January 31st: Month Review

So, how did I do this month with my various goals? Not too bad! Overall I am very pleased :)


To Review, these were the Goals for 2013 that I set up for myself:

Everyday I would:

-Blog
-Move
-Meditate
-Make a good food choice
-Stop hitting snooze and train myself to wake up without an alarm clock
-Do something every day that will bring me toward my ultimate career goals


Everything did not go perfectly well every day, but I did make a concerted effort at everything, here's how it shook down in January 2013:

-Blogging: Blogging with no specific theme or subject in mind is hard. I've done plenty of challenges before that were a month or a few months long where you blog every day around a certain topic or theme or whatever, and those have been much easier because you have a starting point for your content. Blogging every day about whatever comes into your head is a challenge, not because I don't enjoy blogging, because I do, but because sometimes nothing really happened on a certain day that is what I would consider blog material, etc. But, between this blog and my food blog, I still managed to post 24 out of 31 days, and I'm extremely proud of that, and I definitely enjoyed it :) So, I am going to continue this goal, because blogging is a skill I want to improve upon and strengthen, but I'm altering the goal slightly by saying that I'm going to aim for at least one food blog post per week, and I'll be blogging here as frequently as possible, but I'm not going to chain myself to every day, it's probably gonna be more like a few times per week, which is a good baseline to aim for, I think :)

-Move: The biggest change I've made in this area is stretching more. I take regular stretch breaks at my day job and will often do some stretches if I have a few minutes to myself. In terms of cardio, it's up and down, some days are more active than others, but I'm making an effort and that's all that matters. As soon as my current show closes I'm going to make time for a Yoga Class :)

-Meditate: I don't always do this at the same time every day, but I've been taking a few minutes every to just breathe and be present. It's been wonderful.

-Make a good food choice: Mike and I now have a juicer, and I've been incorporating fresh fruit and veggie juice pretty much every day. I've lost about 2lbs, so, not much, but it's a start.

-Stop hitting Snooze/Wean myself off of my Alarm Clock: This has been, by far, the hardest thing to work on, which boggles my mind, because I honestly thought it would be the easiest. My body is pretty abused in this area. I tried going cold turkey with no alarm clock, no good. I would wake up at my normal time and then promptly go back to sleep, apparently I'm that sleep-starved. After two weeks of going into work about two hours later than I normally do (and, therefore, getting out two hours later, which I hate),  I nixed that. I normally use the alarm clock on my cell phone, which charges on the night stand next to me, I tried just telling myself that I wasn't allowed to hit snooze anymore, and that didn't work either because the alarm on my cell phone will just hit snooze itself if you don't do it. Then I remembered that the clock radio in our room also has an alarm clock, but it's an older model, so if you don't hit snooze the alarm will just keep going off ad infinitum until you turn it off. And, bonus, it's out of arm's reach, so I have to get out of bed to turn it off. I've been using the clock radio alarm since Monday and only hit snooze once, so I'm moving in a good direction, anyway. I have 11 more months to kick the alarm clock habit, but for the time being, I'm concentrating on the *No More Hitting Snooze* portion of this goal.

-Daily Step Towards Career Goals: Learned some new audition material, went to an audition and got cast (and it's a paid gig! Yay!) and sent out a TON of e-mails to local colleges about possible Theatre Education Certification. Unfortunately, around here, it's mostly English Certification, which isn't exactly what I want. All the Theatre Ed/MFA schools are a little farther away, but, I'm still working on it and I'm very optimisitc.

Did you set any 2013 Goals? How are they going?

Love,
Lynn

January 26th: 10 Hippie Things

Not that this should come as a shock to any of you, but I'm something of a hippie weirdo, and I say this with pride :) This isn't a contest and I'm not about to get on a soapbox or anything, but I do try to reduce the scary chemicals in my life. Since I missed yesterday's List Post and I wanted to make sure I got a post in today, here's a quick list of some of the changes that I have made to reduce the chemicals in my life:

- I wash my face with honey in the morning (no, it's not sticky, it works like a charm and it is dirt cheap)

- I remove makeup/nightime cleanse with almond oil (if I'm out of that, I've also used olive oil or avocado oil, if you're not familiar with the Oil Cleansing Method, google it, there's tons of info about it and my skin loves it)

-I use white vinegar as a fabric softener ( It does not make your clothes smell like vinegar, works great is another dirt cheap switch)

-I use baking soda as an exfoliant (again, works great, no scary chemicals, dirt cheap)

-I drink ginger tea instead of taking Tums or similar antacids (I have acid reflux and I am on perscription level medicine for it that keeps it pretty well controlled, but for minor bouts ginger tea has been great)

- I use hydrogen peroxide instead of mouthwash (yes, this is safe and yes it is a common use for hydogen peroxide, the instructions are right on the bottle. I do alternate with a regular flouride rinse, though).

