NEW URL: andreamcooley.com

Some of you know that I'm teaching myself how to build websites and part of the process is building a site for myself. You can still follow my posts about life, writing, and social media, but at a new address: andreamcooley.com.

You can also check out some of my clips and in the future see some of my other website projects. Please be patient, the site is still a work in progress, but it's definitely progress! Thanks for reading!

Gilead

I haven't written about what I've been reading for awhile, but that doesn't mean I haven't been reading! After several, light fiction reads I was ready for something a little more literary. My mom gave me Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson for my birthday a few years ago. It won the Pulitzer Prize in 2005 and my brother raves about it. And now, only 20 pages in, I realize all the hype was true.

It's a thoughtful book. And while it's fiction, it's not like the fiction I usually read full of dialogue and colorful characters and an entertaining plot. The story is basically a father's reflection on his life, written to his son. It's full of life lessons learned from living in the Midwest. The narrator is a minister and has lived a long life and wants to share his experiences with his young son.

The cover of the book is so beautiful. It looks like the first glimpse of spring, all watery with shades of blue, green, and yellow. I'm not picky about how my books look. I'll read pretty much anything, but the experience is somehow even more enjoyable when the book itself is nice.

I remember Kyle telling me that this is a book to read slowly, to savor the language, and take time to think about. To be honest, that's one reason it's taken me so long to pick it up. I love to read, but usually I like to be entertained when I read and I want to get through the book so I can read the next one on my list. I can already tell I won't read this book quickly (and I may start reading something else before I finish it), but I want to enjoy the story.

Here's one line I particularly like: "For me writing has always felt like praying, even when I wasn't writing prayers, as I was often enough. You feel that you are with someone."

I like to write in general, but I especially like to write people letters. There's something about choosing a pretty card or piece of stationary and taking the time to write a note by hand that I love. Not that I don't e-mail, I do plenty of that, but the act of writing, whether it's journaling or writing a letter is dear to me.

Has anyone else read Gilead and have thoughts to share? I'd love to hear them. And if you want to borrow it when I'm through let me know!

Deadlines

As I am starting to work at home and trying to establish myself as a freelancer I am realizing all over again why I liked going to work in an office so much. A huge part of it was the people. I loved being able to hear what people did on the weekend and always have someone to eat my frozen dinner with or take a walk with over lunch. But I also needed and thrived on the pressure of deadlines.

I always knew I was a goal-oriented person. I can get something done if I have a reason to do it. That's how I got myself through college. I knew I wanted to be a magazine journalist/editor so every class I took and extra assignment I took on was to meet that goal. I should have the same attitude in my freelancing. I'm launching a new career of sorts for goodness sakes, so why is it so hard for me to sit at this desk in our second bedroom and do the work?

There are just so many distractions, things I'd rather be doing. Like finishing A Theory of Relativity, by Jacquelyn Mitchard, or making muffins, or doing the laundry. It's not that I don't want to work, I'm claiming loneliness as my downfall. I don't need someone talking to me all the time, but just knowing that someone was sitting on the other side of the cubicle wall, typing away like me, that kept me sane.

I will learn to work from home. Heck, I'm making progress. It's 10am on a Monday morning and I've already been sitting at this desk for over an hour. I just need to change the way I think about work and appreciate the perks of working at home like being able to make fresh coffee anytime I want, the flexibility to have a coffee date during the day or run when it's nice out.

I'm so ready to be back working I need to take the projects I have seriously. Check out the latest thing I wrote for VeritasMag: Hospitality vs. Entertaining.

Spring Flowers

It may be rainy out, but it's hard to feel gloomy when I have 20 cheerful daffodils to keep me company. None of them were blooming when I brought them home from the store on Saturday, but look at them now! I think every Monday should start with flowers.

I'll be honest though, these cheerful blooms are needed today. I'm feeling overwhelmed about launching a freelance career and working from home, so every bit of sunshine and encouragement is needed to keep me sitting in front of the computer and not curled up on the couch, hiding under a blanket, hoping to wake up from this bad dream of losing my job and figuring out what I want to do with my life all over again.

Thomas Lift

I am a writer. Even when it's hard work and I don't know how to start the story, or how to formulate a natural transition between two ideas, and struggle to boil down my notes to one cohesive thought, I am a writer. And because I'm a writer, I get to hear and share amazing stories. It is a chance to live vicariously through the amazing people I have the opportunity to talk to, just by asking questions and translating their passions into words that others can enjoy.

