Time Flies (When You're Blogging Every Day!)

And so we have come to the end of the “A Post a Day for the Month of May” blogathon.

I have to say, it was quite the challenge to write an entry every single day of the month, especially since I was travelling on vacation for a week and also working on the fundraiser for the Wildlife Center.

When we started this effort, I was worried that I'd end up posting a bunch of lame entries just to make my daily quota. I wasn't sure I'd be able to find that many interesting, new topics to write about. But overall, I'm pretty happy with what I came up with and I think the process will help me continue to post on a regular basis (though, probably not daily! :)

I want to thank my writing colleague, Michelle Rafter, who came up with the blogathon idea. Despite the stress it sometimes caused me, I definitely enjoyed the challenge.

Blog of the Day

When I decided to add a “Blog of the Day” item to each post this month, I wanted to make sure I included all the bloggers who have been participating with me in the blogathon. And I THOUGHT I had only one more to highlight for this final post of the series.

However, I've discovered that I still have two bloggers I haven't mentioned, so today you get a BOTD double feature!

I might have got the numbers right if I were a little more organized, so perhaps I should pay some extra attention to Janine Adams' blog, Peace of Mind Organizing. In addition to her own useful tips for creating order, Janine has got a terrific blogroll going on in her sidebar, with links to a good selection of other organizing blogs.

Claudine Jalajas has one of the best titles I've seen for her blog about a major home improvement project: The $@#!%& Extension. Even if you've only been involved in much smaller-scale improvement efforts around your house, you can probably relate to that sentiment!

And now I'm signing off for at least a day or two! :) Happy start of summer everybody!

The Play's the (Adventurous) Thing

Today's guest blogger: Charmian Christie

In my post from a few days ago, I selected Christie's Corner as my Blog of the Day. Today, the blog's author, Charmian Christie, and I are having a “blog swap,” where she's written an entry for my blog and vice versa. (So be sure to check out her site to read mine! :)

In addition to writing about food, travel, health, and more for magazines, Charmian is also a produced playwright. Recently she workshopped one of her plays and I'm thrilled that she's chosen Embrace Adventure to share her story!

*****

I've jumped out of an airplane, been forced to make an emergency landing while hang gliding, and driven a twisty-turny mountain range on a gravel road only one-car wide and with no guardrail. But the scariest thing I've ever done was have my play workshopped.

Playwriting is all about giving up control. There's no safety net, emergency chute or roadside assistance for your ego. In a workshop, you hand your words to a group of professionals, who not only read them aloud, but comment on them—in your presence. As if you aren't there.

As a freelance writer who gets edited regularly, I am used to a flat-out critique. But actors and directors aren't discerning editors who give your copy a spit and polish. They're motivation vultures, scavenging for subtext. Not content to merely skim the surface of your script, they sift through your words, line by line, looking for meaning. Snappy dialogue with no substance will delight actors on the first reading, disappoint them on the second, and bore them on the third. During this workshop, we'd potentially read my script six times. Would my pride survive the scrutiny?

The first day was unnerving. I wasn't allowed to explain my script, just listen. And I sat mute and frustrated while actors delivered lines in the wrong tone, or approached a scene from a misguided angle. I wanted to jump in, correct them, give them the direction they clearly needed. But the goal of a workshop is to let the actors and director “peel the onion,” digging deeper and deeper into the text to see if there's anything underneath. They were mining my script and I was beginning to worry they'd find nothing of value.

At the end of the day, the director suggested I go home and write monologues that addressed some of his questions about the characters. I did. Although I thought the exercise was unnecessary.

The second day, they read each scene different ways, testing various scenarios, to see which resonated the most. As they explored the possibilities, the actors stopped asking questions about their characters and started defending them. My newly written monologues went unused. Part of me was relieved since the ones from the main character were weak. Part of me wondered if the director was just trying to keep me busy while the pros sorted things out.

At the end of the second day, the director suggested I go home and reread the script for hidden motivations. I didn't. This time I “interviewedᰵ my main character to see if she would open up more. She did. But I still questioned the relevance of such an exercise.

On the third and final day, the director asked me to insert some of the monologues into the script. With the addition of these “unnecessary” scenes, the actors went from thinking about the characters to owning them. Throw away lines resonated, the pauses were powerful—not dead air—and plot holes big enough to drive a Hummer through were now minor bumps on the road.

Initially, the workshop was unnerving. When asked why I chose one word over another or why a character says this instead of that, I was sure they were telling me I'd failed as a playwright. But watching actors embrace a role and plunge deeper into the text than I thought possible wasn't just rewarding. It was the biggest, longest-lasting adrenaline rush imaginable.

