day 27 :: day 28
day 29 :: day 30
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
foundation of respect
i just finished a non-fiction work by kurt vonnegut. honest assessment? i'm not a big fan. it's a disorderly collection of pieces of articles and speeches he's used before, accompanied by commentary that sometimes clarifies the pieces and sometimes doesn't. put it all together and what you get is one big ol' judgmental mish-mash that is not worth the $9.99 amazon is currently charging for it. {thank goodness i picked it up on a kindle daily deal sale for $0.99!} i hear his fiction is better, so here's hoping i won't be as frustrated when i finally crack open slaughterhouse five.
that being said, there was one anecdote that i actually related to. in a discussion on religion and marriage, he noted that people get divorced "because they don't love each other anymore" and likened it to "trading in a car when the ashtrays are full." he clarified that "the transmission is shot and there's a crack in the engine block" when you no longer respect each other. i think that perspective - that respect, more than love, is the foundation of a lasting relationship - deserves serious consideration. because really, isn't it the love that is built on friendship and respect that lasts? {with a healthy dose of chemistry, of course ;)}.
that being said, there was one anecdote that i actually related to. in a discussion on religion and marriage, he noted that people get divorced "because they don't love each other anymore" and likened it to "trading in a car when the ashtrays are full." he clarified that "the transmission is shot and there's a crack in the engine block" when you no longer respect each other. i think that perspective - that respect, more than love, is the foundation of a lasting relationship - deserves serious consideration. because really, isn't it the love that is built on friendship and respect that lasts? {with a healthy dose of chemistry, of course ;)}.
Monday, August 26, 2013
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
building habits: update 1
about a month ago, i posted about my micro quotas and macro goals, and promised an update. i'm getting somewhere with a few, and almost nowhere with others. and then there are the ones i forgot to mention, but have been working on anyway. so, the update goes a little like this:
quota: thirty minutes of rosetta stone per day // goal: learn spanish
progress: minus the week my guy was visiting, i have managed at least 15 minutes a day. not exactly 30 minutes, but daily use! plus, i seem to get through a lot of the units faster than the stated time, so those 15 minutes are solid learning :)
verdict: semi-met, but definitely room for improvement.
quota: two hours per weekend documenting // goal: digitalize memorabilia
progress: i haven't managed to make it to fedex-kinko's yet to start digitalizing old photos (which is a major part of the goal), but i did manage to finish the 2009 family photobook for my mom and keep my 2013 photobook up to date. i don't know if i'd consider this semi-met or not, since i really want to get those photos in digital format and haven't yet.
verdict: needs work!
quota: one hour article work per week // goal: write an article by october 2013
progress: zero.
verdict: try again?
quota: go to bed and wake 15 minutes earlier each day // goal: reasonable hours
progress: i don't even know how to gauge this. it varies daily, with a lot of days being decent on bedtime, but other days being absolutely awful. i think maybe this micro-quota needs to be revised...new version, "turn off electronics by 11pm."
verdict: try the new angle!
new quota: 3 green smoothies a week // new goal: healthier eating
progress: at least one a week, but if i can manage the reasonable hours, then more smoothies will be a lot simpler to manage.
verdict: will improve in tandem with reasonable hours, but pretty rubbish presently.
new quota: 3 workouts a week // new goal: healthy living
progress: does paddle boarding count? because if so, then i have improved on this one quite a bit in the last week or so. even managed 2 rounds of jillian and some pinterest routine my sister dragged me through. just have to keep it up now...
verdict: semi-met, but definitely room for improvement.
next update in a month!
quota: thirty minutes of rosetta stone per day // goal: learn spanish
progress: minus the week my guy was visiting, i have managed at least 15 minutes a day. not exactly 30 minutes, but daily use! plus, i seem to get through a lot of the units faster than the stated time, so those 15 minutes are solid learning :)
verdict: semi-met, but definitely room for improvement.
quota: two hours per weekend documenting // goal: digitalize memorabilia
progress: i haven't managed to make it to fedex-kinko's yet to start digitalizing old photos (which is a major part of the goal), but i did manage to finish the 2009 family photobook for my mom and keep my 2013 photobook up to date. i don't know if i'd consider this semi-met or not, since i really want to get those photos in digital format and haven't yet.
verdict: needs work!
quota: one hour article work per week // goal: write an article by october 2013
progress: zero.
verdict: try again?
quota: go to bed and wake 15 minutes earlier each day // goal: reasonable hours
progress: i don't even know how to gauge this. it varies daily, with a lot of days being decent on bedtime, but other days being absolutely awful. i think maybe this micro-quota needs to be revised...new version, "turn off electronics by 11pm."
verdict: try the new angle!
new quota: 3 green smoothies a week // new goal: healthier eating
progress: at least one a week, but if i can manage the reasonable hours, then more smoothies will be a lot simpler to manage.
verdict: will improve in tandem with reasonable hours, but pretty rubbish presently.
new quota: 3 workouts a week // new goal: healthy living
progress: does paddle boarding count? because if so, then i have improved on this one quite a bit in the last week or so. even managed 2 rounds of jillian and some pinterest routine my sister dragged me through. just have to keep it up now...
verdict: semi-met, but definitely room for improvement.
next update in a month!
Sunday, August 18, 2013
red pencil skirt
i felt the urge to be crafty this weekend. felt it in that overwhelming, can't ignore it kind of way. do you know what i'm talking about? no? oh well. regardless, for the sake of my sanity, something had to be created! but. biiiig but. i'm also trying to be frugal about my personal spending, so i didn't want to just run out to the nearest store and buy craft supplies. that meant painting, refashioning, and furniture remodeling {ha!} were out. i even tried making some progress on an ongoing cross-stitch first, but that wasn't really doing it for me.
enter a red knit fabric. once purchased to be the skirt of a homemade maxi dress, it has been sitting under my bed for a year now. but it could still be a skirt, right? right. and since my guy has recently expressed a like for pencil skirts... i decided to go for a casual pencil skirt. very casual, thanks to my lack of skills re clean seams on knits. alas. {i meant to post a semi-tutorial, but i forgot to take enough pictures along the way... sorry. i was distracted by the doctor&rose!}. anyway, try this one from merrick's art if you're interested in making your own!
enter a red knit fabric. once purchased to be the skirt of a homemade maxi dress, it has been sitting under my bed for a year now. but it could still be a skirt, right? right. and since my guy has recently expressed a like for pencil skirts... i decided to go for a casual pencil skirt. very casual, thanks to my lack of skills re clean seams on knits. alas. {i meant to post a semi-tutorial, but i forgot to take enough pictures along the way... sorry. i was distracted by the doctor&rose!}. anyway, try this one from merrick's art if you're interested in making your own!
front :: back
front again, with a look at the waistband {elastic, thankyouverymuch}
zigzag hem-stitch in blue. because contrast detail is cool.
{orrrr i didn't have red thread.}
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Sunday, August 4, 2013
abeautifulmess selfies: 1-2
the ladies over at abeautifulmess started a 30-day self-portait challenge last month. that seemed like a fun idea, but i also wanted a photo-challenge that made me think a little harder than just aiming the camera at my own face. with the help of a daily idea list from pinterest, i started clicking away... looking forward to the result of the two mixed together! i'm using the abeautifulmess app to edit and label the pictures - all together, it should make for an interesting addition to my 2013 photobook.
day 1 :: day 2
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