What I’ve been up to…

So I’ve been MIA for awhile now, and I apologize. There have been all kinds of things going on, but the most immediate pressing issue for me at the moment is readying my home (and self) for some visitors. My ex will be visiting in July, but we’re like best friends so that’s no pressure at all. However before that I will be hosting a well-known and much admired top…who also happens to be my lover. Yes, TMT is going to come stay with me for a few weeks, and it’s obviously something I’m looking forward to a great deal. But it also means I’m freaking out trying to get the place as clean and welcoming as possible.

I apologize to all the people I owe emails to, and the people whose blogs I haven’t visited (or commented on). And I know I haven’t written a new story in ages too. But after things settle down a bit, after her visit, I’m sure I’ll have a lot more inspiration. And once I am able to sit down again, I do plan to catch up on things. 😉

In the meantime, here is something for you from Newsweek Magazine. They always close with a page called “My Favorite Mistake,” wherein well-known people share some of their most memorable errors of all time. This particular mistake is relevant because it happens to be about Sara Blakely, who created and founded the company “Spanx.” In case you don’t know what Spanx are (I didn’t know exactly myself — I only knew celebrity women frequently wore them to look slimmer on camera), apparently it’s like cutting the leg portion off a pair of pantyhose (tights to you Brits) — you just wear the part that holds your midriff together. That’s a brilliant idea, actually — something that acts like a girdle but is much more comfortable.

Anyway, she was trying to launch the product in England, and was looking for promotional opportunities everywhere. The BBC agreed to do a live interview with her, and she was nervous because it would reach more than a million people. When the interviewer asked her describe what Spanx could do for women in the U.K., she replied: “Well, it’s all about the fanny. It smooths your fanny, it lifts it, and it firms your fanny.” She said she knew instantly she had done something seriously wrong, because the interviewer lost all color in his face. He corrected her by saying, “I think you mean ‘bum,'” but the damage was done.

For those of you who are not familiar with British slang, try substituting the word “p*ssy” and you’ll get an idea of the magnitude of her mistake. The ironic thing is that she said she normally doesn’t use that word herself — she only used it because it sounded British. Well, it is, but for a body part other than what she thought. *g* (I’m American, so the word sounds harmless enough to me. But I’ve been assured it would never be spoken of that way on English national television. *LOL*)

Anyway, Sara was able to laugh it off, and 11 years later she was named the youngest female self-made billionaire by Forbes Magazine. That’s pretty amazing. Obviously she didn’t let a moment of embarrassment stop her from achieving her goals, and I think we can all learn a lesson from that. That, and making sure we know the word for “kitty” in at least 5 different languages. I’m sure that would prove at least as valuable.