Goodbye Unemployment: A Valediction

I have been employed for about three weeks now and it looks like it is going to stick. So, I figured it's time to officially bid adieu to unemployment, homage style. A-hem.

What I learned while unemployed

The lessons of unemployment were frustrating at times, but ultimately fruitful. It's true that necessity is the mother of invention, and unemployment was nothing if not a season of mandatory ingenuity. I learned to reach for my library card instead of my debit card. I expressed shock and awe to find that the rubber stamp library of my youth was now a self-scanning, multimedia haven of ways to humor oneself. I learned that lo and behold, West Seattle wasn't all stroller mommies and cycle dads, and that there were more than a few fun, young, fascinating single ladies like myself ready to paint Alki red at a moment's notice. I learned that it would take three times longer to find a new job than I thought it would. I learned how much my fiance loves me when I had to lean on him for financial support. I learned there is no financial substitute for feel-good moments like the natural beauty of Lincoln Park, the adrenaline of a bike ride, or the endorphins from a great deep conversation with a close girlfriend. I learned nights in playing board games or going for a walk can be a lot more fun than a fancy dinner out, especially when it is somewhere snobby and overpriced like Saltys. On the flipside, I learned you don't have to sacrifice style for budget (thanks Sazerac and Cafe Presse). I learned to actually use the stuff I had by learning more about the capabilities of my digital camera and my mac, rather than adding new bewildering technologies to my life. I learned to find lost treasures in my closet and create fresh styles from old clothes rather than purchase new things. I learned volunteering can be just as fancy and thrilling as going out (wooh ArtsWest). I learned that your life passion doesn't have to be all-consuming, and that just because I quit my last job to write a book doesn't mean I can't do a new little job on the side. I learned that you don't have to save yourself for the perfect job. Settle for a job that's less-bad than your last one. Most importantly, I learned that you are not your job. Many employed people are just as miserable, listless and frustrated as unemployed people. And no matter what job you end up taking, you're still you. It's your friends, your family, your personality, and your hobbies that define you, not your working gig. Last of all, I learned that Coming to America never gets old. Never.

The First Day of Civilization

It's official. Tomorrow I return to work. In fact, as we speak I have an actual deliverable in an actual inbox at my new email address. True, it's only a part-time gig, but considering my four month hiatus from the workplace and hence society, I'm starting to feel the proverbial butterflies in my belly. Will I be good? Or should I say, will I get fired and have to deal with unemployment again? Will I like it? Will it be super stressful? While I remember how to read, write or speak verbal coherent strings of words? It's a whole new set of questions to replace the never-ending hypothetical scenarios that kept me company as an unemployed person. Either way you slice it, uncertainty is trippy. And so is being the new kid, no matter how old you are.

It may sound conceited, but when I resigned from my old job I left on top of the heap. My boss loved me, I had plenty of friends, and I had all the status, salary and security one craves from a professional environment.

Now it's back to the bottom of the heap, back to proving myself, back to slowly building those relationships of trust and respect that take so much gentle care to build. It's going to be an adjustment. I remember what a brutal struggle it was to get to the top the first time and hope this won't be like that.

Looking back though, I am proud to say I stayed true to why I resigned from my job in the first place. Tomorrow I will start a job that has all the important qualities my old one lacked: new creative skills, cooler projects and clients, authority, autonomy, and a stepping stone to a more creative career in the future. It doesn't look how I thought it would, but it feels right. It's time to kiss my four month Craigslist coma goodbye and rejoin civilization. I just hope I can remember how to talk.

It's the little things

As anyone who reads my blog knows, Litegeist is all about celebrating the little things. As anyone who reads my blog also knows, I am devoting this year to new creative endeavors outside the "creative writing" box. As such, today I completed my very first photoshop effect: Dreamy Photo Editing. Here is the result! Yay!

Something New

As I lay on the floor, breathing hard, in the fetal position, I watched Jillian Michael's cocky smile as my mind stuttered to a stop. Indeed, the 30 Shred Level 2 has been an initiation unlike any other for this knee-raise neophyte-well, an initiation unlike any other except one.

As I lay there, dazed, curled, exhilarated yet limp, crowing yet comatose, intensely introspective yet completely blank, it must be said: It felt like the exercise equivalent of losing your virginity.

Even now, as I drag my hollow body to the favorite easy chair with the childhood blanket to curl up and process what's just happened, I fight those warring sensations to tell all my friends or avoid everyone until my mind composes itself, until I get my dignity back, until I feel like my buoyant, chattery self again. I suppose in the same way, the 30 day shred will get easier and easier and then second nature and then something I don't even mention, or even register. I'll probably long for this level of stunned newness again. But right now, I just want some toast.

