Book Worm.

So I am in the midst of a few really good books and lately I can’t get enough of Elizabeth Gilbert. I know, I know. Not everyone is a fan of Eat, Pray, Love, the book that is her claim to fame. (BTW I seriously loved this book so much and have probably watched the trailer to the movie a million times.) I CAN NOT wait to see the movie, I mean Julie Roberts, enough said.  Anyway, so I am on my third book of hers – The Last American Man.  All her writing comes from personal life experiences and seriously, this woman has lived a life, like reaaaallly lived her life and I’m sure, still continues to do so fabulously. She is just incredible.  All her writing has fantastic historical references about the evolving and every changing ways of life and I highly recommend reading some of her stuff, even if you weren’t a die hard Eat, Pray, Love fan. 

This is an excerpt from the first few pages in her book, The Last American Man.

It is probably not surprising then, that when I turned twenty-two I decided that I would not be satisfied by going on to graduate school or settling into some respectable career.  I had other aspirations.  I wanted to learn the boundaries of my own resourcefulness, and these, I believed, I could learn only in a place like Wyoming.  I was inspired by the example of my parents and by Walt Whitman’s stirring advice to American boys of the nineteenth century: ‘Ascend no longer from the textbook!  Ascend to your own country! Go to the West and the South! Go among men, in the spirit of men! Master horses, become a good marksman and a strong oarsman…’

I went to Wyoming in other words, to make a man of myself.

If you have, in fact, read Eat, Pray, Love then you can understand the incredibleness of this woman who just will not, in no way, shape or form, settle for “ordinary.”  I love her.  Read her books.  She’s fabulous. :-)

BTW - listening to Ben Harper as I am writing this.  Hmmmmm, I love him too.

Never leave lonely alone - Ben Harper

Like an old man
Sitting alone at a lunch counter
Never leave lonely alone...
Like a small town girl
A big city devours
Never leave lonely alone...
Some of us laugh
Even in our darkest hour
Never leave lonely alone...

Unspoken rules of solitude
Wound without a trace
A lifetime of dreams roll down your face
All that we can't say
Is all we need to hear
When you close your eyes
Does the world disappear

There's something in everyone
Only they know
Never leave lonely alone...
It moves in the hidden ways
Of joy and sorrow
Never leave lonely alone
Never leave lonely alone...

Missing mine.

Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family; whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.

The Perfect Card.

Don't you love when you are looking for a birthday card and find one that perfectly suits the person you are looking for?  I love card shopping and could spend hours reading through all the Thank Yous, I Miss Yous, Happy Birthdays, and Congratulations.  This card was bought for a dear friend of mine for her birthday, which happens to be today. It reminds me of all the wonderful memories we shared over a glass (or shot) of vodka.  Well... all the memories we remember anyway :-) Cheers Ms. Jessica Leigh Susick.  Happy Birthday. xxx

Creative little me.

The Starry Night

The Café Terrace on the Place du Forum, Arles, At Night

Still Life: Vase with Twelve Sunflowers

Van Gogh is the theme in tonight’s art class. He was an impressionist painter whose work had a major influence on 20th century art for its vivid colors and emotional impact. He shaped the foundations of modern art with his hundreds of pieces including self portraits, landscapes and sunflowers. His palette moved from somber earth tones in his earlier years to brighter colors and a highly developed and recognizable style after he moved to France in the late 1880’s and discovered the French Impressionists. Today, Van Gogh is one of the most well known artists of all time.

Tonight I am going to get my inspiration from a mix of Van Gogh’s landscape pieces and my own lily pond photos I have taken over the years… lets see what masterpiece I can create :-)

On another creative note, I have entered into the world of beading and below are a collection of my first few pieces.

A little music to help set the mood...  sante. xxx

Kill 'em with kindness.

“Success is not measured by what you get, but by what you give.”

I was reading a magazine article today about kindness.  A recent study by Dr. Hamilton found when two people have a kindly interaction, a “helper’s high” occurs as a result of the oxytocin produced during the exchange, which is the same hormone released when we fall in love.  This natural opiate lifts our mood, makes us feel more positive and also protects the heart from damage. 

So be kind. Spread some love into the world.  And remember, Smiles are FREE so give them often.

Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels…

… except Mexican food which I had twice this weekend. UGH.  Now I find myself back in the daily grind of the work week. Work, gym, work gym. Why is it that after the weekend indulgences all the progress and hard work at the gym seems to become a wash and the cycle repeats Monday after Monday. I hate that.

Jennifer Aniston.  Are your abs serious?

I mean... in her 40’s with abs like that… talk about some much needed motivation.

I love this almost as much as if someone told me to eat a cheeseburger. 

My latest iPod go to song for my gym remix:

In for the kill - La Roux 

We can fight our desires

Oooh but when we start making fires

We get ever so hot

Oooh whether we like it or not

They say we can love who we trust

Oooh but what is love without lust?

Two hearts with accurate devotions

Oooh but what are feelings without emotions?

I'm going in for the kill

I'm doing it for a thrill

I'm hoping you'll understand

And not let go of my hand

I hang my hopes out on the line

Oooh they'd be ready for you in time

If you leave them out too long

Oooh they'll be withered by the sun

Full stops and exclamation marks

Oooh my words stumble before I start

How far can you send emotions?

