But I Do Love Mondays

The Things I Love(d)

2012-01-21T20:52:00.002-05:00

Found myself drifting away from the things I love(d?). Found myself sleep deprived. Found myself hitting the snooze button repeatedly - worth of at least one hour of cozy bed time (which is cozy only in theory, because it frustrates me to the moon and back).

Found myself somewhere in the middle, trying to figure out whether the things I love(d) define me, or do I define them; whether it's because I do not believe in them anymore, or simply because I grew out of them.

Found myself tired of being excited by the things I love(d). Even more, found myself at the point where I don't even care whether I love them or not.

On the other hand, I love reading the blogs written by people who love and do those things I love(d). Somehow, their passion is not contagious anymore (as it used to be for me), nor motivating (as it used to be for me).

I (still) treasure each and everyone on them - of the things I love(d - but or on a mental level, I don’t feel that urge to dive in and indulge in them anymore. And there's a wishful level as well - I'd want everything to go back to 'normal', because it would make everything so easy, instead of moving forward and leaving everything behind.

I have started running mid December. Blaming the Santa Shuffle for wanting to 'go back' and 'run with ease'. There was a time when I used to love running, the time 'alone' - just me, myself and the idea of pushing my limits, the 'runners high' and everything that came with it. Then I had other goals, incompatible with running, and had to 'give it up'. After a while, I was left with neither [:))]. With high hopes of re-finding those long forgotten butterflies, I challenged myself to take up running. Again. No love this time - but I have to admit that at least the last ~ 10 minutes of my runs are [ahem, WERE! it's been more then 2 weeks] exhilarating.

(source: Pinterest)

Ordered myself a couple of Bondi Bands - yes, running related, but not only. They feel 'perfect', like there's nothing there. Simply love them because it's the only headband that doesn't give me headaches - yes, I'm weird that way, I get headaches from headbands. And the designs are nice (and lots to choose from).

I've also started to (re?)organize and (re?)decorate the art studio room. [not sure about the 're' in re-decorate and re-organize, just because that room never reached the point of being organized or decorated]. Now I'm pretty content with myself [:))] and the (partial) result.[pics to follow?] No exhilarating love here, no cravings of any sort to open the bottles of acrylics and go nuts with them, but let's never lose hope, right? The hope consists in the fact that once the room's nice and inviting, I would instantly be caught in the flames of bursting fire of artistic inspiration.

Moving on.

As always, since trying to 'get back' to old strategies, how about starting a 'to do list'. It would include stuff like this:

** take a photo every day

** make a drawing every day

** add something to my S-log every day

** run.

** just do it - you know, those artsy-craftsy DIY lil' projects that keep getting postponed

** wake up and look the sky in the eyes. Every single day.

** etc.

Or maybe I should give in and listen to the experts: start by making a vision board.... treasure map, hehe!

(source)

Mr. Snowflake, You're Such A Teaser!

2012-01-07T14:06:00.000-05:00

These pics were taken on the morning of Dec. 3rd - yes, the Tuesday I returned to work after the Christmas holidays. 8 am, maybe?

I was beaming with joy - no, not exaggerating at all!

So this was the view from the study room window, dining room window, and master bedroom window, respectively.

But my happy day(s) with Mr. Snowflake didn't last. By ~ Thursday it was almost gone. By Friday - it was back to muddy. Saturday (I mean now), there are patches of (dirty) snow among mud and sand (you know, THE sand), and the sight of asphalt and bare sidewalks continuously sends bitter arrows towards my hurting retinae.

I've been craving snow for a while, and right now I was left craving it even more.

C'mon, Mr. Snowflake, I know you can do better than this! Stop with the teasing!

The Weekend Before Monday

2011-12-05T11:23:00.002-05:00

It was the Santa Shuffle this weekend!

There was Santa himself, there was no snow, there was rain, there was the park - all decorated for Christmas, there was no snow, there was hot chocolate and coffee, there was no snow, there were people wearing Elf ears, Santa hats, Santa costumes or corsets, there was no snow, but it was lots of fun. And all for a good cause - "the event helps The Salvation Army to assist families and individuals in need during the Christmas season and throughout the year".

I was in the Christmas-y mood already, now all the way deep down, and there's no way out.

Craving Snow

2011-11-22T13:50:00.001-05:00

As I was saying... craving snow; pinning it!

Some of the snow eye candy images I came across today:

(pic from: http://desktopwallpaper-s.com/42/-/Winter,_snow/)

(pic from: http://www.global-greenhouse-warming.com/ecology-of-snow.html)

(pic from: http://www.allcountries.org/photos/finland/finland_photos_20.html)

Will be pinning some more on my recently started Snow Board for sure!

My Treasure Map

2011-11-21T10:57:00.002-05:00

I'm craving snow and dreaming of Christmas. Simply can't help it - whatever I do, my mind is detouring this way.

Deep fluffy snow, snowman with cute hat, giant snowflakes, warm fluffy socks, fuzzy lounge pants, warm green tea, large window framing the outside winter beauty, and-everything-else to finalize the cliche mind picture in the tiniest of the smallest details . Cliche, but lovely. And lovely is what counts!

Returned from a more-than-awesome weekend with my mind set on winter, heavy snow on the roofs of cottages decorated with Christmas lights, abundant ideas of all-things-pretty, all-things-cozy, and so on. There's a true and extremely detailed treasure map inside my mind - and it screams and kicks to come out.

The festive lights in Niagara Falls this weekend hold a huge part of the blame for my sudden cravings of winter and Christmas. Them and the cold - coz' baby, it's cold outside! It's still Fall everywhere, but Winter in the air - and bellow here we are, my dog and I, taking a photo break from all the playing and running around by the Falls.

It's still November. And enjoying every minute (and leaf) of it!

So Quiet

2011-11-06T20:38:00.000-05:00

There's really not much left to say - all the words are bellow, inside there.

On a completely different note, though, I'm contemplating the idea of having my own Etsy store. Details to follow.

November Already?

2011-11-02T10:32:00.001-04:00

Time for counting sleeps till Christmas? Knitting? 'Creative' teas? Winter tires? Craft sessions? Sale coupons from Michael's? Book-thick flyers from Walmart?

I guess the above is just November gone bad. Just want to keep it sweet, crisp, foggy and sunny.

The highlight of my past weeks (my Tuesday evening art classes):

The summary of my past weeks:

(from: http://www.artflakes.com/en/products/we-need-to-sleep-more )

First on my (imaginary) to-buy list... if only a saw could help us cope with what comes at us! If only....