A Hidden Way to Tell if A Job is Right for You

Job shadowing and parachute colors are great, but I have a theory on another way to tell if a job is right for you. A good indicator of your future job satisfaction is how much you enjoy applying for it. After all, the application is pretty much a petri dish for the future job, so it's a good indicator of if you will enjoy the job itself.

First off, do you like the writing in the ad? Do the core values speak to you? When you are completing the application, is it fun and challenging? If so, the job will probably be fun and challenging. When you complete the job application, is it boring and stressful? Then the job will probably be boring and stressful. Tempted to stretch the truth on the app? Get ready to bring your inner Pinnochio on full-time. Find yourself trying to talk yourself into why the job is good for you? Prepare to do the same pep talk every morning and evening on your commute for the rest of the time you work at this job.

It's not rocket science. But the citizens of the floating world of Unemployment can use all the signposts they can get, and I think this is an apt one. Consider the application, your "first date" with a new job. Pay attention to how you feel throughout it, and you'll have a good indicator of whether it's time to fish or cut bait!

See-One Person/Sasquatch Hippie Can Make A Difference

I know this little gem has been making the rounds on the Internet, but as a Seattleite I think I have more claim than most to this dancing hippie video. The chain reaction of joy created on this sloping hill is amazing, so enjoy, and watch the whole thing. This guy is an Honorary Litegeister!

EMBED-Weirdo Kid Starts Huge Dance Party - Watch more free videos

Recreation versus Perspiration: An Epiphany

For years now, I have been hearing rumors about this suspicious E-word. How it makes you all tingly and relaxed. How it's the perfect stress-reliever after an intense work week. How it makes you feel happy and healthy and sexy. But I'd never actually experienced endorphins for myself until I became unemployed. I guess you could say I've always been an endorphins orphan.

I'm well-acquainted with natural highs, including those associated with shopping, chocolate, or a great conversation with a girlfriend. But I have always been nothing but suspicious of those glowing gym girls who would stroll out all gazelle-like with their yoga mats and their tube tops, raving about how "invigorated" they felt. Exercise either made me grumpy, gaspy and red-faced, or simply nonplussed.

Then I started doing the Jillian Michaels "Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism" workout on OnDemand, and lo and behold my E-phinany came. The age-old adage "no pain, no gain" was exactly applicable to my situation. I never experienced the swooping zen sensation of endorphins because I never sweat hard enough to warrant the payoff. And I didn't realize how much I was shortchanging myself, not just physically, but mentally as well.

Once you really start to push yourself in your workout, all the stress of the day finally, blessedly recedes to the back of your mind. I really genuinely did not know this, and I am 27 years old. I've been contenting myself with latte-slurping Greenlake power walks in the name of "exercise," not realizing sweet blessed mental obliteration could be mine with just a good solid kickboxing combo. And as all unemployed people know, any relief from the endless hamster wheel of anxiety and doubt and "what-ifs" is purely incredible, a drink of sweet nirvana water.

Unlike with Greenlake power walking or my other token forms of exercise, the Jillian Michaels workout pushes me into a sweat that is pure sanctuary, a hollowed out place where this is no craigslist ads or mounting bills or endless hours staring in the dark. I am not thinking about anything, or anyone but the sound and movement of my own body, of my pumping heart and gasping breath, working against my own best time. And when I go into that cobra pose at the end of that killer workout, I am calm, cool, and chalkfull of endorphins. At this point in my life, there is no better gift. Thanks, sweat.

Sunday for the Senses

Revel in the last rays of Sunday with this passage about roses, courtesy of Diane Ackerman's "Natural History of the Senses. Perfect summer reading!

"Cleopatra knew her guest [Mark Antony].   Few people have been as obsessed with roses as the ancient Romans.  Roses were strewn at public ceremonies and banquets; rose water bubbled through the emperor's fountains and the public bths surged with it; in the public amphitheaters, crowds sat under sun awnings steeped in rose perfume; rose petals were used as pillow stuffings; people wore garlands of roses in their hair; they ate rose pudding; their medicines, love potions, and aphrodisiacs all contained roses.  No bacchanalia, the Romans' official orgy, was complete without an excess of roses.  They created a holiday, Rosalia, to formally consummate their passions for the flower.  At one banquet, Nero had silver pipes installed under each plate, so that guests could be spritzed with scent between courses.  They could admire a ceiling painted to resemble the celestial heavens, which would open up and shower them in a continuous rain of perfume and flowers.  At another, he spent the equivalent of $160,000 just on roses - and one of his guests smothered to death under a shower of rose petals." 

Lite Find: Amazing $8 Ice Bucket

How neat is this inflatable ice bucket from Porta Cool? Elegant and portable, this is a Litegeist-worthy steal at a cool (pun intended) $7.95. Since it's inflatable, you can bring it camping, hiking, to the pool, and be ready for an instant summer party! Cheers to that. 

