March 2010

RELAXING! It’s been a little while since I had one of those weekends where you get to completely and totally just enjoy time off, in the sun, being with someone you love, enjoying and smiling and laughing. It makes me ready for the week. Especially when it’s a three day week.

I also realized this weekend that I have the most amazing dog ever. Seriously she is so great. Despite the grumps every once in awhile with other dogs, she is so easy to take just about anywhere. She just gets along, walks from person to person getting love, and settles into the groove in new situations. Plus taking her to the beach today and she finally is at an age where she pretty much just sticks by our side. Plays a bit in the water, begs to have her ball thrown and head scratched, and then snuggles up to enjoy the sun. Not really sure what I’m going to do when I have to start all over again since I finally have this pup just the way I like her!

Another great (warning: sappiness ahead) thing about this weekend is realizing that the more time I spend with ol’ PB the more I realize “wow I really like this guy”. It is incredible how being with someone can be so easy and so fulfilling at the same time. Just a few more days and we get to head to Colorado to see his fam, get a last ski day of the season in, and be hippies in Boulder.

oh and p.s. Happy Palm Sunday!

Bungalow 360 bags. Fun, cute designs for the summer. I bought the Otter design (which I don’t even see on their website) today in the wristlet size.

Simple shoes. I’m such a hippie.

Organic Lavender Bath Tea. Beautiful and probably very refreshing. I am very into lavender right now and would love go to here for a day trip.

Our dorky Star Wars loving President.

*note: I may or may not (ok I did) have bought at least a few of these items today. Ok well not Obama, although that would’ve made for a far more interesting day.

Yes Mr. Vice President you’re right … this is a big f-ing deal.

With the flick of his pen President Obama signed the landmark health care bill today and marked, for me, a truly momentous and encouraging occasion. All the negativity, the scowling and roadblocks and hatefulness, the fear mongering and ignorance finally just melted away and I really did take some time today to be excited about what I believe to be a huge step in the right direction for our country and for Americans.

And apparently, despite the media saying that this bill has been signed despite that the entirety of the country is against it, a new Gallup poll that came out today shows that in actuality 49% think it’s a good thing (against 40% that think it’s a bad thing and 11% with no opinion). Ok so that isn’t the overwhelming support I would hope for but with all the … well let’s just say it’s a good start on convincing the public that this is a good and a necessary change to a system that just plain isn’t working for our country and our longterm success.

I’m so proud of Pelosi. Proud of our Congress for finally getting the courage to do the right thing. Proud of our President and Vice President. Proud of Teddy Kennedy, who finally at long last can rest easy. Of the Clintons who helped start this fight. Of those who fought for this before and those who will continue to have to fight for it as we move forward.

Of all forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane. – Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

More tomorrow but just wanted to make sure to just at least say CONGRATS to my amazing pilot who got his wings on Friday and I guess now can go by Instructor Bergman. It was a great weekend of celebrating, dancing, and enjoying being together.

I’m still wrapping my head around the incredible awesomeness that was SXSW Interactive. It was the most exhausting, most inspiring, most thought provoking experience. No, seriously. Being around so many people who are passionate about so many things – it just really wakes you up.

If I were to begin talking about some of the major themes they would mainly center around a few key words and phrases:

Game dynamics.

Mobile. Mobile. Mobile.

Crowdsourcing.

Location is key. The future of mobile is local.

(insert word here) 2.0

I really am proud of how I motivated myself to attend quite a high percentage of the panels, including those at 9:30 am. And 5:00 pm. Also, I had the great pleasure of getting out of my comfort zone a little and going to sessions about ideas that I am not entirely sure are entirely applicable to my interests or what I do right now. Let’s just say that in one of them we learned about a game that involves murderous vampires. But that’s the point right? Learning something new that you won’t have the opportunity to really learn about anywhere else. Or that at least you wouldn’t TAKE the opportunity to learn about anywhere else.

I also managed to get out of my comfort zone a bit and network, meet new people, and just take chances. I feel like anymore, and this is in my life as a whole, I’m trying to be good about listening to my gut. This is tough, admittedly. Does this mean that I’m always entirely sure that what my gut is telling me is correct? No. But the fact is that the decisions I make now are those that I’m going to have to be comfortable living with. I just want to make sure I’m giving myself every opportunity to be happy, to take new things in, and to enjoy the life that I’ve been given. Ok, so that’s a little bit off the tech track of SXSW.

