A Visual Life

A video from one of my favorite bloggers/photographers, The Sartorialist. Seriously, I am addicted to his site.




Sorry for my lack of recent posts readers. I need to take Ferris Bueller's advice, (Link) View more Ferris Buellers Day Off Sound Clips and Matthew Broderick Sound Clips

My Numbers for 2011

Did you make any New Years Resolutions? This year I thought I would try mine in numbers. Maybe or maybe not it will merit some change.

So here are my resolutions in numbers. 11 for 2011.

1. It's ok being a 1 without a +1. I'm happy.
2. Spend as much time as I can with the 2 precious babes in my life, my niece (Lily, age 2) and my nephew (Harry, age 4 days, he was a NYE baby!)
3. Take 3 major vacations this year. South America, scuba diving in Bonaire and volunteering in Spain.
4. Exercise at least 4 times a week. Yoga, golf, weight training, run, dancing, etc.
5. Play golf at least 5 times a month once the courses open. Practicing at the driving range counts.
6. Drink at least 6 glasses of water a day. I know the recommendation is 8 but I'm being realistic.
7. Walk my dog 3 times a day, 7 days a week. No matter the weather. Good for her and me.
8. Attend 8 new events or take 8 new classes this year. 1 night cooking class, 6 weeks of night classes to learn a new language, a financial planning course for an afternoon, a Masters class at the Art Institute...the possibilities are endless.
9. Meditate. I'm trying for 90 minutes a week, or about 12-15 minutes a day of meditation.
10. Boxes. Currently most of what I own is in a 7x10 foot storage unit. I moved into a friend's furnished condo last August (she moved to Paris!) and left most of my furniture with my ex husband as he still lives in the marital home. I stored my regular and rare book collections, most of my photographs and art, all of my glass and barware, my son's childhood items, holiday decorations and my home and garden tools. I own 5 pieces of furniture (a bedroom set, an armoire and a desk), a few lamps, some patio furniture and a rug. Well that is still too much stuff. My goal is to reduce my life to 10 boxes of personal items not including my few pieces of furniture. When and if I decide to buy another home I will furnish it with antiques at that time. Every month this year I will reduce my stuff. I've learned it's not the stuff that makes you happy.
11. Invest more. My goal is $11 a day, which will total $4015 after 365 days. A nice bit of change for a rainy day or to earn me some money in a money market or CD.

So there are my numbers. How are you keeping track of your New Years Resolutions?

End of Year Reading

Hmmmm, I have 1 more day to get in my end of year reading. Here is what I am reading for the New Year weekend.

• Party Vegan, Fabulous, Fun Food For Every Occasion by Robin Robertson
• Fab: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney by Howard Sounes
• The Good Housekeeping Cookbook, 125th Anniversary
• Jamie's America, Easy Twists on Great American Classics and More by Jamie Oliver
• Katherine the Queen: The Remarkable Life of Katherine Parr, the Last Wife of Henry VIII by Linda Porter
• Storyteller: The Authorized Biography or Roald Dahl by Donald Sturrock
• A Journey into Matisse's South of France by Laura McPhee

Ok realistically I will skim a few of these books, page flip through 1 or 2 and maybe tuck into 1. My reading goals for 2011 are:

1. Read more cookbooks (my well documented love of cookbooks is no surprise to regular readers)
2. Buy an e-reader and download beloved favorites and travel books
3. Read more classics and not because Oprah's latest book selections are A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations.
   

Enjoy some good books in 2011 readers!

Monday 5 List #10

So this is my final Monday 5 list of 2010. Thought it would be appropriate to list my favorites of the year. Enjoy and Happy New Year readers!

1.The "Bed Intruder Song". Funniest thing I watched all year. Every time I hear it I can't get, "Hide your kids, hide your wife" outta my head.


2. Travel. Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Florida, South Carolina, Colorado, France, Virgin Islands. Whether it was a weekend getaway or weeks of travel, wandering new and old but beloved locals were some of my favorite moments of the year.

3. The kindness of others. This was a difficult year for me personally. As my marriage was ending I turned to family and friends. Whether it was a neighbor who held my hand as I was preparing to move out of my marital home, a friend who made me dinner when I was too upset to eat or my Mom who flew in to Chicago to offer me moral support, I simply don't know how I would have coped without them. It's true you find out who your friends are in a time of crisis. Not only did my friends and family support me, they demonstrated classy and commendable compassion and support to my ex. There is a lesson there for certain family members of my ex.

