Sunday, February 22, 2015

Meanwhile, in California...

 
It's raining. For the second or third time today.  No more 80 degree weather for Southern California.  Meanwhile, friends and family on social media are posting photos and status updates about growing snow mounds and ice-covered driveways and leaking windows...
 
I had a decently busy week, and met several of my personal goals.  Feel free to check out my many specific ROW80 goals at the end of this post, but I would say that one thing I am learning is that I seem to only be able to prioritize a couple of my goals at a time...So I've been basically switching around which ones get attention each week.

So, work was busy, and I had to juggle a bit, and I was still very tired after work, but I found myself having better discipline this week at home.  I'm not completely clear on if I'm just getting used to the new schedule, but, in terms of the overarching goal of turning little changes into lasting habits, I'll take it!

EXERCISE
I started a new thing with my exercise goal/daily routine this week.  Basically, when I drive to and from work, I do my side-to-side neck stretches at red lights (lean to one side and hold for 30 seconds).  Obviously, the stretch gets broken up into many small parts, depending on the lights, but I think it's probably good to be stretching in little intervals all day, anyway.  So by the time I get home, I've more than passed my minimum exercise goal of one set of stretches for the day.  And it's probably one of the most helpful stretches to do regularly, since my neck and shoulders get tender after a day at a computer.  And knowing that I've got an exercise to fill in on my little exercise chart later seems to encourage me to just get one more exercise done so I can write that down, too.  It also helps that I like to exercise in threes, so if I start a new set, I try to finish another three to reach six, or nine.  The last eight days, I've done between two and nine kinds of exercises over the course of the day, many of them for more than my minimum three sets.  My minimum goal of one set of stretches daily, and my stretch goal of three sets of three exercises for three days in a row, have both been surpassed.  My stretch goal should really go back to being my minimum goal, honestly, but I figure that any kind of exercise that's regular and increasing is a positive.  And making sure that at least one of those activities during the weekend is outside is also helping.  It's raining now, but I got to the college farm to volunteer yesterday, and I went on a 3-mile walk around the neighborhood with friends this afternoon.  We got caught in a shower, but it was still nice to get outside and get some fresh air and social time (and another goal on my list, and another exercise to check off on my chart).

COOKING/CLEANING/DECLUTTERING
I have also continued to cook during the week, for lunch and dinner.  I tidied, but have not decluttered or reduced.  I noticed that several times this week when I just wanted to climb under a warm blanket and become a sloth, I made myself do another exercise, or go back into the kitchen to do my dishes.  I'm hoping that this is a new discipline habit forming, but of course only time will tell.  I am given to short bursts of novelty enthusiasm that trail away, so hopefully the progress and streak of the last couple weeks will keep me going.

BUDGET/INSURANCE
I am still figuring out budget stuff, and I still need to do my main taxes, but I did figure out my 2015 insurance.

SOCIAL MEDIA
I continue to dabble on Pinterest and Facebook, and I post on Instagram and ROW80 each week.  I am on Twitter daily, since it has the most real social interaction.

CRAFTING/WRITING
I'm still running out of steam here.  It makes me feel a little sad, but I also have a limited amount of (mental and physical) energy right now.  I did work on a brainstorming list for a new set of short blog posts, and I finally started cropping my photos for the blog post that was mostly finished in December.  And I wrote this blog post.  But that's about it.  I also figured out a few more work outfits, which also sort of qualifies as creative time.  But I need to catch up on a sewing project, and take in a few pairs of pants.  And update my photo galleries, and add some items to my Etsy store.  And start some new projects.  Things that keep not happening.

I'm still a bit of an emotional rollercoaster with all the changes going on in life (tired, sad, and flustered at times).  But I was really pleased by the number of things that I got to this week, both in work and life.  And I do feel like watching the goal tallies rise this week encouraged me to check off a few more, and then a few more.

************************************************************************************
My JANUARY (5th) - MARCH (26th) ROW80 GOALS:

Part A (Creativity & Social Media)
[x] 1. 1-2 blog posts per week (Ideally: 1 ROW80 post, 1 crafts post).
[  ] 2. Do something creative every day.  Doodles still count.
[x] 3. Social Media: Check in with all of my accounts/communities every week.
[  ] 4. Catch up with/update blog & Facebook photo galleries.

