CHECK IT OUT!

Do you see that banner up there?

Pretty fabulous, amirite?

That's me, just so you know.
In what appears to be my neighborhood.
What am I doing walking around with my eyes closed on such a beautiful day?
Daydreaming, perhaps?

If you're interested in these illustration skillzzzzz, talk to Ms. Moorea Seal at Rumination Reading Room.

She'll hook you up.

For realzzzzz.

End the excessive use of z.

<3

AM/PM

These days, I'm only half here.

Half being the amount of the stimuli I am capable of processing.

Here being the external world.

Michael will finish a sentence. I am aware that he has finished the sentence, but I'll respond either with, "Will you repeat that?" or some nod/smile combination out of shame. I can listen and hear him just fine, but my brain is not performing the comprehend function.

Same goes for books. I have at least five books started right now and none finished. I read a chapter, a paragraph, or a sentence and by the end of it all I have to ask, "What just happened?" I can only reread something so many times before fantasizing about stuffing it in a paper shredder.

Cut to my recent obsession with shorts.

It's called flash fiction.
Extra short short stories.

I found a collection that my mind can digest.

AM/PM by Amelia Gray

This collection makes me feel a little voyeuristic.

For those of you that find yourself people watching and dropping eaves for enjoyment, you'll love AM/PM. Imagine 120 opportunities, day and night, to be an empathic fly on the wall in the most intimate moments between friends and lovers, and with oneself. Whether these moments are hilarious or heartbreaking, they're all totally insightful, in 150 words or less.

30:PM

Olivia dreams that her body becomes pliable enough that she can stretch very thin and cover most of the rooms of the house. Her body is so thin that the bones are clearly visible, and the veins stretch, and the blood has more distance to travel and as a result, the edges of her body are very cold. Reginald opens the front door, removes his shoes, and takes only one step before recoiling in horror at the chilly mass that is Olivia's body, stretched and waiting. In Olivia's dreams, she controls every aspect of her life.

<3

Newfoundland Pal of the Pen

Now I remember why I stopped sending snail mail.

I had forgotten how slow the rate of the mail's movement actually is.

Sarah of Atlantic Atlantis and I took the Pen-Pal Oath.

Sarah's letter was sent on March 15th from Newfoundland, Canada and reached Chicago over a month later!

FINALLY!


Altogether, Sarah sent me a beautiful handmade card, Spiderman and My Little Pony stickers, as well as a Canada sticker I've already found a place for on my Moleskin planner, and an Arctic Blend tea, which I have yet to try. You know that feeling, when you love a gift so much, that you have to force yourself to use it? Someday I'll actually drink the tea, instead of constantly putting it to my nose to sniff.

I <3>

Lifetime of Gaia Worship

As of today, EARTH DAY, I have been celebrating Mother Nature for 23 3/4 years. In other words, for 8,681 days.

I think of my life as a constant celebration of the world in which I live.
What's one day a year, compared to 8,681 days and counting?


You can't change the way you impact the Earth until you really get out there and see what's at stake.

PROOF

Consider four things that actually matter (via Treehugger) that you can do to improve your stay on Earth, as it's only temporary, but your footprint remains. Drive less, buy local, craft green, and be energy efficient!

Also, go over to The 60/40 to check out Roxanne's many informative Earth Day posts!

<3

Cameraddiction

My Nikon D40 is too big to carry around all of the time.

The film for my Polaroid is too expensive. The lighting for my Actionsampler has to be perfect.
And my Canon AE-1 SLR won't give me pictures right now.

What to do? What to doooooo?

I'm in the market for a cheap (like, really cheap), compact (fits in my pocket), point-and-shoot camera, whose picture quality isn't total crap.

Any suggestions?

In the meantime, here are some old favorites, taken by me with the Polaroid and Actionsampler, that I found myself perusing this evening.

Polaroid

Actionsampler


<3

Oolala Apron

Once upon a time, there existed a vintage dress.

A beautiful floral, corseted dress.

Whose warped ribs dug into my sides and gave my chest a silhouette a-la Madonna's pointy bra.

You can't tell in this photograph because clearly my silly grin fools all.


Just for the record.
Beauty =/= Pain

Thus, I cut the damn dress up.
And made another pretty apron, of course.


<3

Humble Park

Do you ever feel as if you have been brainwashed?

Through media, our parents, and our peers we are socialized to have certain body standards. I can't speak for you, but neither does my shape nor my size live up to those standards. This has been a HUGE source of anxiety for me (and most of the women I know) and has left me with feelings of inadequacy and severe discomfort in my own skin.

Let the relearning begin.

When are we going to stop torturing ourselves with extreme diets and exercise? When are we going to value the beauty of all humans regardless of shape and size?

Listen, I am a promoter of a healthy lifestyle. I do not support anyone sitting on the couch all day long and junking out, but seriously, I'd rather not spend half of my life in the gym, or limit the sort of foods I can eat. I was born with these genes and I am not going to take all the fun out of my life working against them. I just want to be happy. Constantly worrying about my body has done too much damage to my mental health.

Have you ever heard of Health at Every Size?

It's a health approach that sounds pretty much right on for me.
The main principles are self-acceptance, normalized eating (intuitive eating - eating only when you're hungry and stopping when you're full), and pleasurable physical activity.

Michael and I dosed ourselves with some pleasurable physical activity and intuitive eating this weekend. We rode our bicycles against the wind to eat at the [amazing] Flying Saucer in the Humboldt Park neighborhood (there and back coming out to about 10.6 miles). Afterwards, we took a stroll through the actual park.

Humboldt is predominately Puerto Rican. You can see the Puerto Rican flag everywhere, hanging out of windows, flying from cars, and even in an arch over the street.

Like Pilsen, Humboldt Park boasts some pretty rad wall art. This mural is on the side of an auto repair shop!


Michael and I ran into a statue or two (this one is called Home), watched the fishermen across the pond, and played a game of goose, goose, duck.


Let me just tell you, Michael has pretty effin' long legs and arms. No, really. Perfect for climbing, and swinging, and generally getting into trouble.

All in all, it was a pretty successful day. I asked Michael to take some photographs of me in the park to share with my readers, but thereafter deleted every single one.

Of course, self-acceptance is the toughest to achieve.

But, I'm working on it.

<3