Friday, June 29, 2012

30 Second Vacations

I have already confessed to you before that I have a tendency to get a little overwhelmed with worry.  As if it were not enough to have my concerns and fears play on repeat in my head, there are physical effects as well.  My shoulders tense, my jaw clenches down and my breathing becomes shallow.

Figure A. Some signs of stress.  

Luckily, I have a plan!

Yesterday and today I have been reminding my body that it needs to relax.  Whenever I notice my shoulders are up around my ears while I'm writing e-mails, or I'm grinding my teeth while I'm filing paperwork, I'll take a deep breath and spend thirty whole seconds (I know... HUGE time commitment) relaxing.  I'll take a few deep breaths, release the tension in my shoulders, even close my eyes for a moment.

(The eye closing is discouraged if you are in the car...)

This has made a noticeable difference in my exhaustion level at the end of the work day.  It has cut in half the time it takes me to fall asleep at night.  And it keeps me present in the moment throughout the day.  The effects have so impressive... I think I'll keep this up.

I'll let you know how things go.

Figure B. My hoped-for result of this experiment.

~Claire Out.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Korra: The Legend.

This past weekend I finished watching the season finale of "Legend of Korra".  I suspect that the readership of my blog can be neatly divided into two groups: 1) People who have already seen, watched and loved the show and 2) People who would never consider watching a cartoon for fun.


I will be addressing most of this post to the second group.  

(For those of you in group one, the fans of Legend of Korra and probably its predecessor, Avatar: The Last Airbender:  OH EMM GEE, right?  We should e-mail, skype and/or chat all about it really soon.)

Dearest group two,
  First of all, let me address your concerns about watching a cartoon.  I think the majority of your aversion comes from it being labeled as 'kid stuff'.  Beyond the fact that not all cartoons are exclusively for children (Pixar and Anime spring to mind...)  I would like to point out that the sophisticated themes of this show enrich it to adult-worthy viewing.  Like the universally (but-for-my-fiance) popular Harry Potter series, the themes of friendship, destiny, power, balance and family loyalty make it relatable for viewers of any age.

  If universal themes are not enough to win you over, may I recommend this show for it's kick-butt female characters?  Korra, (of who's Legend the show is based on) is a strong, complex and imperfect female lead.  Which is my VERY favorite kind!  There are other female characters that run the gambit of human experience, none is 'right', ideal or perfect, but they each actually bring something to the party aside from 'being female'.

   If female characters are not your cup of tea, then let me recommend the show on its aesthetic appeal alone.  This show has some visuals that could serve as impressive works of art in their own right.  My particular favorites are any sweeping shots of the city's lights.  I mean....

That... is... impressive.

With that, I think I'll end my love letter about Korra.  Themes that resonate, relatable, admirable female characters wrapped in a pretty pretty package... what more can you ask for?

~Claire Out.

P.S. You can watch the show here:  Legend of Korra.  

P.P.S. Two for two days walking so far.  Feeling good.

Monday, June 25, 2012

Walking Challenge

It has been a little while since I have actively tackled positive habits, but I feel like this busy week is probably a good time to start.  (New York style, 'If you can make it then, you can make it anytime!')  I thought of many possibilities to get the ball rolling again in terms of positive change.  I decided to go for a change that has positive ramification to both my physical and mental health: walking.

Physical Health Pros:
A relatively low impact cardio work out.
It is something I can do without any training or prep.
I don't need any special equipment, and I can do it anytime, anywhere, for free.

Mental Health Pros:
Time for my mind to wander, reflect, and recover from sensory overload.
I can appreciate the outdoors.  (Even in LA a deep breath of smog filled air and sunshine can be a welcome change from the air conditioned gloom in a windowless office.)
It breaks up the day and brings variety.

All of these positives the ONLY downside I know of is that it takes up time... but doesn't everything?  It seems worth it to at least try to include this as part of my schedule.  So this week, from Monday to Monday - I will be walking every day.  Not necessarily long walks or challenging walks mind you, but walks just the same.  Is anybody with me?

I'll let you know how it all goes down.

~Claire Out.

Friday, June 22, 2012

Perspective.

Yesterday, I had gotten myself into a pretty bad mood.  Out of habit I clicked to see my Facebook feed.  Instead of the normal slightly mundane observations or petty complaints of status updates we all are guilty of perpetuating, there were pronouncements of excitement.

A newly graduated friend got her first job.

Proud parents were showing off their adorable one week old baby.

And a friend shared about her acceptance into graduate school.

I sat back from my computer, excited and uplifted to be able to share in my friends' good news.  It put my own grumblings into perspective and reminded me that sometimes this crazy "internet" thing can use it's powers for good instead of evil.  Sometimes it can help a grumpy gal like me put things into perspective; helping me remember the victories achieved along with the goals yet to be tackled.

Congratulations to all of my friends and family for the accomplishments, changes-for-the-better and small battles won this week.

