tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-143108242025-11-14T22:42:15.343-05:00ANXIOUS WRITER ATTEMPTS ADVENTUROUS LIFEPeggy Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14504076672775821088noreply@blogger.comBlogger1043125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310824.post-35583748946144406682010-12-13T19:52:00.004-05:002010-12-13T20:00:41.498-05:00

Hurry to the new location, and sign up again (or for the first time) to follow or subscribe.It's still the Boldness Blog. And I'm still an "Anxious Writer Attempting An Adventurous Life."The address is www.peggypayne.com/blog. I'm eagerly awaiting your arrival. Add to del.icio.us - Stumble It! - Subscribe to this feed - Digg it

Peggy Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14504076672775821088noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310824.post-83946822464965788692010-11-20T14:58:00.002-05:002010-11-20T15:05:14.807-05:00

Don't live down to expectations. Go out there and do something remarkable.-- Wendy Wasserstein quoted at She Writes (I also think one can stay in and do something remarkable.)Add to del.icio.us - Stumble It! - Subscribe to this feed - Digg it

Peggy Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14504076672775821088noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310824.post-71043205864274153552010-11-18T12:32:00.003-05:002010-11-18T12:38:20.491-05:00

These trees are across the street from my office. Fall color can be an irresistible reminder to dare to live with one's innate flair. Add to del.icio.us - Stumble It! - Subscribe to this feed - Digg it

Peggy Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14504076672775821088noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310824.post-47186201368759899712010-11-15T15:50:00.005-05:002010-11-15T16:20:46.153-05:00

Last week I committed myself here on this very blog to finish by last night a project that has been sitting on my desk at home for four years. This job was to go through the thousands of slides and negatives and B&W prints from the years when I was doing a great deal of travel writing. And to sort, cull, and properly store the ones I want to keep.Done!!!!And only because I staked myself out

Peggy Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14504076672775821088noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310824.post-24499603181897511172010-11-09T14:14:00.003-05:002010-11-09T14:40:22.169-05:00

Thursday morning, I started working on a little project that has been sitting unfinished on my desk at home for FOUR YEARS!!!! The wee task is culling and properly storing the photos I took in the many years when I was doing a lot of travel writing. They have been sitting in little yellow boxes and ancient plastic slide sheets in a blue steamer trunk. The trunk was full. Thousands of

Peggy Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14504076672775821088noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310824.post-83675373234972069432010-11-05T11:57:00.003-04:002010-11-05T12:13:19.703-04:00

I had no idea that house-sitting was an industry.In August, when I enjoyed a three-week bonus life as a "a New York writer," I was staying in a studio of a daughter of a friend of a friend. It was an informal arrangement. And I was thrilled to get the chance to do it.House-sitting is good way to work in an extra life in a different state or country. Or even in the same town.This week, when a

Peggy Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14504076672775821088noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310824.post-21807878668326059542010-11-04T18:04:00.003-04:002010-11-04T18:10:39.110-04:00

In the last couple of months, I haven't been at all in the mood to write. And I've taken some time away from it.However this week and last week, I did it anyway, which is more typically my strategy.But I did it quickly, without looking back, without being very impressed, without much giving a damn.Then in my regular feedback group today, I read the last week's worth. (I hadn't so much as looked

Peggy Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14504076672775821088noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310824.post-71628523476098713452010-11-03T10:43:00.004-04:002010-11-03T11:31:31.216-04:00

Thanks to all who were so helpful in my brother Harry's campaign for judge. He didn't win this one. And this is the first race out of his nine political campaigns that he ever lost. It seemed to me, after he won his first at age 27 against a long-established incumbent and two other fearsome and well-funded opponents, that he would always win.Well, that's almost never true.This new outcome is

Peggy Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14504076672775821088noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310824.post-82028152090249257272010-11-01T11:24:00.005-04:002010-11-02T11:35:23.217-04:00

