A Sunday Afternoon… July 1, 2011

For some reason, I’ve fallen in love with this painting all over again recently…maybe it’s because I’m living by Lake of the Isles and I  literally feel like my life fit into this picture or maybe it’s just because the colors are so warm and bright that I simply feel happy when I stare into it all the dots comprising each person, wondering about their individual lives and what they’re thinking about on this day back in 1884.

This painting is the perfect representation of summer to me. Grateful. That’s what I am for artwork like this that captures everything so wonderfully.

“Your life is an occassion, rise to it.” -Suzanne Weyn June 12, 2011

NYC June 4, 2011

I’ve discovered this about myself recently: I’m too damn young to have “I won’ts” and “I can’ts” in my vocabulary. For instance, when someone says they will NEVER do something in their lifetime, I kind of have to wonder, “Really?” You’re going to just go and put limits on yourself like that? I don’t know a lot of things, but what I do know is this: the moment I start telling myself what I can’t and won’t do at 26 years old, I have seriously shorted myself. And I’ll be damned if I ever become that person. In this spirit, I think I may move to NYC…or at least keep the possibility open…and I like the option of options.

What is THAT? May 25, 2011

I came across this Sex & The City quote online tonight:

“Later that day I got to thinking about relationships. There are those that open you up to something new and exotic, those that are old and familiar, those that bring up lots of questions, those that bring you somewhere unexpected, those that bring you far from where you started, and those that bring you back. But the most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you can find someone to love the you you love, well, that’s just fabulous.”

I love this quote because rarely do we focus on the relationship we have with ourselves — just the idea of it is just not talked about as much as it should be. Sure, we have friends, family and loved ones that mean the world to us, but somewhere within all that craziness, it seems we…lose ourselves. Inspired by this quote and simply thinking a lot lately, I have decided I could use a hobby. For some reason, when you’re in school or younger with parents pushing you, it seems it’s easier to stay in touch with your passions — sports, arts, whatever. But now that I have been out of college for almost four years (eek!), and am considered a “working woman,” I can’t remember the last time I made a pot on the potter’s wheel, or painted, or wrote a poem, gone to an art show, bought myself a bouquet of flowers from the farmer’s market, or ran around a lake. What is that? The “that” that happens in life where we just get caught up in our everyday habits, structure, and complacency and forget who we are and what makes us “tick” and how to make time for it — forget to challenge ourselves, and nurture our personalities, and grow? And how do we shake ourselves from it?

Well, I’ve got a plan (hold me to this)…and I figure coming up with a plan is better than continuing on the path of the “no plan – plan.” And don’t laugh because, yes, I realize that these things are very small and not “life changing” in and of themselves…but the idea is i’m proactively DOING things that help me find and remember who i am:

1) I discovered classical music a few weeks ago, as if for the first time. The peace and happiness this music genre shocks me. I will be listening to more of this and not the stupid radio.

2) I’ve always liked the few episodes of “Sex & the City,” but just never got into it when it was all the rage years ago. So, I think I’d like to rent those DVD’s from the library and watch it from start to finish. And maybe write down all the quotes I like along the way. I found another that i like below…

3) I want to start going on walks…regularly. Or working out somehow — I need to actively DO things that not only make me feel emotionally better about myself, but physically as well. And if those things could be outside, even better.

4) Go to a church service or two. I have had no desire to go to church until recently. I don’t know what happened, but I think I’d just like to sit in a pew quietly and pray in a place that feels safe and separate from the pressures and pain of the outside world.

–

“Some people are settling down, some people are settling and some people refuse to settle for anything less than butterflies.”

the most beautiful thing. May 14, 2011

one of the most beautiful things is witnessing artists collaborating together to make something…and then sharing it with the world…together. – At Pizza Luce in Duluth listening to Pert by Sandstone.<b

captivated. May 13, 2011

living in the city the past two weeks has instilled in me a level of contentment and peace i haven’t felt in a very long time. i can’t explain it, except to say i just feel complete here; i feel like i belong. it’s exploding out of me, like in the gentle way i look at myself in the mirror in the morning (usually it is very difficult to look at myself “gently,” especially in the morning). the way i actually WANT to call my mom these days. the way i want to go running around the lakes. the way i have the energy to put myself out there, to want to help people, to make new friends and rekindle old friendships. the way i want to follow-through with getting a tattoo. the way i actually want to write again. the way i am considering going to church after all these years. and after feeling like i’ve “not belonged” in so many areas of my life, for so long, it is quite a relief to feel A PART of something once again.

i don’t know what it is about this place. it could have something to do with walking into my apartment building after a long day at work and being overtaken by the wonderful aromas leaking out from under my neighbor’s doorway. i never know what they are cooking, but it smells like home.