~Claire Out.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

New Media Austen

Hello readers!  Today is Wednesday, and it is my hope for the future to post a little something every Wednesday about what I've been reading and watching and a sprinkling of my own thoughts on the matter.

To kick things off I wanted to share a fun web-series that I've been following:  The Lizzie Bennet Diaries.  This is a very modern re-imagining of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.  The videos are short and sweet and you will be able to catch up with the story so far in just one afternoon.


It is fun to watch if...
A) You are a Jane Austen Fan
B) You are in-the-know about Social Media
C) You enjoy adorable red-heads
          (who are we kidding - obviously you do)
D) All of the above.

I personally answered 'D'.

I am really enjoying seeing how the creators translate the characters and situations into a modern setting.  I'm impressed at how well they are able to make the characters stay true to the novel, but still feel very modern and relatable.  The episodes are funny, snappy and full of delightful little tidbits for huge Austen nerds like myself.   


If you want to check out the show from the beginning ... Click Here.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Balcony Improvements 2012 Edition

This past weekend I must have been channeling my Dad on Father's Day because I finally got around to cleaning up my Garden/Balcony.  My Dad is a rabid avid gardener, and it was beyond time to do something about the garden of my own.

My balcony was a prime-time hang-out last summer.  I had updated my balcony ikea chairs, and had tried (and failed) to grow a veggie container garden.  However, since it has been more than a year, my balcony was showing some signs of neglect, observe the terrifying before photos:


Every time I went out there I had the sinking feeling that I was intruding on Spider Territory (Capitalized, that's how serious it was...).  When I wasn't on-guard against Shelob, I was disheartened to see the corpses of my dead veggies still in their pots.  Time for a fresh start to welcome in the spring midsummer.  


My first job was to re-pot my new plants.  I got two new (shade-loving) plants for my birthday from my dear fiance.  And this weekend I pickup up four little herb plants with my birthday money from my grandparents (thank you!).  All my plants were still in their garden-store mini-pots and were yearning for an upgrade.  I choose pots I already owned that looked like they would be a good size for each of them.  


(Clockwise from top left: Cilantro,  Sweet Basil, 
Italian Parsley, and Rosemary)

Then I re-potted.  For those of you who have never re-potted a plant, it is about as easy as it sounds.  After re-potting two of the plants I remembered that you are supposed to 'loosen the root ball' before you set it down in the new pot.  I adjusted and continued on.  


(You can spot some plant corpses on the left)

I then removed the dirt from all my old plants, consolidated the unused dirt into a single pot and stacked up my unused pots, and generally tidied up the rest of the plant shelf.  

Then I went to town sweeping.  I normally can't get too excited about something as futile as sweeping outside, but I have to admit it made a huge improvement.  



Now that the dust, dead plants and the most terrifying of the spider webs are gone I can sit back and enjoy my own little slice of outdoor LA.  



Thursday, June 14, 2012

Baader-Meinhof and Me

The basic idea of the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon is that upon hearing a new word or idea, suddenly you see and hear it everywhere.  I am experiencing something like this effect with a very simple idea, 'live in the present'.

This is not a new idea, it is not a terribly revolutionary idea, but it is one that has recently struck a chord with me (within me?) and I find it popping up everywhere.   Seemingly every article online, every book I read, every conversation with family and friends echos and re-enforces the advice to live in the moment.

While it is a valued skill to be forward-looking, forward-thinking and plan for the future, the majority of my time spent looking ahead consisted of worry.  'What does my future hold?  What if something goes wrong?  What if I mess up?  What if I disappoint the people I love?' was a nearly constant refrain.  And I found it sometimes paralyzing.

I've been aware for a while now that not everyone is plagued by these thoughts, though, until recently I didn't believe I could cultivate a worry-free attitude myself.  I thought you are either born a worrier or you are one of the lucky few.

Now, I'm thinking that one of the ways I can combat my worries about the future and my regrets about the past is to instead focus on the present.  (Duh, right? ... sometimes these things take me a while.)  Instead of all my energy being drained away into fretting about tomorrow, my effort can be put towards taking actions that will help me prepare for it.

That's what has been on my mind lately; taking deep breaths, enjoying small moments, and taking action.

~Claire Out

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Back Again

I find myself on my balcony tonight; two potted birthday plants standing in for a beautiful garden, a scented candle standing in for my outdoor fireplace, the roar of cars on Santa Monica Blvd. in place of the gental lapping of waves on the lake or gurgle of a creek and my single glass of wine standing in for ... several glasses of wine.  And yet, despite the difference between my 'perfect' and my reality, I find myself happy.

It is with that mentality that I return to blogging.  Normally I have this bizar tendency to want to wait until things are perfect.  Tonight, however, I am casting aside my compulsion to wait.  I return to my blog with with full knowledge that I will be embarrassed by these words when I look back on them in the years (or weeks) to come.  I return to you, dear reader, flawed, imperfect, but ready... again... to share.