Boredom Beater: A book and a banana

Being unemployed has caused me to closely reevaluate my spending habits. I noticed one of my biggest habits from my former working life was spending money when I was bored. For example, I'm chronically early, so when I had fifteen minutes to kill I'd go into a boutique and buy a little fancy soap or desk trinket. Or I'd hop into a cafe and grab a latte and a cookie just to pass the time. A lot of times I didn't even really want the food or the trinket-it was just a habit. 

Now that I'm unemployed, I am much stricter about eating only when I'm actually hungry and buying things that I actually need or at least genuinely want. As such, I've had to find new creative ways to kill fifteen minutes. 

The best way I've found is to always pack a banana and a good book in my purse. That way, wherever I am, I can find a bench and enjoy fifteen minutes of page-turning potassium boosting:) This new habit works really well and I almost always feel infinitely better after this new little respite. In fact, I plan to continue this habit even after I get a new job. 

Other good options include going for a little walk, calling a friend, or taking a picture or two. What's your favorite boredom-beater? Do tell in the comments below! 

Sexy Swimsuit Season-It's all in the Attitude Ladies!

I came across these pictures over at the grand blog  "Cup of Joe." They are pictures of blogger Joana Goddard's granny, who moved from England to Chicago to marry her sweetheart (adoring man pictured below.) Anyway, these pictures really struck me because as swimsuit reason rolls in, it just reminds you that sexy really is all in the attitude. 

These women are wearing ultra-conservative retro one pieces and, let's face it, these ladies look hot. As bikini season sets in, remember that a playful attitude and confidence go a long way to taking an awesome swimsuit shot. As you can see from the picture below, Grandpa Goddard sure seems to agree with me:) 

In conclusion, next time you turn on your radio and hear another soul-sucking lyposuction commercial encouraging you to become an oompa loompa orange, zepra hair striped fembot with mal-aligned melon breasts drooping out of a porn-star bikini, think of dewy English rose Granny Goddard and shut that sucker off! 

Five Ways to Have a Lite, Lovely Memorial Day

If you want to keep your Memorial Day lite and lovely, here are five tips for cutting the fat out of your BBQ celebration! Remember, technically Memorial Day is about memories, not meat, so have a memorable time laughing and lounging with your friends WITHOUT sacrificing your metabolism.

1) Skip the hamburger bun. A hamburger bun contains 120 calories full of white flour that will not fill you up! Skip the bun and opt for a slice of yummy protein-full American cheese for 80 calories instead.

2) Do not put butter on your corn on the cob. I absolutely love crispy, yummy corn on the cob at BBQ's, but the taste is so sweet, you really don't need to add extra butter to the mix. By skipping butter, you spare yourself and additional 36 calories. If you must add flavoring, try lemon pepper spice instead. 

3) Easy on the booze. Limit yourself to one alcoholic beverage then stick to sparkling water for the rest of the BBQ. One nice glass of sangria or keg beer is really all you need to get in the celebratory mood, and as I said, Memorial Day is about creating memories, not blacking out. 

4) Have a lighter dessert. I adore festive foods, and would never suggest skipping a burger on Memorial Day. However, there's no need to top things off with a brownie or cookies that really don't relate to this celebratory day. If you want to get in the spirit with some festive main fare, go light on dessert. I am bringing a delicious low-cal sour cream strawberry shortcake to all my BBQ's to treat my friends to a liter dessert option. Fresh fruit kebabs are another great low-fat Memorial Day treat. 

5) Add an exercise component to your Memorial Day BBQ. A neighborhood walk or game of backyard volleyball or croquet helps keep the festivities going and burns calories at the same time. 

Most of all, have a wonderful safe three-day weekend! Happy Memorial Day! 

The Four Things You Need to Start Your Dream Job (And the one thing you don't)

It's official: there's no more hierarchy. There are no more titles. There's definitely no ladder with endless ambiguous rungs to be climbed. Whatever you want to do, do it. It's the 21st century, and there's absolutely no reason not to. 

If you have a couch, a coffeemaker, a laptop, and a couple kindred like-minded souls whose talents complement yours, congratulations, you've got a company. With the multitude of how-to's and tutorials on the web, the amazing software available, and the ease with which you can now create business cards and websites, there is absolutely nothing standing in the way of you doing exactly what you want to do, exactly the way you want to do it. 

For example, I want to make viral interactive experiences. Taking something static and making it in to a three-dimensional, dancing, singing, cursing, wriggling rich interactive experience is the thing that makes my heart pound, my eyes glaze, and time streak away in dripping technicolor, like a butterfly made of toast and butter in a Lewis Caroll movie. And that conviction, that spasm of glee, is the only foundation, the only certification (I am recasting this word to now mean steeped in certitude) I need to begin.  But it took me a while to realize this. 

