I've most recently labelled my new calendar years Carpe Diem & Moxie in 2010 then Possibility & Brilliance in 2011.
This year is Imagine & Allow.
It's not on purpose...but I can see the evolution of my soul in this progression. First it was: give it all you've got, live out loud, be gutsy and grab ahold. Next it was: expand your vision to see what might be there waiting to dazzle and captivate. Now it is: use less vision and more visualizing, create fertile ground and and around this little sphere so those possibilities have the time and space and nourishment to flourish, bloom and turn into amazing sweetness.
It's how it should be.
Showing posts with label lists. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lists. Show all posts
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Saturday, June 23, 2012
That's what's up!
I love lists.
I make them, tuck them away and forget about them.
I found this one today:
EAT:
green smoothies every morning
50% raw
3 or 4/7 days vegetarian
MOVE:
yoga
hula hoop
bike
walk
jump rope
breathe
stretch
dance
MEDITATE:
a lot
LIFESTYLE:
do art
create something every day
no chemicals
grow things
get rid of things
write love letters
be outside
Isn't this THE LOVELIEST LIST EVER WRITTEN???
I make them, tuck them away and forget about them.
I found this one today:
EAT:
green smoothies every morning
50% raw
3 or 4/7 days vegetarian
MOVE:
yoga
hula hoop
bike
walk
jump rope
breathe
stretch
dance
MEDITATE:
a lot
LIFESTYLE:
do art
create something every day
no chemicals
grow things
get rid of things
write love letters
be outside
Isn't this THE LOVELIEST LIST EVER WRITTEN???
Thursday, June 14, 2012
WWTD?
It’s only days before my year flips and a new year begins for me. This is traditionally a time of deep introspection and reflection. I take the time to visit the previous year’s birthday list…cross off my accomplishments and take inventory of what is left and how my desires have changed. The things that still resonate with me get moved to the next year’s list and new things are added to tailor the upcoming year to who I’ve become and who I want to become.
This year was hard. A few very important items were marked off within days or weeks of creation of the list. Those were amazing and breathtaking. A few more were marked off at random intervals…but not with any kind of intention at all. This past year blindsided me in so many ways. I spent days in courtrooms instead of on hiking trails or beaches or other government offices where I would have rather been. I got a court decree instead of a degree. I was granted custody instead of a passport. I had to be creative about how to keep a very vital relationship on life support instead of breathing life into my art and dreams. I fought and gritted my teeth and made it through one day at a time totally exhausted instead of hitting the gym each day for that lovely physical exhaustion. I went to a funeral and thought of how careless it was to put an Irish wake on my list. I held my family in my heart and hands and lap and cried heartbroken tears mixed with I’ve missed you tears. Money came and brought with it guilt instead of freedom. I deserted my home and fled from my place in the world but not to explore distant lands…only to hide and regroup and try to make sense of so many things that had gone awry.
In light of this last year, the undone items on the list seem so juvenile...and the things that were accomplished that weren't on the list shine with startlingly beautiful significance.
My heart is heavy as I write of this past year's challenges...but I am reminded that every one of them was necessary. I might not have accomplished even a quarter of the desires of my heart as I sat here a year ago and wrote them down, but the things we did/saw/experienced/became were not for naught. We are better. We are whole and here and every day is a reminder that all of our days are precious. We grew and it's a terrible disservice to forget the ludicrous moments of belly laughter, shared secrets, heart-shattering landscapes and views, moments of absolute connectedness and certainty, tears and smiles and hands held that came with those challenges.
This year, I’m moving very few items to the new birthday year’s list. Things have changed so drastically and I’m proud to change with them. The new list reflects so clearly where I am in life.
Basic. Easy. Connected. Sure.
For my 41st year:
Get passport.
Hug people.
Write love letters.
Learn to play one song on the guitar.
Take bubble baths.
Eat lots of green things.
Salute the sun every day.
Drive less, ride more.
Watch live music at every opportunity.
Find someone to speak French with.
Ride in a helicopter.
Go minimal.
WWTD? Get back to basics, that's what. That's where the real magic is...where the living of life has room to fill in between the lines...with color and sound and fireworks.
This year was hard. A few very important items were marked off within days or weeks of creation of the list. Those were amazing and breathtaking. A few more were marked off at random intervals…but not with any kind of intention at all. This past year blindsided me in so many ways. I spent days in courtrooms instead of on hiking trails or beaches or other government offices where I would have rather been. I got a court decree instead of a degree. I was granted custody instead of a passport. I had to be creative about how to keep a very vital relationship on life support instead of breathing life into my art and dreams. I fought and gritted my teeth and made it through one day at a time totally exhausted instead of hitting the gym each day for that lovely physical exhaustion. I went to a funeral and thought of how careless it was to put an Irish wake on my list. I held my family in my heart and hands and lap and cried heartbroken tears mixed with I’ve missed you tears. Money came and brought with it guilt instead of freedom. I deserted my home and fled from my place in the world but not to explore distant lands…only to hide and regroup and try to make sense of so many things that had gone awry.
In light of this last year, the undone items on the list seem so juvenile...and the things that were accomplished that weren't on the list shine with startlingly beautiful significance.
My heart is heavy as I write of this past year's challenges...but I am reminded that every one of them was necessary. I might not have accomplished even a quarter of the desires of my heart as I sat here a year ago and wrote them down, but the things we did/saw/experienced/became were not for naught. We are better. We are whole and here and every day is a reminder that all of our days are precious. We grew and it's a terrible disservice to forget the ludicrous moments of belly laughter, shared secrets, heart-shattering landscapes and views, moments of absolute connectedness and certainty, tears and smiles and hands held that came with those challenges.
This year, I’m moving very few items to the new birthday year’s list. Things have changed so drastically and I’m proud to change with them. The new list reflects so clearly where I am in life.
Basic. Easy. Connected. Sure.
For my 41st year:
Get passport.
Hug people.
Write love letters.
Learn to play one song on the guitar.
Take bubble baths.
Eat lots of green things.
Salute the sun every day.
Drive less, ride more.
Watch live music at every opportunity.
Find someone to speak French with.
Ride in a helicopter.
Go minimal.
