Get up offa that thang

One time, I decided I wanted to exercise. I was going to run. No, I'm not joking. I really got it into my head (somehow) that running and I were going to be Best Friends. I'd be all Oh hey, let's hang out. and Running would say, Okay, sure. and I'd say, I really want to go buy a new book and read it while I eat a whole bunch of Peaches and Cream Oatmeal with vanilla ice cream on top and then maybe shopping for shoes and Running would glare at me and say, Fat chance sucker. Put on your pink tennis shoes.

Wait, what?! Okay, maybe I just needed more friends.

Anyways, because I hadn't run since the Ninth Grade Mile I was forced to run every Friday, I did what any novice runner would do: I Googled. Up came From Couch to 5K. I was so up for anything involving a couch, though Bed would have been a better choice, I clicked. I printed. I put on my damn pink tennis shoes. But, first I needed to make an Ipod play list. And hunt down some water bottles. And socks. And I probably ate some oatmeal with ice cream on top just for, you know, energy or whatever.

I took off down the street. Couch to 5K told me I should start out walking for five minutes then alternate jogging for 60 seconds with walking for 90 seconds for week one. Please. I eat a carton of ice cream faster than that. I skipped week one. I also skipped weeks two, three, four and five.

Jog for five minutes. Oh, heck yes. Five minutes is cake. That's like the time it takes me to shower. I took off jogging.

60 seconds. No problem. Haha! Obviously skipping week one was a good choice. Week one was for SUCKERS! 

Two minutes. This is tough. 

Two minutes and five seconds. Why is this happening to me?! Running, we're supposed to be friends. Why are you gossiping about me to all the cool girls? Why are you laughing at me??? Why do I feel like I WANT TO DIE!?!?!? THIS RELATIONSHIP IS OVER! !@)*(#*)$#&*!)*


And that's when I decided to do yoga.


-whitters

Eight Moments in the Life of the Writer: Number 5

Next, I immersed myself into the world of a writer further still as I grew accustom to brooding in isolation.  While other fourth graders gathered with their friends to play kickball, four square and wall ball, I hunkered against the hot asphalt and cool orange-red bricks.  I fancied myself Harriet the Spy or Amelia as I scribbled furiously in my Amelia notebook my mom bought for me at the Bookfair.  The playground duty thought there was something oddly wrong with me.  Repeatedly, she tried to engage in conversation with me.  Asked what I was writing or reading.  After a few curt answers as I glowered at her through my bangs and hair-bow, she stopped trying.  Of course, there wasn’t anything wrong me!  Well, at least not because I was a skinny, scowling, quiet ten year old. Sitting contentedly in 15 minute intervals carving out, “I HATE WHEN MADDIE writes SCRIBBLES IN MY NOTEBOOK!  SHE THINKS SHE CAN WRITE AND IT’S SO ANNOYING!” I learned another lesson of writing: It’s important to be comfortable alone with your thoughts.

Late Things I Love

Gaaah I had a whole slewwww of things I've loved these past two weeks.  In no particular order:

♥ the grand opening of Sephora in UT
♥ spending a (#*$)#(*)$ ton of money at Sephora and getting a lovely bag that I put reading materials in
♥ NARS anything.  Seriously, I know everyone says how awesome it is.  But The Multiple has changed my life and my little sister loves the foundation.
♥ nail polish.  especially sea green and ballet slipper pink
♥ wedges much like these that are six inches and I can barely walk in them
♥ Cafe Rio <3333333 as always
♥ g-chat ;)
♥ Keva with my little sister
♥ Soap and Glory ANYTHING.  This brand is awesome.  Everything smells AMAZING. The body wash smells just like my new favorite...♥ Dior perfume (curse you Sephora) In my head, I smell like a European woman. Although, when I lived in Europe, I smelled like Chanel...and diesel fumes.  Which is also very European as well.
♥ the still. crappy. weather. (NOT)
♥ The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  I have to give my weekly shout out to my boyfriend Kindlegarten. Has anyone read this?  I'm not that far in, but so far, I've really enjoyed it.  I talked with my neighbor about it and he said it got technical and kind of dragged.  We are almost at the same part and I didn't notice this at all!  Perhaps because I used to be a Journalism major?  So far I'm really liking it and I didn't think I would. 
♥ The Venus Embrace playlist on pandora
and finally....Sleepyhead by the Passion Pit.  