Sweet October

2011-10-17T00:03:00.000-04:00

Now that sweet October's here:

Inspiration on a Gloomy Wednesday

2011-09-07T14:37:00.001-04:00

Bookshelves make me smile on the inside, brighten my thoughts and make me dream far. If there was a contest for coziness, even cute blankets paired with my favorite tea sipped from my favorite tea mug would fall far behind bookshelves.

They've been my life long fascination - fascination that was born in my early childhood: looking up at the neverending bookshelves in my grandparents living room, bookshelves nesting the hundreds of books that I almost everyday started to count but lost track every single time. I was trying to feel sorry for the words trapped inside the covers, or for the people who could not get to those words because they won't open the books... couldn't decide between the two. But never really succeeded in my efforts of feeling sorry for one or the other, and always lost myself in the 'let's pretend' realms.

Even though the house I live in now would've made even my thoughts claustrophobic (I can touch the ceiling if I reach really high), in my not at all rare episodes of daydreaming, my books find home in a large room with extremely high ceilings, statuesque bookshelves, the kind of walls that would make me feel like Alice after she drank from the "drink me" bottle.

Some bookshelves I came across and instantly loved:

(via flickr.com)

(via http://blog.hgtv.com/design/)

Yes, I saved the best for last - the third is my favorite: oh, the ladder!

(A)mazing

2011-09-04T14:49:00.000-04:00

Maybe it's all about finding ways...

Counting Days to September

2011-08-31T17:20:00.000-04:00

Down to 1 day till September!

It's been a while now since I've been counting days and sleeps and days and sleeps. September gets me as excited as snow on Christmas Eve does! That's because snow-on-Christmas-Eve is just snow on Christmas Eve, but when September's here what this really means is September&October&November are here, all three together, all full of beauty and fun and energy, crisp and healthy air, and the promise of winter following soon.

Shaking off the staleness of summer, I'm so full of energy and ideas, I'm even considering signing up for 2012 Oxfam Trailwalker Competition (100K in 48 hours, for a good cause).

Dreaming of Fall colors, amber light, long shadows, camping, hiking, reaching back to myself, artsy side and all.

Random. August. Puzzle Bits.

2011-08-26T11:02:00.000-04:00

Bits and Pieces of a Random June Weekend

2011-06-20T12:22:00.000-04:00

Stillness:

Bedtime story:

Reminiscences of a June weekend from long ago:

Saint Tropez and I Love Paris, live-and-a-piano, crème brûlée, French wine and lemon tart - that was a crowd of sweet decadence

Room with a (pretty lovely) view:

Sipping words away:

Catch with your eye, capture with your camera

2011-06-09T14:45:00.000-04:00

While craving a real cityscape photowalk, thankful for smartphones:

Then littlest things and moments combined:

And peeking out:

Dare Me

2011-05-11T12:21:00.002-04:00

(found this photo in an Etsy store, and it's by Madebygirl.com, and instantly fell in love with it)

I wear too many hats, can't give up any - love them all.
I'm at the point where I need challenges to stay on track and do stuff. Yup, stuff. Like what? Like anything!

I love to many things, and unfortunately I'm a perfectionist (sugar-coated name for "chicken", maybe?) so I feel like I have no guts to start anything that I know it wouldn't reach its best, and/or woudn't bring the best out of me.

I'm passionate about (almost) anything and everything. I'm artsy and heartbroken when I see my acrylics drying out because I don't have time to use them, or I'm too much of a perfectionist (uhm, chicken?) to just dive deep into anything that crosses my mind; I'm also fintess-y and woulnd't trade a good nice workout for (almost?) anything in the world, but I miss dancing (oh right, that's why I got my Zumba certification), and I miss playing the piano (that, at least, I know for sure it's not gonna happen. Ever again. Too much of a perfectionist for that one). I love drawing (don't even go there), I love theatre (I'm doing good here, since I'm catching up with theatrical performance regularly), I love photography (oh, and Horoball's been deserted almsot since I've finished my "honeymoon" challenge). I love the outdoors, and if it were by me, I'd be wondering the streets all day long with my dog, or get lost in a forest, or just Springbank Park, I love reading and sharing what I read with the world - hence signed up with a new bookclub (after being kicked out of the previous one for poor attendance - well... too much to do, so little time, eh?).
We'll see how long until I'll be kicked out of this one as well - so busy doing things I love that I don't have time for things I love even more!

I need challenges and dares to prevent me from getting sidetracked from the things I love, by the things I love. This is so unfair!

Yellow Umbrellas, Operation Daffodil 2011

2011-04-15T13:11:00.000-04:00

Beautiful!

My Extremely Latin Beginning of the Year

2011-03-30T22:24:00.000-04:00

Or better: How on Earth did I start (on end up) teaching Zumba

Serendipity! A series of totally unrelated events that turned the end of 2010 and beginning of 2011 extremely Latin.

The very beginnings: contemplating. Contemplating. Contemplating. Towards the end of October 2010, thinking that my PTS path started to feel stale, wanting to spice things up. Accidentally, found out that Zumba training was coming to my neck of woods! So I signed up, early bird, got the discount, almost forgot about it.

On the other hand: I was missing dancing so much, I was this close to re-joining the dance troupe – again, perfect timing for the Zumba training.

In the meanwhile... December came, brought with it spending the winter Holidays in the warm and friendly Texas. So I was trading London, ON's snow for Texas's sun. Snow's my favourite, sun not that much. I went – weird again.

Spent the last hours of 2010 in the beautiful San Antonio, living a fairytale. I said goodbye to (sad) 2010 on a patio of a Mexican restaurant (extremely weird, considering how much I disliked Mexican cuisine), sipping on Margaritas (these I like), looking down at the gorgeous San Antonio's River Walk, that looked almost surreal bathed in lights.

My first meal of 2011 - brunch on a (different) Mexican restaurant patio, indulging in... tortilla soup and 'tres leches' cake (can't believed I voluntarily ate that, considering I hate(d) cilantro, I hate(d) tortilla, and most of all wet tortilla, I hate milk and most of all, I absolutely hate cake drenched in anything liquid – I even hate sauce on my sandwiches, because it touches the bread!!!) .

I had no idea what's gotten into me, knowing me this should've been extreme, but – unusual twist of fate – felt completely natural.

