good deeds ~ free hugs!

for those of you who have been a long-time reader, you may recall the free hug booth at SF outside lands two years ago.  there was a big guy giving out free hugs, with a variety of hug options from which you could choose.  i got the bear hug, because i mean, how could i not?  it involved a great big burly hug which even picked me off the ground a little.  i loved every second of it!  now that was a pretty big deal for me because i am not a hugely affectionate person and i really don't like to have physical contact with people i don't know, including handshakes.  but there was something about this that just felt right - human connection. 

several weeks ago i saw on alli's blog, reasons to smile, that someone had started a free hugs campaign.  the idea began when juan mann traveled back home during a pretty low point in his life.  he arrived at the airport and watched as loved ones embraced in hello's and goodbye's, only to find no one had come for him.  this experience inspired him to head out to one of the busiest intersections in sydney with a sign that read "free hugs." many people passed him by until finally, a woman approached him stating that it was the one year anniversary of her daughter's death, that her dog had also just died that morning, and she was in great need of a hug.  after that first hug, juan knew that he was on to something amazing, something that was somehow incredibly important for the spread of compassion and happiness to all sorts of people in need of connection.

{photo}

juan started the free hugs campaign, which has spread all over the world, even landing him a segment on oprah.  there's something so simple about giving out hugs, but which makes such an incredibly positive impact.  human beings literally need physical connection in order to survive, as seen in the case of orphan babies who died simply from not being held in the orphanages.  just because we're all grown up now doesn't change anything.  we still need that human connection whether it's with a lover, parent, sibling, child, friend or even a stranger on the street.  and it's something in which you too can get involved!  to join in the campaign, you can sign up here and find out when free hug events are happening in your area, or you can download the free hugs guide {which lists a variety of types hugs} to start a movement of your own.  

of course, if you're not quite ready to hug a bunch of strangers, you can always start with the people you know.  next time you see a friend or family member, how about sharing a good ole bear hug? or maybe a slow motion run and jump hug? or how about the classic lift and spin hug {my personal favorite}?!  i think no matter what you choose, sharing a hug is one of the most important ways you can make the world a better place.

gratitude ~ special birthday edition!

today i'm very grateful for my mom!  and i'm wishing for her a very special day, because
today is her birthday!!!

 my mom still lives in tennessee, in the little town where i spent many of my growing up years, so we sadly don't get to see each other very often.  and being that she lives far away, i only have access to a few photos of the two of us from my childhood, this awesome olan mills winner, circa 1993, being one of them:

{just call me punky brewster}

and here's my absolute favorite of the two of us, from christmas 2009.

{much more respectable, and a huge shout out to braces!}

my mom was always so comforting when i needed it and raised me to be an independent woman, even teaching
me how to do all of my own home repairs!  she was also the one who gave me the valuable advice that women like
me {read: type A, dramatic, high energy} need a really laid-back, calm life partner to balance them out.  so true mom!  she also gave me super young-looking genes that i will supposedly love someday, but which so far have caused me to be treated like a high schooler {did you know high schoolers aren't treated very well? you should be nice to a high schooler next time you see one}.  anyway, thanks for everything you taught me mom.

i hope you're having the best birthday!!


a few other things i'm grateful for this week:
* hearing iron & wine's song, naked as we came, which immediately took me back to those old college days. sweet memories!
* an awesome interview at a fun coffee shop {fingers crossed!}.
* discovering said coffee shop will serve ritual coffee when they open at the beginning of february {dear LA: if you have never had ritual coffee, please go have a cup next month. it's one of san francisco's best!}
* coffee dates with tatiana.
* checking some major things off my to-do list.
* clean sheets day.
* "the little things" thursdays over on a serenade for solitude. you can never get too much gratitude in life. you can link up your thankful list {on the sidebar} next thursday!
* eating lamingtons and tim tams for dessert last night... [insert blissed out drooling noises here]


what are you thankful for this week?

the dress that got away

one of the best gifts i got for christmas was a gift card to ruche from the in-laws.  so far i've gotten two cute dresses and i have a wee bit of money left.  it seems like i search every day for new arrivals, but i somehow missed this one:

it hurts how badly i want this dress, but when i finally discovered its existence, it had already sold out! i was shocked, horrified, i ran out into the dark and stormy night, falling to the ground, fists raised toward the heavens, shouting "WHYYYY?!!!  i keep thinking about this dress, alternating between "it would have been perfect!" and "stupid dress... it probably wouldn't have fit anyway."  it's so hard when you never know.  this is my "could have been" dress, the one that got away.  so i sit here, staring at this pretty little number, imagining a montage of all the wonderful experiences we would have enjoyed together if things had been different - the walks in the park, the picnics, the visits to the record store, the sharing of a single ice cream cone... alas!

