Essays & Personal Writings - Articles, Content and Blogs

Markets Don't Matter, Karma Does

Sometimes in life things come together at exactly the right time. That happened for my husband and me in 2011, and it's how I came to live in both Asheville and Burnsville. It went like this ... Read more...

Success stems not from what you do, but from how you think

The number one reason why people fail in business is not because they lack intelligence or funding. It's because most people have not conceptualized the business of being in business. Read more...

Recapping the MAP {Re}HAPPENING 2011

For the 2nd year in a row the The Black Mountain College Museum and Art Center (BMCM+AC) and The Media Arts Project (The MAP) produced the {Re}HAPPENING, a free-form art event held at the original location of the Black Mountian College, now Camp Rockmont of LEAF fame. Read more...

Ask Bubbi Advice Column - Monday May 3rd 2010

Ask Bubbi, an advice column offered exclusively on AshevilleNow.com. This weeks topics: 1. I have the world's best Mother-in-law, but I have a problem with my Mother. She is jealous of that! 2. My boyfriend and I are feuding because he wants to get another dog and I don't! I am not a dog lover and fought him on getting the first dog, but I finally gave in! Read more...

Ask Bubbi Advice Column - Monday April 26th 2010

Ask Bubbi, an advice column offered exclusively on AshevilleNow.com. This weeks topics: 1. I want to change careers. I'm in my 50's and my kids (both grown and married) think it's too late in life for me to do this. 2. My husband and I bought a fixer upper with the intentions of spending every weekend working on the house. So far, my husband has found an excuse every weekend not to work on the house. Read more...

Ask Bubbi Advice Column - Monday April 19th 2010

Ask Bubbi, an advice column offered exclusively on AshevilleNow.com. This weeks topics: 1. o you think a six and eight year old are old enough to have chores to do around the house? 2. My best friend and I both have a crush on the same guy. Should we draw straws to see which one of us gets to go after him? Read more...

Ask Bubbi Advice Column - Monday April 12th 2010

Ask Bubbi, an advice column offered exclusively on AshevilleNow.com. This weeks topics: 1. I'm a food server who has been trying to get considered for a management position for over two years. 2. This might sound weird to say but I feel invisible everywhere I go, like no-one even notices me. Read more...

Ask Bubbi Advice Column - Monday April 5th 2010

Ask Bubbi, an advice column offered exclusively on AshevilleNow.com. This weeks topics: 1. I'm trying to lose weight but instead of encouraging me, my two best friends are making fun of me all the time. 2. My sister's steady boyfriend is an opinionated loudmouth who ruins just about every family gathering. I want to tell him off but I know my parents would be upset. Read more...

Ask Bubbi Advice Column - Monday March 22nd 2010

Ask Bubbi, an advice column offered exclusively on AshevilleNow.com. This weeks topics: 1. I'm tired of all the pressures of being an adult. I wish I was a kid again! 2. Yesterday, I went for my fifth job interview and as usual, I didn't get the job. Now I have to listen to them lecture me about how to present myself at an interview. Read more...

Ask Bubbi Advice Column - Monday March 15th 2010

Ask Bubbi, an advice column offered exclusively on AshevilleNow.com. This weeks topics: 1. I'm feuding with one of my co-workers every day because of his insane political views. 2. What should you do for your woman when she is still mad after you apologize? Read more...

Ask Bubbi Advice Column - Monday March 1st 2010

Ask Bubbi, an advice column offered exclusively on AshevilleNow.com. This weeks topics: 1. When I have my sister and her boys over to my house, her kids run wild tearing up the place. 2. I am almost 17 and I met a guy that my Mother doesn't want me to hang out with. She says he is too old for me. Read more...

Ask Bubbi Advice Column - Monday February 15th 2010

Ask Bubbi, an advice column offered exclusively on AshevilleNow.com. This weeks topics: 1. y girlfriend broke up with me two weeks before Valentine's Day and we haven't talked since that night. 2. All this cold, miserable weather has caused me to eat a lot of snacks and pack on the pounds this winter. Read more...

Ask Bubbi Advice Column - Monday February 8th 2010

Ask Bubbi, an advice column offered exclusively on AshevilleNow.com. This weeks topics: 1. What do you think about a friend who promises to take a cruise with me every year (for 4 years) and then always cancels out at the last minute? 2. I lent my sister-in-law a dress for a party she was attending and she returned it all crumbled up in a bag. Read more...

