balance — Page 2

Michael and I were supposed to travel up to Vermont this weekend for an incredible Labor Day Food, Wine, & Rejuvenation retreat. There were going to be daily fitness classes. Kayaking. A field trip to the Green Mountain Sugar Shack. Hot tubbing. A fire pit. A folk and blues festival. Food and wine pairings. Lots of other things. OH MY GOD IT WAS GOING TO BE INCREDIBLE.

Then, Hurricane Irene happened, and Vermont was hit pretty damn hard. The retreat, understandably, was canceled.

My yoga instructor told me I have to find a fun replacement for those canceled plans.

But here’s the thing.

Most of the time, I’d rather be working than doing anything else.

I don’t do relaxing. I don’t do vacations. I don’t do downtime (though I’ve been getting a little bit better at this). This was honestly the first trip I’ve been excited for since I went to Austria at the age of 20 (and that was 11 years ago, yo). I don’t know that I can make this weekend live up to what it was supposed to be. And that makes me seriously bummed.

So I’m sorry about this, but I’m going to have to live vicariously through you. I know it’s a lot of pressure, but I’m going to have to insist that you step away from the computer this weekend and really live it up. And then tell me about it.

In the meantime, I’m going to a potluck tonight (I made mini quiches with leeks and maple bacon!). I’m going to attend yoga class every damn morning.

And I’m going to think wistfully of the maple wonderland that is VT, and what could have been…

About two and a half years ago, I bloggedÂ about feeling limited by the sex writing niche I’d found myself in. Since then, I’ve been an editor at a web magazine featuring content on love and sex, I’ve had my own sex column, I’ve co-written an ebook with Ian Kerner on spicing up your sex life, I’ve been interviewed as an expert on vibrators, and more. When all is said and done, I suppose the sex writing thing has been good to me.

Still, it’s tough to continue getting mileage out of that first sex party I attended five years ago, or that one time I posed nude for a portraitist. Plus, even sex gets boring!

Which is why, in this month’s edition of Word Nerd News, I urged readers to get the hell out of the house and live a little.

I even gave them some homework:

1. Step away from your laptop at least once a week, and try something new.

2. Develop at least three story ideas based upon that one experience, or that one nifty person you met.

3. Send out those queries, dammit.

4. Land some fabulous assignments.

5. Collect a ton of money and immediately spend it all on books and handbags.

The part about handbags is optional, but I’m dead serious about the rest of it. Which is why I’m giving you the exact same assignment.

And just so you don’t think I’m slacking (I may be wearing PJs and bunny slippers at 1:01 p.m., but I’m definitely not a slacker), I’ll take one of the experiences mentioned in my newsletter and do the assignment, too. Here. Let me start us off.

1. My Experience: I hung out at the Trojan Vibrations Truck to talk vibrators and promote sexual health awareness.

2. My Three, Related Story Ideas:

how to use toys to enhance foreplay
what elseÂ I wish I could buy at my local Stop & Shop (playing off the idea that Trojan wants to display their new line at the supermarket, right next to their condoms, as a means of normalizing discussions about sexual health)
required reading for your progressive sex ed curriculum (playing off the latest stories of the new sex ed mandates in NYC)

3. Sending out those queries. Dammit. I’ll have them out by tomorrow. I swear.

Okay. It’s your turn. Feel free to share your stories and brainstorm ideas in the comments section of this post!

And if you’re not yet signed up to receive Word Nerd News, get on that, yo!

Spill It: Are You Working Through the Long Weekend?

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