Had I known about this before the week of Christmas, it would have solved all my holiday woes because hands down, it’s pretty much the bestest thing EVER. Obviously I’m not the only broke gal lacking in the gift department this year. Partners & Spade are offering to snap a polaroid, package it, and send it to anyone you choose – for only 99¢! Pretty freakin’ awesome, right?
After all, it’s the thought that counts…
Wanna get your holiday craft on? It may seem kinda late in the season to just be getting started (ahem, me) but there’s always room for a quick little, Martha Stewart-esque craft project. This one, from Wit & Whistle, is at the top of my “have to try” list! It’s inexpensive (I’d get the mugs at Goodwill instead of buying retail), quick, and super easy! It would even make a great winter afternoon with the girls type of project. With wine, of course. Always wine…
I’m all for traditional, Christmas inspired decor during the holidays. Pine cones, trees, holly, wreaths, you name it. But I’m also a big proponent of decor that you can use for the holidays but also through the rest of the year too. Which is why I la-la-la-love this little birdy napkin ring. They are modern and simplistic and come in red and white so they are great for a fun everyday table setting but could also easily transition into the holidays! Multifunctional, just the way I like it!
Get ready dog-lovers, this one’s for you! If your love for dogs goes beyond the basic four-legged fur-things, and into all things creative, Four is your new go-to site!
Four is a new online magazine covering art, design, fashion, music and lifestyle, all from a ‘dog-centric’ point of view. What’s interesting about Four is that unlike most publications (in print or web) these days with breaking content and up-to-the-minute news, Four, while being committed to bring you the best insight into everything dog-related, may sometimes go a bit further back to bring you information.
Four is filled with breathtaking photography, unique editorial content and is a breath of fresh air in today’s over-saturated entertainment news, reality TV world. Kudos Four, kudos!
Shortly before our vacation (just before Thanksgiving), I got laid off from my job. Most people’s first reaction when I tell them this is, “Aww, I’m sorry.” However, I don’t want people to feel bad for me. While I’m not excited to be sans job and therefore without a paycheck, it was no secret that I hated my job and this is truly a blessing in disguise. I’ve watched my two best friends go through their own unemployment struggles over the last couple of years so I felt like I was more prepared for it than if I’d not known anyone to experience it before me. Not that I know what I’m doing, by any means, but I wasn’t terrified when it happened. Actually, I was relieved.
But now the question is, “What comes next?” And this is the place where I am terrified. Hopeful, sure, but scared as hell as well. I have spent the last 5 years in a job that shoved me into this new skill where I had to figure out everything on my own. I did in order to survive, but I could have learned more if I’d had a teacher and much of what I learned, I did so by making mistakes. Which is NOT how I like to learn things. Sure, I know mistakes are going to happen, but it’s difficult to look back my work knowing what I know now and recognizing how much of it is wrong. And as this was a new skill, I have not spent much time on the skills I had when I entered the job/company and now feel like I am behind the curve. Much of what I do is becoming web driven and many most of the jobs I see posted want someone with extensive web design skills; which I don’t have. Nor do I feel I want to learn. Could I? Of course. But the web moves so fast and changes so frequently that I don’t feel that learning something new is in my best interest if I am already somewhat of a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none sort of person.
So what to do? This is a question I ask myself on a daily basis, multiple times. And I don’t know the answer. I do know that I don’t want to rush out and take the first job I see just for the mere fact that it gives me a paycheck. I don’t want to end up in another situation like the last one where I feel stuck in a job I despise and thus, hate myself for it. But the problem is, I don’t really know what I want to do, or even what I’m good at. I’m kind of a master of self-depricating behavior, always thinking I’m fat, unattractive and less skilled and successful than those around me. And with that I’ve never been much good at talking about myself, much less translating my positive attributes into marketable skills.
So again, what to do? I’m starting with being honest and practical about it all. At the end of the day I want to feel like I’m appreciated and that I’m adding some sort of value to something, be it a company or a charitable cause. I want to feel inspired and good about what I’m doing and how I’m doing it. I don’t want to just go through the motions anymore. I want to feel. Deeply. I want to connect. But how and where and how does that or will that pay my bills? These are all things I have to figure out.
