Tattoo Status: Almost There!

A nice, clean, skinny version

The fat, embellished version

What I’m looking for:

• Femininity
• Loops and curves
• Exaggerated lettering (Loopy W and L, and some fun with the l and k)
• Smooth edges and curves
• Readability
• Henna-inspired – dots, imperfect hearts, vine-like business – 1, 2 (especially 3rd row), 3 (the first two)

There is still some work to be done, but I’m thinking a really good tattoo artist should be able to take it from here.

Major shout out to my friend Ashley for working so hard to help me get this far in the design process.

Post inspired by Laci.

Writer Wednesday: 25 Things to Stop Doing

I find great writing tips/advice/blogs/resources all the time. Mostly because I’m looking for them. None of it is ever really groundbreaking, but you the way it is… You know things, but you need someone else to tell you. I know that other people need the same sort of fuel. And I can rarely keep awesome things to myself. For that reason, I’m doing Writer Wednesdays. Every Wednesday, I’ll share at least one of the little gem’s I’ve come across. When does it start? TODAY, of course!

Today’s Writer Wednesday is brought to you by the crazy guy over at terribleminds.

25 Things Writers Should Stop Doing

1. Running Away
2. Stopping
3. Writing in someone else’s voice
4. Worrying
5. Hurrying
6. Waiting
7. Thinking it should be easier
8. Deprioritizing your wordsmithy
9. Treating your book like a dumpster
10. The moping and whining
11. Blaming everyone else
12. The shame
13. Lamenting your mistakes
14. Playing it safe
15. Trying to control the shit you can’t control
16. Doing one thing
17. Writing for (the market)
18. Chasing trends
19. Caring about what others are doing
20. Caring so much about the publishing industry
21. Listening to what won’t sell
22. Overpromising and overshooting
23. Leaving yourself off the page
24. Dreaming
25. Being afraid

He elaborates on all of the points above. To read it all, see his post. While you’re at it, look around his blog. It’s funny, irreverent, and oddly inspirational.

Not-so-writer-related links/posts to check out:

• My first post in 10,000 years on my running blog – Shows pictures of my run spot
• Women’s day to propose to men! Vix talks about it.
• Color Run – Coolest thing ever, quite possible. Run in white t-shirts and get sprayed with color every 1K!
• I found the (COOLEST EVER) bookmarks I’ve been looking for over the past two years! Now, to figure out how to purchase them…

Reblogged: CPR

This cracked me up when I saw it a few weeks ago.

Weekend Recap

It’s Monday, and I love it!

I had a great weekend. On Friday evening, I sort of surprised Babe with a celebratory get-together at our apartment, complete with a cake of looove, wine, cheese, and fruit. Yeah, we’re very fancy. We’re allowed. We celebrated ONE WHOLE YEAR. 🙂

  

24 cupcakes formed a pull-apart cake

The spread 🙂

Some cousins and friends stopped by to share the evening with us. We ate, drank, talked, laughed, and played Cranium. It was a good time. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. The company, I have to say, was fantastic. We know a lot of fun, fun-loving, funny people. We did our thing from 8 until shortly after midnight. We’re such rockstars that we went straight to bed after putting the leftovers away.

Trying to contain myself during the runner's high 🙂

On Saturday morning, I was up early for my run. It was beautiful. I forgot my calf sleeves, so it wasn’t as comfortable as usual. I had to cut the run a bit short. I beat my personal record by running a mile ONE WHOLE SECOND faster (7’16”) than I did the week before. *raises fists and nods triumphantly to the cheering crowd* Yes. Yes, I AM a rockstar. *waits for the crowd to stop cheering so loudly before continuing* I treated myself to a walk on the beach after I hydrated. I sat on the rocks and took in the beauty around me as I waited for time to go by.

Yoga starts at 8am, and I was in the parking lot by 7:30am. My mum was the next person to arrive. Leave it to us to be the first people ANYwhere. The class was good. We practiced our Asana postures again, focused on the chest, did the shoulder stand again (I love that I can do this sooooo easily, thanks to ballet/acrobatics class when I was younger), bridge (which I also champion, thanks to ballet/acrobatics), and tried the headstand (OUCH!) for the first time. I made it as far as sticking my butt in the air and sort of straightening my legs while my head was in my hands. My head hurt from the pressure, so I didn’t push it. Ananda (our instructor) said we’ll make space next week to try it against the wall.

