Toby Bloomberg
I struggled with writing this bio. Although I’ve written lots of bios for business situations, writing from a more personal perspective was a challenge. Then the lyrics from one of my favorite plays, Chorus Line, went round and round in my mind.
Who am I anyway? Am I my resume? That is a picture of a person I don’t know. What does he want from me? What should I try to be? So many faces all around, and here we go. I need this job, oh God, I need this show. I CAN DO THAT
I thought who am I? Am I the avatars on Twitter or Facebook or the photos on Flickr? Am I the bio that decorates a brochure from the last conference where I spoke?
Or am I the woman who danced until dawn or the girl who still plays tag with the waves at the beach? Am I the aunt who holds dear her niece and nephew? Am I the friend who sips wine and talks and laughs and cries with people she loves? Am I the person who puts on mittens, scarf and hat to walk my YouTube rock star dog Max (more about Max below) in the brrr! cold? Since moving from Boston to Atlanta I must admit I have turned into a wimp.
Perhaps I am the marketer who has spent the last six years helping people understand there is a different way to reach customers and to conduct business through social media. But what about the lady who happily spends hours looking through recipes and browsing the wine store in order to create the perfect meal for her friends?
Or the young woman who traveled through Europe and discovered a life lesson taught by little children playing on a beach in Greece? Or the student who still harbors the dream but whose life took her in different directions.
Am I the woman who late at night is frightened because tomorrow is an unknown and yet becomes excited because tomorrow is a new beginning? Am I still the little girl with her hair in braids tied with ribbons who eats ice cream cones with jimmies and will gladly offer some to you? Or the person who feels the most important people in her life left her too soon?
As I wrote this odd bio I began to understand that I am my resume, my avatars, as well as my past and my future. That we are all tapestries and depending on when you look at us you will find something new, some familiar something magical. However, weaving it together, holding all the images are silver and gold threads that are our values in life.
I so am looking forward to the adventures, the learning’s and the friendships that we’ll discover together.
Continue the conversation with me here at All The Single Girlfriends, my blog Diva Marketing and on Twitter at @tobydiva
My posts on All The Single Girlfriends begin here…
Happy 2013 .. On Your Terms
As 2013 opens its door to us we stand on the threshold of seemingly unlimited possibilities. However, as I watch the rain drops fall (and think thank goodness it’s not snowing in Atlanta!) it seems like I’ve been given a small gift to begin the new year. With the gray clouds overhead today I don’t […]
To Grit or Not To Grit
As a Yankee living in the South I quickly learned there are certain foods that one is suppose to like. Like grits. Whenever I think of grits I can’t help but but remember the scene from My Cousin Vinny when Vincent Laguardia Gambini, played by Joe Pesce, and his girlfriend Mona Lisa Vito, played by […]
Grilling For Veggies
We called it barbecuing. Growing up in Boston the onset of summer, which hopefully was more June than July (!) was when Dad took the cover off the grill. At first it was hot dogs, burgers, chicken, steak and ribs that found their way to the grill. Then Dad got fancy adding salmon and fresh […]
Girlfriends Helping Girlfriends
Girlfriends Helping Girlfriends is an All The Singles Girlfriend series that shines a virtual spotlight on amazing women who have been supporting women and girls over a period of time. For so many of our All The Single Girlfriend community there is a very, special role that we play that is often over looked or simply taken […]
Table Set For One
I didn’t always live alone. I grew up in a home with a mom, dad and sister. Then there were college roommates, the boyfriend, after college roommates and now of course Max .. do you count your dog? In between there was living alone .. which can be quite wonderful and no more lonely than […]
Cereal Beyond Saturday Morning Cartoons
“Like religion, politics, and family planning, cereal is not a topic to be brought up in public. It’s too controversial.” – Erma Bombeck Snap crackle pop! Saturday morning my sister and I would join the ranks of kids all over the U.S. We filled bowls with cereal and happily munched away watching cartoons. Until I […]
ATSGF 1st Anniversary
One year ago today an amazing community of Girlfriends began a new adventure together. All The Single Girlfriends captured the imagination of women who had blown out the candles on their fortieth birthday cake. Some weeks ago some years ago. We wanted to change the perceptions about women who are “single in spirit” after the […]
The One Thing I Will Do In 2012 Come Hell or High Water!
We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day. ~ Edith Lovejoy Pierce This quote from Edith Lovejoy Pierce seems particularly relevant for an online community, since of course, each new post begins […]
New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day Foodie Traditions .. Or Not
Foodie Friday has turned into one of All The Single Girlfriends’ most popular series. It’s one of my favorites too. During the past year our Gf Authors have opened their recipe boxes to share family treasures and opened their hearts to share foodie memories. We can dish and dish it up with the best! We […]
Girlfriends Helping Girlfriends
Girlfriends Helping Girlfriends is an All The Singles Girlfriend series that shines a virtual spotlight on amazing women who have been supporting women and girls over a period of time. Elisa Camahort Page is the co-founder and COO of BlogHer, Inc. Founded in 2005, BlogHer is the largest community of women who blog. Interviewing Elisa and highlighting BlogHer […]
Halloween Foodie Treats!
