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WHAT TO READ Today's post from Shimelle is: What’s your favourite reading material? Like the kind of favourite that you would take it to read if you had to cut off the rest of the world for years and years? This one is easy for me. Fiction. I love reading fiction. Just about any mainstream fiction will do. I don't read genres that often so no fantasy, romance, or horror. Rarely science fiction or mystery. No historical fiction. But I will pick a good story over just about anything else. My requirements for locations where I am willing to live depend on where Amazon delivers. I am constantly looking for new books and new authors. Not new, per se, but new to me. Any suggestions?  THANKFUL TODAY - JULY 29, 2008 1. Thankful that David didn't hurt himself worse. 2. Feeling peaceful. 3. Some fun time with David. The list looks small but #2 is a VERY big deal. PHOTO OF THE DAY - DAY 211  DAILY DAVID - DAY 211  INSPIRATION AT HAND Tell your blog readers about someone who has been a creative influence in your life -- a crafty mum, aunt or grandparent, an influential school teacher or a friend who brought out your creative side, perhaps. Wow this one is actually a loaded question for me funny enough. My mom is an amazingly talented person. She is a true artist in my mind but she's never been an artist by profession. She was an art restorer for a long time and then a jewelry designer and now she's an interior decorator. But instead of it all inspiring me, it's always intimidated me. I always knew I just didn't have whatever gene it was that you needed. I've always craved being artistic. I've always wished I was naturally talented at it. But oh well, I am good with computers..... THANKFUL TODAY - JULY 28 1. Fun Video chat with Lori!! 2. To-do lists. Love them. 3. Randy's Time Management lecture. Tho I don't think I can throw out my TV. 4. Jake. I love Jake. PHOTO OF THE DAY - DAY 210  DAILY DAVID - DAY 210  KAREN THE ORDINARY  Journaling Reads: Yes, Karen is an ordinary name but when you remember that I was born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey, doesn’t it seem so much less ordinary? I love my name cause, in my own way, I feel like my parents must have known that I was going to end up needing a nice, American name so I love my name to bits. THANKFUL TODAY - JULY 27, 2008 1. Breakfast and fun time with Jess, Christopher, and Beckett. Good friends are rare. 2. David napping in his big boy bed. 3. Quiet time with a good book. 4. Jake and me, so wonderful, even this many years later. 5. Going to see Mamma Mia! 6. Finishing the good book. (Everyone Else's Girl) 7. Feeling a sense of calm and peace, especially on a Sunday night. PHOTO OF THE DAY - DAY 209  DAILY DAVID - DAY 209  WHICH ONE  SEEK PEACE  LOVED  PAVE YOUR WAY     YOU ARE RADIANT  ALL ABOUT FACES CLASS PROGRESS  THANKFUL TODAY - JULY 26, 2008 1. Getting 18 to-do list items done. 2. Big boy bed for David!! 3. Watching Curb Your Enthusiasm with Jake. 4. Half melted chocolate. Mmmmm. 5. Beginning to feel a little less overwhelmed. PHOTO OF THE DAY - DAY 208  DAILY DAVID - DAY 208  MOUSSE AU CHOCOLAT Friday's prompt from Shimelle is: What was your favourite treat as a child? What is it now? Share the story behind your favourite treats (be they sweets or luxuries) with your readers to see if they share your tastes. Well when I first read this, I thought of bubble baths. I used to take these bubble baths where I had music playing, a bowl of fruit floating, and a fantastic book. I loved them. The second time I read it, I immediately thought of chocolate. My grandmother makes this amazing Chocolate Mousse. It's mouth watering. Even now, when I visit home, it's the first thing she makes for me. I don't have either today but I am still addicted to chocolate. Especially Lindt Lindor. It's the very very best! THANKFUL TODAY - JULY 25, 2008 1. New meetings on my calendar. New product. 2. Finally getting organized. 3. David napping again in school. 4. Finally feeling like I've accomplished something. PHOTO OF THE DAY - DAY 207  DAILY DAVID - DAY 207  TECHNIQUES Thursday's prompt from Shimelle is: What artistic technique do you love but not use often? What artistic technique intimidates you? Maybe you’ll find an expert in that technique reads your blog and can comment with tips for you! A great question as always. There are too many for me. Sewing. Vintage. Painting. I would love to do any of these. They all intimidate me. Especially the drawing. I so wish I could draw and paint better. I've also always wanted to make a quilt. THANKFUL TODAY - JULY 24, 2008 1. Having lunch with Cole and Ty 2. Fran helping me with design questions. Fran helping me all the time. She's the best! 3. David napping again at school! 4. Finishing my project. And liking how it turned out. PHOTO OF THE DAY - DAY 206  DAILY DAVID - DAY 206  CAT'S CRADLE Here's Shimelle's prompt from Wednesday: If there was just one thing from your youth that you could pass on to today’s younger generation what would it be? Something as simple as the original Sesame Street theme song or something more complex, like growing up more slowly? For some odd reason, the very first thing that came to my mind was Cat's Cradle. 