- I clean my kitchen counters with either white vinegar or hydrogen peroxide or a mix of vinegar and baking soda (again, works like a charm, dirt cheap)

- I use natural deodorant (I don't sweat very heavily, so if you're prone to sweating, the natural deodorants might not be enough for you, but I've been using the Crystal line of natural deodorants for years and they work great for me)

-I take bee pollen as a nutrition supplement (I do take vitmins too, but bee pollen is great stuff)

-I drink shots of apple cider vinegar (for a zillion reasons, everything from digestive health to anti-inflammatory)

Ta :)
Lynniebee

January 24th: What To Do With A Pear?

So Mikey and I bought a bag of pears on a whim when we began our juicing adventure, and we've found that pears aren't our favorite for juicing purposes. So, now I need ideas of how to use up said pears (besides just eating them plain). Any and all pear recipes would be much appreciated :) Thank you!

Lynniebee :)

January 23rd: Resurrecting the Food Blog

Many of you have probably experienced my blogging alter-ego, The Kitchen is My Canvas. My beloved food blog that, sadly, has been dark for, like, 8 months now, not because I've lost interest it by any means, but because posting to my food blog is much more time and labor intensive. Posting a quick blog here is much easier than planning a recipe, carving out the time to cook and photograph it, write up a recipe post, upload the photos, etc. Not that I don't enjoy doing these things,  because I definitely do, but they're bigger bites out of my day. If I were to pick my food blog back up, I wouldn't be posting to it every day like I'm trying to do here. Is there any interest in me resurrecting this blog? If so, would you be so kind as to give your input on the following questions?

What sorts of content would you like to see more of? Less of?

How can I streamline the site and make it more user-friendly?

How can I organize the site more efficiently?

Would you like to see videos as well as photographs?

What are your thoughts on a less-frequent posting schedule? (Like, 1-3 times/week instead of almost every day)

Let me know your thoughts, I would really appreciate any advice you have!

Grazie :)
Lynniebee

January 22nd: Stephen King

My husband met Stephen King today :)


YUP ;)

AWESOME!!!!!

Lynnie :)

January 21st: Drive-By Haiku Monday

Sorry folks, this one's gonna be REALLY quick, but I have to write something as part of my goal, so here's my Monday Haiku:


Evening Hot Cocoa
Nice Hot Shower, Book and Bed
I love Cozy Nights :)


See you tomorrow!
Lynniebee

January 18th: List Friday: Cool Things I've Done Part 1

Hey Ho,

One of my affirmations for 2013 was to be aware and appreciative of my strengths, talents and spiritual gifts. In an effort to hold true to that, here's a partial list of Cool Things I have accomplished in my first 30 years of life. I was aiming for 10 or more, but I ran of blogging time and had to stop at 6 Things for now, I'll save the rest for future posts :)

6 Cool Things I Have Done That I Am Insanely Proud Of

- Climbed the Bell Tower of the Duomo in Florence Italy: For those unfamiliar, the Duomo is the common name for the Cathedral of  Santa Maria del Fiore (St. Mary of the Flowers), and is the main Cathedral in Florence. I was lucky enough to visit Italy twice when I was a teenager, once when I was 11 and again when I was 16. When I was 16, my brother Dan and I climbed all the way to the top of the Bell Tower of the Duomo, which is 414 steps and something like 277 feet tall. Was it Mount Everest? No, but it sure as heck was not easy. Very steep, very narrow. But the sense of accomplishment and the view from the top were TOTALLY worth it :)

