Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
CHANGING MOON
Hiya. Sheila here.
If you're like me, you embrace the notion of New Year's resolutions. Indeed, you embrace the resolutions themselves --- often the same ones, year after year --- until about February or so. Okay, maybe late-January.
But what if we could extend the "new-year-ness" of the year? What if a clean slate -- a clean start -- came along, oh, say, every month or so? Just in time (in other words) for you to rededicate yourself to the cause!
Well, my friends, that is the very gift the Moon gives us:
Every month a New Moon.
Every month a clean slate.
What's more, every lunar month gives us a Full Moon, the perfect occasion for checking progress and reflecting on our own coming-to-fullness.
This is the principle behind (and beneath and throughout) CHANGING MOON, the Journal-Writing Series I'm launching with a free "demo" session on Saturday, Dec. 27, from 5 to 8 p.m., at the UPS STORE near UNM (Central & Yale SE in ABQ). I hope you can come. AND that you'll help me spread the word.
Please forward this link to your writerly friends, your "journaling" friends, your friends who love New Year's resolutions! Anyone you can think of, who might be interested.
CHANGING MOON is the premier presentation of StudioFiftyForty.com, my new (well, newish) "sole proprietorship" and a natural outgrowth of 50 Ways to Leave Your 40s, the book I wrote with medical expert Peggy Spencer, M.D. Someday, I will grow StudioFiftyForty.com into the "the online gift shop for cool people of a certain age." Meanwhile, I'm bringing this baby out to meet the public in real space. Even if "journaling" ain't your bag, I hope you'll show up for the launch party on 12/27.
Thanks to the magically well-timed offer and boundless generosity of UPS Store Manager Mary Ann Mitchell-Carr and her family, IT'S TURNING INTO QUITE AN EVENT! Mary Ann's brother, Donald Mitchell, a professional caterer, will provide coffee, teas, cocoa, and sweet nibbles. Mary Ann has ordered in 50 chairs (fifty! as in Fifty Ways to Leave Your 40s!). I'm preparing a special little piece of "book art" to hand out as party favors.
OH! & WE'LL HAVE DOOR PRIZES!!!
Tell your friends, will you, will you? And plan to come! Saturday, Dec. 27, at the UPS Store near UNM (at Central & Yale SE, in ABQQ). Try to be there by dark!
Hope to see you then!
Love, Love, Love (that ever-lovin' "Way #47")
Sheila
P.S. Stay tuned for details -- dates, rates & offerings.
If you're like me, you embrace the notion of New Year's resolutions. Indeed, you embrace the resolutions themselves --- often the same ones, year after year --- until about February or so. Okay, maybe late-January.
But what if we could extend the "new-year-ness" of the year? What if a clean slate -- a clean start -- came along, oh, say, every month or so? Just in time (in other words) for you to rededicate yourself to the cause!
Well, my friends, that is the very gift the Moon gives us:
Every month a New Moon.
Every month a clean slate.
What's more, every lunar month gives us a Full Moon, the perfect occasion for checking progress and reflecting on our own coming-to-fullness.
This is the principle behind (and beneath and throughout) CHANGING MOON, the Journal-Writing Series I'm launching with a free "demo" session on Saturday, Dec. 27, from 5 to 8 p.m., at the UPS STORE near UNM (Central & Yale SE in ABQ). I hope you can come. AND that you'll help me spread the word.
Please forward this link to your writerly friends, your "journaling" friends, your friends who love New Year's resolutions! Anyone you can think of, who might be interested.
CHANGING MOON is the premier presentation of StudioFiftyForty.com, my new (well, newish) "sole proprietorship" and a natural outgrowth of 50 Ways to Leave Your 40s, the book I wrote with medical expert Peggy Spencer, M.D. Someday, I will grow StudioFiftyForty.com into the "the online gift shop for cool people of a certain age." Meanwhile, I'm bringing this baby out to meet the public in real space. Even if "journaling" ain't your bag, I hope you'll show up for the launch party on 12/27.
Thanks to the magically well-timed offer and boundless generosity of UPS Store Manager Mary Ann Mitchell-Carr and her family, IT'S TURNING INTO QUITE AN EVENT! Mary Ann's brother, Donald Mitchell, a professional caterer, will provide coffee, teas, cocoa, and sweet nibbles. Mary Ann has ordered in 50 chairs (fifty! as in Fifty Ways to Leave Your 40s!). I'm preparing a special little piece of "book art" to hand out as party favors.
OH! & WE'LL HAVE DOOR PRIZES!!!
Tell your friends, will you, will you? And plan to come! Saturday, Dec. 27, at the UPS Store near UNM (at Central & Yale SE, in ABQQ). Try to be there by dark!
Hope to see you then!
