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 :)