Who needs airplanes and mountains when you have words?

*****

Blog of the Day

Since I've already highlighted Charmian's blog, today I'll select one from another great “foodie” (as we call them): Monica Bhide's A Life of Spice.

Monica debunks the popular expression, “Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach.” While she teaches an online food writing class, she clearly CAN and DOES.

She's also a fabulous essay writer. Here's a lovely piece she wrote for the Washington Post about teaching her son Hindi, her mother tongue, while shelling peas together.

China Memories

Watching the coverage on yesterday's earthquake in Chengdu has been difficult, and a bit surreal, for me, as I have such good memories of my time there in 1991. It was right after my two-year stint in Japan, when I wasn't quite ready to head back to Canada yet.

My two closest friends there (who were also from Canada) and I spent a few days in Hong Kong together, then they headed off to their own adventure in Kenya. I made a quick trip to Macao and, from there, took an overnight ferry to Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton). I spent a few days there, then took a train north to Beijing, and worked my way down the western side of the country—including a few days in Chengdu—before returning to Hong Kong. All in all, I was in China for about a month.

It was one of the most difficult places I'd ever travelled, but also one of the most fascinating. Some of my favourite memories are visiting the Great Wall after the official hours, so I was one of only 8 people walking along it, marveling at its sheer grandeur; renting a bike in Beijing and riding it to the magnificent Forbidden City; having a discussion—in English—with three college students about the Tiananmen Squre protests, which had happened only two years earlier.

But the best souvenir I've ever brought home with me came from Chengdu. I was staying in a hostel and, one day, when I went out to do some sightseeing, there was a man painting fans outside. This was a very common occurrence in China, but his fans caught my eye because he had several images of stunning dragons. They would be painted in black on a red or white fan, but he also added some highlights in gold to the images, which really stood out.

I asked him if he would paint me a fan with the entire dragon in gold and he said no, because he thought that would be too much. I thanked him and went on my way. The next day when I went out, he stopped me and said he had decided to try it but I shouldn't feel obligated to buy it. Then he showed me the fan. It was GORGEOUS! He could tell right away how much I loved it and I could tell he was pleased with the work as well. So of course I bought it (I think it was around $15 Canadian), ecstatic that I had inspired him to try something new and that I now had a one-of-a-kind fan. (Of course, after my reaction, I'm sure he ended up painting more gold dragons on fans, but I know for a fact that mine was the first!)

As I continued my travels, I was so careful transporting the fan. I would have been so disappointed if anything had happened to it. Fortunately, it was still in perfect condition when I got back home, another month or so later.

I had the fan framed and, since then, it's always been placed in the most prominent spot of whatever living area I had at the time. A picture of the fan is below. (Unfortunately, I'm not a skilled enough photographer to be able to eliminate the reflection in the glass, so this doesn't do it justice at all, but it will give you a general idea of what it looks like.)

My thoughts go out to all the families in Chengdu and the surrounding areas who have lost someone in this terrible tragedy. I wish them all the best in getting through this difficult time.

Blog of the Day

I'm sure my biking experiences in China don't have a lot in common with Jackie Dishner's experiences biking around Arizona. Her blog, BIKE WITH JACKIE, offers insights about overcoming life's obstacles that Jackie learned on the seat of her bike. Her motto is, "BIKE—It's mental, not metal"

Let's Go Down the Jersey Shore. Alpaca Lunch.

I've mentioned before that I think writing a book is an adventure in and of itself, but when you're writing a guidebook in particular, you're bound to run into plenty more adventures during your research. Such was the case for Jen A. Miller, one of my writing colleagues, who has just published The Jersey Shore; Atlantic City to Cape May: Great Destinations: A Complete Guide: Including the Wildwoods (Great Destinations).

The book is a travel guide to the South Jersey Shore. It tells you where to eat, where to stay, where to play, and so much more. The guide entries are peppered with sidebars of Jersey Shore history and Jen's experiences researching the book, one of which—a trip to an alpaca farm—she's generously sharing with Embrace Adventure readers.

*****

At first, I didn't believe what she's said.

"You're going to see the Alpaca farm, right?" asked Mary Ann Gorrick over breakfast. I was staying at the Inn at the Park, a bed and breakfast in Cape May, N.J., which she runs with her husband, Jay. I was staying there while researching my book The Jersey Shore, Atlantic City to Cape May. The Jersey Shore is known for things like beaches, rides, ice cream and boardwalks, not farm animals, and certainly not alpacas.