in other fashion-related news, my beautiful friend tatiana, the wardrobe designer, posted a video about scott schuman, the man behind the sartorialist.  it's so inspirational!  i highly recommend you check it out, even if it's just to see what scott schuman looks like.  you know, just in case you find yourself in new york, paris, or milan someday and a random guy asks to take your picture.  :)

scrum-diddily-umptious!

lately, i've been experimenting with making smoothies!  aren't they an amazing way to eat all the healthy stuff you're supposed to, but which is hard to fit in with all of the cereal you eat?  no?  that's just me?  well, whatever the case, i have always been a huge lover of smoothies and i'm so excited to see so many posts about them in blogland.  i mean really, what's not to love?  they're a great way to get your vitamins, you can easily sneak in veggies and protein {hello greens & tofu!}, and they're pretty easy to modify for whatever kind of flavor you're going for.  

recently, i've been making my own version of the green monster to go with my breakfasts in the mornings.

i use...
a ton of spinach
a handful of almonds
a couple dollops of yogurt
about a cup of blueberries
a few strawberries
a few peaches
about a half a banana
apple juice

sometimes i add red pepper, avocado, garbanzos, or raspberries.
i try to make it extra thick {by using less juice}, then i top it off with granola and eat it like a parfait.
yum!

i have to say, this smoothie has been making me feel great! i tend to be a bit anemic, so to start my day with a bunch of spinach and healthy vitamins has been dramatically improving my energy levels.
plus, despite it's vomity color, it tastes pretty good!

{cheers!}

i've also been experimenting with non-vegetable smoothies that are a little lighter.
i call this one my "autumn spice springtime dessert smoothie" {i'm still working on the title}.  

i threw in...

half a banana

a handful of strawberries

a handful of peaches

a handful of raspberries

two large dollops of plain yogurt

a hefty sprinkling of cinnamon, nutmeg, & cloves

apple cider {NOT apple juice}

it tastes amazing!!  

with the spices added, it has a definite dessert flavor {sort of like cheesecake}, but with none of the processed sugars and fats of real desserts {like cheesecake}.  in fact, it's actually downright good for you!

i must say, with all this warm weather and smoothie-eating, i've been craving summer!
i know it's still january, but....

do you have any favorite tricks for being healthy?

yippee skippee!

this weekend was pretty quiet around these parts.  after such a rough ending to our week, we needed some down time.  the one outing we did have was saturday night when we hung out with our friends before they left.  these particular lucky friends are spending the next several weeks touring europe with the LA Philharmonic.  they live such a hard life don't they?  we had amazing wine & cheese, played with their kitties, and laughed a lot.  it was exactly what we needed.

{very affordable, lazy saturday outfit ~ ruffle shirt: h&m, shirt tunic: target, belt: forever 21, jeans: urban outfitters, shoes: patagonia, little stone earrings: made by my friend echo!}

we did have a bit of excitement though when the mister finally fixed the computer! there was a very dramatic "emergency room" type revival.  i may have said "it's been three days, i'm calling it..." and he may have shouted "not on my watch! come back you bastard!" and after a very long dramatic pause, the computer flickered and beeped back to life.  there was much rejoicing, "HOORAY!!!"

in other news, the mister's interview went well, but we still won't hear anything for several weeks.  i really appreciate all of your well wishes last week, and i would appreciate it even more if you continued to keep your fingers crossed, and send your positive job thoughts and prayers our way.

happy tuesday!! anything exciting happening for you this week?

good deeds ~ card drops!

YOU are truly Amazing!

YOU are so ridiculously Talented!!

YOU are a Unique and Precious person!!!

***

all of this is completely true. and how would you feel if you were roaming through a book store and happened upon one of these little messages?  or what if you stepped up to a treadmill at the gym, full of guilt from your winter feasting, and found one?  that would be pretty great right?!  at the very least, it might make you smile, and at most, you might even embrace the sentiment and finally celebrate all of your awesomeness!

 that's the hope of a couple bloggers' guerilla kindness programs:

operation beautiful

and

kind over matter card drops

{photo}

it's such a simple, but beautiful, good deed that you can do anytime, anywhere!
  all you have to do is leave these positive messages in public places for random people {or one special person in need of an important reminder} to find.  it can be as basic as "you are beautiful!" scrolled on a post it note, or as fancy as a printed card with an elaborate design.  you can even print out positive statement cards from a huge selection of uplifting printables on kind over matter's freebies section, and drop them off wherever you go.  it would be your own trail of love!

go check out those sites, leave your own positive messages out in the world, and submit your card drop photos to operation beautiful and/or kind over matter as a way to inspire others to spread the love.  it's only through you {yes YOU!} that these awesome good deeds gain momentum and make an impact on the world. plus, just think of how special someone is going to feel when they find your message!

and remember...
you are so incredibly, absolutely, 100% Wonderful!! 

gratitude!

