Life Skills

Offshoot of the List - The Etsy Store - Beta!

Holy Crud that was harder than I expected to do in a month. I had a lot to learn in a short amount of time, but I got it done. Adventures In Life is up and running! Right now I have my friend Meg testing on delivery time to make sure that is true to what is promised and testing that everything is hooked up correctly. My goal is by end of February to have over 50 designs up, to feel confident in everything and to go full hog.

But I did it! And that feels pretty awesome. Went live on January 31st.

In Process #79 - Learn to use my camera

I am taking a Michigan State Coursera course on photography so I can better use my camera. I want to be able to take better photos. My photos can be okay, but they are not solid.

Sometimes I can get framing and flow, but not always.

Or use lighting effectively to help tell the story, but I can get WAY better. And if I want to expand my skills with photoshop, which I am also taking a certification in at the moment, I have to also get better at photography. Photoshop can only help so far with the picture. Otherwise I might as well just create in Photoshop.

In Process - #11 - Write a Book

Oh Boy, did I make my life complicated. So Camp NanoWrimo kicked off and I thought it would be a good idea to do a “trash” book. AKA a book that will never see the light of day, one that is purely for me, no real focus on a specific page or word count but just to help start building the writing muscle.

It would also be a good a way to start researching what tools would be good to use to for writing. What do I like, what do I not like. Start to see if how do I like to gather inspiration, where and how do I handle getting “blocked”, etc. I used to write a lot but it is has been a while and I know those are issues I have had in the past and I doubt those same approaches I used when I was younger and would write short stories or poetry would work when I am looking at book form.

Well, that’s great and all but boy oh boy did I run into snags. I thought I chose an easy genre. And yes, it is an easy genre for me to write but it was not an easy genre for me to live with. It caused…complications, especially for my sleep.

Then I started to do my research rabbit hole thing and I really got into it.

Now I have finally landed on a tool and I am transferring into Scrivener, which seems to be working well. I also got a keypad and stand for the iPad so I can use the laptop around the house and the iPad on the go since Scrivener syncs.

What’s nice is that I have already started to set up for other book ideas as well so I can start to put notes in which will make my Instapaper insanity currently happening get under control. So there is that. So yay!

I decided to take a couple of days off from the book because I also realized a few things due to writing the book about my personal life. That is one beautiful thing about writing. I am not great at journaling, this might be the closest I have ever really gotten to being able to doing anything like it in any real manner. But writing, whether fiction or non-fiction does have a way of making me examine my life, my priorities and my relationships and making me take a step outside myself.

I realized I didn’t like who I was when I was spending time with someone. They kept triggering reactions from me and I was behaving in ways that aren’t normally like me. And it had gotten to the point that just the thought of them was triggering the anxiety. And through the the writing I started to examine conversations we have had been having.

I have a blind spot for subtext and body language. It’s why I like tv and movies, I have learned a lot from it. I am amazing at reading vibes though. So I know when the words don’t match the emotions and often I know what people actually want even when they don’t or they can’t express it. I also remember conversations incredibly well. Through writing I was truly able to process why I was reacting the way I was. Once I found the root cause, I knew what I had to do.

I am so freaking happy this is on the list. Whether I ever truly finish a book or not, I need to keep writing. Allowing my creativity to process in way is so helpful. Everyone and there mother has always pushed journaling. Ugh. This though, ah, this is the way.

In Process - #122 Get Yoga Certified

So I signed up to get my yoga certification. Was going well, then my type A, teacher’s pet, must get 100% in class personality promptly got myself injured when I didn’t quite understand that pain was bad (I have a high pain tolerance, I just normally push through, oops).

Well, in my effort to have my wrists be more flexible than what they are, I gave myself double tennis elbow.

Yes, I know, that is ridiculous, I fully acknowledge that.

Anyway, after 6? (time has lost all meaning to me) weeks of OT, I have been given the okay to start back up with easy beginner friendly yoga along with light (2-3 lb weights, ugh) weight training and if I feel any pain I am to stop.

This will be a new experience for me, but hey, new website design new me? Something like that? I will give it a try. I have messaged the company and they will be adding me back into a new class and though I have to start all over, that is okay. I do enjoy it and it is nice to have something that makes me take time for myself to stretch and center myself.

I enjoy the feeling. Back when the Kid was little, one of his friends was a yoga instructor and I miss her and her classes. It was so lovely having the ability to do something for myself without feeling guilty about it. I know it is silly to feel guilty about it and yet, I still do.

Ah, I wonder what will happen first, me and therapy fixing that issue or death? It might be photo finish there, lol.

Anyway, I am excited to get back at it!

In Process - #66 - Speak Easy Convo with Wela in Spanish

Duolingo and Spanish Lessons

I have been bad as of late. Like horribly bad. Like not just fell of the wagon but rolled down the hill, into the river, through the woods, down the pasture, into the pond, through the wheat field, into the manager, onto the hay and took a nap.

I need to get at this. I need to recommit. So as of today. Spanish lessons with my teacher every Wednesday. Duolingo every morning and evening. No excuses. Recommitting. Any day I miss, I put $5 into the donation jar.