Tag: National Blog Posting Month ’10

2010 Resolutions Progress Report

November 30th, 2010 · · Lists, National Blog Posting Month '10, Resolutions 2010 15 comments - Tags: ,


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The end of the year is nearing and although I’ve failed several of my resolutions, I’m pleased with my overall performance. There is one failure that was still quite rewarding. I wanted to go to Houston 10 times to visit family and friends because in 2009, I was in Houston only 3 times. By the time year ends this year, I would have made it 7 times. That’s more than twice last year. Further demonstration that it doesn’t hurt to make concrete goals even if you come short.

Here is my updated progress report for this year’s resolutions.



    Financial

  • Rebuild year’s worth of emergency fund.
  • Transfer over my 401K from my previous job to my Roth IRA.
  • Do my own taxes.
  • Keep outings with my little from Big Brothers & Big Sisters of America on a budget. (So far so good!)


    • Leisure/Cultural

  • Continue doing 1 new thing a week. (So far so good!)
  • Visit a new state from my list. (Next weekend!)
  • Read 40 books. (36/40)
  • Organize a book club.
  • Be more or less abreast with updates on 202 things in 1001 days. (FAIL.)
  • Leave the country. (FAIL.)
  • Write 15 letters.
  • Try out 20 new recipes (19/20)
  • Update movie, gratitude, quotations, and collage, and reading journal at least twice a month. (So far so good.)


    • Community

  • Run a 5k for a charity.
  • See my little from Big Brothers & Sisters 2-3 times a month. (Mostly good)
  • Donate to every sponsorship for charity my friends take part in. (So far so good!)


    • Personal

  • Try at least 3 times to mend a relationship with a family member.
  • Not leave drawers and cabinet doors open.
  • Go to Houston ten times this year to visit friends and family. (6/10)
  • Be more organized. (Blog post to come on how I’ve become more organized)


Question: How are you doing on your resolutions?

Love Drunk

November 29th, 2010 · · National Blog Posting Month '10 3 comments - Tags: ,

I owe you a blog post tonight for National Blog Posting Month. I’m still a little disoriented from coming back to work and Austin after a long weekend. I have tomorrow’s last post of NaBloPoMo written! But tonight, I’m a little short on words. Feeling a little love drunk from my weekend and am enjoying my buzz. So I’ll leave you with a picture Kim posted on my wall today.

It came with a note. “Happy Monday, Linda ♥ jake”

I’m back from Thanksgiving Break

November 28th, 2010 · · Holidays, National Blog Posting Month '10 8 comments - Tags: , ,

And it was wonderful. I’m just barely home. Going to shower and run over to see my dude. See you tomorrow!

Happy Birthday, MEF!

November 27th, 2010 · · Birthdays, Love, Memories, National Blog Posting Month '10 5 comments - Tags: , ,


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It’s my best friend’s birthday today. 13 years of friendship. 10 years of it a best friendship. She’s lived in Boston for quite some time now. Now that she’s bought a grown up house, it looks like there’s a likely chance that we won’t ever live in the same state again. Except maybe when we are little old ladies moving into the same nursing home. In the meantime, we make due by sharing everything mentally (I like to call her, my brain) and seeing each other at Christmas and occasional visits. We’ve agreed to visit each other once a year, alternating our states. I start next year so I can see her new house.

I like to marvel at the scope of our shared experiences. She’s literally been my refuge after major break ups, offering up her miles and and East Coast home. I’ve seen her meet, date, and marry her boo. I have a random memory of her as a 1st grader with boogers in her nose from when we crossed paths as munchkins. I’ve grown to fiercely love her family and her husband. We’ve walked each other through familial falling outs. We bumped heads repeatedly as teenagers. We’ve traveled to Europe together. Hell, we once invited a strange man into our hotel room as high school students just to hang out and managed to not get sexually assaulted or killed. It’s just been quite a ride with this girl and I cannot wait to see where our lives take us. I always know we’re going to be okay because we have each other.

