Archive for October, 2011

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Patterns: Learning from the past


2011
10.25

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Posted in change, life, optimism | No Comments »

Awhile ago I was having lunch with a friend who said that everything enormous in her life happened around August. She insisted that things like this were cyclical, and if we would all just look, we would see the patterns.

I’m not quite sure what it is about the end of October, but it always seems like a good time for me to take on seemingly impossible things. Or, as the door said in Alice in Wonderland:

alice in wonderland nothings impossible

Tomorrow marks the two year anniversary of me quitting smoking. Way to go, me!! Considering the stuff is about as difficult to kick as heroin, I’m patting myself on the back. Seriously, thank you nicotine patches! I couldn’t have done it without you. (Sidenote: I’ve saved $3,650 so far.)

And then about a year ago, I decided sorta out of the blue to write a novel. In one month. Joining about 200,000 other people, I participated in NaNoWriMo, and wrote my first novel, which ended up being about 73,000 words. And I took a quick surprise trip to Italy in there and still managed to finish it.

the alps above italy switzerland

The Alps are great for writer's block

I actually just posted an excerpt of the novel, which I’ll be editing this November.  Of course, some people may argue that editing a novel will be less of an undertaking than writing one,  but given my affliction of perfectionism, I’m gonna say it will still be a bit of a challenge.

For a minute I kind of thought this year was going to be light on the challenges, but then I realized I had my company website deadline scheduled for the end of October.

Oh yeah! And that means I’ll be selling my writing and social media skills to the public. On my own. It’s one of the scariest (and most exciting) things I have ever done.

But not impossible. Nothing’s impossible. “I’ve got a good feeling about this,” she says in a sing-song voice.

I think my friend is right. I’ve noticed it with other parts of my life too. I usually make huge life changes around July. (Quit my job in 2011. Took a sabbatical from my blog in 2010. Moved to California in 2009.) What about you? When do your most challenging moments tend to happen?

I think it we start to notice these patterns, we can make the most of them, plan for them and make our lives a little bit easier.

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Creativity connects us with divine


2011
10.19

Posted in optimism, the artist's way, writing | No Comments »

This is a quick post mostly because I’m trying to do other work, which somehow led me to this video: Elizabeth Gilbert talking about divinity in creativity and how adopting this attitude could keep us from killing off the great creative thinkers.

It’s so in line with The Artist’s Way, which if you’ve been following my blog know I’ve been struggling working through over the past few months.

The talk is about 19 minutes, which is a lot of time to invest, but it had my hair standing on end with chills through my whole body. Well done Elizabeth!

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wondered: Why is it that so many creative works have to be depressing and their author’s story so tragic? I’m out to change that mentality along with Elizabeth Gilbert, and I hope you’ll join us!

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Five ways to Occupy Your Street


2011
10.18

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Posted in change, habits, life | 2 Comments »

I’ve never been the biggest fan of protests, even though I like the creativity of some people making signs. The protest at Comic-Con in San Diego a few years back when I was there did make me smile.


But most of the time, I’m not such a big fan of protests I’ve seen because the very idea seems too easy to me. Yeah, you’re pissed. So am I. Do you know how many things I could get righteously angry about right now?

For one thing, I’m allergic to milk. which means I can’t eat cheese. My first word was “cheese.” No, I’m not exaggerating. That’s how much I love cheese. And I can’t eat it. Gaaaaawd!!!

It’s easy to get mad and bitch about it. But what’s more difficult? Actually figuring out a solution and then following through. I found out I can eat goat cheese, which rules because now I can have pizza again, but when I go to a restaurant with friends I still have to decline dessert because it’s not made with goat’s milk. Jerks.

Desserts

Photo by VancityAllie

The reason I bring all this up is because of Occupy Wall Street.  It’s not that I disagree with the fact that corporations and banks have, in many cases, destroyed the middle class’ hopes and dreams. It’s more that I think there should be some suggestions or guidelines that should be outlined by this movement, aside from “reassert our sovereign control of our land.”

Even though I’m sure somewhere out there, there might be something written within their meeting minutes, I’ve decided that I’ll outline a few things that I think any everyday person could do to help fight for the power of the middle class and make our dreams reality.

Be the change.

