Summer of 2015

Reading:

Do Less: A Minimalist Guide to a Simplified, Organized, and Happy Life

I love this book.  It is so simple to follow.  Unfortunately, Wes won't let us downsize the perfectly good refrigerator we have now in my quest to simplify.  He says maybe when it is time to replace the fridge that he will consider something smaller.  In the meantime he says he will keep the fridge clean. YAY!

Watching:

This fridge conflict then spurred us watching Fed Up.  This is a great documentary.  It also shed light on our current eating habits.  I enjoy cheese, white flour, and sugar.  Nothing original after watching this gem of a film.

  

Reading:

The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf

This book was published in 1991 and republished in 2002.  For being over 10 years old it still holds true today.  There are issues I am experiencing that I couldn't put my finger on but knew it was happening.  Now I have some history as to why I am experiencing what I am experiencing.  I feel like I should have read this book years ago.  As a feminist I thought it was required reading.  If it isn't it should be.   

Playing Big

I was sold on this book for two reasons.  First, my sweet friend Kate came back from a conference and someone had given her this title to read.  Kate said "we should have a book club".  I said "done and done."  Second, the first book review I read from Amazon stated this: 

"Whereas Sheryl Sandberg's "Lean In" lays out the rules of the road for succeeding in a corporate (read masculine sphere), "Playing BIG" liberates women from such narrow dictates. Tara's emotional intelligence, real-world smarts and fluid writing make you feel like you are talking to a wiser girlfriend who has your best interests at heart. Tara's doesn't offer any one-size fits all prescriptions to creating a life you love, instead she guides you through an excavating process to get to the core of who you are. For me, the greatest take away was getting clear on the personal and professional costs of NOT listening to your own intuition. Grateful to have found this book."

Sold.  I can't stand Sandberg's hype.  I'm in Tara Mohr.  Thank you.

I'm here doing, reading, and watching...

Okay so the 30 days...maybe I meant 30 different days of a blog.  So let's see I'm at 12 with this blog posting just 18 more postings to go.   Well hopefully I get the hang of this and will continue on down this road of adventure and posting.

Lots of things are happening in my world due to the different things I'm reading.  

Doing:
Starting a non-profit based off of the picture below.  

Frankly, I just wanted to be a nurse that rode around on her bike and delivered babies however I don't have the patients to go back to school and suffer through chemistry, biology, or anatomy for prerequisites.   So what am I going to do instead to help babies?  Start a non-profit with the help of friends.  We are still in the developing stages however it looks promising.

I did tell my non-profit friend that ultimately I wanted a picture of me on a bike as part of the kick off for this thing.  She suggested we can do that right now and get it out of the way.  I told her I wanted the picture to be legit and genuine so we had to wait until things were up and running.  However, I do have my bike waiting in the wings. 

Reading:

Reading the book Half-Assed: A Weight-Loss Memoir by Jennette Fulda.  This was a book created from her blog PastaQueen.  She lost 192 pounds.  She is wicked smart.  Her approach to her weight-loss is very pragmatic.  It really comes down to choice and doing what is best for a healthy body.  It's a message that resonates.  I wanted to write her an email and tell her thank you.  Pity I'm a little gun shy when it comes to writing something someone else will read...oh the irony.  

I will say I felt lost for the past few years about what to do with myself.  FA stands for two things in my book.  It is either Fat Acceptance or Food Addicts.  I tried to be apart of both worlds and needed some middle ground.  Luckily I returned to a program called IOWL and stumbled upon Jennette's  book. 

Jennette pointed out something interesting in her book.  It appears many blogs are mostly written by men and what little women are writing is mostly about weight-loss.  What's terrible is that it crossed my mind that I could turn this into a weight-loss blog.  Then I remembered there are other things I can dump my energy into.  Don't get me wrong I may write about my weight issues but hopefully it will be threaded within other points of interest.  

