Have a Lucky August!
And try to stay cool in all this heat!
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Friday, July 13, 2012
Getting in gear...
I recently signed up for this really cool website called Lumosity. It's a tool to help build memory, speed, attention, flexibility, and problem solving... and most importantly to help ward off dementia. My great-grandmother had dementia and my uncle was recently diagnosed as well, so I'd like to do everything in my power to avoid that fate myself. The thing I like about Lumosity is that they give you just a few exercising everyday, and track your progress. It's actually fun! I also play Scrabble (aka Words with Friends, Lexulous, and Wordscraper) everyday, which helps with spelling and configurations...
What are your favorite ways to keep your brain sharp?
What are your favorite ways to keep your brain sharp?
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
On this day...
Two years ago was the day we said, "I do."
I love you David Lopez!
Thank you for the B-E-A-U-tiful flowers!
I feel like the luckiest girl in the whole world!
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Friday, June 29, 2012
Spendthrift
spend·thrift (sp
nd
thr
ft
)
It's not that I don't understand the concept of being financially viable. I get it. It's been pounded into my head my entire life. So much so that in many respects, its paralyzed me when I've tried to move forward in my life. What I mean is I was never making the kind of money I "should be," so I started looking for the first thing I could find that would make me more money so I could get to where I "should be" and then go back to what I wanted to do. This of course took me further and further away from what I'd originally set out to do. And because I kept getting further and further from what I was interested in doing, I suddenly found myself completely unsure of what it was I was originally trying to accomplish in the first place... with no place to move forward to and no place to go back to... I became stuck. It's like quicksand... the more you struggle to get out of it, the worse it gets!
ndthrft)
n. One who spends money recklessly or wastefully.
adj. Wasteful or extravagant: spendthrift bureaucrats.
Do you have a good or bad relationship with money? I have a bad one. I used to love to spend it, but now I pretty much just hate everything about it. I've seen it ruin too many people, too many families. Almost every fight I can think of between my parents had to do with how money was spent. One parent was a financial whiz the other not so much, and the combination was explosive. Actually, for a long time, it was the only thing I fought about with my parents and I remember vowing that I would never... fill in the blank. Hell, now look, I think it might be the only thing my husband and I ever fight about. And with David and I, at least at this point, its not so much that we fight about it, but it tends to be at the forefront of every conversation we have.
It's not that I don't understand the concept of being financially viable. I get it. It's been pounded into my head my entire life. So much so that in many respects, its paralyzed me when I've tried to move forward in my life. What I mean is I was never making the kind of money I "should be," so I started looking for the first thing I could find that would make me more money so I could get to where I "should be" and then go back to what I wanted to do. This of course took me further and further away from what I'd originally set out to do. And because I kept getting further and further from what I was interested in doing, I suddenly found myself completely unsure of what it was I was originally trying to accomplish in the first place... with no place to move forward to and no place to go back to... I became stuck. It's like quicksand... the more you struggle to get out of it, the worse it gets!
Plus, where money is concerned, having Ulcerative Colitis doesn't help. Doctor's bills and medicines and nutritional supplements are all expensive. The money adds up fast. And try as I might, I can never quite get a handle on what is "okay" to spend money on and what isn't. And just when I think I've got it figured out... I've gone and done something stupid all over again. IT'S SO FRUSTRATING!
At this point, the very thought of money makes me sick to my stomach-- unless its the thought of winning the lottery so I can be financially free, AND help my family and friends get there as well. That's a thought that I think about at least 1000 times a day. God that would be nice!
I used to stress shop. It started when I lived in New York. I'd go into all these great shops and try on a bunch of pretty things to take my mind off what ever was bothering me. I wouldn't necessarily buy anything (okay sometimes I would), but I mostly loved going into stores to experience all the newness and look at myself from a different perspective. I miss that.
Now the idea of going into a store, any store-- not to mention a mall makes me have to run to the bathroom. Seriously, I hardly remember the last time I was able to get out of the grocery store without having to go to the can at least once. Yes, again, I do have UC, but my doctors tell me they think that is more of a mind-body connection than a UC symptom... Stress creates symptoms. So I pretty much try to do my shopping online these days.
David and I are trying to find our way to better financial freedom. It's not easy. I found this website I want to try out called www.Emeals.com. Has anyone tried it? It helps you manage your food budget by creating menus for you based on grocery store sale items near you. It looks pretty impressive. I've also found that I do better if I turn over my credit/debit cards to my husband and only use cash... so Bon voyage Mastercard and Visa... it was nice knowing you! And I also have to focus really hard on setting up office meetings rather than coffees or lunches... those add up faster than medical bills and I am the worst offender.
More than anything I want to achieve our dreams and goals of having a family and traveling abroad and building our dream home and... the list goes on. I know we can achieve those goals... it's just going to take a lot of intense determination and focus to do it. Wish us luck! Oh, and if you have any budgeting tips I'm all ears!
More than anything I want to achieve our dreams and goals of having a family and traveling abroad and building our dream home and... the list goes on. I know we can achieve those goals... it's just going to take a lot of intense determination and focus to do it. Wish us luck! Oh, and if you have any budgeting tips I'm all ears!