My Name Is Bill

Initiating morning protocol. Running system diagnostic. Energy cells at maximum capacity. Speech functions all nominal. Skill processes showing clear connections between thought and action. Assessment of appearance in ninety-nine percent accordance with office dress code. Read more...

Ask Bubbi Advice Column - Monday January 11th 2010

Ask Bubbi, an advice column offered exclusively on AshevilleNow.com. This weeks topics: 1. What do you think of a friend who promises to visit three different times and then cancels out all the visits at the last minute! 2. My three sisters and I go away together once a year for a sisters only trip, but I can't afford it this year. Read more...

Thank Goodness for Sheepdogs...

If you have ever wondered what tops America's addiction list, look no further than the word comfort. It is the pursuit of feeling good that dwarfs all other priorities and provides incubating warmth for other addictions like food, money, drugs, sex, worry and additional misadventures that routinely capture our enthusiasm. Read more...

Ask Bubbi Advice Column - Monday January 4th 2010

Ask Bubbi, an advice column offered exclusively on AshevilleNow.com. This weeks topics: 1. Every January, I make my New Year's resolutions (ex: lose weight) and by the end of the month, I've broken every one of them. 2. My husband and I are in our early 60's and we've been together since high-school. The problem is, he still acts like he's in high school. Read more...

Ask Bubbi Advice Column - Monday December 28th 2009

Ask Bubbi, an advice column offered exclusively on AshevilleNow.com. This weeks topics: 1. I've been dating this woman for two months and she's still stringing along her ex. 2. Lately, I've been in a bad mood at work and I feel like my coworkers are avoiding me. Read more...

The Big Storm Of 2009

As I'm writing this, I'm staring at over a foot of snow outside my window. It was the cause of massive power outages and hundreds of traffic accidents this weekend. I wonder how something so breathtakingly beautiful can cause so much havoc? Read more...

Ask Bubbi Advice Column - Monday December 14th 2009

Ask Bubbi, an advice column offered exclusively on AshevilleNow.com. This weeks topics: 1. My boyfriend and I are having a difficult time finding an apartment to rent and his Mother feels it's because I am Hispanic and her son is African American. 2. I'm new in town, recently widowed and anxious to make friends. Read more...

Green Living at Asheville's Grove Park Inn

A couple weeks ago I attended the fall conference of the Carolinas Healthcare and Public Relations Society at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC. For those of you who have never been to the Grove Park Inn, it is spectacular. It's the kind of majestic inn where you'd expect to find Teddy Roosevelt vacationing. The lobby has these huge fireplaces on either end and the views of the mountains are spectacular. So, it probably shouldn't have surprised me on my recent visit when I learned about the Inn's green program. Read more...

The 'Sweetest' Guy In Downtown Asheville

Scott Weisenberger offers his customers much more than just freshly baked goodies at Sisters McMullen Cupcake Corner at 1 Pack Square in downtown Asheville. He's more like an Ambassador to the city for the countless visitors who can't resist stopping in after peering in the window and seeing the colorful display of pastries. Read more...

Ask Bubbi Advice Column - Monday November 30th 2009

Ask Bubbi, an advice column offered exclusively on AshevilleNow.com. This weeks topics: 1. My husband and I don't care much for the Christmas season. We think it's too commercialized and has lost all religious meaning. 2. My mother is trying to control my wedding plans. Read more...

Ask Bubbi Advice Column - Monday November 16th 2009

Ask Bubbi, an advice column offered exclusively on AshevilleNow.com. This weeks topics: 1. There's nothing I wouldn't do for my friends and though they say they feel the same way, it's rarely reciprocated. 2. I've dated the same guy since high school. My landlord is driving me crazy. First he tells me that he doesn't allow any dogs in the building, so I gave my dog to my sister. Now his nephew is living next door and he has two dogs who bark 24/7. Read more...

Ask Bubbi Advice Column - Monday November 9th 2009

Ask Bubbi, an advice column offered exclusively on AshevilleNow.com. This weeks topics: 1. There's nothing I wouldn't do for my friends and though they say they feel the same way, it's rarely reciprocated. 2. I've dated the same guy since high school. My landlord is driving me crazy. First he tells me that he doesn't allow any dogs in the building, so I gave my dog to my sister. Now his nephew is living next door and he has two dogs who bark 24/7. Read more...