My sister and I played this game for hours when we were kids and I loved it so much. Thinking of it makes me think of being a kid. In that non-electronic, non-email way. Like jumping rope which I also loved. THANKFUL TODAY - JULY 23, 2008 1. Lori chatting with me and helping me center myself. 2. Music. Really good music. 3. David napping at school. 4. Watching a movie (21) with Jake. PHOTO OF THE DAY - DAY 205  DAILY DAVID - DAY 205  WORKING GIRL Today's prompt from Shimelle is: Write about your first job and ask your blog readers to share their first job stories too. Another interesting one for me. In Turkey, it's not common for teenagers to work like it is in the US. So I never had a real paying job until I moved to the US. It all depends what first job means to you. The first time I got paid for doing something was proofreading for the college newspaper. The first "corporate" job I had was for Bell Laboratories my Junior year in college. I was a programmer. And the first "real/fulltime" job I had was as a programmer at Goldman Sachs. Most of my career has been about programming or managing people who are. Now I manage products and not people, but it's still about the code I suppose. I had a brief period where I taught 5th grade which was the most interesting and the most dreadful year of my life. So I guess, career-wise, my life hasn't been incredibly interesting. But it's also not horribly boring. Something in between. I've almost always been lucky enough to work for reputable companies and with intelligent people. I can't ask for more. Well I can. But not yet. THANKFUL TODAY - JULY 22, 2008 1. Realizing that Jake filled up my gas tank so I don't have to do it. 2. Taking a walk with David, our first in a while. 3. A phone call that might be the beginning of a dream come true. 4. Chat with the always kind and supportive Fran 5. Jen helping me come up with a good idea, thanks Jen! 6. Having a generous and kind manager PHOTO OF THE DAY - DAY 204  DAILY DAVID - DAY 204  GIVEAWAYS FROM AMM Two generous giveaways from A Million Memories: here and here. Really awesome papers. Come play! FUN GAMES Today's prompt from Shimelle is: Tell your blog readers about your favourite game. This was an interesting one for me. I used to love playing games. Backgammon. Bridge. Scrabble. Cards. But since I met Jake, we play almost nothing. Backgammon really really rarely and every now and then I meet with my Google friends to play Mahjongg (which I do love). And even more rarely, I play board games with my friend Cole. But I do miss playing games. Especially cards. I've always liked them. I need to find a way to bring this back into my life. THANKFUL TODAY - JULY 21, 2008 I decided to start a new daily practice. Small things I am thankful for each day. 1. Cole sharing his jellybeans with me. 2. A wonderful book from Ty as a gift for David (and me). 3. The kazoo I got from Big Picture Scrapbooking and watching David play it with so much joy. 4. An understanding and kind husband on a day when I am grouchy and moody. Everyday, really, but appreciated even more deeply on these days. 5. A new painting lesson waiting to be watched. PHOTO OF THE DAY - DAY 203  Then I had no idea what to do with it. Today, as I was taking photos, I saw how it's sitting behind my monitor, seen by no one, doing nothing. And it reminded me of how badly I wanted it. Back then. DAILY DAVID - DAY 203  I ADMIT IT  I never learned how to really drive until I was thirty. I left Turkey before the legal age to get a license (eighteen) and then went to college where I didn’t need a car. And then I lived in New York for seven years, where, again, you didn’t need a car. So I was almost thirty by the time we moved to San Diego where you couldn’t do anything without a car. Let me be the first to say that learning to drive at thirty is not the same as when you’re sixteen and dying to have some freedom. It’s scary. So here we are, four years later, and now I can drive. Well, just barely. I still don’t get on the freeway. I am still pretty nervous. But, I can go to work, to the library, and grocery store. I can also go to David’s doctor’s and mine. That’s about all I need. For now at least. OH, have I mentioned I can’t ride a bike either? Yes, I know. I am transportation-challenged. Then again, I can walk just fine. Most of the time. EXPLORE  