Oooh can this bridge cross the ocean?

I'm going in for the kill

I'm doing it for a thrill

I'm hoping you'll understand

And not let go of my hand

Let's go to war

To make peace

Let's be cold

To create heat

I hope in darkness

We can see

And you're not blinded

By the light from me

Oooh

I'm going in for the kill

I'm doing it for a thrill

I'm hoping you'll understand

And not let go of my hand

I am what I am.

Lazy Sundays.

I love lazy Sundays. LOVE.

It’s Sunday afternoon and it appears to be the start of another Sunday spent in bed, keeping out of the rain and trying to get rid of the cold that snuck up on me so quickly. Days like these are perfect for warm cups of tea, snuggles with the bf, and time spent watching marathons of movies and TV series. Over the years, I have spent many Sundays in bed snuggled up in a sea of white blankets, only to get up to answer the door for my take-out order or to pour myself another glass of wine. My best Sundays in bed led me to list a few great you tube clips that always, no matter what, give me goose bumps and an overwhelming feeling of happiness. 

Cheers to a happy Sunday.

xxx

Clip 1: Californication. Letter to Karen.

I was introduced to this show and within two days I watched all of Season 1 and 2. I even bet the video store guy that I would be back for Season 2 later on, and much to his surprise, there I was requesting the second disc later that day, nonetheless without a proper ride or appropriate winter attire. I, in my usual Sunday fashion, showed up by cab (who was so kindly waiting outside for me) wearing shorts that should only be seen inside the walls of my own home and ugg boots. Shocker. The guy was so amused by my dedication to the show that he ended up giving me the second disc for free... or maybe it was due to the short shorts, who knows. I love everything about this show and I mean, could Karen be any more perfect? Seriously though.  This letter... this letter is... whew.

Dear Karen,

If you're reading this, it means I actually worked up the courage to mail it. So, good for me. You don't know me very well but if you get me started, I have a tendency to go on and on about how hard the writing is for me. But this... this is the hardest thing I've ever had to write. There's no easy way to say this, so I'll just say it. I met someone. It was an accident. I wasn't looking for it. I wasn't on the make. It was a perfect storm. She said one thing. I said another. Next thing I knew, I wanted to spend the rest of my life in the middle of that conversation. Now there's this feeling in my gut. She might be the one. She's completely nuts... in a way that makes me smile -- highly neurotic. A great deal of maintenance required. She is you, Karen. That's the good news. The bad is that I don't know how to be with you right now and it scares the shit out of me because if I'm not with you right now, I have this feeling we'll get lost out there. It's a big, bad world full of twists and turns, and people have a way of blinking and missing the moment...the moment that could've changed everything. I don't know what's going on with us, and I can't tell you why you should waste a leap of faith on the likes of me... but, damn, you smell good -- like home. And you make excellent coffee. That's got to count for something, right? Call me.

Unfaithfully yours,

Hank Moody

Clip 2: The Holiday.

I can not even begin to tell you how many times I have seen this movie. I love it for so many reasons. My favorite scene is the restaurant scene - cut to 3:06 minutes in the clip. It has to do with my love for the song and something about Graham's (Judd Law) smile when he spots Amanda (Cameron Diaz) across the room. Ah the feelings of a new found love. ♥

Let Go - Frou Frou

Drink up baby doll

Are you in or are you out?

Leave your things behind

'Cause it's all going off without you

Excuse me too busy you're writing your tragedy

These mishaps

You bubble-wrap

When you've no idea what you're like

So, let go, let go

Jump in

Oh well, what you waiting for?

It's all right

'Cause there's beauty in the breakdown

So, let go, let go

Just get in

Oh, it's so amazing here

It's all right

'cause there's beauty in the breakdown

It gains the more it gives

And then it rises with the fall

So hand me that remote

Can't you see that all that stuff's a sideshow?

Such boundless pleasure

We've no time for later

Now you can't await

your own arrival

you've twenty seconds to comply

So, let go, so let go

Jump in

Oh well, what you waiting for?

It's alright

'Cause there's beauty in the breakdown

So, let go, yeah let go

Just get in

Oh, it's so amazing here

It's all right

'Cause there's beauty in the breakdown

In the breakdown

'Cause there's beauty in the breakdown

The breakdown

So amazing here

'Cause there's beauty in the breakdown

Clip 3: Almost Famous. Bus Scene.



One word. Monumental.

Tiny Dancer - Elton John 

Blue jean baby, L.A. lady, seamstress for the band

Pretty eyed, pirate smile, you'll marry a music man

Ballerina, you must have seen her dancing in the sand

And now she's in me, always with me, tiny dancer in my hand

Jesus freaks out in the street

Handing tickets out for God

Turning back she just laughs

The boulevard is not that bad

Piano man he makes his stand

In the auditorium

Looking on she sings the songs

The words she knows the tune she hums

But oh how it feels so real

Lying here with no one near

Only you and you can hear me

When I say softly slowly

Hold me closer tiny dancer

Count the headlights on the highway

Lay me down in sheets of linen

you had a busy day today

Blue jean baby, L.A. lady, seamstress for the band

Pretty eyed, pirate smile, you'll marry a music man

Ballerina, you must have seen her dancing in the sand

And now she's in me, always with me, tiny dancer in my hand