Everyone got a medal to commemorate the opening of the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium

From yoga, I picked Babe up from a meeting, and headed home to have breakfast. After breakfast and a little reading, I was ready for a nap. An extended nap. Babe woke me in time to get ready for the opening of The Bahamas’ new National Stadium. The stadium is a gift to the country from the Chinese government, and it is massive. It seats 15,000, and it’s pretty nice! My nephew accompanied us to the ceremony. My nieces would have been there, but my sister took them on a weekend trip to another island.

New stadium for The Bahamas

How about you? What did you do on the weekend? What was the highlight?

Tagged Again!

B&B has some questions for me. I’ve already tagged 11 people yesterday, so today I’ll bend the rules. I’ll just answer the questions.

1. What is the weirdest question you’ve ever been asked? I was asked to confirm that I would actually have sexual relations with a female. Kind of awkward. Lol.
2. Given the choice of time travel, would you go back in time or forward? I would go forward. I’m not as interested in the past as I am excited for the future.
3. What is your favorite late-night snack? Tea with pan-toasted bread. I like the bread buttered on both sides, and put in the frying pan long enough to go from yellow to brown, and get nice and melty. 🙂
4. Tell us your weirdest dream. About three times, I had a dream that my dad was trying to kill me. He chased me through my great-grandmother’s house with our family in various rooms, ignoring him as he chased me with a knife. One of my cousins even sat at the kitchen table, filing her nails. In the first dream, he was trying to kill me because he thought I told people about my mother’s pregnancy (in the dream). I don’t know the reason in the other dreams. Weird enough, yes?
5. Describe the perfect date. Low-key. Quality time in very comfortable weather. Fruit and dessert. Smoothies and tea. Good movies, good books. (This is obviously for Babe and me.)
6. What song is stuck in your head? Breathe Again – Toni Braxton. It just played. And I heart Toni.
7. What is the best way to develop a positive attitude? By living in the present moment with an optimistic view to the future.
8. If you could invite four people-living or dead- to a dinner party, who would they be? Honestly, they’d be the same friends and family I already invite to dinners, lunches, beach days, etc. Vanessa, Jess, Ash, Odaz… Babe is a given.
9. Who is your look-alike? My mother, I guess.
10. What is your answering machine away message? If you don’t have one, you can make it up! Please leave a message.
11. It’s said that you learn something new every day. What did you learn today? There are very picky people in the world. They can make things very difficult. Still, this does not define them. Picky people can be nice people.

Feel free to answer the same questions in a post of your own and link back here, or answer in the comments.

I Got Tagged

I love being tagged in these thingies. I don’t know why, but I love answering questions like this. And reading other people’s answers. Fun, fun, fun!

This time, I’ve been tagged by Lily in Canada, quite a funny chica.

Rules

1. You must post the rules.

2. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and the create 11 new questions to ask the people you’ve tagged.

3. Tag 11 people and link them on your post.

4. Let them know you’ve tagged them!

———————————-

1. If you could live in a different country for a year, where would you live?

Just a year? A Spanish-speaking country. I’d love to be immersed in the culture, and improve my conversational Spanish. I can read and write in Spanish like a pro – well, as far as my vocabulary will allow – but speaking doesn’t come as naturally to me. I have to think a bit harder. And I’m a bit slower. Particularly in the listening part. I’d love to experience life in Cuba. Or Mexico, or Argentina.

2. What would you do if you were the opposite sex?

Aside from be a man? Ummm… I’d grab my business and shift it around – purely experimental. I’d like to see what it’s all about. What’s the hype? I’d also lean forward and see if I could – No, never mind.

3. If there was a fire in your house and you could only save 3 things, what would they be? (Family and pets would be safe!)

Treasure chest, computer, cell phone.

4. What is your favorite sport and why?

Hmmm… Cycling. I get to power a machine! Hellooo! POWER. And I don’t need other people to do it. Just me. Flyin’ Ridin’ solo.

5. What is a TV show that you hate to miss?

We don’t watch tv at our place. We don’t have cable. The show I hate that I’m missing is Chopped. SO good.

6. If you could be fluent in another language, which would you choose?

Spanish!

