Filed under: Family, Remembering | Tags: business, busy, busy bee, busyness, enjoy the ride, make the time, memorial, what is busy
If you think you’re busy, try adding another commitment to your life (like a musical) on top of work, family and friends.
Then try and figure out how on earth you were busy before.
I’m starting to think that people have different definitions of busy. Does busy mean that you’re packing your schedule completely full with things, even to the point of putting your shower time on your calendar? Does it mean that you have so much going on that you can’t bear to spare a single thought on something that’s not on your radar? Are we busy because we are prioritizing certain things like work or family? Or are we busy because we simply don’t want to hang out with someone? (Come on, you know you’ve pulled that excuse before.)
Is “busy as a bee” too cliche? ;)
A better question may be this: we may be busy, but are we being productive with that busy time? Are we making some kind of a difference with that time? Because, as you may have heard before, time is the most precious commodity we have.
Today is one of those days that I’m thinking a lot about my step-sister who passed away in November. Today is her birthday, so it’s natural that my thoughts would head her direction. I never read her as someone who’s “busy.” When she lived with us, I’d usually see her typing away on her computer (she finished her Ph.D. last year), reading or simply enjoying a cup of coffee (or 12… she loved her coffee). It was always easy to plan a dinner date with her since her schedule wasn’t “busy.” It was me that made that part difficult.
Today, though, I’m seeing that she wasn’t keeping busy; my sister was making her time count and she did what she damn well wanted. Sometimes stubbornly so. She lived in a war zone in Afghanistan, teaching Poli-Sci at the American University there. She went to Vegas whenever she came back to the U.S. to spend time with her beloved kitty and our aunt who lives down there. She got her frickin’ Ph.D! And though she didn’t seem happy all the time, I feel like she fought through a lot to pursue everything she wanted. She never gave up, and it didn’t matter how long it took to get there. That was the same kind of attitude she brought with her teaching–it was wonderful to see what a great impact she had on her students. Joana took her time and made it count, all the while affecting many, many people in her life.
So happy birthday, big sister. I’m sending you a hug wherever you are.
Don’t forget that being busy can sometimes get in the way of enjoying the ride. Yes, be productive. Do useful and thoughtful things. But you don’t want to be the person that no one ever saw because you were “too busy” in things that probably don’t matter as much as your relationships do.
So what will you make time for this week?
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Filed under: Family, NaNoWriMo, Updates, Writing | Tags: bucket list, don't give up, donation, donation day, give back, nanowrimo, national novel writing month, writing
Well, first off, today is Donation Day for National Novel Writing Month. I’m all for inspiring students to be creative and I’m feeling particularly generous–so I donated 17 bucks (my average word count per day is just below that–I figured it would be a good number) and got this cool badge. :)
As much as I would like to say that NaNoWriMo has been easy, it hasn’t been. The first week was cake–I got ahead in my word count goals and was well on my way to the 50,000 word novel by the end of the month. The first weekend was even more amazeballs because I met with my local NaNo writing group, and made some awesome new friends.
But last week, something threw an unexpected hitch in my month and it’s been a struggle ever since.
My step-sister Joana passed away last week. It’s been hard to accept because she was so young (43), but it gets a little easier each day. Last week though, I didn’t feel like doing much at all. Apparently that’s acceptable behavior when grieving. It was hard and there wasn’t a day at work that I didn’t cry at least once. One of the days I actually locked myself in a closet for a half hour so no one would see me cry.
I did write, but I just barely made it by with the recommended daily word amount (1,667). This made me extremely glad that I was ahead of my goals at the beginning of the month or else I’d be super behind now.
Now, on top of insanity at work (a billion things going on!), I’m putting together the memorial video for my sister (the memorial is this weekend) and continuing on my trek with NaNoWriMo (I have over 23,000 words; there’s no way I’m quitting now). Tough month? You bet.
If there’s one thing that my sister’s death has taught me is that you never know when your time will be up. Many of her students at AUAF (American University of Afghanistan) have come forward in the past week to share how big of an impact she had on them, saying what a great teacher and friend she was. Those posts on FB make my heart ache. She should still be here, sharing her wisdom with her many students and doing something amazing with the Ph.D. that she just earned this year.
Consider my donation to NaNoWriMo as a tribute of sorts to my sister… she made a lasting impact on her students. Here’s $17 dollars–maybe I can make a difference for some young creatives as well.
If you want to do something, then you have to do it when you intend to because if you don’t… it likely won’t get done. That’s why I’m not quitting NaNoWriMo–I need to finish my novel. That’s on my bucket list. Then I’m tackling other things on that list, like moving to London as soon as my car lease is up.