WWTD? Get back to basics, that's what. That's where the real magic is...where the living of life has room to fill in between the lines...with color and sound and fireworks.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
What I Trust
Some fights need fighting regardless of the expected outcome.
Being kind matters more than being right.
Being kind does not mean being a doormat and sometimes for good to be done, justice is required.
It's my privilege and responsibility to keep my space sacred.
The formula to peace is simple: Pure intention + solid integrity + transparency - fear = Peace.
Integrity is doing the right thing for the sake of doing the right thing, without attachment to the outcome.
Dogs have perfected unconditional love.
Truth emerges no matter what, so it's such a time-saver to lead with it...and if you doubt truth is what you're getting, just be patient.
The glass house saying is so very true and wise.
An extra moment to be mind~full is a wise investment of time.
Bible stories have stuck around this long because the lessons are ones we crave.
There are movies and songs that have taught me more than some of my Master's level college courses ever did...so I keep watching and listening.
Being me is enough. If if it seems like it isn't, it still is. In hindsight, I've been at my best at times when I thought I was totally broken, messy and unworthy.
Sometimes the best cure is any of these: a solid chunk of sleep, a walk in nature, bare feet in the grass, flip flop tan lines, hot tea, fuzzy socks, a baby's laugh, a picnic or serving someone else.
When in doubt, waiting is fine. If someone or something can't wait when you feel the need to then waiting is even more surely the right thing to do.
We are defined by our choices, in what we feel and how we think and what we consume therefore our choices should be thought~full.
Being kind matters more than being right.
Being kind does not mean being a doormat and sometimes for good to be done, justice is required.
It's my privilege and responsibility to keep my space sacred.
The formula to peace is simple: Pure intention + solid integrity + transparency - fear = Peace.
Integrity is doing the right thing for the sake of doing the right thing, without attachment to the outcome.
Dogs have perfected unconditional love.
Truth emerges no matter what, so it's such a time-saver to lead with it...and if you doubt truth is what you're getting, just be patient.
The glass house saying is so very true and wise.
An extra moment to be mind~full is a wise investment of time.
Bible stories have stuck around this long because the lessons are ones we crave.
There are movies and songs that have taught me more than some of my Master's level college courses ever did...so I keep watching and listening.
Being me is enough. If if it seems like it isn't, it still is. In hindsight, I've been at my best at times when I thought I was totally broken, messy and unworthy.
Sometimes the best cure is any of these: a solid chunk of sleep, a walk in nature, bare feet in the grass, flip flop tan lines, hot tea, fuzzy socks, a baby's laugh, a picnic or serving someone else.
When in doubt, waiting is fine. If someone or something can't wait when you feel the need to then waiting is even more surely the right thing to do.
We are defined by our choices, in what we feel and how we think and what we consume therefore our choices should be thought~full.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
2012
Be pure in your intentions.
Be solid in your integrity.
Be completely transparent.
Don't let fear guide a single decision.
This is my recipe for twenty~twelve.
No more. No less.
Be solid in your integrity.
Be completely transparent.
Don't let fear guide a single decision.
This is my recipe for twenty~twelve.
No more. No less.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Possibility and Brilliance in twenty~eleven
As 2009 ended,
I labeled 2010 the year of Carpe Diem and Moxie.
I declare success.
In 2010, I…
fell for: TV’s Nancy Botwin, Dexter, Earl and Tara. The internet’s Claudia, Mccabe, Allison, Erin D. and Danielle. Touchable humans Nicole, Rachel B, Tj & tj, my wife’s husband, my minis over and over again, Kat and Z. Weetzie Bat and Witch Baby.
made: curry, chapatti bread, tom kha gai, sangria, a million heart shaped waffles, marinated portabella mushrooms on the grill, veggie drawer cleanout soup in the crock pot, an entire raw meal down to the flax crackers made in the dehydrator, a cake in the shape of Gossamer, fresh spring rolls, s’mores and first kiss martinis.
went to: an Italian Masque, Texas, Monterey, Elverta, Caribou, Berkeley, Six Flags, San Francisco, Wilbur Road, an Outlaws game, the Gallagher’s July Party, my baby momma's wedding, Miami, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Jamaica and Seattle…finally…Seattle.
saw: Floater, Counting Crows, Augustana, Ma Muse, The Weepies, Dave Matthews Band, Tainted Love while dressed in full on 80’s duds and last but not least Tony Swanson in the living room…best show of all.
tried: special rice crispy treats, gardening (not for special baking), being off work and a caregiver for 30 whole days, 7 months of living vegan then vegetarian then pescatarian then pollo-vegetarian then semi-vegetarian then just fucking eating what I’m comfortable with and to hell with labels, quitting my job but was promoted instead, saving money then spent it all, being more like that guy but decided I like me just fine.
heralded: chickens in a coop, daffodils, sailboatlessness, the 16th as the first of the month and my bday as the beginning of a new year, the rental dog, Devin’s driving permit, energy efficient windows on the house, a great big fridge, Netflix live streaming and babygirl’s senior year of high school.
decided to: change up the rules, push the boundaries, define my integrity, stop at one kiss, give give give and give some more, smile and believe in possibilities.
2009 was brutal and made turning inward so very tempting…to be safe and to avoid the hurt that comes with taking chances. 2010 needed to be all about taking chances…and it was. 2010 was cut the cords to the safety net, pull down the walls, live out loud and trust that the hurt will be worth the eventual loveliness. And it was. Moxie and Carpe Diem, balls-to-the-wall laughter, adventure and smiles that went on for days on end. It was about chances…some that paid off and some that fell flat with a resounding thud that echoed and seriously made me giggle. Failure was redefined in 2010.
2011, your name is Possibility and your middle name is Brilliance. You are going to be all about newness and solutions to any possible obstacle…real or imaginary. You will embody creativity and love and doing and being present. You are going to take what 2010 started and blow it up in Technicolor rays of light that can’t be ignored or suppressed. You are going to change it all, shake it all up and be smug when it settles and I look around with an amazed expression and a sotto voce “yesss…” You will deserve to be smug…and I’m looking forward to chaos and light and love and laughter and learning and challenge and catharsis.
Be brilliant, 2011…blind me.
I can hardly wait.
I labeled 2010 the year of Carpe Diem and Moxie.
I declare success.
