Moving Forward ... or the lack there of

Well, my life has come to a grinding halt. Since injuring my back, I have accomplished basically: NOTHING. My apartment is still unpacked and a mess. I want so badly to acquire the things (trashcans, rugs, couch, etc) that will eventually make this apartment my home. But the thought of having to carry items home is excruciating. I have been bed ridden since I have no couch to sit on, but when I try to clean up the place, it hurts. Bending, moving, etc, etc. It hurts.

Instead, I've been watching entirely too much tv (thank you hulu) 1 minute at a time (no thank you Epic as a hot spot). My new obsession is Warehouse 13. Its a quirky ScyFy series and I just bought the 1st season off of Amazon even though I saw all of the 3rd season 1st. Its fun and funny and the characters are oddly realistic despite the surreal world they live in.

Yeah - this is the opposite of what I wanted to be posting on here. I just have to postpone a little bit til I feel better -- not that researching the net would be difficult since I'm laying in bed - although, organizing thought and finding motivation to edit photos and such - well, I'd like to finally have a desk for all of that.

That said, I think I'm going to put together my "apartment inspiration" board now and somehow psyche myself into unpacking my apartment at some point this week -- well, granted that the doctor says it ok. I have a 12 hour flight on Tuesday that I KNOW is going to kill me, so we'll just have to see how it goes.

I have made a little progress on my 34 before 34 though! Last weekend I tried new food, which wasn't on the list, but it might as well be. Ms. K and I were supposed to attend our first baseball game, but it was rained out. Instead we ventured into Himalayan territory where the food was WAY TOO SPICY. I tried goat heart, stomach, and I think lung. We had dumplings and blood sausage too. Stomach just tastes like fat to me. The heart or lung were actually good - though I'm not sure what was what.

Then on Sunday, I made it to the MoMA for the De Kooning exhibit. It was inspiring, though I can't say I was too impressed. It just made me want to do my own painting. I wandered through the museum to see their permanent collection - various paintings from all the greats -- and also caught the "Talk to Me" exhibit which was actually really cool! The layout was a little overwhelming, but the interactiveness (word?) was great. So many fantastic ideas. Of course, my phone isn't properly fwd'ing photos.

New Beginnings

So its been awhile. My life has changed drastically in the last few months ... definitely for the better. I had a post that was my "33 before 33" and gave myself 6 months to complete it. I was sad to see that I barely accomplished anything in that post, so I deleted it. I did knock out some of the main ones - though it didn't actually happen until after my 33rd birthday. So, here I am again: 6 months before my 34th birthday and I'm going to try this again. I'm cheating though: #1 & #2 are from the last list and already done, but they are MAJOR and completely worth noting as fabulous accomplishments. Some of them - well, don't judge me. We all have our demons to conquer.

34 Before 34
1.   Get a full time job that I love [6/1]
2.   Move into my own place [8/30]
3.   Create a beautiful *home*
4.   Day at the Museum(s) [9/25 MoMa - De Kooning]
5.   Ice Skate in Central Park
6.   Yoga/Bike/Work Out on regular basis
7.   Quit smoking
8.   Drink less
9.   Wardrobe make-over
10. Clear some debt
11. Stay away from dead-end relationships
12. Gallery nights
13. Wear more lingerie
14. Wear heels
15. Get a haircut
16. Start a savings account
17. Go to Europe
18. Go to Philly, Boston, N Carolina, or SF for a visit
-10/4 SF [though it was for work]
19. Calm down & keep it together
20. Love & be loved
21. Cook at least 2 times a week
22. Bake & decorate an amazingly fun cake
23. Learn to crochet/Amigurumi
24. Get full physical/check-up
25. Flirt more
26. Go to the movies
27. Eat at 3 amazing NY restaurants (tbd)
-Les Halles 9/18
-Shake Shack 9/25 (maybe this doesn't count, but seriously - its SHAKE SHACK!)
28. Be inspired
29. Be inspiring
30. Holiday presents for everyone
31. Consume way less meat
32. DISCIPLINE
33. Stick to your guns
34. Post to this blog regularly

Many of these are intangible, but I'm making a mental note about how I feel right now. I'm hoping on my 34th birthday I can report that all of the physical things are done and that the mental items are in check and that I am HAPPY! I'm already a million times happier than I was last year.