When it's your brother who's running for office, you'll do all sorts of bold and marginally undignified things. Like standing beside a highway in a startling coat for four hours, waving and grinning at every single car that passes. That's how strongly I feel about Harry Payne being elected to be a NC Appeals Court judge.Out on the roadside Saturday, lifelong family friend and architect Paul

Peggy Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14504076672775821088noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310824.post-34647188672733185152010-10-22T11:37:00.011-04:002010-10-22T13:55:30.062-04:00

Last week was a mini-bonus life in a house full of writers with good food and good views: the writing workshop at Doe Branch Ink in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains:To give full credit, the shot above of the group from the third floor landing was taken by novelist/site manager Nick Roberts.The ones below are part of my record of the week, and my parting exploration of the neighborhood: the

Peggy Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14504076672775821088noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310824.post-60511335182751969812010-10-14T14:53:00.011-04:002010-10-14T15:56:02.428-04:00

Next to the last full day of the writers' retreat at Doe Branch Ink in the Blue Ridge Mountains. I've fallen into the peaceful and richly interesting routine of this extra tucked-in life. We are six writers on these 50 acres with three rustic houses and lots of desks with views. We're all getting work done. I know because the daily reading of revisions is at four p.m. One of our number has

Peggy Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14504076672775821088noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310824.post-88549950950608932652010-10-12T20:36:00.004-04:002010-10-12T21:13:30.901-04:00

This is the kind of extra life that is like a surprise package. I agreed to run a writing group at a house deep in the North Carolina mountains. Miles from a paved road. I showed up. And now I'm three days into an eight-day experience far from my regular world. It will be a chunk of time with distinct edges that allows me to operate a little differently than I might otherwise.Doe Branch Ink

Peggy Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14504076672775821088noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310824.post-85402377610261873442010-10-07T19:17:00.004-04:002010-10-07T19:31:22.468-04:00

I'm working so hard this week getting ready to go away for a week to a Doe Branch Ink writers' retreat that I haven't had time post.Bold Bonus Life Tip #5: Building in extra lives, even only week long, takes a lot of tying up of loose ends in advance. Back to you soon -- from the North Carolina mountains. Add to del.icio.us - Stumble It! - Subscribe to this feed - 

Peggy Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14504076672775821088noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310824.post-76064990777100360212010-10-01T18:24:00.003-04:002010-10-01T18:38:40.009-04:00

It takes a bit of chutzpah to keep a sense of humor in some professions.Take anesthesiology, for one example. Unless you're one of the 5.3 million people who have already heard this, then you must click and listen, for the smile value.These guys demonstrate Bonus Life Tip #4: one can have an extra life even while the main one is still going on. Another example: I talked with a successful

Peggy Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14504076672775821088noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310824.post-45967811453716206692010-09-30T18:40:00.005-04:002010-09-30T19:05:36.290-04:00

Think you're too old to get a whole new life?Have a look at this week's New York magazine, which honors nine current high achievers who are in their nineties or over a hundred. (In their hundreds?) For example, composer Elliott Carter has published 14 new pieces of music since he turned 100. Turning through the portraits in New York, I was wowed and inspired by what it's possible to do (as long

Peggy Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14504076672775821088noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310824.post-90639482430538208212010-09-27T19:22:00.004-04:002010-09-27T19:44:05.670-04:00

Here's a provocative and bracing quote sent by Mamie of Can I Do It?Risk! Risk anything! Care no more for the opinions of others, for those voices. Do the hardest thing on earth for you. Act for yourself. Face the truth.- Katherine MansfieldNow, taking this literally, the hardest thing on earth for me would be doing one of several things that I don't want done. But the hardest thing that needs

Peggy Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14504076672775821088noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310824.post-62509300707168446452010-09-23T19:33:00.005-04:002010-09-23T20:04:41.740-04:00

My own most recent "extra life" was, as regular readers here know, the 18 days I spent in August as a New Yorker. I was apartment-sitting on the Upper West Side. For a year and a half, I'd had in mind the goal of enjoying a spell as a Manhattanite. It was a 60th birthday present to myself and I'm now veering dangerously close to 62.So it took me a little while to get there, but I did and it

