Allie Potts's Blog, page 30

Communication failure – kindergarten style

My eldest son noticed that we changed the calendar at the house and asked me what month it now was. “It’s September now,” I told him. You could see the gears inside his head turn as he processed this news. “So next is October, and then November?” he asked.

“You got it.” I replied, happy that he was remembering his kindergarten lessons so well.

“That means it is almost my birthday!” He announced. “I need to start working on my wish list.”

I gave him some paper, moved his pencil and crayons within...

Inspiration under September’s sun

The close of August may mean the unofficial end of summer, but in my area it also means the beginning of the collegiate football season, or gridiron as it is known in much of the rest of the world. I never moved far after graduating from college, allowing me the opportunity to attend a number of games each season. Occasionally the boys come along too, at least once per season. There are a number of rival schools in the area, and we don’t want to risk that they might actually favor one of the...

Getting back to reality

When my youngest son graduated from crib to big boy bed we purchased a mattress liner just in case there were accidents. A few days later, I received an impassioned plea from the manufacturer begging me to write a review of their product. They were a small business and lived and died by their reviews. As an independent author, I can relate, but I found myself in a quandary. While the product had arrived on time and fit on the bed, my son had thankfullynot given me a reason to test its overall...

It is hard to keep a closed mind on the open road

I spent the majority of my recent business trip in Hong Kong, but not all of it. I ventured into mainland China towards the end of my stay into a city I’d never visited before. Though Hong Kong is considered one of China’s assets, it is its own country and there are quite a number of differences between the two. One of the most noticeable, for the casual traveler, is how traffic is handled. Hong Kong has one of the best public transportation systems I have ever experienced. I rarely needed a...

Maintaining an appetite for new things

The first time you visit another country everything is new and notable. The sounds that chirp and chime at crosswalks are as foreign to your ears as the language. You find yourself laughing at signage that means something completely different at home than what the shopkeeper intended. But its a different experience when you are a repeat visitor. It’s easy to ignore what you’ve already seen before.

I explored a lot during my last visit. It gave me something to do. My visit this time is shorter...

Time away from home

A room with a view – Hong Kong Harbor

If I sound a little off, it is for good reason. The day job has sent me to Asia for the week which is twelve hours different from my home time zone and a sixteen hour flight. I am thrilled to still be sitting upright at this point.

My last visit was several years ago, before I had any children. At that time I had been wedged into a seat in economy class, or cattle class as we like to call it. I remain convinced that the bed in my hotel room was actually jus...

Is that a fire hydrant or a really odd garden gnome?

German garden gnome (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

After staring at my computer screen for hours, I decided to go for a walk at lunch as a way to recharge.There is a secluded nature park within a short walk that can be reached by passing through the adjacent residential area. It’s not particularly impressive, but it at least gives me a destination to go to when I need some fresh air.

It had been a partially cloudy day which had allowed me to walk at a rather brisk pace without worrying that I would...

Amazon’s call to action

#185650339 / gettyimages.com

I receive quite a bit of email on any given day, half of which are various email newsletters I don’t particularly recall signing up for. I delete the majority of these without doing more than scanning the headlines. One of these is from Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing group and usually details how such and such author is now making so much money, not only are they making enough writing to replace their full-time job, their significant other is also leading a life...

Working on the follow up project

When my eldest son was still in swaddling blankets I used to rock with him close. I thought asecond child could never be as special to me as my first. As my son grew into a little boy, this belief was only strengthened. He was quiet, polite, eager to please, and as helpful as anyone could expect a toddler to be. At the time, Ihad no interest in adding another child to our family. I believed I had hit the child temperament jackpot.Since cloning wasn’t really an option, I worried about having a...

A night out with my prince

It has been more than fifteenyears since I went on a date with anyone other than my husband, but Saturday afternoon I found myself looking forward to doing just that.

I made sure to pick out a dress that was sure to please. A combination of slacks and nice blouse just wasn’t going to do. As I came down the stairs, my date was already there and I took satisfaction in the smile that broke across his face.

“Mom! You are a pretty princess!” he exclaimed.

In his next breath, my son amended his commen...