Love, Love, Love (that ever-lovin' "Way #47")
Sheila
P.S. Stay tuned for details -- dates, rates & offerings.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Tune in, Ft. Collins!
Sheila's on the radio again
namely,
"Memos from Life"
with host Barbara Bue
Monday, Oct. 27th, from 6 to 7 p.m.
on KRFC 88.9 FM or online at krfcfm.org.
Tune in if you get the chance.
namely,
"Memos from Life"
with host Barbara Bue
Monday, Oct. 27th, from 6 to 7 p.m.
on KRFC 88.9 FM or online at krfcfm.org.
Tune in if you get the chance.
Friday, August 08, 2008
Happy Birthday, Deborah Cleere!
Oh-eight, oh-eight, oh-eight. I heard the Chinese chose this particular date -- or lobbied hard for the Olympics in '08 so's they could choose this date -- because 8 is the most auspicious of digits in their culture. Well, I've watched this one coming with a smile on my face, because ever since I found out that my friend Deborah Partridge was born on 08-08-58, I've been able to figure that 08-08-08 would mark her 50th.
Happy Birthday, Deb! You survivor you!
When I saw 08-08-08 coming, I knew I must---MUST!---break my silence and blog. I do enjoy the number-patterned dates --- and that's about as far as my love of numbers goes. Me and math? Nahhh...
But listen! There's a smack beautiful storm right on top of me as I type. Here in the desert this time of year, a gardener can see storms pouring rain all around, but nary a drop comes her way. So I really must go pull a big plastic garbage can under the downspout.
I'll be back. And soon!
Love Love Gush!
Sheila
Happy Birthday, Deb! You survivor you!
When I saw 08-08-08 coming, I knew I must---MUST!---break my silence and blog. I do enjoy the number-patterned dates --- and that's about as far as my love of numbers goes. Me and math? Nahhh...
But listen! There's a smack beautiful storm right on top of me as I type. Here in the desert this time of year, a gardener can see storms pouring rain all around, but nary a drop comes her way. So I really must go pull a big plastic garbage can under the downspout.
I'll be back. And soon!
Love Love Gush!
Sheila
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Our SouthWest Writers Gig coming up
excerpt from The SouthWest Sage, the Voice of SouthWest Writers
How a Couple of ‘Accidental Coauthors’ Let the Muses In
Tuesday, August 19, 7 to 9 p.m.
Establishing a plan for the article or book you’re writing is
never a bad idea, of course, but—have you noticed?
Sometimes the project has ideas of its own. Authors Sheila
Key and Peggy Spencer, MD, will discuss the wild,
wonderful (and, at times, worrisome) magic that intruded
early and often during the writing of their book, 50 Ways to
Leave Your 40s: Living It Up in Life’s Second Half, and how
these divine interventions resulted in a better book. Listen!
If these two women—a couple of opposites who didn’t even
meet until halfway through “50/40’s” development—could
manage to go with the flow, then so can you. Sheila and
Peggy will share ideas for knocking holes in that writer’s box
of yours, so your muses can breathe!
Peggy Spencer has a B.A. from the University of California
Santa Cruz and an MD from the University of Arizona. She
completed a residency at UNM, is board certified in Family
Medicine, and works as staff physician at the UNM Student
Health Center and adjunct faculty at the School of
Medicine. Winner of the SWW 2006 Best Essay award, she
writes a column for the Daily Lobo answering health
questions, and contributes articles to UNM Parent Matters
and UNM Today.
Sheila Key is an award-winning writer and graphic designer
who has freelanced for publications ranging from corporate
business journals to New Age magazines. She worked in
radio for ten years in Minnesota, Wisconsin and elsewhere,
arriving in Albuquerque in 1994 when her husband became
general manager of KUNM FM. Notably, it was the SWW
2003 writing contest that convinced Sheila to developing
the book proposal. She won SWW awards that year and the
next, and by then the proposal was ready. Thanks SWW!
How a Couple of ‘Accidental Coauthors’ Let the Muses In
Tuesday, August 19, 7 to 9 p.m.
Establishing a plan for the article or book you’re writing is
never a bad idea, of course, but—have you noticed?
Sometimes the project has ideas of its own. Authors Sheila
Key and Peggy Spencer, MD, will discuss the wild,
wonderful (and, at times, worrisome) magic that intruded
early and often during the writing of their book, 50 Ways to
Leave Your 40s: Living It Up in Life’s Second Half, and how
these divine interventions resulted in a better book. Listen!
If these two women—a couple of opposites who didn’t even
meet until halfway through “50/40’s” development—could
manage to go with the flow, then so can you. Sheila and
Peggy will share ideas for knocking holes in that writer’s box
of yours, so your muses can breathe!