Back to the main idea of this blog post (yes, I know, it's been a while), and all the “how come you could trade heavy lifting, supersets and God-knows-what for Zumba, you of all people?” that bombarded me lately. No, it wasn't a trade.

I got licensed few days after we got back from Texas, at the beginning of 2011, by the awesome Amanda Grant, ZES. And I was hooked!

Sooooo hooked! I love the people, the energy, the dancing, the happy faces , the big smiles. I haven't given up anything, it wasn't 'one or the other' - it's all where it should be, the gap was filled!

2010-10-28T08:25:00.000-04:00

I was eager to greet September this year. Anxiously waiting, and planning, and planning, and waiting. And it came, tornado-ing from it's very beginning, hitting, biting, breaking apart - left behind my very own Pompei, at my very own point of no return (and oh, on so many levels!).

And if seeing is believing, than not seeing would be... what?

And then September brought his birthday...

And then mine... I got to meet Queen, I got to build sand castles, I got to head SE on Sunset Rd on our way to the beach to see the actual sunset.

And then October came.

And October brought Houston - my extra strength fast acting (and as I was to discover at a later time - not at all long lasting - or maybe a little?) Advil for the soul. But put a huge, hard to remove smile on my face.

And then Thanksgiving smelled like pumpkin pie.

And then, further in the month, October smelled like early winter, autumn leaves, apples and apple pie. Still a few days left of this October.

When I Thought I Could Get Away With(out) It

2010-09-20T10:46:00.000-04:00

I couldn't be more wrong! And that's a good thing!

Some sort of an out of nowhere birthday present - just knowing something's happening.

Breaking (or Broken?) News!

2010-09-14T15:59:00.000-04:00

Just found out I've stolen (yup, STOLEN!!!) my very own picture from my very own old gallery on Canadian Photo Club website...

So much for members protection - when they're overdoing it, seems that the people doing the work, are stealing their very own work... How screwed is this?

And my old gallery is here.

Some Beans

2010-09-11T08:11:00.000-04:00

Crisp September morning, 9 degrees Celsius, wearing green, pale lilac, gray, green again, lilac nail polish, heading over to the Photocamp in a weird attempt of shaking things off. Get back to normal. Mentally.
One can only wish, coz the majestic act of wishing can never be taken away from you!

It's amazing how powerful yellow Chrysanthemums can be! Their amazing secret powers of giving me back the "sooooo excited, I can't even stand still". They also remind me of my childhood, when all were THERE, all happy (at least that's how I saw them)...

Princess is tired. Princess is overwhelmed.
Princess and I go back a long time. Too long for Princess? Too long for me, the shallow me!

Long Missed

2010-08-29T17:59:00.000-04:00

September light peeking in...

Spot with a View

2010-08-22T12:00:00.000-04:00

My to-go lunch slash coffee slash tea slash snack slash brainstorming spot. At work, I mean - coz that's where I observe the daylight, 5 days/week.

The spot (as I see it):

The (some crooked) view:

Earworm - There's Even A Name For It!!!

2010-08-03T17:40:00.000-04:00

I've been stuck with this one for a few days now - falling asleep to it, waking up to it, going through the day to it...

An attempt of washing it off...

Ironically, Wiki says: "People with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are more likely to report being troubled by earworms - in some cases, medications for OCD can minimize the effects." But then: "Earworms should not be confused with endomusia or musical hallucinations^[9], a serious affliction, through which a sufferer actually hears music that is not playing externally."

Monday Inspiration

2010-07-05T10:18:00.001-04:00

What inspires me:

- Mondays! Monday mornings (and late night Sunday when starts to smell like Monday)
- Fruits. To see and smell. Raspberries and cherries always, works like a charm.
- Pink Martini. And Lalala Love - Room Eleven. And few other tunes.
- Polaroids

- The thought of snow. And lighthouses.

- My Kimmidoll and my Matryoshka doll
- Tea. Especially Chai flavor. And Jasmine.
- Daydreaming. No kiddin'...
- The smell of glue and the smell of books (oh, libraries are heaven!)
- Browsing through random photos I've taken throughout the years
- Google-ing random keywords, images mode or definitions
- Agendas and calendars
- Flowers - just thinking of them does the trick. Growing my own flowers and looking after them is way too depressing for me
- Rocks. Whether they're pebbles, or fist size rocks, or climbing rocks... all of them take me 'there'.
- Fabric and ribbons
- Quotes
- Stacked dumbbells

- Ink.

What shuts me off:

- To do lists
- Vacuum cleaners
- Sinks. Especially kitchen sinks.
- Buttons. I hate buttons. With passion. When I was a kid, we used to keep buttons, colorful buttons, in two tin boxes (or were they plastic? Yup, I think plastic... ). Whenever I was in the mood for getting angry but lacked the motive, I'd go play with them )
- Blank paper. Such a turn off.
- Getting the "OMG It's soooo late" feeling when randomly checking the time.
- Pens. The common writing pens - blue, black or red, doesn't matter. Yuck!

I Heart!

2010-07-01T10:25:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I get this feeling that the Daily Motivator is writing just for me. Just like the feeling I got this morning when I looked up at the sky: the moon and the sun together on the same sky, just for me to see.

Today, the Daily Motivator's telling me:

To relax, you don't have to stop what you're doing. You just have to stop fighting against it.

Stop clinging to what you think you need. Start allowing the beauty of what is.

(Read more: http://greatday.com/#ixzz0sROLZi6B)

And Happy Happy Birthday, Canada!!!

My Kinda on a Friday... Prev(e)ning

2010-06-05T10:52:00.000-04:00

And it's because "the deepest and truest secrets of color effects are, I know, invisible even to the eye, and are beheld by the heart alone", so says J. Itten.

Reassuring Randomness

2010-05-23T11:24:00.000-04:00

Spotted on the bus, Friday afternoon, on my way home from work.

2010-05-01T23:25:00.001-04:00

Follow my blog with bloglovin

I, too, believe

2010-04-23T10:46:00.000-04:00

My First Orchid

2010-04-17T12:55:00.000-04:00

I had to look no further for my perfect orchid, for she found me. And she was the perfect gift.

So this is Phal, on a snowy (!!!) April Saturday morning, such beauty and grace.

Perfect and elegant she is!

The City

2010-03-24T10:24:00.000-04:00

I live in a city that's neither small ( there's more than a main street and people depend on cars and public transportation and you can't refrain yourself from not having ... ahem... expectations) nor big (so that you'd be left alone and people would mind their own business - uhmmm... their own... what?)

