#susan thomas

[mauricedelafalaise]

scene from The Simpsons “Desperately Seeking Lisa"

October, 2024 | S36 EP3

[chwrpg]

SLOANE TRAN/STELLA TRAN. college sophomore; nineteen. jolie nguyễn. OPEN.

and, as susan thomas once said:

“Good goin’ stranger!”

BEFORE THE PARTY;

Sloane Tran was a drifter, never staying in one place for too long. She’d once dreamt of having the textbook family. The father that was stern yet loving, the mother who protected her from the world, the siblings that annoyed her to her wits end, yet she’d do another for them. But due to a series of unfortunate events, those dreams were dashed and divided like the million of stars in the night sky that she wished on over and over again-sparkling and broken. 

Life had decided it’d had another plans for Sloane. You see, she grew up in the foster care system and as for her parents, she’d never met her father and her mother had been deemed unfit to care for her, hence why she’d been a ward of the state. Given her misfortune, Sloan knew she would have to work to get what it was that she wanted. No one wanted the misfit kid that made the most noise or got into the most trouble, no. So Sloane learned how to compose herself from young and they ate it up. 

Foster parents would fall for her big beautiful eyes, only to have her get away with everything they owned when she was done playing their picture perfect daughter. She learned that by becoming someone’s fantasy, she could make all of hers a reality. That thought process had worked with foster parents, teachers and as she grew up, it worked really well on prospective lovers. She was infamous for her hasty retreats and the very long trail of broken hearts that she left behind. 

One of those broken hearts said something that’d stuck with her, Sloane belonged to no one- but managed belong to everyone. She might’ve been dealt a shit hand at life, but at least she was free.

Or so, she thought. You see, that dream of having a dream family, it’d never truly gone away. And she managed to find the other half of her parental unit, her father. All she’d ever had with his face was a ripped out picture of him from a high school yearbook. A Rosewood Academy yearbook. So her travels eventually led her take up residence in the town, even if it was too perfect for her liking. 

The pristine soccer mothers and cutesy luncheons in the community garden, those things weren’t her. It was everything she’d hated about those people who looked down on others, but turned up to one thousand. Rosewood was the town that bred those horrible human beings. But to her surprise, not everyone in Rosewood was the pits. in fact, she’d managed to find her favorite human being in Rosewood. Her twin sister. Stella. They’d met completely by accident, out on the dance floor of Damon Winston’s club, also referred to as the only place to be in Rosewood. She had a sister, not just a sister... an identical twin sister. One that was kind and full of life. The second Stella met her, she took to her as if they’d known each other for years. 

It was a whirlwind, one day she’d met Stella and by the end of the week, she found herself sneaking into her sister’s bedroom for a much needed sleepover. Stella had promised her that after that night, she was going to meet her father. Their father. And that she’d never had to find another home again, because she finally was home.

When Sloane awoke the next day, she woke up to the sight of a man standing over her. A breakfast tray in his hand. A man that referred to her as Stella, this was clearly their father. She was speechless, a part of her wanting to correct him but she couldn’t find it in her to speak up. Instead, she listened as he let her know what he’d be doing that day and if they were still on for dinner that evening. She simply nodded, watching as he exited her room. Where was Stella? She asked herself, but her twin sister was nowhere to be found.

They truly were twin sisters, as she’d pulled a move right out of Sloane’s textbook. She just up and vanished. 

DURING THE PARTY;

Sloane had spent an entire day living as Stella. She’d met her friends, she’d met her significant other, hell she even got invited to some party. Her twin sister was quite the someone in Rosewood, which made it all the harder to pretend to be her. Somehow, she’d managed to survive a day without anyone really looking at her differently. But she’d had enough of the Parent Trap-esque game and she wanted her twin sister to return and take back her life. 

This wasn’t what she’d signed up for. 

Sloane stood by a wall, looking through her twin sister’s cellphone for some semblance of a clue towards where she’d gone. But she found nothing. And just as she was about to call it quits, she received a text message from an unknown number. A text from her sister. A text apologizing for putting her in this position, but Stella needed to get away from Rosewood for a couple of days. Something she’d cautiously agreed to do for Stella. After all, she’d managed to last a day as her twin sister... surely, with her coaching, she’d be able to a couple of more. 

Soon after, a notification came up on her phone. A headline from the Chicago Sun. It spoke of a robbery, one that had occurred to her father. And something told her it was no coincidence that the robbery had coincided with the departure of her sister from Rosewood.

Which begged the question... what exactly had Sloane gotten herself into?

alternate faceclaims and prompts.

[mirobellawho]

[countduck]

Blouse by Susan Thomas, 1951.

[mediatrainingworldwide-blog]

10 Ways to Pitch New Business in 2012

Ms. Thomas, CEO, Trainer Communications, recently called into Inside Communications Radio with host Mike Bako to discuss her enlightening article on CommPRO entitled: “10 Ways to Pitch New Business In 2012.”