Peggy Spencer has a B.A. from the University of California
Santa Cruz and an MD from the University of Arizona. She
completed a residency at UNM, is board certified in Family
Medicine, and works as staff physician at the UNM Student
Health Center and adjunct faculty at the School of
Medicine. Winner of the SWW 2006 Best Essay award, she
writes a column for the Daily Lobo answering health
questions, and contributes articles to UNM Parent Matters
and UNM Today.
Sheila Key is an award-winning writer and graphic designer
who has freelanced for publications ranging from corporate
business journals to New Age magazines. She worked in
radio for ten years in Minnesota, Wisconsin and elsewhere,
arriving in Albuquerque in 1994 when her husband became
general manager of KUNM FM. Notably, it was the SWW
2003 writing contest that convinced Sheila to developing
the book proposal. She won SWW awards that year and the
next, and by then the proposal was ready. Thanks SWW!
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Another Radio Interview for Sheila!
Sheila is interviewed by Women's Watch host Carolyn Firestone on WBZ out of Boston.
Click here to listen.
Click here to listen.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Give me an "A!" Give me another "A!" Give me an "R!" Give me a "P!"
On the way back from Crested Butte, I stopped for the night in Gunnison, Colorado. Little motel on the edge of town, one of the few not filled up by the softball tournament that had packed the area for the weekend.
The plump young woman behind the desk said, "Two queen beds, $59."
I nodded, "Okay."
"Got any discounts or anything?"
"No." I never have discounts. If I ever manage to clip coupons, I always leave them wherever I'm not. "Oh, wait! I'm a member of AARP! Does that count?"
"Sure does," she smiled.
I was psyched! My first discount as an Elder American! Woo hoo!
I felt like I had made a rite of passage. Small, but significant.
You see, for years I heard my friends complain, "I got an invitation to join AARP! Man, do I feel old!"
As each of them passed the fifty year mark, we'd razz them. "Did you get your AARP card yet?" Ha ha ha.
So, when it came my turn to see the big 5-0 on the horizon, I decided to get pro-active. I joined them before they could recruit me. I had my membership before my 50th birthday. Embrace the change! Be proud of your age! Bounce right out of your 40s and into AARP!
I signed my name with a flourish and strutted down to my room.
The plump young woman behind the desk said, "Two queen beds, $59."
I nodded, "Okay."
"Got any discounts or anything?"
"No." I never have discounts. If I ever manage to clip coupons, I always leave them wherever I'm not. "Oh, wait! I'm a member of AARP! Does that count?"
"Sure does," she smiled.
I was psyched! My first discount as an Elder American! Woo hoo!
I felt like I had made a rite of passage. Small, but significant.
You see, for years I heard my friends complain, "I got an invitation to join AARP! Man, do I feel old!"
As each of them passed the fifty year mark, we'd razz them. "Did you get your AARP card yet?" Ha ha ha.
So, when it came my turn to see the big 5-0 on the horizon, I decided to get pro-active. I joined them before they could recruit me. I had my membership before my 50th birthday. Embrace the change! Be proud of your age! Bounce right out of your 40s and into AARP!
I signed my name with a flourish and strutted down to my room.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Peg does event in Crested Butte, Colorado
Here are some pics from the reading and signing event at Blue Moon Books in Crested Butte last Saturday. It was a nice, intimate gathering. This is the sandwich board out front. Can you make out where it says "Tonight Only!" I love that. As if authors normally do nightly appearances for a month or something. Anyway, it made me feel special.
Here's David, the owner and proprieter of Blue Moon Books. See how he cleared off the back wall to display our book? Nice, eh? He also hopped on his town bike (everyone rides everywhere in "CB" as the locals call Crested Butte) and rode up to the liquor store to come back with wine and a 6 pack of............drum roll please...........Blue Moon Beer! He was very hospitable. Thank you David!
And here we all are - the intimate gathering of which I spoke. Five guests made it a close and casual event. That's me in the middle in purple. Some of the others are locals, some were visiting from other parts of the state. I talked a bit and read a bit and we had some nice conversation about aging and other life topics.
Thanks again to Blue Moon Books! I highly recommend this cozy shop if you're ever in the area.
Here's David, the owner and proprieter of Blue Moon Books. See how he cleared off the back wall to display our book? Nice, eh? He also hopped on his town bike (everyone rides everywhere in "CB" as the locals call Crested Butte) and rode up to the liquor store to come back with wine and a 6 pack of............drum roll please...........Blue Moon Beer! He was very hospitable. Thank you David!
And here we all are - the intimate gathering of which I spoke. Five guests made it a close and casual event. That's me in the middle in purple. Some of the others are locals, some were visiting from other parts of the state. I talked a bit and read a bit and we had some nice conversation about aging and other life topics.
Thanks again to Blue Moon Books! I highly recommend this cozy shop if you're ever in the area.