  1. Take your money out of a large bank and put it into a local credit union. I know you’ve only got $43.72 in there, and it’s a big pain in the ass to actually go close your account and open a new one, but remember: Money is the language banks speak. Vote with your dollar. Credit unions are local, non-profit banks that guarantee your deposits. Find one now.
  2. Refinance any existing loans you have with a local credit union.  See No.1 above. Sante and I moved our money and the rep was telling me about the low interest the credit union offered and I was tuning her out based on years of being sold to by Wells Fargo. Turns out our rate was almost half and the only fee we paid was a $16 title transfer. Score!
  3. Participate in the 3/50 project.  I love the Internet as much as anyone. I adore that I can get ink cartridges for my printer for $3 and order a yoga video at the same time.  But you know what I love even more than that? Santa Cruz. This place is paradise. Seriously.And I know many people feel the same way about where they live. So support your local brick and mortar establishment: Spend $50 each month at three establishments you love in your community. Mine: grocery, liquor, yarn. Easy, peasy. Keep your money local.
  4. Don’t run a balance on your credit card. Ever. If you didn’t paid the full balance on your credit card last month, throw that card in a drawer. If you didn’t pay the full balance for the past year, cut that thing up. Credit card companies are making a fortune on our debt, even with the new credit laws. Quit paying credit card companies. If you can’t stop, get help.
  5. Drive less.  You know what group has a more disturbing reputation than the banks? Oil companies. And that’s only when you look at economic impact. I can’t un-see the oil covered dolphins from the past few years. If it’s under a mile, walk, bike or take transit. Better yet: commit to one day every week where your car doesn’t move.

I’m not pretending to know everything about economics, but I do know this. Small changes over long periods of time mean big changes. Commit to making your own changes and you commit to changing the world.  Cheers to everyone occupying their lives!

 

UPDATE: Just for funsies, here’s what I was for Halloween. 

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Optimism is not a fancy word for ignorance


2011
10.13

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Posted in life, optimism | 4 Comments »

Since my media fast, I’ve paid less attention to the news and media in general, but that doesn’t mean I’ve completely shut down. I mean, c’mon, I’m an information junkie. I need to get my fix.

Yesterday I saw the headline (and Facebook post) for this article that asked “Are Optimists Dumber?” and I decided not to read it. I told myself I didn’t really care.

After all, I was 13th in what was arguably one of the most gifted group of students our high school had ever seen. My GPA in both high school and college was well over average, and I scored insanely high on the suggested standardized tests. I know I’m “smart.”

rebecca twins game

Plus I wear glasses and can keep score at a baseball game. Of course I'm intelligent!

But curiosity (and perhaps a little ego) got the better of me and I read the article. And I read another from BBC News about the same study, just to get a more rounded perspective.

Turns out the study doesn’t say anything about optimists being stupid. That was pure editorializing on the part of The Daily Beast. (Sidenote: Question marks in headlines: I think Jon Stewart puts it best.)

What the study talks about is how optimists tend to misjudge their odds of something negative happening to them, mostly because the frontal lobe of their brains choose to ignore negative evidence.

So an optimists who smokes will be less likely to believe they’ll die of cancer and an optimist who marries will be less likely to think they’ll get divorced. They think this way even though the odds say otherwise because literally their brains reject that negative information.

smoking wedding

Basically: Ignorance is bliss.

While not scientifically accurate, I’ll go on record as an optimist who has experienced both and say that’s not really how my optimism works.

As a smoker, I was painfully aware of the risks associated with my habit. But I happened to be addicted. Ask any smoker how many times they have tried to quit. I think this attempt for me was number 12 or 13 (or 22 or 23).

When I smoked, I knew the odds of having health problems were pretty high. And getting married is, in itself, an optimistic thing to do. The odds of getting divorced seem to be rising all the time. But that’s all they are: odds.

Someone’s going to get divorced and someone’s going to get emphysema. But not everyone. And why can’t I be part of that “not everyone”?

It’s the same mentality that’s keeping me going in running my own business. Yes, I realize that 50 percent of small businesses last less than 5 years, but why can’t I be one of those other 50 percent?

I’m aware of the risks in life. My brain accepts that information but sees that that is all it is: information. What you do with that information is what really matters.

