I never really liked setting goals. I'm not sure why I have such an issue with them. Done properly, I've seen people achieve extraordinary things. But not me. I'm stubborn. I'm the one who will snarkily tell people on January 1 that my New Year's Resolution is to never make a New Year's Resolution.
Here are a couple of links with tips on writing goals
http://top7business.com/?Top-7-Tips-for-Writing-Great-Goals&id=1345
http://www.mygoals.com/helpGoalsettingTips.html
I'm going to start posting goals as they come to me and worry about organizing them once there are enough to warrant it. Got any tips you use when setting goals?
Monday, February 26, 2007
Friday, April 1, 2005
Steph gets a studio
You know how some things come about when it's the right time? For some time I've been thinking about getting a studio or setting up a space that is dedicated to art that isn't doubling as my office or bedroom or guest room. A couple of years ago, Diana and I went to some Open Studios in San Francisco and I just fell in love with this place that was a multi-building complex filled with artists of every sort. After much hemming and hawing, I completed an application and prepared for a long wait for a studio to open up. I had bills to pay, so I was okay with waiting a while. Well, a couple of weeks ago I got a call from the manager of The Point that there was someone looking to sublet a studio. Unlike some other calls, this wasn't someone looking to share but to sublet her studio, for about 6 months, maybe more. This was in the main building, so I called and went down the next day to take a look at the studio and meet the artist. The space was perfect for me and I let her know that I was definitely interested in subletting the space. She wasn't sure at that point when she'd be ready to move out, but considering that I was painting in my bedroom, I could wait.
A few days later, she'd met three other interested people and picked me for the space. Whenever I think about it I get so excited I might burst. I like the idea of taking a studio for a test drive. As much as I like the idea, I'm not sure if it's worth a long term commitment. If it does work out, I can participate in at least one Open Studio event in October. So I'll get to move in after the Spring Open Studios the first weekend in May. Oh and if the space suits, Diana may join me in the space. Since she is looking to use the studio when I'm at work and I want to use the space when she is home, it could work out well for both of us. Which would bring the already cheap rent even cheaper. I just can't wait. Sorry I don't have any pics for you now, but I'll post some after I get settled.
A few days later, she'd met three other interested people and picked me for the space. Whenever I think about it I get so excited I might burst. I like the idea of taking a studio for a test drive. As much as I like the idea, I'm not sure if it's worth a long term commitment. If it does work out, I can participate in at least one Open Studio event in October. So I'll get to move in after the Spring Open Studios the first weekend in May. Oh and if the space suits, Diana may join me in the space. Since she is looking to use the studio when I'm at work and I want to use the space when she is home, it could work out well for both of us. Which would bring the already cheap rent even cheaper. I just can't wait. Sorry I don't have any pics for you now, but I'll post some after I get settled.
Thursday, January 20, 2005
Sad and complex thoughts
I haven't been updating in here much. I know some of you have commented on how you miss my thoughts and observations on life. I appreciate your gentle encouragement as it was meant and know that I miss hearing for you all as well. I would love to come up with a list of reasons and excuses.
Some of it was work getting so darn crazy. I love my work, but had been faced with a ton of obstacles that kept my mind whirring with ways to do more with less and less and less.
Some of it was just being preoccupied with myself. I've been working out for some time now and just haven't been seeing any real results in the mirror or scale. So I consulted a nutritionist who has put me on the path to righteous eating. I comment often that I am being trained. In my head as much as in my body. What I am doing isn't anything magical, but it has allowed me to fairly consistently lose a pound a week since August.
But mostly I have been spending time worrying about and then missing my Mom who died last November. It's been a couple of months and I find what I miss most are the afternoon calls. My evening is too late to call home, 3 hours ahead of me. I can’t call right after work because I’ve got my gym buddies on my case if I’m late or missing. Or else I’d call Mom in the middle of her television programs, so I started calling (or getting calls) in the late afternoon when my productivity level is already fairly low. It’s a good time to chat most of the time.