Watching:
I finally made it to the theater to watch Star Trek Into Darkness.  I can't wait to go see it again.  Although that may have to happen after World War Z.  

My partner Wes has issues with the movie.  I know for one of the issues the writer had little control over what Brad Pitt created.  So it hardly reflects the book.  However, the writer has mentioned he likes how it all came together.  Guess next weekend the verdict will come out.   

Totally Biased: Kamau's Hearts Cheerios Mixed-Race Ad

Read Wedding

I feel like I pulled through for the "Red Wedding" in Game of Thrones.  I knew it was coming thanks to my reader friends and Wikipedia.  Watching the horror of the wedding reminds me that I need to finish Storm of Swords. I'll just skip a head to the chapters after the wedding. 

Not really sure what more to share...maybe I'm still traumatized from Sunday's premiere cable show.  Huh...

For those that aren't aware of what happened here is a pretty good overview from CBS and a clip from HBO.

Ask My Mom!

She did it!  
Maria Bamford is back with a new web series called Ask My Mom where she plays her own mother that gives advice to strangers that have submitted questions online. 
Enjoy!

Maybe this blog will become Maria's fan page.  I'm sure she would love that.  You're welcome, Maria. 

Adoption...

I know how I started down the rabbit hole.  It was because of this video:
What Kind of Asian Are You?  Hilarious. 
I'm pretty sure I've been asked the same series of questions, "Where are you from?" and/or "Where are your people from?"  My response that I was born in Pocatello, Idaho never stops the questions.  So to narrow it down the next question will be "Where are your parents from?".  Well both of my parents are from the Treasure Valley in Idaho.  So "Where are their parents from?"  I think out in the Midwest.  I remember grandma saying Missouruh and not Missouree.  Does that help?  

To stop the drilling questions I sum it up quickly, I'm adopted and the most I know is that my parents were migrant workers in Idaho.  "You struck oil! Race questions are over! Yay!"  My sister was also given the same series of questions however she was actually born in another country so they may have ended sooner in her case. "I was born in India. Now fuck off."  I remember family would talk about color blindness.  I also remember being referred to as a coconut in college (brown on the outside and white on the inside).  My partner once told me that he thought I was white.  Needless to say my questions and heart rate began to rise.  What does that mean when you say I'm white? Why do you get to define what it means to be Black, White, or Mexican American?  Would you say the same thing to my sister?  He said no of course not.  Of course not! We grew up in the same household, asshole! He said he would do his best to remember what I have asked and to think some of this through.  Thank you, that's all that I ask! 

Reading:
Why We Need to Talk about Race in Adoption: This is a really interesting article and it speaks to my sister and I growing up in Kuna and Meridian, Idaho.

Watching:
Somewhere in Between
Closure (Make a pledge.)

The Coast

I have been away from my blog for vacation.  I went to the coast with the family.  My brother-in-laws car broke down in Portland on our way there.  So the fun was delayed for a few hours. The nephew was cutting teeth and having melt-downs.  Soo the morning wake up calls were at 1 and 3 in the morning. On that note I may stick with just adopting dogs and call them my furry babies.  When they teethe a pair of shoes could be destroyed not a rem cycle. 

I will say my favorite part of this vacation was the house we rented.  I could sit in the hot tub and listen to the ocean.  

I have returned somewhat rejuvenated and ready to tackle my blogging again.  I have discovered my nerd-y-ness is limiting.  So I'm branching out from podcasts and movies to web comics.  I need more in my nerd arsenal.    

These are the movies I watched while on break:
 9 to 5: Classic Dolly Parton, Lilly Tomlin, and Jane Fonda.
Star Trek (2009): Gearing up for the new movie.
Hot Fuzz:  Action needed.

I read nothing.
On the drive there we listened to parts of This American Life and...I don't remember. 
I slept mostly on the drive home so I listened to nothing and watched the inside of my eyelids.

Haiku to the Anchor House

The house by the sea.

It's oh so dear to Amy.

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