Monday, June 09, 2008
More Rocky Mtn photos
There is still plenty of snow on the ground, but water is pouring off the mountains everywhere you look. Spring is just beginning here. These little sprouts become plants with huge leaves that staff runners use for costumes in the 4th of July parade in town.
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Back in the Colorado Rockies
Last year and the year before, Sheila and I came up to this idyllic spot in the Colorado Rockies for writing retreats. This year, book finished, I'm here solo, in my u
sual role as camp doc. I drove up from Albuquerque today, arriving about an hour before sunset. Now I'm seated in the familiar cabin, starting to shiver in the night that is expected to reach 29 degrees F by morning, listening to the roaring of the river, 
engorged by Spring melt. I'll have better pictures to post later this week, once I have daylight. For now, here are just a few from my drive up here.
sual role as camp doc. I drove up from Albuquerque today, arriving about an hour before sunset. Now I'm seated in the familiar cabin, starting to shiver in the night that is expected to reach 29 degrees F by morning, listening to the roaring of the river, 
engorged by Spring melt. I'll have better pictures to post later this week, once I have daylight. For now, here are just a few from my drive up here.
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Peg leaves her 40s!
Last Sunday, the 1st of June, 2008, I officially left my own 40s behind.
Happy My Birthday to you!
I have to admit, in spite of coauthoring a whole book on the subject, I had some trepidation about reaching this particular milestone myself. I mean, we wrote a lot about how wonderful this time of life can be, how celebration-worthy, how joyous. And I do believe all that. I also got a little short of breath when contemplating my own passage. And I wondered: I can talk the talk, but can I walk the walk?
I'm happy to report that so far it has been just fine. I woke up that morning wondering what 50 would feel like, and was pleased to discover that, of course, it felt just like forty-nine and 364/365ths. I felt no different from the day before. *forehead smacker* Of course I didn't! We change in increments, after all, and 50 is just a number. I left my 40s the way I live my life: fairly quietly and one day at a time.
The day of my birthday I played in a soccer tournament for women over 30, and I am very proud to tell you that we won second place! Not half bad for a half century, eh? The team insisted I take the trophy home for my birthday, so now I have a daily reminder of how I started out Leaving My 40s like Way #8: Play Ball!"
Later that day (after a delicious nap a la Way #7: Pause) my wonderful husband and kids took me to dinner at my favorite gourmet pizza and salad place, then we came home, ate chocolate (an absolute necessity on any of my birthdays) and watched a feel-good movie (August Rush) together. No big deal. No fireworks. The day wound down and imperceptibly slipped into June 2.
We are planning to have a big party later in the summer, but even if we didn't, I'd be happy. I'm healthy; I have a great family; I love my work. What more could I want at any age?
Happy My Birthday to you!
I have to admit, in spite of coauthoring a whole book on the subject, I had some trepidation about reaching this particular milestone myself. I mean, we wrote a lot about how wonderful this time of life can be, how celebration-worthy, how joyous. And I do believe all that. I also got a little short of breath when contemplating my own passage. And I wondered: I can talk the talk, but can I walk the walk?
I'm happy to report that so far it has been just fine. I woke up that morning wondering what 50 would feel like, and was pleased to discover that, of course, it felt just like forty-nine and 364/365ths. I felt no different from the day before. *forehead smacker* Of course I didn't! We change in increments, after all, and 50 is just a number. I left my 40s the way I live my life: fairly quietly and one day at a time.
The day of my birthday I played in a soccer tournament for women over 30, and I am very proud to tell you that we won second place! Not half bad for a half century, eh? The team insisted I take the trophy home for my birthday, so now I have a daily reminder of how I started out Leaving My 40s like Way #8: Play Ball!"
Later that day (after a delicious nap a la Way #7: Pause) my wonderful husband and kids took me to dinner at my favorite gourmet pizza and salad place, then we came home, ate chocolate (an absolute necessity on any of my birthdays) and watched a feel-good movie (August Rush) together. No big deal. No fireworks. The day wound down and imperceptibly slipped into June 2.
We are planning to have a big party later in the summer, but even if we didn't, I'd be happy. I'm healthy; I have a great family; I love my work. What more could I want at any age?
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Bookworks
Our last stop on our Southwest Book Tour. Back home in Albuquerque! We were graciously hosted by Bookworks on Rio Grande.
On the white board in the foyer. Love that "no angst allowed"!
The in-store display.
Here we are doing our thing. What IS that green thing Sheila has? Google "Hoberman Sphere" or read our book!
There's Sheila leading the group in one of our "Cool Moves."
Sheila reading. Note the table with our books behind her.
Here's Peg reading one of her "Doc in the Box" selections:
Here we are signing our books. We sold 22 books at the event itself! Thank you so much to Bookworks and to all our friends, old and new, who came to the event!
On the white board in the foyer. Love that "no angst allowed"!