it's funny how quickly the thought "i'm having such a great week!" can turn into "ugh, what a shitty week!" isn't it?  up until wednesday, things were going okay.  we had relaxing moments, fun moments, and pleasant moments.  but come thursday and one very large frustration sort of made all these other areas of life we've been trying to hold together unravel.  on wednesday our computer crashed.  we told ourselves it was just a hiccup and assumed things would work out just fine.  but an entire 24 hours went by, all the while trying desperately to revive our computer, but to no avail.

it sort of went like this:
wednesday afternoon: Ack! what just happened to the computer?!
wednesday night: hmm... we'll get this worked out... right?... yeah.... probably...sure!...
thursday morning: why isn't anything we're doing working?!
later thursday morning: *$%#@ computer!! and why don't we have jobs? we desperately need jobs!
thursday afternoon: [nervous laughter] computer? are you in there? no? ... why me?  why God? WHYYYYY?!
thursday night: [stifling tears] okay... let's just calm down. no need to panic. we can fix it... once we get jobs and have the money to pay a nerd herder.  but we don't have jobs.  we've been looking for jobs for months and Nothing!  the house is dirty!  there may or may not be a God!  poverty!  our lives might be ruined!  droughts!  bad knees!  what am i going to do with my life?! where am i headed in my journey?!  papercuts!  kill shelters!  heart disease!
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE?!


sadly, it's still not working.  we both have laptops, but a large number of extremely important documents are on that computer, including the one and only contract job that the mister has going right now.  i guess these are the weeks to celebrate those good things that happened and allow them to help us survive the ,... well, let's just say more challenging aspects of the week.

{photo}

i'm thankful for...

* portlandia - funniest thing i've seen in a long time!

* rum

* quality time with friends.

* amanda palmer's hilarious/awesome song & video all about how we ladies have a choice. preach it! 

* our sweet neighbor kitty who sleeps in our sun and warms our hearts.
* good solid alone time.
* the ridiculously creative blog how about orange.
* live music.

* the mr. landing an interview {it was a HUGE blessing that he got it in the first place. we'll have to wait a couple weeks before we hear anything, so keep your fingers crossed!}.
* these super cute mugs on not your average ordinary.
* the amazing red blood oranges from our neighborhood farmer's market.
* good hearty laughter, plus all the reasons we had to laugh.
* yet another fun music video from she & him.

there, that's better.


what are you thankful for this week?


ps - if anyone lives in the LA area, are completely awesome with computers, and love to rescue things for free, please let me know. we'll cook for you and sing you a song.  i'll even make you a superhero cape if that's a deciding factor.

mid-week adventures!

last night we had a lot of weekend type fun with some friends in our neighborhood.  and by "weekend fun" i mean dinner and a concert, not the typical post-workday downtime.  i guess it helps when you and all of your friends are either unemployed or have really weird jobs.  whatever the case, it was a whole heap of fun!

we've recently been making a lot of friends, some of whom actually live in our neighborhood, which makes for very exciting local adventures.  for dinner we met up with some friends at masa, a local bakery and restaurant that has the most amazing deep dish pizza outside of chicago. truth!  

then we met up with even more friends for a free show at the echo.  this was our first real concert venue that we've been to since moving to los angeles, and it was just as awesome as everyone said it would be.  what's better is it's only a few blocks from home!
we saw foster the people, lesands, and hot as sun.  my current favorite song {which changes weekly} is "pumped up kicks" by foster the people, so when i heard they were doing a free show i rallied the troops.
we love free fun!

{i forgot a camera on our evening out, but this is how i felt afterward - it was such a great night!}

i am so unbelievably excited to have friends who live so close.  life is always more fun when shared with people am i right?

and because i love sharing so much... here is a little playlist with foster the people plus some other fun stuff i'm listening to right now.  i'd say it's perfect for little dance parties in your living room.  invite your friends!

tagged!

there have been a ton of awards going around blogland right now, have you noticed?  i was the recipient of a couple of them.  so without further ado...

first, the lovely ana, from the world through my eyes, gave me the stylish blogger award, where i am to divulge 7 facts about me. sooo...

1. i have synesthesia. 
2. i don't own a television.
3. i LOVE to watch live breakdancing. 
4. i kept my last name when i got domestically partnered.
5. i am a classically trained soprano.  although i haven't sung in several years - i miss it!
6. i am terrified of heights.
7. i'm allergic to corn and all corn-related products {and i'm pretty sure america is trying to kill me because there's corn in EVERYTHING!}.

