PoMo Golightly

Ten on Tuesday, Intentions Edition

Today's list is Ten Intentions for 2011.  I am glad Carole didn't use the word "resolutions".  When I resolve to do or not do things, I fail.  A lot.  I'm going to take up her word "intention" and have a more mindful attitude about the changes I want to make.

1. Revamp my project organization.  Not my knitting projects, silly.  That's what Ravelry is for.  I had a few bursts of creative thinking over the last few months, which have led me to several ideas worth exploring.  I want to be able to keep things straight and give ample time to each project.  This week I'm exploring different organizational methods (beyond my usual to-do list tool): Things, Getting Things Done, and the Action Method.  They are all fairly similar.  My task is to figure out which one makes the most sense to me.

2. Perfect cooking rice.  I don't want to buy a rice cooker (though I know Penny loves hers), and I got a slew of advice via Twitter yesterday.  It's time for me to stop effing up the rice.  I want to feel, deep in my soul, what Amy assured me: it is no harder than cooking pasta.  Please don't judge me on this shortcoming.

3. Take longer bike rides.  In 2010, I got on my bike more frequently.  In 2011, I want to continue that frequent riding (once the weather is warm again!) and build up mileage.  I dream of riding my bike across the country one summer, and building mileage is one way to help me to achieve that dream.

4.  Rekindle my daily writing practice.  Last semester kicked my butt.  My good writing habits went by the wayside.  It is time to get them back, get the never-ending novel finished and move on!

5.  Participate in Christina's Project Define 365.  I'm hoping that I can learn to take better pictures, enjoy connecting words and images, and explore my life all at the same time!

6.  Improve my gardening.  We've roped off a sunnier spot in the front yard for the 2011 garden, and I am going to be much more thoughtful about what I plant.  I tend to lose my head when it comes to buying seeds and plants, and I end up with produce I don't eat (peppers!) and have to find uses for or dump on my neighbors.  This year we're going to implement tactics from Gaia's Garden.

7. Finish some of the knits languishing about.  There are so many projects I want to start, but I must have some discipline.  I must.

8.  Go on a yarn fast.  All of the office cleaning I've been doing in preparation for a big design revamp has made it clear to me that I do not need another skein of yarn.  Sure, I might want it, but for 2011, I'm going to set up some guidelines. 

9.  Participate in another 365 project inspired by Noah Scalin.  I'm hammering out the idea still, but I'm close.  I'm close.

10.  Pare down my clothes.  Project 333 has been fruitful, and I want to build on it.  I plan to participate in the next round, with some modifications to make the project suit me better.  I don't want to go back to a crammed closet, though.  

How about you?  What are some of your intentions for 2011?

Thank You!

Thanks to your generous support, Catherine and her class are closing in on raising the necessary funds to help them to build a classroom in Nicaragua.  You are the best, dear readers!  Thank you! Thank you!

I used a random generator to pick a number...and the winner is... lucky number six: Drew!

***

Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, I hope you had a great weekend.  We had an adult Christmas (no little kids.  Boo hoo!), and while it was quiet, it was certainly restful.  The big snowstorm yesterday made it easy to relax on Sunday, and since Neal had a furlough day today (who says the state workers don't give back?), we were able to get out for the first cross-country ski adventure of the season.  Neal took this picture of the brook that wends through the woods across the street from our house.  I felt strong skiing, and my spirits were lifted by the beauty around me. 

Did you get snow?  What are you doing to enjoy it? 

Cookies!

Take a little of this...

Some of that...

To make these...

And end up with these:

I hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday...if you don't celebrate Christmas, enjoy the weekend!  Remember, there is still time to donate to my colleague's project and enter my contest.

Joy to the world!

Ten on Tuesday, Last Minute Gifts Edition

This week's list asks for Top Ten Last Minute Gift Ideas.  Here goes:

1.  Tickets to an event.  A play, a game, a concert, a ballet, a symphony.  Whatever the person enjoys, it is pretty easy to purchase tickets online and write up a card to put under the tree.