7. Which actor or actress makes you mad?

I don’t know if any make me mad. I really don’t pay attention to celebrities. I don’t care much about what/who they do. Hmmm… I don’t like Matt Damon’s face though. I find it hard to watch movies that he’s in. His face is just… Offensive? No, not offensive. I just don’t like it. I’m uncomfortable looking at it. I would be more comfortable looking at disfigurement. Weird? Maybe. I just don’t like his face.

8. What is your favorite vacation spot?

The beach? I’ve never really had a REAL vacation. My parents (and other guardians) used to take me to Florida a lot. All we did was shop. And eat out. Nothing else. What kind of vacation is that?! I want to have a REAL vacation, where I visit somewhere new, do tours, eat new food, hang out at the tourist spot, see where the locals spend their spare time, get a good feel for the culture… All that fun stuff.

9. What is the first thing you would do if you were president, prime minister, etc?

Of this silly country I live in? I would put a LOT of major issues/questions to a referendum. Let the people make a decision for once and for all.

10. Favorite thing to drink?

Coca-Cola! 🙂 I also like strawberry/mango daiquiris from Twin Brothers.

11. Do you prefer baths or showers? Why?

Showers. Baths seem kinda gross. Like you’re just sitting in the dirt that you’re trying to wash away. Make sense? No. Not at all. Stand up, and let the water wash it at all away… Downnn the draaain. And bath water goes cold. *shivers*

—————

Want to see the questions Lily was asked, and read her answers? Click here.

Now I get to tag peeps (peeps? Let’s blame it on Soulja Boy’s Turn My Swag On playing right now, making me feel gangsta or something) and ask them 11 questions.

My 11 taggees are:

1. Victoria – Victoria Writes
2. Christina – Christina Does It All
3. Ruthie – Just Rambling
4. Madtante – Opinions Expressed May Be Incorrect
5. The Music Oracle – Anthems of Our Generation
6. Lori – Slow Happy Runner
7. The Running Thriver
8. Juliette – Juliette Burke
9. Ashley – A Small Place
10. Stacey – Walk a Mile in My Shoes
11. LesB – Lesbian Brooklynite

My 11 questions are:

1. Do prefer hanging out with 2-4 people, or a group of 5-10 people at a time?
2. What song makes you feel like you can conquer the world when you hear it?
3. What are three of your favourite books?
4. What colour is most like your personality? Explain.
5. What do you want to remember, no matter what?
6. What is your mantra? If you don’t have one, create one.
7. How would you most like to celebrate your next birthday? No limits.
8. If you designed heaven, what would it be like?
9. Limited to 25 words, how would you describe yourself?
10. What is the most challenging thing you faced in the last 6 months?
11. What is one question you were hoping you wouldn’t have to answer? Answer it. No, just kidding. Just share the question.

For those reading this post who were not tagged, feel free to answer the question in your own post or in the comments. I LOVE reading your answers. Fun, fun, fun! I’d especially like to read your answers to 3, 5, 6, and 8.

Five Question Friday

Five Question Fridaaaaayyyyy!

1. What’s your favorite way to spend down time (alone or with a significant other)?

Alone: Reading, writing, eating fruit, drinking tea

w/ my siggy: snacking, having tea, watching movies, talking about random things, and snugglin’ up! 🙂

2. Are you the kind of person that wants things more as soon as you know you can’t have it?

No, not at all. Never been the big-eye kind. I’m usually pretty content with what I have. What I want is generally in my reach, even if I have devise a plan, save, and wait a little bit.

3. If you were given $1000 to spend on yourself, what would you buy?

So much, yet so little! If I have to spend it on myself, I’d invest in a few things for my writing corner. I’d like an untreated wooden desk. There’s a place here called “WoodYou” that sells wooden furniture that isn’t stained or painted. I’d love to get it from there. Then, I’d find the right stencils to put a cool design on the border of it. Then stain it. Then, I’d get a nice, wooden chair, and a cushion. You know the ones that you sit on, and they have strings so you can tie them under the chair? Yesss… WANT! Then I’d outfit the space with a desk lamp, put up a corkboard, purchase notebooks, journals, pens of different colours, and lots of post-it notes. That should burn the $1000.

If I could get away with not spending it all on myself, I’d go grocery shopping for great ingredients, and invite some good friends/family over for a nice meals. I’d also get some cool little giveaway item that everyone can keep to remember the night.

