O.M.G.

I have been woefully neglectful of this blog for the last couple of months – this I know.  Im woefully neglectful of this blog anyway, huh?  Maybe I need to start running my Twitter feeds through it again, so at least you know where I am. 

So, whats been going on? 

• Im whoring myself out to get Christina Loves rolling – and its doing well.  And its tons of fun.  And its pretty!  3 for 3!  Guy Kawasaki and the fine folks at Alltop added me yesterday to their beauty page, so something is working for me.  I have joined Glam again, but am waiting waiting waiting patiently to get set up over there. 
• Marshall’s father is tremendously ill with encephalopathy, a side effect from liver failure.  It is unbelievably sad to see and the progression is so fast.  Ryan (my stepson and recent LSU graduate) has moved here to stay with Dr. Jones (Poppy, as he is affectionately known), as he needs 24 hour supervision as of the last couple of weeks.  Oy.  Thank God for Ryan.  Take care of yourselves – you need your liver to work.
• Survey crews have been here this week and staked off our property so we can get the deed and start bulldozing!  We live in an 80+ year old house on Nunn Jones Road that was built by – guess who – Nunn Jones.  Marshall’s grandfather.  And it is not only falling down, but it is a firetrap.  I was thinking last night that I bet a licensed electrician has never cast a shadow on this property.  The Jones’ are a family of men – my husband has two brothers, their father has two brothers, and I think there *might* have been a girl in the generation before, but Im not sure of that at all.  So these manly men can do it all themselves, and they have.  Here.  For 80+ years.  Do you have any concept of how much stuff I have plugged in here in my office?  Oy again.
• We had a hoppin’ Halloween party for Zoe’s friends on Halloween night.  They didn’t do much but lots of “he-ing and she-ing” (and some hilarious bobbing for apples) but seems like they had a good time.  No trouble other than one smoking kid (cigs, nothing illegal), and my Noah, who at 10 yrs old chose to stay at the party instead of go trick-or-treating, and lets just say he learned a lesson or two.  As did I.  Thank God for Rock Band – it sucked some of those high school kids in to play with him, so the night wasn’t a total wash.
• My new job is going fabulously.  For the first month or so I felt a little lost, and wasn’t really sure what to do with myself, but I now have a to-do list a mile long, and feel nice and cozy.  I think I work a lot better with a long to-do list.  I am easily distracted when I’m not on a mission.  Have I mentioned Beautyfix?  Check it out – it totally rocks.  And go sign up for the newsletters at Blush if you haven’t – once Beautyfix is going strong I’ll be working on getting Blush going.  Right now it is just newsletters, but before long it is going to be SO. MUCH. MORE.  I can’t wait!  This move was the best decision I have made in a very, very long time.  Probably since I decided to marry Marshall.  Someone was definitely watching over me on this one – the timing was almost too coincidental.
• We bought a snotty new Mercedes.  We had Mercedes’ when I was growing up – I have always really REALLY loved them.  Marshall and I both drive 10 year old SUV’s, and not only are his weekly trips to and from Texas City incredibly gas hoggy, but the risk of the Tahoe breaking down is getting worse and worse.  Especially since he SHOT it.  :P  Marshall doesn’t do stranded, so new car it is.  It’s a sedan – I am holding out for a vintage convertible.  And a VIP ticket to the next Mercedes Benz Fashion Week.  One can hope, right?  Me, I’m just thrilled we got a car loan in this crappy economy.  Cross your fingers for the home loan.  Did I mention I hate debt?  Well I do.  We have almost none now – shortly we are going to be up to our eyeballs.  Lovely!
• I am in the process of moving all of my websites over to Wired Tree.  Thanks to Joe for the fabulous recommend.  Siteground is officially oversold and telling tons of folks that they are over the CPU limits – even folks that don’t have anything but a regular old blog.  They have kicked 2 of my sites off now, and I am done and taking everything with me.  When I started with Siteground they were so nice and had such amazing customer service.  I loved their UI – they were fab.  Not so much anymore, and while it makes me sad, I am growing up and learning to manage my own server, slowly but surely.  Good stuff.