The plastic bag strikes again. I'm almost at the point of taking pride on my "yes, please" to the plastic bag question that fills the air via the cashier. Oh, that magic moment when everyone stops, looks at you, measures you from head to toes (and not only the people, but seems that their yoga mats, reusable bags and lounge pants are joining in as well), then looks at the things you're buying.... Oh, and the surprise: how come, oh dear God, how come that someone who buys healthy and organic (!!!) would ask for a plastic bag? And yes, I'm wearing make-up too!!! Such a disgrace, eh? The eyes move quickly to the feet - at least she's not wearing leather!

I live in a city where trendy yoga studios outnumber art galleries, a city where the small-town type of orchestra charges more than Cecilia Bartoli; where wellness and wanna-be-holistic workshops are more numerous than theatrical performances; a city where the 3-kids-stay-at-home-moms think about themselves to be more professionally accomplished than a nine-to-fiver; a city where yoga mats peeking from everywhere are a staple, and Lululemon-as-in-truly-Yogi-experience is more hip than a cocktail dress.

If only the holistic-Yogistic-wholesome-istic movement was genuine and true! And not just a trend...

But this too shall pass!

And then what?

Today Is Here

2010-03-08T11:46:00.000-05:00

And I'm over craving freesias and tulips, now I'm so craving orchids.

The word of today? "Ubiquitously". Came across 5 times today, between 9:30 and 11 am - it was manifesting itself... oh well, ubiquitously :))

And Happy Monday!

30 till 30 - The List

2010-02-27T11:31:00.000-05:00

1) buy myself my first orchid
2) get my first brooch
3) run a 10 k (?)
4) redecorate to coziness (overdue from last summer :)) )
5) master the art of the perfect pull-up
6) cut my hair really short and let it grow again
7) attend a boot camp
8) go to NYC this summer
9) get myself the Kimidoll key chain (overdue from last fall :)) )
10) meditate, meditate, meditate
11) roller blade
12) buy ice skates
13) ice skate
14) frame my artwork
15) spend more time outdoors (oh, that's gonna be the hardest)
16) smash a TV set
17) get the wall decals I've been wanting so much
18) go for long walks with my dog early in the morning
19) take picture of 'those ducks'
20) wake up at 5 am in the summer and enjoy the fresh air
21) go for picnics
22) build sand castles
23) go on the beach late at night
24) take a picture of something beautiful everyday
25) add something new to the s-log every single day, even the tiniest thing
26) resist the urge to dye my hair :))
27) do Sun Salutation every single morning
28) be friendly with people at work :)) (hard one too)
29) overcome my fears ;)
30) have more patience

30 'till 30

2010-02-26T14:35:00.000-05:00

From and including: Saturday, February 27, 2010
To and including: Friday, September 24, 2010

It is 210 days from the start date to the end date, end date included

Or 6 months, 29 days including the end date

Alternative time units

210 days can be converted to one of these units:

18,144,000 seconds
302,400 minutes
5040 hours
30 weeks

( www.timeanddate.com)

Hot (Coffee) Dream

2010-02-24T22:29:00.000-05:00

So I had this dream last night: in my dream, I was in the cafeteria at my work. The place somehow resembled the actual cafeteria, but at the tables were beds instead of chairs.

(In my dream) I was soooo tired and I had 3 large Tim Hortons coffees. I was laying down on the bed, at a table, staring at the empty paper cups and telling myself that I should've gone back to the lab.

(In my dream) I was sooo tired that I couldn't even move: neither to go to the lab, nor to get another (round of) coffee.

Then my alarm clock went on, I kept pushing the snooze button. I eventually woke up completely but I was so tired the entire day, I had the exact feeling that I had in my dream.

It felt so real, I just couldn't believe! Actually, I don't even know: had my dream felt real, or it was my day dreamy?

But I had just one coffee today.

(And there were normal chairs in the cafeteria. No beds)

(Photograph by: Brendan McDermid, Reuters)

Highlights of Long Winter Nights

2010-02-05T11:48:00.000-05:00

Dusting off dreams

Fluffy cotton plant

And tea for two, and two for tea

Diving head first in wavy liquid sunshine

Drinking out of icicles

Clean&green (grin!!!) apple cinnamon rye cookies

Wit&wheels on 'TV'

And (s)he wishes for the cloths of heaven, with words graciously put together by Mr. Yeats - for you, my darling :

Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams

Pre-Concepts of Pre-Conceptual Art

2010-02-01T15:01:00.000-05:00

1st day of the shortest month. Only 27 more to go.

To cite answers.com, conceptual art is art that is intended to convey an idea or concept to the perceiver and need not involve the creation or appreciation of a traditional art object such as a painting or sculpture.

But then Britannica Concise Encyclopedia states it is any of various art forms in which the idea for a work of art is considered more important than the finished product.

I'd go the extra mile and befriend the un-befriended by (and this is an one time, an one time only!) agreeing with the Brits. So screw the finished product, eh?

I had no idea I could get away so easily and (not) check off # 2 from my list of fears. But I'm gonna try and do both at the same time: ignore AND accomplish! If unfinished art is not art unless it's finished, but ideas, even of any unfinished art, are more artsy than the art itself, let's make every day count from an endless idea bubble-pool, and then wrap the individual ideas all together in an nicely polished work of art.

So February's the best, since February's the shortest. And the most confusing.

New Year's First

2010-01-25T15:39:00.000-05:00

So not a fan of New Year's Resolutions. But such a fan of to-do lists.

I shall attack my fears, that's what my list says.
I'll choose 5 (five!) to conquer. One by one, or more at a time :))

The top 5 for now:

1) the phobia of driving
2) the (unusual) fear (may be filed under COD? ) of finishing any piece of art work
3) over-inflating balloons (either by mouth or by pump) for fear they'd pop
4) the fear of carbs (!)
5) the fear of answering my phone without pre-screening

It would've been wiser not to choose the toughest ones to start with...

Happy First Day of Winter!

2009-12-21T22:26:00.000-05:00

30 Sleeps To Go

2009-11-25T20:42:00.000-05:00

till Christmas...

(decoration by Alice W )

I Stumbled Across...

2009-11-20T23:03:00.000-05:00

... winter coziness at the purl bee. And loved it instantly.