"Excuse me?" I asked, almost choking on my pancake.

"Oh, yes, the alpacas. We'll call them and say you're coming over," she said.

Believe it or not, there is an alpaca farm located in Cape May, which is more known for its Victorian buildings than livestock. But as I pulled up to Bay Springs Farm, there they were, these mini llamas, curious as the who the newcomer was.

Fernando, a young, black alpaca (with a champion fleece, so I later learned) bounded right up to the gate to meet me. Warren Nuessle had waved me over and said it was okay to pet Fernando, but only on his back. The other animals gave me the quizzical eye, and I wouldn't dare pet them, but as Barbara Nuessle led me through the farm, they didn't lunge or try to attack (as had been the case with an ostrich farm I later visited in North Jersey for another assignment).

Barbara Nuessle had always been a knitter, and she loved working with the yarn that was spun from alpaca fleece. So when she and Warren were looking what to do when they retired, Alpacas came to the top of the list.

They moved from Bryn Mawr, Pa. to Cape May and now live with the alpacas. Nuessle still makes things from the alpaca fleece, and she spins the yarn herself. The goods are sold in the farmhouse store attached to the farm. They also breed and sell alpacas, and tried to convince me that they make good pets. It's not that I don't believe them, but I can barely have enough space for a 12 pound dog, though I wouldn't mind having my dog go to the bathroom in the same spot all the time, which is what alpacas do.

After I toured the grounds and gave Fernando another pat, I left to continue researching gift shops and restaurants. But that day stuck with me. And why not? It's not every day you get to pet a champion.

*****

Jen shares more of her adventures on her blog, Down the Shore with Jen. To learn more about the book and find out when Jen might be making an appearance near you, visit the book's Web site as well.

Blog of the Day

When she's not writing a book, you can be pretty sure that Jen will be reading one—one a week, in fact! For the last year, she's been reviewing a new book each week on her blog, aptly titled Book a Week with Jen. And I'm just in time in highlighting her blog—the review of book 52 of 52 should be coming out later this week!

(BTW, I'm definitely in awe of this endeavour. One of my goals for 2008 was to read two books a month and let's just say I've got some catching up to do...)

Mixing Business with Adventure

The main cover story for the May 2008 issue of Outside magazine is “The 50 Best Jobs.” Their criteria is probably somewhat different than a lot of other publications that publish annual Best Jobs features, which is why their list includes such drool-inducing options as Race Director, Gear Designer, and Libations Professional (!). The piece includes several sidebars titled, “How I got my sweet gig,” where they interview some men and women currently working at their dream jobs. I was particularly drawn to the story of Christina Heyniger, a 36-year-old adventure consultant, who had been a management consultant to government departments and who now travels the world using those same skills to advise adventure companies how to improve their businesses. Sweet, indeed...

The article also lists thirty companies who supposedly offer “the nation's most well-balanced workplaces.“ I choked a little, then, when I saw #2 in the 250+ employees category: Google. While they laud the company for offering employees three meals a day, on-site haircuts, and a state-of-the-art gym, it occurs to me that these “benefits” seem like they're actually designed to prevent employees from ever going, well, Outside...

Putting that little bit of weirdness aside, I still highly recommend checking out the magazine's Web site for an amazing wealth of adventure-related stories, pics, videos, blogs, and more.

Speaking of magazines, I had mentioned in my post a few days ago that earlier this year I had an article about exercise-induced asthma published in Women's Adventure magazine. At the time, the article wasn't posted on their site, so I couldn't link to it. But since then, the next issue of the pub has hit newsstands, so you can now read the piece online if you're interested.

Blog of the Day

If, like me, you enjoy hearing about famous people using their influence to make a positive difference in the world, rather than simply to get them into the hottest parties, you'll love Celebrity Do Gooders. The blog's owner, Lisa Iannucci, highlights artists and athletes in every field about the causes near and dear to their hearts, whether it's Dave Matthews and other musicians working to increase voter registration, celeb photographer Nigel Barker fighting to stop the Canadian seal hunt, or Patrick Dempsey launching a center for cancer treatment.

Shibaraku Desu

The title above is a Japanese expression that means, "It's been a long time," and is the standard greeting when friends reunite after a lengthy separation. Since it's been almost 3 months since I last posted, I thought it was (sadly) appropriate. (For those who didn't know, I lived in Japan for two years half a lifetime ago, which is why I even know this. And in case you're interested, here's an earlier post about one of my experiences there.)

