Archive for January, 2010
Farewell, January 2010!
January. As a whole I have to say that this is probably the best January I have ever had, in recent memory at least. Normally, January is filled with broken resolutions and waning hopefulness but this year was different. I have made a real conscious effort to accomplish everything I set out to do. Of course, these accomplishments were achieved with varying levels of success but the fact they were achieved is what matters. In the past, my perfectionism has gotten the best of me, standing in the way of my success. However, this year I’ve decided to be kinder to myself and not allow that nagging “not good enough” self-talk to sabotage me. And this one seemingly little tweak in attitude has made an enormous difference in my day-to-day happiness. Voltaire was quoted as saying, “Le mieux est l’ennemi du bien” or roughly translated to “Perfect is the enemy of the good.” And really do any of us strive to have a “perfect life?” No, a good life is all I’m after.
So here are the things that colored January 2010 for me:
Writing Everyday. This was the first habit I hoped to accomplish in the new year. Using the 6 Changes approach, I have four more weeks to greater solidify my new “Write Everyday” habit. I am so pleased that I choose this as my first habit to form. It came much more naturally to me than I ever thought possible. The four weeks of January have been filled with expressiveness. Not only have I blogged everyday that I set out to, but I now write nightly in a small Moleskine daily planner (it’s pages are so small it’s sort of the equivalent of a nightly Twitter on paper,) and I now keep a private, hand-written journal. The surprise favorite has been my private journal. There is something so intimate about sitting down with a blank page and a pen in hand. It reminds me of when I first started writing. Also, in today’s world of everybody-shares-everything via blogs, Facebook, and Twitter it is so refreshing to have a place meant just for me.
Finished two books. Admittedly, I am not a speed reader. I like to take my time with my books. I feel like it allows me to soak in as much of the story as possible. It also helps me retain many more details than if I read more quickly. Another one of my new habits for 2010 is to Read More. According to the 6 Habits each-habit-gets-8-weeks method, I am not due to tackle this one until late summer. Hopefully, by the end of the year I will have upped my average. I read solely for pleasure so it is difficult to find any time other than just before bed and depending on how tired I am I may only get through a couple of pages. Reading is also imperative to good writing so it needs to serves me more than your standard leisure activity. With all that being said, I am pleased that I finished at least two books this month. Both books were part of the Jill Kismet series written by Lilith Saintcrow and I am enjoying them quite a bit. I also took the time to update my collecting-dust-until-now Goodreads account.
The PERFECT journals. I have to say this was a major thing for me this month. I have been buying and/or making journals for as long as I can remember and never has any journal served me as perfectly as my new Ecosystem journals. I cannot say enough good things about them. They have enough sizes and page formats to probably suit just about anyone’s needs. I love them so very much. In the last three weeks I have filled about 15 pages in my private journal and 10 pages in my Shadow Ridge journal. The newer blue journal is still blank but I have great plans for that one! =)
Health care. This is more suited for My Mount Everest but it belongs here too. I have started taking the steps to find a new doctor that will help take control of my health. This is a huge deal for me and in just doing the act of making appointments and not settling I am really facing a lot of fears. My search will continue into February so I am sure there will be more days filled with anxiety over it but there is freedom in facing fears so I say, “Bring it on!”
Got Organized! There were several things that I did this month of help me keep things in place or to keep me on task. Some things I’ve already shared here like my obsessive addiction to my journals and Moleskines (yes, I know, technically, these are also journals but they are so special I have to call them by name. Also, while I am indulging in a tangent, one of my pet peeves is when people call things by brand names when they are not really that brand: Not all tissues are Kleenex, not all photo copiers are Xerox machines, and not all DVR’s are TiVo’s! OK, I’m done.) Hmm… where was I? Oh, yes… organization. Ha! Other things that have helped me immensely are is my Google Tasks, getting ahead on a year’s worth of birthday cards using a fun accordion file, and using small cosmetic bags inside my handbag to tidily keep the plethora of small items I always want at hand and rainbow of gel pens I always have on me. I also got some tiered shelves to house my growing OPI Nail Polish collection and decorative hooks for all of my necklaces. I will including photos of these some time this month, just to share some snapshots of my life.