The in-store display.
Here we are doing our thing. What IS that green thing Sheila has? Google "Hoberman Sphere" or read our book!
There's Sheila leading the group in one of our "Cool Moves."
Sheila reading. Note the table with our books behind her.
Here's Peg reading one of her "Doc in the Box" selections:
Here we are signing our books. We sold 22 books at the event itself! Thank you so much to Bookworks and to all our friends, old and new, who came to the event!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
New World Library staff
Here they are, the faces of the dream team at New World Library! Of special import to us: Kristen (front row, left end), Georgia (front row, 2nd from left), Kim (front row, second from right) and Munro (back row, right end). We LOVE you people!!!!!!!
By the way, this picture came from an article from the Novato Advance about New World Library, which mentions our book! Check it out.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Arizona Trip Pics - Tucson
Antigone Books is a charming store on South 4th Avenue. Independently run, chock full of great titles, and very hospitable to us!
We were excited to see our book in the window, along with a poster about our event. We shared the event with Ellen McMahon, a local author whose essay "Through The Looking Glass" appears in a collection of midlife transition stories titled The Oldest We've Ever Been.
Here's Sheila inside Antigone with yet another display of our book!
Two of Peg's professors from medical school days delighted us by coming! Larry Moher on the left, Ron Pust on the right. Thanks so much!
Sheila signing!
We went out for beer and tapas afterwards with some dear old friends of Peg's. From left: Fred Edson, Sheila, Elissa Fazio-Rhicard, Margie Puerta. Thanks for coming to cheer us on!
Maurice Grossman, an Arizona ceramics celebrity, graced us with his sparkling presence.
Elissa, Peg, and Eric Fazio-Rhicard. Love you guys!
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Arizona Book Tour pics- Phoenix
Here we are, waiting patiently for our turn with Pat McMmahon at KAZT.
And there he is, the man himself! We had a lot of fun with this interview. He does a news and events show that lots of Phoenicians watch --thank you Pat!
This is Sheila outside Channel 3, where we went for our next TV interview.
Here we are being silly posers with the cardboard cutouts of station staff. The pink lady between us is our lovely host, Lisa, of the show Your Life From A to Z. She interviewed us in between the Quincinera fashion show and the Sushi chef!
And then it was on to our evening event, a "Meet the Authors" soiree at the Duck and Decanter. I was so busy schmoozing and signing that I didn't take pictures! Sheila, do you have any from the event itself?
The lovely and talented Karen Mettler, one of our hosts at "The Duck."
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Radio Interview On Live The Day
Click here to listen to a radio interview of Sheila and Peg on Live the Day Radio!
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Off to Arizona!
Peg and I will be at DUCK & DECANTER, at 1651 E. Camelback Road in Phoenix tomorrow night, (Thursday, May 1) beginning at 6 p.m., and at ANTIGONE BOOKS, at 411 N. 4th Avenue in Tucson on Friday, May 2, beginning at 7 p.m. Hope you can join us.
Meanwhile, we'll be racing between Phoenix TV stations tomorrow morning, as our fabulous publicist, Kim Corbin, has lined up interviews for us at both KAZT-TV (we'll be "live" on "The Pat McMahon Show" around 8:45 a.m.) and Channel 3 (we'll be taping a segment for "Your Life A to Z"). DOES ANYONE HAPPEN TO KNOW the call letters for Channel 3? Or, for that matter, the channel number for KAZT? I should be googling 'em both, I know, but I've gotta go pack a bag before today's flight, and in order to do that, I definitely need to decide what to wear!
Okay, so off I go. Then off WE go. And THEN (hopefully) off YOU'll go, to attend one event or another. And if not you, then hopefully, every last friend of yours in the greater Phoenix and Tucson areas! Did you email them about going? No? Well, as I SO like to say, "tick-tock, y'all!"
Love Love Love
Sheila
Meanwhile, we'll be racing between Phoenix TV stations tomorrow morning, as our fabulous publicist, Kim Corbin, has lined up interviews for us at both KAZT-TV (we'll be "live" on "The Pat McMahon Show" around 8:45 a.m.) and Channel 3 (we'll be taping a segment for "Your Life A to Z"). DOES ANYONE HAPPEN TO KNOW the call letters for Channel 3? Or, for that matter, the channel number for KAZT? I should be googling 'em both, I know, but I've gotta go pack a bag before today's flight, and in order to do that, I definitely need to decide what to wear!
Okay, so off I go. Then off WE go. And THEN (hopefully) off YOU'll go, to attend one event or another. And if not you, then hopefully, every last friend of yours in the greater Phoenix and Tucson areas! Did you email them about going? No? Well, as I SO like to say, "tick-tock, y'all!"