{seeing sunshine! dress: ruche, pocket watch necklace: lunashineshine, little stone earrings: made by my friend echo!}

also, the soon-to-be, brand new momma connie, from all about connie, tagged me with 10 questions:

1. why did you create the blog?  

originally, i wanted to start a blog that kept my family in the loop of the goings-on in my life.  they live on the east coast and i on the west, so it was tough to keep in touch.  this seemed like a good way for my mom and grandma to see all of our adventures {and my ever-changing hairstyle}.  

i had also just begun grad school to be a therapist, and i was feeling inspired to create a corner of the blogosphere that was focused on making the world a better place, either by spreading the word of good causes, or helping encourage people to live the best life they could, to have their own fantastic adventures, and to make healthy choices, even if it seems hard.  

lately, i've also been feeling more and more passionate about using the blog to help others see that there are SO MANY options in life. this began with sharing our wedding and our choice to do a domestic partnership in lieu of a marriage, which i know have both inspired others to embrace their non-traditional love.  there is NO ONE RIGHT WAY to do anything - no one right way to have a relationship, be an adult, or experience spirituality.  in our western culture, we often get strong messages that we must do things in a certain way, but that's just not true.  we all find happiness in different ways, and that's beautiful!

2. what kind of blogs do you follow?

i'm a big fan of those blogs that feel personal.  you know, the kind that show real pieces of who the blogger is in a way that is genuine and allows meaningful connections to be made.  those are usually the ones where i find great ideas that are right up my ally {restaurants to try, movies to see, music to listen to, etc.}.  those are also the kind that translate into great real life friendships if you have the benefit of meeting in person at some point.  hooray friends!

3. favorite makeup brand?

i love bare escentuals mineral makeup.  i don't use very much makeup in general, so this stuff lasts me a good long time.  it feels great on my face and never looks "cakey."  you know what i'm talking about.  plus, it's good for the skin.

4. favorite clothing brand?

i hope i don't lose followers over this, but i really don't care about brands.  i never spend more than $30 on any item of clothing {except for my wedding dress which i got for $400}, which means i never ever ever buy name brand items.  i also have bought most of my clothes from a select few san francisco thrift stores, so who knows what those brands are!  i guess the most clothes i own that come from one place, are all from h&m.  the first time i went there was about 8 or 9 years ago when i went to london.  i was so excited to find several h&m's when i moved to san francisco, and i've been shopping there ever since.  cute clothes, great prices, totally my style!

5. your indispensable makeup product?

honestly, i go many a days without wearing makeup at all.  i really don't have an indispensable makeup  product.  but if i had to choose one thing, and one thing only, to wear for the rest of my life, it would be blush.  i love adding a little color to my face.

6. your favorite color?

this question always makes me laugh because it makes me feel like i'm in grade school again.  i don't have a favorite color.  i have colors that i like a lot and colors that i absolutely abhor. having synesthesia makes colors very emotional and musical to me.  i will never ever ever wear red because it is a dirty, evil color and makes me really anxious {my maroon sweater is as close as it gets for me}.  but i find certain greyish blues and greens to be rather soothing and lyrical.  

7. your perfume?

um... does rubbing the fragrant flowers from our meyer lemon tree count?  :) if not, "heavenly" by victoria's secret is what i wear when i go out sometimes.  but usually i forget to add perfume.  it's a wonder i even remember deodorant!   

8. your favorite film?

these questions are so hard to answer, because how can you decide between so many great films? but some of the films i like most are: the goonies, the royal tenenbaums, the red violin, big fish, sixteen candles, lars & the real girl, the life aquatic with steve zissou, fight club, amelie, strange brew, the darjeeling limited, being john malkovich, & so i married an axe murderer, just to name a few.

9. what country would you like to visit and why?

again, there are so many tied at the top of my list, but i'm going to say australia.  the mister's family is from there and i have a lot of friends who've lived there at one point or another.  it sounds just like my kind of place!

10. make up the last question and answer it.

um... 

self: if you had unlimited resources, what kind of party would you throw this weekend?

me: why, what a good question you!  i would have to say, throw a huge blogger party where everyone in my google reader could all get together in real life and have a grand ole time!

thanks ana & connie!  both of these ladies have fantastic blogs and are definitely worth checking out.

anyone else want to play along?  

we can't control the weather

is it really january?  because it sure feels like the middle of summer.  please don't hate, but it has been in the 70's and 80's for a while now,. . .   and it is glorious!

we jumped on this warm, sunny opportunity to go play in venice at the beach.  we watched the sun set, ate delicious panini sandwiches, and roamed through the canals.  the mister and i were reminded of all the reasons we almost moved there.  perhaps in a year or two...

in the canals, there was a huge tree filled with gorgeous glass lanterns.  it was so magical!  these photos can't do it justice, but if you live in los angeles and haven't been down to the canals in a while, go find this tree! it's such a romantic spot.

