January 2006
February 2006
March 2006
April 2006
May 2006
June 2006
July 2006
August 2006
September 2006
October 2006
November 2006
December 2006
January 2007
February 2006
March 2006
April 2006
May 2006
June 2006
July 2006
August 2006
September 2006
October 2006
November 2006
December 2006
January 2007
March 2006
March 1, 2006
Another whirlwind day. I had to jump on the subway and head downtown to Wall Street first thing for my interview Joyce Roche. Joyce is the President of Girls Inc., and it was great to meet with her. I had attended Girls Inc.'s annual luncheon in Hollywood a few years ago, when they were honoring my then-boss from Cartoon Network, and I was really impressed with the kind of work they do in support of girls. It seemed like a natural fit that I would interview someone like Joyce for the book, since her organization's goals are so in-line with the reasons why I've made a commitment to writing for girls.
Anyway…first I met with Taiia in the PR department, who had set up the interview, and then I sat down with Joyce who gave me great insight into her organization and her journey to get here. It was a very good meeting, and I look forward to doing more work on behalf of Girls Inc. in the future.
I met with Alice for a quick lunch at Cosi, where I got to have the mozzarella, tomato and basil sandwich on Cosi's signature bread that I dream about while sitting in my office in Seattle. It was just as good as I remembered. Alice is keeping a diary for me about her life as an educational psychologist and the work she does for preschool shows like Blue's Clues, so we talked about her process and how to go about writing a journal entry for the book that best represents her job and her "typical day."
After lunch, I walked uptown to the offices of CosmoGIRL! where I had a meeting scheduled with editor-in-chief Susan Schulz. Maybe it's because I'm a writer, but there's something that seems so incredibly romantic about the world of magazine publishing. I always picture magazine editors working in really interesting old buildings in Manhattan, dressed in the latest fashions, surrounded by lots of young, hip colleagues oozing energy, drive and creativity. When I got there, everything was just as I imagined it, right down to the office building with lots of character located just a few blocks north of Times Square.
Susan was extremely personable, and despite the fact that she was incredibly busy (I know this because her assistant kept buzzing in with requests about this or reminders about that), she gave me a ton of time and a really detailed interview. Susan walked me through her typical day, told me about her own interesting career journey and shared some great insight and advice for aspiring magazine editors. I had gone through a phase where I dreamed of having a job like Susan's, so it was interesting to talk to her about the realities of her work.
After my work meetings were over the for the day, I had dinner with my girlfriends… former colleagues from Blue's Clues. I try to schedule a night out with the girls during every trip back to New York, and tonight we went to a great Mexican restaurant on the Upper West Side. It was so much fun to see everyone. Sometimes I wonder if I could move back to NYC again…I really miss my friends here so much. But I do love Seattle, and it seems to be the right place for us right now. Who knows what the future holds!
March 2, 2006
Today was a slower-paced day, which was great because I'm really starting to feel wiped out. It's not just the fact that I'm jet-lagged and physically exhausted from hauling my butt all over New York City… I'm emotionally spent, too. I get such a high from talking about the book with such incredible women…sometimes I can't stop all the thoughts in my head from spinning around like jeans tumbling in a dryer. I'm constantly making notes about people to talk with, brainstorms about things I want to include in the book, following up with other women about potential interviews. My…brain…needs…to…slow down.
I interviewed Amy Friedman today. I've known Amy for years, and it's been exciting to follow her career, as she's gone from a creative producer at Nickelodeon to being a big-wig executive for teen network The N and preschool channel Noggin. Amy is one of the warmest, most inspirational women I know…she has a positive energy about her, and she's one of those people I've always wanted to work with. I knew she would have great insight to share for this book, and she absolutely did. I tell you…this whole process of connecting with these women for the book inspires me more and more each day.
Tonight I went over to Loch and Lee's house in Brooklyn for dinner with their family. Just like I have a girls' night out during every visit to NYC, I also always schedule a night with Loch and Lee, dear friends that I met while working at UNICEF in the mid-90's. It was so nice to visit with them, and see their two little ones, Circe and Eero, who are getting to be so big.
I'm about to shut off the light. I'm flying home tomorrow and I want to make sure I'm fairly rested before returning home to my little boy.
March 7, 2006
It's been a while since I've written. I'm back home now…mom left yesterday. It was great to have her here to help out with Asher, even though I missed most of her visit because I was out of town.
I'm getting caught up from my travels… transcribing interviews, coordinating new ones, trying to round out the rest of my requests for women I'm still working on getting on board. I feel like I'm constantly juggling so many different pieces at once…organization has been key. They didn't nickname me the "chart queen" while working at Nickelodeon for nothing…
I interviewed librarian Nancy Pearl today. If ever there was a librarian who has attained "celebrity status," it's Nancy. She's definitely famous here in Seattle, where she lives. When I met with her at Louisa's Bakery for lunch earlier today, people kept coming up to us while we were talking and asking, "Are you Nancy Pearl?" and then introduce themselves like giddy fans. She was very generous and kind to everyone who approached her…I'm sure she's gotten used to it. Anyway…the interview went very well. As one of the older women in my book, I feel like her guidance for teen girls was especially grounded…she is looking back at her journey with a lot of perspective. I truly enjoyed it, and I hope the girls reading the book will, too!
