LESLY SIMMONS, APR

The story of 94-year-old painter Carmen Herrera:

From the New York Times: “After six decades of very private painting, Ms. Herrera sold her first artwork five years ago, at 89. Now, at a small ceremony in her honor, she was basking in the realization that her career had finally, undeniably, taken off. As cameras flashed, she extended long, Giacomettiesque fingers to accept an art foundation’s lifetime achievement award from the director of the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis.

Her good friend, the painter Tony Bechara, raised a glass. “We have a saying in Puerto Rico,” he said. “The bus — la guagua — always comes for those who wait.”

And the Cuban-born Ms. Herrera, laughing gustily, responded, “Well, Tony, I’ve been at the bus stop for 94 years!” “

Inbox: 12345

Originally uploaded by eszter

This has been such an insane year, especially where tech is concerned, that my gift to myself is getting my electronic house in order before 2010.

My first stop is email. Yeah, I’m on Google Wave, but until that means something email remains critical for me and most folks I know. But that doesn’t mean we like it. So my cleaning tip is a heavy reliance on unsubscribing.

A few weeks ago I was in California for a while with spotty web access, and my email was insane when I got home. More that 900 emails, most of them marketing drivel from some of the many online stores I’ve shopped at over the years. Travel sites. Restaurants. Craft stores. Even with an extra email address to capture the junk, I still couldn’t manage. And seriously, if I need a second email for junk, that might be the start of the problem! When my husband went off about how much he hates his email a few nights ago I was so glad to hear I’m not alone! He’s on a delete/unsubscribe kick too.

All this email is really about getting real with myself. I always think I’m going to get back to that one newsletter or message, and I never, EVER do. Luckily I have a backup for some-my Google Reader. I finally realized I don’t want emails to connect me with other websites for longer articles. I want it for party invites, school info, and links
to random celebrity crap. The Harvard Business review works much better in my Reader because I go there when I have time to dally, and then it disappears automatically.

The messages I am saving are getting labeled as well. Much love to Gina Trapani and all the other super-organized who encourage minimal labeling and use of folders, but now that I know how to really label (thanks to Gmail) my life will never be the same. It makes it so much easier to track information for
my different PR clients or freelance projects, and with archiving I can keep my inbox cleared out so much better. Now if I can just stop checking it constantly…

Success Happens Here

Originally uploaded by leefly

Things here have been quieter than I had planned, but I devoted myself to completing my master’s thesis with more gusto than I anticipated. It’s amazing how much time Turabian formatting can take, but luckily I made it through and got great reviews from my department. The paper, titled, Common Sense, Social Networks, and the Workplace: The Generational Divide Explored, is currently undergoing whatever happens to a thesis or dissertation before its published, but when its ready I will definitely share! And with that I’ve successfully completed all the requirements of my master’s program at Georgetown with a degree in Ethics. If flew by and took forever (only two years as planned), and I loved every minute of it!

I’ve also been writing again for Black Web 2.0 on all sorts of random digital issues, including a lot of broadband access issues. Check out the links below for some of my most recent posts…

New Survey Looks for Internet Adoption Solutions

Facebook Privacy Changes Leave Users Stumped

Social Awareness: The New Networked Frontier