Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Motivation

I am in need of motivation.

I need to find a way to stay focused and excited about projects that are less then exciting. I need to find a reason to do the things that I know need to get done, but that I am really not that thrilled to do. Things like: going to the gym more than once a week, re-categorizing all the accounts at work so that they get taxed correctly, recreating all the floor plans for work, actually picking up my calls at work instead of letting them go to voice mails, etc.

It seems like I am finding a zillion and twelve reasons to not do these things, and finding others things to do that really have no merit or need to be done. Why is that???

I think I have figured out why I don't like to pick up the phone at work. It just rings so constantly.  The generation of people I am working for and with do not really like to work via email - they would prefer to do things by phone, while I would much rather bang out a quick email with the details and be done with it. I feel with the phone ringing all day - I hardly get a thing done all day.

I am pretty sure I know why I keep putting off all the account work - I really hate that there is so much finance involved in my position and I don't like the way my program deals with reporting... so it takes forever to try and get the correct report generated. I also never really know what type of finance reports need to be created and why - things are never quite clear on that front.

I should love creating floor plans and drafting diagrams - I just can't wrap my head around it I think, because I am pretty sure that the staff is going to rebel against something that I do. They are going to pitch a fit about the angles of the drawing, or the layout of the chairs and how that has never been the way it was done before. It just seems exhausting before I even start.

And let's not even begin to hypothesise why I can't get to the gym... we all know it's been a struggle forever!!

All I know is that I need some focus. Anyone have any to spare?

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Life Lessons - an article sent to me by my dad

My dad sent my this about a year ago and I just found it again. Still sounds like some pretty decent advice to me. Thanks Daddy.

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland,Ohio


"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.
It is the most-requested column I've ever written."
My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their
journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry;
God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one
is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no
for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie.
Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ''In five years,
will this matter?".

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you
did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's,
we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Love me some family...

Just in case anyone is wondering. I adore my family. I think they are the best!! Can't wait to see them all again. Just look at these faces:

Home Sweet Home

I am now the proud single occupant of my very own apartment. I am in household heaven!

I have my entire huge beautiful apartment all to my self. I have given it a small face-lift... nothing drastic... maybe just a shot or two of botox. I have removed the tablecloth that was covering my Grandmother's beautiful dining room table for 8 months. I have repainted the guest room... no more passive aggressive cream puff pink. It is now a dignified observatory blue with gray and black accents. The orange room finally has a purpose: I have a scrapbooking desk and a small love seat for reading.

I am truly loving being on my own. I know that everything in the house is mine... I don't have to worry about putting things away right away for fear that a dog might eat it, or it will be in the way of someone. I don't have to be annoyed that someone else's stuff is left out or in the way. I can rearrange things the way I want without having to consider someone else's taste.

Speaking of taste - I am so happy to not have to put up with anyone else's artwork or furniture style that isn't my own.

I understand that this is all very petty - but i am so much more at home here by myself in the past month than I have been in the past 8.

New York, New York - August 2010

NYC 2010 – Summer Vaycay with the Ladies.
August 27 – August 30

Christiana Clark, Tessa Flynn, Celeste Jones and Suzanne Roberts

Part 1 – the Concert:
Our mission was music; old school hip-hop at it’s finest. The destination was the Rock the Bells Concert 2010 on Governor’s Island. The lineup consisted on Snoop Dog, KRS One, Tribe Called Quest, WuTang, and Ms Lauryn Hill to name a few. We went to get our old school hip-hop ‘education’ on as KRS One said. We heard a few of the ‘singles’ and a lot of the songs only the true hip-hop heads would know. Every note was worth the sunburn, the stomped toes, the dehydration, the lines, and the sore feet.

For a few hours – we became rock stars along with them. For a few moments we were filled with joy from seeing other rock stars enjoy the show as we were. Singing along to the same songs we were. Seeing hip-hop royalty in their comfort zone, taking in a show with their crew of friends. Having them be excited to see each other after such a long time – true joy to see that they support each other. Beyonce, Jay Z, Chris Rock, Mary J Blige, Swize Beatz, Alicia Keys and John Legend all came out to show love to Ms. Lauryn Hill and see her perform.