- Drove a Horse and Wagon: My maternal grandmother is half French-Candian, and we still have family living in Canada. When I was a kid we were there visiting some of them, and my grandmother's cousin took us for a ride in his horse and wagon. I sat in the Driver's Box with him, and about halfway through the ride, he asked me if I wanted to take the reins. I remember being really excited and really scared. He guided the reins over to me and hung on for a few minutes while I got a feel for it, and then he let go.  It was only for a few minutes, and I didn't have to do anything particularly difficult ( make the horses turn or go around something, etc), but I will never forget that feeling. Pretty much everyone has walked a dog, so they're familiar with the tug of something on the end of a leash, but I cannot tell you what it feel like when HORSES are on the other end. You really get a feel for the strength and power horses have, and yet there is a  sensitivity there too, I barely had to move the reins at all to get them to respond to what I wanted them to do. AMAZING. In this life, I don't have a ton of experience with horses, though I have always loved them. Every experience riding, driving, etc, sticks out crystal clear in my head, and riding is definitely something I'd like to get better at in the future :)

- Drove Back and Forth from Syracuse, NY to Hilton Head Island, S.C. 6 times, Alone, With No Map and No Cell Phone. One of my best friends from middle school moved down to South Carolina, and on one my visits to him I met a man who would become my late high school/early college boyfriend. Between visiting said boyfriend, his family, and my friends down south, I made this drive pretty frequently, and way back in the dark ages before everyone had a cell phone and a GPS, I made this trip without either. I didn't even have a map. All I had was Highway Route Numbers: 81, 77, 26, 95. I took Rt.81 down to Virgina where I picked up Rt. 77, took Rt. 77 into South Carolina where I took a quick jump onto Rt. 26, and then took Rt. 95 out to Hilton Head. I made this drive in one day. 15 and 1/2 hours. I don't say this to make myself sound like a foolhardy badass. I took regular breaks, drove carefully and was always very aware of my surroundings and my safety. However, these drives were incredibly affirming and healing for me. I was proving to myself that I could do things on my own, that I had the courage and the ability to go on solo adventures. I got to see parts of the country I never would have if I had flown. It's been years since I made this drive, and I could still do it in my sleep :) I'm aching for another road trip.

- Been Performing Shakespeare Since the Age of 12. The first summer that I lived in Liverpool, NY, the summer between 7th and 8th grade, I signed up for Royal Fairytale Theatre's Shakespeare in the Rough Program, led by my dear friend Mimi Foxmorton. The play that Summer was *As You Like It*, and I was cast as Rosalind. That show was the beginning of a lifelong love affair with Mr. Billy Shakes. I was his from the beginning. Today, I get paid to perform and teach Shakespeare :) This Dream actually came true and it makes me smile every day :)

-Won a Kennedy Center Award from the American College Theatre Festival for Stage Management. The Show was Blithe Spirit, a Comedy by Noel Coward :) Some of the finest Stage Management work I ever did :)

-Stopped Four Babies and One Adult from Choking: An 18-month old who was choking on a penny, an 11-month old who was choking on Cheerios, a 7-month old who was choking on a barrette, a 13-month old who was choking on a blueberry muffin, and a 20-something friend who was choking on a doughnut and scalding hot chocolate (they are all fine now, Thank Heavens). I credit all of these situations with Divine Providence, and two other things. One: having a Police Officer for a Father and a Nurse for a Mother, and learning early on that in an emergency, above all things, You. Do. Not. Panic. Second, when I was 11 years old, I took a Babysitting Certification Course co- taught by the Red Cross and a local hospital, where I learned the swide-finger swipe technique that I used on all the infants, and of course, basic CPR, the Heimlich Maneuver, etc. In my opinion, EVERYONE should take a class like this.

Sometimes I feel like I'm not good for much, really. But then I look back over stuff like this and I realize that I really am a strong, talented person with a love of adventure, life, new exepriences, etc. I like that :) And I like Me ;)

More to Come!
Happy Friday :)
Lynniebee

January 17th: Stay Healthy Out There!