I see your reflection/ Your reflection is me

2009-11-19T21:59:00.000-05:00

Words of Wisdom

2009-11-12T21:12:00.000-05:00

Some can say I'm a quote junkie. Well maybe I am, but there's a great deal of help I get from them. Time and place are important too, but sometimes I read the most random things while being in the most random location, and then, when time's right, it just pops in my head and keeps me going. Or keeps me from falling. Or both.

I also subscribe to the Daily Kick in the But - ohhh yessss, it's exactly what the name implies - the daily quote newsletter from Runner' World. I love it!

Today it quoted:

"Believe that you can run farther or faster. Believe that you're young enough, old enough, strong enough, and so on to accomplish everything you want to do. Don't let worn out beliefs stop you from moving beyond yourself."

[John Bingham, "Tools and Rules," Runner's World]

And it applies to anything, not just to running (by the way, I haven't been running in such a loooong while, miss it much though, but focusing on other means of training for the moment). And it's so true, so simply put yet so deep:

***** Don't let worn out beliefs stop you from moving beyond yourself*****

October at the (Convent) Market

2009-10-11T17:22:00.001-04:00

And this is where the cute Kimmidolls live (in London), among the flowers:

Rain. October. Friday

2009-10-02T11:36:00.000-04:00

It's October, Friday, and it's raining.
It's (just?) a rainy Friday of October.
It's raining on a Friday. In October.
And it's just Afremov's paintings all I see inside my mind. Walks in the rain. And yes, my dog too.

Today I Love

2009-09-26T18:40:00.000-04:00

Carnations again. MY Carnations.

Today I Love

2009-09-22T11:16:00.000-04:00

Carnations

(via 100 Idees Deco)

Happy Last day of Summer!

2009-09-21T11:50:00.000-04:00

Of the things I wanted to do this summer:

- Build a sand castle

- Look at the moon through His telescope

- Be at Victoria Park for each day of the Sunfest

- See Delhi 2 Dublin live

- Make collages

- Embracing artsy-ness

- Eat cherries

- Forget

- Sleep in late

- Work 7 to 3 instead of 9-to-5ish

- Spend time with myself

- Browse through childhood pictures with my brother

- Go to the beach one stormy night

- Cuddle with my son

- Play the piano
- Add something new to my s-log every single day - even the tiniest something-new

- Redecorate to coziness

I managed to check off the list just 2 or 3... But hey! There's gonna be summer again. Next year, I know.

At least I had cherries for breakfast, cherries for lunch, and cherries for dinner!

29 hours and 18 minutes till Fall starts.

When You're 9 (and away from them all)

2009-09-14T10:05:00.000-04:00

"I don't' really know what communists are, but I know they are evil".

Collages + Hitler = Hitler Collages

2009-08-18T12:53:00.001-04:00

How? Discovered (accidentally) via Quazen (that that states it's into what we're into).

Who? John Heartfield, German photomontage artist, Helmut Herzfeld by his real name, born in 1891, dead in 1968, who (nicely put) "was one who chose to criticize the regime through art and he produced a remarkable series of photomongages, the audacity of which still has the capacity to astonishe today"

What? Amazing, amazing... amazing anti-fascist art work.

There's a Piano in My Living Room...

2009-08-15T11:40:00.000-04:00

...among the huge stacks of (mental?) to-do lists, to-read lists, a dog that's not taken out as often as he should be, unfinished workouts, textbooks, unstarted collages, messy kitchen, not enough sleep, not enough time, laundry...

And my brain's such a teaser, playing tricks on me, letting me think I can and then laughing in my face when all I can play is the "Do-re-mi-song".

So tempting, so hard to resist - there's a (upright) piano in my living room.

Random - TGIM

2009-07-27T07:18:00.000-04:00

Another weekend's passed by, Monday again.

My outfit doesn't even whisper 'work', it screams 'weekend".

Phone calls day ahead. Oh, and faux-deadlines (the ones that aren't set aloud, but you know for sure it's due).

I'm surrounded by pets - dog at home, cardiomyocytes (and Jurkats) at work. Love them all :)) but cuddle with the dog.

I'm such a huge fan of Sunday-starting week. The 'Monday-week-calendar' just makes me sad. [Well, it doesn't, really, but I just had to emphasize :))]

Friday's Book Hunt

2009-07-24T10:33:00.000-04:00

(indiefixx.com)

Went on a quest. Went for books. Even found books. Even found books that I've wanted for a (long) while (but wasn't THE moment) on sale. This way I returned to the lab (from my mid-morning kinda break) happily carrying in my arms the Sticky Graphics (ooohhh, eye joy and candy), Le Bal (actually Le Bal and Snow in Autumn, to be exact, since they're published together), and another one that just caught my eye but never heard of before (blush, blush).

My brain is floating in a thoughtless state through a dreamless inner world. I have to reinvent my ways of dreaming, since my dreams so far were wrong. Plain wrong (as if dreams could be right or wrong, but apparently, as per reality-that-bites, I've dreamt and hoped stupidly and now it hurts - Advil for the soul, anyone?). What was i saying? Oh, that: no thoughts, too afraid to even think wispery. That's when my new books come in handy. To help me through another day I wish I could erase from my (own inner) calendar. Completely.

What a Thrill

2009-07-24T08:49:00.000-04:00

Robarts keeps it busy by twittering.

This pretty much says it all. Or sums it up. Or not.

One July's Monday

2009-07-20T19:54:00.001-04:00

Ou sont les neiges d'antan? Oh, how they made me smile and dream away - the french toast stamp and the mini Eiffel tower grater!!

Bumped into them while browsing fredflare.com... so nice...

Clear morning, stormy afternoon, sunny evening...

Cherries - yesterday and today. And the day before, and, for sure, tomorrow!

Did some cut-and-trim-and-bites-and-pieces for a new collage.

And managed to stay up and smiling even though I woke up sad. Gone sad through the day, and so on. But went nuts with Bittersweet, Take your shirt off honey

Let's freak out!

Things I Want(ed) To Do This Summer

2009-07-19T16:33:00.000-04:00

- Build a sand castle

- Look at the moon through His telescope

- Be at Victoria Park for each day of the Sunfest

- See Delhi 2 Dublin live

- Make collages

- Embracing artsy-ness

- Eat cherries

- Forget

- Sleep in late

- Work 7 to 3 instead of 9-to-5ish

- Spend time with myself

- Browse through childhood pictures with my brother

- Go to the beach one stormy night

- Cuddle with my son

- Play the piano
- Add something new to my s-log every single day - even the tiniest something-new

- Redecorate to coziness

No Two Pieces Alike

2009-07-09T20:08:00.000-04:00

Don Moti's amazing jewelry via Creativeadoration. Came across more than a month ago and just can't get them out of my head.