I've been out in California for about 8 years now. Eight years ago around now I drove out here with my Amigo loaded up with clothes, my pet turtle, Gauguin, and Mom. Mom was a great travel companion. She liked the same music I did and could appreciate a companionable silence. She didn't drive as much as I had hoped, but it was nice to have someone to hang with for a week and then sightsee through San Francisco when we finally got to town.
She wasn't happy when I moved out here. That was for sure. But we still talked on the phone. If I didn't call her frequently enough, she would joking threaten to call the police to make sure I was still alive. While there were a lot of things we would talk about; books to read, movies to see, computer tutorials, there were still lots of things we didn't discuss. I always thought that there'd be lots of time to talk about the unspoken. But things don't always work out the way you'd like.
I’m starting to get back into the swing of things and find myself collecting thoughts and things I’d like to share with you all. So there will be more entries of frivolous thoughts and odd ideas that just have to be discussed. Oh, I’m going to turn on the comments area for only a short time after each entry is posted. Spammers have decided that spamming comment sections will make you more likely to click on their sites. Please don’t. I’ll delete them as soon as I can. If the comments are turned off and you’ve got something to say, you can send me email and I’ll add your thoughts in.
Some of it was work getting so darn crazy. I love my work, but had been faced with a ton of obstacles that kept my mind whirring with ways to do more with less and less and less.
Some of it was just being preoccupied with myself. I've been working out for some time now and just haven't been seeing any real results in the mirror or scale. So I consulted a nutritionist who has put me on the path to righteous eating. I comment often that I am being trained. In my head as much as in my body. What I am doing isn't anything magical, but it has allowed me to fairly consistently lose a pound a week since August.
But mostly I have been spending time worrying about and then missing my Mom who died last November. It's been a couple of months and I find what I miss most are the afternoon calls. My evening is too late to call home, 3 hours ahead of me. I can’t call right after work because I’ve got my gym buddies on my case if I’m late or missing. Or else I’d call Mom in the middle of her television programs, so I started calling (or getting calls) in the late afternoon when my productivity level is already fairly low. It’s a good time to chat most of the time.
I've been out in California for about 8 years now. Eight years ago around now I drove out here with my Amigo loaded up with clothes, my pet turtle, Gauguin, and Mom. Mom was a great travel companion. She liked the same music I did and could appreciate a companionable silence. She didn't drive as much as I had hoped, but it was nice to have someone to hang with for a week and then sightsee through San Francisco when we finally got to town.
She wasn't happy when I moved out here. That was for sure. But we still talked on the phone. If I didn't call her frequently enough, she would joking threaten to call the police to make sure I was still alive. While there were a lot of things we would talk about; books to read, movies to see, computer tutorials, there were still lots of things we didn't discuss. I always thought that there'd be lots of time to talk about the unspoken. But things don't always work out the way you'd like.
I’m starting to get back into the swing of things and find myself collecting thoughts and things I’d like to share with you all. So there will be more entries of frivolous thoughts and odd ideas that just have to be discussed. Oh, I’m going to turn on the comments area for only a short time after each entry is posted. Spammers have decided that spamming comment sections will make you more likely to click on their sites. Please don’t. I’ll delete them as soon as I can. If the comments are turned off and you’ve got something to say, you can send me email and I’ll add your thoughts in.
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
Swinging to S'pore
Sorry for the delay in getting at least a short entry up for the great fun that was my vacation to Singapore. I was excited to see my younger brother, Bill and his family. I wasn't so excited about spending practically an entire day in an airplane. I packed a bad full of warm weather clothes (completely inappropriate for San Francisco) and treats for the girls and off I went. I was concerned about how I would entertain myself for 19 hours. I brought books, magazines, my PDA filled with games, my iPod filled with music and some paint and paper. I felt more like an 8 year old than a 38 year old. But I wasn't going to take any chances. Nadine, my roommate drove me and my massive suitcase to SFO and off I went. I bought a little currency at the airport and meandered around the new to me, international terminal.
Boarding the plane I found my seat and was please that the plane didn't look too full. I kept one eye on the cabin door and quickly shifted over to a unoccupied center row. On Bill's recommendation I booked my flight on Singapore Airlines. I was please to receive a little booklet containing all of the dining choices for the next day (three meals) and beverages galore.
