Monday Musings

Starting today it's not just me out of the house all day; Jack is working in Boston so he has an even longer commute than I do. Scritchie is moping and being cute all over!

Today was the first day I felt overwhelmed at work- I'm still getting used to how schedules map up, and   how I should organize myself so I don't lose things. But! Today was the prototype review for Spring/Summer 14 with some international buyers and that is a huge huge project out of the way, so I can re-center myself. I really just need to plan out my day better instead of being an unscheduled chicken with my head cut off.

I've also been taking way way way more pictures lately, mostly of Scritchie, but here are a few I took this weekend!

It actually seems like I'll manage taking a photo a day in December! :)

“So be sure when you step, Step with care and great tact. And remember that life's A Great Balancing Act. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and ¾ percent guaranteed) Kid, you'll move mountains.” - Dr. Seuss

Monday Night Quotes #1

For the past few weeks, on the back of my 'daily plan' paper, I will write down a quote and I thought I'd start sharing a few that I'd found throughout the week that really resonated with me. Pretty sure these are all fairly popular, but that's okay!

In three words, I can sum up everything I know about life: it goes on. - Robert Frost

 One thing Jack always says when I start to get worked up is that things will work out, to which I always respond 'whyyyyyyyyyy', and he will look me right in the eyes and say 'because it has to.' And it does! It has to work out, keep going, there is no pause. A second is a second is a second, no matter how we process it.

When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too. - Paulo Coelho

I love this one. It goes with my last post quite closely, to enjoy the fruits of my labor I have to actually, well, put in the labor.  If I want to bring out the best in something I have to give it my best first.

So we shall let the reader answer this question for himself - who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of live and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S. Thompson

I used to convince myself to do things outside my comfort zone by telling myself 'There is a story here, and I want to tell it.' I find this holds true even now, and just thinking with that intention has led me in so many ways- I've gone skiing, gotten comfortable riding on a motorcycle, stayed up all night making superhero costumes out of found items with friends and doing impromptu photoshoots (true story), and more. Hopefully this will get me sky diving one day!

You are the universe, expressing itself as a human for a little while. - Eckhart Tolle

I dream about space a lot. I love learning more about our universe; how the stars work, what all these random balls of gas look like, are made up of, how they've gotten where they are and how we know they exist. It will always be a thorn in my side that I won't be able to travel into deep space on some exploratory journey and see something that has truly never been seen by another living being, but this quote reminds me of something I like to remind myself of. We're all made of stardust, and what can be found in the far reaches of our universe, known or not, exists right inside of me as well.

Maybe you had to leave in order to miss a place; maybe you had to travel to figure out how beloved your starting point was. - Jodi Picoult 

I've posted this one on here before, but with Thanksgiving having just passed and Christmas coming up it is always fresh in my mind.

Up to date Sunday #4

My new Subaru! I couldn't get a good picture of the car because of the time of day. :( It is a 2010 Subaru Legacy~

current song: Marina & the Diamonds - Primadonna

current thoughts: One of the things I've written down this week was about how if I wanted to become the best version of myself possible, it would take a ton of effort. No one gets anywhere without putting in effort- and I can't laze around looking for better things without working towards them. I make my own environment, and I'm the only person who can give myself the results I want. When I lost weight, it took a lot of effort, months of planning out every meal and counting every calorie. Last year, starting in June I think the only unplanned meals I ate were Thanksgiving and Christmas. It was effort and I got results I am proud of.

One of the things I've talked about on here before is how I get lethargic without a routine, and how I want to be more productive and I have been! But I think to be who I want to be in terms of personal happiness, social contentment, etc, I need to do more. Be proactive. Involve myself in projects that support me, and who I feel I am and involve myself with people who make my life better.

In my upcoming job, I hope to carry this with me. I remember at my last job, the best days were when I threw myself into my work completely, and was able to help others. This will always be true for me, and I just needed a bit of a reminder.

current plan: Go get my nails done, clean the apartment- with me starting work on Wednesday I will have less time at home to pick up everything! Better to get it in order now. I'm going to be doing some yoga at home later with the app I talked about last week. I did do a session of Jillian Michael's yoga meltdown which I really enjoyed a few days ago as well, but I don't think I've been able to focus on my own body as well. Plus, the svasana doesn't exist in yoga meltdown and it is my favorite part!

current quote:

Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice, It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.

- William Jennings Bryan 

Up to date sunday #3

Yesterday we went and took down a tree on a friends property, it was pretty neat! It was super loud, the ground shook, and the tree broke apart when it landed. I tried to get video but ran out of space on my phone a few seconds before it came down. Then Jack and I went to Wal-Mart and bought Christmas Candy. :)

current song: Genesis, by Grimes. 

current thoughts: Last night I realized I haven't been reading as much lately. By lately I mean at all. Growing up I got a new book every week, and I'm really sad I lost that sometimes. I found a few books I want to start on today. First I need to finish The Fault in our Stars by John Green, and then I think I'll move on to The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Steven Chobsky because I missed the boat on that one. My favorite genres are young adult and fantasy novels. And possibly new adult now that it's a thing.

current plan: Get out of bed! Charge my kindle, drink some green tea, get caught up on tv and start researching the companies I will be interviewing for.

current quote:

The problem, often not discovered until late in life, is that when you look for things like love, meaning, motivation, it implies they are sitting behind a tree or under a rock. The most successful people recognize, that in life they create their own love, they manufacture their own meaning, they generate their own motivation.

For me, I am driven by two main philosophies, know more today about the world than I knew yesterday. And along the way, lessen the suffering of others. You'd be surprised how far that gets you.

 -Neil deGrasse Tyson in an AMA on reddit.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend and a great saturday!