Saturday, December 31, 2011

WeVerb Day 31 - Foresee

#31: Foresee

Where do you hope to be on Jan 1, 2013?


Being happily married

Another wonderful year of travel and exploration behind me

Having made clear progress towards what I want my professional life to be

Knowing a little more about the future of my family.


Bring on 2012! :)

Friday, December 30, 2011

WeVerb Day 30 - Meditate


Day 30



Were you happy with who you were in 2011? Who do you want to be in 2012 and beyond?


No. I don't like who I was in 2011.

I am struggling.

I was stressed out by the poor decisions of others.

I feel like I wasted a lot of time.

I feel like I didn't accomplish many of the goals or things that could have.

I am pretty beaten down by my career transition process and perhaps beating myself up about it too much.


In 2012, I hope to

proactive about my own profession future and understand that building it will come with hard work and success or improvement will not happen overnight.

begin to understand and be comfortable with what family means to me and what having my own family will look like.

not answer to others and be willing to tell them about themselves.

to take advantage of this time in my life.


Thursday, December 29, 2011

WeVerb Day 29 - Gush



#29: Gush

Begin to create a plan for “My friends day out 2012″ – tell us what you envision.


I have to admit that I don't get what this prompt means. Am I supposed to be planning a day for me and my friends? Does it have to be realistic?

I think we would have a fabulous lunch somewhere chatting and laughing over lots of wine. Of course in this vision, we are in a seaside town in Portugal. Don't ask me how I'd transport my friends there. :)


Wednesday, December 28, 2011

WeVerb11 - Days 25 - 28


More WeVerb.....

Day 25

Celebrate.

What did you celebrate in 2011? Are you looking forward to any celebrations in 2012?

I don't remember celebrating much this year of note other than my 2nd wedding anniversary. That is always a happy moment. I'm looking forward to next year.


Day 26

Revive.

Share a favorite photo from the past year. What was happening behind the scenes? What were you thinking or feeling? What could you smell, taste, see, hear at that moment?


This pic was taken at the Ephesus ruins in Turkey. Jim, my husband (not his real name) and I were roaming through the ruins. We decided to kill a little time by taking pics. It was the first sunny day we'd had since we arrived in Turkey. We had just gotten to Turkey's Mediterranean coast after spending a lot of time in the center of the country in the Cappadocia region. I was enjoying feeling the warm sun. Turkey was really one of the highlights, if not THE highlight, of my year.


Day 27

#27: Spend

Where did your money go this year? Where do you want it to go in 2012?

I chuckled when I read this prompt. My/our money went to food and travel this year. Unfortunately, I didn't really EARN any money. That's been the issue. I hope that can change for next year.


#28: Pay It Forward

Describe a random act of kindness that you benefited from in 2011. How will you pay it forward in 2012?

Random act of kindness? Hmmm...well, this older man paid for my lunch. I think he thought my friendliness was flirtation. I just make simple conversation. He's older than my dad and well, I'm married. I felt bad and tried to pay, but he wouldn't let me. Sigh...

Maybe I need to pay for someone's lunch in 2012?


Saturday, December 24, 2011

WeVerb 11, Days 23 & 24


We Verb, Day 23

Describe something that you actively engaged in learning to do this year.

Well, I did try to learn more skills for my secret project, which I could reveal. It has a lot to do woth pib;ic speaking and thinkinf on your feet. I also learn how to edit video. I'm far from an expert, but at least I can do some basic stuff on a Mac with raw footage.


We Verb, Day 24

What did you finally let go of in 2011? What will you let go of in 2012?

Good question. Not much. :) I'd like to let go of more in 2012. I think in particular I'd like to let myself go to feel creative enough to think of how I can make a contribution to this world. I have been taught to to take a certain path. perhaps all of my hard charging would be better spent letting go and of seeing what the God/Universe has in store for me.



Wednesday, December 21, 2011

WeVerb 11, Days 19-22


I answered Day 18 in the last post.


Day 19

Laugh.

Tell us about your biggest belly laugh in 2011.

Uhhh..I don't think I can recall this one. It was probably something that Jim, my husband (not his real name) said. He makes me laugh all the time.


Day 20

Plug In/Unplug.

How has technology affected your life (positively or negatively) in 2011? Do you want this to continue for 2012?


Technology has definitely been great to me. Blogging has been one of the highlights of my year. I've gotten a lot of great opportunities from blogging this year, and I hope that they will only continue to grow. One of my career possibilities for the future may include a social media element. I'm not sure yet.

While my relationship to technology has been good overall, I also feel like I've wasted a lot of time on technology this year. By spending too much time on certain sites, I feel like I waste valuable time that I could spend in a more productive way. I'm hoping that my online time will produce more fruit for me instead of just being something that I occasionally do passively.


