The Cookbook Conference is completely sold out, and there is a long waiting list. Everyone will be attending: writers, literary agents, publishers and all the big nobs in the writing/blogging universe. I will be speaking on Lisa Ekus’ panel. Our topic is THE FUTURE I love this subject….

To make the content available to those unable to attend, ten panels on Friday and Saturday, February 10-11, 9 am-6 pm, will be webcast. Anyone can tune in, watch the panels, and tweet questions.  In addition, all 28 panels will be filmed and will be up on the same website a week or two after the conference. The broadcast schedule  is available on the conference website:
www.cookbookconf.com <http://www.cookbookconf.com>

The url for it is:

http://cookbookconf.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/FINALFINALSCHEDULE.pdf

The meeting is taking place at the Roger Smith Hotel in NYC is the site. This is a small hotel near Grand Central Station. It is a  welcoming and quite inexpensive place to stay. I like it a lot.

Robert Frost, one of the most=admired American poets, was himself a hard worker. He considered that a life well lived is one devoted to perfecting one’s own craft. He said, “The world is full of willing people; some willing to work, the rest willing to let them.” He also wryly observed, “the reason worry kills more people than work, is that more people worry than work.”

I’m teaching a course on love affairs. I am the matchmaker. I ask the students : What do YOU  LOVE TO DO — not what do you like to do — what do you LOVE to do in your spare time like riding a bike or taking photographs, or skiing or watching TV or playing video games? Once I have this essential information to ponder, I try my best to propose a marriage between your life and your career.

In the last semester one fellow said he just wants to ride his Harley and write about food. He’s landed a column at a biking magazine!

This is the first day of the new class at the CIA. It is an elective and 27 students have enrolled.  This is what I’m planning to say:

May I begin by asking you to look at the person seated next to you. And to the person seated in front and behind you?

Immediately you’ll see there is nobody in the world who looks like you, thinks like you or has had the same experiences you have had. You are unique. And special. And as Christopher Robin said to Winnie the Pooh:

Promise me you’ll always remember you’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.  So to echo President Obama: Yes you can!

This should get us ALL FIRED UP AND READY TO GO!

Teaching this class is what I love to do.