Musings...

Small tragedies float around us at all times; waiting, watching, and deliberating about who to touch next, who to take from the living, who to leave living but with nothing... The proximity is closer than we all believe. All we can do is try to live the best possible life, be thankful for the seconds and minutes that we have, and wait. At one time or another tragedy will hit all of our lives and will no longer feel small and far off but instead it will be encompassing, suffocating, and life-altering. I am starting to see the importance of living in the present and filling my life with happy memories, objects that I find beautiful or useful, and people who I love right where they are at and vice versa. Good night world, I wish you happiness, health, and enough awareness of the cloud of tragedy that floats so near to our lives to inspire you to be thankful for the moment, relish the beautiful, and delight in the small pleasures of your lives.

Quotes

"We write to taste life twice" -Anais Nin

My favorite quote today:)

Things People Living in Sonoma County Should Know About...

I love discovering new things about the place where I live and I thought it would be nice to share my discoveries with the world, or at least whoever reads this. I only have one little discovery for today, but I promise to post more as I explore.

So....last Wednesday Riley and I had a date night and we went to 3rd Street Cinemas to see The Fighter. Movie tickets at 3rd Street are always $3, but on Wednesday nights they have a Date Night special: 2 tickets, 2 small popcorns, and 2 small drinks for $10. I thought it would be $10 each, but no, it was $10 all together! Definitely a cheap date night! The theater was clean and overall it was really fun. Movies at 3rd Street are normally a few weeks old but worth the wait to save a few bucks and have a nice night with your sweetie. Check it out next time you have a free Wednesday night.

http://www.srentertainmentgrp.com/3rdstreet.asp

They say I'm a dreamer...

I am currently working on a mini career autobiography for the first meeting with my new career coach. It is supposed to be a narrative about my life and career history. I sat down to start it tonight and  got completely off track. Nevertheless, I am somewhat amused by what came out. I will give it another go tomorrow night and try to write a more concise career history. Here is what I came up with tonight. Enjoy!

I have always been a dreamer, from the moment I remember I had grand ideas of what my future would hold. I was going to travel around the world, I was going to be a doctor, a lawyer, an author, in the Olympics. I was going to have amazing friends and throw legendary dinner parties, all while saving the world.  I was going to live the most exciting and meaningful life ever…however, I never quite figured out how I was going to get there. This stems partly from my personality (my nature); I am a visionary, a big picture kind of person, which can be an asset and a liability. In addition, it stems from my generation (nurture) Women in my generation are the daughters of second wave feminists. Even if our mothers themselves didn’t burn their bras or march for women’s rights, the teachings and lessons from the second wave had saturated our culture and way of life by the time my friends and I reached age five. This is a good thing, right? I mean, we grew up hearing that women were just as strong and smart as men, we learned about famous women in history, we were told we were capable of anything and everything. Yes, this was a good thing and something I am extremely grateful for. Women in my generation (and the generation before me) have accomplished amazing things that were never possible or acceptable for our mothers or grandmothers.

That being said, the “you can be whatever you want to be” mentality has it flaws. First of all, the pressure is excruciating. I can be whatever I want to be…ok, but there are so many options and possibilities, what if I choose the wrong one? What if I truly cant be anything I want to be due to my circumstances, does that mean I have failed? Second, although we were told that the sky was the limit I never felt I was provided the direction or guidance on how to become my ideal self. Over and over again I heard “go to college,” as if that was the golden ticket to my dreams. Well I have gone to college, seven years of it, and I am more confused than ever.  Finally, we were told that as women we are equal to men; however, that is not necessarily the truth. Even if our employers are completely just and fair, there is pressure from modern advertising and media to be perfect, domestically, mentally, and physically. Not to mention the innate differences between the ways male and female children were raised and taught, even though we were bombarded by woman-power, "Girls Rock!" idealism. 


If I had continued like this my mini autobiography may have turned into a manifesto. So I decided to stop and try again tomorrow. Maybe a manifesto is what I need, but I'm too tired for that tonight:) 

Honeymoon

Riley and I spent almost the entire month of November in Australia. We traveled from Sydney to Cairns to Melbourne, spending a week in each city. The trip was amazing! It was absolutely beautiful and we had soooo much fun! Looking back on it now it almost seems surreal. Here are a few of my favorite shots from our trip. 

About to board the plane ride- 15 hours!

These are all from Sydney. I'll get to the next stop (Kewarra Beach!) in the next post. 

Adventures in Sonoma County

Sonoma County is where I live. I have resided here for the past 5 years; however, I have yet to feel like it is my home. I moved here for grad school and to be closer to my honey but I never thought I would stay here...even when we bought a house.  This has really affected my outlook on life. Instead of enjoying this gorgeous place where I live I constantly think about the future, the maybes and somedays. As Riley said tonight, it is time to put down some roots! It's time to enjoy my life in the present and embrace where I live. So here goes nothing...

Beautiful Mess

Last night Riley and I went to dinner at this little Italian restaurant in San Francisco. He had a pizza and I had eggplant pasta...yum! Before our dinner came the waiter brought the traditional bread, oil, and vinegar. After helping ourselves I looked down at our plates. "Look!" I said, "Our plates are a reflection of the differences between us. Your oil and vinegar is refined and neat, and mine...mine is a beautiful mess!" Mine was spread all over my plate with a few drops on the rim, whereas Riley's oil was in two neat circles with a small amount of vinegar right in the middle. Riley laughed saying, "That is the perfect description of you. That is what you should call your blog...A Beautiful Mess." Perhaps I will.