2.  Pastry-of-the-Month Club.  I gave this to my dad for his 70th birthday, and when my mom turned 70, she wanted it, too.  I took twelve postcards, stamped and put my address on them, and on each I gave a choice of three things to bake.  The recipient mails the card back, and you make them a treat.  You could do this for anything--chore of the month, dinner of the month...whatever you like to do and you know the recipient will enjoy.  The added bonus: if you live nearby, it's a great excuse to visit each month as you deliver on your club.  

3.  Lessons.  What does the recipient want to learn?  Can you teach that skill?  If so, make up a certificate for a fun afternoon of lunch and lessons.  If you can't teach it, is there a place near the recipient that can?  I'm hoping for a few private downhill ski lessons, but cooking lessons at Sur la Table (or Williams and Sonoma--my sister goes to their classes frequently) would be great, too.

4.  Fitness.  Gift certificates to a yoga studio, ballet school, pool, or whatever your recipient likes to do are quick to order for those near and far.

5. Museum membership.  Pick a museum near the recipient that s/he will enjoy.  The summer I lived in Oxford I visited the Ashmolean practically every other day because I didn't have to pay to get in.  I felt no guilt about going in to look at one object for twenty minutes and leaving.  

6.  Music.  Does your giftee have a huge record album collection?  Get digital copies of the records to make them easier to play (I'm assuming, like us, the record player is not with all the other stereo equipment any more.  Neal keeps his turntable in his work room in the basement.) or introduce your giftee to something new and wonderful.

7.  Massage.  A welcome, relaxing gift, this is easy to purchase long distance or locally.  Really, any spa treatment will do.

8.  Fancy-pants dinner out.  Instead of exchanging gifts, agree with your recipient that you'll wile away a January evening at a posh restaurant.  What fun to have a reason to dress up, enjoy great food, and most importantly, a chance to catch up with someone you love.

9.  Car Kit.  I've got young drivers in mind here, but this could work for anyone, really.  Fill a bucket with stuff to keep the car clean, a snow and ice scraper (if you live where that is needed), add a gas card, and maybe even an emergency kit.

10.  A knit hat. I'm the world's slowest knitter, but even I can bang out a hat in an evening or two.  Make it out of something warm and cuddly like Malabrigo, and even the most basic pattern will be a treat.

I'm breaking the rules by adding an eleventh:

Donate to a great cause.  I hope you'll consider donating to my colleague's efforts to build a much-needed classroom in Nicaragua.  If you do, be sure to enter my contest!

What are your ideas for great last-minute gifts?

How About a Little Contest?

My friend and colleague is bringing a group of students from our University to Nicaragua to build a much-needed classroom.  The group has $3,500 to raise before they go, and I thought I'd share the opportunity to help them with you.  

To thank you for your generosity (any donation is generous in my book!), I'm running a little contest.  Donate between now and December 26, and leave a comment here that you donated (again, any amount, and you don't have to tell me how much), and I'll enter your name for a glamorous prize.  If you're a fiber-y person, I'll send you a skein of hand-dyed yarn.  If not, I'll make you a cushy cowl.  

Ready to donate?  Click here to learn more about the program and to make your generous donation.

Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.  

Project 333, Week 10

This week I wore a pair of shoes not on my list.  Back in late September, I placed a box that contained my black sling-back kitten heels on the top shelf of my closet; that is the shelf where things that I did not want crammed into a box and things that I have purchased to wear post-P333 live.  I put the box up there in case of a funeral.  I did not have any black shoes on my list, and I didn't want them on my list, either, but if I had to go to a serious function, I wanted to be able to dress appropriately.

I did not go to a funeral, thankfully, but I did interview for my contract renewal (good thoughts, please.  I should know next week), and while the interview panel was made up of colleagues who see me sporting my Fluevogs all the time around campus, I felt the need to dress as conservatively as I was able. I debated this a bit, but as my fellow-P333-er, the sage Andrew Odom said, "...break from 333 if you have to. No financial security will have you at Project 00 forever!" 

Here, then are this week's outfits.  

If you'd like to see the cheater shoes or all of my Project 333 outfits, visit my Flickr set. See any other differences?