after venice, we grabbed coffee at intelligentsia and hung out with friends new and old.  i love how every time we go to venice we end up having a fun conversation with a total stranger, as if we had been friends forever.  this time we met the super sweet young man who takes all the photographs for obsolete, an amazing antiques and art store.  he was so humble about his job, we had no idea what beautiful treasures were to be found in the store.  unfortunately, by the time we got there, it had closed for the day, so we peeked in the windows, drooled, and "oohed" & "ahhed."  we also stood outside for 15 minutes watching the wind fisherman on the tv in the window.  it was such a delightful, funny little film that we were enraptured, even though we couldn't hear the sound.  

to end our evening, we stopped in at the art gallery to see the video game posters.  i have to say, gallery 1988 is quickly becoming a favorite since both shows i've seen there have been so fun.  you can see all the video game inspired artwork here, or stop in before february 4 to see them in real life.

i hope you all had a fantastic weekend and are having a lovely week so far!

good deeds ~ martin luther king jr. day of service!

happy martin luther king day!  for those of you living in other countries and don't know, today is the day we celebrate one of the greatest men in the history of our country - martin luther king jr.
in addition to celebrating the man and his life, our country stops it's regular business to honor him through a day of community service.  one of mr. king's more famous quotes is:

"life's most persistent and urgent question is, 
'what are you doing for others?'"

living in the developed world means that we're probably experiencing a life that flies by at what feels like a million miles an hour.  we're busy, stressed, and loaded with responsibility.  but being blessed enough to live where we do, to have access to the internet and the simple ability to read these blogs, means that we are also in exactly the right position to help someone in need.

{at home with his family, photo from time magazine.}

i know a lot of people take the three day weekend to do fun things, relaxing things, and catching-up-on-life things.  i'm supportive of people using a free day to meet their needs of recharging, if that's what is necessary for you today.  however, i would like to encourage you to spend at least a short amount of time doing something for the good of others, whether it be visiting the elderly, cleaning up your parks, walking dogs at a rescue shelter, or bringing supplies to organizations that help those in need.  

for those of you who are currently in school, there are probably a variety of projects that are being completed in the community by your college or university.  check with your school's community service, ministry, or student support departments for ways you can get involved.  

for those of us not in school, head on over to the MLK Day website to see a list of projects near you.  just enter your zip code to find some great community service options.  and of course, there's nothing like doing some simple acts of service, like giving baked goods to a neighbor, contacting a friend who needs support, or handing out flowers to strangers on the sidewalk.  any little thing you can do to make someone else's day counts!

happy service day everyone!! 

gratitude!

this has been a scary week for me... not scary "EEEEK!" but scary "Oh no!" because i am living in a ridiculously small apartment with a man who has a cold.  with every sneeze and cough i run to the window and breathe in the fresh air!  luckily it's been warm lately so we can at least air the house out.

so the main thing i'm grateful for this week is not getting sick!!
[quickly finding wood... and knocking]

i'm also really thankful for...
* new experiences
* contrast showers
* airborne
* getting out of my comfort zone
* modern family
* epiphanies
* leftover christmas money + shopping
* fun giveaways, like lillian's surprises from taiwan {ends sunday} & alli's cute clutch {ends tonight!}
* receiving further clarity about life
* trader joe's veggie & flaxseed tortilla chips with guacamole
* finding some great therapy practices where i can hopefully get closer to finding employment {fingers crossed!}
* the warm sunny weather {i miss you summer!}

{photo}

and another thing...

i'm so grateful the weekend is here!  as long as everyone still feels healthy, we're going to head over to venice for some coffee and another gallery show at gallery 1988.  this show is a collection of posters inspired by video games.  the frogger poster is pretty fun, so hopefully it will be a good saturday night experience.  come join us if you are in the area!


what are you thankful for this week?

traveling muse film shoot

tuesday, i had the distinct pleasure of spending the night on a roof, working on my friend's film shoot.  i had the title of production assistant, which meant helping out in whatever ways they needed, plus i got to do some set design.  it was such a blast!!

{setting the scene}

my friend's film company is traveling muse pictures.  here's what they have to say:

Traveling Muse Pictures is a collective of filmmakers and artists dedicated to telling the 

stories of people whose voices are not heard, to exploring social activism, the collisions between

 art and spirituality, creating art communally, and celebrating our vagabond experience.

 how amazing is that?! they are very talented guys who are really passionate about making the world a better place through film.  make sure you check out their website. 