No time for a full post today, in the meantime, have some Hippie Cold and Flu Remedies that I stole from my friend Tony :)

http://eatgenius.com/top-10-all-natural-cold-flu-remedies/


Night Night!
Lynn

January 16th: On the (Juicing) Wagon

Yuppers, we did it :)


 After being inspired by our dear friends Merlyn and Harry, Mikey and I decided to give juicing a go :) My Mama was kind enough to buy us a basic juicer on super-sale, and we've been doing fresh-squeezed juice for breakfast the last few mornings :) So far they've been mostly citrus based, but OH MY GOD THEY ARE SO GOOD!!! After a few days of experimentation with porportions, here are two morning concoctions we've particularly enjoyed:

-1/2 red grapefruit
-1 blood orange
-2 clementines

and

- 2 clementines
-1/2 bag cranberries


We bought cucumbers, carrots and kale also, we just haven't worked up the gumption for straight vegetable juice yet, but we're getting there. Tomorrow, I think there will be some apple/pear/carrot juice :) In another week or two once we're a little more in the groove I think we'll try a short juice fast to see how it goes. Several of my friends have been experimenting with Juicing lately. Anyone care to weigh in with their favorite recipes?

I'm all ears :)
Lynn

January 15th: Quickie Vacation Question

Just a quickie for today, as I worked all day and then went straight to rehearsal. Anyone out there have experience with all-inclusive resorts? Which places would you recommend? What times of year? What price-ranges? What should we look for in a good one? What should we avoid? Inquiring minds want to know ;) Help a sister out!

Many Thanks!

Lynniebee

January14th: Sorry About Yesterday and Haiku Monday

Hey Ho,

 Deepest Apologies about missing yesterday's blog.  Yesterday was a very good day, just not one where I could sit down and blog. That raises the bigger question of whether I should give myself weekends or maybe Sundays off for good behavior. I'm not sure, I really do want to aim for every day like I've been doing, but the reality of life is that sometimes you just can't sit down in front of your computer to write a blog post. For now, I'm still going to aim for every day, and if weekend blogging continues to be an issue, I'll modify this goal. I've blogged 13 out of the last 14 days, so I'm still calling that a *WIN* :)


 For the record, yesterday was lovely and busy, rehearsals, family time, cleaning, cooking, some good news about my artistic pursuits for the Summer that I'm keeping under my hat for the moment (but I'll share more about it soon!)

And now, Haiku Monday

Orange Crocheted Poncho
Who cares if I look funny?
I am toasty warm :)

Happy Monday :)
Lynniebee

January 12th: Placeholder Blog

Hey Ho,

 Had no time to sit down and blog today, so I'm just writing these few sentences as a place holder. It's 11:57 pm, so technically I did blog today. Still made it!


:)
Lynn

January 11th: List Friday

Staring down my 5th 16-hour work day in a row and it's all at the day job. Needless to say, I'm a little burned out right now and anxious for the weekend and even a small amount of rest. So, letting my daydreaming and wanderlust show a little bit in my Friday List for today:



10 Things I'd Rather Be Doing Right Now


-Sleeping

-Having breakfast in bed

-Curling up on my couch with cocoa and some kind of homemade baked good and either a book, a crafty project or watching Netflix

-Cleaning and organizing the apartment

-On a road trip somewhere

-Somewhere tropical, swimming, beach louging, soaking up the Sun, DEAR GOD YES.

-Getting a Spa Treatment

-Cooking

-Spending the day with my friends

-Spending the day with my husband


*wistful sigh*

Happy Friday!
Lynn

January 10th: Cross One Off The List :)

Morning Sunshines :)

    Slightly less crazy day today, so I can actually take a few minutes more to write a post :) May I draw your attention to the lower right corner of this blog, and to my *Things I Want to Do* List? Just yesterday, I completed #23. Participate in a Flash Mob :) It may have been on a small scale, but it still counts :)


     The past few days I have been co-teaching a mini-course at a local community college for Gifted and Talented 5th-8th Graders. We get four hours with each group (spread over two days). Our mini-course is entitled *Flash Mob Shakespeare*. For this course, we taught the kids some acting basics, taught and blocked a short Shakespeare scene (in this case it was the Prologue/Dumb Show from *A Midsummer Night's Dream*) and then the kids devised ways for them to make the scene into a Flash Mob :) We ambushed two other classrooms (the teachers knew it was coming, but the students didn't), gave the other classes silly hats to wear, and then incorporated them into the scenes by teaching them dance moves and cheers and holding up signs showing different sounds to make (roaring, etc).  I wish I had photo or video of this, but I don't,as my co- teacher and I were the ones orchestrating, we didn't have our cameras with us. Some of the other teachers may have some pictures though, so I will try to get some posted here eventually :)


   So, in short, that's where I've been the last few days :) Flash-mobbing Shakespeare :)

Love. My. Job.