As luck would have it, and no one could have predicted it, the stars aligned for Christiana and I that night. We were plucked from a crowed of thousands – someone noticed my smile and laugh – and invited backstage to the artist vip area. It was there where we came face to face with some of the most influential artists in the game: Rza, Ghoastface Killa, Busta Rhymes, Snoop, and Method Man. We also met the actor Michael Ealy – whom Christiana promptly fell in love with. Can you blame her? They would have beautiful children together!

We spent most of the evening with the Promoter for the WuTang Clan. G – the Promoter. He was the man who spotted us and lifted us into Artist VIP. He had great stories of ODB, and WuTang in the early years. We met some of the WuTang entourage – one of their kids gave me a NY Yankees ball cap… he had too many, didn’t need an extra one. We were almost swept onto the bus with them after their show – we almost became Wu-Wifeys – I had to pause and figure out where we were going. I then remembered there was still one more act… I’m a hip-hop head, not a groupie.

I love the festival atmosphere. I love the way the artists can command thousands of people – a sea of hands all move in the same motion, the same words said at the same time. I love that having an artist play your favorite song can make the day for you. I love that once you find your place in the crowd, the people around you become familiar, they become the festival family. They make sure that they hold their ground to keep the spot solid, not let others in at the last minute. Choose your festival family wisely… you will sing along with, sway with, fist pump with, put your middle finger up with, breath deeply with, and nod your head along with this group.


Highlights from the rest of the weekend:
• The four of us make up an amazing law firm of Roberts, Jones, Clark and Flynn. It doesn’t have to be a law firm – any business will do.
• Christiana’s stolen car was found on Sunday afternoon around 4:30 pm. She received a voice mail telling her it was found and sent to the St. Paul impound lot. One month to the day of it being stolen.
• Tessa, Christiana and I went to Upright Citizen’s Brigade and saw Horatio Sans perform with ASSCAT comedy troupe. Really funny free show.
• We had a milkshake shot at BRGR. Great burger joint near UCB. Yummy.
• We stalked Mr. Softee Trucks around the city. It was really hot and we wanted ice cream.
• I spent a reflective Sunday morning at Bryant Park soaking up sun, diet coke and a croissant. Then a walk up 5th Ave to Rock Center and a moment of peace at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
• NYC solidified Christiana’s lust for a tattoo. She had an amazing henna tattoo put on her forearm a day before we left. Everyone we met thought it was real and commented on it – including her love: Michael Ealy.
• My good friend, Jason Brinn, from Philly surprised me by visiting me after the concert. We had late dinner and drinks at ARTbar, took a walk around the city, held hands through the Waldorf Astoria, and kissed on 50th and 3rd. It was a great surprise. A moment out of a romantic comedy.
• On Sunday we did a little shopping, bought some jewelry in little Italy, bought a dress for the Ivey’s at Loehmanns, and looked at every sunglass stand, earring booth and bag boutique in soho.
• We toasted our last night with champagne, mac n cheese and kale at the Coffee Shop Bar in Union Square. We closed the place down, giggling until 3 am. We did the psyche test on Tessa… (white room, water, seasons). A fun way to find out a little bit more about your friends.
• Our first night in town we met a young man coming out of our hotel: Brian from Houston TX. He said he was in town for a modeling gig – he’s an underwear model for Calvin Klein. So he says. He was smitten with Christiana, asked where we were headed for the night and wanted to hang out. We were going to meet Celeste in Times Square so nothing too fun for him – Mr. Underpants (as we called him) offered to take us to breakfast on Saturday. A little too forward for CC – besides we had plans!!
• T-shirts I saw that I need to have in my life: “love is my religion,” “Bonita, Bonita, Bonita”

This weekend was perfectly perfect in every way. I adored spending time with my best friends and new friends alike, I loved the breezy feeling of the weekend with our only agenda being to have fun, and I loved how unexpected everything was. I love NYC. I love what the city represents for some many people, me included at one point in my life. I am happy that I got to experience NYC with true joy this weekend, without stress, anxiety, heartache, or drama.

My absolute favorite moment of the entire weekend was going to bed one night (or morning… it is NYC!) and counting my blessings with Christiana. We exchanged things we were thankful about until we drifted off. If we hadn’t been so exhausted, I am sure we could have gone on forever!

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

New York, New York – March 2010



6 days in the city that never sleeps with my two besties… a wonderful week exploring and reminding myself that I can’t ever live there again!!

