Category Archives: Fashion

Living creatively stylishly

My life in healthcare information technology

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The most pleasurable thing in the world for me is to see something and then to translate how I see it.
– Ellsworth Kelly, American painter, sculptor, and printmaker

John, me, and Jack practicing our "author poses" for our book jackets, The Orange Grove, Syracuse University, May 1990.

John, me, and Jack practicing our “author poses” for our book jackets, The Orange Grove, Syracuse University, May 1990.

When I’m not blogging on weekends and weeknights, trying to work on my novel on vacation time, and being a mom, wife, chauffeur, cook, housekeeper, and errand runner, I write about healthcare information technology (IT). It is, as they say, my day job. I’ve been writing about this industry since 2003, when my good friend Jack from grad school co-founded his business-to-business publishing company and asked me to leverage my experience working for a major health insurance carrier to write about the IT that insurers deploy. I free-lanced for his company, interviewing and writing articles about an industry that was initially new to me, for the next seven years.In 2010, I joined the company, now a media company, full-time. The previous year I had worked on a big project for a major client of ours, writing numerous case studies and a lengthy executive summary. It was a baptism by fire, as I’d never done a project of this magnitude before and it was crossing from the familiar territory of editorial to the uncharted waters of marketing. We took on more projects of this nature, and I became the sole custom content writer for these special projects. I had moved over, as purists scornfully or jokingly say, to the “dark side.”

My company mugshot.

My company mugshot.

As journalists, your interviewees, PR people, marketers, and the like do not see what you’ve written until it’s published. The separation of church and state is protected and preserved. What I write, however, is edited, reviewed, and approved by as many as several departments. They are our customer, after all. On a high note, a well-known industry visionary from a major global company merely added one sentence to my white paper and told his marketing director that I was his new favorite writer. On a low note, I’ve had a client redline what I’ve written to the point of non-recognition – in other words, if I had a byline, it would have to be deleted because it was no longer mine. Sometimes, you just never know, which makes each project somewhat of a blank slate. It’s my way of living on the edge, professionally speaking.

Why healthcare IT is important to you and me
Pressure and uncertainty aside, I enjoy what I do. Healthcare IT is an important industry that touches everyone because we are all patients – most if not all of us have been in a hospital and gone to the doctor’s office. Two major pieces of legislation to come out of the Obama administration that impacts all of us is the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act (ACA), of 2010. Within ARRA is the HITECH Act, which essentially contains a number of incentive programs for the adoption of healthcare IT, especially electronic health records (EHRs) and health information exchange. ACA includes provisions that are more easily achieved through the adoption of healthcare IT, which is by design.

My company's back East, and I'm out West. I work at home, which enables me to wear such things as vegan leather pants at my office.

My company’s back East, and I’m out West. I work at home, which enables me to wear such things as vegan leather pants at my office.

I have seen the shift in both my primary care physician’s office and my kids’ pediatrician’s office from paper records to electronic records. Our pediatricians carry around their tablets and enjoy pulling up apps with their stylus pens. Gone are the shelves upon shelves of paper records in file folders. It is disruptive technology, for sure. EHRs were originally developed as a documentation tool so physicians could properly bill for the services they rendered in the traditional fee-for-service, or fee for volume, reimbursement world. Today, we are asking EHRs to document care, aggregate relevant patient information, and deliver the right information to the right clinician at the right time in order to improve the quality of care, clinical outcomes, and patient safety in a more streamlined, cost-effective manner. (We are also trying to shift to a pay-for-quality reimbursement model.) There are naysayers who want to eliminate EHRs and all healthcare IT because they are expensive, disrupt clinician workflow, create more work, and don’t do what they claim they will do. Privacy watchdogs warn of greater risk of data breaches. The technology has to continue to be re-engineered and vendors have to develop robust, reliable, and user-friendly technology (not just sell a bunch of software licenses that lock healthcare providers into long contracts with bad technology that clinicians don’t want to adopt). And policy has to continue to be refined so as to protect patient information.

A plum-colored sweater gets a boost with a Missoni scarf and bold Pam Hiran necklace (Anthropologie).

A plum-colored sweater gets a boost with a Missoni scarf and bold Pam Hiran necklace (Anthropologie).

We are getting there. It’s a painful growing process. Legislation was put into place to speed the inevitable. The healthcare industry is woefully behind, if you look at how the banking and financial services and retail industries have embraced technology. Consumers will demand it in healthcare. They are already demanding to communicate with their healthcare providers across various channels of their choice and wanting to interact in a way that is more convenient for them. According to the Pew Internet Project, 45 percent of American adults have smartphones. According to an industry survey, 53 percent of clinicians use smartphones and 47 percent use tablets in their healthcare work environment. Medical schools are incorporating healthcare IT into their curriculum. So, really, it’s only a matter of time before we achieve the same state of IT adoption that we enjoy in other industries. And it’s only a matter of time before you can be in another part of the country far from home, end up unconscious in the emergency room, and the physician who is treating you can pull up your EHR, see what medications you’re taking, what allergies you have, and what other health conditions you have, and therefore know what medications he or she can or cannot give you based on that critical information. That’s why I take pride in what I write. This is important stuff. Admittedly, some topics are more engaging than others. Vendor neutral archive, anyone? But my job is to make the topic engaging. My job is to entice healthcare executives, managers, and clinicians to read what I write. Whether writing fiction or nonfiction, a short story or chapter in a novel, or a blog or case study or white paper, I have one goal: To find the narrative and tell the story in a clear, concise, and engaging way.