:)
Lynn

January 9th: Smoothie Noms

Hey Ho,

 Just another quickie post this day, as I'm pulling quadruple duty with day job, workshop, auditions and rehearsal. Who doesn't love a good smoothie? I've had a strawberry smoothie for breakfast the last two morning and they were delish :) Also, I know several people on juice cleanses and other such detoxes right now, so I figured I'd do my part and toss out a few smoothie recipes :) All of these come from one of my very favorite Food Bloggers, Joy the Baker :)


Super Citrus Smoothie

Kale Spinach and Pear Smoothie

Peanut Butter Banana and Oat Milkshake

Strawberry Cucumber Smoothie

Spinach Kiwi and Chia Seed Smoothie


When you're not in a smoothie mood, check out the rest of Joy's site, she's awesome and her food is AMAZING (and so is her cookbook!)



Ciao!
Lynn

January 8th: One Week Check In

Just a quick check-in for today,I'm pulling triple duty these next few days, regular day job, teaching a workshop at CCC, plus rehearsals and auditions.

 So, how did my first week of pursuing my 2013 Goals go? Not bad at all, actually :) I'd give myself about an A-/B+. I'll just do a quick run down and then be on my way:


Blog: I'm stunned at how well I did this week and how easy it was. I honestly thought this would be the hardest one, but it's been the easiest. I've loved blogging every day, even the days when I just do a short little post, it's been great :)

Move: I had a migraine last week, and that knocked me on my bum for a few days, but I managed to at least stretch every day, a few nights ago I tested myself to see how many sit-ups I could do (20, in case anyone's interested), and I got a lot of exercise over the weekend cleaning the whole apartment and putting away all the Christmas stuff. This morning I had a big print job I had to do, so I made myself to stretches and squats and suchlike while I stood by the printer, and I was on my feet for most of my worskhop, so not perfect, but I am trying :)

Meditate: Pretty Good, I'm still only at about 2 minutes a day, but I've only missed it one night, so not too shabby :)

Stop Hitting Snooze/Wean myself off of my Alarm Clock: Oddly enough, this has been the hardest one. I thought it would be the easiest and I was wrong. The mornings when I don't use my alarm clock have been fine, I have no trouble at all getting up at a decent hour, but my body is trying really hard to rebel against the *No Snooze Button* Policy.  It's only succeeded once, but this has been a much bigger battle than I thought it was going to be. Last night there was a lot of really loud street traffic outside our apartment for several hours, so I'm only going on about 3 hours of sleep, and I did let the alrm go off a few times this morning, but I still only got up about 10 minutes after I meant to, so it wasn't too bad.

Good Food Choice: Pretty Well. There's a lot of Christmas Candy still hanging around, and I need to go to the grocery store, but all things considered I'm doing well, nothing too extreme in either direction.

One Small Task Towards Career Goals: I currently have e-mails out to three different colleges requesting more info about their Educational Theatre Post-Graduate Programs, one of whom I sent a copy of my transcripts for Review :)

So, all in all, I'm doing well. How are you all? Still with me?

:)
Lynn

January 7th: Haiku Monday

Hey Ho,


    Normally I'd put my Monday Haiku up on FB directly, but I think I'll put it here instead for my Monday entry :)


So many choices.
What will my Summer look like?
How will I decide?

   Simply put, there are four shows, well, three shows and one workshop that are all happening in June and July of 2013 that I want to be involved in. Two of them pay, one of them is volunteer, and the workshop I would have to pay to attend. They all have pros and cons, and I want to do them all. The auditions for one are this week, the auditions for the other two are in March, and registration just opened for the workshop. Two of these run through my family's annual vacation to the Adirondacks, that I have never missed in my entire life. Two of them would probably require a leave of absence from my day job, and I've also been considering going back to school this fall. That, and, as much as I really want to be involved in all of these performances and workshops, I am also very, very tired and could really use a break. All of last year was performing and preparing for our wedding. As soon as we got back from our Mini-Moon, we went into rehearsal for our next show. As soon as our most recent show closed, the Holiday Season had started, which I truly, truly love, but it is certainly busy. I'm already back in rehearsals for my next show with the Shakespeare Festival which goes up mid-February, plus starting rehearsal for the Rep Company. So, in reality, it's only the second week of January, but I'm already booked solid until basically March. I'm tired just thinking about it. Feeling really overwhelmed and indecisive today. I want to do all three of the shows, and I want to attend the workshop, and it is literally impossible to do them all. However, there is also a part of me that wants to take a step back and just relax for a little while too, take some me time, take a yoga class, a painting class, something. I don't know what to do, I really don't. Hmmmmmmm.

