Just Shoot Me

Is there anyway to transform my thirty-something, matronly face into something a little, you know, more hip? I'm hoping that the whole "camera adds 10 pounds" deal doesn't apply to photos taken only of one's head.

I'm having my picture taken this afternoon and I'm beginning to get a little nervous. Not because the last *professional* photo I had taken involved a school gym and 28 second-graders along with a crazy photographer's assistant armed with a boxful of those plastic black combs. But because this photo will be running alongside my column in our local newspaper!

What's the equivalent of stage fright when one doesn't need walk on stage? I don't know, either, but I think I've got it! It was on a bit of a whim that I applied for said writing gig. I didn't tell anyone--not even the Captain--so when the response came that the editor thought people might want to hear what a mom-to-many trying to raise a virtuous group of young'uns had to say, I figured no one else had applied it was a bit of a shock.

Now the reality is setting in, though. While I'm excited about the opportunity, the very real prospect of putting my name and face out there with my semi-edited thoughts is a combination of "pinch me, I must be dreaming" and "maybe nobody will notice". In the blogosphere, there is safety in the anonymity that accompanies writing here. Relieving the pressure is as easy as a click of the *delete* button. Unsolicited responses are easy to block or even prevent. Not so much in a local rag, leaving me uncomfortably letting go of control. (Why does this seem to be a constant theme around here?)

Beulah's eyes gleamed as I explained my new position, "Wow, Mom! You'll be famous!" I could almost see the visions of starlet Hannah Montana in her view (and NO this is not THAT kind of a photo shoot). My nerves only rattled more as she said, "Yeah! Everyone will know who you are!" To which I replied, "Perhaps, but people may not really like what I write about." To which, she--ever the optimist--replied, "So what? Either way you're famous. Then after you're finished, and people forget about you, you can go on ABC family and do a movie..."

So, if you live in the Fox Valley, or have access to the Beacon-News online, you'll be able to catch my musings bi-weekly for the next two years. Then, sometime after that, look for my made-for-TV movie on ABC family.