Pure beauty:

Don Moti's Etsy shop: donmoti.etsy.com

Oh So Monday

2009-07-06T10:01:00.000-04:00

Missing the 'regular' Mondays, my lovely ol' Mondays that I used to smile at.

But back to work. Feels good.

The Remains of the Dream

2009-07-05T19:42:00.001-04:00

Back home, with a brand new mug to be added to my cup/mug collection. Back home felt like two rounds of 14 hours sleep (separated by a late night session of walking the dog, few episodes of The Big Bang Theory, and something to eat) followed by a full day of detox on veggie broth and various teas.

Dreaming back at huge nectarines and sweet cherries, sea lions and palm trees, Klee's Social Creatures, Gala's Shoe, orchids, red wine, orchids, red wine, orchids, hilly streets, cable cars, giant trees, hip boutiques, watermelon margarita, Simon Ungers' Theatre, the breeze, gourmet chocolate store, and so on...

Tuesday Morning in San Francisco

2009-06-30T11:19:00.000-04:00

California wines are Room Eleven. Lalala Love Room Eleven!

San Francisco streets are. Oh, they just ARE!

Thoughts. Pounding. Silence

2009-06-14T22:29:00.000-04:00

Stormy Sunday night.

Weird weekend.

New week. TGIM again? Not so sure. Empty Monday morning, that's why.

Peaches.

Peacock in the making:

And I made some prints over the weekend, framed two of them - my faves of some old stuff, but feels good, and looks even better. So here's one mirroring the other:

And a heart touching poem from my Alex:

ANDA

Always nice
Never angry
Does what's best
Always pretty

(not sure about the second line, but... what the heck, if that's how THE son sees me... )

Today (and it's pre mid-June)

2009-06-10T14:50:00.001-04:00

To see: today's Gabrielle Kai's photography

To hear: today's silence

To taste: fresh basil leaves

To touch: velvety acacia flowers that I've hold in my palms for a thought

To smell: today it's jasmine shrubs that have just turned their buds into true beautiful rich flowers

To read: today's a mix

To art: (still) the blue peacock

To do: daydreaming...

... Such an ordinary Wednesday, and summer's almost gone.

What Then?

2009-06-08T13:59:00.000-04:00

"What if you slept, and what if, in your sleep you dreamed? And what if, in your dream, you went to heaven and there plucked a strange and beautiful flower? And what if, when you awoke, you had the flower in your hand? What then?"

- Deepak Chopra

I had mine in my hand once. 'Guess I failed to water and caress my flower more too often, and now the heavens want it back - half faded, half sad.

If only they'd let me wake up again, different dream, but same flower...

That's where you'll find me

2009-06-04T10:24:00.000-04:00

...If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow,
Why, oh, why can't I?...

03-June-Always

2009-06-03T13:27:00.000-04:00

My Grandfather's Birthday today... and I'm dreaming of bicycles, pink clouds, Turkish coffees, (runaway) trains, stone-paved narrow streets, sea waves, burning-hot sand, everywheres...

Happy Birthday!

TGIM?

2009-06-01T17:07:00.000-04:00

...This kettle is boiling over
I think I'm a banana tree...

I wish....

2009-05-18T13:50:00.000-04:00

I was cleaning up my room today and came across the wishpot V. gave me last year as a bday present. I was dusting it (well, with hopes for an Aladdin lamp, to be honest) and realized the piece of paper inside is blank. I haven't written anything. Don't I have wishes? On the contrary, I wish a lot.

I left it blank back then for... whatever might cross my path.

Well, right now I wish for strength, wisdom and piece of mind.

(And, secretly, I wish for that eternal sunshine of a spotless mind. But that's a secret!)

And this repeatedly replayed over and over and over this (long) weekend:

Cheers to a Creative Friday!

2009-05-15T09:50:00.000-04:00

It gets clearer and clearer and clearer with every living breath: I HAVE to see a doctor! I scored "severe" on most depression questionnaires. But there's nothing compared to what I've realized this morning during my brainy-cup-a-coffee (Coffee - a Lover's Guide to Buy! and Buy! and Buy! - sorry, couldn't helped it)

Back to where I was, so morning boost for da brain! I couldn't believe my eyes when seeing that JPB lists this (see below) as a first step for boosting creativity:

1. Listen to music by Johann Sebastian Bach. If Bach doesn't make you more creative, you should probably see your doctor - or your brain surgeon if you are also troubled by headaches, hallucinations or strange urges in the middle of the night.

Music by JSB would boost my creativity? What first came into my mind was "heck, it would boost anything BUT my creativity!!!". Bach??? Those long, boooh-riiiing summer afternoons of my childhood spent INSIDE the house (as opposed to OUTSIDE, where most of my friends - the fortunate ones who weren't attending music school)... that's what popped into my mind. At first.

So before calling my physician to get a referral to the brain surgeon I thought i'd give it (one more of) a try.

Thursday I don't care about you

2009-05-14T19:39:00.000-04:00

Thursday doesn't even start

Thursday never looking back

Or Thursday watch the walls instead

It's friday:

One Mississippi, Two Mississippi,

2009-04-17T23:30:00.001-04:00

Three Mississippi... 7... Kids!

She looks at the rain / As it pours...

2009-04-12T11:12:00.000-04:00

Awoken by a cloud of steam
She pours a daydream in a cup...

Geek Stuff!

2009-04-09T12:31:00.000-04:00

Sonnet: To Science

by Edgar Allan Poe

Science! true daughter of Old Time thou art!
Who alterest all things with thy peering eyes.
Why preyest thou thus upon the poet's heart,
Vulture, whose wings are dull realities?
How should he love thee? or how deem thee wise,
Who wouldst not leave him in his wandering
To seek for treasure in the jewelled skies
Albeit he soared with an undaunted wing?
Hast thou not dragged Diana from her car?
And driven the Hamadryad from the wood
To seek a shelter in some happier star?
Hast thous not torn the Naiad from her flood,
The Elfin from the green grass, and from me
The summer dream beneath the tamarind tree?

Flammable Cabinet vs The Daily Motivator

2009-04-07T13:33:00.000-04:00

So yeah!