4. Library patrons. I work in a small public library where I interact with patrons on a daily basis. I've witnessed compassion, laughter, love and sacrifice again and again within the library. One day it was the elderly couple who walked to the reference desk hand in hand, asked questions for the other and turned around and walked out of the library hand in hand. They never stopped touching each other. It brought tears to my eyes. Or the couple who brought their father to the library and asked for help with getting him on a plane or train to visit family for the holidays, no matter what the cost. And always my computer class patrons, the ones who attend each class every month and always remember to ask me about my son, my travels and my life. Sometimes they bring chocolate, oranges, little gifts of thanks. Touching and special each and every one of them.

5. Internet. The Internet allowed me to Skype with my darling niece 2000 miles away, call my son from Paris to say goodnight and reconnect with long lost friends. The "Internet connection" allows for connections that are truly a blessing.

What Would You Tell Yourself?

I've seen Michael J. Fox and other cast members of the Back to the Future movies on countless morning shows recently. Something about the 25th anniversary of the original film. Got me to thinking, where would I go if Doc pulled up in the DeLorean and said, "Where we're going, we don't need roads." Would I go to the future...or if I went back to the future, what would I tell my current self?

5 years from now, heck even 1 year from now if I could tell my December 23rd, 2010 self something I would tell me, "You made the right decision". I guess its that time where you catch up to your future that is the hardest.

So readers...if you could tell yourself something that you've learned 5 or 10 years in the future, what would it be?

Do You Have A "Velveteen Rabbit"

A favorite book of mine and millions of readers is The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams. This touching tale of a stuffed bunny who becomes real through the love of the boy who owns him is timeless and moving.

One of the reasons I love this book so much is because I remember being a little girl and hoping that when I turned off the lights at night or left my room in the morning my toys would came alive. Decades before the movie Toy Story imagined what happens when a human leaves their toys alone, The Velveteen Rabbit captured imaginations with "What if my toys were real?"

I reread The Velveteen Rabbit recently and was reminded of how important a cherished toy is to a child. Through happiness, sorrow and illness there are some comforts that are irreplaceable, for many children it's a stuffed animal. I have a worn and well loved stuffed animal that is my only childhood toy to survive through the dozens of moves I've done since college. My little stuffed dog is about 30 years old, is missing an eye, has had his ears sewn on again and again and is so soft and scraggly only I could love him like I do. A decade ago he was used as a prop in a play because just looking at him you can tell there are years of stories behind him.

I'm 40 years old now and that silly little stuffed dog has stayed by my side in my bedside nightstand through all the years I was married. He is once again out of the drawer and sleeping in my bed, usually under my real dog's head. 30 years later, I am still comforted by a toy. Maybe my stuffed dog is my reminder of innocence. Maybe it's the significance of its history in my life. Maybe it's just because he's soft. Regardless that little dog will be with me until the end of my days. Funny....but I don't think it's much of a coincidence that when I finally adopted a real dog (my beagle Eloise) she has the same saggy body and floppy ears of my cherished toy.

So this Christmas as you buy a special toy for a child in your life why not a copy of The Velveteen Rabbit or a soft stuffed animal. They will understand one day the magic of the story.

Monday 5 List #9

Since Christmas is a few days away I thought I would share my favorite Christmas memories.

1. Brunch. Christmas morning brunch is a big thing in my family. From age 8-18 I spent every Christmas at our vacation home in Florida. Christmas morning would consist of hanging out with family who were in to visit, eating lots of quiche made by my Mom, gorging on Jolly Biscuit Roll made by my Grandma and walks to the beach. Sometimes we even went to "The Pink Castle" to watch the sunset. Perfect.
2. My Kid's first Christmas-1993. He was 6 months old. He slept a lot. There is nothing like snuggling with an infant on Christmas morning. Warm, peaceful, happy and surrounded by family.
   
3. New Orleans. Christmas 1996. A boyfriend and I stayed at a hotel on Bourbon Street. We spent an evening singing Christmas carols in Jackson Square under the lights from The Saint Louis Cathedral while holding candles that dripped onto paper sleeves to catch the wax. We drank a lot and celebrated with friends. The next day we drove to Florida and stayed at a hotel on the beach, Christmas Eve in a hot tub. Good times.
   
4. Christmas 2002. With my family in Florida. My 90 year old Grandfather's last Christmas. Precious, precious memories.
5. Feast of the 7 Fishes. I first enjoyed this celebration with my 1st husband who's family was Sicilian. Massive amounts of seafood on Christmas Eve=my idea of heaven. Since my wonderful Uncle Vinny (an Italian from Brooklyn NY) married my Aunt Kim a few years ago we have enjoyed this tradition with my family. Uncle Vinny makes unbelievably delicious crab and lobster every Christmas Eve. I look forward to overeating seafood this Friday at my Mom's home in Florida, Uncle Vinny has his work cut out for him trying to feed my 6'6 son and hopefully recreating my soon to be ex-husband's famous garlic shrimp recipe.
   

Wherever you are, whatever you do this Christmas and Holiday season, be well readers.