Stormy weather. California was hit by some pretty heavy storms in January. I adore the rain. I also get very lazy in the rain. So, these storms served as a great test to see if I can stay focused and motivated enough to accomplish some of my goals. Glad to report I passed.
The passing of J.D. Salinger. “The Catcher in the Rye” is one of my all-time favorite books. It touched me in a way that other books have not. It may have been the time in my life or any number of reasons but it’s story has always stayed with me. I am embarrassed to admit that I haven’t read any other Salinger works besides Catcher. I ordered “Franny & Zooey”, “Nine Stories”, and “Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters” to further my Salinger “education.” He was a true talent, may he rest in peace.
Playing House
Ever since I was a little girl I was fascinated with dollhouses and miniature things. I used to transform my entire bedroom into a Barbie compound complete with a stable of My Little Ponies. Creating little worlds with unique characters and stories has always been a part of my life. Heck, I think it may also explain why I love things like The Sims and to a certain extent Farmville and Zoo World!
When I stumbled on this feature on (In)Decorous Taste I was in awe of these antique, fully-detailed dollhouses! These put that pink, plastic monstrosity they called Barbie’s Dream House to shame! BTW, I never owned a “Dream House” but all my friends did. My favorite things to make dollhouses out of were bookshelves and armoires. I am thinking I may have grown up in the wrong century!
Some “Things” I Love Most
“Things I Love Thursday.” Yes, I love this feature! I first saw it over at Gala Darling and I instantly knew that I had to “borrow” it. She recently wrote about how she has seen it take off on the internet and she thinks it’s great. What I love about it most is that it is such a positive act; thinking of and writing about the little things (or grand things) that bring a person joy. It really is one of my favorite things to do each week. so, here’s to “Things I Love Thursday!”
Sunshine! After all the storms we’ve been having in SoCal it was so nice to see the sun out over the weekend. Everything was still sopping wet and there was still a chill in the air but just seeing the sun felt fantastic. I’ve been enjoying the rain but nothing beats a perfect, clear day. What can I say, I’m a Leo, we love the sun!
Ramses. I posted a picture yesterday of us that is one of my favorites. Sure, I may look a little taken by surprise, and he’s sporting the old goatee that’s been gone for a year but I remember taking that picture and how goofy we can be together. I have refrained from listing my darling husband here because it goes without saying that I love him but I just couldn’t resist this week. =)
Baby Ebi & Baby Kai-Kai!!
Ebi & Kai. Read above about the “it goes without saying thing” but I can’t ever truly express how much joy, laughter, and love my little guys give me. Above are their baby pictures. They are by no means big now but I cannot remember them being that tiny! And yes that is Asa behind Kai wondering whether or not he should eat the poor little thing!
Getting ahead! Whew! For the last couple of weeks I have been feeling like I’ve been just barely holding onto the reins of a runaway horse. Just barely keeping up with everything I set out to do. But this last weekend I forced myself to sit down and focus. I’ve concentrated on putting together a schedule and sticking to it and, let me tell you, it feels great to actually get ahead instead of my regular playing catch-up routine!
Bold Color
It has been a while since I did a Make-up Monday! I found this article just before New Year’s Eve and have been saving it as my first Make-up Monday, Elle teamed up with MAC Pro make-up artist Keri Blair to create some truly beautiful looks. You can visit Elle for all the tips and tricks but I really just wanted to share the photos with you. I love make-up as art and these looks truly depict just that. My favorite is the gold look. Who knew such bold lip colors could look, dare I say, so natural. One of my favorite bloggers/unicorn queens, Doe Deere, has a wonderful line of bold lip colors in her Lime Crime collection. I’m a relatively simple girl when it comes to make-up (although simple still takes it’s fair share of time at the vanity table), I leave the bright colors to those more adventurous and youthful than myself but I really appreciate girls with strong, individual style.