In 2010, I…
fell for: TV’s Nancy Botwin, Dexter, Earl and Tara. The internet’s Claudia, Mccabe, Allison, Erin D. and Danielle. Touchable humans Nicole, Rachel B, Tj & tj, my wife’s husband, my minis over and over again, Kat and Z. Weetzie Bat and Witch Baby.
made: curry, chapatti bread, tom kha gai, sangria, a million heart shaped waffles, marinated portabella mushrooms on the grill, veggie drawer cleanout soup in the crock pot, an entire raw meal down to the flax crackers made in the dehydrator, a cake in the shape of Gossamer, fresh spring rolls, s’mores and first kiss martinis.
went to: an Italian Masque, Texas, Monterey, Elverta, Caribou, Berkeley, Six Flags, San Francisco, Wilbur Road, an Outlaws game, the Gallagher’s July Party, my baby momma's wedding, Miami, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Jamaica and Seattle…finally…Seattle.
saw: Floater, Counting Crows, Augustana, Ma Muse, The Weepies, Dave Matthews Band, Tainted Love while dressed in full on 80’s duds and last but not least Tony Swanson in the living room…best show of all.
tried: special rice crispy treats, gardening (not for special baking), being off work and a caregiver for 30 whole days, 7 months of living vegan then vegetarian then pescatarian then pollo-vegetarian then semi-vegetarian then just fucking eating what I’m comfortable with and to hell with labels, quitting my job but was promoted instead, saving money then spent it all, being more like that guy but decided I like me just fine.
heralded: chickens in a coop, daffodils, sailboatlessness, the 16th as the first of the month and my bday as the beginning of a new year, the rental dog, Devin’s driving permit, energy efficient windows on the house, a great big fridge, Netflix live streaming and babygirl’s senior year of high school.
decided to: change up the rules, push the boundaries, define my integrity, stop at one kiss, give give give and give some more, smile and believe in possibilities.
2009 was brutal and made turning inward so very tempting…to be safe and to avoid the hurt that comes with taking chances. 2010 needed to be all about taking chances…and it was. 2010 was cut the cords to the safety net, pull down the walls, live out loud and trust that the hurt will be worth the eventual loveliness. And it was. Moxie and Carpe Diem, balls-to-the-wall laughter, adventure and smiles that went on for days on end. It was about chances…some that paid off and some that fell flat with a resounding thud that echoed and seriously made me giggle. Failure was redefined in 2010.
2011, your name is Possibility and your middle name is Brilliance. You are going to be all about newness and solutions to any possible obstacle…real or imaginary. You will embody creativity and love and doing and being present. You are going to take what 2010 started and blow it up in Technicolor rays of light that can’t be ignored or suppressed. You are going to change it all, shake it all up and be smug when it settles and I look around with an amazed expression and a sotto voce “yesss…” You will deserve to be smug…and I’m looking forward to chaos and light and love and laughter and learning and challenge and catharsis.
Be brilliant, 2011…blind me.
I can hardly wait.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Cleaning House...
Lately I've been de-cluttering, donating, downsizing. Deliberately and with a completely non-Gemini-like precision.
The area I hit today was my box of school papers...from day one of Junior College through my Master's Program. I had a nice fire in the fire pit tonight. :) All that information, the copies and handouts, chapters copied out of books I refused to purchase, notes and resources, stories and vignettes...all things that contributed to my learning but don't have to be cluttering up that corner of my office any more. The things I turned into toe-warming tonight were all the things that now clutter up a corner of my mind.
Save one. This one made it here...to be commemorated, reflected on and shared.
I don't recall what class it came from or why it was even taught to us...but the lesson it taught me tonight is that some seeds they planted were very very powerful.
10 Characteristics of Physio-psychological Health:
~Positive self-esteem
~Internal locus of control
~Aggressive pursuit of mental health
~Believe in own usefulness
~Development and maintenance of strong emotional support system
~Viewing problems as challenges with potential for positive outcome
~Investigation and pursuit of alternative approaches to challenges
~Able to discuss problems with openness and lack of ego
~Feeling of purpose and meaning to life
~Proactive participation in all aspects of life and self development
I like this list. I like it very much. It's not a "to-do" list where you can check things off as if they are done. It's a "strive for" list that encourages constant forward movement in life...constant change and evolution with hope and promise as the fuel.
I like it so So SO much. You can be anywhere on any given day...today I was about 90% of those things. Yesterday probably about 60% and maybe tomorrow I'll be somewhere in the middle of those two...some days I'm at about 20% and even that is okay. It's all subjective and dependent on circumstance...mostly. The list is the skeleton that never goes away but experience and circumstance flesh out.
The lovely part is that somewhere in some classroom during a class I can't even recall, some teacher had me write it down and in that writing it became my emotional skeleton...what I believe to strive for. It held me responsible for my experiences in this life. It planted a seed that grew into unflagging optimism that life can be an amazing, safe place full of responsible learning, growing and loving.
I'm heading out to toss that paper in the fire pit too...the skeleton is part of me and the information, the seed and the endless possibility are right here, right now for YOU.
The area I hit today was my box of school papers...from day one of Junior College through my Master's Program. I had a nice fire in the fire pit tonight. :) All that information, the copies and handouts, chapters copied out of books I refused to purchase, notes and resources, stories and vignettes...all things that contributed to my learning but don't have to be cluttering up that corner of my office any more. The things I turned into toe-warming tonight were all the things that now clutter up a corner of my mind.
Save one. This one made it here...to be commemorated, reflected on and shared.
I don't recall what class it came from or why it was even taught to us...but the lesson it taught me tonight is that some seeds they planted were very very powerful.
10 Characteristics of Physio-psychological Health:
~Positive self-esteem
~Internal locus of control
~Aggressive pursuit of mental health
~Believe in own usefulness
~Development and maintenance of strong emotional support system
~Viewing problems as challenges with potential for positive outcome
~Investigation and pursuit of alternative approaches to challenges
~Able to discuss problems with openness and lack of ego
~Feeling of purpose and meaning to life
~Proactive participation in all aspects of life and self development
I like this list. I like it very much. It's not a "to-do" list where you can check things off as if they are done. It's a "strive for" list that encourages constant forward movement in life...constant change and evolution with hope and promise as the fuel.