Part B (Catching Up With Life):
[x] 1. Exercise--Ideal goal: 3x3x3 (3 sets of 3 exercises for 3+ days). 
Bare minimum: 1 set of stretches.  Get outside on weekends.

[~] 2. Get my finances in order.  Also, address insurance, taxes and a new budget ASAP (however vague).
[~] 3. Decluttering, and re-organizing/tidying bedroom.
[80/100] 4. Aim for having my 100th post in May, the blog's 2-year anniversary.
************************************************************************************

 Good luck with finishing up (or reaching for) your own February goals!

Sunday, February 15, 2015

It's Sunday! (ROW80 Check-In)

Well, this last week was a nice week, productivity-wise.  Feel free to check out my ROW80 goals at the end of this post.  But, in summary:

I was still tired.  But...

I researched insurance, and posted 3 blogs--in fact, I've posted 4 out of the last 5 days!  That's doubling my posts for February, in less than a week!  And two of them were about crafting last weekend (a double-win--some weeks, as you know, I just blog about blogging).  And I ate a lot of great home-made food, both at work and at home (spring rolls, fresh ceviche, eggplant parmigiana, seaweed salad, chipotle fish, fresh baked goods, milk tea, and my homemade red bean mochi--yum!  I'm getting spoiled...).

Knowing me, I'll probably reach a slump, or turn my attention to a different kind of project in the near future, but it's still fun to see the blog post counts rising so rapidly, and the cooking inspiration bubbling!

Now, how about the coming week?

I still need to review my budget, and get in some more exercise.  I also need to finish a blog post that I've been sitting on since mid-December.  I have all the ingredients, and most of the post--I just need to pare down my photos, which can be a toughie, especially when you're me and you have 5 photos that are ALMOST, but NOT QUITE, identical.

And I need to catch up on a crafting project, and clean up/declutter a bit.

************************************************************************************
My JANUARY (5th) - MARCH (26th) ROW80 GOALS:

Part A (Creativity & Social Media)
1. 1-2 blog posts per week (Ideally: 1 ROW80 post, 1 crafts-based post).
2. Do something creative every day.  Doodles still count.
3. Social Media: Check in with all of my accounts/communities every week.
4. Catch up with/update blog & Facebook photo galleries.

Part B (Catching up with life):
1. Exercise--Ideal goal: 3x3x3 (3 sets of 3 exercises for 3+ days). 
Bare minimum: 1 set of stretches.  Get outside on weekends.

2. Get my finances in order.  Also, address insurance, taxes and a new budget ASAP (however vague).
3. Decluttering, and re-organizing/re-claiming my room.
4. Aim for having my 100th post in May the blog's 2-year)>>At least try...
************************************************************************************

I seem to be constantly paring down and re-defining and tweaking my goals.  How about you?  Do your goals bear any resemblance to the goals you started with in January?

Saturday, February 14, 2015

Happy Galentine's Day, Redux

Happy Valentine's Day! Happy Galentine's Day, Redux!
Yesterday, I showed you my little Galentine's Day Initials Cards.

Above, you can see some of the lovely cards that my friend made for Galentine's Day.  She used cardboard, ribbon, glue, fabric paint, and a lot of patience with these tiny foam petals (I think they were originally confetti?):


To make the large hearts, she glued short lengths of ribbon onto a cardboard base.  Then she cut a heart shape out of a top piece of cardboard and sandwiched the ribbon between the two layers.  Frame the opening with fabric paint, and voila!  A perfect fabric heart!

To create the flowers, she laid down a dab of glue, and then using a toothpick, she transferred the petals to the card one-by-one to create a flower shape.

Some close-ups of the action (the glue dried clear):




We had a lovely brunch that featured Tea, Friendship, and Delicious Food.


I hope you all enjoy your Galentine's Day, or Valentine's Day, or President's Day Weekend.

And, one last time!

Friday, February 13, 2015

Happy Galentine's Day!

 
Last weekend, a friend and I got ready for "Galentine's Day," a time when ladies get together to have brunch and socialize and show their appreciation for each other.  This unofficial holiday was started in the popular TV show "Parks and Recreation," by the character Leslie Knope.  Galentine's
Day is officially (unofficially?) the day before Valentine's Day, but I and some of my friends will be getting together tomorrow for brunch and games, seeing as how tomorrow will be a lovely Saturday.
 