Life is short. Live by passion. Live by service. Live by what you believe. Love with all you have. And don’t give up on anything you care about.
Here’s to not giving up & giving back when and where you can.
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Filed under: A Little Me, Family, Futuristic Musings, Happy Dance Time, Holidays!, Yummy Food
As I walked into the A Fresh Market for Starbucks this morning, I couldn’t help but wonder when the pumpkin spice flavor would make it’s grand return.
Then there was the sign. And the affirming smile from my lovely little barista, whom I love a lot, told me everything I needed to know.
PUMPKIN SPICE IS BACK!
That basically means all the excitement! I may or may not have squealed so loud that those in the poultry part of the store (aka: the other end) may have gone deaf.
I’m not kidding when I say pumpkin spice is one of my favorite flavors of Starbucks. I may have only started drinking coffee about a year and a half ago, but when I first tried pumpkin spice, my heart was sold.
Not only does this flavor mean that fall is underway, but it means that Christmas is just one step closer. I may not like cold weather, but the time period between Thanksgiving and New Years is one of my favorites out of the entire year because of the joy it brings and the time I get to spend with my family.
Just thinking about that this morning gave me tears of joy. Yes, I cried on my way to work. All happy tears. I wanted to make fun of myself but I just decided to enjoy it instead. I mean, how often does one wake up so happy that you can’t help but cry and be thankful for everything you have?
*happy sigh*
So what are you thankful for today?
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Nearly two hours ago:
Man, I’m so pumped for The Middle Finger Project copywriting course. Couldn’t make it on Saturday so I’m ready for this Tuesday class. Bring it on. Superb idea! Arrive early … wait… class is wrapping up? Did I miss something? A timezone or two? Maybe?
Balls.
Just barely:
Italics indicate me singing/recording Secondhand White Baby Grande. Parenthesis are silent thoughts/actions and bold text is what I said. If you’d rather just listen to what happened, click here for the failed recording.
So now I wake up every day and see her standing there just waiting for a partner to compose…
(cue my mother walking in at 9:35.)
and I wish my mother still could hear that sound beyond compare… to pray ..
(dammit I messed up the words!)
I’m singing. I’m almost done.
(Mom says that my stepdad is already in bed… 25 minutes too early. I will sing quieter.)
Something secondhand and broken can still make a pretty sound, don’t we all deserve …
(mom says to stop again… I heard you the first time but I’m not done yet! The song is almost over, woman!)
It’s almost done!
…room to live. Oh, the words are still unspoken.
(this recording is crap now… thanks)
Balls squared.
—
I’d like a better day tomorrow, thanks. And a contract that tells me exactly what time everything is happening so I don’t A) feel like an idiot, and B) not get illogically mad at people for going to bed too early (sorry for the anger, family!).
If only I could afford my own place now…
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Filed under: A Little Me, Blips, Family, Fitness, Friends, RaNdOm, Remembering, Vegas!
So I totally neglected on writing stuff down for June. This will be interesting to see how much I actually remember (or scramble from my Twitter/Facebook feed).
June was …
Lots of fun!
Weekend in California for my cousin’s wedding. Many twisted Shirley Temples. Cloudy beach day complete with a pod of dolphins. New parasol from the bride and groom. Anglophile moments in the Ayres Hotel gift shop. Red Mango dates. Rolling down the hills of Sugar House Park with my best friend from Wyoming.
The weekend of intense auditions and call backs with Brock for Aida and 9 to 5. Emotional torment waiting for cast lists. Getting cast in Aida, but turning it down for my own sanity (and gas money). High anticipation and excitement for the copywriting workshop with Ash from The Middle Finger Project (the first class was amazing!). Going full-time at the Salt Lake Chamber. Cool live-tweeting for the Chamber events. Fun at the Salt Lake Chamber Classic Golf Tournament, aka: driving a golf car for the first time. Meeting golf legend, Billy Casper.
Operation: Fit & Fierce. Getting back into my Zumba & Pole Fitness routine. Adding yoga back into the mix. Free time for me. Reunion with BiSC-uits Sara & Ameena. Trying German food for the first time. A day at the pool at the Grand America. Disco Murder Mystery night with old friends! Lots of days spent with my adorable niece. Gambling with my dad, step-mom and brother in Vegas for Father’s Day weekend (Bro and Step-mom won 82 bucks and didn’t realize it). Awesome Skype chats with good friends. Happy meals with Pokemon toys.