Day 21

Ripple.

The butterfly effect posits that a small change can ripple across whole ecosystems. Who do you credit for the small action that made all the difference in your life this year?

Is this bad that I can't think of anyone? Ouch! Perhaps it was Jim's continued love and support?Perhaps it was my friends rallying to help me with professional contacts? In general, I don't think there has really been anyone that made a specific difference (for the better anyway) in my life this year other than these people (but especially Jim).


Day 22

#22: Accomplish

What is one thing you want to do before you bid adieu to 2011? How will you make it happen?

Planning. I want to go into 2012 with some semblance of a plan. I waffle a lot this year. I don't want to do that next year. Next week will be about planning and organizing for 2012.


Sunday, December 18, 2011

WeVerb 11 - Days 15-17

Catching up with WeVerb....



WeVerb, Day 15

Surprise.

What event of 2011 affected you in an unexpected way?


Yeah. I think when I saw this WeVerb prompt, I clammed up. I was recently surprised by a family member's news and decisions about their future. It's been a really crazy year in terms of my relationship with that person, and this news will change our relationship going forward. I've been trying to come to terms, and it has been very hard. This "surprise" angered me, then frustrated me. Yet in the past week, I've let go. People in your life are not always going to make the decisions that you think they should. They will ultimately have to make peace with the consequences of their actions.


WeVerb, Day 16

Persevere.

Describe something that disappointed you in 2011 and how you persevered.


Well, the continued search for my new professional space is continually frustrating. At the same time, I am considering the fact that this may be partly my own fault. I'll get into in the coming weeks. It's been a major form of stress for me, but I have no choice but to keep going. When opportunities don't work out, I just say that it wasn't where I was supposed to be. That's all that I can do really.


WeVerb, Day 17

Discover.

What did you discover (big or small) in 2011?

That my professional space that I need may come from something that I might need to create. That people can really surprise you. The Highline. The Staten Island Ferry. Robicelli's Cupcakes.


WeVerb, Day 18

Teach.

What lesson or advice were you able to pass on to others this year? Why was it important to share this information? (Or… what lesson would you like to pass on to others that read this?)

I've been waxing poetic about the power of Twitter. I've gotten so many opportunities through it in the past year, and I've been helping folks understand how it can help them. I've also taught my BFF that she deserves to be where she is right now. I'm proud of her.


Wednesday, December 14, 2011

WeVerb Day 14 - Breathe

WeVerb Day 14


#14: Breathe.

How did you make space + peace for yourself in 2011?


As much as I am not always thankful for it, I am in a space right now in my life where I can reflect and be alone quite often. I will say that sometimes I felt as if I let technology enter into my space a little too much this year. When you blog or are into social media in any way, it can be hard to not have it be ever-present. I am hoping that I can cut out more TV and also be more strategic about my computer usage. I am hoping that I will continue to take advantage of the fact that I do have time for myself even more next year. I am hoping to be reflective in a more purposeful way in 2012.

WeVerb Day 13 - Read

WeVerb Day 13

#13: Read.

What article or book changed your outlook on an issue or life?

Hmmm...I don't really think I read anything in 2011 that was particularly earth shattering or life changing other than what I would normally read. I usually read something spiritually based in the mornings before I begin my day. Those are always helpful to me in focusing and making sure that my mind is right for that day. It's something that I've always done and that I'll continue to do.

I will say that I did start to read books again. I read a lot of blogs, magazines and so on, but I felt that books were missing in my life. After getting a Kindle last year, I've started to enjoy reading and exploring what's out there. I wrote a little about my Jane Austen book project for this past year here. I'm hoping to do another book reading project for 2012.


Monday, December 12, 2011

WeVerb Day 12 - Thrive


WeVerb Day 12


#12: Thrive.

What was your healthiest habit of 2011? What would you like to change or do differently in 2012?


I think there are a few things that I've started doing this year. I run now. I'm not going to finish the NYC Marathon in under four hours or anything, but I am glad that I now have this new aspect to my workout regimen. It's given me something that I can set goals for in terms of exercise.

I've actually started to take vitamins on a rather consistent basis. I hate taking vitamins, and I tend to forget to. One of my doctors pretty much got preachy on me/scared me a bit and told me that I am not getting enough iron. I am now at the Vitamin Shoppe at regular intervals and have even started taking an iron supplement.

Finally, I've been doing something called a Reset Week. For five days, I cut out meat or poultry, dairy, sweets, alcohol and probably a few other things that I can't remember. I know that there are people who eat like this all the time, but when you write a food blog that can be kinda hard. :) While it may not be a big deal, I think it helps me refocus on what I've been consuming and gets me back into a good mindset about my diet.