I know I need to challenge myself, that’s for sure. Remaining in my comfort zone is what kept me in that miserable place for 5 years and refuse to do that again. I’ve started a little bit, speaking to a business coach and signing up for a course on planning. But I’m struggling with that too as I am so busy that I’m not giving these things the attention and energy they deserve and thus, my heart’s not in it. I was tasked with creating a theme for myself for 2012 and it literally petrifies me. I have a hard enough time even knowing what I want right now much less for a whole year. And I’ve never been one for formal goal setting. Perhaps that’s what gotten me in this position as I never seemed to have a path all mapped out. I’ll figure something out, at some point. Whether that’s next week, next month, or even this time next year, it’s got to happen. I just hope that I make the right decisions without having to sacrifice my hopes and values.
I don’t if this is relatable to anyone or if it makes no sense at all. I do know that it feels good to get it out on paper. However, if anyone has a rich dead uncle they’d like to lend me, I’d be game for that too.
Top image via AllCity Media
I am doing some crazy 2-week fat flush currently, so forgive me because while this week’s recipe may be carbo loaded, it is sans any kind of starch, cheese or bread as all of those are banned from what I can eat. Surprisingly I don’t want to kill myself. Perhaps that’s because tomorrow is my cheat day and I’ve got visions of cheeseburgers dancing through my head.
I tried this recipe recently and it is quickly becoming one of my go-to meals as it’s super easy, inexpensive, and cooks quickly. Basically it,s fast, cheap and easy – just like me
P.S. I find olives repulsive, so I leave those out!
I could really use one of these Genevieve Big Neck Scarves right about now. It was a mere 34 degrees when I woke up this morning and had to go out and brave the elements to walk the dog. And while that may not be cold to some of you who live in places where it snows, I’m from California and for us – that’s cold. Fucking cold! What’s more is that since I’m too poor to turn on the heat, my house is barely warmer than that, topping out at about 62. So, that being said, I’d really like to know you, Genevieve. Won’t you be my friend?
Quite possibly the cutest thing I have ever seen, I simply must have this little piggy. He is far more than just an adorable sculpture – he’s a speaker and instead of a tail, he has an audio jack to play music from your favorite mp3 player.
Well, I’m back from vacation, but hardly feel rested. There is lots to tell you about, vacation and otherwise, but I am having trouble getting caught up with everything. Does anyone ever feel fully caught up? If so, let me in on your secret. I haven’t even uploaded my vacation pictures yet, so the vacation recap, which I fear will be quite lengthy, will have to wait. I want make sure I have plenty of time to write it all down without feeling rushed.
But I will tell you about a little bit of it, which was the sheer volume of movies I watched on the plane to and from Asia. I don’t quite remember the last time I flew overseas, so this was kind of a brand new experience for me. Luckily we paid a little bit extra for our seats which gave us a whopping 4 inches additional leg room. Not that we really need it since me and Mr. Therapy are both quite small, but when you’re on a plane for more than 4-5 hours, any additional room is a good thing to counteract the sardine feeling you get after a while. That and holy sore ass.
Am I the only one who didn’t know that all the movies were free on international flights? It didn’t take me long to figure out and I took full advantage of it, seeing this as my chance to watch a bunch of weird Indie-type movies Mr. Therapy refuses to see. In no specific order, here’s what I saw:
Bad Teacher: I had really high hopes for this movie. I even blogged about it when the previews first came out. I wouldn’t call it a total fail, but it was definitely a partial fail. There was only a couple of good parts that weren’t included in the trailer and most of the lines, while funny in that they were completely vulgar, failed to deliver the humor they intended. Justin Timberlake, however, didn’t fail to disappoint. Although I didn’t really expect him to. His new movie, In Time – now that I would expect him to disappoint in. Just sayin’.
Horrible Bosses: this movie I quite enjoyed, which is not what I expected to do. I thought it would be a lot of slapstick-ish type humor that would only irritate me rather than be funny so I was skeptical going into it. I laughed – out loud (yes, on the plane) – nearly the whole way through. Jennifer Aniston was unlike anything I have ever seen her in (dirty bird) and much of the comedy had a dead pan quality to it that made it even funnier. If you like inappropriate humor – you’ll like this movie!
X-Men First Class: I have a sci-fi geek nerd living inside me, so having seen all the previous X-Men movies (no, I didn’t read the comic books, but yes, I did see Wolverine), it was only the natural course of things that I see this movie. And I’m glad I did because I really enjoyed it. I love James McAvoy, and surprisingly I also thought Kevin Bacon did a good job as well, whom I was skeptical about from the trailers. They did a good job connecting the characters and story lines from past to present and left no holes (at least I don’t think so). I’m guessing that they’ll continue from the beginning, sort of like they did with the 3 Star Wars prologue movies, but who knows. Even if it were an independent, stand alone movie, thumbs up.