WALL-E  LAUGH  MO-MINTS  This is my interpretation of Tamara's project. A little Altoid box of fun moments from this year. The image on the front is all her, so I won't take any credit for it.     PHOTO OF THE DAY - DAY 202  DAILY DAVID - DAY 202  PHOTO OF THE DAY - DAY 201  DAILY DAVID - DAY 201  PHOTO OF THE DAY - DAY 200  DAILY DAVID - DAY 200  PHOTO OF THE DAY - DAY 199  DAILY DAVID - DAY 199  STOP AND START And finally the prompt from today: The things that inspire us are often linked to what we label as quirks in our personalities: things we like that others seem to dismiss. What quirk could you share with your blog readers to see if they really dismiss this or if it’s something you have in common? Well I don't know if it's a quirk but I can never leave an art piece unfinished. Not a layout. Not a journal page. Nothing. I can't leave it there and come back to it later. I have to do it all the way. Now or never. I used to think that this was a bad thing. That it was a sign that I could never be an artist. Artists can walk away from their art and come back to it but since I can't, it's another sign that I'm not really an artist and won't be one. Then, yesterday, an artist that I admire greatly made a post that talks about some of her life and art. She said this: DO YOU EVER STOP AND START A PIECE OVER BECAUSE OF HOW IT'S EVOLVING OR NOT EVOLVING? No. I push through it. Art is about what is happening right now. IT IS WHAT IT IS IN THE MOMENT I WAS CREATING IT. And that could be crap. But, if I stop a piece I will likely never go back. And it immediately made me feel better. Maybe there was a chance for me afterall. THE PAST AND THE FUTURE The prompt for yesterday was: Choose one point on each line to share with your blog readers - one thing you have accomplished and one thing you hope to accomplish. Bonus points if you have a photo from the event on the first line. I thought about this a while ago and I've decided that my biggest accomplishment was getting into Carnegie Mellon and getting to come to the United States. That's where all the rest of my accomplishments started. My citizenship. Teach for America. Jake. David. Goldman. Google. None of it would have happened without moving to the United States for college. As for the second line, I guess one of my current aspirations is to complete a full painting. I'm working on it and taking a class but it's not something I'm inherently talented at so it requires a lot of effort. CURRENT INSPIRATION Here's the prompt from Tuesday's Freedom class: Share a list of links with your blog readers, leading them to the websites that inspire you most. Let's see: chromasia, Paulette, BPS , Becky and Shimelle and on my list this week. THAT WAS THEN, THIS IS NOW I am catching up to all the "Freedom" prompts so you will see three in a row. Here's the one from Monday: Share an old photo of yourself and a current photo of yourself with your blog readers. Tell them a little something that has changed and a little that has stayed the same. Here's the first photo that came to my mind. One from a long time ago: 
And One from May of this year: 
Let's talk about what's changed: Hair Color. Hair Length. Weight (Free food is great but not for your weight.) New York vs Palo Alto. Goldman vs Google. Coding vs Not So Much. Single vs Married. Not a Mom vs a Mom. Back then I didn't have a fancy camera and wasn't nearly as into photography as an art. I hadn't begun scrapping. I was writing novels. I had never gone camping. I didn't really know how to drive. Creative Therapy. Let's talk about what hasn't changed: Working. Trying to balance it all out. Trying to figure things out. Taking photos. Reading. Blogging. Jake. Many of my friends. Pursuit of Happiness and Peace. PHOTO OF THE DAY - DAY 198  DAILY DAVID - DAY 198  PHOTO OF THE DAY - DAY 197  DAILY DAVID - DAY 197  PHOTO OF THE DAY - DAY 196  DAILY DAVID - DAY 196  CATALYST 18 - IN OUR HOUSE  When I first thought of this catalyst, I was going to make it about our living room. It’s the room where I scrap, where David plays, and where the TV is. For me, that makes it the best room. Then I thought I might do it about the garden. I’ve never lived in a house that had a garden, so I think it’s so special and I thought it would be worthy of the catalyst. Then I realized that the thing I love the most is that we live in a house. I grew up in a big city where there are no houses, only apartment buildings. So living in a house, having my own backyard, my own little space on the street, my own driveway: it all makes me so happy. It’s something I always wanted as a kid. And it’s something I love. I don’t even care that I don’t own it or that it’s falling apart a bit. I love living in it. I love my house. My yard. My driveway. All of it. SOAK IT IN Friday's Freedom prompt: How do you prefer the pace of life? Do you wish things would speed up or slow down? Illustrate with something that has been on your mind or on your calendar or share your preference between working slowly or quickly