Quia Querisma

I’ve finally come to terms with the fact that I don’t blog “just because” anymore. With the demands of parenting, work, freelancing, sometimes grad school, and a hyperactive social calendar I just don’t have the time (or desire) to digest my adventures into words anymore. That is, unless they’re being published by someone other than myself. I used to feel guilty about it, but I realized that I just switched mediums.

I go in cycles with my personal preference of social media. In 2007 I was a Twitter fiend (early adopter). Prior to that it was photo blogging on Buzznet. Somewhere in between I did the social shopping/sharing thing for ThisNext. And of course there was Facebook. Well now that FB has infiltrated pretty much every single facet of modern life, it’s my current drug of choice. I’ve recently gotten into Instagram (which reminds me a lot of my Buzznet days except with cool photo filters) and Pinterest (a sleeker, more modern ThisNext). I still Tweet occasionally, but anyone following @querismatic usually knows my “twittascope”, sees my 4sq check ins and sees the feed from my Tumblr (which is fed by what? Instagram).

I think I was more interested in blogging about my life when it was boring. I blogged religiously in the early 2000s when I was still in college, juggling parenting, classwork, and discovering new friends. But then FB came along and my online world and offline life were no longer separate. *EPIPHANY* I think that’s when the switch happened. There was too much overlap between the analog and digital world that I lost interest in blogging my misadventures. Chances are, the people who’d read it were already there…. or saw the photos on Facebook.

So here I am, writing a blog post about why I don’t blog anymore. That’s not to say that I can’t (for the right price) or I won’t (like when I wrote my famous “packing ninja” post on Tumblr). I think now I’d just rather share my experiences in pictures and 140 characters.

In other news, my travel game has increased tenfold and I think there are only two months in 2012 where I have no plans to go out of town. I personally think it’s pretty stinking awesome and if I have my druthers you’ll read about them in a third party media outlet. My first travel story in a long time was published by BlackAmericaWeb.com last week. Destination Dubai: Playground of the rich is the streamlined version (yes, streamlined at 1,400 words) of my five days in the U.A.E. The bulk of my travel for the rest of the year is continental U.S. but I’m discovering that a heck of a lot of travel pieces are laser-focused, and really granular when it comes to subject matter. Honestly, I didn’t have to write about the whole trip to Dubai. I could have written a piece on the Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi and that would have been a story. There’s definitely plenty to say about it. The remaining 2012 agenda consists of:

• April: Houston
• May: Austin, D.C., Boston
• June: Atlanta
• July: San Diego
• August: New York
• September: Denver, Austin (again!), Santa Barbara
• October: Miami, Paris/Nice/Monaco
• November: TBD… I’m considering St. Louis to visit friends
• December: I rested… maybe.

I’m looking forward to building out my newest niche since I’ve done entertainment, fashion, and shopping for so long.

An incredible amount of time has passed since my last update (which probably explains why I’m really just not a blogger) so it’s time to get this page up to speed:

• I originally planned to do Fashion Week in NYC in Sept 2010 but those plans got overruled when the opportunity to go to London came about (pics).
• And then in October I went to Philadelphia with my boyfriend *insert goofy smile here* (pics)
• In November I worked the Soul Train Awards (pics). There’s a candid in that album with me and actor Ron Reaco Lee. I didn’t recognize him right away–I just knew a very handsome man in a suit sat down next to me and started talking, so it was imperative that I pay attention! Also, whomever thinks sharing an event on social media pretty much in real-time is easy stuff is gravely mistaken. I was too wiped to shake things up at the after party. Nonetheless it was a great experience, and I thoroughly enjoyed living at the Ritz Carlton Bankhead during my stay in Atlanta.
• As soon as I got back from Atlanta I was offered a full-time job in the online marketing department at Hotels.com, thus breaking free of the shackles of unemployment. They’re a good bunch there; I’m happy.
• I spent New Year’s Eve with my boyfriend in Washington, D.C. at a black tie affair and it was the first time I ever had to get stone cold formal. I absolutely loved it. We looked like something out of a Bond movie, seriously.
• January brought the good news that I will be a Dallas Glambassador for a third year. I celebrated with Glamour and Dior Beauty directors from across the country at a private event here in Dallas. Though being a Glambassador is an unpaid gig, I love the perks and I meet some truly great people. Besides, as a writer, why would I not want contacts at one of the biggest women’s magazines in the market? I haven’t pitched any stories yet… I’m waiting for the perfect idea to present itself. I want to represent to the fullest.

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Well hi! My last update was in March and there have been a lot of things going on since then, but who has time to write about anything? No one. First let’s backtrack:

• I have been continuing down a successful path with SoulTrain.com
• My Playdates with Shoes garnered a lot of attention (even from @BarneysNY) and a sizable following, although when I started doing 15hr/wk in freelance marketing/PR work I didn’t have the time to hit Barneys as often as I’d liked.
• I’m still an RTR fan and snagged about $80 in referral credits
• I didn’t get chosen as a speaker at the #140 conf
• I scored press access to the Essence Music Festival but nixed my plans due to my mother’s worries about Hurricane Alex (there’s always next year)

And now for the things I didn’t mention:
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