Hope your day is less confusing than mine!
Lynn

January 6th: Flying Our Geek Flag

Happy Sunday!

 Thanks to some lovely and generous Christmas Gifts from family, Mikey and I are now the proud owners of A Roku Box and a TV capable of Streaming :) We've had this hooked up since Thursday, and if the list of movies/TV shows that we have downloaded in those few short days is not proof positive of our unapologetic geek-itude, I surely do not know what is. I give you, the current contents of our Netflix Instant Queue:


-Quantum Leap

-Star Trek TNG

-Star Trek Voyager

-Eddie Izzard: Dress to Kill

-Eddie Izzard: Circle

-Law and Order

-Law and Order SVU

-Jesus Christ Superstar

-The West Wing

-Robin Hood (BBC TV series)

-Mythbusters

-Downton Abbey

-Sherlock (BBC TV series)

-Once Upon a Time (1st Season)

-Clue

-Ghost Adventures

-Mad Men

-The Six Wives of Henry VIII

-Doctor Who


YUP :)


*hugs*
Lynn

January 5th: Saturday Giggle

Morning Sunshines :)

     I'm gonna be at a friend's house for the day, so here's a giggle for you for your Saturday morning :)  The 25 Funniest Autocorrects of 2012. Actually, that's an understatement, I didn't just giggle, I laughed so hard I cried ;) Some of you may remember this making the rounds on FB shortly before Christmas :) Enjoy!


Flamingos ;)
Lynn

January 4th: List Friday

Hey There :)

   Who doesn't love a good list? I'm think about making Fridays "List Days" because lists are fun and it's good to have a format to fall back on. So here, we go, for the debut of "List Fridays":



10 Things I Would Like to Get Better at Doing

(These are all things I do occasionally/am adequately skilled at/have dabbled in a little, but that I would like to be better at)

-Knitting and Crocheting: I've knit a few scarves and an afghan, but all I know how to do is cast on stitches, knit, and bind off, I don't know how to purl or knit any fancy patterns or anything like that. Once, years ago, someone taught me a basic crochet chain stitch, but that was all I ever learned how to do, I don't know how to join the stitches or actually make anything. I would like to refine my skills in both of these areas. Anyone want to teach me?

-Dancing: I took Ballet and Tap in elementary school, I've taken some Swing Dance classes, my grandfather taught me to basics of Ballroom Dance, and I occasionally do English Country Dance with the Shakespeare Festival. So, while I have a little experience in all these areas, I wouldn't say I'm especially skilled at any of them, yet. I would love to learn more.

-Wrapping Gifts: I'm pretty decent at this, but I know people who do such a lovely job of wrapping gifts. Seamless corners, beautiful ribbons or florals or greenery, or if they use gift bags, their tissue paper never comes out crumpled. How do you DO that??? I'd love to learn.

-Gardening: I know how to plant, water and weed and all that, but planning beautifully landscaped gardens? Planting gardens arranged by peak growing times? A fully fleshed-out herb garden for the kitchen and for medicinal herbs? It's a little beyond me. Hopefully by this Spring I might have a porch/balcony/ yard that I can plant and play in :)

-Outfit Shopping/Planning: My clothes are clean, in good repair and they fit well, but, for the most part, they are BORING. I don't own enough statement pieces and my clothes, by and large, are pretty neutral and fall into the *Office Casual* range, and aren't necessarily representative of my personality. Is this a huge crisis? No, but I would like my wardrobe to be more personalized.

-Foreign Languages: I took Spanish all through High School and it came in VERY handy when I taught ESL. My listening skills in Spanish are excellent, but my speech is only so-so. Same goes for Italian. My family is largely Italian, I understand Italian pretty well, but I don't speak it very well. I am fascinated by American Sign Language, and I know some basic signs, but I would love to learn more.