Nothing super ground breaking here, but good habits can be hard to establish. I get happy when I make an effort to be healthier.

For 2012, I'd like to increase my fitness levels and consistency even more.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

WeVerb Day 11 - Try


WeVerb 11 - Day 11

Try.

What 12 new things do you want to do/accomplish in 2012?



I actually am hoping to start a 101 things in 1,001 days list, but here are a 12 things that I'd like to do or try in 2012.


1. Learn to knit
2. Learn Pilates technique and incorporate it into my workout
3. Write a handwritten letter to a friend just because
4. Travel internationally alone
5. Run a mile in under 10 minutes
6. Eat a meal in each of NYC's five boroughs
7. Start and run my own fantasy football league
8. Do a book reading project with at least 5 assigned books of a particular author
9. Do something special on 12/12/12
10. Go on a ski weekend
11. No internet for one weekend
12. Write a personal mission statement

If anyone's reading this :), what are you hoping to try in 2012? Anyone accomplish anything significant through a 101 in 1,001 days list?


WeVerb Day 10 - Create



WeVerb 11, Day 10 - Create


Share a creative project you undertook this year (art, writing, DIY, cooking, home decoration, crafts, photography … whatever comes to mind). How do you use your creativity to express yourself?


I think I failed this one. Can I fail a WeVerb prompt? I didn't have any particular creative project this year. I've been wanting to learn how to knit. I have been procrastinating for a whole year. I'd also like to learn how to bake as well as get back into dance. Those things are definitely on the list for next year. I did have a reading project for this year, but as for something that I created other than my other blog?

Wait a minute! I'm wrong! Well, I did have somewhat of a creative project this year. I learned how to edit video, and I did quite a few on-location vlogs for my blog. I really wanted to incorporate video to my blog to take it to a higher level and to verbally communicate more with my readers. While I am not ready for an Oscar, I know my way around IMovie now. You can check out some of my vlogs and edited video.

I have to admit that I feel a little better about myself now that I realize that I did do something "creative" this year. :)

Here's hoping for a more creative 2012!

Friday, December 9, 2011

WeVerb Day 9 - Appreciate


WeVerb Day 9

Appreciate.

In which moment did you find yourself flooded with gratitude? How will you rally around gratitude in 2012?

Honestly, I would not have gotten through this year without practicing gratitude. Amid much of the stress and much of the lows and questioning this year, I was still so thankful. I can't say that it was any one moment, but it was a continuous stream of being very appreciative of all that I do have. I appreciated my health, my marriage, all of the physical trappings and good things that I am fortunate to have. In a time, when so many people are struggling financially, we are not. I am muddling through life right now, but I muddle through a very good one.

A lot of this I attribute to my faith orientation. I personally believe that without it, I may not have been able to see the good I have around me. I am thankful and appreciative for that, too.

I hope that I will have an even deeper attitude of gratitude in 2012.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

WeVerb Day 8 - Choice


WeVerb Day 8 - Choice

What was the biggest choice you made in 2011? What caused you to choose what you chose?


Oy! I don't like this prompt because it means that I have to get personal. :) I really racked my brain for this one, but I would say that the biggest decision might have been choosing not to try to have a child in 2011.

Lots of people on the internet like to tell me that I am old regarding children, pregnancy, etc.. I'm fine with that. However, they don't live in my world. In my world this year, we had to deal with major emotional and financial strains as it relates to other people in our lives. Supporting others AND possibly a baby just wasn't in the cards for us. I know the old adage that "There will never be a right time to have a child," but I assure you this wasn't the time for us.

Also I'm still working out some kinks career-wise in my camp, and I'd like to have those settled a bit more before we go down this road. How settled I need to be is really the question for 2012.


Wednesday, December 7, 2011

WeVerb Day 7 - Travel

Okay, it seems that the travel day was supposed to be today. Whatever I said yesterday for the WeVerb 11 prompt about travel gets a big ditto. :) I will say that my travel (and food) blog has been such a great part of my life this year. While I don't have this humungous following, I have enjoyed sharing my curiosity about the world and my experiences with others. My blog has given me a lot of joy. I'm not crafty or visually creative (I love to dance, which I guess you could share on a blog...sorta), so the blog is my outlet in that respect. It's also been my happy space where I can share the fun aspect of my life. I'm grateful that there are people out there who even want to read my stuff. I've also "met" some people (virtually and in person) who are really nice individuals and who I would I've enjoyed getting to know through their writing and blogging.