I like it so So SO much. You can be anywhere on any given day...today I was about 90% of those things. Yesterday probably about 60% and maybe tomorrow I'll be somewhere in the middle of those two...some days I'm at about 20% and even that is okay. It's all subjective and dependent on circumstance...mostly. The list is the skeleton that never goes away but experience and circumstance flesh out.
The lovely part is that somewhere in some classroom during a class I can't even recall, some teacher had me write it down and in that writing it became my emotional skeleton...what I believe to strive for. It held me responsible for my experiences in this life. It planted a seed that grew into unflagging optimism that life can be an amazing, safe place full of responsible learning, growing and loving.
I'm heading out to toss that paper in the fire pit too...the skeleton is part of me and the information, the seed and the endless possibility are right here, right now for YOU.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
100th post...100 things!
In honor of my 100th blog post, my list of 100 interesting things about me:
♥ My childhood favorite books were Charlotte’s Web, Horton Hears a Who and Robin Hood…is it any surprise I turned out to be a social worker???
♥ I will watch every Robin Hood movie or TV show. Same for the Three Musketeers. I don’t care how corny it might be, I will love it.
♥ The coolest places I’ve lived have been in apartments above a stationery store and behind an auto tune-up shop.
♥ I attended three grade schools, two middle schools, one high school, two junior colleges and two Universities. Six states and 10 cities. I liked all of the changing and newness…in fact, I miss it. I might be part gypsy. I could move constantly and be content.
♥ My third grade teacher recognized that I had dyslexia and used the informal teaching method her mother used to teach her when she was my age. To this day I still see yellow and a lion walking forward when I see, hear or imagine the letter L…as a matter of fact, all letters have colors to me from this…meaning I was cured of dyslexia but given synesthesia. Fair trade, I say!
♥ I am a voracious reader, thank you third grade teacher.
♥ I have a Masters Degree, thank you third grade teacher.
♥ I prefer sunrises to sunsets…takeoffs to landings…beginnings to endings.
♥ I’m of Sicilian descent and am fiercely allergic to mussels…does NOT fit.
♥ I’m also Irish, Polish and Russian. I am not a mean, stupid drunk who thinks her way is the only way. I rarely get drunk.
♥ When I decide to try a new recipe, in invariably turns out fabulous.
♥ I once pulled off three simultaneous 5 course authentic French meals, started cooking at 2:30 and served at 7…for my friends and family to celebrate Beaujolais. Beaujolais wine is terrible…but the story of it is awesome.
♥ The only time I ever sang karaoke was in a hotel bar far from home, it was Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive”.
♥ The song “Come On Eileen” by Dexie’s Midnight Runners makes me smile without fail, every time I hear it. There should be more songs with fiddles in them. Yes, I know it’s about hallucinogenic drugs and sex. It’s also sort of rock and roll. The holy trinity. Even though it’s crap.
♥ The song “Yeah” by Usher makes me dance no matter where I am. Luckily they don’t play it much anymore. Again, kinda crap.
♥ A good piano riff can bring me to tears…and they use them way too much in commercials.
♥ I tend to cry inexplicably at commercials, unless you know me and know the above fact, then it makes sense.
♥ I’ve learned more history from fiction than from school…authors usually toss in some facts that intrigue me and have me searching for more info wherever I can find it. However, I know literally NOTHING about any of the wars. NOTHING.
♥ I have a strange little round flesh colored raised area on my nose…turns out it’s a wart…which may or may not mean I’m a witch. I do float.
♥ I love Monty Python and the Holy Grail, if you couldn’t guess.
♥ I believe in “sleep on it” because often the answers are really there when I wake up or things are clearer and make more sense. Sometimes things that seemed so very important don’t even matter anymore after a night of sleep.
♥ A misplaced apostrophe will make me cringe. If you are someone who has hurt me and you misplace an apostrophe, I will likely allow myself to feel superior for a split second.
♥ I totally believe there is other intelligent life in the Universe, lots and lots of all different types, but most science fiction bores me to death.
♥ I was frisked by real police at the Mustang Ranch.
♥ My name is not Tar-uh. It’s Terra, like the earth. If you get it wrong, I might ignore you, correct you, sigh deeply and do one of the above or sometimes smile and let it go…but seriously I hate being called Tar-uh.
♥ I rarely wear necklaces…and when I do they are long. I think this is because I was strangled in a previous life.
♥ I believe in reincarnation and collective consciousness. I believe we are all divine, born from a collective divine energy and we return there to be reborn again and again for eternity. I believe this energy is everywhere all the time.
♥ I was raised Catholic. I am not now. I’m not anything in particular other than connected to you with an obligation to do good and be kind.
♥ Reality TV bores me as much as science fiction does.
♥ I love roller coasters.
♥ I will forgive anything, even a lie. But there is a subjective limit to the number of lies I will forgive. I can handle your truth. I can’t handle that you don’t feel you can trust me with it. I’d rather you invoke your right to privacy, that I will respect wholeheartedly.
♥ People hurt each other, it’s just the way it is. If you hurt me and can own your part, we’ll be just fine. Forever. I vow to do the same.
♥ In 5th grade when the teacher was asking what we wanted to be when we grew up I answered with “a prostitute.” I still think that courtesans in the 1500s had it made.
♥ I fall in love many times a day. Sometimes with myself but more often with other people and mostly with men. If you’re reading this, I’ve probably fallen in love with you more times than you know.
♥ I think the mind can cure the body.
♥ I recycle, reuse, never buy paper products except toilet paper, compost, garden, use my greywater and mostly eat only plant based foods.
♥ I don’t think my lifestyle makes me superior or inferior and I don’t care if you eat newborn baby seal meat…I probably won’t cook it for you though.
♥ I drive an SUV. I know that’s a contradiction but there are far too many people, kids and animals in my life for me to drive something smaller.
♥ I recently owned a 26 foot sailboat. I could sail it alone. I sold my sailboat while making this list to a professional freestyle snow skier who invited me to crew his larger sailboat from San Francisco to New Zealand in the next year or two. I just might.
♥ I also drive a convertible muscle car. Rawr.
♥ My mother, my daughter and I make up three generations of Geminiis. Believe me, it matters.