I work at my home office, but I still dress up as a way to be disciplined and to take myself seriously while working.

I work at my home office, but I still dress up as a way to be disciplined and to take myself seriously while working.

Cocktail party topics
In my research, I learn so many things. For example, RAND Health reported that approximately 133 million Americans had a least one chronic illness in 2005, which is astounding to me. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, every year, chronic disease, which includes cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke, causes 70 percent of deaths in the U.S. and comprises approximately 75 percent of medical care spend. Our healthcare costs comprised 17.9 percent of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2012, and it’s expected to climb to 18.4 percent of GDP in 2017. And yet, up to 80 percent of chronic diseases can be prevented – mostly with lifestyle changes. The solution is both simple yet exceedingly difficult.Here are more interesting data. Did you know that persons aged 65 years or older numbered 39.6 million in 2009, which is 12.9 percent of the U.S. population or one in every eight Americans? By 2030, the number will grow to approximately 72.1 million older persons, or 19 percent of the population. The proportion of the global population over the age of 60 is projected to double from approximately 11 percent to 22 percent – from 605 million to 2 billion – between 2000 and 2050, according to the World Health Organization. Imagine the implications on our societies and economies to have countries with inverted pyramid populations?

Fun accessories complement the sequined birds.

Fun accessories complement the sequined birds.

In the U.S. we haven’t yet figured out how we are going to build a sustainable healthcare delivery system that will allow us to “age in place,” or grow old at home and not in an institutional setting. We have to look to other models in other countries. In Hong Kong, for example, instead of dispersing more funds to care for dependent citizens, the government is adding incentives to the same allocation of money if the patients’ functionality – which is the operative word – improves. We need to identify and support necessary enabling technologies to ensure a person’s maximum functionality so he or she can live productively within the community. Evidence exists that enabling an older person to stay at home saves money. Global aging, therefore, should be approached as both an opportunity for business and for improving the quality of life, rather than just a challenge or a burden, advocates argue. Now that’s exciting stuff to me, especially as I grow older.Writing about these challenges and paradigm shifts and potential technological solutions and visionary policies is an intellectual exercise for my brain. I’m learning so much; you could even call me a SME (subject matter expert), which is what I call my interviewees, in a number of topics. I have also had the opportunity to hone my presentation skills in webinars and before groups of healthcare professionals. Would I rather be writing novels and blogging? No doubt. But I’ve become a more thoughtful and careful writer and I have a better eye as an editor of my own writing through my industry writing through the years. I just need to clone me thrice to get everything done – something healthcare IT unfortunately can’t do. For that, we would have to turn to science fiction….

Have fun mixing black and white graphics. Throw in Carmela Rose vintage Lucite earrings, clear chunky bracelet etched with fun words from Anthropologie, MoMA 3D ring made of plastic (NYC), ruffled booties, skinny patent belt, and glossy red book bag from the Fickle Bag (Berkeley, CA).

Have fun mixing black and white graphics. Throw in Carmela Rose vintage Lucite earrings, clear chunky bracelet etched with fun words from Anthropologie, MoMA 3D ring made of plastic (NYC), ruffled booties, skinny patent belt, and glossy red book bag from the Fickle Bag (Berkeley, CA).

Celebrating the Monday Moms

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If you aren’t nurturing your self, what kind of mother can you be, anyway?
– Sandra Scofield, American novelist and essayist

When I was pregnant with my son in the spring of 2000, David and I signed up for a birthing class. We thought we were all set until a good friend of mine asked me if we were going to have a doula present for the birth. At the time, I had no idea what a doula was, let alone how to spell it, but instead of admitting ignorance I told my friend that we had decided against having a doula. And then when I went home after our lunch date, I quickly looked up the definition for doula, which is a labor coach. As all pregnant women discover, you are quickly inundated with both solicited and unsolicited advice. Natural birth/no drugs versus epidural, home versus hospital birth, vaginal versus Caesarean section delivery, disposable versus cloth diapers, bottle versus no bottle, mom’s milk versus formula, and the list goes on.

Six of us get together in the summer of 2003.

Six of us get together in the summer of 2003.

One piece of advice I took that I am still benefiting from is joining a mom’s group. In response to her experience as a first-time mother, Sherry Reinhardt founded Support Groups for Mothers in Berkeley in the late 1970s. As you prepare to welcome your new baby into the world, nobody tells you about the enormous life changes that leave you overwhelmed and isolated. You’re supposed to be overwhelmed with joy, not with exhaustion, uncertainty and ambivalence, and even sadness. I recalled a conversation I had with one of the moms, Stephanie, in my birthing class who was the first one in the group to deliver. We had been parked in our gliders, nursing our sons for what seemed like an eternity. My uniform of t-shirts and sweatpants never changed. We needed to get out of the house, and so we signed up for one of Sherry’s support groups.

Celebrating 10 years of the Monday Moms in 2010.

Celebrating 10 years of the Monday Moms in 2010.