A night of amazing music with Scott Alan and some of the most talented musicians in the Salt Lake valley–I cried many times. Got the brown back in my hair.
Last two weeks at ABC 4–I shall miss them all! Spiders in my bedroom. Mornings at the chiropractor + massages = a healed lower spine. Deceptive nights. A week of sinusitus. New perspective on crappy situations.
One of my favorite covers this year: Don’t Forget Me from Smash.
New Obsessions: Thor, or Chris Hemsworth. Notes from the Universe. Hazelnut Fazer chocolates. Kelly Clarkson’s new CD. Corey, my new exercise ball.
New Movies Seen: The Cabin in the Woods, Thor, The Avengers, That’s My Boy.
Books I Finished: Accidental Billionaires – The Founding of Facebook (after several months finally). Hollowland by Amanda Hocking (so riveting I couldn’t put it down!). Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult (finished it in one day… so good!). Actually finished all three within the span of 3 days. No joke.
Top 5 Posts from Something Write: The Very Last, bittersweet farewell, Not Alone, Tugging and Pulling and pour me another.
Honorable mention: not worthy.
* * *
Blips are a great way to remember the little things from each month so I can have something to look back on. Here are the others from 2012:
January ~ February ~ March ~ April ~ May
* * *
What is your most memorable moment from June?
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Filed under: A Little Me, Blips, Family, Fitness, Friends, Happy Dance Time, RaNdOm, Remembering, Utah, Vegas!
May… Wow. Just wow. I feel like so much has happened this month that it’s hard to know where to begin.
May was …
The start of things changing.
All the BiSC-ness = ALL THE HAPPY FEELINGS!
The anniversary of my college graduation. Always dancing! Like a Cinco de Drinco Zumba master class and a spontaneous class when another was cancelled and I wasn’t aware. Swings and parks. Brock time. A comfy place. The need to perform. Nice Mother’s day at my aunt’s house. The return of our Finnish hockey player! More time with my darling niece. Seeing my dad and puppies. Dressing up my puppies.
Dreams returned. Random OCD moment of organizing video games and fixing our N64. Blind date set up my my grandmother (of all people… really?). Bees game. More butterflies over lunch. Becoming certifiably social media addicted again (because of BiSC obviously!). New aviators. A good interview. The Avengers. Excitement over copywriting workshop with The Middle Finger Project. Solar eclipse and Super moon!
Near quarter-life crisis. My inability to eat peanut butter cups and play Times Up at the same time. Too many season finales that made me cry. Broken sunglasses. Strange increase in attention that has me scratching my head. Mother’s Day with my mom out of town. Funky sunburns. Weekend with darling yet challenging boys who move soon (sad day…). Lower spine issues. Two-weeks notice.
New cover: Hit Me With Your Best Shot for my mom for Mother’s Day.
—
New Obsessions: Les Miserables trailer. Carrie Manolakos. Hollie Cavanaugh. Learning how to self-publish and strongly considering it… that is, once I finish a story. Draw Something. Blue Lemon. Drinks mentioned by Bill Engvall, aka: Mai Tai & Bahama Mama. Sabrina, my new Macbook Pro.
Top 5 Posts on Something Write: Crushed, The right way to eat caramel, What Gets Me Going, The Last Stop and BiSCuit Hearts.
* * *
Blips are a great way to remember the little things from each month so I can have something to look back on. Here are the others from 2012:
January ~ February ~ March ~ April
* * *
What is your most memorable moment from May?
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Filed under: A Little Me, Blips, Family, Fitness, Friends, Health, RaNdOm, Remembering, Roam
For some reason, it was harder to document things this month. It could be that I feel like I do hardly more than work the weeks away, so by the time the weekend hits I don’t mind spending the day wrapped up in bed after hitting the gym, and catching up on my TV shows. Girl needs some downtime, yo. Speaking of… gotta go catch up on Smash. Laters!
April was …
New things and much too fast.
Amazing dinner at Fleming’s because I had a gift card. Trying crab, halibut and cat fish and actually liking them! End of Park City TV internship. Starting back up on WW. Ronald McDonald House Charity Benefit event. Cutie at Starbucks. Zorro at Hale … twice. The beginning of a podcast. Meeting Kurt Bestor! Fun game nights, nice dates and a couple good lazy days too.
Laughing at Gabriel Iglesias and other comedians in Vegas for my brother’s birthday celebration–third row baby! Watching the Masters & relaxing with my dad. New Skyy vodka arrived — delish! Day at the pool with a Miami Vice. Opportunity going out to do an ABC 4 interview. Lots of small friend meet-ups. More City Creek.