Yesterday I had spent over an hour talking to Ronja and William Butler about their vision for Thomas Lift. They are an amazing couple who are delving into the world of garment production for the greater good. My challenge is to distill their dream into a feature for Veritasmag. Check back next week for an update. For now, check out their website. Their work is inspiring and creative.

Spring! And New Shoes!

Yesterday it was 60 degrees and today it topped 70. I'm in heaven. Seriously. I walk outside and bask in the warmth. I can't help but smile! Especially when I have a great new pair of orange Asics to break in! This is my 3rd pair of serious running shoes, since I decided to start running in July of 2007. I was long over-due for this pair and needed motivation to really start training for Dam 2 Dam the end of May. I made it 4 miles today. I wore shorts and a t-shirt and was sweating! It was a wonderful thing. I ran outside a few times this winter, but I'm not a big fan of getting all bundled up. Sunny warm days are much more my style.

The cutest thing happened yesterday when I was running my usual route along Grand Ave. There was a group of kids standing on the other side of the street clapping and cheering. As I got closer I could hear that they were cheering me on! And wishing me a happy spring! How cute is that! I waved and continued on my way with a big smile on my face.

In other news, I think I discovered my new favorite blog: The Pioneer Woman. You have to check it out. Whether you're wooed by her beautiful photography, delicious recipes, or witty stories, be warned, it's addicting. I'm particularly obsessed with her "Confessions: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels" the saga of her moving from LA to a cattle ranch to be with the love of her life. I've been reading snippets of it since Saturday.

Monday Motivation

This is the first Monday in oh, about 11 weeks that I've felt motivated for the week ahead. Felt like I had a plan of attack. I think part of it is my delicious strawberry banana smoothie (doesn't it look tasty?), part of it is the sunshine that is streaming through my bedroom windows and part of it is that I'm FINALLY ready to move on and accept the fact that while I don't have a job at Meredith that doesn't mean that my journalism career is over. Just typing that makes me sit up a little straighter.

I'm off to a good start. It's only 8:23 and already I'm showered, dressed, and eating breakfast. That hasn't happened in awhile. Now it's time to start networking and generating assignments.

There is one project that I already have, and I'm super excited about. I'm going to be helping my friend and fellow creative genius Sarah Kay (check out her blog, she's amazing!) create a website! We've purchased a domain name (which I'll reveal at a later date) and my job this week is to figure out how to customize a template in Wordpress. Anyone have any tips? I'll keep you posted on my progress.

And if you think the smoothie looks delicious, you can make it! I promise. All you need is:
1 banana
1 cup strawberries (or any berry)
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
a splash of milk
5 ice cubes
Blend and enjoy!

The Sound of Silence

I'm just digging into the latest issue of Relevant (I can't believe it's the 6th year anniversary!) and love this thought on silence:

"I think the devil has made it his business to monopolize on three elements: noise, hurry, crowds...Satan is quite aware of the power of silence." Jim Elliot

It's so easy to go through our days constantly "plugged in" to our computers, ipods, phones, tv, radio. When's the last time you drove somewhere and weren't listening to the radio, returning a phone call, and checking e-mail? I've been trying to drive places in silence at least once a day. It's amazing how much calmer I feel when I get to my destination. (Although as I head on a 10 hour drive to MI tomorrow you can guarantee I'll be listening to music and books on tape to hold my attention :)

Online Tools for Journalists

Let me take you for a ride. A social media ride that is...
(picture courtesy of michicat's flickr)

In the past, my blog has usually been more personal and entertaining, so if you aren't interested in learning about how to connect professionally using social media, skip this post. I will note that I may be blogging about these topics more in the future, unless I decide to start a completely different blog. I haven't decided yet.

I resisted joining Twitter until this weekend. (You can now follow me @andreacooley) I didn't feel the need to keep people updated all all the little ins and outs of my life. But I realized that while some people use Twitter strictly for personal reasons (updating the world on what they are eating for lunch and when they are taking a nap, there are even more people who use the tool to start conversations with people about anything from social media to job searches, to news updates. It's kind of addicting! Chris Snider described it as "social listening" or "finding out what people are saying about a given topic."

Check out Google Trends to see what searches are peeking. Right now the top 3 are: scoot coupe, maia campbell, and facebook worm.

