Category: personal

Blogging Challenge Day 6: My Gender is Sweatpants

30-Day Blogging Challenge
Day 6 Prompt: Masks Off

We’re less than a week away from Halloween! If you had to design a costume that channeled your true, innermost self, what would that costume look like? Would you dare to wear it?

I was going to write about sweatpants, but I have written about this before on Facebook. So I’ll paste what I shared as a Facebook status in January:

The word that best expresses my gender is “Sweatpants.” Continue reading “Blogging Challenge Day 6: My Gender is Sweatpants” →

Journaling Day 3: Something About the Law of Attraction?

30-Day Digital Journaling Challenge
Day 3 Prompt:

According to Law of Attraction, we attract to our lives whatever we give our attention to, whether wanted and/or unwanted. Describe in one sentence something that is uncomfortable and unwanted for you. Then give 5 minutes to writing about how you would like things to be.

What? These prompts are going downhill fast. Today’s Journaling Challenge message had this information about the prompt’s contributor:

Michael Pearlman, M.D. is a Boston area psychiatrist and Personal Life Strategist with a spiritual focus. He uses the Law of Attraction to help people reveal their Divine Self-Expression and live the life of their dreams. Throughout his journey, journaling provided clarity and insights, and, at a deeper level, a way of listening to the soul. This awakening led him to develop Law of Attraction Journaling. The LoA Journal provides a direct route to Self-Realization via an intentional, meditative journaling inquiry – guiding people to effectively separate their heart’s will from their ego’s will.

Oh my god, no. Continue reading “Journaling Day 3: Something About the Law of Attraction?” →

Journaling Day 2: I Am Supposed to Have a Conversation with My Body

30-Day Digital Journaling Challenge
Day 2 Prompt:

Today when you begin your writing, spend a few moments to bring your awareness to your physical experience and tune in to your body. Run an inventory check from the tips of your toes to the top of your head. In your journal, greet your body/tension or feeling. Perhaps ask its name. Then ask what is has to tell you today. What is the message your body has for you? How does it feel? Is there any pain or tension? Is there any sensation you’ve been ignoring? Allow the words to flow. Once your body has responded, ask the next question that occurs to you. Type the questions and answers on separate lines, and indicate which “voice” is speaking throughout the conversation.

Uhhhh…what? After reading that prompt three times I’m even more tempted to throw the prompt out of the window. I was trying to avoid this kind of creative writing assignment…

But damn, Day Two and I already don’t want to do this? Blaaaaaaaah. Okay. I’ll give it a go. Continue reading “Journaling Day 2: I Am Supposed to Have a Conversation with My Body” →

Mopey Musings on My Dead Father’s Birthday

My father would have been 76 today, except that he died two years and one day ago. Being from Philadelphia, silly as it is, I would have celebrated his 76th as an extra-special birthday.

Mourning and grief are reasonable. Mourning and grief are irrational. I make decisions to feel and behave a certain way, but I still find tears in my eyes during Johnny Cash songs in the car. We would sing along to a Greatest Hits cassette in the kitchen when I was a kid. Why didn’t I ever accept his invitations to go to Chi-Chi’s for karaoke? Continue reading “Mopey Musings on My Dead Father’s Birthday” →

Seventh Grade English Writing Assignment: “English: Descriptive Language”

Here’s another elementary school assignment I typed up. In this one, I had to try to cram in examples of descriptive language and identify them for the teacher. Blah. I left my old notes in. I’m pretty sure from the language used that I didn’t take the assignment too seriously—and after reading the teacher’s notes, it looks like I didn’t follow the directions too closely, either.

I left in any grammar and spelling mistakes I may have made. I’m pretty sure I had trouble keeping the tense consistent at that time. It’s all over the place! Continue reading “Seventh Grade English Writing Assignment: “English: Descriptive Language”” →

I Had Minor Surgery on My Leg Today

The procedure is called varicose vein ablation, or “VNUS Closure™.” I have a family history of blood clots, which I’ve been taking into account in recent health decisions (avoiding hormonal birth control, exercising more to increase cardiovascular health, etc.). The pulmonary embolism my mom suffered a few months ago spurred me to check out treatment options for the varicose vein I’ve had on my right leg since I was 19. (Retail. Long shifts standing in one place.)

I’m throwing this post up quickly; just wanted to keep my family and some others in the loop. Pictures after the jump. Note: Don’t look if you’re squeamish. Continue reading “I Had Minor Surgery on My Leg Today” →

Baking on a Sunday Afternoon

On Saturday my coworker and roommate reminded me that there’s a CFI community potluck on Wednesday! It’s like the best day all month, with all sorts of tasty noms for eating and a fun crowd to hang out with.  He plans to make pork and vegetarian dumplings, although I can’t believe he’d want to spend so much time pinching so many little dumplings closed. I have little cooking experience (or interest), so I usually bake desserts instead. For some reason, I’m completely willing to spend hours baking—I even enjoy it!—but cooking for more than 20 minutes seems like an unnecessary chore.

There were leftover carrots in the fridge from Christmas weekend, so I decided to whip up carrot cake with some tweaks to the recipe. Because I know there are raisin-haters out there, I made one batch with raisins and one without.

The cake with raisins is two layers (nine-inch rounds) topped with cream cheese frosting from scratch, chopped pecans on the sides, and some almonds thrown on for decoration. I got impatient so didn’t smooth out the top as well as I could have. (It still tastes fine, I’m sure.) Continue reading “Baking on a Sunday Afternoon” →