The Lone Drone

I’ve moved my writing over to CopybyChelsea.com.

It’s not just that my husband says Lone Drone reminds him of Star Wars, it’s really that I haven’t been a Lone Drone for a while now. One day I’ll get back to it, but until then…

Go read my posts at CopybyChelsea.com.

Thanks!

Ok, well, maybe a little. But, I like to blame it on a nagging desire I’ve had lately to rebrand this blog from the ground up.

Thing is, I don’t work from home anymore. Haven’t worked from home since August, to be exact. Writing a blog centered around the “Lone Drone” idea makes me think I’m fooling myself. (Not fueled at all by my husband saying it reminds him of Star Wars. Not a bit.)

Yes, one day I hope to work for myself, be my own boss, and do it all from home. Unfortunately, I don’t see that happening at any time in the near future. I’m ok with that, gives me something to keep working toward.

I’ve been asking myself a lot of questions lately about all of it. What do I really want out of this blog? What do I need my personal brand to reflect online? How can I leverage my blog/website/online presence to get me what I want out of a career? (Lots of buzz words, I know, but I don’t know how else to put it.)

What I do know is that I want to be more social online and offline. I want to find new opportunities that will help me develop professionally. I want to get involved in new causes that I truly care about and want to fight for. I want to learn new skills that will help me get to where I need to be.

One day, I’m sure, I’ll figure all of this out.  Until then, you’ll probably see my blog (or website, or whatever format I may be working on at the time) go under the knife for a face lift from time to time.

I’d like to think of it like owning a home. At some point you’re going to have to replace the windows, build an addition or remodel. It’s a work in progress. And I like that.

“I’m not telling you it is going to be easy. I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it.” – Art Williams

Today I embraced my inner geek and attended WordCamp Miami 2010 at the University of Miami School of Communications.

I made some great connections, met some of my favorite social media and learned new tips and tricks to improve my WordPress blog.

After going through my notes tonight, here are the points that stuck with me:

• Follow the “cool kids” and the bloggers who win awards year after year for ideas on how to improve your blog. Work, not push, your way into their group. – From Daddy Blogger to Business Blogger, presented by Jim Turner (Genuine blog).
• “Fake it until you make it.” – Finding Your Blogging Voice, presented by Jess Jurick of (add)ventures.
• Set up a list of goals for your blog (traffic, audience, engagement, etc.) . Focus on your niche and remember it’s all about the content. – Make Your Blog Social, presented by Brian Breslin.
• Take a look at the experiences you have in your daily life and ask yourself, “how does this tell a story about who I am or what I do?” – Writing for a Professional Blog, presented by Angie Moncada of (add)ventures.

It was exciting to meet local bloggers like @hrbartender, @frugalista and @miamilauren. And a few non-locals like Jessica and Debbie from discovertci.com (Turks and Caicos).

Anyone who I forgot to follow or write down your email, please post a comment or send me a message on Twitter (@chelsead).

Thanks to everyone who put WordCamp Miami together, you did a great job!

If you’re wondering what the hell a career mosaic is, just read what Raven Moore the Writerbabe had to say about it (it’s great). She wrote this post last week that made me wonder if I may be developing my own career mosaic.

Fact is, whether you love it or not, you’re going to need a job that pays the bills. You may not love the job, you may not even like it, but it gets you by while you work toward a rewarding career.

Unfortunately, many of us find ourselves stuck in a “needless mind trap that decides you’ll need a job to define your talents and skills.”

I don’t need anyone telling me I’m a writer (or not). I don’t need a job to remind me that I love media. Just as I’m sure no one needs to tell a doctor they are actually a doctor or that they love medicine. The discussion is no longer about whether you are those things.

Actually, its connected to what you are doing with those skills. Talents and passions don’t diminish or disappear the minute your job doesn’t match what people are expecting to be your career.

With the few jobs I’ve had post-college I’d hardly consider myself a job-hopper, but I’ve already learned that sometimes a job is a job. Even though that job isn’t exactly what you imagined it to be, you’re still growing (and paying your bills).

According to my favorite Brazen Careerist, Penelope Trunk, telling anyone to “do what you love” is a horrible piece of career advice.