We met at Sherry’s house for an hour, once a week on Monday afternoons for eight weeks. There were 10 of us. I remembered feeling intimidated – both by Sherry and some of the other moms, who had strong personalities and opinions to match. We talked through nursing issues, differed on vaccinations, and anguished over trying to get our babies to sleep through the night. One of the most ferocious fights David and I ever had was when I had to miserably listen to my son wail for what seemed like hours while David kept me from dashing out of bed and down the hallway to the nursery to rescue him. After three nights, my son began sleeping through the night. When our eight weeks were up, Sherry encouraged us to continue to get together regularly.

After a Sunday breakfast at Fat Apple's in Berkeley, December 2012.

After a Sunday breakfast at Fat Apple’s in Berkeley, December 2012.

And we did. We called ourselves the Monday Moms, though we met on a different day and took turns hosting the meetings each week. We created an eGroups account for group messages. We had potlucks for the entire families. The more adventurous and proactive in the group set up various activities such as trips to the Lawrence Hall of Science, the El Cerrito community pool, and Lake Anza. We swapped babysitting, so couples could go out to dinner without having to pay for a babysitter. We shared advice on daycare and preschools as some of us returned to full-time jobs outside of the house. We welcomed siblings into the mix.

Ready for Sunday breakfast with the Monday Moms, March 2013.

Ready for Sunday breakfast with the Monday Moms, March 2013.

When our kids entered kindergarten, we took a parenting support class with a licensed professional on Thursday evenings for six weeks. It was a huge change for the kids and us, and we had plenty to talk about in that class. I remember being very frustrated that my very well-behaved son was getting accolades in his kindergarten class but at home was throwing tantrums at will. Our facilitator explained that kids want to do well in their new, very structured surroundings because it’s expected of them. When they come home, however, they fall apart because they’ve expended their energy keeping it together all day. More importantly, they feel secure enough to act out, knowing that we love them unconditionally. While it was still difficult to deal with my son’s tantrums for the next few months, understanding the situation brought greater patience.

The horse t-shirt gets a polished look with a lace skirt, heeled booties, and a textured handbag.

The horse t-shirt gets a polished look with a lace skirt, heeled booties, and a textured handbag.

Along the way, we began to lose members of our tribe. After the first year, Marsha left. Her husband was on leave from his academic position at Brown University, so we knew they would be gone by the end of the year. It wasn’t a surprise, and yet it was still jarring to be minus one mom. And then Michelle moved to Colorado after finishing her doctoral program in developmental psychology and founded her own company based on a signing program for young children. Kate and her family moved to upstate New York, where their kids would be closer to both sets of grandparents. There were leaves of absences throughout the last 13 years – Fiona to New Jersey when her husband taught at Princeton for a year, Renu to India for a year where her husband’s company had a large office, and Sandy currently in Hong Kong for a second year where she’s teaching at an international school.

In 2010, we celebrated our first children’s 10th birthdays. We are entering our 13th year together, dealing with middle school, adolescence, assertions of independence. We’ve tried to meet monthly a few times the last several years – searching for that ideal day and time. The irony is that Marsha, whose in-laws live in Berkeley, is the person who gets us together when her family visits during the winter holidays and in the summer. We are trying again.

Carmela Rose vintage Lucite honeycomb earrings, vintage bracelet, Sundance stackable rings, and In God We Trust (NYC) ring.

Carmela Rose vintage Lucite honeycomb earrings, vintage bracelet, Sundance stackable rings, and In God We Trust (NYC) ring.

The thing about a mom’s groups is that you don’t choose who is in your group. It’s based on when your child is born, as it makes more sense to deal with developmental issues when the kids are the same age. We all have vastly different lives, live in different cities and our kids go to different schools, and our personalities and temperaments are varied. We started out as strangers having one thing in common – our first babies. Thirteen years later, I marvel at the bond we have formed, given the fact that we likely would not have gravitated to one another. Through the years, we have comforted one another over the deaths of our parents and our in-laws, and supported one of our moms who triumphed over cancer. The last time we got together, two Sunday mornings ago, instead of a free-for-all discussion, Mimi asked that we go around the table for a check-in, which was nice. It helped us to focus on one another and offer solicited advice. We are rapidly approaching those milestones – graduating to high school, graduating from high school, moving away to college. As scary as they are, there is a certain comfort in knowing that we have known each other since our kids were babies. That even as our kids have become less familiar with each other in the group and are growing up and onwards, we are still the Monday Moms.

Mixing textures again: horse t-shirt and lace skirt (Anthropologie), black booties, and Kate Spade textured handbag (Urbanity).

Mixing textures again: horse t-shirt and lace skirt (Anthropologie), black booties, and Kate Spade textured handbag (Urbanity).

Appropriate at Any Age: Removing “age” in “age appropriate”

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You can be gorgeous at thirty, charming at forty, and irresistible for the rest of your life.  – Coco Chanel, French fashion designer

These waxed shorts sit lower on the waist to lengthen the inseam. Chocolate opaque tights and booties lengthen the leg, and the dark-colored sweater jacket lengthens the entire frame. Add a touch of faux fur and vintage purse and you're ready to go.

