Biking is FUN-damental!

Ooh, what a day!  I got a fair amount done in the office, I chatted it up with a student whom I haven't seen in ages, got my fitness on and have peace and quiet in my house.  Ooh and something else really cool happened - but I am keeping that on the hush for now.

The last few months have been hit or miss with the blog.  In the spirit of the videos, "Shit Bougie Black Girls Say", I'ma need to do better.

Let's get back to business.

1. I biked an amazing 20 miles today after work.  I'm channeling James Brown only to say, "I FEEL GOOD!"
2. I got a phone call that gave me a lot of confidence.  I LOVE when that happens.
3. My housemate is just about moved out - to the extent that tonight he is no longer sleeping here. This is the first night I've slept with my bedroom door open since last May!.  YAY for solitude!
4. Apparently my graphic design skills are gettin' REALLY GOOD.  I designed something today as a favor for another office on campus all within 45 minutes.  I like when I can make folks happy with a product.
5. Speaking of products, a customer of mine just bought a third bracelet from me. She rocks!

Live My Life Like a Burning Man

It's always the simplest things that mean so much.  Someone saying thank you and showing that they are truly appreciative makes you feel good.  Not because they were grateful for what you did but because what you did made their day. That is truly a great feeling - to know you made a difference in someone's life.

1. My Greek Yogurt exploration continues with the discovery of Chobani Pineapple flavored. LOVE IT!  I wanted to get another container to eat. I can tell that this will be a treacherous (yet healthier alternative) path. LOL
2. Yesterday I bought some frozen chicken wonton soup from Trader Joe's.  That's some tasty soup.  Low in calories, 11 grams of protein, low in fat... the only drawback is that it's high in sodium.  You have to take the good and take the bad... you take them both and there you have... bwahahahahaha
3. The Burning Man - this is something I've always been interested in doing. But why on earth does it always have to be during welcome week of the university? I think it would be something completely cool and memorable to do.  One of these years I am going TRY to experience it.  I'm sure I could get a few adventurous/bohemian friends to do it. Who's game? My only concern is the drug use that I'm sure takes place. hahaha Now I have the song of the same name by Third Eye Blind in my head.
4. I love making the day of people and surprising them. I mailed my dad his iPod back along with a couple of things - a t-shirt and a coffee mug.  He called to show his appreciation for the gifts and for the music choices that I placed on his iPod. That was really nice.
5. Today during lunch we all sat around the table in the office and had lunch.  It's something we don't always do when classes are in session. It is nice to really get to know each other in a relaxed environment and not have to worry about time constraints as much.

I love this video based on Dr. Seuss's "Oh, the Places You'll Go"

Opportunities Await

What a day, what a day!  I woke up and began cleaning my house. I'm going to tell y'all right now - Never let your home go a long time without cleaning.  I cannot stress that enough.  It took me three days to clean!  Dusting should happen regularly - duly noted. hahaha  For 2012, I'm going to work on maintaining a clean/tidy home and committing to weekly cleaning. It takes me back to being a kid and cleaning every Saturday before I could leave the house.  I need to commit to that and make that a standing date with my home.

1. Speaking of dates - I had another great one tonight. Here's to more of the same. Oh, and I love the gift I got. Very thoughtful. You're such a smooth operator. :0)
2. I just saw the new Robin Thicke video for "Love After War" and the new Monica video for "Until it's Gone" - I love both songs and the videos. 
3. Now that I have a clean home again, I have to say that I really love it. I added new lighting to my bedroom and it looks so much better. You can do magical things with IKEA  lighting options. I'll be adding new lights to the living room, too. 
4. OOoh - I have hot water in the house again. Gotta love that!  That's one of those modern amenities that humans have taken for granted.  When you suddenly don't have hot water you quickly realize how much you depend on it being there.  Granted, I had options but I'm happy that I now get to exercise those options in my home again.
5. I love having this sense of feeling good about lots of things. Life. Creativity. Dating. Friendships. Work. Doing this blog allows me to stay positive about things and opens my life up to many opportunities.

A Flock of Seagulls

When you're used to waking up without the assistance of an alarm clock you have to love that type of freedom.  Today is one of those days where I had to use that assistance of an alarm that sounds like a flock of seagulls.  Yes, it makes such sounds.  It feels way more natural (so to speak) than to wake up with a blaring electronic horn. 

1. I have come to love Tuesday night shows on Fox. There's Glee, New Girl and Raising Hope. Tonight I was torn though.  Real Housewives of Atlanta has a special episode. 
2. I'm glad I caught that awesome online sale at Old Navy today.  I needed a new winter coat because all of my other ones are too big (and that's another thing to love!). I scored the coat I wanted for $35 - regular price was $90! Everybody knows I love a good deal (in Phaedra's voice).
3. Solidified plans for dinner on Saturday woot woot! I'm excited!
4. People seemed to be in a really good mood today and I love that.  I needed that because I haven't been feeling too well the last couple of days. People in good spirits pass along their good energy.
5. Happy to hear that my father's hospital stay isn't for something highly serious - although it's serious enough that he's in the hospital.. sounds weird, I know.. but he sounded fine on the phone.

Boom! Boom! KA-POW!

Sometimes you just have to ask a question. It's usually just that simple.  Today I asked a question and got an awesome answer. Today is all about asking the question that's in your mind.