Friends With Benefits: Anyone see No Strings Attached? Well, it sucked. This one, however, did not. It was, of course, a total chick flick, but it was a really good one. Once again, Justin Timberlake did not disappoint, but this time he did far more than just act and look cute. He actually acted in a serious character role. Not through the whole movie, but in parts of it, where he interacted with his on-screen father. AND, Mila Kunis is totally my new celebrity crush. I found her hot in Black Swan, but she was kind of unlikable, whereas in this film, she is precisely the opposite. Loved her, loved him, loved the movie!
Beginners: I had seen a few previews of this movie prior to the trip but didn’t know much about it. It looked cute with Ewan McGregor and his sidekick little dog, and appeared like it would have some funny moments. Overall, I found this movie to be rather depressing. It was long and drawn out and overall, quite sad. I didn’t hate it, but wouldn’t really recommend it unless you want to feel really angsty and unsettled for a good 2 hours. In that case, have at it.
Tree of Life: I cannot even give this film an adequate review or even thumbs up or down as I turned if off not even 30 minutes after it started. Confusing and OMG, boooooooring! The only positive I can say about this is the cinematography was interesting. If anyone made it through the whole thing, I’d love to hear your thoughts. And what happened, since I gave up during Sean Penn’s first scene.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: I fell asleep during this one, if that’s any indication of how good or bad it was. I’ve seen all the previous pirate films, and even have most of them on DVD. This one didn’t do it for me though. Perhaps I would have enjoyed it more if I a) were not so tired, or b) had not seen all the previous movies. The whole thing felt very recycled to me. Much like how I heard many people describe The Hangover II.
Unknown: this one features Liam Neeson as the main character, action star. It was okay. Not great, but definitely watchable. I like Liam Neeson in action/mystery movies. He is far more intelligent than the typical action film star and his characters usually have much more depth and his films much more suspense. This film is definitely a mystery and at times I had trouble putting it together but it was good because the end was not blatantly obvious. All in all, a watchable flick.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2: it’s Harry Potter, so what’s not to like? Mr. Therapy and I had already watched this one so I half-watched it again over his shoulder. As movie series finales go, this one was good. I actually liked Deathly Hallows Part I better and felt the scene at the end with Harry as an adult was kind of cute but also kind of unnecessary. But I did love the whole Harry Potter series and would be equally as interested if J.K. Rowling did another similar series.
I feel like I’m forgetting about one film. But I suppose it’s not important as I vaguely remember it being akin to Tree of Life in that I shut it off not long after it had started. I have one more movie on my Kindle that I still need to watch – Crazy, Stupid, Love. I’ve heard good things about it but have yet to watch it.
Have you seen any good movies lately? Anything you’d recommend? The holiday season appears pretty bleak in terms of movies…
HELLOOOO from Thailand!
I know I didn’t talk much about this trip before. But here I am, blogging from Phuket, Thailand. We arrived Sunday afternoon, following a ridiculous number of hours on a plane. Our first flight out of San Diego was cancelled causing us to have to fly east in order to west, adding an extra 4 hours of flight time to get to Bangkok. When we finally arrived in Bangkok we had only enough time to get some sleep and go back to the airport, unable to do any exploring at all.
The first day we were lazy around the resort (which is waaaaay nicer than where we typically stay), getting the lay of the land and feeling drunk with jet lag. Although we also drank too much so that could also be why we felt drunk. But jet lag is definitley a contributing factor. I think I was struggling to stay awake during dinner at only 7 pm.
Yesterday we took a day trip out to Racha Yai island to do some snorkeling, swimming and sunbathing. Here are some things we did and observations i made throughout the day:
The Thai people are lovely, full of smiles and aim to please.
While lovely, the Thai are also reallllly working the tourists for money.
I found many more people from areas of Europe and Australia than America. We ate lunch with a couple, one of whom was Thai, the other aussie who were visiting from Melbourne.
I learned the Thai word for pumpkin is ‘fuck’ and the Thai word for pepper is ‘prik’.
After a very bumpy speedboat ride, I gave new meaning to the term ‘nappy-head’.
I saw a man with a mole on his face that had not ont but 2 VERY long hairs (like 3 inches long) growling out of it and couldn’t comprehend why on earth he wouldn’t pluck them.
We are fried chicken for breakfast yesterday from a street vendor. It may have been the best chicken EVER.
More to come, I am blogging from my new kindle fire and it BLOWS. Not the kindle itself but wordpress on it sucks. Promise a full update when we return next week!! Sorry to cut it short but I might break something if I have to hit delete on more time…