Spent a couple of hours this mid morning taking the rust off the flammable cabinet. Oh, what a bliss: rust dust, alcohol vapors, other nasty vapors, more rust dust! Dizzy and blissful, left for lunch (great food, perfect company, foamy coffee late!)

The Daily Motivator had to(just HAD TO) bring to my attention that: "all is well". Well, good to hear!
And then: "There is always so much for which to be infinitely thankful". Which I agree to!
But wait, there's more: "What you perceive as trouble is nothing more than a bit of interesting flavor in the endless perfect bounty of existence"

Uhmmmm... have I really read that? Or it's just my imagination, for I've spent way too much time with my head inside the flammable cabinet?

When You're 9...

2009-02-25T20:24:00.000-05:00

I miss [M.]. {his great grandmother}
I wish you'd never have to die.
I wish you could pick an age and stay like this for the rest of your life.
And still be with everybody.

From Mom, with Love

2009-02-14T20:13:00.000-05:00

Another (hand made) gift: new necklace.

This time: onyx (again) and turquoise ( which is a great and powerful healer, has special strengths in healing ailments of the immune, respiratory, waste and skeletal systems, is great for mental clarity, improves the mental state and communication, provides protection, can warn of danger, facilitates meditation, heals spirit and provides piece of mind... )

Valentines Red Roses - Sweet Tradition or Wild Consumarism?

2009-02-10T17:22:00.000-05:00

The Christmas Tree is not a mistake, it made its magical appearance here on purpose :))

Why is it that Christmas Tree is a tradition and Valentines Roses&Chocolate are just a reason to spend money?
Why is it that Superbowl wings and nachos are a must, and Valentines Roses&Chocolate are plain boring?
How come that Easter Eggs are cheerful and Valentines Roses&Chocolate are lame?
How come...

I'm not a regular observer of Valentines Day, nor am I a fan of other holidays. What I'm big on is celebrations. Yup, I celebrate full moon, new moon, Earth Day, the Birth of Jesus, the Resurrection, first days of any of the seasons, beginning of the week, birthdays, anniversaries, and so on.

But I dislike not 'doing' something on Valentines just because not doing is cool, as much as I dislike getting the 18 long stem red roses for just $19 just because 'you're supposed to'.

Happy Celebration!

My "why"s

2009-02-04T19:56:00.000-05:00

For no reason...

...I'd like to get myself the Oscillation Mascara by Lancome. I'm such a sucker for mascaras, they're never enough.
... I'd like to have the limited edition of Yves Saint Laurent Opium (Eau de Parfum)

...I'd like to live in London (U.K., that is) for one year

... I'd like to spend St. Patrick's Day in Dublin (2010 maybe :))) )

...I'd like to own a wooden boat

... and/or a sailing boat

Shhhhhhh.....

2009-02-02T21:41:00.000-05:00

...

Niagara Falls

2009-02-01T13:55:00.000-05:00

by snow.
by silence.
by itself.
by off season.
by... itself.

Amazingly beautiful...

Beautiful Coral and Onyx Necklace

2009-01-29T13:57:00.001-05:00

by Mom's hands.

Coral and Onix stones, and Coral chips.

Came in handy with great gifts of soothing fears and tensions, Chakra alignment, restoring harmony to the heart from the Coral, and enhancing self mastery, repelling negative energy, helping with 'letting go', and smoothing out emotions from the Onyx.

Thank you, Mom!

A bit of Saturday morning,

2009-01-24T11:43:00.001-05:00

some almond fudge cake, green Jasmin tea, Mr. Snowflake stopping by to say hi, dreams, magic...

2009-01-21T22:11:00.001-05:00

I've never worn a brooch. Somehow, starting tonight, it just hit me: I crave a brooch!
I've always wondered: why is that brooches are worn somewhere on the chest area, and usually on the left side? I'd like to wear mine on my arm.
My perfect brooch would be of irregular shape, bluish or silver, sharp fresh green or purple, would not, under any circumstances be of a shape of an animal, silly object, insect or food. A butterfly or a dragonfly would be the exception from the rule, though.
I'm now in the waiting for my perfect first brooch!

Berlin...

2009-01-21T13:05:00.000-05:00

...wall

there's so much joy blended together with the sorrow (and viceversa) that it's so damn hard to tell them apart, to see where one ends and the other starts...

Ponceau S

2009-01-16T14:40:00.000-05:00

Geek stuff, I know! But c'mon, it's Ponceau S!

And what the heck IS Ponceau S?

Well, as I eventually found out today (coz, I mean, WHY would somebody - even a tech - make the effort to look it up), Ponceau S is a sodium salt that "may be used to prepare a stain for rapid reversible detection of protein bands on nitrocellulose or PVDF membranes (Western blotting), as well as on cellulose acetate membranes. Common stain formulations include 0.1% (w/v) Ponceau S in 5% acetic acid or 2% (w/v) Ponceau S in 30% TCA and 30% sulfosalicylic acid." (courtesy to Sigma Aldrich :)) ).
So yup, now I know! Ponceau S is not a mystery to me anymore, as it used to be for the past... ahem... almost 4 years?

And by the way, it's "spelled": C₂₂H₁₂N₄Na₄O₁₃S_4.

On Running (in Germany)

2008-12-26T14:30:00.000-05:00

If there's something I would take home with me: the sidewalks. The pavement. Blissful. Makes running as nice as taking your knees to the knee-spa. Oh well, I MAY be exaggerating, but really - it's better than running on treadmill.

Can I have a bag, please?

2008-12-14T15:19:00.000-05:00

And that's when the silence strikes and the heads turn to see whooooo, whoooooo, whooo is THAT bad bad bad person who dares to ask for a bag. In a health store!!!!!!
Yup, I've committed the crime. Yesterday, around 4 pm. Location: the health store inside Convent Market on King St.

It's sooo hard to be accepted at a health store. Every person walking in is kinda measured from head to toe: are they gonna become new customers, or they're just wasting their time?
Are they REALLY into saving the planet, the soul, the tropical forest, free the animals, ban the circuses... everything? Are they, are they, are they?

Oh well.. let's see... (*the radar targeting the main points... focus focus... zooooooooom... * ) Are they wearing leather boots? Are they wearing make-up? Hmmmm, is the make-up natural or.. 'normal'? Are they wearing a bandanna? A cool necklace with some sort of stone, aum, peace sign, ANYTHING? Hmmmm... maybe a hemp bracelet with wooden charms?
Let's move to the heels: are they high heels? Flats? And the coat... no sing of fur, right? Bags, let's check out the bag: vinyl, fabric, leather? OMG... looks like leather, is THAT really leather, or just a very good imitation? (well, hope not, they're gonna scare the REAL health conscious customers away)
Now... are they vegetarians? SO are they REALLY into saving our dearest planet?

