Philanthropy

One of the things that was emphasized during my college years in Greek Life was philanthropy.  I bring this into my life after college in the form of volunteering for an animal shelter.  This is no ordinary shelter, but a foster-based shelter.  Where people help mostly abandoned and puppy mill survivors to find happy forever homes where they are loved.  The big event for this year is happening today so that is where I will be for the entirety of the day tomorrow.  I'm to man the raffle table for the day with backup for two of the dogs.  I'll be dreaming of the day I can afford one of the absolutely adorable Kate Spade Beau Bags.  

Apartment Decor

I have been thinking a lot about my apartment's decor.  Right now it's a mishmash of stuff that I have accumulated over the years.  Nothing is painted, nothing really goes together.  It's just in the only place I could think to put it.  But, as I have decided to make this my home until I buy a house, I must start putting things in an aesthetically pleasing way.  I've been obsessing on Pinterest trying to define a style so I can perhaps start making changes to the apartment.

My 101 in 1001 list touches on this - for instance, #2, #12, #13, #26, etc.  I want nothing more than to live in a space that I can be proud of.  A space that makes me excited to have guests.  Not flinch at the idea of what others see when they step into my place.

My apartment is wonderful, but it has its quirks.  I need to learn to work around it.  I'd love to pay attention to psychological effects of colors and bring in some feng shui.  I came across this infographic - and it's really interesting.

 

Courtesy of NowSourcing, Inc

I've been leaning towards green in my bedroom, so it's nice to see that there is a reason.  I have a big dresser that I adore, but that needs some serious TLC.  I am hesitant to do so because it belonged to my mother, and I don't want to screw anything up.  Another consideration is that it's old.  I think at one point my mom told me it was about 100 years old.  Even more reason to not want to screw anything up.  Also most of the alterations I would want to do require some sort of paint or staining or sanding or something that needs to be done in a well ventilated area.  My apartment is not a well ventilated area, and the weather doesn't really allow for stuff to happen for very long outside.  It's a conundrum.

I'll be sure to keep you in the loop while I go.

-Gingko

Friday Favorites

What I'm loving this week:

Friday Sept 27 2013 by gingkoscience featuring a green polka dot sweater

Have you tried Cookie Clicker? It's extraordinarily addictive.  You won't be able to stop!

Sometimes we all need a pick-me-up.  Gala Darling created this list of movies to cheer you up.

I just took out my TRX and set it up.  I walked the boy through a quick workout - he loved it.  Now I just have to create a schedule and stick with it.  Here's to getting back in shape!

I also need to start thinking about branding for my blog.  I'm not sure where to start so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!  I guess I might want to wait on this just a bit until I get a feel for what I'm going to do with this space.  My own space in the vast wilds of the interwebs.

What has been interesting to you this week?

-Gingko

Embracing Imperfections and Limitations

As a part of my 101 in 1001 endeavors, I will be watching ten TED talks.  This is the first one.

This talk resonated with me and made me think about what I consider to be my imperfections and limitations.  Places where my ability does not live up to my passions.  Most of the time it's my body that holds me back from the things I want/need to do.  Something that sticks out in my mind is a moment from the 2012 Vermont Spartan Beast.  I was probably most of the way through and was struggling down the mountain.  My knees hurt, my body hurt, and I had been racing for at least seven hours.  I was pushing forward because I felt that stopping was not an option, though I wanted it to end.  I was ashamed it had taken me so long to get to where I had been.

I asked the person running next to me (passing me) what time he had started (much later than I did).  And I laughed, it seemed the only thing to do.  He had clearly gone much faster through the course than I.  When I responded with when I had started, he looked at my limping gait and asked if I was ok.  I told him of my struggles with Lyme and whatnot, and he looked at me in awe.  He told me that I was really beating him because I got extra time simply because I was attempting this with the Lyme.