Love Love Love
Sheila
Friday, April 25, 2008
This just in: "50/40" getting some good placement
...from my sister Theresa in Denver, who had just received her copy of the book from amazon.com:
"P.S. ... PLUS, I saw your book on a table as I entered Barnes & Noble yesterday. Right there, right as you come in! : ) "
And a few days ago, from my brother Pat, in Minneapolis:
"I bought your book. Congrats. They had five copies in the self-help section at my local B&N. The book was on the end of the shelf with the cover facing out, so was easy to find. I'll send it down to get signed one of these days..."
Thanks, Sibs! Glad to hear "50/40" is getting some good placement. Here at our B&N, I found it (with help!) on the very bottom shelf, with only the spine facing outward. Ah, but my crafty coauthor has taken to rearranging bookshelves wherever she finds it, to make sure that ours is the cover facing outward. Let others show their (book's) spine!
Love Love Love
Sheila
"P.S. ... PLUS, I saw your book on a table as I entered Barnes & Noble yesterday. Right there, right as you come in! : ) "
And a few days ago, from my brother Pat, in Minneapolis:
"I bought your book. Congrats. They had five copies in the self-help section at my local B&N. The book was on the end of the shelf with the cover facing out, so was easy to find. I'll send it down to get signed one of these days..."
Thanks, Sibs! Glad to hear "50/40" is getting some good placement. Here at our B&N, I found it (with help!) on the very bottom shelf, with only the spine facing outward. Ah, but my crafty coauthor has taken to rearranging bookshelves wherever she finds it, to make sure that ours is the cover facing outward. Let others show their (book's) spine!
Love Love Love
Sheila
Arizona Here We Come!
In less than a week, we will be heading out on our Arizona tour. We are excited!
My dear friends the Mettlers, founders and owners of the famous Duck and Decanter shop in Phoenix, have very generously offered to host a book event there for us on May 1. Here is their flyer:
Please, please, tell any and all Phoenix area friends about this event!Note bene - they can just come for a signed book if they don't want to pony up the bucks for the wine and horsdoevres. Just come on down!
Monday, April 21, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
MEGA-THANKS to All Commenters
Or shall I call you "commentators"?
"What commentators?" you may well ask, as this blog has received so few comments. Well, mostly I'm talking about the 13 good souls who allowed the "50/40" excerpt at BoomerCafe.com to climb so high on the site's Most Discussed list. These (lucky number) 13 include our publicist Kim Corbin; my dear friend Diane Arnold; my sister Kathleen Imes; an old (okay, middle-aged) classmate of mine, Angela Beauchman Palmer, with whom I went to school from first grade through senior year; Gina Pera, a former editor of mine (and, for a long time now, a very good friend) who happens to be closing in on the publication of her own book (Is It You, Me, or Adult A.D.D.?); Lindy Gold, one of my dearest Albuquerque friends, who handles marketing for Classical KHFM; Reina Romero, a mom from my kids' school; and Stephanie Freeman, one of my friends from San Diego days (and today!). We also received comments from some of the BoomerCafe folks themselves, including Cindy La Ferle, David Henderson, and last but not least, "BoomerCafe Guys." Thanks, everybody!
Wait! You count only 11, you say? Yes, well, Peg and I make 13. I guess I can thank us, too! Why not?
Now.... WHO wants to leave a comment right here at the "50 Ways" blog? Come on... don't be shy!
Love, Love, Love,
Sheila
"What commentators?" you may well ask, as this blog has received so few comments. Well, mostly I'm talking about the 13 good souls who allowed the "50/40" excerpt at BoomerCafe.com to climb so high on the site's Most Discussed list. These (lucky number) 13 include our publicist Kim Corbin; my dear friend Diane Arnold; my sister Kathleen Imes; an old (okay, middle-aged) classmate of mine, Angela Beauchman Palmer, with whom I went to school from first grade through senior year; Gina Pera, a former editor of mine (and, for a long time now, a very good friend) who happens to be closing in on the publication of her own book (Is It You, Me, or Adult A.D.D.?); Lindy Gold, one of my dearest Albuquerque friends, who handles marketing for Classical KHFM; Reina Romero, a mom from my kids' school; and Stephanie Freeman, one of my friends from San Diego days (and today!). We also received comments from some of the BoomerCafe folks themselves, including Cindy La Ferle, David Henderson, and last but not least, "BoomerCafe Guys." Thanks, everybody!
Wait! You count only 11, you say? Yes, well, Peg and I make 13. I guess I can thank us, too! Why not?
Now.... WHO wants to leave a comment right here at the "50 Ways" blog? Come on... don't be shy!
Love, Love, Love,
Sheila
Look--- we made "me*"!
