Bio

THE WRITER:

I have always been a passionate writer, mostly of fiction but not completely.  I wrote my first novel at the age of 4.  My parents still have it – in all it’s misspelled glory.  In the early 90’s I had a couple of romance shorts published in magazines.  I began writing editorials for news papers and magazines during college.

When I discovered blogging it was a whole new world for me and what I consider my biggest achievements in blogging are making people laugh, making people think, and (closest to my heart) discussing music.  Most people know music is probably the only thing I’m more passionate about than writing! When I want to make people think, I write about things that I feel are important.  When I’m fishing for a laugh, I usually write about my life experiences and poke fun at myself.  I’ve got a plethora of quirky tales from the comedy of errors that is my life and I enjoy sharing them and giving everyone a chuckle.

I don’t write fiction here as much as I would like because there doesn’t seem to be an audience for it.

I laugh when I recall, long before the days of the world wide web, I used to scribe everything in pen & ink in dozens of notebooks.  How primitive, right?In school, I would pass the notebooks around among friends and the fan base grew and included space for them to write comments. Does this mean I invented blogging?

THE HISTORY:

I grew up in a small beach town kissing the Gulf of Mexico and dancing with the aroma of beignets and Burbon Street in the eastern breeze. I am very proud of my Italian heritage! Of course, with Italian heritage comes a strong Catholic upbringing.   My parents are older than most people my age have, which made for a strict household that I tried to rebel against, but as an adult I look back on those rules with gratitude.  I look at my generation as the last generation with that youthful innocence that no longer exists today, and I think that innocence enabled me to foster my vivid imagination.  We didn’t have the things that other children did, but not because we couldn’t as much as because it was not welcomed in our home.  My entertainment was being creative in an environment which welcomed creativity far more than sitting in front of a television.

We lived in a musical household and in those times, music was more prominent than television.  My mother would play records every day, mostly from the 50’s era and my father played several musical instruments.  My two older sisters were also big fans of music, the eldest liked the underground sound of the 60’s and 70’s while the middle sister preferred R&B and disco.  So, music was thrown at me in every direction and has been a huge part of my life for as long as I remember.  I was very young when I found my own taste, which was impressive.  It was 1978, and I was barely 6 years old when I discovered Van Halen.  This was the birth of who I am pretty much today.  I fell in love with the heavy and intricate guitar playing of Eddie Van Halen and the charismatic vocals of David Lee Roth.  I was forever changed from that moment on and vividly recall saving my allowance, which was loose change given to me by my grandfather daily, until I was able to afford to purchase Van Halen’s debut record.

It was much later in life when I finally picked up a guitar and learned how to play.  I was steadily focused on collecting and enjoying music prior to asking myself why on Earth I wasn’t playing music!?! Actually, I was inspired to play guitar by a broken heart.  The guy who did it was long forgotten, but the gift he gave me sans being a jerk was playing guitar!

That broken heart was just another stepping stone that I look back on, and there were already many to look back on before that one.  If anyone had some rough teen years, it was definitely me.  Due to some health issues I had in my youth, I was an extremely late bloomer.  Puberty didn’t arrive in my life until after high school.  This made for some unbearable high school years.  But, as a result, when I grew from an ugly duckling into a swan I had already grown into my own person and wasn’t tainted by the spoils of popularity in my youth.  I think the big pay off with this life comes as an adult because I’m a better person today knowing that everything I’ve got I earned.  Nothing was handed to me because no one was vying for my attention.  I appreciate things more than someone who doesn’t know what it’s like to not have these things.  My life built me to be fiercely independent and also unique.  My rebellion against that teen angst was being unique.  I had my own style in clothes and life and learned early on that finding humor in all situations was the key.

The friends I’ve made over the years are life long.  I’m severely loyal and adoring of all of my friends and would even consider them an extension of my family.  Being an individual, I’ve always had a knack of choosing people who are individuals to surround myself with.  These are the real people and the ones I consider the salt of the Earth.  I am blessed with having the best friends anyone could ask for.

THE LIFE:

After fumbling through college, assuming the education will help me reach my dreams of being a professional writer, I have been working in finance in the building industry for the majority of my adult life.  I’ve always loved the building industry.  I have a bit of a fascination with lumber, and how it begins with wood planks and becomes a home. I’ve got mad secretarial skills.  Combine the passion and the skill and I’m pretty much destined to be somewhere in this industry handing the papers.  When the economy and job market took a nose dive, the building industry seemed to struggle more than any other.  After years of building my name with a Fortune 500 Company, I found myself jobless.  Struggling to find employment in this deserted job market, I finally took back to an old profession-bartending.  This career paid my way through college, and I hadn’t been behind a bar in quite a few years when I found myself doing it again.  But, yet again this was another blessing in disguise.  In the two years I tended bar, I rebuilt a social life that I had lost previously somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico.  Not only was it good for me socially and emotionally, it was also a place where many lessons in life were learned.

