It's been quite some time since I've been able to write. Life happens. Things get hectic, work gets busy, meetings with friends and family add onto full agendas. No complaints here because I'm CONNECTing with people, places and things.
I do feel however, that something is missing. When I don't put pen to paper (or rather, fingers to keypad), my head gets a little fuzzy. I'm scatter-brained and I just want to get it all out of my head. I'm glad I've come to this realization because I know very well and desire for writing to be a constant in my life. I hope I provide the tiniest bit of excitement and entertainment to your life through my words. Here we go...
These are the happenings:
1. A personal trip for the love of music to Texas turned into a business trip. I landed in San Antonio, TX and was hired (swooped up) on the spot by a Captain at one of my fellow Trader Joe's stores. So I'm moving up and moving back to Texas!
2. I crossed an item off my bucket list, and ran 26.2 long, hard miles on the hills of San Francisco, CA.
3. I've connected with new friends and reconnected with old friends and life hasn't felt more fulfilling than it has at this very moment ;D
I hope to share more details about the points above [especially the marathon for all you runners and athletes] and provide you with a chuckle or two, but for now...
Let life take it's course. Don't speed it up or slow it down. Let it unfold and bloom at it's own pace. Go with it, flow with it, embrace it. Live here, live now.
Onward...
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Friday, October 5, 2012
Actions and Reactions
It amazes me how perceptions can differ so widely. Yesterday at work I had an encounter with a customer and acted on auto-pilot. It happened all so quickly that as the encounter was coming to an end, I then realized the odd stares I was receiving. I was a bit disturbed, but I didn't break. So this is how the story goes...
A handicapped customer came to my demonstration area and wanted a sample. (The customer was speech impaired, and I quickly realized she could only use her hands to navigate the toggle stick on her wheelchair.)
I asked, "Do you want a sample?"
I heard a muffled, "Yes."
So I said, "OK, I'll get you one."
As I was handing it to her, I realized she could not use her hands to feed herself so I said, "Here, let me feed you, hun."
I started to feed her bites of our Heirloom Tomato Salad and an Eggplant Cutlet. I made sure to make the pieces extra small because she could only open her mouth so wide and couldn't hold her head up very long.
A colleague of mine looked over at us with what seemed like a look of disgust. I kept feeding the customer. Then they just stared at the customer in disbelief.
I asked the woman, "Did you like the salad? It's good, isn't it."
Mumbles came out of her mouth.
My colleague was still staring.
Another customer grabbed a sample from the bar smiled at me, and didn't bother to even glance at the customer I was feeding. It was as if she wasn't even there. The second customer walked straight to the coffee bar as I was feeding the woman, and when she didn't get the amount of coffee she liked she told me, "You better put another coffee out there. This one is low." Again, looking at me straight in the eye, and paying no attention to my actions.
By this time, I noticed a horrid stench. I looked at her wheels and saw dried dog shit piled on. I continued to feed the woman.
My colleague had moved behind the bar and was cleaning, but still staring at the customer awkwardly. Perhaps they thought the stench was coming from the woman?
I waited patiently to serve the woman until the last bite was eaten. I wiped her mouth when she was done and put extra napkins in her Starbucks bag.
I asked again, "Did you like that?"
She looked at me, grinned, rolled her head back, grabbed onto her toggle stick and was off.
--
The caregiver in me came out. It was natural and automatic. I didn't think twice, didn't stop, I just did it. I was shocked at the reactions of my actions, the perceptions of those surrounding the woman in the wheelchair and myself. I was embarrassed for her.
For that small instance, I felt like a mother and a nurse. It reminded me of being my mother's caregiver. [Even though I hardly had to feed my mother because she was extremely independent and rather stubborn at times, wanting to do it all on her own.] I was happy to play that role once again.
Here's what I've taken from that encounter: I truly enjoy helping others. I'm proud of my actions. No matter what perceptions and reactions spun around the woman and I, I'm glad I did what I did. It's what I had to do. It's what I wanted to do. I'd do it all over again if the situation presented itself in the future. I believe, it's our job as humans to take care of ourselves AND one another. It's that simple.
What (or whom) have you taken care of today?