on a crafting project. This one is interesting to me because I've been thinking about it a lot lately. When I decided to move to San Diego from New York, everyone told me I'd hate it. They said the ultra-type-A me would go insane with the relaxed Southern California pace. Honestly, I was a bit worried, too. There were many reasons why I missed NYC when I was in San Diego but the pace wasn't one of them. I loved being relaxed. I love walking on the beach and taking my time to let the nature soak in. When we moved to Palo Alto and I went back to the crazy busy life style, I missed San Diego immediately. I still do. Yet when I scrap or paint, I still have the fast pace. It's like I must finish. I can't imagine how some people leave stuff to simmer overnight. I could never ever imagine doing that. I think this attitude hurts my art. Doesn't give me time to slow down and think things through. As I told myself at the beginning of this year: it's not about the end goal; it's about the journey. Since life is all about the journey, why not savor each moment? ALWAYS SO SWEET  FREEDOM - TRAVEL  Out of all the places we went and the trips we took, there’s one that stands above all. Even above our honeymoon in the Seychelles, which was truly magical. This trip wasn’t to an exotic island. It wasn’t even out of the country. This trip didn’t require a plane. All it took was a car, a tent, two sleeping bags, and a whole bunch of maps. In the summer of 2003, Jake and I spent several months driving across the country. We visited around thirty states. We camped. We read books out loud. We listened to books on tape. We saw a lunar eclipse. We took photos. We got in a car accident. We saw the most amazing natural beauty. We ate some of the best food we’ve ever had. We spent every single minute of every day together, most of it in a car. We laughed. We argued. We were awed by nature. We saw deer, bison, eagles, and prairie dogs. We didn’t spend time worrying about the future. We were in the moment and we had fun. We had no plans. We climbed the sand dunes. We went into caves. We figured it out as we went along. When I look back upon those months, I am filled with joy. I am so glad that we made those memories. I am so glad that we felt that carefree and we spent that time together. It taught me that travel doesn’t have to be stressful or planned out. That we can be spontaneous and have the best time of our lives. All we need is a car and each other. FREEDOM - TIME  Time to laugh. Time to hold hands. Time to appreciate each other and enjoy each other's company. Time to care about the little fleeting moments. Time to take it all in. To observe and appreciate. Time to walk together. Talk together. Time to love. Time to let yourself be loved. Time to love yourself. Time to give more than you take. To give without expectation. To give for the joy of giving. Time to share. Time to reconnect. Time to forgive. Time to learn. Time to relax. To rest. To recover. Time to hug. Tight. Time to have coffee and crackers. Time to read. To write. Time to create. Draw. Paint. Capture. Experiment. Try. Time to let go of perfection. Time to be carefree. To let go of fear and pressure. Time to be audacious. Empowered. Time to look forward. Time to do more of what you love and less of what you don’t. Time to not commit to things you don’t really want. Time to figure out what you want. Dream big. Dream fun. Time to soar. Time to be happy. Time to make the most of today. Time to pay attention. Time to spend time wisely. Time to notice the beauty. Time to smell the flowers. DAILY DAVID - DAY 195  PHOTO OF THE DAY - DAY 194  DAILY DAVID - DAY 194  PHOTO OF THE DAY - DAY 193  DAILY DAVID - DAY 193  DAILY DAVID - DAY 192  PHOTO OF THE DAY - DAY 192  POEMS Today's blog prompt from Shimelle is: Have you ever been inspired by the words of a poem? Share the poem with your blog readers and tell them how you came to value its words. If you'd asked me years ago, I'd have said Nothing Gold Can Stay or later, I would have said, Stop all the Clocks or i carry you in my heart or One Art. But the first poem that jumped to my mind was: This is Just to Say by William Carlos Williams I have eaten the plums that were in the icebox and which you were probably saving for breakfast Forgive me they were delicious so sweet and so cold I love this poem. I love every bit of it. I can't even explain why. Maybe cause it's so ordinary. Cause it's so relateable. So daily life. I am not sure but it makes me happy each and every time. MUST-HAVES Ok running behind already. Yesterday's My Freedom class prompt is: Play a game of ‘What’s in your suitcase?’ on your blog by listing your necessities for travel, then ask your blog readers to comment with their own list. You can include pictures or links for items you consider must-haves. Well this is a boring one for me. My must-haves are all electronic equipment and books. I must have: iPod, MacBook Pro, Canon SLR, Canon mini camera, iPhone, all the chargers. Then I take at least three books. Even if I'm going just for two days. Three books is my minimum. Then I'll take whatever I'm working on currently. Like a sketchbook, or a recent class printout, or papers that have been sitting on my desk, unread. That's about it for me. Boring, eh? What about you? PAINTING FACES  PHOTO OF THE DAY - DAY 191  DAILY DAVID - DAY 191  DAILY DAVID - DAY 190  PHOTO OF THE DAY - DAY 190  MY FREEDOM - DAY TWO - TIME TRAVEL The prompt for the second day of Shimelle's My Freedom class is "If you could travel in time for just one day, where would you go and what would you do?" My first thought was to go back in time. Back to my wedding day. The day I met Jake. The day we first kissed. The day I found out about David. The day I gave birth to David. My swearing in ceremony. My telegram of acceptance in to Carnegie Mellon. Walking on campus for the first time. So many memorable moments in the past. Then I realized maybe I could go into the future. The prompt doesn't mention the past specifically. Maybe I could go to David's wedding day. Or when we are retired. Or when my next kid is born. Maybe just go ten years into the future and see how things work out. Or maybe not. I've never been a fan of wanting to know the future. Too scared. Also, it's no fun. What's the point if you already know how things are going to work out? So the future is out. I know I could have thought in the historical sense too but I've never been a fan of history. So that's that. Then I thought, hmmm, do I get to go back as the now me and speak to the then me? Can I give me some advice? How about some consolation? Can I tell the "past-me" that I will actually get into the college of my dreams. Or that I'll get this job or that I will find the man of my dreams. Can I tell her things are going to work out? But isn't that cheating? Would the past-me believe the present-me? Should she? Hmmm that got too complicated too. So how about just going back to observe. Like to my wedding day, which I mostly don't remember. But my logic kicked in again and said that sometimes the way we remember things is more important than the way they actually were. Memory does what it does for a reason. So that was out too. I guess I am just not traveling in time after all. Well, maybe to the far far future where I will be dead and I get to come back once more just to see my kids and give them one more hug. Is that fair? Since this is my imagination, I say it is. I NEED TO DO THIS MORE OFTEN From Hey World, Here I am! by Jean Little: Today Today I will not live up to my potential. Today I will not relate well to my peer group. Today I will not contribute in class. I will not volunteer one thing. Today I will not strive to do better. Today I will not achieve or adjust or grow enriched or get involved. I will not put up my hand even if the teacher is wrong and I can prove it. Today I might eat the eraser
off my pencil. I need a rest. PHOTO OF THE DAY - DAY 189  I've had this alarm clock for over ten years. Originally, I bought it cause it was the only clock where I could still see the numbers without my glasses on. Looking at it today reminded me of the days where I wore lenses and glasses and where I woke up unable to see anything clearly. It's amazing how quickly people adapt. I can't even remember what it felt like to not be able to see. That's why I like this photo, a little snapshot of those days... DAILY DAVID - DAY 189  CATALYST 17 - THE BEST ME  Journaling Reads: Maybe it’s weird that a quality I look for in others should be about me, but the more I think, the more I realize that the number one quality I look for in a romantic partner is that they make me want to be a better me. No scratch that. That they make me want to be the best me. What excites me the most is meeting someone I respect. Someone whom I look up to. Someone who inspires me to be better. PHOTO OF THE DAY - DAY 188  ART JOURNAL - PAGE 7  ART JOURNAL - PAGE 6  
DAILY DAVID - DAY 188  MOMENTS TO REMEMBER             PHOTO OF THE DAY - DAY 187  DAILY DAVID - DAY 187  PHOTO OF THE DAY - DAY 186  DAILY DAVID - DAY 186  PHOTO OF THE DAY - DAY 185  DAILY DAVID - DAY 185  PHOTO OF THE DAY - DAY 184  DAILY DAVID - DAY 184  PHOTO OF THE DAY - DAY 183  DAILY DAVID - DAY 183  PHOTO OF THE DAY - DAY 182  Daily David - Day 182  |
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