♥ Erica Kane was my hero even though I hate soap operas and drama queens…that was one woman who knew her mischief! I used to tape her shows on VHS and fast forward to her parts. Drama porn.
♥ If I watch a band perform live, I will leave with a crush on one of its members. Usually the bass player. Especially upright.
♥ I have freckles and I adore them. There are even freckles on my irises.
♥ I broke a bottle over a man’s head once. He left his wife for me. Twice.
♥ I saw all three Pirates of the Caribbean movies in full pirate garb. Authentic, period appropriate garb that my Captain would have been proud of.
♥ I was a pirate in the SCA and loved each and every minute of it. Our ship was called the KMA Defyant, KMA standing for Kiss My Ass. We rocked piracy before Johnny did.
♥ Movies that make me cry are the ones where people make decisions or do things that are right despite how hard they are to make or carry out.
♥ My favorite adjective is “bizarre”.
♥ My favorite moments are the surreal ones.
♥ I think being kind is better than being anything else.
♥ A smile from the soul will steal my heart.
♥ Halloween is my favorite holiday. October is my favorite month and Fall is my favorite season.
♥ I believe that not being political is a political stance.
♥ Of the many many forms of intelligent life I believe exist in the universe, I think some of them are here. The octopus, for instance. Dolphins. Savants. Bill Gates. Marie Curie. This list goes on and on…
♥ I have a cousin who is a princess. She’s not really my cousin and not really a princess, but that’s beside the point. She IS a real person, that’s what counts.
♥ Patchouli is my favorite scent. It’s Dad and Fall and Halloween all at once.
♥ I have one HUGE pet peeve, it’s when people say “I’m sorry” and follow it with “but…” and an excuse, explanation, or accusation. The accusation part really gets me.
♥ The only grudge I am capable of holding is against someone who does the above.
♥ I think the two most ridiculous things in the world are pest control companies and mini-storage facilities. Why not attract predators and downsize instead?
♥ I have a HUGE vocabulary, meaning that I know the MEANING of many words…I don’t, however, know how to pronounce many of them.
♥ Tinkerbell is my muse. Rivaled only by Lucille Ball.
♥ I snore. This embarrasses me.
♥ My first crush ever was on Schroeder from Peanuts when I was a little girl. Next was Elton John when I was 12. Knowing this about me should make total sense of my love life…it started with an imaginary character and proceeded to a flamboyant gay man. When my mother broke this news to me, my response after a deep breath was “I can change him!”
♥ I have great memories of high school.
♥ I love accents. Even pretend ones.
♥ I threw a baseball through OJ Simpson’s window when I was nine. He yelled at me. I yelled back. I figure I’m lucky to be alive.
♥ I only got one spanking in my life. I was nine. My step-monster insisted and my mother cried the entire time. OJ would have done worse.
♥ You can tell how tipsy I am by which accent I regress to…first Texas then Jersey.
♥ My name is Tara, my firstborn is Ashleigh, and I wanted to name my son Rhett but was forbidden. I think Daddy was afraid I’d then want a Scarlett. I probably would have. My son is glad to not be named Rhett.
♥ I love to wear flowers in my hair and do it as often as possible.
♥ I think that the phrase “if only” should be followed by action. Anything is possible. Everything is possible.
♥ I despise the word “disappointment.” As a matter of fact, I despise the concept. The state of “being disappointed” is a personal, internal issue.
♥ I think Christmas is a state of mind that should be practiced year round.
♥ I don’t think consumerism and holidays should be paired.
♥ I ask for what I need. It was a hard thing to learn how to do. It’s okay if I don’t get what I ask for…that was even harder to learn.
♥ Rejection and abandonment used to be as scary as bridges and spiders to me…not anymore. The only thing that scares me now is someone stepping out in front of my car and not being able to stop in time. I’m very aware of pedestrians because of this. Pedestrians seem to appreciate it.
♥ San Francisco never ceases to amaze me in lovely ways. There is magic there.
♥ I start my new year on my birthday and each month on the 16th.
♥ Every year on my birthday I write a list of things I want to do/see/become/learn/obtain before the next one, the number of things on the list is the age I will turn at the end of that year. This year is 39 by 40.
♥ I was born on the East Coast but now live on the West Coast. I’ve been here many years and it still mixes me up a bit when I try to figure out which way is north and south. I swear it’s because the ocean is on the wrong side of me.
♥ I don’t say things I don’t mean. Ever. No matter what.
♥ I cry when people do nice things…even if it’s for someone else and I just happen to observe it. I also cry when people I think are apathetic show their humanity.
♥ When a sweet love song comes on the radio, I imagine it as my wedding song for the first dance as man and wife. The “man” part of that always has his back to me…I don’t know him yet.
♥ What I want in a marriage probably doesn’t exist, so I don’t see that dance ever happening.
♥ I think a warm horse on a sunny day is a great smell.
♥ I will scrimp and be thrifty in many areas but not when it comes to my bed. My bed has to be a fluffy high thread count cloud of padding, down and scented softness.
♥ I think “having your shit together” doesn’t mean how many square feet your house is, how successful you are in your career, what your credit score is or what your stock portfolio says about you. I think it means liking yourself, being committed to living your life fully and being intimately acquainted with your integrity.
♥ I think that being given room to make mistakes is the only way to truly develop and define your personal boundaries and integrity. Every mistake I have ever made has been beauty-full and wonder-full in the end because of this belief.
♥ I don’t think cell phones have a place at a table or any time you might have to interact with another person like a drive thru or a checkout stand. I think it is insulting to the person and robs the cell phone user of a valuable moment of connection to a person standing before them.
♥ I will not sing in a group. Caroling and choirs make me run away. I sing in my car and in my shower, period. If you happen to be in either place with me, cover your ears. It is not pretty.
♥ I was raised an only child. My father had another daughter when I was 5 years old. He wanted to name her Tara. Thankfully, someone talked him out of it. Her name is Shaleen and she is beauty~full and amazing and wonder~full…and wants nothing to do with me.
♥ I love black licorice.
♥ Big dogs are my thing, there is usually at least one Great Dane in my life. Little dogs do nothing for me, little dogs in clothes confuse and trouble me.