I was doing well, given what I had been given.  Just because people say you won't be great going along the way they think everything should be done.  You have to find your own way to do things - things that allow your "limitations" to become your strengths.

-Gingko

101 in 1001

101 in 1001

These are not bucket list items.  These are meant to be everyday things that expand and enrich my life.  I give myself 1001 days to complete the 101 items.  So, they should be done by June 16, 2016

1.  Create the list  (September 2013)

2.  Finish my wall of art 

3.  Set up a schedule for posting on the blog

4.  Start taking "outfit of the day" shots to create a section on the blog

5.  Wardrobe overhaul

6.  Invest in a classic handbag

7.  Drink 8 glasses of water (or 1 gallon) every day for one week

8.  See all the Harry Potter movies

9.  Send fifty handwritten notes (6/50)

10. Visit a city I've never been to before

11. Revisit Boston

12. Catch up on all the magazines I have

13. Throw out or donate twenty things and do not replace them

14. Create an official address book with friends' and family's information

15. Send out Christmas Cards

16. Spend a day with siblings doing whatever they want, all paid for by me

17. Wear makeup for every day for twenty-one days

18. Make ten recipes off of Pinterest

19. Send my mom and stepmom flowers out of the blue

20. Learn calligraphy 

21. Read 100 new books

22. Get a facial

23. Get my nails done for Orchid Ball

24. Get new glasses (October 2013)

25. Go camping

26. Revitalize five pieces of furniture 4/5 (Nightstand x2, Desk, Makeup container  - October 2013)

27. Go to the top of the Empire State Building

28. Go zip lining

29. Have a friend take a portrait for my blog

30. See ten "classic" films

31. Get a DSLR camera

32. Find out my blood type

33. Go skydiving

34. Finish my Renaissance Faire costume

35. Volunteer at a soup kitchen

36. Donate old clothes 

37. Surprise the boy with something special

38. Donate money to a friend's charitable cause (September 2013)

39. Clean out kitchen

40. Run a 10k

41. Develop an exercise regimen and stick to it for 21 days

42. Take a yoga class

43. Visit five new states

44. Learn how to shoot a gun

45. Learn to snowboard

46. Write a short story

47. Have boudoir pictures taken

48. Give twenty "just because" gifts

49. Achieve target weight

50. Research Dad's side of the family back to immigration to USA

51. See one of the wonders of the world

52. Visit ten new museums

53. Work with an interior designer (or design-minded friend) for one room in my apartment

54.  Work on Inbox Zero

55. Get personalized stationary 

56. Buy a Hermés scarf

57. Join the local public library (October 2013)

58. Floss everyday for one month

59. Purchase and learn photo editing software

60. Go tubing on a river

61. Go apple picking (October 2013)

62. Make my college t-shirt quilt

63. Pay off credit card debt

64. Put together a master birthday calendar and send birthday cards

65. Get up without pressing snooze for one week

66. Avoid eating out for one month

67. Participate in 31 days

68. Build a wardrobe look-book

69. Make 20 things off of Pinterest (not food)

70. Learn to throw a football

71. Discover 30 new restaurants

72. Complete a blog challenge (like A-Z, Something from here, etc)

73. Buy myself flowers every week for a month

74. Spend a week Facebook free

75. Figure out a way to showcase my jewelry

76. Go paintballing

77. See the northern lights

78. See a movie in the theatre by myself

79. Go Geocaching

80. Complete 30 miles in 30 days challenge

81. Leave 100% tip

82. Have my palms read

83. Design the blog to reflect my personal style/content

84. Unsubscribe from as many email services as possible

85. Subscribe to one more style magazine

86. Subscribe to one good home DIY magazine

87. Subscribe to one good cooking magazine

88. Take a free online class

89. Start donating monthly to the Phi Rho Foundation

90. Attend a meetup.com group

91. Dye my hair

92. Finish writing the book

93. Watch 10 different TED talks and review/talk about them on the blog (1/10)

94. Micro-finance 10 female-owned businesses via Kiva

95. 200 Sit Ups challenge

96. 200 squats challenge

97. Write a letter to myself to open on my 30th birthday

98. Buy something from Tiffany's

99. Find an updo and make it my go-to

100. Take one class a season

101. Save $20 for each goal accomplished

Today is about balance

Learning to balance this illness with what I want to do is difficult.  If I do too much, I'm out of the game the next day and possibly the day after as well.  If I don't do enough, I feel as though I'm giving in to the pain.