Peggy Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14504076672775821088noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310824.post-29969276042098125012010-09-21T18:47:00.004-04:002010-09-21T19:04:53.886-04:00

Maybe you build and repair your own cars and refrigerators and such, but not me.I like instant oatmeal. Processed foods. Processed plumbing. Things already done.But now and then in the case of my familiar trusty sits-with-me-all-day computer, I get the idea I can fix a problem myself. Now and then I can and it's greatly satisfying.But just now I tried to fix a little problem with my blog and

Peggy Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14504076672775821088noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310824.post-25650142626173661762010-09-18T16:13:00.002-04:002010-09-18T16:27:47.461-04:00

I was just Friended by a writer in California I haven't met, Nina Vida. (We have lots of friends in common.) I looked at her page and was inspired.It begins: "When I'm tempted to look at life as a series of successes and failures I remind myself that the journey is all."Note: she became a writer at 50 and now has seven books out from major publishers, most recently The Texicans from Soho Press

Peggy Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14504076672775821088noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310824.post-21347334942117440272010-09-16T19:54:00.002-04:002010-09-16T20:05:49.443-04:00

Cherished careers don’t always stay on track from beginning to end – especially in wobbly economic times.This can be frightening and painful. A bonus life as a grocery bagger is not what anybody went to school to prepare for.A commencement speaker at Harvard Divinity School, Professor Kimberley C. Patton, thinks that in profound ways, the difficult, uncertain periods are a good thing.“…In these

Peggy Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14504076672775821088noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310824.post-10668337175847413752010-09-10T15:26:00.008-04:002010-09-13T19:31:20.739-04:00

Friday, I dared to spare a few extra minutes.So often in the course of a work day, I could walk where I need to go, but drive instead to "save time."Today I walked to and from lunch at the Side Street Cafe. It's maybe nine blocks.Here's a little of what I would have whizzed past if I'd ridden. And the smell of a gardenia-laden bush.Not to mention the honeysuckle. The city even provided regular

Peggy Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14504076672775821088noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310824.post-84151354758567253552010-09-09T18:18:00.005-04:002010-09-09T18:42:04.237-04:00

I made this announcement yesterday on Facebook and the responses have been so lovely and enthusiastic that I'm going to keep on posting the news everywhere. (Of course, I have other good reasons as well.) Here it is:My brother Harry Payne is running for the NC Court of Appeals, election day in November. His expertise is labor and employment law--and being a particularly good guy, scrupulously

Peggy Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14504076672775821088noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310824.post-48049422816170062402010-09-08T18:51:00.005-04:002010-09-08T19:09:57.212-04:00

One of the ultimate bold acts, in my view, is to take an unblinking look at one's finances. I've just read a book that has relieved me of that dread -- and of the guilt and blame that come from discovering the precise results of one's less good decisions.For getting rid of the fear, The Cure for Money Madness , by Spencer Sherman, presents a few brilliant and do-able ideas that work:Figure out

Peggy Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14504076672775821088noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310824.post-27041734188916457232010-09-02T18:37:00.003-04:002010-09-02T18:59:50.137-04:00

It's almost a week now since I returned from my 18-day bonus extra life as a New Yorker. I've noticed a couple of significant after-effects of having tucked in this Plan B Life. 1. I feel very optimistic, as if almost any good thing is possible (and I'm capable of making it happen.)2. I've been ordering different items for lunch (stuffed pepper!?) at the cafeteria, not my old "regulars."3. I've

Peggy Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14504076672775821088noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310824.post-84483762191658588732010-09-01T14:34:00.003-04:002010-09-01T15:10:16.336-04:00

I'd heard the name Kickstarter, but somehow the startling opportunity there didn't register until recently when my artist stepson Jay Dick brought a particular project to my attention.Kickstarter is a site/service that allows "artists, designers, filmmakers, musicians, journalists, inventors, explorers..." to raise money for their projects. People can pledge any amount for a project that strikes

Peggy Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14504076672775821088noreply@blogger.com0