In fact, this time last year, I was meeting that dead-end relationship at a restaurant in Park Slope. Its a year later and he's still lingering. I hope I can cross that off my list soon! Plus, I was freelancing, but barely making ends meet. My 2 bedroom apt was host to random roommates that were visiting the states or finding another place.

I'm finally getting to a stable place in my life! It was fun living the crazy, unpredictable life, but not so fun stressing about how I was going to pay my bills and eat.

So - as you see -- this is going to be about design and inspiration and creativity and my messy life. Hope you enjoy!

I'd also like to mention: I LOVE NY. Its been a reflective day.

Hello Kitty Baby Shower

Angela isn't expecting until August, but we were talking about her June baby shower and I got overly excited. I made these two girl inspiration boards (she want Hello Kitty). I'm working on her Snoopy boards for a boy. Like I said,
I got really excited.

Sugary Hello Kitty Japanese Garden

Angela is half Japanese and she loves her heritage. She's also an environmentalist, so I married that with girly sugary sweetness.

[Please leave a comment if you know the missing sources]:

1. Lollipop Garden Cake from Martha Stewart 2. Bunting from Source Unknown 3. Party bags from Martha Stewart 4. Gift Wrap from Martha Stewart 5. Heart Bunting from The Green Gables 6. Flowers from Martha Stewart 7. Dessert Table from Scissors.Paper.Cake 8. Pod Beads from Folding Trees 9. Balloon Girl from The Party Dress 10. Cupcakes from Hello Naomi 11. Hello Kitty from Geothermal Egg Comfort 12. Rock Candy from The Party Dress

Bright Rainbow Hello Kitty in the Clouds

I'm really loving snow white icing covered in rainbow nonpareils and/or covering a gorgeous colored cake. I'll do a separate post about this.

[Please leave a comment if you know the missing sources]:

1. Hello Kitty Candyland by Dorien Goossens 2. Rainbow Cake from Whisk-Kid 3. Dots Favor Bag from Martha Stewart 4. Rainbow Stripe Cookies from Kara's Party Ideas 5. Swirl Lollipop from Source Unknown 6. Rainbow Paper Flower from Source Unknown 7. Candy Jar from Scissors.Paper.Cake 8. Rain [bow] Boot from Kara's Party Ideas 9. Paper Favor Bags from Martha Stewart 10. Red Bunting from Source Unknown 11. Whirly Pop from Gobstoppers Sweets Shop 11. Rainbow Cake from Source Unknown 12. Swirly Cupcakes from Martha Stewart

33 before 33

Happy 2011! The year is off to a pretty good start. I've seen these lists on various blogs and have resolved to make my own list. As of today, I have 71 days until my 33rd birthday. That's 71 days to cross off everything on this list:

1 Portfolio
2 Get a Job/New Clients
3 Go to the Aquarium or Zoo
4 Retrieve bike
5 Read a novel OR See an Opera
6 Museum day
7 Weekend away from NYC
8 Screen Print or Letter Press Class
9 Do 3 self portraits
10 Quit Smoking
11 Bikram/Yoga
12 Cook as much as possible
13 Frame and hang quotes
14 Wear dresses/skirts
15 Wear Red Lipstick
16 Wear lingerie regularly
17 Make a threadcake
18 Pennant string for living room
19 Paint bedroom
20 Living room curtains
21 Draw Unicorn <3 Fox
22 Learn to do Cheap Groceries
23 Products for Wunderstruk
24 Breakfast in Bed
25 Make 3 new friends: Alli, ____, ____
26 Get ALL taxes in order
27 Dinner at Locanda Vini e Olii
28 Chocolate Decadent French Toast at Norma's Brunch
29 Make 5 new dishes: Filet Mignon w/ Shiitake Wine Sauce, Tuna Casserole, Shredded Chicken Enchiladas, ____, ____
30 Make 3 new desserts: Brownies from scratch, Chocolate Mousse/Graham Cracker Tart, Microwaved Chocolate Cake in a Mug
31 Go to the theater
32 Post to CWD regularly
33 Watch The Great Gatsby