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Waiter, there is too much pepper on my paprikash, but I would be proud to partake of your pecan pie...
Last night as I was about to climb into bed, I decided to check my email one last time. That's when I noticed the latest news headline: the great Nora Ephron has passed away.
As many of you know, I went to New York University to study filmmaking. Nora Ephron was one of the reasons I was so enchanted by the idea of creating movies. Her characters and witty dialogue were tangible and her stories made you feel as though you were a part of them. Just reading her scripts made me want to take part in making them come to life. You just don't see talent like that anymore.
But, more than just a writer/director whom I admired, I actually had the chance to meet Nora and interview her for a class in college. The class was called "Women in the Director's Chair," and our mission was to find and interview successful women in the field we were all hoping to break into. As soon as the assignment was announced, I rushed out of the classroom and called her offices. I'd been trying to get an internship there for months (but they only took interns during filming, and they were between shoots), so I already had the number. Apparently, she got loads of requests for interviews each day, but she only agreed to a small number... I was one of the lucky ones. Persistence pays off!
I was planning to post the interview on my blog, which was transcribed and emailed to Nora for approval back in 2000, but apparently Yahoo! deletes messages after they've been in your archives for so long... there is nothing left from before 2005... no wonder I can't find things I formerly thought were there. How frustrating! And I can't remember which disk the file is on, so I guess I'll have to do my best to remember the day.
I met Nora at a deli in TriBeCa. She was dressed in all black and of course, very composed and engaged. I was nervous as hell. I could hardly contain myself. I felt like a bumbling idiot asking her questions... I remember the worst part was that I suddenly questioned my own use of the word "preceding" in the middle of a sentence... as in: "Preceding my journey to New York to study filmmaking, I ...wait is preceding the right word?" Oy! I was felt so stupid... She was so polite and reassuring though, and after that I calmed down a bit. She even turned the interview around on me a bit and I remember doing my "My Cousin Vinny" impression for her... which I think she thought was funny... and brave... thinking about that memory actually makes me blush. I remember she talked about how much she loved New York, and how she had 1000 bad ideas for every good one.
When the interview ended, she took me with her to her office and introduced me to her associates. Despite the fact that they were between movie shoots, they found a place for me to do a small internship for a short while... I was a go-fer... getting coffees and making copies, and very occasionally meeting movie stars who would come through the door to see Nora. And like most powerful filmmakers, avoiding her temper when it would get the best of her. Her temper didn't compare to that of my next boss, but it certainly prepared me for it!
What I took from my experience with Nora was a great appreciation for a well made script and a deep desire to create films. Thinking back on those days, I am overwhelmed with memories. In fact, I can't get over how much I miss New York City today, and even more than that, how much I miss working with great artistic minds like Nora Ephron, and all the amazing people she surrounded herself with.
My heart goes out to her family. Thank you for sharing her with the world. She will be greatly missed.
As many of you know, I went to New York University to study filmmaking. Nora Ephron was one of the reasons I was so enchanted by the idea of creating movies. Her characters and witty dialogue were tangible and her stories made you feel as though you were a part of them. Just reading her scripts made me want to take part in making them come to life. You just don't see talent like that anymore.
But, more than just a writer/director whom I admired, I actually had the chance to meet Nora and interview her for a class in college. The class was called "Women in the Director's Chair," and our mission was to find and interview successful women in the field we were all hoping to break into. As soon as the assignment was announced, I rushed out of the classroom and called her offices. I'd been trying to get an internship there for months (but they only took interns during filming, and they were between shoots), so I already had the number. Apparently, she got loads of requests for interviews each day, but she only agreed to a small number... I was one of the lucky ones. Persistence pays off!
I was planning to post the interview on my blog, which was transcribed and emailed to Nora for approval back in 2000, but apparently Yahoo! deletes messages after they've been in your archives for so long... there is nothing left from before 2005... no wonder I can't find things I formerly thought were there. How frustrating! And I can't remember which disk the file is on, so I guess I'll have to do my best to remember the day.
I met Nora at a deli in TriBeCa. She was dressed in all black and of course, very composed and engaged. I was nervous as hell. I could hardly contain myself. I felt like a bumbling idiot asking her questions... I remember the worst part was that I suddenly questioned my own use of the word "preceding" in the middle of a sentence... as in: "Preceding my journey to New York to study filmmaking, I ...wait is preceding the right word?" Oy! I was felt so stupid... She was so polite and reassuring though, and after that I calmed down a bit. She even turned the interview around on me a bit and I remember doing my "My Cousin Vinny" impression for her... which I think she thought was funny... and brave... thinking about that memory actually makes me blush. I remember she talked about how much she loved New York, and how she had 1000 bad ideas for every good one.
When the interview ended, she took me with her to her office and introduced me to her associates. Despite the fact that they were between movie shoots, they found a place for me to do a small internship for a short while... I was a go-fer... getting coffees and making copies, and very occasionally meeting movie stars who would come through the door to see Nora. And like most powerful filmmakers, avoiding her temper when it would get the best of her. Her temper didn't compare to that of my next boss, but it certainly prepared me for it!
