What I'm reading now

Just finished - and will probably re-read and take lots of notes- Succeed


And now I'm on to The Power of Habit -



Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Happy Habits

Beginning in September of last year, Ted and I started taking walks in the local park every Sunday morning. Well, "park" is a bit of an understatement. The south mountain reservation is enormous. I have yet to see it all (perhaps there's a life list item?). We buy a fresh, hot bagel from the local bagel shop, a total no frills joint that serves bagels and coffee. Thats it. Not even a bagel sandwich.

True story, there was an explosion in the bagel place a few years ago. When they rebuilt it was Exactly The Same. Not an upgrade in sight. But it works for them, and for us!

iphone shot of the Reservation Christmas tree (and, apparently, my thumb)

Anyway, we share a bagel and each have a cup of coffee and then we head up to the reservation for a walk. We sit on a bench, overlooking NJ and NYC and we chat and shiver a little while we eat our bagel. We wonder who Mookie and Verina are, why they carved their names into a rock and if they're still together. Then we get up and walk. I see runners and get a little jealous. We see the same little old ladies foraging for mushrooms, say good morning to everyone, and visit the Christmas tree. We make some plans, talk about the football games on tap for the day. I try not to think about work.

This year, New Years Day fell on a Sunday, so we combined our Sunday and New Years Day walk into one. It was pretty much the same, and that was just fine with me.

Happy New Year!

2011 was an OK year, I was able to see some places I'd never seen before, tried some things that had been on my list, but I also lost my grandma and that was pretty hard.

Trying oysters for the first time in Savannah

As always, I have high hopes for the new year. The tail end of 2011 was particularly introspective. Especially the last week where I enjoyed the whopper of a cold that Ted gave me for Christmas. During that navel gazing time, I felt a stronger commitment to minimalism and improving my quality of life beyond going to work and doing things that people think I ought to do. That is part of the reason you didn't see me in these parts for a while. We'll get into that later, but for now, let's move onto my goals for project 2012 (thank you Carla Hall)

1. Continue to downsize. We run pretty thin already, but I think there are lots of things we can live without. I know for sure that empty space (whether that's physical space, space in the daily schedule, or headspace) breeds creativity and often new and fun experiences. I'm looking forward to challenging myself even further in this area.
2. Along those lines, continue to work on a fully functional wardrobe. Not just a closet, but a wardrobe. As I've been getting better at developing my own style (see getting away from what others expect) and have been learning what looks good on me, I'm better equipped to pare down my closet and keep it stocked with high quality, go to pieces that I'll wear in many ways. Getting a grip on what my life is actually like (not as many galas as my shoe collection might lead you to believe) is helpful here, too. 
3. Run more. Run longer. Run faster. 'Nuff said. (oh, and cross train, not my favorite part, but a necessary evil. You can follow me at daily mile)
4. Continue to develop my cooking skills. This year I want to bake bread and try canning.
5. Travel. The highlight of 2011 was our trip to Savannah. This year I've got Austin, Philadelphia and Saratoga Springs in the calendar, with hopes for New Orleans, Seattle and Vancouver as well.
6. Make some decisions about this blog. I think I like this blogging thing, but then I wonder if it's a worthy use of time. I commit to posting once per week for the first quarter of this year. After that, I'll make a decision. Pinterest, of course is here to stay.
7. Read 50 books. Thats about one a week. My original goal was 100, but I thought I'd try to make it do-able. If I make it to 50 by my birthday (July, but you can start shopping now) I'll revise the goal.

How about you? What's on your goal list for 2012? Any recommendations for books on my reading list?

This is a test

I'm trying out some new blogging apps, whaddya think?

I'm still here!

Hello Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm still here, just got a little busy with a few things. Since we last met I've:

• became addicted to Pinterest
• visited Chicago for the first time
• increased my work load by 33% (ouch)
• somehow convinced two colleagues and my 90 year old grandfather to buy an iPad
• learned I may be allergic to butternut squash
• got a new bar stool for the kitchen
• discovered an awesome Oktoberfest beer
• embraced the natural texture of my hair
• lost 3 pounds
• gained 3 pounds
• lost 3 pounds again
• totally ignored old college friends to chase an adorable two-year old around a party
• started planning a trip to Austin, TX
• spent two days in Atlantic City and didn't gamble at all
• experienced the difference between cheap and frugal
• started adding cinnamon to my coffee again
• just realized blogger has a new layout for posting (I think I like it!)

If you haven't tried Pinterest yet, you must! Follow me here. (If you need an invite, email me and I'll get you sorted.) Its so much better than the pile of magazine clippings I've been hoarding collecting over the years. 

Here's a taste of my living room board:

And some things I'd like to wear this fall:

And some good ideas:

all images via: pinterest

balance

smilingtreeytoys at etsy.com

Oy. Its been a rough re-entry to work after a lovely vacation. I've got stories and posts all bottled up and half-started. They will come, I promise. But at the moment, I'm dealing with working late, trying to put dinner on the table and wrangling the to-do list. And by dealing with, I mean having cocktails and fantasizing about quitting my job, giving up my apartment, and running away. Totally healthy, yes?

So this morning, I tried to quiet the noise in my head by catching up on some blog reading (it's too early for cocktails and I'd probably want to shower before running away, anyway). I figured I'd read a few posts and then do a google search for "balance" or "buddhism" or "ways to stop yourself from punching coworkers in the neck".

Serendipitously, this post popped up on Elements of Style, and it was perfect. (Not to mention more evidence that the best men can be found on match.com - that's where I found T almost 7 years ago.)

So, I'm going to get out of my head, reinstate my 3x a day (max) email checks, get going on all my to-do lists (work AND play) and live a little. Future Annie won't have liked to have wasted her wrinkle-free years worrying about how many nights in a row we've had leftovers or the disposition of a certain HR coordinator. I'm clocking out at 5 today, peeps.

vintage art for a powder room

We've got a big empty wall in the bathroom. I'd love to put some large colorful art in there, that sort of hints at getting ready or primping. (Don't google any bathroom art, btw, its all cartoon bears in the tub with suds or worse.)


I wonder if one of these Harpers Bazaar Vintage posters would do the trick:

September 1930

October 1929

August 1921

Which do you like best? All images and prints from Allposters.com