Let's just say life got in the way this year. But May seems like a great time to get back in the game, what with spring in full force and all. And I had the added incentive of a challenge that one of my writing colleagues, Michelle Rafter, has issued: A Post a Day for the Month of May!

That's definitely going to be a challenge, but one thing I'd like to do with this blog (to try to avoid any more long absences) is to write shorter posts more frequently, so this will be good practice for that.

For this post, I'll just list a few adventures I've had since the last one:

• Had an article about exercise-induced asthma (which I suffer from) published in Women's Adventure magazine
• Raised another set of orphaned squirrels for the Wildlife Center
• Attended a writer's conference in New York, where I was thrilled to meet a lot of the people I “know” from Freelance Success, my favourite community of professional writers
• Saw Paul Simon in concert with Ladysmith Black Mambazo, David Byrne, and other guests, who were performing songs from Paul's brilliant Graceland and Rhythm of the Saints albums—FANTASTIC!
• Rushed my cat Willow to the vet when I discovered a huge swelling on her face, which fortunately turned out to be simply an abscessed tooth (not all adventures are good ones...)
• Went to a seminar on nature photography that was awe-inspiring—and a little intimidating
• Entered some of my Antarctica pics in a photography contest (winners haven't been announced yet, so fingers remain crossed!)

And as usual, I'm always interested in hearing about YOUR adventures. So if you have any stories you'd like to share, just fill out this form or shoot me an e-mail and I'll be thrilled to post it for you.

Blog of the Day

As part of the May Blogathon, I'm going to call out one blog that I like each day. And since Michelle inspired this effort, I'll start with hers: WordCount.

Michelle blogs about freelance writing, but a lot of her posts can also benefit other types of business owners, especially with regards to promoting their products and services. For example, she writes a lot about Web 2.0 topics like search engine optimization and marketing (SEO/SEM) and social networking.

Antarctica: King of the Hill

We had another early wake-up call today. We were scheduled to arrive at Deception Island around 6:00 a.m. The island is a volcano with a large caldera (depression filled with water) in the center. There's a tiny opening into this bay called Neptune's Bellows, which is only 230m wide, so the s captain needs to steer the ship with extreme precision. At recap the night before, Brandon suggested we go up to the bridge or out on deck as we entered the opening, because the view of the walls of the caldera from that vantage point are apparentlly quite spectacular. Except...

When we arrived at the island, it was shrouded in a very thick fog. (And, yes, Brandon told us that this was the first time he'd ever seen this!) The picture below was actually taken on the way back out.

Because of the fog and poor visibility, Louise told us we wouldn't be able to kayak there as planned. We also knew we weren't going to be able to paddle at that afternoon's location, so it turned out that the previous afternoon was our last outing in the boats. We were all a little disappointed, not just because we couldn't kayak, but also because since we had been expecting that we would be paddling today, a couple of people hadn't come out with us the day before. It would have been nice to have everybody all together one more time (the only time it was all ten of us was the first day).

After anchoring, we all did a landing at Telefon Bay, which is covered in black ash. The volcano is still considered active and its last eruption was in 1969, totally destroying some research stations. While we were there, we did a short walk up a path to another caldera in the island's walls. (Is it my imagination, or does the area in the background, with the dark ash against the ice and snow, kind of look like the Canadian flag?)

Here's a picture of Chelsea that does a good job of depicting how a lot of us were feeling by that point.

But we still had some interesting adventures ahead. Our next stop was Pendulum Cove, an ashy beach where the more daring (or crazy) of us were planning to do the polar plunge, which is exactly what it sounds like—a swim in the frigid waters of Antarctica! (And to get the prized certificate proving our insanity, we were told it only counted if we fully immersed our heads.)

The reason they use this location for the plunge is because there's geothermic activity along the beach that creates what is jokingly referred to as a “hot spring.” In reality, there was a little strip of water bubbling through the ash whose temperature can sometimes go as high as 50-degrees celcius.

Now, most people just stripped down to their bathing suits, ran into the water, and immediately ran back out to the large, thick beach towels provided by the crew. A few of us had a slightly different experience, however.

The day before, when we were kayaking, Sarah had mentioned to me that she would really have liked to do a wet exit while we were there, just to see what it was like. I said that there was no way that they'd allow that. Well. At our afternoon meeting, she mentioned this again and Louise thought it was a great idea (no one had ever done this before), but she had to run it by Brandon. When she said it was a real possibility, Chelsea and I both said we wanted to do it as well. And we realized this could be our way of doing the plunge (since our heads would DEFINITELY be submerged!)

