Ten Things I Love About . . . New York City
Continuing my blog series, “Ten Things I Love About . . . . ” because it’s a great way to stay positive, and I’m showing rather than telling. Anytime you’re looking for things to love about any topic, you are keeping your focus positive, and keeping your energies aligned, which allows great things to come to you. So here’s the next installment, and not an easy one for me, as I am not a fan of big city life at all. So here we go!
2. Broadway Plays! We saw The Addams Family this time, and we had an absolute blast. The songs, the dancing, the comedy. I’ve only seen a couple in my lifetime, and I think everyone should see at least once such show. It would be on my Bucket List for sure, if I had never done it.
3. Friendly Taxi Drivers. I always talk to my cab drivers, and find most of them to be very friendly. I always ask if they like job, and they almost universally say yes. You don’t find much happier people than those who like their jobs. It’s one of the secrets to life, having a job you love or at least like a lot. And happy people are friendly people. I also overtip, because I’m not there running around in cabs every day like natives are. So it’s not going to break me to be a little generous to the cabbies.
This year, I came home with another book that I think will become an equally invaluable resource, Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat. I just started reading the book, but from what I’ve heard, and what I’ve read so far, I think it’s going to be another one of those rare gems that feed my muse. I can hardly wait to finish it and apply what I learn.
5. Inspiration. I watched and listened and wept with everyone else in the room as Sherrilyn Kenyon gave one of the most moving Luncheon speeches I’ve ever heard. You can find the text on her Facebook page, here (if you’re on FB):
http://www.facebook.com/notes/sherrilyn-kenyon/keynote-speech/10150227610525810
From now on, whenever I feel like whining about career setbacks or unfairness, I’ll just re-listen to this speech.
7. Meeting New People (again!) It’s just good enough to qualify for two slots in my top ten list. Because this time, it refers to editors from Harlequin offices all over the world, including Italy, Spain, Japan, Germany, France, The Netherlands, the UK, Australia and I just know I’m leaving someone out. As I sat in the Author’s forum and they all introduced themselves, I thought there was probably not another publisher in the entire hotel that day, who could do the same. Powerful people are publishing my prose, (she said, in an avalanche of alliteration.) I need three more things, but I also met a mother & daughter from Ohio at the Dangerfield Comedy Club, and countless others during the course of last week. And I enjoyed all of it.
8. Seeing old friends. I caught up with some of the people I only get to talk with online, and had such a rush of appreciation for them. And I got to see my friend Sharon Sala win the RWA Lifetime Achievement Award, which just touched my heart and soul and made me cry. What a beautiful, wonderful lady. The Reba of Romance, indeed.
9. The Food! Everything we ate was wonderful, if wildly expensive. It’s good to treat yourself from time to time, though, right? And there’s no cheesecake like authentic New York cheesecake, after all.
10. Um, coming home. Yeah, I know, that’s not exactly about NYC, but in a way it sort of is. The city is the opposite of my Serenity in just about every imaginable way. It’s loud, Serenity is quiet, except for the birds signing, and the dogs snoring. At least it is until neighbor John fires up his new concert speakers which can be heard a mile away, especially when he gets toasted and sings Karaoke to them. Yeah. 😉 The air is clean, and it’s very solitary. There are no crowds of people. Just peace. I love it here, and going away, especially to a big city, much less THE big city, makes me appreciate coming back home more than ever. And that’s a good thing!
So that’s my list!
Don’t forget that Vacation with a Vampire is now on sale! And I’ll be back soon with another Ten Things I Love About… post.
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