365 Days and (Hopefully) Many More!

HAPPY birthday to You. Happy birthday to You. Happy Birthday, dear VEVLYN'S PEN, Happy birthday to You! … and many more!

It was a year ago today that Yours Truly returned home, wrote a piece on the launch of the game based on the latest “Indiana Jones” film, then Googled, "How to create a blog." After sitting through a two-minute tutorial, I followed some prompts, gave one last, big push and birthed VEVLYN'S PEN."

Six days earlier it was Internet Week New York as it is now, through 14 June (to learn more click on the the tab on the right side of the VEVLYN'S PEN banner). I was at a Women in Communications mixer where a woman from careerbuilder.com gave me two pieces of advice when I told her my plan to return to my reporting roots. The first was to join LinkedIn, which I would discover later that evening that I'd done a few years earlier. The second was to start a blog. At the time I did not quite understand what's a blog. A couple of colleagues ran blogs, and I'd made inquiries about them, but I didn't get it. Not really. It would not be the first time I'd undertook a scheme that I hadn't fully wrapped my brain around. In this instance it is working in my favor.

I've not worked as hard since my grad school days. But I've not had as much professional fulfullment and fun - ever. Who knew that I would miss reporting so much! Thank you, news service of “The New York Times" for laying me off from my editing job. Thanks for emancipating me from that cubicle where I could not meet my public. EUROSTAR for helping me get my mojo back.

In the start of this second year, I plan to continue to bring my audience “The Wright take on life” as it relates to art/culture/fashion/food/film and so on. You will notice changes, including an editorial calendar to clue you in to which days you should tune in to read about certain subjects. For instance, on the Tuesdays that I publish, health-related topics will carry the day. Food (restaurants openings, fests, interesting products, health benefits of or lack thereof, and so forth) will usually occupy Wednesdays. Already, fashion has dibs on Thursdays with Fashion Scrapbook and standalone fashion/beauty-related subjects. For the start of the weekend Fridays will mostly focus on film and occasionally art and dance. The rest of the week will be a sort of wild card, featuring a mix of stories. Expect more enterprise stories on all subjects, like the shorts on Emilio Sosa and Mario Cantone, and the “Missive from Monroe.

And, aNd anD, occasionally, I will add my two cents to certain issues of the moment. In the main, I'll save these beefs for the Saturdays that VP is published. Speaking of which, methinks that President Obama can be mad as hell and not take anymore BS from BP and still not appear on a morning news show and talk about “whose ass to kick.” It’s unbecoming of him to pander to public opinion and/or the rabble rousers.

While I have one cent left, allow me to submit that the president should run the country the way he ran his successful two-year application for the job. All that spewed, I’ve decided to withhold any pillorying of him until January 2011. That’s right, a two-year probationary period. On some level, I liken him to God, to the extent that he has access to a lot more information than I do, and may be acting accordingly - though his actions look whacked. Further, one must remind herself when she is about to descend into cynicism and criticism that here’s a guy who inherited the greatest economic crisis in the history of the country and two wars. Now, more shit on the fan: likely the greatest environmental disaster in the history of the country. Unlike God, though, he has about six months to get his ducks in a row - or else.

It is natural that VP should undergo changes, and hopefully wisdom will keep pace with age. What will not change is the dedication to quality writing and reporting. And, of course, the wit and irreverence.

Thank you, dear audience, for accompanying me on the journey this last year. And thanks for sticking around for the next leg.