I lost a lot in the Gulf of Mexico by way of the Nation’s largest natural disaster to date, Hurricane Katrina.  It wasn’t about the loss of belongings, as much as the loss of memories.  Katrina was over 90 miles in diameter, and completely devastated up to 8 miles inland in my home town, while still doing major damage throughout both the entire states of Louisiana and Mississippi! Many places I loved throughout the history of my life  had been swept away into the gulf. This caused two things to happen here; an influx of strangers and the exit of many long time residents and friends.  Leaving those of us here, to rebuild our lives in a struggling environment.  But, at the same time, it brought the gift of humanity… something I had previously lost faith in.   You may never know how strong you really are until you are confronted with a situation that brings it out in you.  I believe Hurricane Katrina brought out the best in me and many others.

Today, I’m still the same person I’ve always been … a comedian with dreams of being a known author and at least half as good at playing guitar as Eddie Van Halen.  A little bit punk rock, a little bit rock and roll is who I remain.  I’m far from perfect, as I’ve been feeding the same bad habits for over 20 years now … smoking and drinking a gallon of Coca-cola daily.  I’m not a big drinker, but when I drink I do it big! I burn most things I attempt to cook.  I have enough clothing to only have to do laundry every 6 weeks, and I do it that way. The inside of my car looks like a garbage can.  I talk baby talk to my dogs, and have full conversations with them.  I am a ridiculously light sleeper and I hate mornings.  I pinch pennies even when I don’t need to.  I have the worst memory in the universe. I don’t have a husband or children because I’m too independent.   And some would say I’m a bit bossy, but I refuse to believe it! Oh, and I stay up all hours of the night writing when I should be sleeping … just as I am right now.

Suz
April 2, 2010

THE MID LIFE….CRISIS? 

Well, here I am, back on this site after a few years on hiatus for no particular reason. I chose not to change the above summary because (for the most part) it hasn’t really changed. But, changes have definitely happened in the last 12 years since I penned that summary.

When I turned 40, I didn’t panic about aging and the fact that I was still unmarried and childless.  In fact, none of that bothered me.  But what did bother me was I had lived in the same, small town my entire life and barely seen anything different.

What began as travel for work to Los Angeles, turned into a love of the big city and an overwhelming desire to move there for 7 years (after my first visit) until I finally said f*ck it, let’s do this! And, at that time, I packed up all my belongings I could fit into a 2014 Honda Civic and drove the 2,000 miles west.

What I was seeking was a challenge…a life that wasn’t so easy and surrounded by helping hands.  A life, where I had to really exert myself to succeed and feel the challenges that were more about cultural and political differences than small town gossip and judgement.

I picked the right city.

When you combine the challenges of urban life with my love of music (particularly 80s rock) it’s clear I not only chose the right city but the right address…because I live uphill in the heart of the Sunset Strip behind the famous Whisky A Go-Go.

In these years, I have faced more challenges than I had in my entire life prior. Well, maybe not more challenges but challenges with more rewarding outcomes. Aside from the learning curve about parking in a major city that has cost me a couple thousand in the last decade or so, most challenges come from the workplace environment (you are far more disposable in a big city so you have to apply yourself much more) and most rewards came from the numerous eclectic new relationships I have built here.  Aside from this were physical challenges because, for the first time, I lived in a place that wasn’t flat and required hiking for the best views…which I did plenty of until I trashed my knees eventually.  If they could speak, I am sure they would’ve begged me to cut the crap with all this climbing uphill but I loved it too much. I also faced the unusual challenge of my skin finally aging and realizing that that climate does impact that process, so now I have to use an assortment of face creams and products to keep me looking young…and it works, but at a cost! (Insert maniacal laughter here)

Am I living the dream? Well, I’ve met a handful of rock stars that I love and seen dozens of great music shows up close, personal and often free.  That, in itself, is the pay off for me. But, add to that countless art museums, movie premieres and celebrity events and nature…so much incredible nature from the Pacific Ocean tickling my toes to experiencing snow capped mountains in Big Bear.  And I never experienced anything without my trusty companion and loyal best friend, Flash Gordon the Jack Russell Terrier who had been with me long before the move and only recently passed at nearly 17 years old.  Flash made the journey so much better and living in a dog loving city made the journey for him better too. Oh the fun we had on hikes and at restaurants where he was constantly doted on and given treats.  Not to mention, my jobs were always dog friendly so he joined me at work every day.  It was a fantastic era for him that I know he recalls fondly over the rainbow bridge as I recall it fondly down here on this pale blue dot in the universe.

Today I contemplate a short walk down to a live music event that boasts some great artists I love, although the heat wave may prevent me from attending…I can, at least, say that the fact that it’s even an option for me is really all I need to make me smile.

So no, it’s not a crisis by any stretch. For the first time in a long time I feel I am right where I belong.

Suz
September 4, 2022