I also need to balance life and work.  This is something I have always struggled with.  For me, it seems like it's an either-or proposition.  Either I work OR I have a life.  And, unfortunately, work has always been the priority.  I believe it's the need to be successful in tangible ways that drives me.  As though my status in life is a contest with my peers.

I also have a tendency to downplay accomplishments that I consider to have been "easy".  It usually isn't until someone points out how it wasn't as simple or easy as I had been telling myself - that truly, it was something to be proud of - that I begin to see it as an accomplishment.  I suppose i have different ways of viewing things than everyone else.  There are things that need to be done, so you buckle down and make sure they get done - regardless of their difficulty.

I need to get out of the house for more than just work.  So yesterday I went to a live podcast recording of Sex Nerd Sandra at Tabu in Philly.  It was wonderful.  Less educational and more laughter and being open about sex and boundaries and what makes people uncomfortable.  Also a big discussion as to whether pouring H2O2 into your vagina while on your period would be a good idea.  And what H2O2 actually does to blood.  I laughed and really enjoyed myself.

I also discovered my new go-to drink when I'm in a gin kind of mood - a pink elephant.  I believe it's made of grenadine and gin - delicious.  Perhaps a bit of lime.

What I wore last night:

JCrew Factory Popover (only I wore it in red... can't find that on the site)

And jeans with my new Toms shoes.  I brought a jean jacket with me as it was a bit chilly.  Also, this is officially my new favorite shirt.  It's so beyond comfortable, and I don't look like a complete slob (always a good thing).  This is an adventure in dressing for me - not worrying about what other people might think about what I'm wearing, whether it makes me look "fat", but whether I like wearing it.  I want to be comfortable and confident in the clothes I'm wearing.  It seems like a no-brainer, but I've evolved so much that I'm not sure where my tastes lay right now.  So I'll experiment.  

Right now I'm leaning towards a preppy-eqsue look.  I'm loving monograms and really want something to wear my sorority letters on.  Seeing the letters the college girls around my town wear makes me miss wearing my own.  I doubt I'll wear t-shirts and hoodies like in college, but I'd go for subtle things - a lavalier or polos or something.  I haven't decided.  Plus, anything I get has to be custom because most places don't carry my sorority.  Alas.  

-Gingko

Today I'm thinking about Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is not about pain.  Well, it is, considering it is characterized by pain, but there's more to it than just pain.  There's the feeling of helplessness - anything you do causes pain.  And if it doesn't cause pain today, it may very well do so tomorrow.  There's the depression that comes with being so overwhelmed by every single activity and responsibility.  Checking email becomes an impossible task.  Responding to text messages is anxiety ridden and requires several drafts before the final can be sent if I respond at all.  I've also lost all athletic ability that I had.  Stairs are the enemy.  Driving is the enemy.  I'm exhausted for the rest of the day from simply going to get the mail.  It's frustrating and, in my opinion, absolutely ridiculous.

But I cannot allow it to rule my life.  I cannot pause my life until I have this under control.  I have to live mindfully.  I cannot pass up an opportunity that will enrich my soul due to fear of pain.  I cannot give up something today in fear of missing something tomorrow.  Every day is a way for me to get stronger, both in body and mind.  I need to be aware of my needs, and be able to express them to those around me.

Perhaps this is the Universe telling me that I need to learn to ask for help.

Just a thought.

Be well,
Gingko