In yesterday's post, I didn't say where I'd like to go next. I am still gunning for India and a trip through Southeast Asia, but I don't know if and how that will happen. Jim, my husband (not his real name), and I will be hopefully going on a new adventure next spring. I'd also like to go a girls' trip with my BFF, who has been a travel partner in the past. I'd also like to visit my family in Toronto. I was supposed to visit them as part of my Buffalo trip. Who knows what the new year will bring?

Feel free to take a look at my travel adventures past and present on my blog, Try Anything Once.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

WeVerb Day 6 - Favor/Travel

Hmmm...Well, there seem to be two WeVerb 11 prompts floating around right now.


WeVerb 11 Day 6 - Favor

What was your favorite month of 2011? Why did it beat out all of the other months?

WeVerb Day 6 - Travel

Where did you travel this year? What was your favorite part? If you didn't get to travel, where would do you want to go next year?

I actually think I can blend these two!! I think March definitely gets a nod because of our trip to Turkey. We're still talking about it in December, and we had a wonderful time. You can read about it rather extensively on my other blog, Try Anything Once. In addition to Turkey, I went to Los Angeles, California; Buffalo, New York, and Antigua. Traveling really makes me feel alive and refreshes me, and I think I needed that at various times this year.

Monday, December 5, 2011

WeVerb Day 5 - Befriend

We Verb Day 5 - Befriend

Did you meet any new friends this year? How did they impact your 2011?

I have met one or two new people lately, and in some instances we are still in the "early friendship" stage. One in particular new friend has been fun to meet and get to know. I would have never thought that she and I would enjoy each other's company as much as we do. I've also introduced her to another friend, and she has hit it off that person, too. It's nice to be able to help expand other people's networks.

Overall, I will say that I have gotten closer to people that I met last year. I also see my friendships changing due to friends having children, which is a good thing. In many instances, I am enjoying their children as well. That's nice.

We had a holiday party this past weekend, and it was great to see people that I haven't seen in awhile, and I am hoping to establish deeper connections with many people into 2012.


Sunday, December 4, 2011

WeVerb Day 4 - Haiku


WeVerb Day 4

Write a haiku.

Sum up your year, via haiku.


travel near and far
grateful hearts and minds in love
looking forward now

WeVerb Day 3 - Learn


WeVerb Day 3 - Learn

What lesson did you learn in 2011 from “The School of Life” rather than a classroom?


There are definitely a few things I've learned, and I think I've realized one in the past few weeks.

I need to stop explaining myself to other people. I learned that I have to find a way to tell others that my life is my life. I'm living it for me and under my terms, and I don't need to explain it to you. I feel like there were way too many instances where I was put in a position of people expecting me to explain my decisions or lack of decisions on a variety of issues. I can't keep doing that if I want to keep my sanity.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

WeVerb Day 2 - Listen

Here's the link to WeVerb and what it's about in case I didn't include it in my last post.


Day 2 - Listen

What song did you listen to in 2011 to completely change your mood? Think about ways you can you add more music to your life in 2012.

I didn't listen to as much music as I should or could have this year. I'm not really into most popular music right now. I guess I'll write about two VERY different songs.

"Trust Me" by Richard Smallwood & Vision




He's a fairly well-known gospel artist. It's not a very complicated song, but the words are essentially God/The Universe/Allah/Vishnu telling us to trust that He/She/It has got our backs. It's a simple message that I've needed this year many times.

While I'm not a huge fan, I really do like Katy Perry's Firework. I kinda felt like she was speaking to me in this one. :)



I know, I know. This is super commercial and pop at that. I also LOVE Beyonce's "Run the World," which is one of the highlights on my running mix.

May I just say that I liked Adele before everyone got on the bandwagon? For gems from her first album, which is on heavy rotation on my Iphone, check out "Hometown Glory" and "Make You Feel My Love."

I want to add more LIVE music to my life in 2012. I live in a great music city. I shouldn't waste it.


Have any songs inspired you this year?

WeVerb Day 1 - Word

Hey there!!! I'm out there! I haven't abandoned this blog. I think I am going to try to write more next year. I keep saying that, don't I? I'll be honest about why I don't write here more. It's hard. It's hard to be struggling and write about it especially when my life is soo good. Great marriage (at least I think so), surrounded by wonderful creature comforts, solid family and only minor health issues. What more could I need?

Anyway, I decided to participate in WeVerb 11. It's a collective blogger initiative where I will be reflecting on my year each day. Let's hope I can keep up with this AND my close out my main blog with a bang.

Here's Day 1's prompt:

Choose one word.

Encapsulate the year 2011 in one word. Explain why. Imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2012 for you?