Ask Bubbi Advice Column - Monday October 26th 2009

Ask Bubbi, an advice column offered exclusively on AshevilleNow.com. This weeks topics: 1. I want to quit my job and start a business, but my partner says it's too risky at this stage of our lives. 2. I've dated the same guy since high school. We're both 24 now. The problem is that I don't have anything in common with him anymore. Read more...

The Nature of Flying

There are infinite ways for us to connect to nature. One way is vicariously experienced through our animals, fish, insects, and birds for that matter. We find pleasure in our dog that can run like a horse. We observe fish with fins that can swim through water with speed and grace in a way that we cannot. Read more...

Ask Bubbi Advice Column - Monday October 12th 2009

Ask Bubbi, an advice column offered exclusively on AshevilleNow.com. This weeks topics: 1. I work under an older woman who gets upset when I make a suggestion or try to change anything she does. 2. I am trying to eat organic but I really can't afford the extra expense. Read more...

Ask Bubbi Advice Column - Monday October 5th 2009

Ask Bubbi, an advice column offered exclusively on AshevilleNow.com. This weeks topics: 1. I work under an older woman who gets upset when I make a suggestion or try to change anything she does. 2. I am trying to eat organic but I really can't afford the extra expense. Read more...

Attacked At A Virginia Rest Stop

Two years ago, while driving back from a trade show, I stopped to use the facilities at a public rest area in Virginia. It was early evening and I was the only traveler in the bathroom. As I was washing my hands, a young, fairly large female attendant walked in and began spraying a disinfectant around the entire area. I asked the attendant to stop spraying and let her know that I had terrible allergies. She refused to acknowledge me and continued spraying. As I attempted to get out the door, she turned and intentionally sprayed the disinfectant directly into my face. Gasping for breath, I ran to my car and called the emergency number posted at the rest stop to report the incident. Read more...

Ask Bubbi Advice Column - Monday September 28th 2009

Ask Bubbi, an advice column offered exclusively on AshevilleNow.com. This weeks topics: 1. I want to quit my job, live in a small cabin in the woods that my grandfather left me and spend a year writing a novel. 2. I love living in Asheville, but it's tough to find a decent paying job in the sales and service industry. Read more...

Gut Health by Dr. Sudeshna Dasgupta-O'Brien

Digestive disorders are on the increase. About 38 million Americans suffer from a variety of digestive problems such as GERD, irritable bowel syndrome, celiac disease, food allergies, diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn's disease. Read more...

Fishin' On the French Broad with Chris of Whitewater Sportsman

I hadn't been fishin' in nearly ten years. I had just completed a very difficult RN BSN program. Chris pushed us off the bank of the French Broad, and as soon as we hit the current relaxation washed over me like a gentle wave. My tackle had been prepared for me. I was told to cast into lines of turbulence after the rocks jutting out of the water. Fifteen minutes in and I had my first fish. Read more...

Right To the Very Last Curtain Call

I can't relive this day...Won't miss the chance to say, 'I Love You.' Lyrics from the song 'I can't relive this day' by Debi Drecksler. This past week was a wake up call for baby boomers. Three well known celebrities of our generation made their final curtain call Read more...

Ask Bubbi Advice Column - Monday June 15th 2009

Ask Bubbi, an advice column offered exclusively on AshevilleNow.com. This weeks topics: 1. I'm a 24 year old male who's content being a loner and I get a lot of grief about that. 2. I am in love with this wonderful woman but she has been married twice and neither of the marriages lasted very long. Read more...

A Magnificent Day

Two gorgeous days in a row! After weeks of nothing but rain, the sky has become a canvas of magnificent white fluffy clouds and the landscape is drenched with brilliant color. There is a touch of a breeze caressing me. Read more...

Battle of Rabbit and Squirrel

The grass, how it rose during that day, When birds and beasts stood in sway, Frozen in gaze, a particular sight, Held attention, reduced their might... Read more...

Wine Q&A with Asheville Wine Consulting

So here it is...my very first blog post...evah! I've decided that at least for now, I would like to organize this page as a wine Q&A. I am much more comfortable speaking than writing and this seems like the best way for me to get my creative juices flowing! Read more...

Ask Bubbi Advice Column - Monday May 25th 2009

Dear Bubbi, an advice column offered exclusively on AshevilleNow.com. This weeks topics: 1. I was widowed 4 years ago and my friends want me to start going out again. 2. My best friend from college came for a visit after he lost his job and hasn't gotten off the couch in weeks. Read more...

