No More Safe House

Posted on June 29, 2010 by MAL

There’s something about safety that I have always felt uneasy about. “Staying safe,” “playing safe,” “safe house.” It screams boredom, dull, passionless life or literally, insane.

This move back to the states for me is reclaiming my risk-taking. I’m not talking jumping off bridges or spitting in the eye of a Mexican policeman risk-taking, I’m talking becoming artistically relevant. I’m saying pushing past my writing limit. Daring to experiment with stories I have never considered or thought possible – praying I can be stretched to such an extent.

I just re-read a few of my pieces from college that I wrote and performed and they are shocking. As in, how complacent have I become? My writing before was raw and certainly lacking in eloquence, but it touched on topics that went straight to the core, didn’t hold back and wasn’t afraid. What is it about becoming older that drips in mediocrity and lacks audacity? I don’t want to become complacent.

So, why am I writing this to the world? My blog will follow my move back to the states, but once I get settled, my goal is touch nerves once again, to provoke conversation and debate and to unearth topics that aren’t easy to read but that need to be discussed. Its a big aim, but I believe I need it. I need to get back in touch with that side of me. Whether or not the same readers will be attracted to my new blog will remain to be seen, but I invite you to try it out. I’d love to hear what you have to say. I can’t promise to know what I will be writing about or where the inspiration will come from, but I do vow to keep it interesting. Just give me a month to get in the groove.

I can’t promise brilliance, but I can promise interesting.

The Lady who Lunches as a theme is retiring in its original form. That lady isn’t really me, never truly was. She’s a facade I created so I could relish not working, living in a country on a temporary tourist visa unable to truly have a life. It was fun for a second, but let’s face it, I’m a middle class workaholic who needs to feel validated in my life and that life lunching in England simply wasn’t cutting it.

Now, when I write that I am the Lady Who Lunches, it’s for business meetings, lunches with best friends and as a symbol for working and enjoying the simple yet luxurious things in life.

I can’t wait.

Stay tuned…

Blog Integrity

Posted on June 8, 2010 by MAL

Since I’ve recently jumped past the 25,000 visitor mark just past my one year anniversary (thanks George for bringing that to my attention!), I’ve been thinking a lot lately about blog integrity. (Picture below is stock photo)

For me, I had no intention in making this a popular or mainstream blog. In fact, it has a long way to go before it reaches that stage, if it ever does. I’ve been really surprised how the last couple of months, the readership has shot up, its now at approximately 7,000 visitors per month. Even though my intentions were to only reach out to my friends and family whilst living in the UK, it does feel pretty awesome to know that something I’ve worked so hard on is starting to blossom.

Some of you may have noticed my recent Adsense integration. I’ve been playing around with it to see if I can make a bit of money on it, and why not if I can? My only problem is that I don’t want to compromise the look and easy access of the blog. I don’t want to make it look like a money making scheme either, thus turning off my new readers. After all, that was never my intention.

I also have no interest in bringing in traffic just for the sake of it. (Read this entry from David Weedmark about it). Anytime my stomach starts turning and my hands start sweating, I either know that its a really amazing, terrifying thing for me to take part in, or its an absolute loss of integrity.

I really believe if I just stick to writing about what I want to write about, then the right people will come my way. After all, this is just a creative outlet, isn’t it?

Ultimately, once my book comes out, I do hope my readers from here will buy my book and I will do my best to promote the hell out of it without becoming a “promotion whore.” Read Allison Winn Scotch’s take on this here.

Also, I trust that if my readers ever feel I am beginning to sell out (whatever that means), they will let me know.

Thank you all for helping me to reach 25,000 and for keeping me in check!

Introducing…

Posted on May 28, 2010 by MAL

I know I’ve mentioned this new blog before, but now that it’s about a month old, I wanted to give it a proper introduction.

My New Blog:

MY DIRTY KNICKERS

(And no, not those kind)

ALL

MAL

MAL is the sister of ALL. ALL is older and has a view of the world that MAL finds fascinating. MAL decided to start this website to share with others her sister’s unique outlook.

We’re Moving!

Posted on May 24, 2010 by MAL

Tis the end of the lady who lunches era/reign/bubble…she will soon be a lady who busts her ass at a wonderful job in writing that she adores in Chicago (that’s the idea, at least). In six weeks, we will be on our flight back to Baltimore!

We’re ready to try America out for a while. It’s been a year and a half in lovely England, and it just feels like the right time to move. We’ve gone back and forth on this decision for many months, hence my lack of discussion on here.

I am ecstatic!

Jock will be doing his same job in the states, and I will have to find something new. Don’t particularly fancy going back to casting (although for the right job, maybe), and now that I’ve started my career in writing, I’d like to continue – magazine or newspaper would be ideal.

If I can get a book deal in the next couple of months, obviously that would help majorly. As you know from my previous post, I am working hard at getting that done. Any contacts or advice from the Chicagoans would be greatly appreciated!

Meanwhile, the first couple of months in America will simply be relaxing and traveling. Jock and I have managed to save up a good deal of money so we don’t have to worry about finding work right away.

We’re thinking – uncle’s house in Las Vegas, grandpa’s cabin in North Carolina, best friend’s apartment in NYC, perhaps the beach in Ocean City, MD, a friend’s wedding in Chicago and maybe grandparent’s house in Miami, oh and of course Baltimore for a couple of weeks!

So, although our flight home is in just six weeks, we won’t actually be living in Chicago until September. (Chicago is the place where Jock and I fell in love nearly two years ago. We considered moving back to LA, but I kind of feel like I’ve been there, done that. Plus, he has a lot of friends in Chicago, and it’s right in between my hometown of Baltimore and my college town of Los Angeles.)

Never thought I would say that about moving back to the states, but I can’t wait to have my family and friends around me, grab a big gulp at 7Eleven, dry my clothes in a machine and wrap myself in a freshly dried, soft, warm towel, sunbathe in the SUN on a sandy beach, and eat a butterfinger, buy cheap intercontinental flights to Miami, LA, NYC, Baltimore, etc., and to talk to strangers in the street.

Things I am not looking forward to: American television, every girl and their mother asking my boyfriend where he’s from (and then batting their eyelashes and swooning – I will knock them out with a bat if I have to! *random aggressive feeling*), portion sizes, American radio (except your show Tyler, I will tune in for country just for you), country music, that feeling I always get in America that I’m not doing enough and can always do better, talking to strangers in the street.

P.S. Watch out Chicago ladies, because I will be starting another ladies group when I get there. Need my women around me! But of course, I will miss the original Ladies Who…!