I love her and am wishing her the best birthday. :)

Friday 7 Quick Takes (vol 29)

November 26th, 2010 · · 7 Quick Takes (Fridays), Girl Eats World, Holidays, Lists, National Blog Posting Month '10, Resolutions 2010, the not so single life, Travel 4 comments - Tags: , , ,


1.

Create your own visited map of the United States here.

One of my New Year’s Resolutions is to visit a new state. Well, we’re entering December and I haven’t done one lick of traveling this year. Abysmal since I vacationed twice in 2009 despite being unemployed for 5 months (Bestie gifted me her miles to visit her for one of those trips, but still!). One thing that impedes traveling by car in Texas is that you can drive a full day and still be in Texas. When Cindy emailed me about possibly helping her spend some vacation days, I immediately recruited her as a road trip buddy. We mulled over New Mexico or Oklahoma. Oklahoma won out because the two of us have horrendous sense of direction and it’s just a straight shot to Oklahoma from Interstate 35. Also, it’s a 6 hour drive as opposed to 9 hours. We’ll be road-tripping to Oklahoma on December 10- 13. Can’t wait!


2.

It’s also decided we’re going to eat and drink at Pops. Located on Route 66 and has 500 soda pop flavors. I am EXCITED!


3.

I told you in last week’s 7 quick takes, how I was late in the game in discovering This American Life. Well, my last night in Austin, Kim sent me a TAL episode about break ups and we listened to it simultaneously while online. It morphed into this virtual date of listening to sad break up songs just because. It felt very much like that Celine Dion’s All By Myself scene from Bridget Jone’s Diary. Except better because it was with a friend and was more funny than sad.

Me:
Seriously, where’s the wine?

Kim:
Oooh girl, it’s not even a wine song. It’s a tequila song.


4.

Tomorrow, I’m meeting up with the Kim for food and movie. I’m not sure where we’re eating yet but we’re watching Love & Other Drugs. Kim sent me a teaser interview that I surprisingly enjoyed. Anne Hathaway is adorable and my notion that Jake’s gay is wearing off.

Also, Kim told me that in another interview, they asked Jake what his favorite love song is. His answer: Willow’s Whip My Hair. A crush seed has been planted from that answer alone.


5.

I was under the impression that Texas trees do not do that pretty orange autumn thing and typically, they don’t. But this pretty tree stands outside my apartment. It’s kind of orangey right? I’m counting it.

Anyway, it’s a pretty view that greets me when I walk out of my apartment.


6.

Because I do not have internet access in Houston, I totally wrote yesterday’s blog post, today’s blog post, and tomorrow’s blog post ahead on Wednesday and scheduled them out. Magic!


7.

I met up with Alan on Wednesday before the work day to do our see you after the holidays hugs and kisses when he surprised me with an early Christmas gift. :) He upgraded my camera.


Question: What is on your Christmas wish list?

100 Things I’m Thankful For – (Part 4: 76-100)

November 25th, 2010 · · Holidays, Lists, Love, National Blog Posting Month '10 9 comments - Tags: ,


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Take full account of the excellencies which you possess, and in gratitude remember how you would hanker after them, if you had them not. — Marcus Aurelius

Part 1: 1-25 (people related)
Part 2: 26-50 (things)
Part 3: 51-75 (actions)

  1. mom’s cooking
  2. having events to look forward to
  3. my parents are still together
  4. having gone to college
  5. the college experience – sharing a dorm room, roomies, boys, classes, parties
  6. the all-girl high school experience
  7. the sacrifices my parents made for the above
  8. my wide-eyed wonder of the world, though it’s kind of dorky
  9. cheesy jokes
  10. the cozy feel of scented candles and a blanket
  11. that I get along with my coworkers and boss
  12. sharing such a fun and meaningful New Years tradition with Kim
  13. creative play
  14. health insurance
  15. leaving work at work (such a breath of fresh air in comparison to last year)
  16. my ability to maintain close friendships despite physical distance
  17. my ability to navigate conversations with strangers
  18. my bestie handing down her laptops to me!
  19. resilience
  20. the liberties that come with living alone
  21. make out sessions that are just make out sessions
  22. discovering new music
  23. only 5 more days of National Blog Posting Month
  24. ability to schedule blog posts while I’m in Houston and am without reliable internet connection
  25. 2010 being all in all a great year filled with many lessons


Happy Thanksgiving!! How are you spending today?