These waxed shorts sit lower on the waist to lengthen the inseam. Chocolate opaque tights and booties lengthen the leg, and the dark-colored sweater jacket lengthens the entire frame. Add a touch of faux fur and vintage purse and you’re ready to go.

In the last year or so, I’ve come across a fistful of articles in women’s and fashion magazines that expound on what a woman of a certain age should or shouldn’t wear. One author said she had been told that women over 30 shouldn’t wear leather jackets anymore. Another article smugly noted that while older women are donning clothing items once deemed the domain of the younger woman, young women can triumphantly pull on shorts, with the knowledge that they are leaving the older women – their mothers – in the dust. Every time I read one of those articles, I got unnecessarily exasperated. I soon realized this was a waste of energy. I then calmed down and recalled a famous Coco Chanel quote: “I don’t care what you think about me; I don’t think about you at all.”

Is there such a thing as age appropriate? Should there be such a thing as age appropriateness? I would rather we remove the word “age” from the concept of age appropriate. Let’s talk about what is appropriate. Take those shorts, for example. Now make them “Daisy Duke” shorts, the kind in which the inseam length is a negative number. Maybe a handful of women would look good in them, but I’m certain I don’t want to see anyone’s cheeks hanging out, save for the ones on their faces.

Jean shorts and black opaque tights create a classic look. Keep it simple with black embellished t-shirt, belt, and leather jacket. But give it an edge with a red bag and studded booties.

Jean shorts and black opaque tights create a classic look. Keep it simple with black embellished t-shirt, belt, and leather jacket. But give it an edge with a red bag and studded booties.

I will submit that not all women – regardless of age – can wear shorts and feel comfortable in them. I grew up in the Central Valley of California, where the temperatures would remain in the 90s (degrees) late into the evening, but I would not wear shorts to school or to any social outing as a teenager because I was too self-conscious and felt exposed in shorts. Painfully shy, I deemed it a triumph when I finally felt comfortable enough to wear shorts in college. The operative word is comfortable and its subtext is confidence.

Vegan leather and Frye boots are softened by a creamy lace blouse and tights.

Vegan leather and Frye boots are softened by a creamy lace blouse and tights.

I submit that a lot of women of my age can wear shorts smartly and successfully – and appropriately. First of all, I don’t wear shorts to “look” or “feel” young. I wear shorts because I like a particular pair of shorts or like the look of it as part of an outfit, an ensemble. This is a very important point. I have my rules of thumb, though don’t think of them as rigid rules. Think of them as comfort levels. No matter what the style, they should fit – not tight or not baggy when they’re not supposed to be baggy. I don’t wear short-shorts. Inseam length is critical. While a three-inch inseam seems itty-bitty, it’s not so bad – if you really like the style, fabric, and/or print – to size up and let the waistband sit low. In the wintertime, you can wear opaque tights and look appropriate and sharp. If you feel the need to cover up and work your way up to a certain comfort level, wear boots. Regardless of comfort level, however, shorts and boots go hand in hand in cold weather.

Mixing vintage Miriam Haskell pearl necklace, reclaimed vintage bow necklace from Gorgeous and Green (Berkeley, CA), Carmela Rose reclaimed vintage earrings, beloved bumble bee bracelet purchased in Philadelphia, and chunky ring from Lava 9 (Berkeley, CA).

Mixing vintage Miriam Haskell pearl necklace, reclaimed vintage bow necklace from Gorgeous and Green (Berkeley, CA), Carmela Rose reclaimed vintage earrings, beloved bumble bee bracelet purchased in Philadelphia, and chunky ring from Lava 9 (Berkeley, CA).

The only time I don’t wear tights with shorts is when it’s super casual and I’m at home or at a sporting event. In the Bay Area, our summers are famously cool and foggy most of the time, so you can get away with tights and shorts across seasons. In the summertime, I wear shorts with flats or wedges or platforms, but never with heels, especially spiky heels. That’s where my comfort level ebbs. While shorts oftentimes conveys casual and informal, I like dressing up shorts, as a style statement but also for its ability to lend a sense of sharpness.

Suede jacket, flowery blouse, pop of color in the yellow belt, and neutral tights and booties for spring.

Suede jacket, flowery blouse, pop of color in the yellow belt, and neutral tights and booties for spring.

Fashion should be fun and experimental. With shorts, you need to figure out what style looks good on you, which fabrics and prints flatter your shape, and what kind of a look you are trying to convey. And then let loose and experiment with what goes on top, what shoes are a good match, what accessories compliment and make the whole outfit cohesive yet effortless. Think of shorts as part of the overall outfit. It makes them less intimidating and really, part of the fashion canvas. So be artistic, creative, comfortable, and confident in whatever you wear.

Mix faux fur and full lace shorts in monochromatic colors.

Mix faux fur and full lace shorts in monochromatic colors.

Reclaimed vintage gold jewelry looks natural against tan silk and creamy mottled faux fur.

Reclaimed vintage gold jewelry looks natural against tan silk and creamy mottled faux fur.

Welcome spring in navy shorts, pastel sweater, navy hose, and Frye covered-toe sandals.

Welcome spring in navy shorts, pastel sweater, navy hose, and Frye covered-toe sandals.