A handicapped customer came to my demonstration area and wanted a sample. (The customer was speech impaired, and I quickly realized she could only use her hands to navigate the toggle stick on her wheelchair.)
I asked, "Do you want a sample?"
I heard a muffled, "Yes."
So I said, "OK, I'll get you one."
As I was handing it to her, I realized she could not use her hands to feed herself so I said, "Here, let me feed you, hun."
I started to feed her bites of our Heirloom Tomato Salad and an Eggplant Cutlet. I made sure to make the pieces extra small because she could only open her mouth so wide and couldn't hold her head up very long.
A colleague of mine looked over at us with what seemed like a look of disgust. I kept feeding the customer. Then they just stared at the customer in disbelief.
I asked the woman, "Did you like the salad? It's good, isn't it."
Mumbles came out of her mouth.
My colleague was still staring.
Another customer grabbed a sample from the bar smiled at me, and didn't bother to even glance at the customer I was feeding. It was as if she wasn't even there. The second customer walked straight to the coffee bar as I was feeding the woman, and when she didn't get the amount of coffee she liked she told me, "You better put another coffee out there. This one is low." Again, looking at me straight in the eye, and paying no attention to my actions.
By this time, I noticed a horrid stench. I looked at her wheels and saw dried dog shit piled on. I continued to feed the woman.
My colleague had moved behind the bar and was cleaning, but still staring at the customer awkwardly. Perhaps they thought the stench was coming from the woman?
I waited patiently to serve the woman until the last bite was eaten. I wiped her mouth when she was done and put extra napkins in her Starbucks bag.
I asked again, "Did you like that?"
She looked at me, grinned, rolled her head back, grabbed onto her toggle stick and was off.
--
The caregiver in me came out. It was natural and automatic. I didn't think twice, didn't stop, I just did it. I was shocked at the reactions of my actions, the perceptions of those surrounding the woman in the wheelchair and myself. I was embarrassed for her.
For that small instance, I felt like a mother and a nurse. It reminded me of being my mother's caregiver. [Even though I hardly had to feed my mother because she was extremely independent and rather stubborn at times, wanting to do it all on her own.] I was happy to play that role once again.
Here's what I've taken from that encounter: I truly enjoy helping others. I'm proud of my actions. No matter what perceptions and reactions spun around the woman and I, I'm glad I did what I did. It's what I had to do. It's what I wanted to do. I'd do it all over again if the situation presented itself in the future. I believe, it's our job as humans to take care of ourselves AND one another. It's that simple.
What (or whom) have you taken care of today?
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Happy Endings
I love movies! Really cheesy, rom-coms that melt your heart when the girl wins the boys heart and gets her happy little ever after ;D They make me smile!
Sex and the City just finished, and I'm so completely and utterly the splitting image of Ms. Carrie Bradshaw ;) [I'm truly grinning right now!] A city girl down to the core, who has a drastically large shoe fetish, writer and hopeless romantic who's always head over heels in love. Carrie's happy ending just made my day ;D
In time, in due time...I'll get my happy ending too! Cheers to that!!
Sex and the City just finished, and I'm so completely and utterly the splitting image of Ms. Carrie Bradshaw ;) [I'm truly grinning right now!] A city girl down to the core, who has a drastically large shoe fetish, writer and hopeless romantic who's always head over heels in love. Carrie's happy ending just made my day ;D
In time, in due time...I'll get my happy ending too! Cheers to that!!
B&W vs. Color
I just walked through the Travel section at Barnes & Noble and instantly I drifted away to far away lands. I touched the covers of the maps and atlases as if they were ancient manuscripts resurrected from the a time when men walked on bare feet and wore cloth skirts. I was overwhelmed with excitement and wonder! Like a kid in a candy store ;P
My mission: Find a world map to complete my wedding gift for my best friend.
I slipped away to the calendars that were nearby where a Parisian calendar entitled, "Remember Paris, 1913," caught my eye. It was filled with black & white sketches of the old Paris - one of the most romantic cities in the world, and most recently, the last stop on my Eurotrip this past summer. Then I found another calendar, "A Walk Through Paris," with the Louvre on the cover. This one was in color ;) It brought me back to that warm summer afternoon when I soaked my feet in the fountains of the Louvre. Ahh...memories...sigh.....