After that, my attention turned to the thick entertainment guide. Seems that the plane is equipped with personal seatback screens and on demand movies (60 choices, I counted them all), television programs, music (both mixed and full CDs) as well as Nintendo gameboy games. I had to force myself to sleep. I didn't pick up or turn on anything that I brought. I didn't want to get off the plane, but did so knowing that I'd be back to this wonderful place in just a couple of weeks.
The visit itself was fun. Bill and Hyun Joo had been sending me email asking what I wanted to do and see while I was visiting. Mostly I wanted to see them since Singapore will always be there for future visits and I hadn't seen them in about 2 years. When asked what I wanted to see and do, I replied that I wanted to see their favorite places. Granted I did read about Singapore to get an idea of what the place was like and I assumed that my brother would display his innate talents as a great travel guide. Little did I know that his wife was a kick-ass guide herself. Hyun Joo and I spent a ton of time the first week going to various neighborhoods around town. I would admit that we ate our way through Singapore, but honestly, there was too much food and not enough time.
Would I live here? I don't know about you, but everywhere I go, this question pops into my head and floats about. It's the reason why I moved out to San Francisco. I kept finding more and more reasons to say yes. But getting back to Singapore. Well living close to family would be cool. But the heat there was a bit much. And it's not like summertime back in New York. This is hot, humid, your-butt-is-sitting-on-the-equator-for-Pete's-sake! In all fairness, I'm not just picking on Singapore because it's hot. I just couldn't move to Minnesota either. I love Jerome and his family, but anyplace that gets so cold you need to plug in your car is just too cold for me. (I just realized how much my life resembles The Year Without a Santa Claus. One brother is the Heat Miser and the other one is the Cold Miser.)
But getting back to Singapore, there are lots of things that are uniquely Singapore. Some of them are simple things, like the way everyone backs into parking spots. So there you are in that scary mall parking lot with cars zooming around at top speeds and people are zipping backwards into spots. Since I back past two big pillars every day in the garage below my office, I can appreciate this performance under pressure. So after that I think it's only fair to be rewarded with a huge variety of yummy and incredibly inexpensive food at the hawkers stalls. English is spoken in Singapore, but when you are walking around, you hear so many odd additions, it makes your ears perk up. The use of Can and Lah are heard so much, I found myself starting responding with these two common colloquial words.
Spending time with my 2 nieces also introduced me to the concept of uncles and aunties. Hana's lessons in manners extended not just to immediate friends and family but to the uncle driving the taxicab and the auntie running the shop or taking our lunch order.
So I had a wonderful time, which included the tropical paradise that was our holiday within a holiday trip to Lomboc and the Qunci Villas. Many thanks for those kind visitors that allowed us to take their romantic getaway and add the joyful interruptions that only a friendly 3 year old can bring. I was lucky enough to get the best villa in the place (#8) with views of Bali for much of our stay there.
Trip highlights were spending time with Hyun Joo and getting to know her better. She is a great person and partner for Bill. Bill was busy working for chunks of my trip, so he missed out on tea parties and princess dancing. However I will be ever greatful for his introduction to the Zen of talcum powder. No way to get through this town without it.
Boarding the plane I found my seat and was please that the plane didn't look too full. I kept one eye on the cabin door and quickly shifted over to a unoccupied center row. On Bill's recommendation I booked my flight on Singapore Airlines. I was please to receive a little booklet containing all of the dining choices for the next day (three meals) and beverages galore.
After that, my attention turned to the thick entertainment guide. Seems that the plane is equipped with personal seatback screens and on demand movies (60 choices, I counted them all), television programs, music (both mixed and full CDs) as well as Nintendo gameboy games. I had to force myself to sleep. I didn't pick up or turn on anything that I brought. I didn't want to get off the plane, but did so knowing that I'd be back to this wonderful place in just a couple of weeks.