Brandon approved the plan with one exception. He didn't want us actually using our spray skirts because he thought it was one additional untried variable that could cause problems. So we didn't do what would normally be considered a wet exit. Instead, it was really just a capsize (thus breaking their perfect record. :) Because we'd be wearing our PFDs (personal flotation devices), we'd pop right back up to the surface. And, of course, we would be doing this in shallow water with Louise standing right beside us, ready to step in if there were any problems.

Sarah went first (of course!), followed by Chelsea. After she exited, I began to run into the water to get into the kayak, so Louise wouldn't have to stay standing in the cold water any longer than necessary, but she yelled at me to wait while she dumped the water out of it. My feet were almost numb just from that, but I stood in the little trench and warmed them up again. Then Louise was ready for me. And if you're thinking it must have taken a lot of guts to do this, I think it takes a lot more guts to post a video of myself in a bathing suit! :)

By the way, before I went over, Louise had just finished telling me that the plan was for me to capsize away from her, towards the shore. As you saw, however, the kayak—which was Louise's single, and therefore less stable boat—had other plans.

And just in case you missed my expression after coming up from the plunge, someone (I think Gustavo) managed to capture it for posterity.

When I got back on shore, I was so pumped up from the adrenaline rush that I didn't even think to bask in the warm water, so here's a pic of some of the others enjoying the spa.

Instead, I just pulled on the special flannel pajamas I had brought with me—the ones with the penguins and candy canes all over them. I'd say they were pretty appropriate for this trip.

I had mentioned earlier that Brandon had changed the direction of this trip from the usual itinerary, i.e. we started further south and worked our way north. So on those other trips, the passengers do the polar plunge on the first day of arriving at the continent. I'm much happier we did it this way, because by this point, we all knew each other a lot better and really cheered each other on. I don't think it would have been so much fun if we hadn't already shared so many great experiences together.

And as much of a blast as the capsize was for Sarah, Chelsea, and I, I think Louise got more of a kick out of it than we did. She told us that our group as a whole was by far the most enthusiastic kayakers she'd ever led in Antarctica. I was a little surprised, since only three people had actually gone out all six times—Sarah, Chelsea, and Calvin.” But she told us that on most trips, after the first paddle, she practically has to beg people to go out again. So Team Leopard Seal (as we had christened ourselves) were feeling pretty darn good about that!

After lunch, we headed to Aitcho Island, which is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest because of the mosses and lichens growing there (which meant we were absolutely forbidden from going off any marked tracks).

We also knew there was a good possibility of seeing hauled-out elephant seals, and we did. We have elephant seals in northern California as well, but apparently they're a different species and the ones in Antarctica are much larger. At one point, this guy woke up and pushed over one of the penguins, but it happened so fast no one got a picture of it.

But there was something even more exciting awaiting us. Brandon had told us at recap the night before that there was a rumour floating around via e-mail between the ships that there had been recent sightings on the island of a single macaroni penguin and a single king penguin—neither of which belonged anywere near there.

We never found the macaroni but the king penguin was right there on the beach. We had a good laugh because Snowy, our ornithologist, had walked right by him without seeing him. He claimed it was because he had been told it was up higher on the island. But how on earth could anybody miss this gorgeous creature?

Once we spotted him (it could have been a her), we all began furiously clicking our camera shutters. Brandon reminded us to keep our distance so as not to frighten him (we especially didn't want to scare him into going back out to sea), but he didn't seem the least bit disturbed by us. In fact, he walked all around us, seeming quite proud of himself.

Every few feet, he would stop and reach his head up as far as it would go and let out the most beautiful call. (I also found it heartbreaking, because I knew he was doing it to try to find a mate, or at least another penguin that looked like him.)

I so wish I had brought my video camera with me so you could hear it for yourselves. Instead, I'll just have to settle for posting more pictures. There are plenty to enjoy, because it was so hard to choose among them!

This next picture would have been so great to give to Brandon, but of course it's the one that had to be out of focus!

The next one is one of my favourites. I love the way Louise and the penguin seem to be checking each other out.

And this was how we spent our last time on land in Antarctica. I couldn't have imagined a better way to end it!

Next installment: My final thoughts.

"Cool" Contest

As a writer, I consider anyone who's taken on the task of writing a book to be an adventurer.

Well, my writing colleague, Rachel Weingarten, has written TWO, the most recent being Career and Corporate Cool: How To Look, Dress, and Act the Part—
at Every Stage of Your Career...

