One of Those Days

Today was just one of those days: Why do I have to drag myself out of bed to run through the stinging snow? Why does the microwave take ten minutes to fully heat up my breakfast? Why are there so many emails to slog through? Why am I finally out of vacation days while my boss is valiantly (but failing) to suppress her glee that Thursday will be her last day of work in 2010? Why, why, why?

It took a very wise friend to offer me some very sage advice when this pity party of mine descended to the point where I was asking why each day doesn't start with a fluffy plateful of pancakes. She had just begun a new job dedicated to helping young families and she'd become a firsthand witness to what it means to start a family. When I began moping to her about how a faltering and wobbly internet connection forced me to abandon my original plan to watch the Christmas special of "Glee," she reminded me that now is when I should be seizing the day, before I have to be responsible for other people--that before I have to help other people see who they are, I should take more time to figure out who I am. Which is, of course, a never-ending project.

And speaking of never-ending projects, maybe it is time to finally pull out that sketchbook and learn to draw, or to sign up for that letterpress class I've always wanted to take, or figure out how to really use my camera instead of jabbing at buttons randomly.

Remember when we were in kindergarten and encouraged to dream? We wanted to be astronauts, fire trucks, and magic-wielders at the age of five. I might have accepted that I won't be the first person to play hopscotch on Io, but that doesn't mean I can't tap into those other daydreams. I know I still have that flyer about pottery classes somewhere. And didn't my friend mention that she wanted to do a hat-making class? Oh, the things to see and the places to go...

Hysterical Baby


Sneezing Panda

A Tribute to John Lennon
(October 10, 1940- December 8,1980)

Imagine- John Lennon

Peace I am aware cannot be accomplished overnight, the human condition pretty much shows us this, and its discouraging at times to see that basically mankind has continued with the conflicts that are centuries old.

Yes, I am a dreamer, and at times a doer; although I am not a Mary Poppins, or a Saint, I try to contribute to the consciousness of our world by having peace in my heart and therefore in my home, and in turn I am generally very peaceful towards family, friends and strangers, but in order to experience this, I made personal changes by letting go of what no longer worked for me.

As Lao Tzu said, we need to start with ourselves. One person at a time, can create change.

"If there is to be peace in the world, There must be peace in the nations.

If there is to be peace in the nations, There must be peace in the cities.

If there is to be peace in the cities, There must be peace between neighbors.

If there is to be peace between neighbors, There must be peace in the home.

If there is to be peace in the home, There must be peace in the heart."

--- Lao Tzu

Blanketful

Let's just say it: it is cold outside. And because not all of us have that fire delightful to melt away the weather frightful, I am piling blankets and blankets upon my bed. Yes, I mocked when Lilo told me she had four blankets weighing down her mattress, but now it's my turn. I've dug out the flannels, the thickly-lined sweatshirts, the knitted woolens. Between all that, a stack of Harry Potter books, and a bag of candied ginger, I'm finally toasty.

Tick-Tock the magical clock..

Today was one of those days that seemed to drag on forever. I swear that my phone stuck at 3:30 for a good half hour. After about ten-fifteen minutes of my phone insisting that it was 3:30, I actually got worried that maybe my phone was broken. I mean there is no possible way that 3:30 could last that long, right? Wrong! It was a bittersweet realization when my coworker confirmed that my phone was not broken and that time was just going exceptionally slow..

It's ironic because just yesterday I was complaining to my coworker that time has been going way too fast. December 6th, 2010- HUH? That just doesn't sound right. I mean I vaguely remember September (it was my birthday month afterall), have a small recollection of October (Eating kit-kats and watching Little Mermaid with Iris on Halloween), I know thanksgiving was in November, but December? I really do not understand where November went and when December came?? *Scratches head* I just have to believe that somewhere out there on a milk carton in outer space there is a picture of November and there is a search party currently looking for it.

And in less than a month I have to wrap my brain around the fact that it's 2011. Woah woah.....back up and slow down!

Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year because everything is so magical. I love so much about Christmas. I love looking at all the lights and decorations (perhaps the only good thing about it getting dark earlier is seeing the town all lit up). I also love the food (I'm a foodie, what can I say?), holiday parties (a reason to mingle, jingle, and celebrate), the festivities/traditions, the Christmas movies on tv (ei-Elf), Christmas music, giving gifts, & opening presents. So today as I was fidgeting and squirming in my chair anxious for time to speed up, I realized something: there is less than twenty days before Christmas. This thought made me slow down some because I don't want my favorite holiday to come and go without my realization...

So I made a list- What are the tops things I would like to do this Christmas:

1) A NYC outing- the most magical place of all during the holidays (a must on the agenda: ice skating and see the Christmas Tree at Rockefellar Center)
2) Picture with Santa Clause (Yes- I may be 26, but still a kid at heart. I don't remember the last picture I have with Santa...)
3) Make a gingerbread house
4) Make a snowman (Weather permitting)
5) See a play (Budget permitting)
6) Volunteer my time for a good cause

Monday Mornings

Last December I was stuck tapping away on my laptop around the clock until my bleary eyes couldn't handle tiny font and I had to continuously increase the size until the print was huge. At the time I had just moved into this apartment, the temperature had plummeted, and I was trying to figure out how to eat when I didn't have a microwave yet (yup, I'm one of those). It seemed like a bleak start to the holidays. What kept me company during those long hours was a PBS special on the evolution of rock music, which played on loop so many times that I could repeat the commentary word for word. So tonight, when my mom called to tell me that it was on again, I couldn't resist flicking over to that channel to hear The Beatles. That was the sound that kept me sane a year ago when I was cloistered here by myself with nothing but a laptop and an unbelievably large stack of papers.

And since I was listening to The Beatles into the wee, wee hours of the morn, it took an equally invigorating artist to wake me up again when it was time to trundle back to the office. Despite the lack of sleep associated with this song--or, perhaps, because of it--nothing makes me want to bop around in the morning more. So here's to the start of our week.

- I

(Photo credit to the lovable Boo!)

Lazy Hazy Days

I had the best Saturday ever this weekend.....what crazy fantastic life-changing thing did I do, you ask? Absolutely NOTHING! I stepped away from the chaos and I spoiled myself with peace and relaxation. I went out and got the necessities: good food and pick-me up movies. I got into my pj's, made my environment as cozy as possible.. prepared the comfort food/snacks...set up the dvd... turned off the lights ....and the rest took care of itself. I slept/cuddled....indulged in my favorite foods...watched the movie "UP" and "The Princess Frog" (in between naps of course) and ate and slept some more. It was simply amazing. Talk about simple happy moments!

Ah, dolce far niente! The sweetness of doing nothing... :)

Day 7

Ayda's right--we're only human. And to be human means we have to laugh at our mistakes. Like when I decided the other night to dye my hair black. And walked around with long lank hair that prompted a friend to kindly proclaim that I was goth-chic. Since I was normally pegged as a boho hippie, this was horrifying news. So horrifying that I hurried home after work, dropped all my bags, and ran straight for the hairdresser around the corner. "Shoulder-length, please," I said. Or so I thought. Perhaps it was the language barrier or perhaps I actually forgot to mention how many inches of hair I wanted to be lopped off (stranger things have happened), but I wound up with chin-length jet black hair that, when blown dry and styled, looked exactly like Severus Snape's. Luckily, once my hair was washed and left again to my own inept devices, I looked like myself again instead of a certain good-but-disguised-as-evil professor. So now I can laugh about it. And marvel at how my roommate (who frequents the same stylist) and I have the same hair! We match!

Day 7- "We're only human"

DOVE Commercial-Click here


"We're only human but we try to be perfect. We pretend that high heels are comfortable and that waxing just takes getting used to. We pretend that we can manage anything that's thrown at us, and sometimes we can. And other times we just have to cut ourselves some slack and take a moment. Because although we are only human, that's more than enough"



I could not agree more or have said it any better! This commercial really makes me happy. After a very long week, this was the perfect message for me to hear. Now excuse me while I sit back, unwind and enjoy my chamomile tea and piece of chocolate. After all, I am only human ;)