{the rooftop had gorgeous views! it also had a full view of the fake "eiffel tower" at the americana. those lights get crazy around 9p!}

in between takes we would bring hot tea and blankets to the actors to keep them warm when they weren't filming, which gave me a brilliant idea!  what if, instead of blankets, we had a box of puppies to give actors between takes for cuddling?!  not only would they stay warm, but they would get an extra boost of morale and a lowering of stress, better preparing them to handle take after take of the scene.  the actors at this shoot loved the idea.
look out hollywood! i've come to revolutionize the movie industry! 

 speaking of traveling muse pictures, here is a fun little video of theirs with all kinds of loveliness!  it includes one of my current favorite songs {which you can find in my most recent playlist}, and two of my favorite friends.  for all you los angelenos, this is the popular bottega louie downtown, which i still need to try.

hope you're all having a great week so far!

protein pancakes!

i have recently discovered the BEST breakfast in the entire world.  seriously.  

i am a vegetarian {although sometimes i eat turkey or salmon, so i guess i'm more of a bad-etarian... hypocrit-arian?...}. i hate beans, however, which means i have a really tough time finding healthy ways to get enough protein.  so i was extremely excited to find an easy-peasy recipe for a low calorie, high protein breakfast ~ protein pancakes!

{this is not exactly what they look like, but i couldn't get a decent photo of mine 
because i eat them too fast.  photo found here.}

here's the recipe:

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese

1/2 cup egg whites

a tablespoon of vanilla extract

cinnamon

combine all the ingredients, mix well, and cook as you would regular pancakes: pour about 1/4 cup of the mixture at a time into a frying pan over low heat, flip when the edges have set, remove when both sides are a nice golden brown.

calories: 260g

protein: 25g

this makes about 8-9 small cakes. 

although, i sometimes only put in 1/3 or 1/4 cup of each ingredient to make fewer 

oatcakes.

i like to top mine with a drizzle of honey, but fruit would also taste amazing.  i love these because they're really fast and would be really easy to flavor however you wish.  i've been thinking about trying basil and garlic for a delicious savory version.
the possibilities are endless!

art shows & poetry readings {my weekend}

this weekend was a pretty full one with all sorts of free artsy fun that sort of just happened.  don't you love when life works out that way?  it's like hiring Fate as your personal secretary.  

friday night a few of us headed out to a gallery opening at gallery 1988 to see "is this thing on?," an artistic tribute to the best comedians of our time.  there were SO many great pieces! the exhibit will be there until saturday, january 29, if you live in the area.  if not, you can check out the prints and original artwork on their website.  there were so many beautiful, hilarious, talented pieces, but my absolute favorite was probably this one {although it was a close running with these flight of the conchord plushies}:

conando suave:

{artwork by ken garduno}

on saturday night, we had a friend who was in a poetry reading downtown at art share LA.  there were so many great poets, much better than the small-time coffee shop poetry readings i've been to in the past. some of the poetry made me want to dance with the words, some of the poetry seemed to paint beautiful images in the air above the poet, and other poetry was just plain laugh-out-loud hilarious.  

this was the friend we went to hear:

after the poetry reading we headed over to a house party and got to know a bunch of new friends.  it's funny how i seem to stay out much later since living in los angeles.  i tend to think 10 pm makes such a great bed time, but over the past few months i've been out so much later on so many nights.  i guess this city will do that to you.


also, i may or may not have worn this same outfit to both events. but hey, it was with completely different people on each night. don't judge.

{sweater: h&m, jeans: urban outfitters, boots: target, pocket watch necklace: lunashineshine, leather feather earrings: crooked sister.}

how was your weekend?

good deeds ~ blogger mentor program!

last week krysten, from after 'i do', announced her brilliant new idea to start a blogger mentoring program, big sister/little sister.  to join in the fun, head over to her blog and sign up as either a novice blogger {little sister} or a veteran blogger {big sister}.  you will then be matched with someone of the opposite category where you will either receive some helpful advice from someone who may have more blogging experience than you, or you will share some of the secrets of your blogging success, depending on which "sister" you sign up as.  

how exciting is that?!  there are so many great opportunities in blogland where networking happens and genuine support is offered.  however, the chance to be connected with someone with whom you can ask your blog-related questions, and share your knowledge in building a better blog, is severely lacking.  how did we go this long without this sort of community service?

thankfully we have krysten! 

{photo}

the rules are pretty open-ended as far as how much contact you can have with your partner, or how you define yourself as a "veteran" or "novice."  my personal take on that is to figure out what you would like to get out of this experience - if you have learned a lot through your blogging and have some great tips or advice to pass on, go ahead and sign up as a "big sister."  if you feel like you have no idea what you're doing with your blog and want to learn from someone else's experience, then sign up as a "little sister."  i'm guessing either way, you'll be able to grow your blog a little more through building a meaningful relationship with your partner. 

so here's the deal:

+ fill out the form over on krysten's blog to sign up,
and

+ sign ups end this wednesday, january 12, so head over there
    right away so you don't miss out on this awesome opportunity!

i'm so excited krysten put this together for those of us who want to find ways to network for better blogging.  who better to turn to for improvements on your own blog than fellow bloggers?  and what better way to support your blogland neighbors than to offer some of your own good advice?

gratitude!

well our first week of the new year is over, and come next week, this whole "new year" thing will be old news.  it will just be plain ole "year."  it was fun while it lasted! :)

here's what i'm thankful for this week:

* sitting in on my first acting class {hopefully we'll get jobs so i can take them weekly}.