♥ I will pick simple over fussy almost every time. Cotton over satin, 60 second dry polish over fake nails, flip flops over high heels, silver over gold, generic over name brand…okay maybe high heels when the outfit or occasion calls for it….I did say almost.
♥ I went all the way to pre-calculus in high school but seriously, I have no clue how…I faked my way all the way through and can NOT do any kind of math…and when it comes to doing math in my head, no way.
♥ At a time when my self-confidence hit rock bottom, a man I have never met who lives in a city that I have never visited helped me fall back in love with myself by letting me see myself through his eyes. This man will forever be my hero.
♥ An elf proved to me that I'm not of the lesbian inclination.
♥ I think red roses should only be given once…long-stemmed and in a long white box tied with a ribbon…because she said yes.
♥ I was allergic to watermelon for almost 16 years. Anaphylactically allergic. Carry an Epi-pen allergic. Impending death allergic. I used to buy anything that would make me smell like a watermelon. The allergy finally mysteriously went away. I have been eating watermelon pretty much nonstop since then. I love watermelon.
♥ My childhood favorite books were Charlotte’s Web, Horton Hears a Who and Robin Hood…is it any surprise I turned out to be a social worker???
♥ I will watch every Robin Hood movie or TV show. Same for the Three Musketeers. I don’t care how corny it might be, I will love it.
♥ The coolest places I’ve lived have been in apartments above a stationery store and behind an auto tune-up shop.
♥ I attended three grade schools, two middle schools, one high school, two junior colleges and two Universities. Six states and 10 cities. I liked all of the changing and newness…in fact, I miss it. I might be part gypsy. I could move constantly and be content.
♥ My third grade teacher recognized that I had dyslexia and used the informal teaching method her mother used to teach her when she was my age. To this day I still see yellow and a lion walking forward when I see, hear or imagine the letter L…as a matter of fact, all letters have colors to me from this…meaning I was cured of dyslexia but given synesthesia. Fair trade, I say!
♥ I am a voracious reader, thank you third grade teacher.
♥ I have a Masters Degree, thank you third grade teacher.
♥ I prefer sunrises to sunsets…takeoffs to landings…beginnings to endings.
♥ I’m of Sicilian descent and am fiercely allergic to mussels…does NOT fit.
♥ I’m also Irish, Polish and Russian. I am not a mean, stupid drunk who thinks her way is the only way. I rarely get drunk.
♥ When I decide to try a new recipe, in invariably turns out fabulous.
♥ I once pulled off three simultaneous 5 course authentic French meals, started cooking at 2:30 and served at 7…for my friends and family to celebrate Beaujolais. Beaujolais wine is terrible…but the story of it is awesome.
♥ The only time I ever sang karaoke was in a hotel bar far from home, it was Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive”.
♥ The song “Come On Eileen” by Dexie’s Midnight Runners makes me smile without fail, every time I hear it. There should be more songs with fiddles in them. Yes, I know it’s about hallucinogenic drugs and sex. It’s also sort of rock and roll. The holy trinity. Even though it’s crap.
♥ The song “Yeah” by Usher makes me dance no matter where I am. Luckily they don’t play it much anymore. Again, kinda crap.
♥ A good piano riff can bring me to tears…and they use them way too much in commercials.
♥ I tend to cry inexplicably at commercials, unless you know me and know the above fact, then it makes sense.
♥ I’ve learned more history from fiction than from school…authors usually toss in some facts that intrigue me and have me searching for more info wherever I can find it. However, I know literally NOTHING about any of the wars. NOTHING.
♥ I have a strange little round flesh colored raised area on my nose…turns out it’s a wart…which may or may not mean I’m a witch. I do float.
♥ I love Monty Python and the Holy Grail, if you couldn’t guess.
♥ I believe in “sleep on it” because often the answers are really there when I wake up or things are clearer and make more sense. Sometimes things that seemed so very important don’t even matter anymore after a night of sleep.
♥ A misplaced apostrophe will make me cringe. If you are someone who has hurt me and you misplace an apostrophe, I will likely allow myself to feel superior for a split second.
♥ I totally believe there is other intelligent life in the Universe, lots and lots of all different types, but most science fiction bores me to death.
♥ I was frisked by real police at the Mustang Ranch.
♥ My name is not Tar-uh. It’s Terra, like the earth. If you get it wrong, I might ignore you, correct you, sigh deeply and do one of the above or sometimes smile and let it go…but seriously I hate being called Tar-uh.
♥ I rarely wear necklaces…and when I do they are long. I think this is because I was strangled in a previous life.
♥ I believe in reincarnation and collective consciousness. I believe we are all divine, born from a collective divine energy and we return there to be reborn again and again for eternity. I believe this energy is everywhere all the time.
♥ I was raised Catholic. I am not now. I’m not anything in particular other than connected to you with an obligation to do good and be kind.
♥ Reality TV bores me as much as science fiction does.
♥ I love roller coasters.
♥ I will forgive anything, even a lie. But there is a subjective limit to the number of lies I will forgive. I can handle your truth. I can’t handle that you don’t feel you can trust me with it. I’d rather you invoke your right to privacy, that I will respect wholeheartedly.
♥ People hurt each other, it’s just the way it is. If you hurt me and can own your part, we’ll be just fine. Forever. I vow to do the same.
♥ In 5th grade when the teacher was asking what we wanted to be when we grew up I answered with “a prostitute.” I still think that courtesans in the 1500s had it made.
♥ I fall in love many times a day. Sometimes with myself but more often with other people and mostly with men. If you’re reading this, I’ve probably fallen in love with you more times than you know.
♥ I think the mind can cure the body.
♥ I recycle, reuse, never buy paper products except toilet paper, compost, garden, use my greywater and mostly eat only plant based foods.
♥ I don’t think my lifestyle makes me superior or inferior and I don’t care if you eat newborn baby seal meat…I probably won’t cook it for you though.
♥ I drive an SUV. I know that’s a contradiction but there are far too many people, kids and animals in my life for me to drive something smaller.
♥ I recently owned a 26 foot sailboat. I could sail it alone. I sold my sailboat while making this list to a professional freestyle snow skier who invited me to crew his larger sailboat from San Francisco to New Zealand in the next year or two. I just might.
♥ I also drive a convertible muscle car. Rawr.