What Says Home to You?

November 24th, 2010 · · Holidays, Houston, Love, National Blog Posting Month '10 8 comments - Tags: , , ,


Hillary, Alex, and me last Thanksgiving

I’ve been so homesick I could cry. I’ve been craving my friends in Houston. I’ve been wanting to check in my friend who lost her brother last month. I haven’t seen Ms. Kimmy in a while. I can’t wait for our girly date. I can’t wait for tonight, and having a cup of the best hot chocolate of my life (Chocolate Bar in Houston, trust me) with Hillary and Alex. And then again on Friday with Sarah. I can’t wait to see my parents and eat momma food. I’m excited about dim sum with my family on Sunday. I’m looking forward to listening to my dad talk over glasses of Scotch. I’m crawling out of my skin excited!

There’s something magical about picking up where you left things with your oldest friends. Friends who know where you came from and are coming from. We’ve all cultivated separate grown-up lives and reunions kind of bring us back to the roots of ourselves. At least for me they do.

Back in college, my roommate of three years and I had a running inside joke at her expense. She had this cheesy writing class and the last line in one of her essays she wrote, “It says home to me.” And her teacher ate it up despite how cheesy we thought it was. So even now, when something makes us feel so at home and at peace, we’ll half jokingly and half seriously say, “It says home to me.” Then we follow it with giggles, or if it was me who said it, she’ll curse at me for making fun of her. I tell you this because all the things I’m looking forward to about going to Houston, “say home to me.”

Houston, I’ll see you tonight! Insallah. (God willing in Arabic. I say “Insallah” a lot in real life.)


Question: What says home to you?

Ten on Tuesdays (vol 4) The Holidays

November 23rd, 2010 · · Holidays, National Blog Posting Month '10 9 comments - Tags: , , ,

1. What are your plans for the holidays? Do you travel at Thanksgiving? If you celebrate Christmas, do you travel then, too?

For both Thanksgiving and Christmas, I drive 2.5 hours if there’s no traffic from Austin to Houston. My plans during the holidays usually entail waiting around all day and evening on the actual days of Thanksgiving and Christmas til my parents close down their shop. After which, we have a late quiet meal. The days surrounding Thanksgiving and Christmas I spend fluttering between friends. I am so happy around this time because of the out of town visitors coming home for the holidays and the Houston friends I do not get to see that often during the year if at all.

2. How do you make the plans for the holidays? If you have a significant other, how do you decide which family to visit?

He goes to his hometown and I go to mine. We exchange gifts before or after.

3. Do you have your Thanksgiving meal at lunch or later in the day?

Late late late. Like 9pm late.

4. Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving tradition?

Our family Thanksgiving traditions are modest. Just a quiet meal late in the night. I have a personal tradition where I send out Thanksgiving cards to my loved ones counting the ways I am thankful for them. This year I’ve only sent one half of them. The other batch needs to be written and get sent out late. Ooops. Story: Once I sent out a Thanksgiving card to Jon in New York around Thanksgiving and somehow he received it in his mailbox in July the next year.

5. After a big meal, do you lounge around or get up and take a walk?

Usually I try to walk it off and rub my tummy, if I can. Sometimes I overdo it so much that all that can be done is to lay down and groan.

6. Do you shop on “Black Friday” or do you avoid it?

I have a couple of years ago to get a camera. Meh :) Black Friday. Meh.