Back to reality, I noticed I was drawn to all the calendars that were full of bright, bold colors. A thought hit me - I remember I used to love b&w photos so much. I hung b&w portraits in my Hollywood studio, I would edit my photos and turn them to b&w and was deathly afraid of neon! But now, black & white seem so triste. So desolate, drab and dreary. I put the b&w calendar down as fast as I had picked it up. Then, I remembered the wise words of someone that I used to know, "Life with you is more colorful." Probably the best compliment I've received in life thus far ;D Recently, I've started to gain that color back in my life. I wear red lipstick, neon garments and accessories all colors of the rainbow. I dine al fresco whenever possible, listen to foreign music, talk to strangers (in their native language if I know it) and smile as often as possible ;D [Did you know it take 43 muscles to frown and only three to smile?] I do not see only two options anymore, no right or wrong, good or bad, beautiful or ugly, there's all the in between, and that, my friends, is where you will find color ;D
I did not accomplish my mission at Barnes, but I did find this one my way out the door...
What color(s) is your life made up of?
My mission: Find a world map to complete my wedding gift for my best friend.
I slipped away to the calendars that were nearby where a Parisian calendar entitled, "Remember Paris, 1913," caught my eye. It was filled with black & white sketches of the old Paris - one of the most romantic cities in the world, and most recently, the last stop on my Eurotrip this past summer. Then I found another calendar, "A Walk Through Paris," with the Louvre on the cover. This one was in color ;) It brought me back to that warm summer afternoon when I soaked my feet in the fountains of the Louvre. Ahh...memories...sigh.....
Back to reality, I noticed I was drawn to all the calendars that were full of bright, bold colors. A thought hit me - I remember I used to love b&w photos so much. I hung b&w portraits in my Hollywood studio, I would edit my photos and turn them to b&w and was deathly afraid of neon! But now, black & white seem so triste. So desolate, drab and dreary. I put the b&w calendar down as fast as I had picked it up. Then, I remembered the wise words of someone that I used to know, "Life with you is more colorful." Probably the best compliment I've received in life thus far ;D Recently, I've started to gain that color back in my life. I wear red lipstick, neon garments and accessories all colors of the rainbow. I dine al fresco whenever possible, listen to foreign music, talk to strangers (in their native language if I know it) and smile as often as possible ;D [Did you know it take 43 muscles to frown and only three to smile?] I do not see only two options anymore, no right or wrong, good or bad, beautiful or ugly, there's all the in between, and that, my friends, is where you will find color ;D
I did not accomplish my mission at Barnes, but I did find this one my way out the door...
What color(s) is your life made up of?
Monday, September 24, 2012
"We all make choices in life, the hardest part is living with them."
Two amazing events occurred tonight!
1. I stayed awake throughout the entire, let me repeat that - ENTIRE - duration of the one hour, 36 minute "The Words!"
If you know me at all, you know I'm a sleeper. One of my dear friends has even named me "Snooze." The minute I sit down and get comfortable, the lights go out. I've always tried to fight it, but you know I can't help it (shrugging shoulders) - that's just what I do.
As the film came to an end, a black frame rolled in and then the credits, I couldn't tell if I was more excited about the story I'd just witnessed, that Bradley Cooper was the Executive Producer or because I FRIGGIN' LASTED! Perhaps, the excitement was a combination of the three?! No fighting, no fidgeting, no use of all my effort just to keep my eyes peeled! I just managed to stay awake ;) This is only the second time in my adult life where I can remember staying awake for an entire film (the first was Paris-Manhattan in France.) I do know this, I am extremely proud of this new accomplishment! ;D
2. A great film to me is when you are so captivated by the story that you escape your own reality and you literally feel like you are physically inside the story on the big screen, living each and every moment of it as it unfolds in front of your eyes. I had a recollection! That intense and believable feeling I had while watching "The Words" is exactly why I went to film school and wanted to break into the biz - to allow people to escape reality for just an hour or two to live inside someone else's reality. Furthermore, I wanted to create stories where people could relate to and really connect with the characters, seeing themselves as one of them.