* warmth, sunshine, & a very welcomed break from the rain.

* the daffodils that the mr. brought me.

* fancy bread + butternut squash.

* getting organized.

* getting fun packages in the mail that contain my non-planner datebook.
* finally watching man on wire, and the heaps of inspiration from philippe petit's life.
* kcrw's fantastic music with which i can start the day.
* someone to keep me warm on cold nights.
* free ways to have fun.
* that the holidays are now officially over {love the holidays, but i am so ready to move on with life}.

{one final goodbye to our little christmas tree - you served us merrily, and now you shall keep us warm in the fire.}


what are you thankful for this week?

swim! until you can't see land.

i feel like i have been so productive this week with my do to lists and with my personal growth.  i still have so many unanswered questions and all sorts of life paths before me from which i could choose, but i'm taking it all in stride.
2011 is definitely off to a great start!

{the neighbor kitty paying me a visit while i work in the yard.}

lately, i have been listening to a lot of joyful, fun, & inspiring music.  this is the music that has been energizing me to get stuff done, explore new ideas in life, and remain hopeful for good things that i know are right around the corner.  so i thought it was fitting to share these songs in my first playlist of the new year.  some of it is french canadian, some swedish, some british, and some good ole american.  some of it i have posted about a long long time ago, but thought it was perfect for life at present.
i hope you enjoy!

{grooveshark can sometimes be a little finicky. 

if it stops playing, just refresh the page and start where you left off. 

sorry for the hassle!}

do you have any music that you find especially inspiring?  

january intentions

tis the season to share resolutions, goals, & intentions.  have you done this or do you avoid resolutions like the plague? 

i tend to hate resolutions for a variety of reasons - i am horrible at keeping them, half-way through the year i develop new needs and therefore new goals in my life, and i don't like the concept of "fixing" myself in specific ways within a single year.
but mostly, i think resolutions can set ourselves up for pain and frustration. most of the time we make resolutions with the idea that we should or need to change things in a certain way.  if we don't meet our "should's" we feel as though we have failed, and we all know how disruptive feeling like a failure can be to our well-being. instead of hanging onto "i should" or "i need to" we would do better to hope or wish for things to end up for the best, with an open heart to deal with whatever sorts of surprises come our way.  

however, with all that said, i do think it's important to set goals, or intentions, for oneself.  i mean, we are all constantly growing and improving our lives for the better.  and if you see an area of your life that you would like to see grow, it's best to lay out specific steps you can take to reach that intention. even though this happens year round and deserves our frequent consideration, new year's can be a nice, built-in opportunity to help us stop and reassess our growth.  how far have we come?  what can be celebrated and where do we need to make modifications?  are we still heading in the direction we want to be?  and if not, what actions can we take to get on the desired path?

{photo}

over the past few months, i have taken a lot of time to reassess where i would like my life to go.  i do have some goals, but they are ones i have been working on for a while now. having a blog is an awesome opportunity to put these goals out into the universe and make them more real.  the problem, however, is that i often have far too many to face at once, and i put a lot of pressure on myself to work on all of them at the same time.  how practical is that?!  talk about setting myself up for failure!  so this year, i want to do something a little different. i have decided to split my goals up into smaller intentions, one per month.  i'm going to schedule a new goal with specific steps i can take at the beginning of each new month, giving myself permission to change these goals as appropriate to meet whatever life changes come this year.  

for the month of january, i hope to grow my inner artist in real and active ways.  so far i've done a whole lot of thinking and planning and dreaming about the ways to live the life i long for, but i think it's time to start taking the steps to actually live that life.  

so this month i would like to...

+ take acting classes

+ practice the ukulele twice a week

+ take myself on at least one artist's date

+ write my morning pages at least 5 days a week

+ buy a sketch journal and begin filling it up

{photo}

do you have resolutions, goals, or intentions?  

if so, might i offer some unsolicited advice?  {feel free to stop reading if you answered "no."}  :)  

* surround yourself with supportive people.

* set reminders to revisit your goals throughout the year.

* give yourself at least 6 weeks to reach your goal
{that's about how long it takes to quit a habit or form a new one}.