1.word to the wise: never fly airtran. Short, easy flights took hours; the seats were small; there was never enough on board storage so mine was checked even though I didn’t want it to be; flights were delayed for ages. The journey was not “part of the fun” as they say.

2. on the way to the airport I told Christiana my goal for the trip: I plan on having a relaxing vacation. I plan on not getting stressed about things like directions, travel, organizing people, etc. This was all part of a master plan to come home happy and healthy without shingles (unlike my last group trip to nyc) – well within 15 minutes of making that statement I nearly missed my plane and CC had to be rebooked on a later one – separating us for the rest of our travel day. So much for a stress free day!!

3. Almost spring in NYC is amazing. On Tuesday afternoon I met up with Lisa in Washington Square Park and sat in the sun for hours. We people watched, listened to street performers and talked. There was hardly a free square of grass to sit on!

4. you know you have a good friend when you can meet up with them and it is like you never left. Enter Jordan Hall. It has been years since I have seen him, but as soon as I saw him walking towards the bistro where we were meeting for diner I raced towards him to give him a huge bear hug and then we all continued on like we had just seen each other yesterday. He is doing amazingly well for himself, producing for CollegeHumor.com, getting engaged, living in a great little place in Brooklyn, still as smart and charming as ever.

5. I love getting to show people new things. With as many times as Nikki and CC had been to NY – they had never been to the South Side Seaport where the view of the Brooklyn Bridge is out of this world. When you get to the pier, you can’t see the bridge at all – it is hidden behind a building. I kept telling Nikki to put down her phone, to stop texting, she was really going to want to have her head up when we rounded the corner. I love coming around the building and seeing the bridge, the water, the skyline. It is like you turned the page in a book. Nikki said she was glad she didn’t have her phone up. I knew I was right!

6. Walking through the seaport we met Major Nelson Dodge III. Yes, that is his real name. He showed us his driver’s license and credit cards. He is a promo guy and an actor (of course). He convinced Nikki and I to purchase a salon day for ridiculously cheap – I think we mostly did it because of his name!

7. Ben Elledge texts us: working a promo for jetblue. Come to 49th and 6th with a postcard of salt lake or west palm beach. Win Big! We hop in the subway and get over to the Rockefeller center area; there is a large line forming with Ben at the front. We say a quick hi and he tells up to get in like with our pieces of paper. Once we get back up to the front of the line we turn in our handmade ‘postcards’: “salt lake city – more than just more-mans.” We each receive and envelope that gives us a round trip ticket to anywhere that JetBlue flys!!! Holy Vacation Batman! By the time we had won, the line was wrapped around the block, I don’t think they all got envelopes. Sorry guys! We then went to plan where we should go with our free tickets: some place warm and expensive that we would never go to with our own money. We should go during the Januarys when everything seems too hard to bear!

8. FELA!!! A spectacle of a musical! It was a party as soon as you walk in the doors of the theater: music, dancing ushers, and bright sets. This was a one-man show with amazing singing and dancing behind it. Fela followed the life of a Nigerian man who was the MC of the Shrine concert hall – the story was a little tough to follow – but the dancing more than made up for it.

9. Spa Day at Gios. Nikki and I went to our salon appointment Thursday morning – totally nervous. We had no idea what to expect. Luckily, it was a great time – Nikki had a pushy Latina and I had a friendly valley girl and our hair turned out wonderful!

10. Indoor Bocce Ball. Lisa turned 30 while I was in town, so I went to hang out with her friends at Floyds – a place near her house. Floyds had an indoor bocce court which we spent the majority of the night playing! Apparently I am amazing at bocce… watch out!

11. Lost in the BK! I am not one to be lost. Anyone who knows me knows that I am great with directions and knowing where I am and where I should be. For the LIFE OF ME I couldn’t figure out Lisa’s neighborhood. After bocce ball, I decided to head back into Manhattan to meet up with Nikki; Lisa gives me pretty clear directions to the subway and I start on my way. After a while, I have seen no subway, but I start seeing signs for the Brooklyn Bridge. I have never walked across the Brooklyn Bridge and I don’t have to be anywhere right away… let’s take a walk I think.

12. The Brooklyn Bridge: photo opportunities galore! 1.2 miles of photo ops to be precise. From skylines, to piers, to people… amazing pics. Great way to get in some cardio and clear your head too!