 

Turning 51, with gratitude

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I will go anywhere, provided it be forward.
– David Livingstone, Scottish medical missionary and explorer

Mixing textures with faux fur, faux suede, creamy lace, patterned tights, vintage brooch, and red leather boots!

Mixing textures with faux fur, faux suede, creamy lace, patterned tights, vintage brooch, and red leather boots!

Yesterday I celebrated my 51st birthday, which was no less momentous than the milestone of reaching 50. This is a new mode of thinking for me. At a certain point in adulthood, I didn’t think much of making a celebration of birthdays. Not that I was thinking of getting older at that time. It was more a feeling that birthday celebrations were for children. When I had my own children, that philosophy was validated, as I focused more on their yearly milestones – the parties, the presents, getting excited for them, and sharing and basking in their genuine happiness.

With the vintage Weiss brooch as the main attraction, keep earrings and rings simple.

With the vintage Weiss brooch as the main attraction, keep earrings and rings simple.

When the 49th birthday came and went, fear set in, and you know the rest of the story (if not, you can read my blog bio and my first post, “Welcome to the Dress at 50”). Celebrating birthdays has taken on a different meaning since last year. I face a new year, grateful to be alive and healthy and to have my family with me. I also return to the two things that motivated me as a child and young adult – tapping my creative juices and being inspired by other peoples’ creativities and visions, and opening up my heart and unleashing generosity for the greater good, for social justice. I look to them as presents to receive and give with each birthday.

Variation on the lace dress: different-colored faux fur scarf, canvas drawstring jacket, vintage-inspired lace-up booties, flowery tights, and vintage Weiss earrings and brooch.

Variation on the lace dress: different-colored faux fur scarf, canvas drawstring jacket, vintage-inspired lace-up booties, flowery tights, and vintage Weiss earrings and brooch.

Birthday weekend
My birthday celebration started on Friday when I finalized an interview earlier in the day with two amazing women for the following afternoon in Los Altos. We ended the evening with a casual dinner out with good friends of ours and their kids, who are friends and classmates with our kids. It was a busy, deadline-driven week at work for me, so winding down after dinner and sharing a bottle of wine and David’s brother’s homemade beer in front of the fireplace with friends was very welcome.

Toughening up the lace dress with yet another faux fur scar, snakeskin print leather jacket, industrial-looking brass and crystal necklace, and chocolate textured tights and booties.

Toughening up the lace dress with yet another faux fur scar, snakeskin print leather jacket, industrial-looking brass and crystal necklace, and chocolate textured tights and booties.

When I had found out that my interview on Saturday was going to be in Los Altos, I contacted my old college roommate, Susan, who lives in Los Altos. Being spontaneous was never my thing (back in college a former dorm floor mate was trying to coax me to go out dancing one evening, and I begged off, with the excuse: “I’m not spontaneous!”). To this day, I try to be more spontaneous, which is still a work in progress. Happily, Susan was available for brunch, and she suggested a terrific very child-friendly, farm-to-table restaurant called Bumble (145 1st Street, Los Altos, CA 94022, 650.383.5340), which is housed in a quaint 100-year-old cottage and serves meals – very good ones – made from organic, locally sourced ingredients. The owners, a married couple, both came from farming families. (I think this concept would be well received if some enterprising entrepreneur could find a venue with character and execute on the concept. Hint, hint, local entrepreneurs!) What was really nice was to be able to sit back and eat and catch up in a leisurely fashion. This is a rarity for me. It was a gift to allow myself to not clock-watch (it helped that we had given adequate time for getting together before our respective appointments).

What to wear after the horse ride: shades of gray and comfortable pieces to relax in.

What to wear after the horse ride: shades of gray and comfortable pieces to relax in.

After brunch, I met two women who have known each other for 40 years and who were introduced to me via e-mail by a good friend of mine whom I’ve known since 2005 through my work in the healthcare information technology world. You will read about their very rare and beautiful friendship, as well as their inspiring and tireless philanthropic work, in March. I only hope that I can do justice to their story through my writing. What they’ve gone through and what they’ve done in their lives to this date compels me to want to be as big-hearted as they are. The evening ended with dinner at another good friends’ warm and bustling home and enjoying my friend Raissa’s homemade chicken curry – the best, hands down.

Favorite cicada necklace from Lava 9 (Berkeley, CA), Carmela Rose earrings, and Sundance rings.

Favorite cicada necklace from Lava 9 (Berkeley, CA), Carmela Rose earrings, and Sundance rings.

On my actual birthday, the only things I was anticipating was David’s Sunday special, his breakfast sandwich and protein drink, and my daughter getting up to join me as I walked Rex in the morning. It was a beautiful, sunny albeit cool day, so doing something outdoors was a given. Nothing came to mind immediately; I only knew I was not going to clean or do work. This was going to be a day to enjoy with my family. My daughter, who has been fancying horses and horseback riding for more than a year now, was lobbying for a horse-themed activity in Walnut Creek. We owed her a horseback-riding family event in lieu of a party with her friends, which was at her request (from this past December). Though horses are not my thing, I voted to contact the riding stable near Point Reyes, upon the suggestion of the Walnut Creek horse ranch that didn’t have any openings for us on such short notice. Hey, I was being spontaneous again.

My horse drinks water while the rest of the family mounts their horses.