I went an unorthodox route with my Galentine's Day cards, as you'll see below.  I decided to make a little card for each person, like those mass-produced Valentine's that we used to exchange in class in elementary school.  Each card featured the recipient's first initial.  I made mine out of cardboard, fabric scraps, lace ribbon, colored duct tape, and fabric paint.  So they're a mix of traditional and non-traditional materials to create a non-traditional party favor.
 
I started out by stitching triangles of my two base fabrics together with my sewing machine.  Then I laid each square of fabric over a smaller square of white cardboard.
 
Next, I dabbed glue on the underside of  my lace ribbon--I used a thick machine-knitted lace, with threads that are almost like yarn, and I dotted glue where the pattern wove the threads more thickly together, to keep the glue from seeping up onto the front of my card.  I pressed the ribbon down along the diagonal join of my fabrics.  Pro Pointer: As you can see, all of my gluing was done on a sheet of cardboard, to protect the table.
 
I wrapped my fabric squares around the cardboard and taped them in place with my blue-green duct tape, lining up the tape so that it framed the front of my card.  I then left the cards to dry for a bit, and socialized.
 
When my fabric cards were ready, I laid out my fabric letters.
 
Looking good!  I dabbed glue onto the letters, and pressed them into my fabric.
 
For a final, whimsical touch (inspired by the glue!), I added white polka dots to my letters, to brighten the cards up.
 
The finished product! 

My friend's cards followed the slightly more traditional route of featuring hearts and flowers (some adorable little sheep made appearances, too, as you can see above).  I'll show you some other examples of those tomorrow.
 
Happy Galentine's Evening!
 
And Happy Friday!
 

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

HOW is it WEDNESDAY already??

In brief: Greetings--2nd weekend of February--how?--tired--Galentine's Day.

A review of my JANUARY (5th) - MARCH (26th) ROW80 GOALS:
Part A (Creativity & Social Media)
1. 1-2 blog posts per week (Ideally: 1 ROW80 post, 1 crafts-based post).
2. Do something creative every day.  Doodles still count.
3. Social Media: Check in with all of my accounts/communities every week.
4. Catch up with/update blog & Facebook photo galleries.

Part B (Catching up with life):
1. Exercise--Ideal goal: 3x3x3 (3 sets of 3 exercises for 3+ days). 
Bare minimum: 1 set of stretches.  Get outside on weekends.

2. Get my finances in order.  Also, address insurance, taxes and a new budget ASAP (however vague).
3. Decluttering, and re-organizing/re-claiming my room.
4. Aim for having my 100th post in May the blog's 2-year)>>At least try...

Let's see. No doodling.  Averaging one post a week.  Thinking about some new posts.  Still being tired during the week.  I did cook and eat a lot this week, which was a win over my uninspired meals last week!

Friday, I finally took some pictures to finish up a mostly-done blog post.  Saturday, I puttered around the local farm during volunteer hours (I was too short to prune muth, so I "supervised," but I did help weed).  Then in the afternoon, a friend and I made valentines, which was social AND crafty. 

Some of us are getting together on Saturday to have a "Galentine's Day," a la "Parks and Rec"--a girls' brunch with card-exchanging and games.  There will be tea, scones, crepes, and brunch-related games that include "Elevenses--the Card Game of Morning Tea," a kickstarter-funded game, and "Marrying Mr. Darcy," a game where ladies from the book compete for various skill points to try to bag a "Pride and Prejudice" gentleman (an "Old Maid" can roll to become Jane Austen, so all is not necessarily lost if you don't make a match.  Although I eloped with Darcy last time, as Caroline Bingley.  Just saying.).

I have been doing bare minimum on the exercise & life catch-up goals.  In terms of social media, I finally went back and added to/opened up my Pinterest boards.  I'm not sure if I'll maintain them that often, though--I like posting original content and comments on Twitter, and photos on Instagram, but Pinterest seems more passive.  But the visuals can be inspiring, and I like how YouTube writer/director Yulin Kuang uses Pinterest to construct environments/flavors with her set decorators.

I have been thinking about possibly attempting a crafts-based A-to-Z in April, a series of short crafty blurbs inspired by the alphabet.  I was browsing through a Twitter-Buddy's blog, and I saw that she did a lovely story about a relationship through photographs, 5-sentence texts, and other writing prompts.  I liked the condensed, emotional effect.  And I've never tried the April A-to-Z Writing Challenge.  I'm always tired during the week, so I would probably have to start early.  And I don't want to make it so complicated that I give up.  But I am thinking about that, and possible topics.  So we'll see where that goes.