The visit itself was fun. Bill and Hyun Joo had been sending me email asking what I wanted to do and see while I was visiting. Mostly I wanted to see them since Singapore will always be there for future visits and I hadn't seen them in about 2 years. When asked what I wanted to see and do, I replied that I wanted to see their favorite places. Granted I did read about Singapore to get an idea of what the place was like and I assumed that my brother would display his innate talents as a great travel guide. Little did I know that his wife was a kick-ass guide herself. Hyun Joo and I spent a ton of time the first week going to various neighborhoods around town. I would admit that we ate our way through Singapore, but honestly, there was too much food and not enough time.
Would I live here? I don't know about you, but everywhere I go, this question pops into my head and floats about. It's the reason why I moved out to San Francisco. I kept finding more and more reasons to say yes. But getting back to Singapore. Well living close to family would be cool. But the heat there was a bit much. And it's not like summertime back in New York. This is hot, humid, your-butt-is-sitting-on-the-equator-for-Pete's-sake! In all fairness, I'm not just picking on Singapore because it's hot. I just couldn't move to Minnesota either. I love Jerome and his family, but anyplace that gets so cold you need to plug in your car is just too cold for me. (I just realized how much my life resembles The Year Without a Santa Claus. One brother is the Heat Miser and the other one is the Cold Miser.)
But getting back to Singapore, there are lots of things that are uniquely Singapore. Some of them are simple things, like the way everyone backs into parking spots. So there you are in that scary mall parking lot with cars zooming around at top speeds and people are zipping backwards into spots. Since I back past two big pillars every day in the garage below my office, I can appreciate this performance under pressure. So after that I think it's only fair to be rewarded with a huge variety of yummy and incredibly inexpensive food at the hawkers stalls. English is spoken in Singapore, but when you are walking around, you hear so many odd additions, it makes your ears perk up. The use of Can and Lah are heard so much, I found myself starting responding with these two common colloquial words.
Spending time with my 2 nieces also introduced me to the concept of uncles and aunties. Hana's lessons in manners extended not just to immediate friends and family but to the uncle driving the taxicab and the auntie running the shop or taking our lunch order.
So I had a wonderful time, which included the tropical paradise that was our holiday within a holiday trip to Lomboc and the Qunci Villas. Many thanks for those kind visitors that allowed us to take their romantic getaway and add the joyful interruptions that only a friendly 3 year old can bring. I was lucky enough to get the best villa in the place (#8) with views of Bali for much of our stay there.
Trip highlights were spending time with Hyun Joo and getting to know her better. She is a great person and partner for Bill. Bill was busy working for chunks of my trip, so he missed out on tea parties and princess dancing. However I will be ever greatful for his introduction to the Zen of talcum powder. No way to get through this town without it.
Friday, September 10, 2004
100000 Mile-stone
Woo hoo! The old girl rolled over to 100,000 today. I was driving to the gym this evening and noticed that the numbers were dangerously close to 999,999 miles. I started speculating how far it would take to get to the gym. If the parking garage was more than 3 tenths of a mile in and out again. After working out, I managed to remember my quest. I pulled my digital camera out of my work bag to capture the moment for posterity. This brought me back to my childhood where we'd lean over the bench seat of the family station wagon to peer over to see the numbers roll over. For a new car the big numbers were 1000, 5000, 10,000 and so on. An older car hitting 100,000 was a landmark event and we'd drive around for miles so we wouldn't miss it. I will eventually add some of those pics for your viewing pleasure. In addition to the actual odometer reading, I'll toss in one with the great view I enjoyed as I cruised down the Embarcadero waiting for it to turn from 99,999 to 100,000. Mom and Dad would be proud to see the tradition is still alive and well.
Tuesday, June 8, 2004
Toronto Tunes
I was looking for cheap fares to Toronto. Still reeling from an actual vacation to Mexico, I am going to go and visit Toby in July once the dust settles at work. the last few times I'd been to Toronto it was cold and winter-like. We still got out and did things. I am looking forward to a place that is Summer in the summer-time. Pretty much like the time I went to visit Jerome, Anne and the kids in Minnesota one Christmas. I got that White Christmas I wanted and then some.
