Desert Magnolia

There comes a time in every semester when it's time to deliver. There are papers and presentations, prep for finals, registration for next clinic, then next semester, etc. It all seems to happen in a period of two weeks, and the pressure is palpable. This week so far I've attended a mandatory clinic competency training session, prepared for and taken an Herbs quiz, completed and presented a Nutrition paper on the Mediterranean Diet (which is super cool if you haven't already learned about it! www.oldwayspt.org has tons of info for inquiring minds), reviewed my schedule for next term, chosen three possible clinic slots (we do a lottery that gets super ugly super fast as clinic slots fill up and schedules get wonky), begun and am now prepared to complete a paper for Clinical Counseling due tomorrow (complete with presentation...) on Bipolar Disorder. Oh, and I cranked out an article, posted said article (and tailored social media posts as well) for one of my clients. N

I just finished this book, by Jill A. Davis, and I loved it! Davis is a master character crafter, and doesn't hold punches when it comes to brutal self-awareness and exploration. She used to write for Letterman, and her style reflects a quick wit and very keen observation of human character which resonate throughout the book. It made me laugh, feel moderately to mostly uncomfortable at times, and also made me realize how intense and endless the road to ourselves really is. Oh, and it does a great job of portraying strange and wonderful friendships, a favorite topic of mine. I loved the characters, all of them, though the heroine was fabulous. This book will make you take a(nother) look at yourself, of course, but that's never bad anyway, and the story will hold you in its grip from beginning to end! Enjoy!

I spent years writing copy. Marketing copy. PR copy. Website content. Collateral copy. Social media copy. There were times when I had to dig deeply to produce words that did their jobs, granted, but mostly I could just remember my basic premise/goals/objectives and something would percolate up. Lately I've been stymied here. I've been waiting for my muse to sprinkle magic idea dust on me that will then compel me to rush to my laptop and share with you. The muse has been messin' with me, so I've decided to resort to plumbing my own depths and motivation and see what I can come up with. First, why am I doing this in the first place? When I began Desert Magnolia I desperately needed a venue for my own thoughts. Spending my career spinning and generating ideas for commercial purposes had exhausted me in some ways but offered no outlet for my creativity or my own voice. So, I started this blog. Second, once the initial euphoria of having an actual, dedicated venue o