So yup, this is the screening... that's the feeling you get when crossing that uber fine line: the line between the INSIDE of the store and the OUTSIDE of the store (health store, that is).
Then...you made it: you're in. But just in, nothing more! You're still not worthy of trust!!! You come back once or twice more and that's when they try to 'know you'. A little advice, offer to help you find something... innocent questions to make sure you're for real.

And then they see you several times coming by and that's when they'll let you be: you pass! and you're free to feel free!

Until! Until you pop the magic questions: Can i have a bag, please?

Then you've fallen off the ladder and you're at the starting point again! Oh... and all these years... all the trust that you've earned, all's ruined. All their perfect little world is shaken by the
trusted customer who dared to ask for THE plastic bag. You need to start rolling the dice again, and maybe this time you'll find your way out through all the snakes and ladders of temptation and sin.

So yeah, I'm vegetarian, I avoid leather, wool, silk and fur, I do not drink, I do not smoke, I recycle, I stuff my backpack when grocery shopping by myself and use reusable bags, I'm a big fan of the 3R's, I buy products not tested on animals,I walk, I transit, I ...whatever...
But...so what??? oh dear... I ASKED FOR THE PLASTIC BAG! I'm doomed!

[Lately (well, not necessarily THAT lately)]

2008-12-12T21:11:00.000-05:00

I'm hooked on:

* How I Met Your Mother
* Guns N' Roses latest album - Chinese Democracy
* The Weather Network website
* Harajuku Lovers - Music (and Love)
* proteins
* running
* back lat pull downs, and Russian get ups, and push ups, and planks (and good mornings)
* message boards
* browsing through my childhood pictures
* apples
* daydreaming, daydreaming, daydreaming
* Jason Mraz's I'm Yours
* PubMed
* crunchy peanut butter
* my daily yoga session
* leggings in crazy bright colors
* cuddling with my German Shepherd
* you

The Perfectness of Dec. 6th Weekend

2008-12-07T22:34:00.000-05:00

Mr. Snowflake snowed himself all the way into the deep super deep extra deep fluffy December snow.

Christmas shopping was indeed there at the beginning (in thought and in action), but then turned itself into new-clothes-hunt at the mall.

My friend J, whose presence makes me seem normal and the world weird, instead of the other way around reality I experience almost all the time when not with her.

The stop we made at the Health Store for organic hand moisturizer and unpasteurized honey comb for DH.

The Craft Christmas Fair, where I got so childishly happy that I even forgot to take pictures. Nancy Rose's Sunpots irremediably stole my heart, each of those sand plates
embellished with fresh blast rock from the Canadian Shield and from the Great Lakes, and decorated with beach glass and fossils of Chrysanthemum and Maple Leafs tell
warm and soothing stories... Oh, they're so amazing.

Love.

My dog chasing Mr. Snowflake and sniffing with his nose dipped in the snow getting the snow to fluff high.

Zen Gardens (strictly vegetarian) restaurant - (Woo Hoo for them, by the way) and the table by the huge window, where Mr. Snowflake accompanied us for diner in his free falling.

Fluffy snow.

Early morning snow covering almost half of the bedroom window.

Enjoyable workouts (both weights and running).

Finding out that my friend J would also like a goat as a pet. (HA! So it's perfectly normal, see???)

Tease and Flirt

2008-12-05T22:06:00.000-05:00

v., flirt·ed, flirt·ing, flirts.

v.intr.
1. To make playfully romantic or sexual overtures.
2. To deal playfully, triflingly, or superficially with: flirt with danger.
3. To move abruptly or jerkily.

v., teased, teas·ing, teas·es.

v.tr.
3. To arouse hope, desire, or curiosity in without affording satisfaction.

Please stop flirting with me, Mr. Snowflake. And no, teasing is not recommended either! Just snoooooow it all the way!

Hell no, coz then the magic of (re)telling the story is ruined. So yeah, keep teasing... and add a bit of flirting too.

Please and thank you!

Lemon Squares

2008-12-03T21:52:00.000-05:00

There's this potluck tomorrow at my work i'm baking lemon squares for. It's so much easier now, when I'm an adult and i eat sweets. Cakes and cookies were my childhood nightmare. Not only cakes and cookies, but anything sweet (except chocolate and vanilla ice cream). And the bday parties? Oh God, there was nothing I would hate more. I was the weirdo; usually the poor kid's parents were chasing me across the room thinking somebody upset me and that's why i wouldn't eat cake. Every single year I had to explain how cakes (and bday cakes) .... If there was a saying for this, then it would be : i was in-hate with cakes.

But no, nobody would believe me - oh c'mon, is this soooo unusual??? So what if a kid hates cake? So what? Could anybody give that kid some credit?
Is that soooo hard to believe that a kid's reason not to eat cake is... the fact that she(/he) hates cake and nothing more?

I started eating cakes, squares and cookies in my mid twenties. Maybe this wasn't the best thing to do for myself, but it surely got me more... ahem... social acceptance.
And yes, today I'm baking this lemon cake, and tomorrow I'll have this huge smile on my face when diggin' up the dessert platters.

(Oh, and by the way, have I mentioned how sick I used to be of everything that was lemon flavored or contained any form of lemon of some sort? :))) )

WooHoo-ing for Monday the 1st

2008-12-01T22:34:00.000-05:00

It's Monday, and it's already December, ' guess, like everybody else, I'm driven crazy by
this weird combination of the first day of the last month being a... Monday.

[And I do like Mondays, even though I like Boomtown Rats as well].

It just lasts for 24 hours (of which some are wasted by sleeping, some by eating and going to work and back, and most of them - at work), but feels amazing and weird, like having iceacream on a hot toasted waffle, or having crazy salty peanuts dipped in decadent sweet milk chocolate, or being cold on the beach, or being hot when outside, sledding in the middle of January...

It's kinda when the week resolutions meet the month resolutions, which, in turn, need to accomplish the New Year resolutions made 11 month ago, so to get a nice and honorable wrap up of the year about to end.

I guess the hemp knots are the best leisure to go to, since they let your thoughts dive into that nowhere-ness of counting how many wooden beads alternate with that many knots on exactly both sides.

A big WooHoo!