Today is a big, big day in my little world.

As you may remember from my post The Ultimate Good Mood Giveaway: Every Week for Six Months, I am part of a contest to win a dream blogging job.

If I get enough votes from the public, and the judges at Ignite Social Media decide to hire me, I will give away $100 gift card every Friday to one of my readers. That totals $2,400–and I have to be honest, it would make me feel really good to do that.

I have 20 days to make that happen, and you can help by voting for me here. No registration required; you simply click on vote. You can vote once a day.

I originally planned to write a supporting post detailing my experience losing my job and apartment this year; the joy I’ve known through writing for this blog and tinybuddha; and the work I put into advancing to Round 2 in this contest. But you can read that in my SAM-e essay.

So I decided to do something a little different: show you who I am. You see, there’s a whole other side to me I don’t show on this site–and for what I thought was a very good reason. I didn’t start this to be a journal-kind-of-blog. I started it to convey specific ideas. To feel helpful and meaningful. But in a way I’ve hid behind that persona. Opening up has never been easy for me.

While I plan to continue writing the type of posts I’ve written here, I’d like to set the stage for more personal blogging in other online endeavors–if not for SAM-e, than perhaps in a separate blog. So here I go–no advice, or platitudes, or quotes, or positive thinking. Just me.

Here I am, on Jay Leno:

OK, so I wasn’t really on Jay Leno. I was in the audience, and I’m a notorious ham. Before the show he asked if anyone in the audience had questions. A mother asked for advice for her daughter who was in school for writing.

“Me, me–I’m a writer, too!” I thought, once he’d finished answering her. Except out loud, and I ended up onstage. I asked if he’d pretend he was interviewing me so I could feel cool. I did.

This is me trying to beat a middle-aged woman in a beer drinking contest in Cancun. I don’t even like beer. I heard “contest,” and I wanted in. She chugged that thing in 5 seconds flat, and I barely gulped down a sip.

This is me and my friend Tania at a single’s mixer from a time when we were both unattached. It was right down the street from my house. She told me to put on a dress and come ready to party. We were both surprised to learn it was actually a mixer for people over 50.

This is me at the Hollywood Walk of Fame–in case the footprints in cement didn’t give it away. I was particularly psyched to see Judy Garland’s prints because The Wizard of Oz was a huge part of my childhood. I played the Tinman for an entire decade–from 12-22–in a half-hour show for kid’s birthday parties.

My mother was our manager; but nepotism didn’t get me even one replacement costume in 10 years.

And this is my business card. Since I don’t actually work for money these days, I took one of my friend Cori’s cards, took a bite out of the side (I’m a starving writer, after all) and personalized it, Lori-style.

This is just a drop in the well of who I am, when I’m not sitting in my living room, writing to the sounds of movies I’ve watched a million times. Most commonly, Sex and the City and He’s Just Not That Into You. Yes, I write about positive thinking with cheesy chick flicks in the background.

It’s a little strange to show myself like this, but it feels somewhat apropos considering the theme of my SAM-e.com Round 2 video: connecting with all of you. That’s what makes this worthwhile for me. I don’t write for RTs or Diggs. I write because I genuinely enjoy feeling like a part of your life.

And because I love that you’re part of mine. Not just an online part, as separated from real-life  reality. But a very real, and meaningful piece of who I am.

I’m a better person when I shut down my laptop for the experience of knowing and learning from you. And I appreciate the opportunity to let you know me a little more fully.

Without any further ado, my Round 2 video for the SAM-e.com “Good Mood Blogger” job. If you like what I’m all about–both my writing and the person behind it–I ask that you please support me by voting here today, and every day until December 7th. It would bring me a lot of joy to win this job; and I hope through it I could bring a lot of joy to you.

*The top picture is me at 4 years old. Because I was a whole lot cuter then, so I figured why not!

Tags: believe, dreams, good mood blogger, sam-e

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 at 9:37 am and is filed under Gratitude, Social Media. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.