4. Do you ever go out to eat by yourself?

I haven’t done it in a long time because there’s always choice company these days, but I used to. A lot.

5. What company would you want to do a blog review for?

What’s stopping me from doing a blog review that I wanna do? Now, if we’re talking blog-review-for-goodies, then BARNES & NOBLE!

Link up to this week’s 5QF.

As always, you’re welcome to answer the questions in the comments. I like hearing from you. 🙂

Thankful Thursday

It’s Thursday. You know how I roll on Thursdays, don’t ya? *does the dance of thankfulness*

Here we go, one thing for every finger:

• Awesome friends (and cousins) who step in whenever they’re needed
• Last night’s dinner (Which reminds me that I was supposed to have leftovers for breakfast. Oh, well. Appetizer tonight.)
• New running tanks (They feel SO GOOD!)
• Weekend fun coming right up!
• My new nook cover
  

  Liiiiime spankin' green! ❤

• Great writing resources online, including blogs and writing/critique groups
• Babe’s support
• Neo2 on the way, and should be here by Tuesday! WOO!
• Chocolate cake (which I reeeally hope they have today)
• Lots of work to keep me busy

Off topic, but read this post on 20 life-altering concepts that you can embrace TODAY. Includes:

1. Simplify everything
2. Let go of attachments
3. Focus on the task at hand
4. Action is the answer

Read it, read it, read it. Maybe all of it isn’t for you, but there’s probably something there that speaks to you. Something that you can grasp and run with to make your life better. *does masterful tap steps* CHAL-LUUUUUUUNGE!

What are you thankful for today?

Wordless Wednesday: Weekend

Ryan - driving in the game room.

Ryan - In drawing and colouring "school." I think children should be allowed to express themselves and their own creativity. Babe seems to think they should be instructed on exactly how to draw and colour things. *sighs* Buuut, this is only my observation in one instance. *shrugs*

This represents money that I threw away. Babe didn't eat these delectable, delicious treats. *sighs* I always kick myself after I save or purchase treats for her for them to go in the garbage, or to some random visitor. Maybe I should ask for a list of things she likes and would accept/use/eat? I obviously don't know these thing, y'all.

Feel Good Tuesday

Happy Tuesdaaaaayyyyy!

I’m a in really good mood today. I have idea why. There is no logical reason. But me?! Worry?! Never!

This song played just as I parked at work this morning, and I sat in the car to sing it loudly. With the windows down. I’m bad like that. I kinda feel like that… Toniii-iii-iiii-iiiight, we are youuu-oooung, so let’s set the world on fiii-yaaah, we can briii-iighter, than the suuu-oh-uuuh-uuun! WOO!

Talk about energy! Of the positive kind. I’m going to get a lot done today. I’m going to work like I have the day off tomorrow. I’m going to make progress with my novel. I’m going to do something physical when I get home (which probably won’t be running, and DANG IT, I forgot to toss running clothes in the car… Got thrown off when I had to switch cars with my mom this morning so she could take the one I’ve been driving to be licensed.)… Jump on the trampoline, jog on it a little, jump rope… Something. ‘Cause guess what! Toniii-iii-iii-iiight, weee are yooouuung! Hahaha.

Ok. So play that song. Feel the energy. Get yourself in an awesome mood. Make 3 goals for yourself today. And GO AT THEM like the man who stole your grandmother’s wallet on the bus. CONQUER them. Because you can.

I have two meetings today. Maybe three. Lots of opportunity for people to say and do things that could bring me down. IFFF I allow it. And I won’t. I just decided, so it’s a done deal. I will be happy. I will be positive. I will use all energy, whether positive or negative, for good. I will do my best. I will be satisfied. I will enjoy and live in every moment of this day.

When I checked my email this morning, I saw a great post. I read it, and it resonated with me. Being the awesome person that I am, I’m sharing it with you. Be sure to take a few minutes to read The Magnificent Self-Made Person over at CreatingReciprocity.

Two quotes for you today. One from the post linked above:

Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.   -Khalil Gibran

And one that I just love:

Only as high as I reach can I grow, only as far as I seek can I go, only as deep as I look can I see, only as much as I dream can I be.   – Karen Ravn

Go forth, then, blog buddies, and be great. Be great instead of, in spite of, and because of.

Let me know how you’re feeling today. What are your goals for today?