So I guess that is the long and short of what’s going on at the moment.  Not too much, but plenty just the same.  I am *so* not ready for the holidays.  It’s hard when its 85 degrees still.  Hope you have a great day!

Did I tellyou that Wilbur and Webster were girls? So - this is Gertrude. Note the high stylin’ couch and the ammo box coffee table. Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

So, this is the 2 days where I am unemployed.  After an incredibly wonderful run with b5media, it is time to make a change. 

I began writing what is now eBeautyDaily in July of 2005, at AboutWeblogs.com.  An incredible group of women that welcomed me, a new blogger, with open arms.  In November of 2005, About Weblogs merged with b5media.  I adored the concept, and of course I adored Darren Rowse, so being behind b5media 110% was a no brainer.  At the time, I was not working, as I had not since I married and moved to TX.  I was at home helping my husband recover from his near fatal battle with MRSA.  His recovery took about 9 months, and he wasn’t working and finally told me I needed to go to work. 

So, I did not go down to Dillard’s and get a job at the makeup counter – I decided to do web sites.  Apparently I didn’t think I really “needed” to make money.  LOL  But I had started a community for MRSA sufferers, as there was NOTHING online at the time.  I then decided I was going to write a book about nails, having spent the nearly 20 years prior as a nail tech and a salon owner.  This led me eventually to AboutWeblogs, where I joined as a beauty blogger – one of the first.

A few months after I joined b5media, Jeremy needed some assistance.  I was so digging this blogging thing – I knew it was going to be HUGE from the minute I discovered it. So I jumped at the chance to be his $10/hr lackey. ;)  I loved it.  Ate it, drank it and slept it from day one.  Shortly thereafter, my gracious and dear friend Hsien gave up being the editor of the “Women’s Channel” – and we split that channel up and I became the editor of the superfantastic Beauty & Style Channel (and the Arts & Crafts, Home & Dining, and Lifestyles  Channels).  I guess I have been the CE over almost all of the channels at one point or another. ;) 

After our round of funding came in mid-2006, I got a “real job” – Project Manager.   That soon changed to Content Manager, as I really wasn’t a PM.  I was having a blast.  Lots of socializing, lots of “nose to the grindstone” – the thrill (and related mental exhaustion!) of a startup.  Love love love. 

In the spring of this year, I was approached to take over the Director of Content role.  We have gone through several directors – its a tough, tough job – attempted by some of the most brilliant people I have met.  I declined it, as I am much more about having a great time than trying to make as much money as I can make (hubby is obviously working again at this point…lol) but somehow I wiggled into the Associate Director role.  Tough stuff.  But, I love the people and I love the company, so I’ll do what needs to be done.  Im not sure what I could do beyond eat, drink and sleep b5media, but I did it.  I still loved it, although this has been an incredibly tough year.  I have lost several people who I considered dear friends.  I will always have some sadness over that, but it comes with the job, I guess.  Flashback to the end of The Devil Wears Prada.

So amongst all of this work work working – I still got to play beauty blogger.  Beauty is my first love.  I’ve had so many neat opportunities come my way because of beauty blogging.  I’ve been to Fashion Week, got to be a Glam Editor for the Day in NYC, had the opportunity (did not take it) to fly with the Victoria’s Secret models cross country on Virgin Airlines.  I have been quoted in the New York Times, Allure, Women’s Wear Daily and Texas Monthly magazines.  I have been to many amazing parties and had the opportunity to meet some truly amazing people, all while being privy to amazing new product launches, and a foot into the door of the industry I adore.  All these geeky bloggers I am around all the time - they think that tech blogging is all that’s out there and all that matters.  ;)  They have no idea how the beauty industry has adopted beauty blogging.  It is incredible, has grown into a massive genre of blogging, and is something that I am so proud to have been and early adopter of.  And then I went to L.A. in the spring, to the Total Beauty Blog Summit, where my dear friend Teri and I spoke on SEO.  Beauty and geekery all rolled into one.  LOVE!