Before you head off, tell me something: when have you broken rules (your own or those imposed by others) in order to accomplish something in a more appropriate way?

Ten on Tuesday, To-do List Edition

 *
I start almost every day with a to-do list.  I keep them in little notebooks; this year, I was given a fantastic moleskine Daily Planner, and I used it with abandon.  When I find a little notebook that has served as my to-do list keeper, I enjoy flipping back through it, recalling the urgency of projects that are long past.  I usually toss them after a while (though I still have the one I used during my transition from New York to New Mexico.  All the lists from selling my co-op and buying my condo are there.  I'm sentimental that way).  This is one of my busiest weeks of the year as I not only work to get grades submitted but to also plan the spring semester (book orders are due!) and manage holiday activities. 

Here, then, is my Ten Things on My To-Do List list

1.  Grade Composition 101 portfolios (today)

2.  Print materials to bring to interview (today...interviewing tomorrow for contract renewal.  Fingers crossed, please).

3.  Dust and vacuum (today...company coming!  Hurrah!)

4.  Put up Christmas tree and decorate (Friday night)

5.  Grade Bus/Tech writing projects and reports (Friday)

6.  Finish reading client's novel manuscript & provide feedback (by Sunday, ideally)

7.  Wrap gifts to ship to TN (yikes! Today!)

8.  Order Neal's gifts (today!)

9.  Sit quietly and knit (every day, for at least 30 minutes)

10.  Tell Neal he is a rock star (our basement flooded yesterday; from 7-9:30, Neal worked in the cold, wet basement until everything was as it should be) (I've told him this already, but that kind of uncomplaining hard work deserves extra praise, don't you think?)

How about you?  What are you dreading most on your to-do list?  What are you eager to get to?

*Somehow this shot of little cairns, found all over the woods where the dogs and I hike, reminds me of to-do lists.  The little stack of activities that make up a to-do list lead to something more powerful.  Or something.

Project 333, Week 10

I love having my picture taken.  When I'm comfortable with the photographer and feel good, I can be a real ham in front of the camera.  Self portraits are different, though.  I've felt some discomfort in doing them, although some days, when I really love my outfit and know the light is good and my hair came out looking not-a-mess, I have fun.  More often, though, I'm aware of my vanity, and I feel uncomfortable. 

I took on the daily Project 333 pictures after a colleague challenged me to stay honest and keep a visual record.  Sometimes I take thirty or more shots until I see one that, with a little cropping, will show the outfit--okay, let's be honest, me--to best advantage.  Is it insincere to not post the picture where I think my hips are too hippy or my nose looks too long?  These parts make up the whole of me, and I love them for working well, for serving me with little or no pain, pretty well over the decades.

But when the parts don't look they way I want them to in a picture, I often dismiss the picture and find one in which they do.

As I thought about what this reveals about my vanity, I realized something else.  That desire to present my image in a particular way, a way I'm overly fussy about, is exactly why I need Project 333 in my life.

I love clothes.  I love new clothes.  I love feeling that I have taken something classic and made it edgy.  I love looking like I pay attention.  Even if I no longer live a short train ride away from my beloved NYC, I love to imagine that I look like I do live there.  I enjoy being complimented on a well-styled outfit. 

All of this love, this vanity, is what packed my closet.  I have classic pieces, pieces I know flatter and will be wearable for as long as they fit me.  My vanity, though, would lead me to buy cheap trendy clothes to mix with the classics. Project 333 has made me realize that applying my core values to style moves me a little further away from the discomfort of vanity that results in spending money on cheap clothes that might have been made at a very, very high cost.  I have realized that I can be more authentically me by dressing with fewer clothes, with clothes that fit beautifully and work together.  I can share the excess that once burdened me.  I can use my vanity in a different way: I can strive to dress elegantly from a small, well-thought-out wardrobe.  The edginess comes not from the latest trend, in fact, but from my attitude.

I'll continue taking the self portraits.  I like keeping records.  I like learning to use my camera more effectively.  I like the community that is developing around the pictures taken by P333-ers.  A little vanity, harnessed for good, can, after all, be a virtue.

So I'm telling myself.

