Condo Blues: My New Blogging Gig!

Friday, September 12, 2008

My New Blogging Gig!

Capessa Blogger
Sustainable Style I write
my new blogging gig

Today is Friday and no one is singing the blues in this Condo Today. For three very wonderful reasons:

Happy Reason 1: Next week, I'm running my very first contest here on Condo Blues. It's sponsored by a great company (no relation whatsoever to the entities I will touch on in Happy Reason Number 3) and I hope that everyone comes back to me September 12-19 to get in on this great giveaway. I hope that this contest is the first of many yet to come.


Happy Reason 2: It's raining! My parched plants are very grateful for today's rain although I hate that it's at the expense of my family, friends, and readers that are in the path of Hurricane Ike. I'm especially concerned for Forced Green whose hurricane survival plans include either lashing herself to a big tree in her yard or moving to the moon because she's so sick and tired of hurricanes and hurricane season. I only hope that if she chooses the tree option that the hurricane (or possible resulting tornado) doesn't blow her and the tree to the Land of Oz. If it does, then I hope she brings us all back sweets from The Lollipop Guild or a pair of swanky new shoes. I hear Oz is a great place for shoe shopping. Just ask Dorothy Gale.



Happy Reason 3: Capessa asked little ol' me to be their Green blogger! The name of my Capessa blog is Sustainable Style and I'll be blogging about environmentally friendly living. It's not a paid blogging gig. I'm hopeful that it will give more exposure to my blog Condo Blues and to the marketing/promotional/more fun writing that I did in the beginning of my professional career (and would like to do more of) than the current instructional design/technical writing I do now to keep Blitzkrieg in kibble.

I'm honored, flattered, and a little confused because I didn't start Condo Blues to be a typical "green" blog. Originally, I just wanted a place where my inner jester got to write about how my many decorating and DIY projects tended to turn south unlike what they show us on TV. (Am I the only who feels robbed that the producers edit the reality of out reality home improvement TV? Then I remember that when I was a TV promo producer that I edited the bad takes out the projects that I was producing and directing. That realization made me sad. So then I ate some chocolate. That made me feel better because chocolate has magical healing powers. Just ask Harry Potter. He'll tell you.)

Sure, I show a lot of projects that feature how to reuse and reclaim what others may toss out in the trash. I grew up in a family that hated wasting stuff (see my About Me page. I revamped it.) So I guess that makes me Green. In addition, I'm Picky Girl. Half the time I can't find what I want in a conventional store so it's just better to make it myself. And lo and behold most of the time I've saved myself some money to boot (hello Frugal Hacker badge!) Good. That means that I can put the savings towards some other really cool, well-designed (I can't live with ugly), and expensive thing that I want for my house and will take care of and keep forever. Environmentally friendly people call that "Sustainable." I do too. I also call it "a good way to convince my husband who hates shopping that buying this thing is a good return on investment." (Hey, when it comes to spousal/partner management sometimes you just have to suck it up and do whatever it takes. Right?)

That being the case, I was so excited to be part of this new Capessa venture. They've already interviewed people I admire like Jennifer Perkins of The Naughty Secretary's Club (stay tuned for a review of her new book right here!) and DIY Network fame and I'd be blogging along side Shirley Bovshow of the TV show Garden Police (I just hope she never sees my yard in it's current state or I'd so be getting a citation.) Then after some research (sorry, occupational hazard) I found that the parent company makes some not so environmentally friendly products.


Crap. Crapidity, crap, crap, crap!



I have assurances that I don't have to promote those products and that I can blog about environmentally friendly competing products. I will hold the copy write to my blogging work (this is very important to me because it doesn't often happen with my tech writing.) However, although I really wanted to take this gig, I had mixed feelings. Would blogging for them taint my Green street cred? Bigger question, do I even have a Green street cred?

I reached out to my network and got answers all over the place. Finally, Husband put it all into perspective for me.

Husband: Lisa, you need to think of this like Alan Colmes of Hannity and Combs from Fox news.

Me: Huh? You know I get most of my national news from BBA America. (I'm an Anglophile - so sue me!)

Husband: Think about it. Alan Colmes is the liberal guy on a conservative TV news network. He's committed to presenting the liberal side in a place that doesn't really agree with it or want recognize it as a valid argument. Sweetheart, if you want to change the world why preach to the converted? Blog from the belly of the beast!

I love that man.

That tears it. Cover me kids, I'm going in. Read my latest post on preserving fresh herbs on my Capessa blog Sustainable Style.

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4 comments :

R.P. said...

I have to agree that when I watch home improvement shows, they focus on arguements and show too much of them just painting the walls. I want to see HOW they made that lamp out of silverware or the rug out of t-shirts.

Congrats on the new gig, and thanks for the stepping stone tip!

AmazinAlison said...

I like the title "Sustainable Style" perhaps you will be the more practical side to Danny Seo? At least you have a head start with your Zero VOC glue!

Congrats!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on your new blogging gig at Capessa! I'm having fun there! (Don' be scared of me, by the way, I will never put down your garden!) I may talk badly about it though...just kidding.
See you around the blogosphere!
Shirley Bovshow
"The EdenMaker" Blog

Anonymous said...

You cracked me up with the write up you gave me. LOL! Congrats on your new gig! You will do well!

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