♥ My mother, my daughter and I make up three generations of Geminiis. Believe me, it matters.
♥ Erica Kane was my hero even though I hate soap operas and drama queens…that was one woman who knew her mischief! I used to tape her shows on VHS and fast forward to her parts. Drama porn.
♥ If I watch a band perform live, I will leave with a crush on one of its members. Usually the bass player. Especially upright.
♥ I have freckles and I adore them. There are even freckles on my irises.
♥ I broke a bottle over a man’s head once. He left his wife for me. Twice.
♥ I saw all three Pirates of the Caribbean movies in full pirate garb. Authentic, period appropriate garb that my Captain would have been proud of.
♥ I was a pirate in the SCA and loved each and every minute of it. Our ship was called the KMA Defyant, KMA standing for Kiss My Ass. We rocked piracy before Johnny did.
♥ Movies that make me cry are the ones where people make decisions or do things that are right despite how hard they are to make or carry out.
♥ My favorite adjective is “bizarre”.
♥ My favorite moments are the surreal ones.
♥ I think being kind is better than being anything else.
♥ A smile from the soul will steal my heart.
♥ Halloween is my favorite holiday. October is my favorite month and Fall is my favorite season.
♥ I believe that not being political is a political stance.
♥ Of the many many forms of intelligent life I believe exist in the universe, I think some of them are here. The octopus, for instance. Dolphins. Savants. Bill Gates. Marie Curie. This list goes on and on…
♥ I have a cousin who is a princess. She’s not really my cousin and not really a princess, but that’s beside the point. She IS a real person, that’s what counts.
♥ Patchouli is my favorite scent. It’s Dad and Fall and Halloween all at once.
♥ I have one HUGE pet peeve, it’s when people say “I’m sorry” and follow it with “but…” and an excuse, explanation, or accusation. The accusation part really gets me.
♥ The only grudge I am capable of holding is against someone who does the above.
♥ I think the two most ridiculous things in the world are pest control companies and mini-storage facilities. Why not attract predators and downsize instead?
♥ I have a HUGE vocabulary, meaning that I know the MEANING of many words…I don’t, however, know how to pronounce many of them.
♥ Tinkerbell is my muse. Rivaled only by Lucille Ball.
♥ I snore. This embarrasses me.
♥ My first crush ever was on Schroeder from Peanuts when I was a little girl. Next was Elton John when I was 12. Knowing this about me should make total sense of my love life…it started with an imaginary character and proceeded to a flamboyant gay man. When my mother broke this news to me, my response after a deep breath was “I can change him!”
♥ I have great memories of high school.
♥ I love accents. Even pretend ones.
♥ I threw a baseball through OJ Simpson’s window when I was nine. He yelled at me. I yelled back. I figure I’m lucky to be alive.
♥ I only got one spanking in my life. I was nine. My step-monster insisted and my mother cried the entire time. OJ would have done worse.
♥ You can tell how tipsy I am by which accent I regress to…first Texas then Jersey.
♥ My name is Tara, my firstborn is Ashleigh, and I wanted to name my son Rhett but was forbidden. I think Daddy was afraid I’d then want a Scarlett. I probably would have. My son is glad to not be named Rhett.
♥ I love to wear flowers in my hair and do it as often as possible.
♥ I think that the phrase “if only” should be followed by action. Anything is possible. Everything is possible.
♥ I despise the word “disappointment.” As a matter of fact, I despise the concept. The state of “being disappointed” is a personal, internal issue.
♥ I think Christmas is a state of mind that should be practiced year round.
♥ I don’t think consumerism and holidays should be paired.
♥ I ask for what I need. It was a hard thing to learn how to do. It’s okay if I don’t get what I ask for…that was even harder to learn.
♥ Rejection and abandonment used to be as scary as bridges and spiders to me…not anymore. The only thing that scares me now is someone stepping out in front of my car and not being able to stop in time. I’m very aware of pedestrians because of this. Pedestrians seem to appreciate it.
♥ San Francisco never ceases to amaze me in lovely ways. There is magic there.
♥ I start my new year on my birthday and each month on the 16th.
♥ Every year on my birthday I write a list of things I want to do/see/become/learn/obtain before the next one, the number of things on the list is the age I will turn at the end of that year. This year is 39 by 40.
♥ I was born on the East Coast but now live on the West Coast. I’ve been here many years and it still mixes me up a bit when I try to figure out which way is north and south. I swear it’s because the ocean is on the wrong side of me.
♥ I don’t say things I don’t mean. Ever. No matter what.
♥ I cry when people do nice things…even if it’s for someone else and I just happen to observe it. I also cry when people I think are apathetic show their humanity.
♥ When a sweet love song comes on the radio, I imagine it as my wedding song for the first dance as man and wife. The “man” part of that always has his back to me…I don’t know him yet.
♥ What I want in a marriage probably doesn’t exist, so I don’t see that dance ever happening.
♥ I think a warm horse on a sunny day is a great smell.
♥ I will scrimp and be thrifty in many areas but not when it comes to my bed. My bed has to be a fluffy high thread count cloud of padding, down and scented softness.
♥ I think “having your shit together” doesn’t mean how many square feet your house is, how successful you are in your career, what your credit score is or what your stock portfolio says about you. I think it means liking yourself, being committed to living your life fully and being intimately acquainted with your integrity.
♥ I think that being given room to make mistakes is the only way to truly develop and define your personal boundaries and integrity. Every mistake I have ever made has been beauty-full and wonder-full in the end because of this belief.
♥ I don’t think cell phones have a place at a table or any time you might have to interact with another person like a drive thru or a checkout stand. I think it is insulting to the person and robs the cell phone user of a valuable moment of connection to a person standing before them.
♥ I will not sing in a group. Caroling and choirs make me run away. I sing in my car and in my shower, period. If you happen to be in either place with me, cover your ears. It is not pretty.
♥ I was raised an only child. My father had another daughter when I was 5 years old. He wanted to name her Tara. Thankfully, someone talked him out of it. Her name is Shaleen and she is beauty~full and amazing and wonder~full…and wants nothing to do with me.
♥ I love black licorice.
♥ Big dogs are my thing, there is usually at least one Great Dane in my life. Little dogs do nothing for me, little dogs in clothes confuse and trouble me.