Sunday, February 1, 2015

LACMA & The Tar Pits: ROW80 Check-In

February, how did we get here already??

JANUARY (5th) - March (26th) ROW80 GOALS:
Part A (Creativity & Social Media)
1. 1-2 blog posts per week (Ideally: 1 ROW80 post, 1 crafts-based post).
2. Do something creative every day.  Doodles still count.
4. Social Media: Check in with all of my accounts/communities every week.
5. Catch up with/update blog & Facebook photo galleries.

Part B (Catching up with life):
1. Exercise--Ideal goal: 3x3x3 (3 sets of 3 exercises for 3+ days). 
Bare minimum: 1 set of stretches.  Get outside on weekends.
2. Get my finances in order.  Also, address insurance, taxes and a new budget ASAP (however vague).
3. Decluttering, and re-organizing/re-claiming my room.
4. Aim for having my 100th post in May (my 2-year marker for the blog!). At least try...

So where were we?

On Thursday night, I was moaning on Twitter about not having enough energy to blog, and one of my writing-buddies goaded me to finish up a draft and post a blog about wanting to blog but being drained.  So she helped me tick off that box!  (Thank you!) Overall creativity is still down as I adjust to a new routine.  However, all week there have been lovely rain clouds and sunsets, and as I drove home Friday evening, I got to drive towards a rainbow.  All of its colors were visible in distinct bands, from purple to red.

Saturday was a very nice day.  January 31st is "Museums Free-For-All" Day in Los Angeles, so some of us got together and went to "Museum Square" for a day of wandering around the Page Museum/La Brea Tar Pits and the LA County Museum of Art (LACMA). 

The Page Museum:

 
 
We saw a very wide range of dead animal skeletons (kind of morbid, but extremely well-preserved).  These 404 dire wolf sculls and several hundred eagle leg bones represent a fraction of the museum's collection of each:
 

"Pit 91," a tar pit that is still being excavated.  There are little flags marking bones from different kinds of animal remains.
 



Then we took a break to stroll along an entire block of food trucks to choose our lunches (I chose a falafel wrap over fish tacos or pupusas--a tough decision--and I also grabbed a lavender milk tea with mini-boba). 


The air was cool and cloudy, and the LACMA had a wonderfully broad range of artwork, both 2-dimensional and sculptural (a light piece and some inches-thick paintings we saw could qualify as both). 

These are Matisse portraits of one woman, Jeannette, as he pares her down further and further:

Two musician sculptures:
 
Some more of the paintings and sculptures that caught my attention.  You'll notice that my interest is usually sculptural:
 
 
 

An installation piece representing smoke fills up a large, sunken, indoor courtyard:

The Japanese Pavilion's architecture could be an installation piece all by itself, but it also housed some beautiful kimonos, swords, and scrolls. 

 

I took several dozen grainy pictures, got some fresh air, and hung out with nice people and a sweet little dog.  So it was a good day.  The nice things about museums is that the art can give you inspiration, and also trigger thought-connections that you might not have otherwise had.
 
 
 

 
 
 



 



 

Today (Sunday) has thus far been pretty quiet.  I reviewed my 2014 plushie sales in preparation for taxes (and learned a lot about the California Sales Tax form).  It was neat to see that I've had 18 sales since I started developing my plushie prototypes in December 2012, 13 of them this year alone!

Some friends have been over this afternoon, designing characters for a game in the warm, sunny living room.  We've had 60-70 degrees this weekend, so the windows are open and letting in a breeze.  I need to catch up on some crafting, and I still need to finish going over last year's expenses, but I think that the change in routine yesterday really did recharge some mental batteries and emotional states.  So here's hoping that that feeling lasts.  My head has been all over the place this year.
 
I continue to stretch when I am already sore--before would be better.  And I have started doing a couple short meditation sessions during the week, in the hopes that it will help me stay calm and positive when I'm tired and veering towards low spirits, which has been happening fairly often.  Some of my stretches are a bit meditative anyway, but I'm making a more conscious decision to be in that headspace.  I hope to use some of the energy from the museum day towards projects of my own.