Non-stop two weeks. Cold sore. Forgetting dreams. Potential over-worked-ness. Accidentally double booking friends. Discovering my unicorn. Walking in on two women in the bathroom twice in one day. Too much politics for this girl, but learning a lot in the process. Credit card issues. Indecent proposals over text. Stuck sunroof. Having a battle with my passions.
Zumba on shuffle, and Zumba with Jason Thompson. He’s awesome. :)
New addictions: 50 Shades Trilogy. Drool… hottest book series ever (far from being well-written though *shivers*). ABC’s Revenge — aka: all first 16 episodes in three days. Avril Lavigne’s new album. Liking American Idol again too. Return of Glee, Greys Anatomy and Private Practice.
Top Posts from Something Write: An Escape, Dare to Stray, Getting over expectations…, An Unexpected Paddle and the way to win.
—
Now the countdown is on for BiSC 2012!! Just a couple weeks away! :)
* * *
Blips are a great way to remember the little things from each month so I can have something to look back on. Here are the others from 2012:
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Filed under: A Little Me, Family, Friends, Laughs, Quotations, Remembering, Saying Saturday
See? I’m trying to be better at keeping up on witty sayings I hear.
I present… Saying Saturday’s 28th edition! We should do something special when the 30th comes up… any suggestions?
Mountain Morning Show silliness at PCTV…
Dain: I attended church yesterday at the Church of the Mountain and Powder-day Saints.
—
Talking about Lent with my boss at PCTV…
Me: What would you give up if you ever did Lent?
Boss: I wouldn’t… I’m not a part of that tribe.
—
Me playing with a doodling app that RaShea got me into…
Me: The longer I use it, the thicker it gets!
–
Me: You can doodle my doodle.
RaShea: I can Yankee doodle your dandy.
—
Playing Soul Caliber 5 with my friends where they see a side of me they’re not used to…
Brandi: She’s become Nega-Kel.
—
Again with Brandi and Shea… discussing if a certain someone can really be “turned” gay…
Brandi: I bet Neil Patrick Harris could turn him...
Me: He’s NOT gay!
Brandi: Neil Patrick Harris could turn anyone.
RaShea: He could turn me!
—
Brandi and RaShea times continued…
RaShea: What else would you stuff a crust with?
Brandi: Marinara?
Me: Marinara is tomato sauce.
Brandi: I mean, mozarella! It’s not my fault Italian words are confusing!
–
Brandi: People get insta-jealous and it’s so dumb.
Talking about work with an old friend who added me on Facebook this week …
Tom: Oh! Where do you work?
Me: ABC 4 News, Park City TV, Sinclair Oil Corp, and just started at Salt Lake Chamber last week.
Tom: Wait I don’t get it. You work at all those places?
Me: All part time jobs.
Tom: That’s too much work.
Me: What makes ya say that? Haha… I need money!
Tom: I know…we all need money. I just think there are better ways to get it than working. I just haven’t thought of any yet.
—
Watching Spartacus with my brother. There’s a lot of blood, gore and naked bodies…
Me: Their boobs look weird!
Stin: Right?
Me: Yeah… My boobs definitely don’t look like that.
Stin: Mine don’t either.
Me: Well, mine actually look good.
Stin: Well, so do my moobs!
—
Before starting my new job and my aunt tried to fix my shirt (it was FINE btw)…
Aunt: I’m protective of your boobs.
Yep, that’s not awkward at all. ;)
* * *
Remember, if you have any sayings that you’d like to contribute, feel free to leave them in the comments or by emailing mikshorty {at} gmail. If you’ve missed previous Saying Saturdays and wish to see them, go here!
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Filed under: Family, Laughs, Quotations, Religion? What's that?, Remembering, Saying Saturday
I’ve been a super slacker when it comes to Saying Saturdays, so please forgive me. Some of these date back to Thoroughly Modern Millie days. I was going through my Evernote and came across these and was like, “Oh, I should post these.” Haha! I need to be better with this… Away we go!
What a cast members younger brother remembers most about my performance…
Miss Dorothy: What did you think of Muzzy?
Her Brother: She had a great body…
Miss Dorothy: No, about her singing?
Her Brother: Oh… I can’t remember.
REALLY?!
—
At a Pagan Yule ritual during the toast…
Girl: Here’s to Harry Potter !
Guy: And to weirding out Christians since 1998!
—
I make up words on accident…
Me: Not everyone holidates Christmas.
—
At lunch with my Vegas buddy…
Me: I have flying dreams all the time.