One last thing: Hugh Forrest, the guy who puts together SXSW Interactive, spoke at one of the panels I was at and also at an awards ceremony I went to last night. The funny thing he said was that for better or for worse, geeks are taking over the world. The even better thing he said was that it is for better. SXSWi was put together with the intent that we should all be thinking about how social technologies can change the world for the better. I’m glad I got a chance to learn just a little more about how I can help along the way.

Bad news: Indy still is not doing well.
Good news: but she seems in ok spirits and is hanging in there.
Good news: I get to go to SXSW in Austin this weekend.
Bad news: I have to leave my mom.
Good news: I get to see Kimmy and hang out in Austin and eat Plucker’s fried pickles and listen to *geek talk* and not be the nerdiest person in the room.
Bad news: I just had fried pickles at the Rodeo so it is less exciting.
Good news: PB and I just purchased tickets to Colorado (Denver, Boulder, skiing) for Easter weekend since we couldn’t take a long trip quite yet.
Good news: PB’s winging is next weekend and it’s St. Patty’s Day theme.
Good news: I like wearing green.
Bad news: I am exhausted.
Good news: It’s bedtime. And there’s a thing called coffee for in the morning.

Goodnight. Saying my prayers for our Indy girl.

It’s Oscar night and I realize that if I were a normal 25 year old female I would be swooning over the gowns or at least caring about what movies were nominated. Instead I’m playing with my SXSW schedule and wondering if I’ll be able to keep my eyes open to read a little more of my book before bedtime. *nerd alert*

The past couple of days:

• PB found out he got the instructor position so he’ll be teaching new flight students in the T-45 and apparently being a “road whore” (aka taking lots of flights to fun places in the name of education). More importantly that means he’ll be in Texas a bit longer and then (hopefully) headed to San Diego to fly Hornets! Bet you never thought you’d be happy to be staying in Kingsville any longer than necessary huh babe?
• *Rocked* the climbing wall on Saturday. Ha. I think that rock climbing is good for strength and flexibility and all that jazz. But it also is good for learning a confidence boost. There’s nothing like managing to pull yourself up a wall by your own strength to say “heck yes I’m awesome”.
• Saw a chick be born – or rather crack its way out of its shell – at the Rodeo. Seriously incredibly. I’m trying to keep that away from any connection to the eggs we eat or else I’ll have to cross those off my list of things I can manage to eat. Also saw a calf be born. Far more incredible and disgusting at the same time. The beauty of life. That might sound cheesy but there really is nothing like it.
• Ate fried pickles. Welcome to the Houston Rodeo.
• Got ridiculous amounts of sleep. Although my back is definitely hurting because of it I’m figuring it is going to be very welcome come next weekend when I’ll be sleeping far less up in Austin for SXSW.
• Busted up a fountain with a hammer, went bike riding, ate Shipley’s, fought with Harley, watched The Informant, and had an overall lovely, relaxing weekend.

Time for a new week!

No I’m not already talking about Christmas. I just was checking back in on my February goals. You know the ones I set really low. So low in fact that when one of them got canceled (my class at Rice) it became rather ridiculous that there was nothing else on the list.

• Rock climbing: I’m going pretty consistently twice a week. I’m trying harder routes. I even tried bouldering.
• Nonprofit class at Rice = canceled. I did no research. I feel like it’s ok to let myself off the hook with this one.
• Haircut: done. Frames: purchased. Taxes: done (but not submitted).
• Floss: kinda. I did have to pay $650 for a crown and while they were putting the crown on they flossed my teeth so that counts right?

Ok so now that I’m going back over my February goals they are really really low. You would think I would aim higher from March. In a way that’s true because there’s a lot on my list already so these goals are inevitable.

• Prepare in the early part of the month (aka now) those items that will help me at work for when I get super busy the end of the month and in April. Focus on setting myself up for success.
• SXSWi: actually make an effort to network. Get outside my comfort zone. Take good notes. Get no sleep in order to socialize and educate myself.
• Plan (with PB’s help) a vacation for the first week of April.
• Tackle more 5.10s at the rock gym. Maybe a few 5.11s. Fall more. Be ok with the bruises on my knees and elbows.
• Check things off my to-do list rather than procrastinating. There’s several items (i.e. taxes) that I don’t want on my April’s goals list.
• Be more focused and have better time management. This may or may not mean spending less time playing Bejeweled.

Wanna wish me luck?

This George Nelson clock from Velocity

This Frill Wrap Dress from TopShop

This *vbeach5* print from 33stewartavenue

Waiting for My Real Life to Begin by Colin Hay. New favorite song.