And now she's running a Go Back To Cool contest this Tuesday, September 25th, to promote it. Some of the awesome prizes include a diamond pendant, gift certificates for iTunes, Sephora.com, and Pottery Barn, custom printed cards, and more. (Note to my Canadian readers: Unfortunately the contest is only open to residents of the U.S.).

To enter the contest, you can either order a copy of the book between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on September 25th from any online retailer (the image above will take you to the book's page on amazon.com) and send a copy of your receipt to backtocool@careerandcorporatecool.com, or sign up for the Career and Corporate Cool newsletter. Once your purchase is verified, your name will be entered into a draw for that hour's prize and also for a chance to win the diamond pendant grand prize at the end of the day.

For more information, including complete contest rules, reviews, video trailers, and the Cool Quotient blog, visit
the book's Web site.

Also, check out Rachel's first book, Hello Gorgeous! Beauty Products in America,
'40s - '60s.

When Adventure "Falls" Into Your Lap

I had my first essay published today!

> Adventure over the edge of Victoria Falls

This has been a goal of mine since I started freelancing, so I'm really excited, especially since the Christian Science Monitor is a very well-respected newspaper all over the world. (It's won seven Pulitzer Prizes.)

And the icing on the cake is that the essay is adventure-related! (The photo above comes from the actual experience.)

Exercising Your Creative Muscles

One of my favourite writing blogs is Copyblogger. They provide really valuable, practical advice for producing effective copy. Here's a great example:

> Three Easy Ways to Expand Your Creativity

And even though the post is focused mainly on copywriting, the tips they offer can easily apply to other areas of your life where a little extra burst of creativity might come in handy. The piece begins with my favourite quote of all time, from Albert Einstein (who usually knew what he was talking about):

Imagination is more important than knowledge.

I also think the site has one of the best designs I've ever seen. I highly recommend checking it out.

I Have Two Friends, And They Have Two Friends...

One of my closest friends is truly a gifted networker. If we go to an event together, and there are 50 people there, she'll have introduced herself to all 50 by the end of the evening. And not only that, she'll have remembered all their names, where they work, how many kids they have, their shoe sizes...

Okay, so maybe I'm exaggerating a bit on that last one. But the point is, she puts herself out there and, as a result, she knows a LOT of people. In fact, I can't remember the last time we went somewhere together that she didn't run into someone she knew.

I, on the other hand, stink at networking. I'm extremely shy with people I don't know and I'm always worried that I'll be bothering someone if I just walk up to him/her and start talking. So I tend to stay in the background and wait until someone else approaches me.

This may be fine socially, but it's not a very good strategy for someone who's dependent on building up a diverse client base to ensure a steady stream of income. So I'm making a concerted effort to improve my networking skills. I'm currently up to 50 connections on LinkedIn. (You can see my public profile here.) I even got the courage up to ask a couple of my favourite clients to write recommendations for me, which they very generously did.

And now I'm actually starting to use the service as a way to find new markets for my writing services. For example, I'd love to write about subjects that really interest me, like wildlife preservation and other environmental topics. So I've used the search feature to find people who work for related companies and nonprofits and have sent them letters of introduction to see if they have any need for freelancers. (You have no idea how hard it was to click Send on that first e-mail—see “afraid of bothering people,” above.)

But, surprisingly, pretty much everyone I've contacted has gotten back to me—and quite happily, it seems—to let me know what their situations are. In some cases, they don't have a need for any freelance writers at the moment, but they're keeping my name on file. In others, they've passed my information on to someone else at their organization. I don't know if any of these will end up leading to paying jobs but, since I only started doing this a couple of weeks ago, I'm psyched at just hearing back at all!

I don't think this means that I'll ever end up like my friend who's such a natural at this. But that's okay. As I've said before about any adventure, taking baby steps is perfectly fine. And I've just taken one. (Just don't get me started on Facebook...:)

How about you? Do you love to get out there and meet people and get chattin'? Or are you more of a flying-under-the-radar type of person like me? Do share!

Adventure Twofer

I'm sure I've embraced several adventures over the last couple of months. And, when I have the time, I'll go back and post about some of them. In the meantime, I thought I'd just mention two adventures I managed to have on the same day, just this past Tuesday.

First, I gave a Courageous Woman presentation to a group of 4th-6th-graders through Girls Incorporated of the Island City in Alameda, an island in the San Francisco Bay just west of Oakland. This is the closest branch to me of the national Girls Inc. organization, whose mission is to inspire girls to be smart, strong, and bold—definitely a goal I support!