I also learned about a ton of tools that make the time I spend on line more efficient. I set up Google Reader to pull content from news sites and blogs I visit into one place.

The attitude of journalists today, whether you're marketing a product, telling a story, or looking for information is changing. Instead of being stagnant and expecting sources to come to you, we need to seek them out online. This may mean striking up a conversation on Twitter with someone, starting a group on Facebook, or recommending a coworker on LinkedIn.

I'm realizing even more how important my "web presence" is. When someone googles "Andrea Cooley" I want them to find me and to have a good first impression.

I don't know that I will ever upload video or host a live-chat on my blog, but now I know how too. Ask me if you want more information.

Adam refuses to join Facebook, but he is all about his LinkedIn profile. I think I'm starting to understand its importance, especially as I'm trying to find a job. It is my online resume and a snapshot of my professional life...

I realize this is getting long, but here are some final thoughts:
What is the purpose of my blog? What do I want its focus to be? Whether I realize it or not, it is a platform for me to expound on and build a following. What is my expertise?

And finally, in the words of Mike Sansone "Google is your new resume and your URL is your business card."

Social Media

I have spent the day at a social-media seminar at Drake University. I am overflowing with tweets, posts, alerts, readers, feeds, etc.

I am networking and discovering new blogs such as: catch-26
svanaartsen
andydrish.com

Let me process all this and come back tomorrow.

Thaw

Drip Drop.
Drip Drop.
Snow piles melt
Run down the walk
To the street,
Slow and sure.
Drip Drop.
Rays of sun
Burn through the mound out back.
Once white and pure
Now a brown mess.
Drip Drop
Drip Drop.
The snow is gone
But there is no green grass.
And then,
Just when you think spring has sprung.
A flake falls.
So white and clean.
Then two flakes, then three
They add up
Slow at first
Then fast
Coat the dirt, the sand and grime
So white and pure
Cold and bright
What a sight

magazine lover

Hypothetically speaking, if you see a cart sitting in the parking garage of the public library with magazines on it and nobody is there to claim them is it stealing if you take one of them home with you? Especially if it has a cover like this? Seriously, who can resist cupcakes? I'll be honest. I flipped through this issue at Barnes and Noble recently and wasn't willing to fork over $5 for it (and I wonder why the magazine industry is floundering these days). The real kicker is that this is a magazine that I subscribed to at work, so normally I would have a copy to enjoy myself and not have to mooch off B&N, but those days are gone for now. So when I saw an innocent copy sitting out I grabbed it...

Writing

I don't feel like a writer these days. But even as I type that I wonder what a writer really is. Do you have to be published to be a writer? Do you have to write every day? Do people have to know that you write? And even though I can answer yes to each of these questions, there is still a part of me doesn't always feel like a writer. A voice in my head says I'm not creative like so and so. I don't have a blog that I post to frequently enough, or that very many people read, etc, etc. (Can you see what a personal critic I am of myself?)

I started leading another creative writing workshop at the Mitchelville Women's Prison last week and one of the first things I said to the women is "A writer is someone who writes." I guess I should listen to what I say and take it to heart.

When I was an editor I wrote. It was part of my job description, and I got paid to do it. But even before I was an editor I was a writer. I think I have always been a writer. It's something that is a part of me as much as my curly hair, love of dark chocolate, and love of the sun and a good book.

I have been doing some writing during this time of transition, looking for jobs, whatever you want to call it. Most of it has been personal journaling, but I've also done some writing for an online magazine, veritasmag.com. I forget that I'm always writing, whether I realize it or not. Maybe it's just typing e-mails or writing a cover letter, but it's still writing. I'm expressing myself through words on the page. In my mind I think I tend to elevate the title of writer as something or someone that I can't possibly achieve. That's when I need the little voice in my head to gently remind me that "A writer is someone who writes." And at the end of the day, regardless of what the words say, I can always find something to write about.

I just discovered ted.com. The first talk I listened to was Elizabeth Gilbert's talk about Genius. I enjoyed her book, Eat, Pray, Love and loved what she had to say about the creative genius. If you have 19 minutes, it's definitely worth checking out. Hopefully now I will take a little over the pressure off myself and let myself write.

This is my first experience with ted.com, but I'm fascinated. I guess it's been around for 25 years, so I have a lot of catching up to do! TED stands for: technology, entertainment, and design. Each year there is a conference with 50 speakers who have 18 minutes each to talk about their passion in these areas. Past speakers have included Al Gore, Bill Gates, and Bono.