Unfortunately, I no longer have the desire to create films in the production sense, but rather, I have come to love the base, the foundation of a film which is the story. It's funny, I used to work in a writers' office in Hollywood and had absolutely no desire to do what those writers did day in, day out. Time has passed, I have grown up and now, all I want to do is write ;D In everything that I do, I find a connection to words and start painting the story in my head. I can't stop it, words just flow continuously like a rushing river! Isn't it strange how life works out sometimes? I've found in some cases, our desires become our fears and our fears our desires.
I'd highly recommend "The Words" to anyone. The score fits just like a glove. Casting was spot on. There was one scene where I really enjoyed the cinematographer's eye. He captured Jeremy Irons's eye (The Old Man) through a hole in the leaves of a plant sitting on a shelf. Aspiring writers, this one has a lot of techniques to learn from too ;) I'm interested to find out my fellow film buffs' views on the film [one in particular, you know who you are ;)] I've never been one to spill over a film and what my critique was, but this one's got me going. I don't want to spoil anything more because it's still a fairly new release, but I'd love to hear your reviews once you see the film. [You can post them in the comments section below.]
I'll leave you with one quote from the movie that struck me, and I can relate to very, very well:
"We all make choices in life, the hardest part is living with them." - The Old Man
1. I stayed awake throughout the entire, let me repeat that - ENTIRE - duration of the one hour, 36 minute "The Words!"
If you know me at all, you know I'm a sleeper. One of my dear friends has even named me "Snooze." The minute I sit down and get comfortable, the lights go out. I've always tried to fight it, but you know I can't help it (shrugging shoulders) - that's just what I do.
As the film came to an end, a black frame rolled in and then the credits, I couldn't tell if I was more excited about the story I'd just witnessed, that Bradley Cooper was the Executive Producer or because I FRIGGIN' LASTED! Perhaps, the excitement was a combination of the three?! No fighting, no fidgeting, no use of all my effort just to keep my eyes peeled! I just managed to stay awake ;) This is only the second time in my adult life where I can remember staying awake for an entire film (the first was Paris-Manhattan in France.) I do know this, I am extremely proud of this new accomplishment! ;D
2. A great film to me is when you are so captivated by the story that you escape your own reality and you literally feel like you are physically inside the story on the big screen, living each and every moment of it as it unfolds in front of your eyes. I had a recollection! That intense and believable feeling I had while watching "The Words" is exactly why I went to film school and wanted to break into the biz - to allow people to escape reality for just an hour or two to live inside someone else's reality. Furthermore, I wanted to create stories where people could relate to and really connect with the characters, seeing themselves as one of them.
Unfortunately, I no longer have the desire to create films in the production sense, but rather, I have come to love the base, the foundation of a film which is the story. It's funny, I used to work in a writers' office in Hollywood and had absolutely no desire to do what those writers did day in, day out. Time has passed, I have grown up and now, all I want to do is write ;D In everything that I do, I find a connection to words and start painting the story in my head. I can't stop it, words just flow continuously like a rushing river! Isn't it strange how life works out sometimes? I've found in some cases, our desires become our fears and our fears our desires.
I'd highly recommend "The Words" to anyone. The score fits just like a glove. Casting was spot on. There was one scene where I really enjoyed the cinematographer's eye. He captured Jeremy Irons's eye (The Old Man) through a hole in the leaves of a plant sitting on a shelf. Aspiring writers, this one has a lot of techniques to learn from too ;) I'm interested to find out my fellow film buffs' views on the film [one in particular, you know who you are ;)] I've never been one to spill over a film and what my critique was, but this one's got me going. I don't want to spoil anything more because it's still a fairly new release, but I'd love to hear your reviews once you see the film. [You can post them in the comments section below.]
I'll leave you with one quote from the movie that struck me, and I can relate to very, very well:
"We all make choices in life, the hardest part is living with them." - The Old Man
Friday, September 21, 2012
Wushu Bourdain
I just saw 武術 Bourdain take down six men like Jackie Chan in a black leather jacket and a Yankees tee in Hong Kong. If that's not H-O-T, then I don't know what is?!
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