13. Lost in BK part 2. This time Lisa’s roommate gave me directions to the subway. They sounded perfectly reasonable and easy. They even corresponded to my map! But somehow I ended up walking to a subway station that is about 2 stops past the one her roommate told me about. At least I eventually found it!

14. Lunch with old UMDers. Angie and Karl – at the Scandinavian house. There was a tree growing in the middle of the room. The bathrooms were 2 stories down. Weird huh?

15. Playing dress up with the Puppy! Austin, one of Nikki’s Eco-Kidz, let us play dress up with him. He came shopping with us at Filenes’s Basement and we dressed him like a proper man! It was great fun.

16. Billy Elliot: Dance Billy, Dance! Cried my eyes out. So good, don’t know why I haven’t see this or the movie before now. Go see it now. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200.

17. Lost in BK part 3. This time it was raining. Hard. I got off the subway and asked someone which was my street. They sounded very confident in their answer, so I believed them, right. WRONG!!! I start walking and walking and walking… but Henry St never shows up. It is still raining. I am soaked. I am carrying my bag of new clothes that I bought at Filenes’s. I am crying (just a little). I ask someone else where Henry St is. He says, “oh I think it is way back there” (points behind me). I start to cry a lot. I have now been wandering the streets for a half hour in the rain. I finally find a cab and get in. I tell the cab driver: “I know my house is near here, I just can’t find it. I need to find Henry and Warren.” The cab driver looks at me pathetically and says “its ok miss. I find your house.” My cab ride cost $4. That is how close I was – yet so far away.

18. Lost in BK part 4. I am on my way to meet up with Jordan and Nikki for breakfast. I need to take the G train. I find the subway correctly (in one try, I might add) – but there are no signs telling me which was the G runs, so I assume that it only runs one way (the right way hopefully). The G comes quickly upon my arrival. I get on and I look at the map – and I realize I am going the wrong way. Sadface. I get off on the next stop and try to scurry to the other side of the tracks to get the right train (which had just pulled up) – but I didn’t make it in time. 15 minutes go by before another elusive G train comes again.

19. Monsoon. Downpour. Wind. Breaking umbrellas. Where else to go??? The Met. I spend the afternoon walking around all of the amazing art (not before I walk in 15 blocks in the rain – I stupidly get off the train too early and it is too late before I notice it. And do we think a cab could stop?? No!! I saw 4 “off duty cabs” just chillin while I nearly drowned.

20. The MET! One of my all time favorite places. They really pulled out the stops for me this time: 10 van gohs, 30 Monets, 2 rooms full of degas, and a hall of Rodin. I was in heaven!

21. Drowned rat yet again – after the Met I went to Nikki’s hotel to hang out before dinner and dry off a bit. Just walking the 6 blocks to the subway got me drenched. I immediately stripped down to my t-shirt and flopped on the bed; Maggie (Nikki’s roommie) was flopped in the same way – so we dubbed their room the ‘room of no pants.’ Then when getting ready to leave I had to blow dry my clothes – this included shoving the dryer into my socks – which was super silly looking.

22. Another day of terrible travel. Delayed flights and bad weather trapped me in the LaGuardia airport for 5 hours – so I snuggled up to my luggage, tucked under my hoodie and took a nap. By the end of the afternoon – I was soooo ready to be home. I love vacation, but it sure is exhausting!!!

Monday, February 22, 2010

Banksy

I have discovered this amazing artist that I am sure other people have heard of and already love - but I am just hearing about him now.

He is an elusive graffiti artist; somehow no one knows who he is or how he creates his giant amazing works of art. But he has been doing this for years.

A friend at Lush told me about him - so I did a little digging on the ol' interwebs... turns out he works mostly in the UK, he does not endorse the selling of reproductions of his paintings, there have been very few works that have been sold at auctions by him. He doesn't do gallery works - although one time it is rumored that he walked into the Louvre with his rendition of the Mona Lisa and hung it up next to the original. I am not really sure I buy that one... but it sounds like a great story.

Here are some of my favs that I have found so far:






I would love to be able to see some of his work in person. Alas... it seems like I would have to be in England and pretty lucky. There is a place in NYC called 5pointz that is an entire city block of warehouses that is dedicated to graffiti artists. I think I might have to make a trip there in a few weeks. Maybe I will find something just as amazing there. :)