If you'd like to see all of my Project 333 outfits, visit them here.

Thanks for reading my ramblings!

Ten on Tuesday, Holiday Show Edition

Today's topic is Ten Favorite Holiday Shows.  

1.  Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular.  Rockettes.  Live Nativity.  It can't be beat.  As long as you're going to be in Manhattan for the Christmas show, you might as well make reservations at Rolf's. I love it any time of year, but it is pure magic at Christmas.

2. A Christmas Carol at Hartford Stage.  Need to feel festive?  This show will get you in the mood, no matter how Scroogey you've been!

3.  It's a Wonderful Life.  I always get choked up when the town rallies around George at the end of the movie.

4.  White Christmas.  Snow, snow, snow!  This one gets me when the all the former soldiers sing "We'll Follow the Old Man" to the general.  What loyalty!  What generosity of spirit!

5.  A Charlie Brown Christmas.  Is there a better Christmas soundtrack?  Way back in 1990 when I was first married (the first time) and spending my first Christmas away from my family, my ex and his sisters, seeing how sad and lonely I felt, did the Charlie Brown Christmas dance.  It always reminds me of their sweetness to me right when I needed it most.

6.  How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  Every word, every moment is fantastic.

7.  Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.  One of my mom's favorite holiday songs is "Silver Bells". The show is great, and hearing my mom's favorite song is even better.

8.  Miracle on 34th Street.  I always like seeing that cynical little girl find her way into a miracle.

9.  A Christmas Carol with Alistair Sim.  My favorite film version.

10.  Santa Claus is Coming to Town.  My sister MB will often sing "put one foot in front of the other", which cracks me up.  "Eat, Santa, eat" is another of her favorite quotes.  Apparently, this show made quite an impact on the Army girls!

Time for a confession: I might be the only person I know who does not appreciate A Christmas Story.  I had an ex-boyfriend who loved it, which might be what soured me on it.  I just don't get it.  Am I going to get drummed out of Christmas now?

Now that I've confessed, tell me what your favorite holiday shows are.  Or...what do you NOT like that the rest of the world seems to adore?

Project 333, Week 9

This week on Flickr, Christina asked me "Deep down, do you wish you had more items?  Different items? More or less of something?"  The answer, really, is yes, and, no.  I spent a lot of time putting together my original list.  I know my style, and I like to mix and match.  I don't necessarily wish for more items, but I sometimes do wish for some different ones.  

I miss my jewelry.  Most of it is sentimental, and I put the most sentimental (and pragmatic; my watch is a must have) on the list (a necklace Neal gave me when I lived in New Mexico; it was meant to look like a winter sky in the Northeast), and I put a synecdoche bracelet on the list (I usually like to stack 'em, and the one I kept out stands in for all the others).  I am glad I didn't put earrings on the list, but now that my hair is almost long enough to put up, I would like to have my favorite silver earrings to wear. I'll be passing on a lot of costume jewelry and sharing nicer pieces I no longer wear with family members.  

In embarking on Project 333, I was concerned that I would be unhappy with a limited shoe and purse wardrobe.  Again, I selected the shoes carefully for their versatility and considered what I was most likely to be doing during the three months.  Not once have I wished for any additional shoes.  I will be paring those back dramatically, too.  I only put one purse on the list, a black tote that I could use for work.  It isn't cutting it.  It's a great bag, but I hate carrying it when I'm not at work.  It's simply too big. So in the next round, while I plan to purge many of my beautiful bags, I will have a little more variety.

Want to see this week's outfits?

(Thanksgiving break meant lots of casual outfits!)

There's something exciting on its way (finally!) to my house...all day I've been stalking the tracking for my Uniform Project L.B.D.!  Starting tonight, I'll be playing P333 with 32 items instead of 31!

You can see all of my Project 333 outfits here, and if you'd like to see what fellow P333-er Drew (be sure to hop over to Drew's site.  He is doing cool, cool things!) and I have cooked up, check out our weekly photo game here.

Now that I've dished about what I miss, tell me, what piece of jewelry (remember, wedding rings don't count on P333) you could not do without for three months?

Have a fantastic weekend!