When you have the choice of washing the kitchen floor or blogging, and you choose washing the floor, something is very wrong!

What happened to the days when I could turn anything – any impression, any experience, any simple thought – into a cohesive (and sometimes even engaging!) blog post?  When I first started this blog in 2006, and for about two or three years thereafter, I couldn’t get through a day without writing.  It was like breathing to me. 

I wrote about nothing – like my menopause merchandising idea.  I made drama out of the simplest experiences – like the time I met a man with no wedding ring for lunch.  I started/propagated rumors.  I compiled family recipes that are still accessed from my blog year after year.  I just plain had FUN with this blog, answering to on one, adhering to no particular theme, and not really expecting anything from my blog except what I put into it.

What I got from it, though, were friendships from around the world and a sense of belonging with a very special community of fellow bloggers… and even the most beautiful antique teacup and saucer from my mystery reader.  It sits in our living room on our grand piano and I STILL have no clue who gave it to me!  (Are you still there, oh beloved mystery reader?)

And then there’s my ever faithful reader, Anon, who always (always!) has something snarky and rude to say after each one of my posts and who wouldn’t leave even when I asked her to.  It must be a love/hate relationship at some level for Anon… and I must admit, I’ve even come to read those comments with a sense of affection because – well, hey, she hasn’t left yet; she must get something from my recent ever-so-boring posts!

I know the culprit.  It’s Facebook, where posting is easy and almost thoughtless, where an impression can be documented in a second rather than an hour, where feedback is immediate and personal, and where there’s very little sense of permanency or cohesiveness to one’s presence.  Can I do both?  Can I come back to my blog, posting more than a bunch of pictures accompanied by very few words?  Can I go back to actual thoughtful posts about whatever the hell I’m thinking and experiencing without the pressure of “making it good”? 

I don’t know, but I’m gonna try, now that I have no permanent job and am back to yet another crossroad in my life. 

This is the sound of the Universe clicking

About a month before I was laid off from The Gottman Institute, I received a call on my “Gottman phone” in my home office.  Since most calls I received on that line were customer service calls that I ultimately forwarded on, I usually let the calls go to voicemail and would triage them from there. 

For some reason that I still can’t pin-point, I decided to answer this particular call.  It was someone from Canada who was looking specifically for me, saying that he had seen my information on LinkedIn and was hoping to contact me via my current employer.  He went on to tell me that he was interested in my expertise as an educational kids’ game designer.

At that point I was definitely listening, as designing and developing educational media for kids is my primary passion and what I consider the primary focus of my career.  As anyone in this field knows, though, something happened around 2001 when many of us were laid off from kids’ gaming companies that were suddenly going under and we ended up taking positions in other industries, such as banking, high-tech, and non-profits.  I ended up first at a few non-profits, developing and managing the development of media, then at Microsoft, managing content development and technical marketing projects, and finally with The Gottman Institute, directing their Professional Development department.  Each job presented different challenges and rewards, but none captured my heart as my position as one of the first five members of what’s now Disney Interactive, or as a designer of the Blue’s Clues computer games, or re-designer of Edmark’s House series, had. 

I longed to return to the realm of kids’ educational media and, when I was stunned by the lay-off from TGI two weeks ago, the first thing I did was begin designing a website for my new company, in which I would “manage and mentor media that matters.” The website is still not complete – mostly because I’ve been busy ramping up for my new gig!  (And also because I’ve been very sick; that’s for another post!)

As it turns out, I did answer the phone that morning and I heard about a game that an established Canadian company wanted to make for elementary school-aged kids.  I told them that I’d happily consult with them for free this time, but that in the future I’d need to charge my consultation rate – especially because I had a full-time job and would have to “squeeze it in.”  I gave them my very honest opinion about their planned game, suggesting that they make some fairly significant changes.  They embraced the feedback and came back for more, which I would fit in early in the day or late at night. 

Then I got laid off and wrote them a “you’ll never guess what just happened” e-mail and… well, here I am!

I’ll be somewhat vague for now in describing exactly what I’ll be doing and for whom, but suffice it to say that I’ll be designing and project managing an educational game about “community” that will focus on my favorite age group, kids in primary and elementary grades.  I expect this to be a full-time gig from home, with occasional trips to Montreal Toronto, and I expect it to last through summer.

Yes, sometimes the universe really does just click!

“Annie”!

My three nieces, Hannah, Abbi, and Olivia, have been singing and acting since practically the day they were born.  It has almost been pre-determined for them, as their mother is a musical theater director by profession and she has the voice of an angel. 
Being in the same room with my nieces means being treated to their collective singing voices, as they are always singing – together and alone.  All that singing and acting energy was concentrated recently in the Sunnyvale Community Players presentation of “”Annie,” in which Abbi played "Annie, Hannah played Grace Farrell, and Olivia played Molly. I was choked up with pride during the entire production, silly aunt that I am! 
How I wish we’d been allowed to take photos or video during the production itself, but “Annie” is copyrighted, so the best I could do (other than a quick snapshot grabbed by my brother, is a photo of them after the production ended.

Each of these girls has gobs of talent and big things are in store for them.  And just think – now you can say you “knew” them when!

Elisabeth’s “Angry Birds” cake

Look what Elisabeth made Danny for his birthday:

It’s an Angry Birds cake!  I never knew my daughter was a baker!  It took her about 5 days to make this cake. 

Here’s a little tour in pictures:

And THEN… (Gasp!!):

Is it OK for a mom to brag on her daughter’s behalf?  Because really, I think this is pretty amazing! 

The Gottman Institute broke up with me

It wasn’t me, it was them.

But still, I’m sad.  I went from Microsoft where I really had no core-level belief in their “mission” (if you can call it that) to TGI, where I had – and still have – an absolute core-level belief in their mission.  What the Gottman Institute does for couples and relationships is astounding, and wonderful, and life-changing, and I am so incredibly proud to have been part of that.

Like many companies that evolve from passion and a deep commitment to a good cause, TGI grew as a business almost in spite of itself.  It grew because John’s sound research and Julie’s amazing clinical ability are exemplary, and because people relate to– and many people desperately need -- what they have to offer. 

To their credit, they didn’t bring in a bunch of MBAs to run the business.  But I don’t think they were ready for me.  I came in with extensive business experience, from product development to marketing to training to project management, and for a year I was in constant “C’mon!  We can DO this!” mode. “Let’s re-brand!  Let’s market!  Let’s offer our trainings online!  Let’s get our products on the front table at Barnes & Noble!  Let’s develop a strong social media presence!” (That, we did, and it is rocking, thanks to a few very passionate people.) 

“C’mon!!”

They’ll get there, but first they had to make some tough cuts.  As much as I hate losing that job, I agree with where they made the cuts – at the department head/director level.  Now they have a core team of people who can go head-down and work hard at building the business from the ground up.  The passion for the mission is still very much there.  But now they have to grow the business. 

They’ll grow again and they’ll need strong leadership… and just like a jilted lover, I’ll be there when that time comes.  

For now, I’m at the very beginning stages of my next venture – and adventure.  I’m going to start my own business!  You’ll be hearing more as my plans percolate, but suffice it to say that there’s a reason that www.carolsnider.com was available!