What I took from my experience with Nora was a great appreciation for a well made script and a deep desire to create films. Thinking back on those days, I am overwhelmed with memories. In fact, I can't get over how much I miss New York City today, and even more than that, how much I miss working with great artistic minds like Nora Ephron, and all the amazing people she surrounded herself with.
My heart goes out to her family. Thank you for sharing her with the world. She will be greatly missed.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Crazy Sexy Life
Months ago I stumbled upon this incredible blog and website called Crazy Sexy Life. The author, Kris Carr, was diagnosed with a rare, stage 4 incurable cancer in 2003 and given a short time left to live. To quote her, "This whiskey tango foxtrot moment (that’s military lingo for WTF?!) sparked a deep desire in me to stop holding back and start living like I mean it! I sold everything and hit the road on a deep healing pilgrimage."
She's since proved all the doctors wrong and changed her life completely. Her inspiring words have even gotten her noticed by the likes of Oprah, and she's just completed her third book, Crazy Sexy Diet (which I'm dying to get my hands on!)
I became fascinated by her journey. Dealing with Ulcerative Colitis is by no means terminal cancer, but it is something I struggle with, I couldn't get over how positive and inspiring she is, so I just had to follow her progress, and I signed up for her newsletter.
Today's post was especially inspiring to me, and I hope you will find the message equally worth while. The title: I am deeply in love... stood out in my inbox, and I had to take a peek. Wow! I'm glad I did.
The message is so powerful, yet so simple. AND the important thing she notes is "fake it 'til you make it." So if you aren't feeling it right now (you know who you are), force yourself (ignore that nay-sayer on your shoulder) to focus on the idea of message... the words themselves. David and I do something similar and have done with each other as long as I can remember- when one of us is grumpy or sad... we force the other person to put on a dopey smile (the more dopey the better) for a whole minute, and by the end of the minute, you actually can't help but smiling for real. It also reminds me of the scientific research behind the the words... do you remember Project Love?
Try it sometime... it really works.
I hope you all have a beautiful weekend... I AM TOTALLY IN LOVE WITH MY LIFE!
She's since proved all the doctors wrong and changed her life completely. Her inspiring words have even gotten her noticed by the likes of Oprah, and she's just completed her third book, Crazy Sexy Diet (which I'm dying to get my hands on!)
I became fascinated by her journey. Dealing with Ulcerative Colitis is by no means terminal cancer, but it is something I struggle with, I couldn't get over how positive and inspiring she is, so I just had to follow her progress, and I signed up for her newsletter.
Today's post was especially inspiring to me, and I hope you will find the message equally worth while. The title: I am deeply in love... stood out in my inbox, and I had to take a peek. Wow! I'm glad I did.
|
| Powerful Pixies, |
 Lately I've been pinching myself, totally tickled and here's why: Life is good. I mean, really, really good. And it's not because my health challenges magically went away (they didn't) or because I won the lottery (I didn't) or because my year-long home renovation is suddenly over (far from it). Life is good because my attitude is better than ever. I shifted, I dialed up the gratitude, and that simple act created a domino effect of goodness.
To be honest, it's kinda uncomfortable to put my joy jam out there. Like you, I've been domesticated to hide the shine. I imagine mean girls from high school making fun of me, breaking me. "Take it down a notch, sparkle toes," but they would say something much worse, painful even.
 Because I like to challenge myself, I decided to let my smiley freak flag fly this morning, regardless of the discomfort I felt. I started by sending out this tweet: "I am totally in love with my life." What a juicy affirmation! Well, guess what happened? The twitter-sphere flipped for it. I could feel the collective ahhh ... "Wow! I want that! Yes, Yes! I am too! What an inspiration! Thank you! That made my day!" Even my dear mentor Cheryl Richardson chimed in, "So good to hear, Kris ..."If saying it out loud could create such a difference, imagine what meaning it on the inside could do for you. Go ahead, try it. You have nothing to lose. No one is looking. Grab a mirror, and just say it: I AM TOTALLY IN LOVE WITH MY LIFE. If that feels funny, do it anyway! Fake it 'til you make it, or just say "I want to be totally in love with my life, I'm open to being totally in love with my life." Whatever it takes my friend, whatever it takes. Trust me, your life will appreciate your effort. It will even thank you. Love is a choice. No darkness is great enough to extinguish it.
Peace + bye-bye mean girls,
 |
The message is so powerful, yet so simple. AND the important thing she notes is "fake it 'til you make it." So if you aren't feeling it right now (you know who you are), force yourself (ignore that nay-sayer on your shoulder) to focus on the idea of message... the words themselves. David and I do something similar and have done with each other as long as I can remember- when one of us is grumpy or sad... we force the other person to put on a dopey smile (the more dopey the better) for a whole minute, and by the end of the minute, you actually can't help but smiling for real. It also reminds me of the scientific research behind the the words... do you remember Project Love?
Try it sometime... it really works.
I hope you all have a beautiful weekend... I AM TOTALLY IN LOVE WITH MY LIFE!
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