Check it out! From page 33 of the May/June issue of me* magazine, a publication of the National Association of Baby Boomer Women, it's a sweet little review pairing us with no less a bestselling author than Richard Carlson, Ph.D., he of Don't Sweat the Small Stuff fame. Yahoo! Thanks me*!(*Oh yeah, about that asterisk... The mag's lower-case title, according to its cover, stands for both "My Entertainment" and "My Empowerment." And also, of course, "me" in the traditional, "gonna-take-some-time-for-me" sense.)
BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!
Check out what appeared in the March 24th issue of The Sun. Can you believe this? Please know that the headline was their idea, not ours. And no, that offer of "$2400.00 a month forever!" has nothing to do with our book.
But this is some mighty nice exposure, just the same. Our thanks to everyone involved -- especially our publicist, Kim Corbin.
What do these reviews say, you wonder? Yeah, they're pretty hard to read as little, tiny jpegs, aren't they? Well, let me fetch my spectacles and see if I can make the articles more readable, below.
Love, Love, Love!
Sheila
The me* article:
50 Ways to Leave Your 40s -- Living It Up in Life's Second Half
By Sheila Key and Peggy Spencer, M.D.
"50 Ways to Leave Your 40s" is one of those books you can pick up from time to time and sift through it like a treasure box, finding a different gem each time.
Divided into four sections---Body, Mind, Soul and Heart---the authors use inspiring and funny real life examples that encourage boomers to enjoy the ride and the wisdom that comes with age. Each chapter includes an essay, as well as activities to encourage living life to its fullest. The entertaining writing style and intriguing sidebars make this an irresistible tonic for midlife blues.
(Parenthetically, the review of the Richard Carlson effort reads...
Handbook for the Spirit
Edited by Richard Carlson, Ph.D., and Benjamin Shield, Ph.D.
Written with the premise that a spiritual foundation is the basis on which all the elements of our lives rest, "Handbook for the Spirit" is a collection of admired spiritual leaders of our time, writing about their relationship to the Divine. The book includes a wonderfully diverse collection of original writings from 25 visionaries, including Mother Teresa, the Dalai Lama, Rev. Michael Beckwith, Shakti Gawain and Wayne Dyer, Ph.D. Each shares what it is like to have a personal relationship with God, how this relationship developed and how it manifests in his or her life, relationships and career.")
The article in The Sun:
New book reveals how you can...
STAY YOUNG FOREVER!
By Gina Barlow
LIFE only gets better after 50 -- so why not celebrate it?
That's the inspiration behind 50 Ways to Leave Your 40s: Living It Up in Life's Second Half (New World Library), a new book full of ideas, inspiration and advice for staying fit, focused and full of fun into midlife and beyond.
Writer Sheila Key and University of New Mexico physician Peggy Spencer, M.D., aim at turning the senior years into a celebration.
Here are just a few of their tips:
JUST KEEP BREATHING -- Exhaling with a deep, audible sigh relaxes your whole body -- and the more you practice thinking about your breathing, the less stress you'll experience.
PLEASE MAKE A NOTE OF IT -- Boost your memory by carrying a pen and paper with you everywhere! The more you write down, the better your brain retains memories.
GET YOUR HANDS DIRTY -- Don't avoid mundane work, celebrate it. Whether it's planting a tree or building your own business, let your labor bring your dreams to life.
ACT AGELESS -- Stop thinking about how someone your age should act., and just get active. Think of sports-medicine professor Thomas P. Martin, who celebrated his 50th birthday with several 50-second stretches, followed by 50 jumping jacks, 50 push-ups and 50 sit-ups, then biked 50 miles from the shore of Hawaii to the summit of Mauna Kea -- the highest point in the 50th state!
MAKE THE CALL -- Time heal all wounds. If there's someone who was once close to you but who split away years ago, mend the rift. If you can't write a letter or make a call, then just concentrate on "beaming that sentiment out there," letting the universe know that you forgive and seek forgiveness.
(The photo and caption are meant to tie in with the article. The caption reads, "PLANTING a garden is a great way to use your hands and enjoy the results.)
Friday, April 18, 2008
Correspondence, correspondence, correspondence, ret-set-set!
Remember that old camp song? What was the "real" word? Sarasponda Sarasponda Sarasponda Ret Set Set --- something like that.
Anyway, I'm babbling. That would be because I spent this whole week printing and folding and stuffing and stamping and, on occasion, REprinting and REstuffing -- oh yes, and driving back over to the office supply store for yet more ink cartridges. If I knew how to spell that big, in-whooshing sound, I'd put that next, because my Canon PIXMA iP1600 SUCKS! And not just in terms of ink. I spent much of this week also getting error messages, pressing "cancel print job," and rebooting the computer. Long (and I do mean long) story short, I have just, minutes ago, "dropped" what must surely rank among history's most expensive 200-piece mailings. May it go forth in all directions and do some real good in this world!