* chop up your goals into baby steps.
* join a meet-up group or class.

want a great way to do all of the above?
mara from m loves m is doing a year-long series called 52 weeks of resolutions. she is splitting up her goals into small steps, one to be completed each week.  go visit her blog to read more and join in.  i think it will be a great way to stay motivated this year.

one more thing - 

be gentle with yourself if you fall off the bandwagon.  it's never too late to pick up with a goal where you left off, even if it may feel overwhelming or "too late" to do so.

we can do it friends! ra! ra! ra!

new year's!!!

this weekend we ended the old year and started the new just the way we like it ~ good food and great friends!  

okay, true confession time, our new year's eve actually started out in true form for us, being that we changed our plans only about a million times through the day before we eventually joined our efforts with some of our new favorite friends and formed a pretty fun party, if i do say so!  

two of our friends drove in from the inland empire {brave girls!} and we all headed over to our other friends' high-rise apartment near the grove.  these two just got engaged a few days ago, so we had a lot to celebrate for the new year {congrats you crazy kids!}.  at midnight we ran up on the roof and saw fireworks in every direction over the various neighborhoods of the greater los angeles area.  it was magical!

friends!

my cute new dress {thanks to a fabulous christmas gift from the in-laws!}:

{dress: ruche, cardigan: h&m, tights: piedmont boutique, shoes: chelsea crew, pocket watch necklace: lunashine on etsy.}

on saturday i had a peaceful, quiet morning with some deep thinking and writing.  it's always good to start the year out with some reflection and goal-setting, so that's just what i did.  in the afternoon, the mr. and i created art together, then spent the night with some of our other favorite friends.  our evening was full of music, chocolate fondue {mmm!}, and the best wedding gift ever {made by my radio producer friend who recorded all sorts of fun things from our wedding day and put together an amazing aural collage of sound clips & music.  it was perfect!}.  over the weekend we also took down our christmas decorations and rearranged the furniture.  it feels so fresh and new in our apartment!  and that was the weekend.

how was your new year's?

good deeds ~ recap & new beginnings!

happy new year everyone!!!  

i hope you all had yet another lovely holiday weekend.  we sure did, but more on that later.  

being that it's the beginning of the new year and the beginning of the first week in the new year {has this gotten old yet?}, i thought it best to start out focusing on ways to make the world a better place.  

over the past few months i highlighted organizations and ideas on how to help your fellow person, animal, & earth.  

there was...

+ help a village buy the animals they need to survive and thrive through heifer international.

+ pick an idea each month from the list of little things you can do to make your own community a better place. 

+ adopt, foster, or volunteer at an animal rescue shelter to help our four-legged friends!

+ commit to being compassionate towards others by signing the charter at charter for compassion. 

+ shop at raven + lily for cute goods and help impoverished women make a decent living.

+ help a girl receive what she needs to avoid a life a poverty, abuse, & illness through the girl effect.

+ sign up with some letter writing organizations sending notes to sick children and their families.

+ and of course, don't forget to do some good deeds for yourself! you deserve it, plus how are you going to make the world a better place if you're not taking time to fill your well first?

personally, it has been an amazing experience to write these posts and help shift my own focus towards ways i can help others.  i know just how easy it is to get caught up in a busy life and forget that, as an educated, healthy person in the western world, i have the perfect opportunity to make the world a better place.  before, i thought that having no money meant i wouldn't be able to do much good.  it sure seemed  that a lot of charities and organizations needed a whole lot of money and nothing else.  but this fall i began to understand that this way of thinking was just plain ridiculous ~ there are PLENTY of ways to do some good without spending a dime!  so i have learned and grown a lot through these posts, and i sincerely hope they sparked some inspiration in you too!

{photo}

originally, these posts were going to be a special holiday series.  but since i loved researching them and you seemed to love reading them, i have decided to continue with this series throughout the new year.  i have some new dreams for my good deeds posts, however.  i know a lot of you have some great ideas of your own that i would love to hear about, and if there's one especially close to your heart that you would like me to post, please let me know!  i would also love to hear about any experiences you have had lately with your good deeds.

did you do any of the good deeds which i posted?  

did you do any different ones?  

were you on your own, with your family, or with an organization?   

what did you think of the experience?

i am also a firm believer in celebrating our successes.  i know that taking valuable time, energy, and maybe money out of your own life takes a lot of strength.  it's tough to set aside work, school, etc. and choose to do something good for someone else.  let's face it, in the end you'll feel like a million bucks, santa claus, and an angel all rolled into one! but in the beginning of doing something good it can feel awkward, scary, and uncomfortable.  not to mention, if you have a lot going on in your life, taking time away from your schedule can make things more complicated for you.  

SO... with all this in mind, i thought these posts could also be an amazing place to celebrate some of YOU for your hard work and good deeds.  for anyone who is interested, i would to love share good deeds that you have done for others, the planet, or even for yourself.  i want to celebrate with you on a job well done, and hopefully inspire more people out there to do the same.  if you would like to be featured, or want to feature an amazing person in your life who is doing some good {but maybe doesn't have a blog}, please email me.  i would love to include any photos you might have, a brief description of what you did, a link to the organization {if applicable}, and of course a link to your own blog.  i also might want to ask you a few questions about your experience, if you wouldn't mind.    

so with the new year here, i hope we can all move forward with warm hearts and renewed energy to make this world a little brighter in 2011!