My horse drinks water while the rest of the family mounts their horses.

So we drove the 1.5 hours to Olema on the winding Highway 1, listening to Morrison Boomer‘s CD, Down the Hatch, which we had purchased after listening to them play at Pikes Place in Seattle a few weeks ago. For all my driving of late, I have had the pleasure of enjoying their music while on the road. We ended up at Five Brooks Ranch (8001 Highway One, Olema, CA 94950, 415.663.1570) and we took an hour’s ride through the coastal woods. When we had to command our horses to trot or gallop, I erupted in laughter, not unlike the laughter that lets loose when I try to scream on the roller coaster and instead laugh with my mouth frozen wide open. I couldn’t stop laughing because I was bouncing around so much. As I mentioned, I’m not a horse person, but my daughter was in heaven, and my son had a good time. To have her hug me long and hard made all that bouncing around and walking bow-legged for a few minutes upon dismount worth it all.One of our family traditions is that on our actual birthday, the birthday person picks a restaurant of his or her choice for dinner. I had originally hoped that we could attend the Academy Awards party at the Cerrito Theater (10070 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito, 510.273.91020), but the show was sold out. I deferred my birthday dinner until later in the upcoming week, as I usually don’t cook on weekends and do cook on weekdays. And for me, one of the perks about having a birthday is not cooking. We toasted to family and health over dinner while watching the Oscars, but not before granting my son’s wish to play a game of Monopoly.

My disheveled western look, accented with brass and crystal necklace, and studded belt and crossbody purse from Sundance.

My disheveled western look, accented with brass and crystal necklace, and studded belt and crossbody purse from Sundance.

Engaging in family activities that my kids requested on my birthday was a gift to me. It warmed my heart to see them so happy, to see them enjoying themselves in such a carefree way. It was my gift to them. Being with friends and spending leisurely time with them were also priceless gifts. Meeting new people, learning about their goodness and being inspired by them were wonderful surprises and unexpected but gratefully accepted gifts. It is not so much the material gifts that are given to me that I value, though I appreciate their thoughtfulness, but it is the family and friends, their love and their friendships, as well as the experiences, that make birthdays memorable and worthy of celebration. Welcome 51 and beyond!

Transitions and Transformations: Kate Peterson Designs and Adorn & Flourish

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Lend yourself to others, but give yourself to yourself.
– Michel de Montaigne, French Renaissance writer

Kate Peterson arranges beautiful jewelry in their display cases.

Kate Peterson arranges beautiful jewelry in their display cases.

When Adorn & Flourish (7027 Stockton Avenue, El Cerrito, 510.367.8548) opened its doors in May 2012, Proprietor Kate Peterson described the greeting given by the neighborhood as “so receptive, so happy, and welcoming,” which, in turn, describes her artistically appointed shop. Adorn & Flourish features the works of 20 mostly local artists, including Kate Peterson Designs – Kate’s jewelry business – and is home to three other artists who work in studios in the back. Ever evolving, the shop, prompted by requests from customers, will offer classes beginning in March taught by resident artists.

Adorn & Flourish's inviting storefront in El Cerrito.

Adorn & Flourish’s inviting storefront in El Cerrito.

Creating a community of artists
This unique shop concept developed over time, with its genesis in Kate’s early and therefore difficult efforts trying to get her jewelry into retail shops around town. At that time, she wished she could just “buy a little piece of property” in the stores to display her work. That opportunity presented itself in the form of an art gallery, where she sold her jewelry in a large shared retail space. When she left the gallery, the “biggest internal message” she came away with was: “It’s not just about me.” Kate wanted other artists involved. She wanted support and a community. Just as important, she wanted to help people. “I needed that [support from a community], but I didn’t get it when I was at that place and had nowhere to go,” she explained. “I wanted to create a friendly environment where we could give people an opportunity to show and sell their art.”

Cozy but nicely appointed and curated.

Cozy but nicely appointed and curated.

It wasn’t until she moved into her current location that she was able to transform her vision into reality. Kate pointed out that many artists are shy and introverted and therefore find marketing a challenge. Her business was originally next door, sharing a smaller storefront that was home to a little gallery, but when the larger retail space was available, Adorn & Flourish grew into its current model. Kate calls the five small studio spaces “a bonus.” Artists rent display space for $35 to $40 a month and retain 100 percent of the profit from selling their goods in the shop. “I’m not trying to make a living off of the rent I’m getting at the store,” Peterson said. “It’s really a labor of love.”

This three-strand KPD necklace, a Christmas present from David three years ago, can be worn as three separate necklaces.

This three-strand KPD necklace, a Christmas present from David three years ago, can be worn as three separate necklaces.

In return, the resident artists flourish and offer advice and support in this community, as opposed to, for example, working alone in a garage studio or paying high rent for studio space. One benefit of Kate’s business model is that she doesn’t have to buy or change out inventory, or mark down products to move them out. “I have no overhead as far as products,” she said. The artists change out their wares, weekly or monthly, and bring in new work based on customer response.

Statement earrings pop against a frothy maize-colored ombre skirt or olive mesh-paneled maxi skirt.

Statement earrings pop against a frothy maize-colored ombre skirt or olive mesh-paneled maxi skirt.