Autopilot
I am definitely late on this post. But it’s nothing a little backdating can’t fix. Shh… don’t tell. It has been my goal to post here at Leaves & Branches five days a week, Monday-Friday and thus far, I have been doing just that. Unfortunately, life gets in the way of blogging. Next week is going to be a hellish week jammed with not much more than an important (and much put off) tax deadline for work. I won’t get into any details because, let’s face it, taxes are boring and this is my happy blog. So, I will spend no more time discussing work here.
In an effort to finish the month of blogging strong I am going to go on autopilot and do a week’s worth of entries this weekend and schedule them to post throughout the week. Honestly, this has been my intention since I started blogging again but my planning failed a bit and I’ve just been doing it day by day. If this bulk blog entry thing works up I will, more likely than not, adopt the new system but still blog whenever I am struck to write something. That may result in more than one post a day but that’s not really a bad thing. =)
Rain Inspired
The NEW large storyboard book from Moleskine. I know, I know… another Moleskine mention but I cannot help it. I love these books. I am constantly looking for ways to organize my thoughts and jotting ideas on post-its just wasn’t cutting it anymore. I bought the small storyboard book about a month ago and I wasn’t too happy with it. The pocket size was completely impractical. When the large one was released I thought I’d give it a shot because the format was perfect for storyboarding my game sessions. It came in the mail yesterday and I just love it. Totally perfect. I still use my index card/bulletin board combo but having a portable version of that will prove invaluable.
I snapped this picture through the windshield on the way to work yesterday.
Stormy weather. Sure, there are lots of things that aren’t so great about all this rain, for example having to walk through a mini lake to get to my office, soaking my shoes, socks, and the bottom of my jeans in the process like I did this morning. But, it really is nice to hear the rain outside the windows. To be united with all my fellow Southern Californians experiencing this rare weather is fun.
Hot Chocolate. Yum! When Ramses got back into the office yesterday he brought me some hot chocolate. It was so nice and warm. It made me feel terribly full though so I think I may make some hot tea when I get home instead.
The Diamond Valley Lake Marathon being postponed. Safety first, people! I was worried for Ramses who was supposed to attempt his first half-marathon on Saturday. And to be completely honest, this weather has had me fantasizing about a nice, warm, cozy weekend at home so I was happy to hear about the postponement. =)
The Jill Kismet Series by Lilith Saintcrow. The only thing the rain puts me in the mood to do is read. I picked up the four books of this series about a month ago. The holidays didn’t really lead itself to much reading for me so I’ve only finished the first book but I’ve been burning through the second. I am really enjoying Saintcrow’s world and her kickass demon-hunting Jill Kismet is excellent inspiration for my own sexy hunter, Cassie Chase. I also got the first book of the Dante Valentine series that I think may be set in the same world so I’m anxious to read that one too.
Kitty Memories
Source: Left-Handed Toons
When I saw this picture it reminded me of a cat we used to have named Haley. She and her brother, Max were our first “kids.” When we were 15 we saw an ad in the newspaper for free kittens and we decided to get our first pets together! They were both long-haired and beautiful, Max had a fluffy silver-gray coat and Haley had a silky black one. They loved each other so much.
Max was the character, he was huge and liked to sit like a human! He loved to kiss your neck when he was picked up despite our protests. Haley was the shy, dainty one but never have I met a sweeter kitty. After Max died in 1999, she would sit on his grave for hours watching over her big brother.
After a while though Haley came out of her shell a bit. She began to hunt for “presents” for us but her sweet disposition made it impossible for her to actually catch and kill something. So, the brilliant little thing would dig up weeds in the yard and carry them in as trophies, meowing proudly. I was grateful we had such a pacifist for a cat because I woke up countless morning with weeds on my pillow! I would hate to imagine the alternative!
We had to put Haley to sleep in 2001, she had a tumor on her kidney and feline leukemia, it was the same year my Dad died and the same year I was diagnosed with cancer. We buried her in the backyard of our first house on Madison St. and placed a bird feeder over her grave. Max & Haley were our first and last cats. In my mind, I don’t think there could ever be other cats to compare to them. We’ve since turned into dog people but we will always treasure those few precious years with our kitties.