I am a writer, but I love sex more than I love writing. And I am not getting paid for sex. In fact, as you might imagine, my sex life is really tanking right now. But I don’t sit up at night thinking, should I do writing or sex? Because career decisions are not decisions about “what do I love most?” Career decisions are about what kind of life do I want to set up for myself?

So how could you possibly pick one thing you love to do? And what would be the point?

Apparently it’s just another sign that I’m a normal person when I feel overwhelmed with the task of doing what I love.

Penelope’s advice – find jobs that cater to your strengths. And if you can’t find that, just “do anything.” Finding a job that makes you feel valued in the community or helps you give back, can be rewarding.

Whether it’s the perfect job or not, it will help you make some cash while you’re trying to paint that perfect career mosaic.

What a relief. Thanks ladies.

I’ve always known that accidentally swapping baking soda for baking powder is at the top of many a baker’s worst nightmare playlist, but now I know why – by an unfortunate personal experience.

Mom had planned a food-filled barbeque dinner at her house Sunday afternoon. Never wanting to arrive empty handed, I decided that morning to make a quick batch of cornbread muffins.

I used the recipe from my handy-dandy Betty Crocker cookbook (encyclopedia of all American cooking basics), and I should note that this was a recipe I had used a few times before this fateful day.

So, as the story goes… I mixed up the batter (double batch), filled my muffin tins, popped the little suckers in the oven and waited the 15-min baking time.

It only took one bite to know something was wrong. Or, maybe it was just me? I gave one to the mister just to make sure. No, it wasn’t just me. Those things were crap.

Baking soda vs. baking powder = PAY ATTENTION TO THE RECIPE DUMMY!

And now I know…

How do you know when it’s safe to eat something you dropped on the floor? Yes, the five-second rule is a great start, but I’ve found something better.

Ask yourself some simple questions using the chart below and you’ll know if what you dropped on the floor is safe to eat.

Do you eat it? (via FlowingData)

This salad always reminds me of the holidays. Because it’s light and sweet, it can be a great side to any Thanksgiving or Christmas feast.

If I were making it for anytime other than the holidays, during a time when I’m less likely to fall prey to the perils of holiday eating (aka. stuffing my face), I would definitely modify the dressing and cut back on all the sugar. Even though it does make the salad almost like dessert, I think you could let the strawberries be the sweetest part of the salad.

With or without all the sugar, it sure is fantastic. Give this recipe a try and let me know how it goes.

Spinach salad with strawberries and poppy seed dressing

Dressing:
1/4 – 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp chopped onion
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp Worcestershire
1/2 cup oil (your choice)
1 tbsp poppy seeds

Salad:
2 packages fresh baby spinach
1 qt. strawberries, sliced
2 – 4 oz. sliced almonds, toasted

Combine the first five ingredients in a blender. Blend, scraping the sides of the pitcher (is that what you call the top part of the blender?).

Add oil gradually to the combined ingredients. Blend until smooth. Add poppy seeds last.

It’s that simple.

Office potlucks – just one of many things you don’t have to worry about when you’re working from home. But then again, it’s also just another fun thing you miss out on when you’re away from the office.

Now that I’m an office newbie again, I’m a little stressed about it. What do I bring? Will everyone like it? How much time do I have to put into my dish? How much is it going to cost? Oy.

So, what did I do? Googled it, of course.

What I found was a fantastic diagram on “How to Determine What To Bring To A Holiday Potluck.” Though the diagram is entertaining, it wasn’t much help.

Holiday Potluck diagram

Then I took the most logical method to determine what to bring to an office potluck – I called Mom.

With her fantastic help, I decided to bring a not-so-traditional holiday favorite, a spinach salad with strawberries, almonds and a homemade poppy seed dressing. Yum.

I’m still a little stressed about whether everyone is going to like it as much as I do, but at least I decided on something. You gotta start somewhere, right?

What’s your favorite dish to bring to office potlucks? Have any horror stories of some scary dishes you’ve witnessed at a potluck?

You know, nothing says happy Thanksgiving like getting smacked in the face with a ham…

It’s almost as good as her losing her pants at the Miami Wine & Food Festival, almost. I heart Paula Deen.