Ten Steps to Success

Olivia(Doesnt)Swallow[s]

♥ Have a creative career plan.

Mark points from one to twelve in your journal, one being where you stand now in your career, and ten being where you want to be in five years.

With the ten middle points, mark two things you could do each year to creatively impact your career.

• Account Manager
• update resume
• obtain internship/museum experience
• study for GRE
• take GRE (Summer!) *note to self: look into this
• get into master's program/ internship
• write master's thesis
• graduate!
• obtain letters of recommendation
• apply for museum job - ANY one will do now that you're a schmarty-pants
• Awesome museum job

Legally Blonde was pretty good. It wasn't as good as some other shows I have seen on Broadway. Because, I'm a theater snob. Dur. It was a fun time though. The show was really fun itself. Nothing ground breaking, but definitely a good time. The Young One and I got a good laugh out of it. And I've come to the conclusion that I need more color in my wardrobe. OMG! You guys!

As part of following my bliss...I'm working on a cover letter.

M.Y.L..aaaaaa

I know, I'm so far behind on the Make Your Life train. My apologies. I went to California for a little while and was too busy soaking up the sunshine. I'm going to miss going every now and again....a lot. Really a lot. I think I'll keep up with M.Y.L.A., but I don't know how often I'll blog it.

Today was all about managing your time. Not just for planning and organizational purposes, but planning each day with meaning. In other words:

" ♥ Making the most of our time requires consciousness and awareness"



I think one of the biggest lessons I've learned from doing Megan's M.Y.L.A. series is that happiness is a conscious thing. Life isn't going to come and smack your over the head and demand you be happy. You guys? Sometimes. Life. Sucks. I've been feeling that way lately even though I have all kinds of great things going on around me. I've accomplished a lot. But life takes all kinds of weird turns and twists. And right now, I'm not all that enamored with it. However, I'm trying to have a better outlook even though it is far from what I want to be doing. Although, I don't have all that solid of a grasp on what I want to be doing.

Giving each day a purpose will help. I hate the feeling of ninetofiveandhometobed. But, that's what I do every. single. day. I hate it. This M.Y.L.A. came at a perfect time. I need my days to have a purpose now. At least one little thing that's planned to look forward to and break up the days.

So, I joined a gym. With classes! Also, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, I watched American Idol. Haha. And, I'm going to try to go on adventures like I did in L.A. Any cool spots in the SLC I should know about? Yelp has become my new best friend. Anyone want to be my spinyogapilatesadventurenewbestfriend? I'm really good at planning adventures, I promise!

Day 9

lalaines corner

Follow, follow me to charadestyle.com and M.Y.L.A.!

"♥ Like a Formula 1 race car, you need perceptive fine-tuning."

Homework:

♥ Suss out your productive self.

It’s time for a bit of ‘cause and effect’ science-project business: what elements line up to make you productive? Think of the last time you were really productive, in anything: what was the situation? What was happening around you? How did you feel?


♥ waking up early
♥ a clean, well-lit area
♥ sunshine!
♥ quiet, alone time
♥ classical music
♥ pen and paper
♥ Malibu, CA (okay, I cheated.)

What makes up my productivity?

♥ setting aside a lot of time for a project, but not so much time that i waste it
♥ a passion for whatever i'm doing - a genuine interest
♥ a desire to succeed and do well at whatever i'm doing
♥ a desire to be FINISHED with what i'm doing or at least made an attempt on it so i don't have to worry about it
♥ showing my end result to someone
♥ Malibu, CA (cheating again)

I need....time, a real interest, success and accountability. My productive self is timely (organized), interested, successful and accountable. Hooray for me!

Now if only I woke up everyday to sunshine and the ocean (hope you're not reading this Bear....)

Day 8 - Make Today a Change Day! errr

bits of beauty

Follow, Follow me to charadestyle.com and M.Y.L.A.!


"♥ Change is positive and empowering.
♥ Change will catch up with you; make it your friend and asset now.
♥ Change does not have to be active; an openness to potential change is often the key."

Yeah. How about not. How about I don't ever, ever desire to be open to change. NO THANKS. I hate change. I like tradition and predictability. Like the dad in Mary Poppins..."precision and order...except in my bedroom and car..." oh wait.....