So this summit took place in the offices of Intelligent Beauty.  While I don’t think that IB was wowed by my wonderful public speaking (it is my biggest phobia), they certainly did take an interest.  The amazing co-CEO’s Adam Goldenberg and Don Ressler, paid me quite a bit of attention and spoke to me a lot while I was there.  Knowing their history, silly me thought they were interested in b5media, but a few months down the line, I was contacted and asked to help them learn how to reach bloggers.  At first I thought I could do a little consulting on the side (although I didn’t know where I would find the time – not much time between eating drinking and sleeping b5media), but it soon became apparent that they were having none of that. ;)  So after realizing that this was THE PERFECT BLEND of beauty and geekery, and having a couple of good friends slap me in the face (thanks girls – you know who you are), I had no choice but to realize that my dream job was sitting in front of me, and I would be a fool to walk past it.  So, starting on Monday, I will begin a new adventure as Community Director of Blush, which is a subsidiary of Intelligent Beauty.  Go sign up for our newsletters - it is the bare bones beta start of something that is going to be great - this I guarantee you.  If you are a beauty junkie like me, anyway.

So, while I am staying on as the editor for the Beauty & Style channel for as long as I can, and I am staying on as a blogger at eBeautyDaily, my full time stint with my beloved b5media has come to an end.  I want to say thank you to all of the founders and staff for everything – especially listening to all of my rants – and I, on occasion, had some BIG rants.  I appreciate you listening to me, and even heeding my advice (when it was right).  And I appreciate so much you understanding that I have to go (and yes, Jeremy, your goodbye letter made me cry - and I can put away a LOT of Bud Light, so I hope you’re ready to pay for it).  I have so much love for everyone at b5media - I have never felt such an important part of something in my life – well something that wasn’t motherhood of wifehood anyway.  And to Rachel, my replacement – I wish you the VERY best of luck.  They couldn’t have picked a brighter star to take my place.  Your job is incredibly difficult and despite what some may say, will be much better suited to someone in Toronto.  I hope I have passed off enough of my experiences to you to be helpful, and I hope you have the wisdom to recognize where I made mistakes and make improvements.  I know you do.  You’re going to be great - just HANG IN THERE. 

To my beloved (and I really, really mean that) Channel Editors – many of you have become friends who I will always hold very, very dear to my heart.  I have told you all that this change is going to be good – and I feel deep down in my heart it was the right thing to do, both for me, and for b5media.  Hang in there, and get out of denial.  *muah*  ;)  Things are going to be great.  Just cinch up your seatbelts a little.  Mine is pinching me off at the middle, but it has been for a couple years now.  I have grown to like it.  

To my incredible bloggers in the Beauty & Style Channel:  I have been a sucky CE since I started this new job in June - I know this, and (again, for the 49,000,000th time) I’m sorry.   You all are, and have always been, my favorite part of my work at b5media.  I appreciate you guys hanging in there so much.  I will be much better now.  You all are the greatest team at b5media.   Let’s keep kicking ass, loving each other and *hangin’ tough.*  Ha (you nutty girls)!

And to all of our bloggers – many of whom I have known for quite a long time now, many who I just know casually, and sadly, many who I do not know at all:  Hang in there.  What I know above all is that the guys at b5media have incredible heart and incredible passion.  Growing from a business of passion to a real business with real money involved is a rocky road.  Working with a huge group of creative individualists is tough too.  I have always hung with them because I knew they were good people – and good will prevail – and I hope you will do the same.

So, the time will come where I will have to pull out of b5media totally, because my new job will get competitive with what I’m doing now.  I’m not looking forward to that day, and I hope it is later rather than sooner, but here is hoping and praying that this big strange change I am facing will be just as wonderful as my time here with b5media has been.  Thank you all for everything, again.   I love you all so much, wish you the very, very best, and will always be behind you 110%. 

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox,

CJ

Thinking of Mary Jo. Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Can’t tell its Boston but they kinda suck anyway. Sadly. Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

But we’re @ a kick ass Styx show. Amazing, actually. And they have beer! Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

We have arrived in Kinder! Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Note the lush green foliage – doesn’t this picture make you wish you were here for a myriad of reasons??

Via Chezo (see you tonight!)