Okay, so... watch your mailbox! Because you may just be among the two hundred! And if not, just wait. I'm now tweaking the thing for online-posting purposes---"the thing" being a fun little birth announcement about 50 Ways to Leave Your 40s---and will post it here just as soon as it's ready. Stay tuned.
TTFN (ta-tah for now),
Sheila
Anyway, I'm babbling. That would be because I spent this whole week printing and folding and stuffing and stamping and, on occasion, REprinting and REstuffing -- oh yes, and driving back over to the office supply store for yet more ink cartridges. If I knew how to spell that big, in-whooshing sound, I'd put that next, because my Canon PIXMA iP1600 SUCKS! And not just in terms of ink. I spent much of this week also getting error messages, pressing "cancel print job," and rebooting the computer. Long (and I do mean long) story short, I have just, minutes ago, "dropped" what must surely rank among history's most expensive 200-piece mailings. May it go forth in all directions and do some real good in this world!
Okay, so... watch your mailbox! Because you may just be among the two hundred! And if not, just wait. I'm now tweaking the thing for online-posting purposes---"the thing" being a fun little birth announcement about 50 Ways to Leave Your 40s---and will post it here just as soon as it's ready. Stay tuned.
TTFN (ta-tah for now),
Sheila
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Climbing the Charts at BoomerCafe!
An excerpt from 50/40 ("Okay, Have a Crisis Already!") is still the Featured Post at BoomerCafe.com and, at last count, had climbed to #2 on the site's "Most Discussed" list, with 15 comments to its credit. What's more, in one of those comments, the BoomerCafe Guys themselves wrote:
We apologize that the Most Popular function of our site has not functioned until today. Had it been earlier, this story would rank among the most popular.
Golly! I know I speak for Peg as well as myself when I say, "Thanks to EVERYBODY who is helping to make 50 Ways to Leave Your 40s a success!"
Join us, won't you?
Go to BoomerCafe.com and leave a comment of your own! (Cool thing: no need to register as one of their members or whatever. Just fill out the comment form, click submit, and that's it!)
We apologize that the Most Popular function of our site has not functioned until today. Had it been earlier, this story would rank among the most popular.
Golly! I know I speak for Peg as well as myself when I say, "Thanks to EVERYBODY who is helping to make 50 Ways to Leave Your 40s a success!"
Join us, won't you?
Go to BoomerCafe.com and leave a comment of your own! (Cool thing: no need to register as one of their members or whatever. Just fill out the comment form, click submit, and that's it!)
Famous Fifty's
Thought you might enjoy news of how some folks are "taking" this 40's to 50's transition. We'll add links to this post as we hear more stories.
Jamie Lee Curtis
Ellen Degeneres
Carolyn Kennedy
Jamie Lee Curtis
Ellen Degeneres
Carolyn Kennedy
Monday, April 07, 2008
This Book-Launch Party was a "Gift from the Gods"
...Because I won it! Remember my new business card, with the book cover on it? I blogged about it back in late Feb... Well, the very first one of those cards that I "deployed" went into a fishbowl at ONE UP RESTAURANT & LOUNGE (301 Central SW, 2nd floor, in downtown Albuquerque), on 2/28 ---coincidentally the day amazon.com started shipping the book----and darn if someone from One Up didn't eventually pluck my card out again, thereby winning me a Happy Hour for 15 Fab Folks. Hooray!
Of course, my esteemed coauthor, Dr. Peggy Spencer, was there --- as were at least a couple o' margaritas!
"This one goes out to the one I love!" Looks like I'm pointing at the book, but in fact I'm pointing at Richard Towne, my mate of 28 years. (Notched that mark just last week, we did!) As manager of legendary Albuquerque public radio station KUNM, RT was plenty ready to celebrate, as on the very day of our anniversary, he completed a gruelling 3-year project to sign on FOUR brand-new stations, to carry KUNM's signal strongly into Secorro, Española, Las Vegas (NM), and Taos! Congrats to us both!
Mike & Kathy Lord, our dearest friends in town -- the ones we never hardly see, because they don't actually live in town -- had to shove off early, back toward their lovely A-frame in the Sandias, and a dear & diabetic dog. So great to see them! Kathy's in the book, by the way -- she kicks off "Way 36: (En)Lighten Up, Dude!"
The local TV news showed up, which was mighty impressive, I must admit -- at least until we realized they were only there to collect opinions from the party next to ours, about crime in the downtown area. Ho-hum!
Paul Ingles opened right up to the chapter he helped me with: "Way 23: Shake It Up Baby, Now!""Mmm, decisions, decisions!" Peggy and Mary B pore over the menu. Appetizers a'plenty were part of the prize.
And now I see that a whole middle section of photos went missing, while I futzed to get the text in there (almost) properly, up to this point. So let me call this Part One and ask you to scroll on!
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