They’re creepy and their kooky .. mysterious and spooky .. nope not the Addams Family. You’ll find no tricks here. From our food blogging friends ten treat recipes for your Halloween party. 1. Harry Potter Halloween Recipes found by Gf Yvonne DiVita! 2. Skeleton Cupcakes from Cookies & Cups are perfect whimsy for your party. 3. For our vegan friends no […]
Summer To Fall With A Little App Help
This morning when I took my pup Max for his walk there was a definite hint of autumn in the air. I looked up into the trees .. and yes, there were even a few red and orange leaves. Where did summer go? Since it’s Foodie Friday on All The Single Girlfriends, I wondered how or […]
Creative Cooking
Before personal branding, and what Tom Peter’s termed A Brand Called You, became the thing to do, a resume focused primarily on professional achievements. Oh perhaps you might include honors or professional association memberships, maybe even a hobby .. sports were always good. Me? My first curriculum vitae included creative cooking under the extra stuff. […]
The French Toast Throw Down
Or as we called it .. Duel of the Spatulas! Kaye insisted her French toast souffle recipe, with caramelized pecans, was the best. But Sandy was sure that chocolate chips that melted into her oven baked French toast had the “omg factor!” Note: In the photo .. Sandy on left & Kaye on right. This […]
Summer Farmers’ Markets: A Family Affair
Behind the card table sits Miss Betty. Standing proudly next to her are two young boys with their buzz cuts summer short. “No dear,” she patiently and proudly explains to me when I asked if the boys were her grandsons. “They are my great grandsons.” Jars upon jars of fresh jams and preserves, from her […]
Interview with Bella DePaulo, PhD
Recently, I was playing following the link. You know how that goes .. you click on one link it takes you to another site and so on. If you’re lucky you land on some pretty cool sites. It must have been my lucky day because I came across a series of articles by Dr. Bella […]
A Dad For Daughters
There are dads who were meant to be fathers to boys and dads who were made for girls. My dad, Lou Bloomberg, was a dad for daughters. Perhaps that’s why I love dads & daughters. He was the oldest child in a family with 4 sisters, so I suppose he grew up with an added […]
In Atlanta: The Great Food Truck Race Review: The Lime Truck & Roxy’s Grilled Cheese
When was the last time you had an urban picnic? I spent last weekend chasing Food Trucks! Really I did. Food Network was filming the reality challenge series The Great Food Truck Race in Atlanta. Tyler Florence is the host. I happen to love eating-on-the-street/food so it seemed like a fun weekend adventure. Street food […]
3 Bs: Berries, Basil & Balsamic
When I lived in Boston Saturday meant a trip to Haymarket Square for fresh veggies, fruit, cheese and a visit to my favorite fishmonger. Don’t you love that word: “fishmonger?” Haymarket Square was farmer’s markets before farmer’s markets were cool. I tried to time my shopping to just before the close of business when the […]
Mummy I Remember …
Memories of my mom sometimes feel like faded rose petals. Rose petals at the stage when they are velvety but the color has changed from vibrant to softer shades. The stage when they drop to the earth but the fragrance is still sweet and strong. At other times those memories seem to be as elusive […]
Feel Better Food
Yesterday I was watching the Food Network’s a Best Of .. Comfort Food. Comfort foods are usually food from our childhood that help get us over a little bump in the road. For me it’s chocolate. For others it’s mac and cheese or grilled cheese or .. or .. or .. There’s a side step […]
Wine Cork or Screw Cap?
Girlfriends, I don’t know about you, but for me, one of the mystiques of enjoying wine is the ceremonial aspects of uncorking the bottle. Of course there are times when I want just-a-drink but there are moments when the tradition of uncorking a bottle of wine adds to the anticipation of the first sip. Anticipation! […]
“You” As A Digital Brand
Recently I was re organizing my home office. Er .. ok, I was moving piles of papers to make my desk seem less cluttered. I came across an article that someone had sent me in 1997.. don’t even ask Girlfriend! I don’t remember who sent it to but I saved it because at the time […]
The Singing Soup Bowl
Friday nights were for Grandma. The world agreed that Ida Marder was The Best, if not one of the best, cooks in the neighborhood .. which, as a little girl, was my world. Walking into Grandma’s house on Shabbat we were first greeted with the yeasty smell of freshly baked challah. Is there nothing as […]
A Rose By Any Other Name …
Where do you have your best girlfriend-to-girlfriend talks? Over a latte at your favorite coffee shop? Or perhaps your friends don’t live in the same city and you Skype? Or do you might even do something totally unique and phone. How about on Facebook? Barbara Hannah Gruffman’s Huffington Post article, Can We Live In A […]
International Women’s Day: How Will You Thank Yourself?
Today, women from all over the globe, will join in solidarity to celebrate International Women’s Day. Too often it is expected, from our families to our work colleagues to our friends, that we, as women, will put ourselves second. Funny thing is even our girlfriends often assume that as well. On March 8th, as we […]
Keep Him…Then You Won’t Be Alone
Max came into my life quite unexpectedly and my life changed. I didn’t know it at the time. How often do we not realize the little moments that ultimately impact our lives? I was enjoying a lazy Saturday when my friend Alf called to tell me that a rescued White West Highland Terrier had just […]
Snow Storm Cranberry & Chocolate Cookies
When I’m stressed I bake. When I’m bored I bake. One year I spent all summer making cheesecakes. It was an intense summer but my friends loved me. During the 2011 Atlanta Snow Storm it was cookies and wine time. Cranberry & Chocolate Cookies are one of my favs. I really like how the tartness […]
You Have A Date For VD!
How do you ce lebrate the launch of a site for Girlfriends? With a marathon podcast Girlfriend-to-Girlfriend chat! Join us tonight 7p-10p Eastern when we pop a virtual cork and dish about well .. things girlfriends talk about! All The Single Girlfrinds Talk! Dial-in 323.580.5739 Update! Anytime you need a little girlffriend-to-girlfriend talk .. listen […]
All You Need Is A Little Love
Launching All The Single Girlfriends on Valentine’s Day somehow seems appropriate and a bit ironic. Valentine Day’s love is so often equated with “romantic love.” However, love takes many forms. I was curious to know “what love means” to our Girlfriend Authors. Here’s what they had to say about love .. “Love” – it has […]