Winter Comforts

I'll be the first to say that I was more than happy to turn the calendar page on January to February. Does anyone else think that having 31 days of January is just a little too brutal? Obviously the past month has been particularly rough in my world besides the cold, snow, and ice, but today it's in the 40s and sunny. The sky is blue and water is trickling down the side of our building, pooling on the sidewalks, racing toward storm drains.

There are a few comforts that I've found during these long, dreary days and most of them revolve around food or drink of some sort. There's the obvious homemade chicken noodle soup and grilled cheese and tomato soup. But if you're looking for a tasty, warm drink, consider spiking your hot chocolate with coconut rum. As Lynn would say it's the only way they drink hot cocoa in the islands. And don't forget chili and cornbread. I think I could make this every single week and Adam wouldn't complain. And of course he loves the leftovers it promises. I am always up for a good tuna noodle casserole (sometimes I cheat and make it from the box) but Adam prefers my tuna salad sandwiches, so that's where our fish quota came from today. What are your best winter comfort foods?

On a more random note, I was doing my weekly shopping at Hy-Vee yesterday. And you know how you kind of zone out when you're shopping. You have each aisle memorized and turn on auto-pilot and go. Well, maybe it's just my favorite Hy-Vee in Windsor Heights, but they've reorganized! Nothing drastic, but the tuna is definitely one aisle over, the cereal and granola bar aisle looks different (I haven't figured out what it is yet) and the juice and soda are now in the same aisle. A very helpful man, with a smile of course, asked if I was finding everything OK and informed me that they were updating their stock, getting rid of things that didn't sell and bringing in 600 new items! We'll see what's new next week. But for now I have to pay closer attention.

Also, I finally finished reading Anna Karenina! It is quite the accomplishment and I realized I'm not quite ready to put it back on the shelf. It's been sitting around for over a month and I think the coffee table will look naked without it. So I'll leave her out a few more days. But now I'm ready for some fluffy chic lit and mindless beach reads as I head to Florida to visit family this weekend and soak up some sun.

Bird By Bird

"Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way."

E.L. Doctorow

I'm reading Bird By Bird, by Anne Lamott and even though I'm not writing a novel, I'm not really writing anything specific at the moment, this quote rang true for me and I think for anyone who's ever spent any time writing.

You've Got Mail

A friend recommended You've Got Mail as a good movie to watch while I'm in this time of transition, grieving one job and starting to look for another. It's one of my favorites. I've been thinking about watching it all week and this afternoon was the perfect chance to curl up on the couch and enjoy some classic Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan chemistry.

Before I've always watched the movie as a romantic comedy, which it is, but it's also about losing something you love. A part of your life. One part, toward the end, really stuck out to me. Meg Ryan's character Kathleen has closed her children's bookstore and is home sick. Her nemesis Joe Fox (Tom Hanks), owner of Fox Books Superstore, that put her out of business, comes over to see how she's doing. He says something along the lines of "It wasn't personal, it was business" and she says, "but it was personal." And she talks about how anything worth doing becomes personal. Her store was about more than the books, it was about the people. As much as I hate to admit it, my job was personal. I found fulfillment in it. I loved the people that I worked with and the readers. I was proud of the product we produced. And while the world will survive without another pretty decorating magazine, there will be a void where Country Home used to live.

There's another scene in the movie, when Kathleen announces that she will be closing the store and one of her employees says "Closing the store is the brave thing to do. Daring to imagine that you could have a different life. You feel like a failure now, but you're not. You are marching into the unknown armed with nothing..." At the moment I have no idea what my brave unknown is. And I hate not knowing. But I'm trying to be patient. I know God has a plan for me, a vision for my life. Right now I want it to be something in magazines or publishing, or something that is creative and has to do with writing and editing. At least that's what I'm still holding onto at the moment. We'll see what this week brings.