1. Lately I've been trying to find a way to teach art.  I know I most likely don't want to end up in a classroom again but I just want to teach what I love doing to people who want to learn.  After some pushing from a friend I had a challenge in front of me. Today I faced the challenge and looked up the local community center.  I saw they didn't have many art classes being offered. Well, with me being a former art teacher, this seemed like the perfect opportunity. So I called the center and found out they had been looking for someone to teach art! Next week I will talk to them about the possibilities.  They said I could potentially start in February.  How exciting is that???
2. No matter what - I still love getting text messages from people I like.
3. I've come to understand that I vibe off of others creative energy and I love the synergy that comes from that. 
4. Rushing out of the office at 6:20 PM and trying to make it to Target to pick up my prescription was almost futile. The pharmacy closes at 7PM - I got there at 6:57PM.  WHEW!! I love that I made it there on time. 
5. I love that today is Friday.  It's been a crazy week and I am loving that I get to be housemate-less all weekend. I need the solitude. 

Marigolds and Mother Nature

Wow - I just wrote my first full-circle entry. I started the list one way and ended it in the same manner with a bunch of "stuff" in between.  It's almost like a Seinfeld episode. 

1. Serendipity means a "happy accident" or "pleasant surprise"; specifically, the accident of finding something good or useful without looking for it. This is a word I live in and thoroughly enjoy those serendipitous moments in life.
2. "And do not even sweat anything.  You are like family and we take care of family and those we love and care about." This was said to me today and made me tear up. I appreciate my friends so much.
3. This past spring I was so excited to plant some seeds and grow flowers outside of my office window.  They did pretty well until it got REALLY hot outside. Unfortunately they all died off after I had a couple of sunflowers brighten my days and then whither away.  Today I stepped outside and was so pleasantly surprised. The plants that I thought had died had survived and thrived without any help from me - only the help from Mother Nature. The seeds found their ways to the cracks between the tiles and took root.  Nature never ceases to surprise me with its ability to persevere.  I take this as a testament to the human spirit. No matter how bleak things may become, over time you'll survive and under the right conditions, you'll thrive. Seeing these flowers made my day and hopefully this picture of them will make yours.
4. I took about a week off from running and ran today.   I felt pretty good and motivated to do my long run on Thursday.  Long meaning 20 minute run. I love how the endorphins make me feel. 
5. Some days I feel like I am a freshman in college. You know.. not having a clue what I want to do with my life career wise. While they feel unsure of their path they take classes in the hopes to discover it. In my case, I'm working just because that's what I'm supposed to do until I discover my "path".  It's not a bad thing. Sometimes that's just what you have to do. I'm okay with not knowing what I want to do because I know what I love to do. Make sense?  Probably not...  bottom line - I love being creative and artsy and I'll keep pluggin' away until I experience a serendipitous moment. :0)

What Do You Choose?

There's something to be said about investing in your own life.  Investing in your own happiness. Investing in your own ability to be at your best.  Today I had a conversation with someone I was dating that needed to be had - on a particular day when I saw a documentary called "Happy". The documentary is about how people in the world choose to be/are/are not happy.  How can you truly ever be happy when you're not your authentic self? The unhappiness always seems to spill out and manifest in other ways.  Sometimes we compensate with buying "things", making "things", eating "things", drinking "things", fixing "things", growing "things", smoking "things", etc. You get the idea.  In this situation someone gave up so that they could avoid the real "things" in their life.  It's sad that they don't have the courage to be "happy" - even when their happiness had to be veiled in discretion.

I wish nothing but the best for them while they embark on their journey to self-acceptance and loving themselves enough to be "happy".

With that said - while it may seem difficult to pull from the days events to find some happiness - I can. I choose to be happy.

1. Today I saw the inspiring and moving documentary, "Happy".  I love how it resonated with me and in a way, prepared me for the conversation that I had tonight.
2. I made someone's day when I brought them some chocolate! 
3. A blog writer contacted me today about interviewing me and some team members about being male crafters/sellers on Etsy.  I do the interview on Monday. How cool is that?
4. I talked to one of my brothers today.  We don't talk often but when we do it's pretty cool. I'd like to think that if we lived near one another we'd be closer. This goes for both brothers. hahaha As we get older it's like we put aside age differences in lieu of just general things in common. Today I learned that he always wanted to travel in an RV and see different things in the US like Mt. Rushmore, Yellowstone Park, and the Grand Canyon.  Guess what? I do too!  We might have to make this happen!
5. Watching Private Practice tonight gave me two things I loved.  The storyline and the three songs they played from the new Mary J. Blige album.  Three great ballads on the show! "Need Someone" "Living Proof" and "Empty Prayers"
6. In further reflection, I loved my maturity in the situation tonight. I acknowledge that the only thing I can change is how I react to things in my life.
7. I loved how the different lessons I've learned over the years and by participating in Oprah's Lifeclass has really had a major impact on how I navigate through life. One of the lessons is expressed by Randy Pausch.
8. It's amazing how many more things I can list today as opposed to any other day.

Happy - A Documentary Trailer from Wadi Rum Films on Vimeo.

Quotable 5

1.  "I believe that all people, regardless of their personal belief, or religious denomination, would agree that being honest with yourself, your family, and those around you, is a great foundation for living your life. It has been a long, hard journey for me, and I want people to learn from my mistakes, not share them." - Great quote from former MLB Player, Billy Bean!
2.