I can’t speak for everyone, but I don’t wanna end my life and say, “Well, I played it safe and made it this far. Now what?” Whether that makes me stupid is someone else’s opinion. And someone great who just passed on put it really nicely:

steve jobs inspirational quote don't waste your life

So for all you optimists out there, keep on keepin’ on. We tend to live longer and have fewer mental health problems,  among many other things. And while it’s not perfect (what is really?), it’s a lot more fun than spending life expecting the worst.

Are you an optimist? How does your brain deal with negative information? What about the pessimists out there? Do you think optimists are stupid, naive, or do you wish you were an optimist?

 

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Why Sunny Sanguinity?


2011
10.08

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

After writing on this blog for five years, I decided I should probably explain the name. I was looking for a word that meant optimistic and went to the thesaurus, where I found the word sanguinity.

optimistic thesaurus

Its definition kind of blew my mind because not only did it mean confident and optimistic, but it also pertained to blood and life. I knew I had the right word for the title of my blog at that moment. Sitting alone on my couch. I can still remember it exactly.

The sunny part came from a nickname at a job I had when I was about 21: Sunshine. One of my coworkers told me I had sunshine in a bag. And as a writer, I’m a sucker for alliteration.

So there you have it: Sunny Sanguinity.

Wondering how to pronounce “sanguinity?” Wonder no more.

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Rainy Day Woman


2011
10.05

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Posted in biking, life | No Comments »

Four years ago I sold my car for more than I bought it for. I haven’t looked back. Since then, I haven’t been too keen on getting a car (unless it was a Subaru WRX) and have made it through several years commuting either on foot, by bike, via bus or the occasional ride from a friend and later, my hubby.

As the rainy season has approached, I’ve kinda geared up for the fact that this is going to be my most intense rainy season/winter I’ve ever gone through. And I say this having a year of commuting in a Minnesota winter under my belt.

Bikes, snow

Photo courtesy of Listen Missy

This year is different. My destinations are more random as I set up meetings with different clients. I live farther away from the bus stops. And the one set place I go is in the opposite direction of Sante’s job, so I can’t even hitch a ride with him a few times a week.

Plus my needs are different. Before I could leave an extra set of clothes and a bit of makeup at work if I got soaked. Oh, and my computer could stay nice and dry at the office since there was no way in hell I would bring it out into the torrential downpour.

Rain storm in Chicago

Photo courtesy of Bernt Rostad

Now I’ve got to get to my destination in said torrential downpour, oftentimes with computer, and still look fantabulous when I arrive.

Today was my first day of biking in heavy rain, and while I think everything worked out OK, there are still a few things I need for commuting in the rainy season here in Santa Cruz.

  • Waterproof pants. It is obvious that the Adidas warmup pants I’m sporting will do the trick in a shower, but not when I’m cruising around the west side with cars splashing puddles of water on me. UPDATE: This was clearly operator error. My pants work fine :)
  • A red light for my bike. I’ll skip the jokes about Californians and rain here, but seriously, a light is needed in order to be seen. I had one, but someone stole it. This is a time when I try to practice praying for my enemies.
  • A front fender.  I also had one of these, but it drove me bonkers because I would always kick it around when I turned corners. I think the benefits outweigh going a little bonkers.
  •  Waterproof gloves. I was nice and warm on my ride except for my poor little hands. Oh so chilly and completely soaked. And as a writer, I’ve gotta show my hands some love. UPDATE: Sante got me the best gloves. They were way too expensive and I love him for it.
  • Waterproof backpack. Although I’ve got a pretty decent set up going (zippered plastic comforter bag inside my backpack), I don’t know if I trust it to protect my computer through a serious storm. UPDATE: They make waterproof backpack covers.
  • Rain hat. OK I don’t know if I really need this, but I’m a sucker for hats, so this seems like as good of a reason as any.

    "Tell me you like my hat!"

I’m sure this list might change as the season goes on, but so far, these are the main things I’ve noticed I need.
And then there’s the few things I’ve already learned about biking in the rain here in town:
  • You probably shouldn’t try to ride over railroad tracks at an angle when they’re wet. You might fall. Just sayin.’
  • Sunglasses keep the rain out of my eyes but might end up being a problem once daylight savings hits.
  • People are seriously curious about someone riding their bike in a huge rain storm. So many people were just staring at me, most likely trying to get a better look at the wild woman in the rain.
Am I missing anything on the rain gear? Do you have any suggestions that have worked for you? And what other advice do I need?
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