My word would be: STASIS - a state of stability, in which all forces are equal, therefore they cancel each other out.

This really is my year in one word. I think this has to be. Read what I just read above. I am so grateful for my life right now. Financially we're doing well as a family. Jim's, my husband (not his real name) career is doing really well. I see my friends excelling and moving forward with their lives personally and professionally. There have been marriages, births, new jobs, big breakthroughs and promotions for the people around me. Yet, here I am in many respects having only inched forward this year. I have made very little, if any, movement towards building my new professional self. I've worked on quite a few things including consulting, my secret project and exploring entrepreneurship. I feel like despite all of the awful things happening in the world at large, I've got it pretty good even if my life isn't what I'd like it to be. So, I guess everything just cancels itself out. The good isn't outweighing the bad and vice versa. I'm just here. :) "Here" ain't so bad.


For 2012, I'd like my word to be: propulsion

I hope 2012 is about moving forward. Period.


Thursday, October 6, 2011

I Needed this This Morning/Thank you, Steve Jobs

Truly inspirational. Say what you want about Apple products, Steve Jobs loved what he did. His passion and vision were really evident in everything that he spearheaded for Apple. His commencement speech at Stanford in the video below is really food for thought.





Thanks, Steve Jobs. RIP.

Monday, August 1, 2011

Do You Want to Work?

Do you see the title of this post? Someone that I have known for a long time asked me this this weekend.

What I want to understand is what is it about me that suggests that I don't want to work? I have to somehow forgive this woman. She has only had very prestigious jobs that she has floated from one to the next. Part of me thinks that she thinks that I have not gotten where I like would like to be because I simply don't want to work. There are so many ways that I find that question insulting that I don't even know where to begin.

One of the things I've learned is that people who have never struggled with career issues just have no idea about what it's like for those of us who do.

I really did want to reach across the table and throttle this woman. Sometimes we have to throttle the ones we love? :)

I do want to work just in case you're wondering.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Passion

It's been months. I know...some thought about passion in the vlog below.




What do you think? How do you define passion?

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Lately I've Been Feeling Like Lloyd Dobler

I love this scene from Say Anything.





I definitely know what I DON'T want to do. I agree with Lloyd that I don't want to sell anything though. :)

What's hard is that right now I really have no idea what to do. Yes, I just wrote that. My consulting gig is at a crossroads. Do I work more for next to nothing? Do I want to do more for an entity that I am not sure that I want to be in the long term?

I've added something new to my life, which is taking a continuing ed class in the hopes that it will push me further into what I'd like to do.

Networking sadly still is not very fun, but I have started to ramp up again.

Part of me is trying to not get totally done. What was once slight sadness is turning into me being a tad incredulous. If I can't get a job (not like I am a super star or anything), then I can only imagine what others will less skills, experience or education are dealing with right now. I wonder sometimes if it's me or the economy or something completely different.

Anyway, I am still trudging along. I guess my version of Lloyd's kickboxing is blogging. :)

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Brain Dump - 1.5.11

I usually don't just write random things, but in an effort to engage with this blog more regularly, I thought I would just write what I am thinking/what's going on. I'm calling it a Brain Dump. :)

1. The only jobs I am currently finding that are remotely interesting to me are in DC. I have always knows that DC is a good place for me: someone who has a law degree and an interest in policy/government, writing, etc. D.C. is the land of people with law degrees (and who often don't use them), so there would be lots of opportunities for me there. D.C. is also probably the only place where Jim (my husband, not his real name) and I can agree to move, except we don't want to move. I LOVE where we live, and Jim's job is really tied to living in New York. You can kinda do his job elsewhere but not really. We would most likely have to leave the country, which I actually would love as well (other than NY, I would be at a loss as to where to live). Either way, since Jim is not keen on the idea of having a long distance marriage (I wonder why not), I guess I am only applying to jobs in New York.

2. I am learning how to practice the idea of "Release" What I mean by that is letting the Universe/God/Whatever deity or force you believe in do the work for you. One of the things that I need to be more mindful of is letting go and letting things work our for themselves. I think the reason why I am so bad at this is because I am quite impatient (although technically having not having a steady job for about a year can really do that to a person). Either way, I need to let go, and let things fall into place where they can. I just wish it wasn't taking so darn long. :)

3. People need to mind their own reproductive business. No, I don't have children yet, and it is really none of your business whether I want them, are currently trying to have them or are pregnant. Mind your own business. I'm not talking to you all, lovely readers, just others who seems to think this is something that I want to discuss with them. I'm getting to the point where I am going to wholesale go off on someone and get ghetto fab in their face, and I really don't want to do that. :)

Happy Wednesday!