My talk was about being a writer and, as might be expected, some of the girls were bored, some were too shy to participate, and a few had their hands up for every question. I had previously posted a request to my Freelance Success writer friends for some fun writing activities for kids of this age, and I ended up using a couple of them. One was passing around a piece of paper that had a sentence on it. The first girl had to write a sentence that followed mine and then pass it to the next girl, after covering my sentence with another piece of paper. So each girl only saw only the last sentence of the story as she added her own. The final result was very imaginative and the girls seemed to get a kick out of it, since they asked their counselor if they could have copies of it.

Then I gave each girl a Post-It note with a characteristic written on it—for example, angry, impatient, sick, etc. Their task was to write a few sentences describing a fictional character with that trait, but without being allowed to actually use the word in the description. The purpose was for them to learn to “show, not tell” in their writing and I think it worked really well; even those girls who only wrote one sentence seemed to get the concept. (Of course, there was one girl who wrote an entire story, bringing back memories of having been a total keener myself in school...)

After they read their work, the other girls had to guess what the characteristic was, and in most cases they got it right away—although there were a couple of more challenging ones. For example, one girl, Jasmine, had written something like, “John and Bob hit Tom across the head with a board.” The girls shouted out “mad,” “mean,” and “cruel,” but Jasmine shook her head. Then another girl called out “rude,” and Jasmine nodded. I was a little taken aback but, on reflection, I would definitely have to agree that hitting somebody across the head with a board is pretty rude... :)

After the talk, I headed up to Berkeley, a little further north in the East Bay, and had dinner with a woman I had met in an online writing class two years ago and had been keeping in touch with via e-mail since then. She actually lives in Germany, but was visiting her sister in the States, and it just happened to work out great that she was close to the area where I was doing the talk anyway. We had a great meal at a Salvadoran restaurant and chatted about our various writing endeavors (and other stuff too!).

Yep, definitely a good day.

Accidental Adventure

Today's guest blogger: James W. Coates

Thanks so much for inviting us here to share our adventures, Elizabeth. I'm the National Park Expert at Nomadik, but I've also traveled the world extensively and this story took place during a trek across Africa...............

We were on the road less than an hour when we got our first flat tire. My blood boiled as I got off the bike to inspect—we'd be late again! Then my friend Yarou, drove off and left me all alone on a dry dusty road at mid-morning in backcountry Benin, Africa.

Stranded, I checked my bearings. Except for a lone woman walking toward town swaddled in bright reds and greens, the road was deserted. I started walking and met with similar women, bowls of food and water balanced perfectly on their heads. They spoke in Bariba and I answered them quickly, trying to catch up to my friend.

The sun hung low in the sky, fog draped across the dry savannah. A slight chill pierced the air but I knew in a few hours it would be extremely hot and relished the comfort of cooler air. Through the fog, the sparse trees and burnt grasses looked hazy, almost eerie, like a forest graveyard.

When I finally spotted Yarou's famous yellow cap, I had been walking for over twenty minutes. We'd never make the meeting. Frustrated, I cut into the village and joined him.

Taking a seat on a fallen log facing our broken motorbike, I quickly noticed three young men busily playing a board game to my left. I crossed my foot over my knee and smelled the food simmering over the open fire not far from where I sat.

Looking past the boys, I saw an old man scrunched up like a Muppet. At first I thought he was wearing flesh-colored mittens but after closer examination I realized that he simply had no hands, just stumps. When he noticed me staring, he smiled a big gaping smile—no teeth either. I smiled back, quickly breathing a sigh of thanks for my hands.

My mood began to lift and I knew this moment would never repeat itself so I quickly pulled my notebook from my pack and scribbled down what I saw. Taking a break, I looked up to find numerous young boys gathered around me watching me write. They made comments to each other and smiled at me ceaselessly. Though we spoke different languages, we used body language and grunts to connect.

We never made it to the meeting, and I no longer remember why it was so important. But my accidental memories are still as vivid and clear as if it just happened and that I will never forget.

James W. Coates
National Park Expert

Dare To Not Compare

One of my talents of dubious value is the ability to remember great lines from movies and TV shows that I haven't seen in years. One of my favourites is from an episode of Cheers where Sam's smarter, richer, more handsome and talented brother comes to town and impresses everyone in the bar, especially Diane. Not used to feeling inferior to anybody, Sam lets down his guard and confesses his insecurities to Carla, who commiserates with him about her own nemesis.

Carla: I know exactly how you feel, Sammy. I've got this sister... She's five-foot TWO... Her husband NEVER takes a drink before noon... And she's a BEAUTICIAN!