-Stage Combat: I've worked on a number of shows where stage combat was necessary so I have a lot of "on the job" training on a show by show basis, but I would love to take an extended workshop wherein the many forms of Stage Combat were the primary focus.

-Canning and Preserving: I know how to can tomatoes, tomato sauce, applesauce, pickles and peach butter, but that's it, I'd love to expand my repertoire from there ;)

-Sewing/Quilting: I've made several small quilts and lots of costumes (skirts, chemises, etc), but I would love to make full-size quilts and sew well enough to make other kinds of clothing.

-Traveling: Although I've traveled quite a bit, I'd love to be that traveler who always knows the best deals, the most interesting spots to visit, how to hang out with the locals and avoid the Tourist Traps, etc.

And A Bonus: Cleaning My House: I tend to do an overhaul cleaning once a  week or so, with touch-ups every few days. I would love to be one of those people who has always seems to have a clean house or is on the ball enough to just clean lightly every day so that it never gets out of hand. Those people exist, right? I have to say, those of you that are homeowners, I do not know know how you do it. We live in a one-bedroom apartment and we can barely keep up.

Have a great weekend!
Lynn

January 3rd: Service with a Smile :)

Morning :)

      I had a post planned out for today, but then something happened this morning, a small thing that made a big impression on me, so I'm moving it to the front of the line. At least in the initial weeks, as I get into the groove of blogging every day, you're probably going to get a mix of these two things, planned posts about whatever happens to be on my mind, and impromptu posts about things that happen to me. Or maybe it'll always be like that, it's only January, we'll see :)

      So this morning was going along decently. Nothing spectacularly good or bad. I was on the way home from an early morning doctor's appointment and realized I had some time to spare, so I went through the drive-thru line at a McDonald's to get an iced coffee and a breakfast sandwich. This is a very rare thing for me, since I live above where I work and normally have no morning commute, so I eat my breakfast at home 99.9% of the time. The line was a few cars deep, but not unbearable, and it moved along fairly quickly. I got to the food window and the girl handed me my food/drink, looked me right in the eye, smiled genuinely, and said "Have a wonderful morning".

    And then, just like that, with that small but honest gesture, I was having a Good Day :)

    It really does amaze me how a *small* thing like that can change your whole day. Truly.  This woman had probably been there since, like, 5am. It was about 10 degrees out at the time, and she has to open the window every 5-10 seconds to hand someone their food. It's unlikely she'll see me or any of the other people that were in that line again. She could have been surly, harried, curt, but she was not. She made the choice to be nice. She made direct eye contact, smiled (and not an obnoxious, sarcastic, fake smile, either, a genuine smile, the way I would smile at someone I liked) and told me to have *a wonderful morning* in a totally friendly tone, not forced, just nice.

I like that :)


Have a wonderful day :)
Lynn :)

January 2nd: What the Tea Told Me

Hey Ho :)

 One day down, 364 to go :) Still with me? Good :)

   Yesterday went quite well. Posted about my goals, meditated, made a good food choice, etc. But what I want to talk about today is Tea Leaves :)

   Yesterday morning, one of my dearest friends Stephanie joined another dear friend Jen and I at my home for New Year's breakfast. We ate cookies and pomegranate seeds and drank tea :) When the tea had been consumed, Stephanie read our tea leaves, to see what the new year held for us :)

   For those unfamiliar with Tasseography, it is the art of divination by interpreting the patterns left in cups by tea leaves, coffee grounds, or wine sediments. I am an adequate reader, but Stephanie has a real skill for it. Once you have a knack for seeing them, the images are quite clear and unmistakable. I realize that Divination is a touchy subject, some believe in it deeply, others see it as merely something fun but not to be taken terribly seriously, and others are quick to refute and scoff. I am posting about my reading solely because I found the results interesting; this post is not necessarily meant to be a comment on the art form of Divination, one way or the other. I am not opposed to debate, but please be aware than any disrespectful, inflammatory or cruel comments will not be tolerated and will be deleted immediately.

  Among the images in tea cup, these were the ones that made the biggest impression on me:

- A seahorse

- A snake with it's tongue sticking out

- A plumed bird that looked like a quail

- A woman sitting cross-legged wearing what looked like African tribal robes

- An island shaped the way Neverland is usually depicted in children's books


I did some research on some of the images and what they might mean:

Seahorse: Symbolic of Neptune/Poseidon, strength, power, patience, perception and protection. Ancient Europeans believed that the the seahorse carried the souls of sailors to the underworld, providing them protection and safe passage until their souls were safely on the other side.