March 8, 2006
I used to wait tables at a small seafood and pasta restaurant at the Jersey Shore when I was in college, so between that, the reality TV show that aired on Fox in 2005 called The Restaurant and glimpses of Monica's job on Friends, I thought I had a good idea of what a chef and restaurateur really did. But once again I got a whole new perspective when I interviewed Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, big-time chefs in Los Angeles who own the Border Grill and Ciudad (I LOVE Cuidad!), and have made a name for themselves through their radio show, cooking shows on the Food Network, brand of food, cookbooks…the list goes on and on. Because they're partners in their business, I wanted to interview them together, and it was a lot of fun keeping up with their banter. I wanted to interview business partners, because that's the sort of relationship that many teen girls may find themselves in one day. The idea of sharing a vision, and the load, with someone who you respect and who understands what you're all about is very appealing. Anyway…the interview went great…hopefully we can have some sort of a book launch event in LA and celebrate at one of their restaurants! To be continued…
March 10, 2006
Not much to report. Still trying to finagle a bunch of interviews, but I finally connected with Mario Carrillo, the award-winning high school teacher in Oregon that I want to interview. We're all set to talk next week.
Beyond that, I'm trying to transcribe and edit my interviews as fast as I get them, so I can keep on schedule for my May 1 deadline.
March 15, 2006
Big surprise… it's another rainy day in Seattle! I only care because today I met with Title 9 Sports founder Missy Park, who was visiting her Seattle stores, and I planned to photograph her. I had been hoping to take pictures of her outside her Greenlake store, but since the weather didn't cooperate, I shot some photos of her in the store instead. It was nice to meet Missy in person, although she really doesn't like to have her picture taken, so I felt like I was torturing her in a way. In the end, I got a few good shots, which I'm forwarding to her assistant for approval.
Oh yeah… our new nanny started today! So far, so good. Asher seems to like her…we'll see how she works out…
March 16, 2006
I stumbled upon bilingual high school science teacher Maria Carrillo while doing research for this book. She is a recipient of prestigious Milken Family Foundation Education Award in 2005, and she is doing a lot of breakthrough work in her mission to help Latino students overcome their language obstacles and thrive in an American school system. It had been difficult to find a time for an interview that worked for us both, but we finally connected. Maria is one of those teachers who is making a true impact on her students…her dedication to the work and to the teens at her high school came through loud and clear in our interview. I'm so glad that I found her…she's perfect for In Their Shoes!
March 17, 2006
Work plunges ahead. I think I've finally found a marine biologist to interview. I'll know more next week, but the communications department at Scripps Institute of Oceanography (sio.ucsd.edu/)has been helping me connect with some of their top women. More later.
March 23, 2006
I have very few phone interviews this week. Instead, I'm wrapping up details on The Real Deal: Challenges book, and handling permission issues for that. I did finally connect with a firefighter for In Their Shoes, and we're trying to figure out the best way to move forward…whether she'll keep a diary, or I'll visit the station for a ride along, or what. She seems great… she's based in Oregon, so I may just head down there and spend a day with her. We'll see!
March 24, 2006
Today I had a great phone interview with Dr. Nancy Knowlton, a marine biologist who works at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Nancy was amazing…she is truly one of the top marine biologists in the world, and the work she was doing is cutting edge. Nancy did a great job of explaining her work in language that a non-science oriented person (like me) could understand, and I'm so appreciative of how generous she was with her time considering her heavy travel schedule and the fact that I'm convinced she is the busiest woman I've met during this whole process.
March 26, 2006
I interviewed a social worker today named Jocelyn Warner, who I got connected with through Lee Davis. I am really drawn to careers like social work where you can make a true and meaningful impact on the people you connect with every day.
March 28. 2006
I first heard about district attorney Kamala Harris when I saw her on Oprah last fall. Kamala is the first woman and the first African American district attorney in San Francisco, and on Oprah, she was honored alongside two other amazing women in powerful posts in San Francisco—the Fire Chief and the Police Chief. Anyway…it took me a while to connect with Kamala, but we finally got an interview scheduled for today. But at the last minute, Kamala got called into another meeting, so we weren't able to make it happen. Hopefully we'll be able to reschedule the interview without too much difficulty…
Other than that, things are moving smoothly, although I'm starting to stress about time. I still have a lot of interviews to conduct and a little over month to do them. Yikes!
March 30, 2006
Today I did my first Skype interview. Lee hooked me up with the accountant at his nonprofit organization in Santiago, Chile, NESsT. I really like the idea of including at least one interview with someone who is finding a way to follow their work and passion abroad.
To interview Jayne without racking up a hefty phone bill, we talked over our computers through Skype and it worked out really well. Jayne totally demystified a lot of things about accounting for me. I mean, my only real experience in accounting was my attempt passing Accounting 101 freshman year of college. For me, that was no easy task… I had to take the class twice before I finally got what it was all about and eked out a decent grade. Anyway… Jayne made for a really interesting interviewee. And I like the fact that she isn't working for a bank or in the finance industry, but that she's taking her skills and using them to help run a nonprofit. I think it will go a long way in showing that there are many different directions you can go with a major—you don't have to follow a cookie cutter approach to a career. It was very inspiring!
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© 2003-2007 Deborah Reber