7. When do you usually finish your Christmas shopping?

There’s always that one person I’m stuck on that has me running around up to Christmas Eve. I used to buy year round for the people in my life but then I got paranoid that it was jinxing the relationship. Seriously. I once bought this girl an inflatable cowboy because she was obsessed with cowboys and would have enjoyed it. Then we stopped being friends. Ha. After toting that bad boy around for years waiting for the next person who lovesss cowboys to come into my life, I gave up and gave it a temporary home at Goodwill. Twice, I’ve made photo books and friendships disintegrated while the books were in shipping. My closest friends requested I stop giving photo books.

This year, I’ve started and hope to be done as soon as possible. Any idea what to get a 10 year old niece I really didn’t even know about til this year?

8. Do you and your significant other exchange gifts? If there a budget?

He tends to spend a lot on me generally. Spendy meals often. Holidays and birthdays are the occasions I try to keep up with him and almost almost match him.

9. When do you decorate for the holidays?

I’m not a big fan of Christmas so in my own apartment, I’ll whip out my two holiday snow globes I was gifted, a few stockings and that’s about it. They’re all out already. I usually bring them out when it starts to get cold in November. Though, we’re back to eighty degrees this week.

10. Do you go “all out” with the decor or keep it simple?

I do not go all out. Last year I lived with Brandi and she is a HUGE Christmas fanatic. Our apartment looked like a paper winter wonderland. See below a picture of our fireplace last year.

Also my two holiday snow globes. The full extent of my decorating!

Pick a question, answer a question!

Self-Imposed Creative Commitments

November 22nd, 2010 · · Creative Endeavors, National Blog Posting Month '10 6 comments - Tags:

I’m realizing that 2010 has been a year of self-imposed creative commitments. There was Morning Pages where I wrote 3 pages every morning for a few months. Then there was our Monday Writing Prompt project, where we write every day for 5 minutes about a weekly topic. There was VEDA in August were I recorded a video blog every day of the month. Currently, there is National Blog Posting Month with just 8 more days left. Finally, I have til mid January to sketch 80 pages for Sketchbook Project 2011. I’ve suffered/am suffering through all these projects but the amazing thing to me is that, I’d totally do it all again next year.


Question: How much time do you spend on your hobbies?

A Letter From a Friend

November 21st, 2010 · · Memories, National Blog Posting Month '10, pursuit of happiness, The Grind 10 comments - Tags: , ,

I was organizing my box of letters today and I stumbled upon a letter from my friend, Cindy. It wasn’t dated so I couldn’t really cross-reference any of my running records to see why she was so encouraging. Regardless, it was such a sweet letter. Recently, I’ve been soul-searching to see if I give back as much as I receive. I was worried that maybe I’m a crummy friend. Re-reading this letter was reassurance that I have done some stuff right. Which means, I just need to keep an eye on who I want to be and continue to reach. Here’s the letter. Shared with permission.

Dearest Linda,

Another year has passed, meaning a full year tacked on to our friendship. In the past year:

- You’ve shown the meaning of a true friendship. Not necessarily with your actions directed towards me, but also with the way you treat your other friends. I know very few people who are as loyal, caring, or genuine as you are. A true gem amongst friends.

- You’ve shown more strength than you will ever know. I know you feel like you’ve regressed, but I’ve never seen someone fight as much as you have for emotional peace of mind. You’re stronger than you think, and I know you’ll make it through. It’ll take time, but I know you’ll make it.

- You’ve shown me how to appreciate the little things in life. You have no idea how much this has changed the way I carry myself in my own little cynical world. In this way, you’ve literally changed my life.

- You’ve taught me to love the people around me, and most of all, to love life itself and all that it can offer for me. For that, there’s no amount of words that I could say to thank you.

Here’s to another year my dear.

Ti voglio bene,
Cindy

My heart was thoroughly warmed today when I read this letter. Sometimes it’s hard to not let the bad things people say about you outweigh the good things people say about you. Having tangible rave reviews around for those days is good for the spirit.


Question: How do you take criticism?
Do you fixate on them? Ignore them?