBhjs/ive-been-quiet-recently.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lisa)0http://dooverslml.blogspot.com/2011/09/ive-been-quiet-recently.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1577856401087081242.post-2323544031332130387Mon, 29 Aug 2011 05:05:00 +00002011-08-29T01:20:38.464-04:00At one point in the 3rd grade I realized I was a writer. Not a "If you pay me $10 I can write your paper for you want. No I realized that with my pen I could make people soar, animals talk and turtles rule the world, if of course, that was want I wanted. I started writing when I was 7 during a creative writing program my grandmother typically reserved for much older students. But as my http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LiasLife/~3/ubL6Pvm2RXY/introductions.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lisa)1http://dooverslml.blogspot.com/2011/08/introductions.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1577856401087081242.post-2573411715556980378Thu, 18 Aug 2011 00:25:00 +00002011-08-17T20:53:14.490-04:00soapboxfriendscancerFor those of you who are also friends with Kim Boone, rest assured - Abby is as fine as she can be right now. Now that I have that out of the way let me introduce the rest of you to my incredibly brave and wonderful friend Kim Boone. (I have more than one incredible friend named Kim and even a sister named Kym - but none of them are going through what Kim Boone is right now so this is for her.)http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LiasLife/~3/UhQjP-DEbY0/cancer-sucksbut-kid-cancer-really-sucks.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lisa)0http://dooverslml.blogspot.com/2011/08/cancer-sucksbut-kid-cancer-really-sucks.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1577856401087081242.post-2760439499774993327Wed, 10 Aug 2011 03:44:00 +00002011-08-10T00:31:32.682-04:00soapbosriotsrightsSince April the world has sat on the edge of it's collective seat waiting for the other shoe to drop. First there was the Tunisian Revolution, then the Yemeni and Egyptian Revolutions and on and on through the dominoes of the Middle East towards the East. Most of this was to be expected. Most of the revolutions have been boiling below the public surface for decades, just waiting to erupt http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LiasLife/~3/ABYTwH4BW3g/demonstrations-or-riots-revolutionaries.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lisa)0http://dooverslml.blogspot.com/2011/08/demonstrations-or-riots-revolutionaries.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1577856401087081242.post-3973259371604871823Mon, 01 Aug 2011 02:20:00 +00002011-07-31T22:48:42.441-04:00philosopymoviesteachingstorieslearningteachI am not one for documentaries. I seldom read non-fiction books, I tend not to watch non-fiction TV shows or movies (reality TV doesn't count as non-fiction, folks) and news shows are not typically on my radar, 60 Minutes not withstanding. But I love stories. Any type of story, actually. I will sit and listen to someone tell the story of their life if they do a good job at telling it for the http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LiasLife/~3/BISjhwFdofU/lessons-come-in-many-packages-aka.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lisa)0http://dooverslml.blogspot.com/2011/07/lessons-come-in-many-packages-aka.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1577856401087081242.post-3194524635989081195Mon, 11 Jul 2011 04:44:00 +00002011-07-11T01:17:12.089-04:00anniversarytheaterkennedy centerplayswicked tourwickedIf you had told me 30 years ago that my two favorite things would collide at the Kennedy Center I think I would have laughed, believed you anyway and then counted the days until I could get tickets. I mean, there had been a version of "The Wizard of Oz" or two in theaters before - but not a Tony winning musical at the Kennedy Center. At least none that I had ever heard of.So when I found out http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LiasLife/~3/XHIUMS8QHvM/anniversary-weekend-part-2-wicked.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lisa)3http://dooverslml.blogspot.com/2011/07/anniversary-weekend-part-2-wicked.html