In this article, Ms. Thomas explains how 2011 in the business She explains that 2012 will be about innovation and creativity, It will important for companies to build proper networks, pitching your personal specalities and skills, and establishing excellent rapport with prospect customers and investors.

In the interview, the first major step Susan discusses is being a listener. Ms. Thomas states that “a good listener is always going to be a little bit better as a sales person”. Her firm uses many quantitative measurements to find prospect investors to increase business. She also discusses that the toughest part of doing business is walking out of an opportunity, especially dealing with a bad business investment.

Ms. Thomas’ article is available at http://blog.commpro.biz/?p=3556 well as many other articles in the world of Public Relations at CommPRO.

About Susan Thomas: Susan Thomas established Trainer Communications in 1995 to support technology companies with integrated marketing and public relations services. Since that time, the agency has gained acclaim as the 7th largest privately held communications agency in the Bay Area and one of the Top 10 agencies to work for in the U.S. and in 2010 was named the best small agency in the United States.

[femmesfollesnebraska]

Susan Thomas, Executive Director, Omaha Creative Institute

Omaha Creative Institute is opening its doors March 8 for artists to come “Celebrate Creativity” and learn about how OCI might be able to support their work. I met with OCI Exectutive Director Susan Thomas at the lovely and local-art-adorned multi-business office inside the Tip Top Building (home of Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture), to talk about how she got to OCI, feminism, the Omaha art community and more…

After graduating from Vassar College with a Liberal Arts degree in American Studies, Decatur, Nebraska native Susan Thomas knew one thing; she had to get a job out East. And did—she worked in banking in New York City, went to Harvard Business school, worked over 25 years on Wall Street—and made the most of it.

“I loved it. Did it all consistently—theatre, dance, visual art…. Every Sunday after church when my daughters were little, we would visit the MET. It was fabulous.”

Upon her arrival back to her home state to be near her mother, nine years ago Thomas and her family moved to Omaha.

Thomas was hopeful for Omaha’s cultural scene, with the formerly titled Qwest Center and Omaha Performing Arts Center, and her neighborhood of Dundee amicably progressive.

Still, said Thomas, finding the inner arts culture and community took her about 18 months to find—thanks to opening the pages of The Reader.

“I remember finding The Reader and finally discovering local arts…We went to see Modest Mouse late one night at Sokol Auditorium…it was refreshing, feeling the excitement for something cultural again!”

From there, Thomas found John Beasley Theatre and Blue Barn Theatre, two places she frequents and graciously raves about, among Omaha’s other art offerings.

Her job with OCI was somewhat whimsical, as well, as a community member asked her, when OCI was in its planning stage in 2009, to become involved.

She cautiously accepted, and along with other community members, in 2010 began planning programming and formally organizing what is now OCI, a “cultural hub, providing leadership, unity, and educational opportunities for our creative community.”

Most notably, to date, these offerings have included art workshops of all forms—music, visual art, poetry, and even team leadership.

“We have several corporate groups looking for an alternative to the sports games or bowling nights to bond amongst employees, and they find our creative workshops bring people out of their comfort zones and closer together.”

Too, said Thomas, OCI takes pride in helping support and encourage the forwarding of their teacher’s professional growth. They hire esteemed artists, like Slam Poet Matt Mason, artists Paula Wallace and Ying Zhu, musician Mark Gutierrez and poet Sarah McKinstry Brown, for quality workshops, but also to give the artists solid paid positions. They keep in close contact with their teacher-artists and enjoy watching and supporting as their careers blossom outside of OCI.

In fact, OCI is now in development of a new website by REBEL Interactive, to help with the business-side of art as a profession.  As the OCI website will be updated, it will also include a section for artists to get help and insight on everything from getting representation and gigs, to marketing work and starting a website, to real estate and filing taxes.

“It is part of our organizational challenge—to make a real difference for the artists in our community, and hopefully this is one way we will do that,” said Thomas.

Thomas points to other women artists and women-led projects in Omaha for also producing positive collaborative projects.

“The female artists in Omaha give a real sense of working together in different venues and environments, which is vital to any arts community.”

Personally, Thomas is building two little arts activists in her own family—her daughters, who, instead of stuff, are gifted a piece of local art for their birthdays.

“They love it, visiting art shows and finding pieces that they really connect to…and they’re rooms are great, seeing a piece by Ying Zhu next to a gymnastic poster, its fantastic!”

Thomas is excited for the upcoming open-house event March 8, where she hopes to meet and communicate with local artists of all forms and career levels, that OCI is there to help them be the best they can be.

Omaha Creative Institute’s Celebrate Creativity reception is Thursday, March 8, 7-9p.m. at the OCI offices, 1516 Cuming Street inside the Tip Top Building.

There are many OCI workshops coming up as well in March, like Glassblowing with Ed Fennell, Hot Wax/Cool Art with Margaret Berry and Enhancing your Photos with Encaustic with Margaret Berry. Visit omahacreativeinstitute.org for times, locations and details!