i can walk to get cigarettes, groceries, a book from the library, and a beer from a bar all in the same night without feeling like i’m running errands. i look up at the moon and am in awe to witness such peacefulness in the sky above such a bustling city life. i love that juxtaposition this city has: such beauty among such chaos. it astounds me. and i feel so lucky to be a part of it all.

when i wake up to the creaky steps of the tenants above me getting ready in the morning, i am not mad. i am relieved to know that i am not alone in facing this day. when i am trying to sleep at night, the riotous laughing and conversation late into the night among the group of friends on the patio outside my window is, surprisingly, comforting. it makes me feel a part of something bigger than myself and life and worries and dreams and doubts and hopes — a community, of sorts. there’s something so captivating about being able to literally have a glimpse (or earful) into someone else’s life and friendships just outside my window without having to say a word, without ever even introducing myself. i fall asleep to the rise and fall of their voices. i’ve always wanted to live by the ocean, and maybe i will someday, but the tide of these strangers’ conversations speaking into my life is a close runner up to waves crashing on a shore in front of me.

i think it fondly reminds me of a habit i had when i was little. my parents used to put my brothers and i to bed and then they would stay up together. just the two of them, they would sit in our living room down the hall from my bedroom and listen to classical music on their record player (and yes, they had a tape/CD player, but they preferred their records). i can’t say what exactly inspired me to do so at such a young age, but i would take my covers from my bed and curl up next to my bedroom door on the floor. i would crack it open just enough to eavesdrop on their entire adult world. i would listen to their music and the inflection of their voices, never able to fully make out their words, but all the while falling asleep to the harmony of the pages of their magazines turning, lazy conversation, the tea kettle whistling “i’m ready,” and the music occasionally being interrupted by the scratch scratch of the needle on the record.

when i drive home from work now, i like to explore my new neighborhood by taking different routes to get to my place. i drive real slow and look at all the beautiful homes with so much history packed into their foundation and try to imagine the kind of people that live there. what their lives are like. what they do when they are not earning the millions of dollars they need to pay for their mortgage. what kind of room that little window above their garage is in. i like looking at their gardens too. i think a person’s garden says a lot about them. i saw these bright light purple flowers all clumped together and low to the ground in someone’s garden the other day. just stunning, as they draped themselves over a stone wall like a blanket. and all i could think was, “i want to KNOW the person who picked and planted those flowers.” and then i thought to myself that it has been a long time since something as simple as flowers have inspired me so.

when it’s all said and done, and i’ve laid it out for you in black and white here, the part that really gets me giddy is that i can say that all THIS, this city, these feelings, this JOY — it’s all mine mine mine. and i’m playing for keeps this time.

caught myself smirking March 23, 2011

Who ever thought a commercial about a FAUCET could be so eye-catching? Delta did.

Their latest commercial featuring their “In2uition” brand shower faucet is both clever and catchy…and most definitely brings a smile to my face:

Picnik: Your Adobe Creative Suite Alternative April 7, 2010

If you haven’t discovered Picnik, make a point to do so. I literally just spent eight hours “picniking” online — that is, I signed up for my first membership to a website that allows me to edit, share, and print my photos all in one place. This is your simplified Adobe Creative Suite alternative, but for a much cheaper price (if you want only basic access, it’s actually FREE). Clipart, color and texture effects, copious amounts of fun fonts, frames, photo re-touching (we’re talking even a “sunless tan” option), and collage creation are among just a few of the capabilities Picnik has to offer. When you’re done editing, you have the choice of saving your photos to your computer; sharing them online through Flickr, Photobucket, and Facebook (among many other social media networks); e-mailing them to friends and family; or printing them — or all of the above. How unbelievably convenient.

For the price, who wouldn’t be thrilled? If you upgrade from the free version, it’s only $4.95 for one month, $19.95 for six months, or $24.95 for one year. I just signed up for one month to try it out (again, there is a free version available too), but I will definitely be renewing my membership for a year-long run at it — after all, what’s that, a few bucks a month for all the photo editing I could ever need? Yes, I think so. And let’s be honest with ourselves, unless you’re a graphic artist, website development guru, or just happen to have $899 laying around, you can’t really justify buying Adobe Creative Suite at its current price tag. Picnik may be a compromise for those professional designers out there, but for your “average Joe,” it’s more than sufficient.

Picnik was just “acquired” by Google; because of this, they are expecting to be able to provide even more services to their users as time goes on. I can’t wait to see what else they come up with! Check them out when you have time:

www.picnik.com

Need to Mix it Up? March 19, 2010

If you have an iphone, ipod, mac/PC, or blackberry, make sure to check out the following website, which features fun designs for soft and hard shell cases and covers (among other things) for your most used technological devices: www.iskin4ipod.com.

Social Media: The Numbers Are Staggering… March 12, 2010