Kate has been fortunate to not have to seek out artists and their creations. “They find us by word of mouth,” she said. Though many are local to the Bay Area, a few hail from Southern California or other parts of the state. Kate and her assistant and fellow artist, Marika Munkres, set up a jury process for selecting artists. Their goods can be in the same category, such as jewelry and scarves, as products that are currently being carried in the shop, but they need to be different so as not to compete. Kate and Marika are looking for unique handcrafted goods, quality workmanship, and a style that fits in with Adorn & Flourish’s aesthetics, which Kate describes as “simple, elegant, and contemporary, but also with a rustic edge.”

Peterson relaxes in front of Adorn & Flourish on a sunny winter day.

Peterson relaxes in front of Adorn & Flourish on a sunny winter day.

All artists are subject to a three-month trial period. Some artists have come and gone; either their products didn’t sell or they were expecting greater foot traffic, which Kate admits is lacking on the two blocks of retail nestled in a residential area. While Stockton Avenue doesn’t produce the foot traffic of, say, Solano Avenue in North Berkeley, Kate asserted, “We consider ourselves a destination.” That notion seems to be working for many of the artists who have been selling their work at the shop since the beginning.

Kate never considered opening her shop in Berkeley. Having grown up in Kensington, one town over, and residing in El Cerrito, she was committed to her hometown and looking for a location close to where she lives, in a nice, friendly neighborhood. Kate has relied primarily on word of mouth to position Adorn & Flourish as a destination point; however, she is continually marketing the shop via social media such as Yelp and Facebook, and hosting trunk shows and other events.

The artist at work in her studio.

The artist at work in her studio.

Peterson as jewelry designer
Kate is thrilled when people tell her Adorn & Flourish is “a wonderful idea” and thank her for being in the neighborhood and helping the community and artists. “It makes me feel good,” she enthused. “I can go home at night and feel that I contributed and participated.” That said, Kate is juggling running her shop, maintaining studios, and creating her line of jewelry, the latter of which has become a monumental challenge. “I would really like to have more time to be more creative and experiment with new things and materials,” she said. “KPD is evolving as well.”

She is concentrating the next two years on expanding her jewelry design business website and etsy presence, and then having Kate Peterson Designs carried in boutiques across the country. “It’s important to get my brand out there and get my jewelry seen online,” she explained, of her strategy and priorities. Meanwhile, most of her creative time is spent designing commissioned pieces. Kate thrives on people appreciating and loving how her jewelry makes them feel and how special it is to them. “I’m blown away by the feedback that I get,” she said, with wonderment. “It’s really amazing and it makes me feel wonderful that I’m doing the right thing.”

Shimmery dupioni blouse in shades of blue and blue-green are the perfect backdrop to pale green gemstones.

Shimmery dupioni blouse in shades of blue and blue-green are the perfect backdrop to pale green gemstones.

“Doing the right thing” was having a “breakthrough moment” realizing that her massage therapy business wasn’t fulfilling and that her retail management career was not defining who she was and wanted to be, and not getting her to where she wanted to go. Kate sought to be true to herself and find, as she describes it, “the thing that feeds my soul while helping others.” She got – and continues to get – a lot of support from her family, especially her father, along her journey. Over time, serendipitous events unfolded, and she “opened” herself up to those opportunities. A self-described part healer and part artist, Kate sought to bring those talents together to join with the community and to support local artists.

Marika Munkres, Peterson's assistant and fellow artist, arranges the center display.

Marika Munkres, Kate’s assistant and fellow artist, arranges the center display.

Adorning and flourishing
It’s only fitting that her shop borrows from Kate Peterson Designs’ tagline – “adorn and flourish.” When you adorn yourself, your body, and your home with something that is meaningful and self-healing – whether it be an image, word, color, symbol, talisman, or gemstone – you flourish and become “the best possible and authentic you,” she explained. Kate has always loved stones and shells, which she collected as a child. “They brought me peace, calmness, and authenticity to myself,” she said. Now, using those stones in her designs, she is creating adornments that her many and loyal clients are proudly wearing. In setting up her shop, Kate is helping the community of local artists and the community at large to flourish.

Adorn your pajama blouse with simple yet elegant jewelry - earrings from Abacus Gallery (Portland, ME), Kate Peterson necklace (El Cerrito, CA), purse from Japan that was given to me by my sister, Lava 9 Lucite ring (Berkeley, CA), and cuff and rings from Sundance (Corte Madera, CA).

The green gemstones of this Kate Peterson necklace draw out the green patterns in this J. Crew pajama-style blouse and fabric crossbody purse from Japan.

Peterson's dog, Belle, is a fixture at Adorn & Flourish.

Kate’s dog, Belle, is a fixture at Adorn & Flourish.

Catching my breath, dangling carrots, and music therapy

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If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal. Not to people or things.
– Albert Einstein, German-born theoretical physicist

Do you ever get so exhausted that it’s a struggle to breathe? This has been my current state since returning home from traveling. Around November through February is the busy season workwise for me, although David would probably argue that it’s the chaotic, sleepless season and the rest of the year is busy. It is the time of bouncing around from multiple deadlines to another round of multiple deadlines, only this season travel has been added to the mix. As fun and exciting as the travel has been, it takes a toll, especially when you’re older.