Rich: I used to have those but then I realized I was just rolling off of my bunk bed.
—
My step brother said this… Can’t remember what he read, but I was stunned he read anything at all.
Spenc: You see this? That’s 374 pages I can never get back.
—
Conversations with Dad and my step-mom…
Dad: Your mind is going in eight million directions!
Me: Oh, that’s normal.
–
Dad: You’re the booger in the ointment!
–
Discussing what to do for dinner…
Dad: We’ve gone nowhere fast.
Step-Mom: Well, we’ve gone from burgers to zits.
–
Step-Mom: Darren, make a decision. You’re the matriarch of the family.
Me: Patriarch. You’re the matriarch.
Step-Mom: Oh!
–
Me: Baby Bash rapped when I did the booty shakin contest at the Flamingo —
Dad: D’oh! Thought it was called rump shaking.
Step-Mom: If I were to do that, you’d call it earth shaking.
Me: Oh, I bet he likes it.
Dad: I love everything my baby doll does.
Step-Mom: Cheese quake!
Dad: Cheese steak? Did I hear sammich?
—
My step-mom works at the Venetian/Palazzo in Vegas. This is how she answered the phone at home on Christmas Eve…
Step-Mom: Guest services… Oh, shit! You nearly got my whole holiday shpeel!
—
After denying a video chat this morning…
Mom: Why don’t you want to chat with him?
Me: I’m not wearing a bra and my hair is not combed. No thank you!
* * *
Remember, if you have any sayings that you’d like to contribute, feel free to leave them in the comments or by emailing mikshorty {at} gmail. If you’ve missed previous Saying Saturdays and wish to see them, go here!
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Imagine this…
You’re gently roused by your alarm clock despite it being earlier than 6 a.m. Since you are engulfed in your nice warm bed and lifting your arm above the comforter immediately brings goose pimples to your skin, you decide to stay in bed just a few minutes longer–completely enraptured by the heat.
After a few minutes, you finally think to yourself… “A hot shower would be perfect to wake up to, not to mention it would feel great on my super sore muscles.” So you walk to your bathroom, start the water and turn the knob to hot. You take a couple of minutes to prep for the shower (like finding the razor that hasn’t left your gym bag in a week, scrounging up a clean towel, maybe brushing your hair and checking on your dragons in DragonVale while contemplating to jump back into your warm bed). Now you are pulling the shower curtain/door open as you start to step into a nice, warm–
“AAAAGGGGHHHH! Shit, that’s COLD!”
You feverishly hop out of the shower, snatching at the hopefully clean towel you grabbed while the water was supposedly heating up… all while refusing to shower in such frigid conditions. You know someone must be showering in order for the water to be so cold. Whoever is in the shower is hogging all the heat! So you reason that you can shower later when no one is home… you know, somewhere between your multiple jobs.
That was my morning.
But then I learned something very valuable. The first shower takes forever to heat up in our house apparently. I’ve been living here for nearly 5 months and my mom just barely told me that little gem of knowledge this morning. And I was the first one to try to get in the shower today. Cue fumes of frustration.
Mom said to start the water earlier and I kind of stood in shock.
I’m the girl who says “It’s too cold!” whenever anyone asks me what I think about living in the beautiful Park City. My electrically-heated bed is on nearly 24/7 so I never have to come home to a cold comforter. Ideally, I’d live in a place like Southern California or someplace equally warm. I shiver when everyone else in the room is complaining about how warm it is. Not to mention the fact that leaving my bed is both a mental and physical battle even when I’m not sleeping.
Yeah… I’m that girl. So you can imagine my response to my mom this morning.
Let’s just say my lesson is learned–do NOT take the first shower of the day. If possible, wait until right before bed… or a few minutes after anyone else finishes sudsing up.
So there you have it… it is too cold here and showers are a pain to heat up just exacerbating the problem. Thus why it’s reason number 1.2 instead of number 2. They are in the same “cold” bracket.
Other than that gigantic bracket of a reason, living in Park City is pretty awesome. The views of the mountains are spectacular, the people are super-duper cool and there always seems to be something to do when I manage to have some time off. I’ve found some great places to chill and even better places to eat. Oh, and the fact that I have a job up here that is super-duper fun helps a lot too.
In case you’re wondering, that shower still hasn’t happened. That’s what happens when you do well at work–your hygiene suffers. Great. So not only am I as tired as shit because I’m pulling an unexpected 12 hour day, but I probably smell and look like it too… I hope my friends won’t be too repulsed tonight.
—
MikShorty 