How You Look At Life Makes The Difference

I ran into the drugstore the other day to pick up something and as I stood in line waiting to pay, the girl in front of me turned to apologize for taking so long checking out. 'No problem,' I said. 'I'm just on my way to the doctor for a healthy check-up and I've got time to spare.' As an afterthought I added, 'Ever since my little sister fought and won her battle with cancer, I take my health a little more seriously. It was definitely my wake-up call.' Read more...

Art Is My Job

Twenty-five fabulous new paintings all ready to go, they are so glorious in my studio. What shall I do now? I'm waiting by the phone, checking my email every few minutes, checking the hits on my web site. what else can I do? It's one thing to make art, it's quite another to show and sell art. Where do you start? Read more...

Wake Up Call In the Banking Industry

Recently President Obama said, 'Instead of fine print that hides the truth, we need credit card forms and statements that have plain language in plain sight, and we need to give people the tools they need to find a credit card that meets their needs.' I couldn't agree more but let's take in one step further. Months ago, I wrote a column on educating our young people about how to manage money. Read more...

Ask Bubbi Advice Column - Monday May 11th 2009

Dear Bubbi, an advice column offered exclusively on AshevilleNow.com. This weeks topics: 1. I'm new in town and having a hard time meeting guys. 2. I've been dating this wonderful girl for 4 months but nothing is ever good enough for her. Read more...

The Tourists are in Full Swing

The Asheville Tourists are the local baseball team of Asheville. They are part of the South Atlantic League, which is a minor league. There are several other teams in the league throughout the Eastern part of the Untied States. There are about 18 teams total, including Greenville Drive, West Virginia Power, Charleston River Dogs, and the Augusta Green Jackets. The Tourists however, are not doing so well. Read more...

Learning to be a 'Nowhere Man' can allow us to embrace opportunity

As Lennon himself experienced, 'Nowhere man, the world is at your command.' It is at your command precisely because you no longer have to be stuck by a company, job or context. You are now free to create your own. Read more...

Beer Happenings Around Asheville

Yesterday we had an awesome time interviewing with Brian Cendrowski of Untamed Beer. (And a shout to his wife and camera person, Nicole.) We splayed out a bunch of rare goodies on the bar, chatted a while (much longer he planned, I think, but I babble), and sampled the new Japanese Baird Shizuoka Natsumikan Ale (tastes like marmalade!), Pisgah Vortex I Triple IPA, and De Stuise Black Albert. Read more...

HATCHfest: Now I Get It!

In the weeks leading up to HATCHfest Asheville, which took place around downtown Asheville from April 15th - 19th 2009, I found it difficult to gauge my expectations. I didn't understand the festival, and it wasn't for a lack of effort. I had watched the promotional video several times, spoken to several HATCH organizers including Greg Lucas of Music Allies and Jon Elliston of the Mountain Xpress. I even wrote an article for the site about the festival. Despite my best efforts, I had absolutely no idea what to expect Read more...

Part 2: Friday at HATCHfest

Part 2 of my review of HATCHfest 2009: The following morning I was back in the Innovator's Lounge for the Journalism panel. Moderated by Jon Elliston of the Mountain Xpress, the panel included notable journalists from across the country. The conversation centered on the shifting media world under the pressure of new media and declining advertising revenue. Read more...

Director's Notes for 'A Number' at North Carolina Stage Company, April 15 to May 3, 2009

Were you jazzed to see Tyler Hansbrough work his magic for the Tar Heels in the recent NCAA National Championship? Did you take in the game on a big flat-screen TV? What would you have given to have really been there, court-side? Read more...

A Company's Magic Formula

Can I hire another employee? Can I afford a new computer? Questions like these come up frequently with small business owners, and the answers are often staring them in the face. Learning their company's formula can give business owners a rule of thumb for operating their companies when they don't necessarily have all their financial information right in front of them. Read more...

Just attended a HATCH journalism panel

I just attended a HATCH journalism panel. Lots o' fun. Picture included. Read more...

Learning to Work at the Laughing Seed Cafe

I started working at the Laughing Seed Cafe in late 2008. I learned to wash restaurant dishes while I have been there the past several months. Read more...

Don't throw away that used tea bag!

Love Green Tea? You will appreciate it even more when you find out what you can do with the bag. AFTER you enjoy the tea! Who knew? I sure didn't! It even got rid of sour milk smell in my car from my 5 year old! Read more...