So back to Toronto. When West had moved there, we went to see Ron Hawkins, the former lead singer of Lowest of the Low, a rock band of local Toronto boys. Ron's got a great voice and I managed to get hooked on him even with his melancholic leanings. Well just to make my day, I went out to do a search for some background information and it appears the band is back together. Now don't be thinking I'm going to let this go to my head. I know my desire for more of their music didn't bring them back together. I know you just can't keep good music down. Now if only I can make a Ranch 1 restaurants appear here in San Francisco, like I could in New York. That would prove that I am indeed all powerful.
Even though most of their songs rock the house, this ballad Subversives, with it's catchy lyrics is still one of my favorites. Of course you can listen to more of their rowdier songs, many performed live on their audio page.
So back to Toronto. When West had moved there, we went to see Ron Hawkins, the former lead singer of Lowest of the Low, a rock band of local Toronto boys. Ron's got a great voice and I managed to get hooked on him even with his melancholic leanings. Well just to make my day, I went out to do a search for some background information and it appears the band is back together. Now don't be thinking I'm going to let this go to my head. I know my desire for more of their music didn't bring them back together. I know you just can't keep good music down. Now if only I can make a Ranch 1 restaurants appear here in San Francisco, like I could in New York. That would prove that I am indeed all powerful.
Even though most of their songs rock the house, this ballad Subversives, with it's catchy lyrics is still one of my favorites. Of course you can listen to more of their rowdier songs, many performed live on their audio page.
Happy Birthday Lili
Today is Lili's birthday. Last October in my music blog, Tune Talk, I wrote about how a favorite CD came to mark the events of my life at the time. I think we all have a couple of those albums, that we listened to until we wore the magnetic tape off the cassette or the grooves off the vinyl (not sure how to wear out a CD).
A few weeks ago I get an email from Lili, who stumbled across my little piece of the Internet and decided to write back. I don't have any grand thoughts that this site will do more than it's intended purpose - to keep my friends and family up to date, more or less, with what's going on in my world and head. So you could imagine my surprise to get this email from someone whose work I admired. It's been fun exchanging email and such and getting to know Lili.
While I do try to keep this space to telling my stories and letting others tell their own, I am especially pleased that Lili has started performing again. I am hoping to get some guest writers either here or in Tune Talk, to share their songs or their side of the story. Oooh just imagine the depths this little online journal could achieve. Okay okay, back to the story.
I always hope to be able to inspire people with my actions. When it comes to my words and rambling stories, I often assume that you are all just placating me when you post complimentary comments. You are all just nice that way.
Other than being inspirational, things around here have been quiet. I've mostly stopped whining about my allergies. I did hear that the wind was up to 40 mph which is a little crazy. I can only hope that it's always blowing me in the direction I am walking. I haven't seen crazy crosswind like this since I worked in Mid-town Manhattan. Actually I stand corrected. Once we thought it a good idea to walk a few blocks to dinner in Minneapolis in February. We had to stand next to the building to avoid being blown into oncoming traffic. Now that is crazy!
A few weeks ago I get an email from Lili, who stumbled across my little piece of the Internet and decided to write back. I don't have any grand thoughts that this site will do more than it's intended purpose - to keep my friends and family up to date, more or less, with what's going on in my world and head. So you could imagine my surprise to get this email from someone whose work I admired. It's been fun exchanging email and such and getting to know Lili.
While I do try to keep this space to telling my stories and letting others tell their own, I am especially pleased that Lili has started performing again. I am hoping to get some guest writers either here or in Tune Talk, to share their songs or their side of the story. Oooh just imagine the depths this little online journal could achieve. Okay okay, back to the story.
I always hope to be able to inspire people with my actions. When it comes to my words and rambling stories, I often assume that you are all just placating me when you post complimentary comments. You are all just nice that way.
Other than being inspirational, things around here have been quiet. I've mostly stopped whining about my allergies. I did hear that the wind was up to 40 mph which is a little crazy. I can only hope that it's always blowing me in the direction I am walking. I haven't seen crazy crosswind like this since I worked in Mid-town Manhattan. Actually I stand corrected. Once we thought it a good idea to walk a few blocks to dinner in Minneapolis in February. We had to stand next to the building to avoid being blown into oncoming traffic. Now that is crazy!
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