itchy scratchy

arianne's going to cuba tomorrow, and i wish i was going. she's been buying a few new summery things and it's giving me that itch to shop. or that itch to spring clean. or that itch to make things better. or that itch to just be warm, for goodness' sake.

my game plan to get out of this rut is to get back into my pre-christmas routine, whether or not i feel like it. back to yoga, painting, creating ... just generally being productive.

it's tough, you know, in the winter. i'm much more of a warm weather person; i do garage sales and flea markets and farmers markets and it really gets me out of the house and keeps me fresh.

i'm going to make a concerted effort to find out things that are going on around the city and in my area; there's quite a few shows that are coming up that i want to see ( the artist project toronto, the toronto one of a kind spring show, and canada blooms), so march is gonna rock .. what does a girl do between now and then?

what kinds of creative things do you get up to in order to relieve cabin fever in the wintertime?

another notch in the ol' belt

ok, enough with the monkey business. seriously now.

2010, so far you've been a bit of a bust. (bust no more, my friends, bust no more!)

i've been full on ideas, but low on motivation and inclination. during the course of my time off in december, i spent some time exploring other blogs to try to explore options & new directions for this blog - and i certainly wasn't lacking in inspiration - and i think i have a pretty good idea of where i want to go, but in the meanwhile, i got bloggy stage fright.

silly, huh?

there've been all these things floating around in this lil ole head of mine, that i couldn't even begin to think about what to post. so i didn't. and the more i thought about it, the more it bothered me. and the less i could write.

so, no more. here we go. sometimes you've just gotta post something. jump in with both feet. so i'm a-jumping.

happy two year blogiversary - here's to new adventures!

make time.

oh hello monday! almost didn't see you coming, there.

(no seriously, watch it next time, will you?)

so i've been attempting to practice mindfulness this month and let me tell you - i've been failing miserably at it so far. am going to have to re-dedicate myself to the process.

maybe even get myself back to yoga, too. it's been about six months and both my brain and my body are sorely feeling it's absence. it's time to step it up a notch. the sun's burning a hole in the roof. what we give our attention to is what we become. so let's get a move on.

how do you keep yourself mindful in your daily life? what benefit do you think it'd offer to increase it in yours?

the best time to practice mindfulness is right now. take a deep breath.

check out the mindfulness blog for daily prompts.

quiet post

photo by me

three for three

one: gwen bell is such a smart lady. without a doubt, she's my newest blog crush. her prompts for 2010 encourage mindfulness, focusing on the notion that what we give our attention to is what we become. that being said, i've been marinating in some goals for 2010 for the past few weeks. things that i really need to get moving on. things that will make me a better me. things that will make this a better blog.

and dont get me wrong, this isn't a new years thing per se. it just happens to be something that's been brewing deep in my soul for the past while, and that i only had the time to really think about while i had the time away from work. a re-prioritizing. a shift. it's well needed, and most welcome.

check out her mindfulness prompts here.

two: on a very similar note, i love kal barteski's concept of choosing a word to signify where you want 2010 to go. rebuild, soothe, and (of course), go. rock on, kal. i'm going to think on some words for me, too. i suspect they're going to be very similar in theme.

three: in the spirit of rebuilding, re-prioritizing and becoming better, i've decided that i'm going to invest in myself and take an online class with mondo beyondo. i need to be less busy and pay better attention to where i'm headed. i need to start dreaming for myself for a change, and then making some bold moves and big plans.

what are your plans for 2010?

Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back-- Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth that ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now. - Goethe (sort of, gwen says)