It's still winter, but creamy colors and flowers present the promise of spring.

It’s still winter, but creamy colors and flowers present the promise of spring.

As is usually the case, those four months are a complete blur to me every year. I come out of it in early March, wondering what happened to the beginning of the year. And then reality hits: Oh, right, I worked a lot, slept little. This time around, however, I didn’t want to come out on the other side, thankful that I survived, giving up those months so easily. The older you get, the harder it is to blithely not care, concede, and move on. The days seem to matter more.

Rightly or wrongly, I have found that the main reason I don’t sit down and read a novel, like I used to do not too many years ago, is that I feel as if I can’t sit still. It’s too luxurious. There are too many things within 20 feet of me that need to be taken care of. The library chair we got when we moved back into our house merely holds the stack of documents or magazines or Christmas letters from the past two years that I promised to respond to. I count only once the time when I reclined on the stuffed leather library chair and ottoman and worked on my novel and once when I read fiction. I tell myself that I should be multi-tasking. I am constantly in a race against time. One of these days soon, I will put reading a novel or book of short stories on my weekly list of things to do; only then will it be part of my routine and something I can do without feeling guilty. Writers need to read just as much as they write. That ought to be reason enough.

The fabulous 1914 globe watch with optical lens and keys that I got in Seattle earlier in February.

The 1914 globe watch with optical lens and keys that I got in Seattle.

This year was going to be different, I told myself. This season I made a pledge to myself. I was going to make sure I am doing something that is me-centered, something that makes me happy. That something is different for everybody. For me, it means I go to sleep at night knowing that I had a productive day doing something that was creative, something tangible. And that tangible thing is having stood up this blog and writing three times a week. It is the exercise that keeps my writer’s muscles toned. It is the platform for my writer’s voice. It is the diary and photo album for my kids, as well as for me. It has kept me buoyed even as I spent President’s Day Monday working on a white paper deadline.

Dressing up when I'm low energy can actually give me a boost.

Dressing up when I’m low energy can actually give me a boost.

The other thing that keeps me going is dangling carrots in front of me to stay motivated. I’m going to carve out a week of vacation in April and finally finish that last revision of my novel. Then I’ll have to figure out how to self-publish and market it on a platform such as Amazon. Marketing, one of my novelist colleagues has told me, is a constant job once you publish online. Once it’s up, though, I can finally return to the second novel that I started in 2006, before I allowed literary agent rejections to get to me. One of the carrots that I’m dangling in front of me to finish the first novel is the trip I’m going to take to Bolerium Books (2141 Mission St., #300 San Francisco, CA 94110, 415.863.6353), which specializes in rare and out-of-print books and other items on social movements. I discovered this fantastic bookstore while researching my first novel. It lies in the heart of the Mission district in the City, and it’s a place you will want to spend hours poring over the materials on the shelves on a rainy Saturday afternoon. I have e-mail alerts set up for books on the Philippines and amassed quite a number of relevant history books for my second novel. When I finish my first novel, I have told myself, I can take my long list and trek over to Bolerium Books to buy those rare books for my research. How motivating can that be? I love historical research; it puts me in the mood and fully immerses me in the time period.

There are a lot of things to do, but the thought of them and their promise are nourishing me now. And when you’re nourished, you are in a better position to help other people more fully and to push through onerous times. So these are the things that are keeping me going as I head into the home stretch of my busy season.

Adornments? Bring it on, piles of it. Mixing vintage (traveling walnut sewing kit from Treasury, Washington, D.C.), reclaimed vintage spider bracelet from M.E. Moore, and contemporary pieces (bow necklace from Gorgeous and Green, Berkeley, CA, and Art Deco scarab cuff from Alkemie, Los Angeles).

Adornments? Bring it on, piles of it. Mixing vintage (traveling walnut sewing kit from Treasury, Washington, D.C.), reclaimed vintage spider bracelet from M.E. Moore, and contemporary pieces (bow necklace from Gorgeous and Green, Berkeley, CA, and Art Deco scarab cuff from Alkemie, Los Angeles).

Last night, though, I really struggled with having to make dinner. It was a simple enough pasta dish with few ingredients. But I moved around the kitchen as if attached to a ball and chain. So what is the remedy when you need to take care of these mundane but necessary tasks? Looking forward to my near-future projects was not going to cut it. For a fleeting moment I thought to call David and say I’m exhausted so I’m going to grab takeout. Instead, I whipped out my iPhone and called up Pandora. I plugged it into my portable iHome system and the therapeutic music woke me up and gave me the energy to cook. And pretend I was at a karaoke bar. Saved by an endorphin rush, I thrived amidst another day in my busy season. My body felt vibrant and refreshed, so long as I sang.

I’m just about ready to reach for those dangling carrots….

Wearing red gives you more energy and empowerment.

Wearing red gives you more energy and empowerment.

Carmela Rose necklaces pop in this outfit, with earrings from Abacus (Portland, ME) and a simple band from In God We Trust (NYC) and statement ring from Juicy Couture.

Carmela Rose necklaces pop in this outfit, with earrings from Abacus (Portland, ME) and a simple band from In God We Trust (NYC) and statement ring from Juicy Couture.