I was at Barnes and Noble yesterday and couldn't resist looking at magazines. I may have brought boxes and boxes of magazines home, but I always have to see what's new, which includes the latest issue of Country Living, our one-time competitor. Adam was surprised to see me flipping through it, but some habits die hard. And I had to see what they were doing. I honestly don't think their product is any better than ours, for some reason they seem to be able to sell ads, but that's the way of life. And while there is a part of me that wants them to die too (there, I said it), another part of me hopes that one of us survives this economy.

what i'm thinking these days

Thanks to everyone for your kind words and prayers since my unfortunate news Thursday that Country Home magazine was closed and the entire staff was let go. I'm definitely still processing the whole thing, but here are some of my initial thoughts:

I honestly don’t know what the next step is. Working for home magazines was never my dream, but as I was going through the boxes of magazines I brought home from work I realize that it’s what I know. Not that I can’t learn something new, but they are so familiar to me. I know how to source product and write clever captions and tell readers what’s great about a washing machine. I read a press release and think of how it could fit in the magazine. Everything goes back to the reader, right? It’s how I’m programmed. Surely someone needs these skills. I don’t want to lose them. I live and breathe magazines (just look at the stacks in our second bedroom).

In the last year at Country Home I learned so much. I learned about fabric and furniture and how to pitch a story. We were all finally figuring out the system and now it’s over. There were things I loved like getting packages and in the mail and flipping through catalogs and magazines because it was research and reading design blogs and finding that unexpected product that made the story something special. I get sad when I think of the stories that I was working on for upcoming issues that won’t see the light of day. We were going to photograph Prairie Style on Tuesday and I even brought in my copies of Little House on the Prairie for inspiration. I always had something random sitting in my office whether it was fabric or wallpaper or a blender and I loved it when people would stop by to see what new treasure I had. My workspace was always a mess. Papers, folders, piles everywhere so that no work surface was visible, but I loved it. I had layers of inspiration pinned to the walls and post its and to-do lists usually found their way to the top of the pile.

When all is said and done I really liked getting ready every morning, making my lunch and my to-go mug of coffee and going to sit in a cubicle all day. It’s sad, but that was part of my identity. I found at least some of my worth in my job and now it’s over. I know a new adventure waits around the corner, that God has something planned that is far better than anything I could imagine, but I can't see it yet and I like to know what's coming up. I'll keep you posted...

ponderings

At 25 I feel like (hope) I'm past the worst of the twentysomething growing pains. I remember those first months after graduation feeling completely out of my league in this grown up world. I don't necessarily have things figured out yet, but I'm definitely more comfortable with who I am.

I was reading from Donald Miller's Through Painted Deserts last night—it's one of those books that I keep by the bed and read in snippets before I fall asleep—and I liked this passage:

"It's interesting how you sometimes have to leave home before you can ask difficult questions, how the questions never come up in the room you grew up in, in the town in which you were born. It's funny how you can't ask difficult questions in a familiar place, how you have to stand back a few feet and see things in a new way before you realize nothing that is happening to you is normal."

If you know me, you know I love to ask questions. But if you know me, you also know that I can be really good at avoiding the most obvious questions of myself. I guess this makes me wonder what in my life I should be questioning right now...

more books!

My mom got me a book embosser for Christmas so tonight I sat in front of my bookshelves and stamped my name (from the library of Andrea Marie Cooley) into all of my books. It made me realize all the books I have that I need to read and I also noticed that almost half the books on my shelves are my moms. Every time I go home she has another book waiting for me to read, so I dutifully bring it home and put it on the shelf to be read. I bring home books for her to read and ones that I've finished, but I always seem to bring home more than I return. I don't think she misses them though.

Today she let me bring home our Little House on the Prairie series with strict orders that they must be returned. The yellow covers with water-color pictures and inside the simple black-and-white illustrations bring back so many memories. My mom read Kyle and I each of those books aloud many nights. That's one thing I'm looking forward to doing with my kids some day. I'm taking them to work tomorrow because I'm working on a story about Prairie style and Laura Ingles Wilder has come up in several meetings. I don't know if we'll photograph some of them or not, but I thought they would be fun to bring in.

I finished reading Mrs. Mike tonight, on loan from my sister. It was a touching romance about a city girl moving to the wilderness of Northwest Canada and falling in love. Now I have decided that it's time to tackle Anna Karenina. All 817 pages of it. I'll let you know how it goes. But I figure we're heading into the depths of winter, what better time to start an epic novel?

I'm heading back to work tomorrow for one day after a 9 day break. I think I'm ready to go back, but it has been wonderful to be home and back in Cedar Rapids for so long. Adam and I were in CR for New Year's at Nate and Sarah's. Oh how we wish we lived closer to them. It was so great to see old friends, enjoy wine, and play games until toasting 2009 at midnight.