Christa Lista

Yes, I am going to make a list...why not?  It is just about the end of 2011 and I've got a new year ahead of me.  I've got a pretty good feeling that 2012 is going to be a very decent year for me.

I've given up the 2nd job.  While all that extra dough is nice to have (and spend), it leaves absolutely no time for me to be able to enjoy this thing called life.  I now understand the proverb "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy".  While not entirely suited for my situation, I get it, I definitely get it.

I was sick.A.Lot.this past year.and I have no doubt that the whole no down-time thing played a very big role in me being sick.  That's not the life I want to live.  The down-time I did have was spent on the couch, stuffing my face with garbage because my body wanted nutrients and I thought I heard it say "Chocolate" and "Grilled Cheese sandwich".  I finally was able to translate what it really wanted when I stepped on the scale and realized I had gained back all of what I had lost.

One day this past November, I finally heard it loud and clear "Vitamins".  Ooooooh....okay.

Anyway, I've learned to appreciate my down-time.  I will no longer use it to do right by my pocket.  I will use it to do right by my body, my mind and my soul.  aka Balance

1. Make a bedtime and stick to it as best as you can (10:30pm)
2. Journal as often as possible (I've found that I enjoy getting inside my head and thinking out loud, even if it only makes sense to me)
3. Turn off the T.V. - it sucks me in every.single.time. and before I know it, I've wasted 4 hours on nonsense
4. Create - get the juices flowing and actually make things, finish projects I've started or intended to start but never got around to it.
5. Clean and keep clean.  Working 7 days a week doesn't offer much time to keep clean and organized, now with all of this new found time, I have no excuse really
6. Get on the lake - I've already started pricing out Inflatable water crafts and it looks like an inflatable Kayak may be just the right thing for me/us.  It will be great exercise too!
7. Get on the road - take day trips to places I haven't been such as Tallulah Falls, a gorgeous spot that I've been wanting to see since I found out I would be moving to GA back in 2004, it's time I get there.
8. Use the earth as my gym.  No one ever said you had to go to a fitness facility to get in a great workout.  I would love a bicycle
9. Give back - I would love to volunteer some of this new found time on a farm, getting sweaty and dirty.  Another great way to workout AND get some fresh veggies!
10. Meditate - woooooosaaaaaaaaahhhh  it feels good

I think I'll end it here for now.  I guess those are my top 10 things I'd like to get going on in the coming new year.  Looking forward to living a life of more purpose for my health instead of just work, I tried that, it's not all that great for me.

This Is My Confession

I have a confession, and this confession was sparked by this Glamour article.

I've been carrying a burden of guilt since I returned from a business trip to Shanghai China in October of 2009.  While doing business there in China, I also managed to squeeze in a bit of "tourist" time.  I hit a "Tourist Hot Spot" with lots of souvenir shops etc. 

While walking along the strip I was approached by a Chinese woman (assumed) holding a small card that was folded.  She unfolded and pointed to this small card.  There were pictures of watches and handbags....knock-offs of designer bags and watches.  She gestured for me to follow her and so I did. 

After a brief  walk down a side road, I followed her into what appeared to be a souvenir shop.  She pushed against a wall which became a doorway into another world.  Behind that wall were several air-conditioned and well merchandised rooms full of knock-off designer goods, totally different from the open-air (equals hot & muggy) shabby souvenir store that I had walked into.  After doing some browsing around, I did not see anything that interested me so I politely thanked them and turned to walk out, but not to lose a sale, she had me follow her to yet another "secret spot".  Again, nothing of interest....we moved on to the next spot....at this point it was more of a thrill to see more of this underground operation.....and finally I found something of interest, after some major haggling, I made a purchase.  I can tell you that I am not very well-liked on the streets of Shanghai, I didn't let them get too far over on me....they didn't "rip me off" in my opinion, they were not happy with me, and their smiles eventually turned into dirty look.....they never thanked me for my purchase, in fact as I walked out, I think I heard someone grunt.

I had dirty feeling of being a fraud & guilty afterward, not to mention thankful that I didn't get kidnapped or worse.  You have to realize that I am an American woman in a foreign country, shopping in an underground secret world....I definitely took a chance.   

I seldom wear the handbag that I purchased that day .  I can probably count the number of times I've used it on one hand....and when I do, I feel like a fake...a liar....a cheat...a fraud and I want to hide the bag so that no one who is wiser can look at me and judge and think that I am a fake.  So here I am confessing (and also praying that the powers that be are not reading this and looking for me now).  While I'm at it I might as well also confess to having purchased other faux-items which were then gifted to recipients who were well aware of the origin and lack of authenticity.