♥ I will pick simple over fussy almost every time. Cotton over satin, 60 second dry polish over fake nails, flip flops over high heels, silver over gold, generic over name brand…okay maybe high heels when the outfit or occasion calls for it….I did say almost.
♥ I went all the way to pre-calculus in high school but seriously, I have no clue how…I faked my way all the way through and can NOT do any kind of math…and when it comes to doing math in my head, no way.
♥ At a time when my self-confidence hit rock bottom, a man I have never met who lives in a city that I have never visited helped me fall back in love with myself by letting me see myself through his eyes. This man will forever be my hero.
♥ An elf proved to me that I'm not of the lesbian inclination.
♥ I think red roses should only be given once…long-stemmed and in a long white box tied with a ribbon…because she said yes.
♥ I was allergic to watermelon for almost 16 years. Anaphylactically allergic. Carry an Epi-pen allergic. Impending death allergic. I used to buy anything that would make me smell like a watermelon. The allergy finally mysteriously went away. I have been eating watermelon pretty much nonstop since then. I love watermelon.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Today, I...
woke up early, and sloooowwwwly.
visited with the hens.
watered the garden.
cuddled with our rental dog.
got a shock.
called law enforcement.
cried for my babygirl.
cried with my babygirl.
was blown away {in a good way} by her daddy.
let go of the reins.
asked for what I needed and let it go.
assembled and hung a ceiling fan.
napped in a recliner.
made three squares for my momma.
was petty with a person who deserved it...and still kicked myself for it.
drank home-made mead.
took a dusk adventure walk by the river, camera in hand.
let love surround me.
let my love surround.
was kind in the face of foolishness.
spoke my truth.
watched Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!
wrote a couple of lists.
loved.
sighed.
wrote.
...off to bed soon...
Three beauty~full things:
♥plum eyeliner.
♥yummy fresh spring rolls in rice paper wrappers.
♥lovelies, far flung and diverse and wonder~full and amazing.
visited with the hens.
watered the garden.
cuddled with our rental dog.
got a shock.
called law enforcement.
cried for my babygirl.
cried with my babygirl.
was blown away {in a good way} by her daddy.
let go of the reins.
asked for what I needed and let it go.
assembled and hung a ceiling fan.
napped in a recliner.
made three squares for my momma.
was petty with a person who deserved it...and still kicked myself for it.
drank home-made mead.
took a dusk adventure walk by the river, camera in hand.
let love surround me.
let my love surround.
was kind in the face of foolishness.
spoke my truth.
watched Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!
wrote a couple of lists.
loved.
sighed.
wrote.
...off to bed soon...
Three beauty~full things:
♥plum eyeliner.
♥yummy fresh spring rolls in rice paper wrappers.
♥lovelies, far flung and diverse and wonder~full and amazing.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
39 by 40
For nine years I have done my "Birthday List" in secret, tucked away in a journal, written in rainbow ink or on a candy wrapper...put together in pieces as inspiration strikes or adventure calls. This year, these things are calling for company. This year I want to laugh and dance my way through the list with my lovelies. This year I want to make memories and share experiences...to veer off on spontaneous adventures not listed below and revel in the beauty of it all...together!
My list 39 things to do by the time I turn 40, one year from today...
39. Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. *
38. Do a Free Hugs Day *
37. Get my passport *
36. Learn to play poker *
35. Mad Hatter Tea Party *
34. Read a classic *
33. Try Bikram Yoga *
32. Learn to play one song on the guitar *
31. Visit Seattle, tourist style *
30. Finish thesis *
29. Do the graduate walk complete with hood *
28. Build a pergola on the back patio and plant wisteria
27. Start Lifecoach training
26. Read up on Autism
25. Go on a photo adventure
24. Drive a lotus
23. Paint a lotus
22. Go to a concert
21. Go to an Irish wedding and/or wake...in Ireland
20. Visit the lavender farm and buy plants
19. Do Bidwell Park's guided owl hike
18. Photo session (dreaming of Boho Girl)
17. Have family portraits done
16. Go on a helicopter ride
15. Buy a superhero necklace...Joy
14. Keep up with writing to Shaleen
13. Get that snail tattoo
12. Spend a day alone at the beach
11. Take a road trip with my babygirl
10. Spend a day in bed watching old movies
9. Visit glass beach with my lovely mermaid soul sister (tj i ♥ you)
8. Camp at Fall River
7. Take a road trip to a small town and find its amazing~ness
6. Bubble bath in a clawfoot tub
5. Keep the garden going year round
4. Spend a night in the highest treehouse in Cave Junction
3. Visit the Dread Goddess
2. Live it up on Halloween
1. Learn to use that dehydrator
Any takers?
My list 39 things to do by the time I turn 40, one year from today...
39. Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. *
38. Do a Free Hugs Day *
37. Get my passport *
36. Learn to play poker *
35. Mad Hatter Tea Party *
34. Read a classic *
33. Try Bikram Yoga *
32. Learn to play one song on the guitar *
31. Visit Seattle, tourist style *
30. Finish thesis *
29. Do the graduate walk complete with hood *
28. Build a pergola on the back patio and plant wisteria
27. Start Lifecoach training
26. Read up on Autism
25. Go on a photo adventure
24. Drive a lotus
23. Paint a lotus
22. Go to a concert
21. Go to an Irish wedding and/or wake...in Ireland
20. Visit the lavender farm and buy plants
19. Do Bidwell Park's guided owl hike
18. Photo session (dreaming of Boho Girl)
17. Have family portraits done
16. Go on a helicopter ride
15. Buy a superhero necklace...Joy
14. Keep up with writing to Shaleen
13. Get that snail tattoo
12. Spend a day alone at the beach
11. Take a road trip with my babygirl
10. Spend a day in bed watching old movies
9. Visit glass beach with my lovely mermaid soul sister (tj i ♥ you)
8. Camp at Fall River
7. Take a road trip to a small town and find its amazing~ness
6. Bubble bath in a clawfoot tub
5. Keep the garden going year round
4. Spend a night in the highest treehouse in Cave Junction
3. Visit the Dread Goddess
2. Live it up on Halloween
1. Learn to use that dehydrator
Any takers?
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