*EDIT* I just uttered the sentence, "THIS is what happens when I relinquish control!" Control freak much? THIS is why I hate change.

Homework:

♥ Make today a change day.

1. In your journal, map out your normal day in bullet points. You can use as few as three, or as many as ten plus, of these points. Ask yourself: is this day good enough? Is it optimal? How can I implement change to upgrade my average day?

2. On a new page, map your day with at least one element of change (but the more the better.) Make it realistic, satisfying change that you truly want to see in your life, not a list of things you think the world wants from you. Changes can be very small at first; don’t overwhelm yourself or this exercise becomes obsolete. We want to encourage change, not scare ourselves off of it.

3. Now, implement it! Get changing! This is an exercise you should repeat regularly when you feel a dip in your spirit/lust for life/productivity. Reviewing and specifying what change really means and can do for us is an important aspect to a life that is fluid and budding and amazing.

Day 4 (so I'm a little behind...what of it?)

happy things 

Follow, follow me to Charadestyle.com and take 31 days to M.Y.L.A!

"But confidence in ourselves is not always easy if we are relentlessly focusing upon our as-yet-unachieved-intentions, instead of the small successes we have already accomplished. Start thinking of yourself as a success now and your further intentions become real, within reach and deserved."

I really need to stop being such a "misery-bear."  

Homework:

♥ Be sure of yourself as a success.

Write a list of five to ten things you have already been successful in, from the smallest exam, to the perfect interview, to cultivating an amazing talent or knowledge within a subject, beginning each line with ‘I am/have been successful in...’

By reminding yourself that you are already a success, the successful mindset becomes something far more solid and real-world to you, and perhaps you see that it was yours for the taking all along.

Next, write down five to ten things you would like to be successful in, from a precise skill, to abundant riches, to far-off travel, to marriage and kids. Write these as ‘I will be successful in/at/with...

♥ I

♥ i have been successful at...graduating college! (however, i would recommend never doing so and remaining a student as long as possible.)
♥ i have been successful at...finding a job.
♥ i have been successful in...volunteering at a museum and leading tours!
♥ i have been successful in...saving at least 2k.
♥ i have been successful in...studying abroad in my favorite country in the world.
♥ i have been successful at...learning how to cook! thanks b!
♥ i have been successful at...learning photoshop.
♥ i have successfully written a BA thesis. Even though it GOT DELETED OFF MY FLASH DRIVE.
♥ i have been successful at...learning italian and french. mi piace pasta! j'adore les chaussures. sono stanco!
♥ i have been successful in learning and increasing my knowledge of art.
♥ i have been successful at finding someone who makes me want to be a better person.

I WILL BE SUCCESSFUL AT....

securing my dream job...
living on my own...
getting a MA...
marrying my love...
finding what i love in life...
traveling the WORLD...Italy, Spain, Turkey (if it ever isn't dangerous)
doing what really makes me happy
educating others...
finding out who i really am...
making many different friends and creating stronger friendships...

I think I am afraid of two things...actually getting what I want and then figuring out that it's NOT what I wanted at all...OR actually getting what I want and then not having anything to "misery-bear" over. Is it possible to have a fear of both success AND failure. So therefore, not do ANYTHING. What a waste. I need to get out of the mindset of "but, what if I don't like it?" Well, WHAT IF YOU DO!? You won't know until you try.

i would like to let the world know that i, whitney, have started to exercise.

the end of the world is coming sooner than 2012 people.

though i must admit, my foray into exercising was almost stopped because Tar-jay doesn't HAVE PINK WEIGHTS.

are pink weights so difficult to carry? i'm only using baby weights anyways. so it's not like some 200 lb man would feel emasculated by my tiny pink weights should he need to buy some at his local Target.

mine are blue.

and ugly.

and i try not to look at them. and instead focus on my pink running shoes that my friend blair-bear picked out for me the last time i decided i was going to be athletic.

I'm really bad at New Year's Resolutions. Really. Bad. So bad that I can't even remember a single one I have ever made. Guess those lasted long. I'd like 2010 to be a year of improvement. 2009 brought a lot of changes: getting my bachelor's degree, moving back home to freezing cold Utah, getting my first "real" job...and hopefully Twenty-Ten will too. :)

The Bear was here for one whole week! Unfortunately I have no pictures at the moment to prove it. Soon though!