The Glamour article link above relates to a study of how women who knowingly purchase and carry fake designer bags are more likely to lie and cheat on tests...and while it's been a long time since I have taken a test, I do feel guilt....each time I look at it in my closet., just as if I would feel guilt if I had cheated on a test and then passed.

Why do I feel so guilty?  because while I haven't done any reading up on it, I am quite sure that I committed a crime by making these purchases...I am sure that the crime didn't start and end that day that I followed the woman into the underground world....moreover, I question whether people sacrificed their lives at all so that I could carry that FAKE bag?  I know that seems extreme, but it is a BIG business just like illegal drugs, it is definitely a possibility and I just can't happily go on owning this bag with those thoughts in the back of my mind.  In addition, as a self-proclaimed designer, how could I knowingly commit such a crime against my own kind?!?!?!

I've been thinking about getting rid of it for a while..to rid myself of this guilt.  I've thought about giving it away...I've thought about throwing it away...but if I throw it away, I am adding to the landfills....if I give it away, someone else will be carrying it...and it will still be in existence....and I'll still feel the guilt knowing it is still out there. 

Perhaps I should have a burning of the bag ceremony....nothing fancy or cult-like...just a backyard fire with chopped up wood and a fake hand-bag.....but then I may be releasing toxic fumes into our breathing air.....sigh

what to do...what to do....

I think I'll go have a Red-Bull...speaking of Red Bull, did you know that it is illegal in some countries???  Now that is just CRAZY talk!

Catching Up

I'd love to say that my life has been EXTREMELY busy, so busy that I have not had a moment to stop and write.  While it has been busy, it hasn't been that busy.  Sorry my beloved 2 readers.  :)
So let's see, what is there to discuss sine last time I posted?
I made some Lucky Poker boxers for Baby Face.

 Check out the center, there is a pee-hole there but you can't tell because I matched up the fabric pattern so well (pat pat on my back).  They were easy to make and I plan to make more.  From here on out all of the men in my life will be getting underwear as gifts ;)  Just kidding, maybe.
This year for some reason I got the urge to plant a garden.  Not only to plant a garden, but to do so from seeds.  My only problem?  I live on the 2nd floor of an apartment building....no yard.

My solution?

Window boxes!  I purchased 3 of them for $15 each at Wal-mart, 1 for each of the 3 balconies.  I planted green beans & cilantro in one box and beets & basil in the other box.  I planned to plant arugula in the 3rd box, but could not find seeds nor plants before leaving for vacation.
We traveled down to Port St. Lucie, Florida last week for a long weekend getaway.

We only made it to the beach one of the 4 days, but while there got to witness the final Atlantis shuttle launch!  That was a nice surprise!
I met the newest member of the family, my cousin Katie's brand new daughter Madison.  Got to meet her awesome hubby Bill for the first time in their adult life too!

Madison looks a lot like my family, we must have some pretty strong genes!
One of the evenings we borrowed Bill's Cadi and took a ride down to a Tiki Bar in Jupiter to meet up with my friend/co-worker Katie (who I stole the idea to take that weekend to head down to FL) and her friend Kim.

Thanks to Facebook, I got to meet up with an old High School friend who has been living there for quite a while now! 

It was really nice seeing Paola after so long (17 years!!! YIKES!)  The evening was low key and laid back.  I got hit on by a woman who was there with another woman.  This was the first time that someone has ever been so blatant about it.  Her partner was not very happy.  I thanked her for the compliment and quickly made my way back to our table for fear of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

During our trip, I got word from friend/co-worker/neighbor Katt (who was watching the cats and watering my dirt) that some thing started to sprout!  YEAHY!  Though I was a lil upset that was gone for the birthing of my first sprout....I knew it was going to happen.  More things popped up shortly after that.  We have 2 green bean plants (one is missing it's leaves, I hope this won't be a problem).

We also now have the cilantro in that same box.  The other box has beets and basil growing!

The porch is my most favorite place to hang out.  We finally got around to purchasing some real outdoor furniture.

I absolutely LOVE those pillows I made, though they seem to be starting to fade a little bit.  I try to bring them in when it rains, to keep them from molding (because I did not make the covers removable) but there is nothing I can do about the sun hitting them.
This weekend, I finally got around to planting some flowering plants in some cheapo ($1 each on sale!) Wal-Mart planters that I purchased when BF first moved in back in October.  I saw these Double Impatiens at Lowe's and had to have them!

They are so sweet and delicate and add a lot of life to the porch.

They make me happy.  They make the porch smell nice too!

While out and about on Saturday, I came across some Arugula seeds at Target.  I purchased them and planted them as soon as I got home.  Hopefully we'll see those sprouts too!

Well, I guess that's about it for now.  I'll leave you with one last photo of BF and I on vacation.

I have never known a greater love than this!  Finally!