Snake: Can be interpreted many ways, often representing a duality. Fertility and Rebirth or the Life Cycle, but also vengefulness and/or the presence of enemy. Knowledge that could be used for good or bad.

Quail: Symbolic of a Contrite Spirit, Communal Love, and Higher Consciousness. Also representative of Apollo, Artemis, and their mother, Leto, who has turned into a Quail by Hera.

Pretty Cool, Huh?

The woman and the island that looked like Neverland were a bit too general to research, so I am excited to see what they may end up representing ;)

Ever dabbled in Tasseography? What did you think of it? See you tomorrow :)

Love,
Lynn

Six Goals for 2013

Happy New Year, Friends!!!

 For the third year now in a row, I am going to post a List of Goals for coming year. I've actually done surprisingly well at this. Just the simple act of posting my goals publicly has enabled me to stick with them much more diligently. This year, my focus is on things that I can be doing every day. Six (I was told that even #'s are better) small things that will hopefully add to my happiness and well-being in a big way. So, without further ado, here they are. For the year of 2013, every day, I will:

1. Blog: I love blogging, I really, truly do, but it always seems to be the first thing to fall off my list when I get busy. The only way I'm ever going to do it is if I make it part of every day. I don't have to write in both blogs every day, and the posts don't have to be long or involved, put I need to post something in at least one of my blogs every day, even if it's just a few sentences or a link to something that I found interesting. The point here is repetition, to make blogging an intrinsic part of my day. ( Exceptions: Unforeseen Travel where Internet is not available and family/medical emergencies)

2. Meditate: I was so much happier when I had an active meditation practice. I slept better, had a calmer mind, lower blood pressure, etc. I have fallen out meditation in a big way and I miss it. It's time to go back to it. I'm going to start small so I don't get overwhelmed and commit to two minutes per day to start, and then build on it from there.

3. Move: Every day, I will move just for movement's sake. Walking back and forth from my car, in and out of buildings, etc doesn't count. Even if it's just a 10 minute walk or a few extra trips up and down the stairs, the point is to do something every day. This will take different forms. Because of rehearsals and performances, my free time waxes and wanes. I plant to start yoga again (another practice during which I was much happier and healthier), I'll walk outside when the weather is nice, occasionally I'll do an exercise video, whatever. Anything is better than nothing. I'll try and notate this on the blog somehow, exact details to come.

4. Stopping hitting *Snooze* and Eventually Train Myself to Wake Without an Alarm Clock: In time past, I never hit the snooze button, it's a bad habit that I've gotten into since I went back to a full-time day job. I hate that I do it and I want to stop. I eventually want to lose the alarm clock all together, but for now I'll focus and not hitting the Snooze Button and getting up as soon as my alarm goes off, and once I've gotten good at that, I'll wean myself off the alarm clock itself.

5. Make a Good Food Choice Every Day: I am a BIG supporter of the theory put forth by Alton Brown that, 'there are no bad foods, only bad food habits". All cookies and no salad is not good, but all salad and no cookies is not good either. Every day, I want to make a good food choice, to bring some balance back to my eating habits. Whether this is making sure I get a piece of fruit every day, or a spoonful of ice cream, or putting more veggies on my plate, whatever, it needs to be a conscious choice to be mindful of what I'm eating. I'm going to keep track of this somehow, but I don't know if I'll post it here, we'll see.

6. Do Something Every Day That Will Move Me Closer to my Ultimate Career Goals: Let's not mince words here. When you get right down to it, there are two things I want to do with my life, career-wise: Act and Cook. Teaching other people to Act and Cook fall under that umbrella too. My ultimate goal is to no longer need a *day job*, and to support myself totally doing one or both of these things. Every day I have to do something that will lead me towards this, whether that means learning a new monologue for auditions, refining a recipe, getting more info on an Acting Workshop I want to take, a Food Blog Post, whatever, just one thing, every day. I'm done wishing, I'm done wasting time, it's time to start doing.

What are your Goals for 2013? I would love to hear what journey's you'll be starting this year :)

Happy New Year, My Dearies :)
Love,
Lynn