Talk about raising the bar! :) Although the specifics may not be the same, I think everybody can relate to Carla's frustration. I know I can.

Despite having been a professional writer for more than a decade, I'm still very much a newbie when it comes to writing for magazines. One of the best things I've done to help me develop in this area was joining an organization called Freelance Success. FLX, as it is known, is a community of freelance writers, many of whom have been writing for newspapers and magazines for years and who generously share information and advice that I could never find elsewhere.

And while I couldn't be more appreciative of the help and support I've received there, sometimes hearing other people's success stories leaves me feeling rather underwhelmed by my own baby steps. For example, one of my favourite aspects of the group is that we're encouraged to “toot our own horns,” when we've broken into a new market, published a first essay, negotiated a better raise, etc. Most of the time, I find these postings incredibly inspiring, proof that patience does pay off and you can stand up for yourself and be rewarded for it.

But I'd be lying if I said I never felt a little intimidated or envious when reading these posts. X broke into this market that rejected my pitch—she must be a better writer. Y walked away from a job because their contract had bad terms—I've signed all-rights contracts without raising a peep. He's a better businessman.

These feelings aren't limited to my career, either. I have a lot of friends who are really athletic—they run, ski, skate, bike, play ball, play hockey, etc. As for me, I used to play on an Ultimate team, but my most useful contribution was writing the cheer that each team would sing to the other at the end of every game. Even in areas where I feel like I'm stretching myself, like some of my travel adventures, there will always be others who invariably go farther, faster, harder... Nope, I can't compete.

But wait. Is it a competition? Of course not. So I may not be as good a writer or businessperson or athlete or even (gasp!) adventurer as some of these other people. Well, hey... I'm not them. On the other hand, they're not me. Is it possible that some of these people that I look up to (and, yes, envy), may actually feel the same way about me? In fact, one of my friends recently wrote me a note just to tell me how much she admired me for travelling to far-off lands on my own. Others have called me brave for being willing to give up a high-paying job to start my own business as a freelance writer. Apparently, some people do actually look up to me. Imagine that.

If you only ever do things that you know you're going to excel at, you're not going to enjoy an adventurous life. The entire idea of adventure is to put yourself out there and try something new, without knowing how it's going to turn out. So next time you find yourself comparing yourself unfavourably to someone else, whatever the circumstances, take your cue from Carla and define success in your own terms:

Sam: So, you're saying that I'm just as good as my brother?

Carla: Are you kidding? You're not even as good as my sister... But I still love you the best.

Writing and Travelling: Two Sides of the Same Coin

If I group the adventures I've had into categories, it's very easy to see which ones have had the most impact on my life: writing and travel. But then that might not be too surprising when you realize how similar these two activities are.

Sure, writing tends to be more of a mental activity and travel more physical (unless you're really into aerobic typing), but I think they actually have a lot more qualities in common. After all, whenever I do either one, I'm usually:

• Talking to people I might never have met otherwise
• Trying something different, with no idea of how it's going to turn out in the end
• Pushing myself beyond my previous limits
• Learning more about the world outside my doors
• Relying on my patience, flexibility, and sense of humour to get me through the inevitable tough times

No wonder I love them both!

One of my hopes for next year is that I'll finally be able to combine my two favourite types of adventures into one with the ultimate goal of being able to legitimately call myself a “travel writer.” I know it will require a strong and focused effort on my part, but I'm up for the challenge!

What is Adventure?

About a year and a half ago, I had the occasion to interview Phil Keoghan, host of The Amazing Race and author of No Opportunity Wasted, for an article in Real Simple magazine. Here's a quote from him in that article:

“Adventure is anytime you step outside your comfort zone and do something new.”

I couldn't agree with Phil more.

Adventure has a lot less to do with what the activity is than with the attitude that you bring to it. So, for example, if you wouldn't hesitate to jump out of a plane at 10,000 feet, then bungee-jumping or whitewater rafting might not be a big adventure for you. But if you've always avoided speaking in public and you sign up to teach a course at the local community college, voila! You're officially an adventurer.

Here are a few other examples that may or may not qualify as adventures in your life:

• Signing up for a swing dancing class
• Trying a new recipe that calls for ingredients you've never heard of
• Going to a speed dating event
• Going on any date
• Traveling to a country where you don't speak the language
• Writing a letter to the editor
• Volunteering for a committee at work

Oh. And, um...

• Starting a blog :)

What examples do you have? What kind of adventures have you done or hope to do in the future? What is it about them that makes them an adventure in your mind?

Share your thoughts in the comment form below. I look forward to hearing your thoughts!