For months I've been waiting for a Creative Director position. I figure if I can just get someone to look at my portfolio, affirm my awards, make little nodding sounds of approval as I discuss synergy and metrics, I can then finally, finally make viral interactive experiences. But then it hit me: I could just go ahead and start making viral interactive experiences now. So I am. 

I am writing a novel, which will eventually become a screenplay, which will eventually be promoted via a viral marketing campaign including posters, videos, websites, blogs, whisper campaigns, mullets, cherries, the number 5, baby rattles, and much, much more. 

Now that I know this, I am working in leaps and bounds to make it happen. I have already become proficient in Pages and Iweb, which is riveting in this freaky, giddy, Faustus, unearthing creative fashion. Next up is photoshop and Imovie, and maybe a little Garage Band, who knows? Knowing that creativity is my core gift, I will apprentice myself to each and every tool that will allow me to flow in my natural-born talents. 

Most importantly, I won't wait for some arbitrary nod of approval to begin my heart-pounding, insomniac-inducing, giddy-glee career pursuits. I want to begin my dream job now. I have all the kindling to ignite my creative destiny, and I'm going to go from apathetic lighter-flicker to full-on passionate pyro. Permission granted, Self. Let the flames of creativity begin.

The moral of the story is,  don't wait for a job offer, a shiny office, a fancy title, 401k, or whatever else you think you need to reassure you that you are what you already know deep down you are. Act first, and the fancy titles and 401k will come naturally. I promise. Or if they don't, your life will be so awesome you won't care. 

Discovered-On Demand Workouts

A litegeister by any other name may easily be called a sloth, a slug, a lazy bohemian. All true, I freely admit. That said, I am making a valiant effort to stay in shape this season, which is why I've discovered a genius workout alternative for those litegeisters like myself-too lazy to even drag themselves to their 5 minutes-away gym. While flipping through the channels, I discovered a revelation: a trove of fitness workouts available on On Demand.

I know what you're thinking. On Demand? The cesspool "free movie" abyss where they the banish the likes of Mighty Ducks 3 and The Lakehouse? Yes indeed! On Demand is in fact a hidden source of loads of fun, funky and best of all, free workouts for the lazy bohemian set. Just go to "Sports and Fitness" and then filter to "Exercise TV." Viola, exercise segments galore!  So what are you waiting for litegeisters? It's time to lay on the floor and plank like no one's looking (because luckily, unlike your local gym, they aren't!) 

So far I have been focusing on ab workouts, since I am a bit more  blessed than I'd like to be in the belly region:) I am not one of those people that gains wait all over. I have always said I have a "chihauhau" body type. At a petite five one, my arms and legs stays skinny while my stomach bulges out like a balloon the second I eat a delicious Alki Bakery chocolate chip cookie. But since this is a POSITIVITY blog, I will take a moment to point out how cute chihauhaus, with their plump warm bellies, actually are. Awww....

Anyway, so far I have sampled two delightful On-Demand workouts. The first was "Rock Solid Abs" with Kendall Hogan (a porn star name if I've ever heard one). But I suppose that's what I get for clicking on the "Sexy for Summer" section which included such gems as "Baywatch Abs" (ab workouts with a side of Hepatitis C, maybe?), Chair Dance, Bootylicious Buns, and more. Anyway, Kendall turned out to be a kindly black man who offered his abs instruction with just the right dose of tough love. This workout requires more equipment, including hand weights and medicinal balls. This is a quick ten-minute ab blaster, but I have to say I definitely worked hard. It was a nice satisfying workout that was just hard enough, and had enough variety that I learned a few new moves. If you want a quick ab-tightener in the morning or before you go out on a date, I'd totally recommend "Rock Solid Abs" for a quick blast to your belly.

The second one I did was "Incredible Abs" with Cindy Whitmarsh. Cindy was a perky blonde whose abs definitely lived up to the hype. In true perky fashion, we dove right in to the exercises, this time in a standing position. I enjoyed this workout as I don't think it contained one conventional crunch or sit-up, and instead mixed it up with a ton of oblique work, plank variations, and standing exercises. For someone who is most likely in for a lifetime of ab workouts, I appreciated how this exercise routine mixed it up. Another bonus was that Cindy, a skillful instructor, varied the movements so you never worked one ab muscle group for too unbearably long like some teachers do. The plank finale at the end is a killer, but overall this segment is completely doable and a nice comprehensive ab workout. 

I have stuck to stummy exercises so far but am revving up for a Carmen Elektra striptease or 70's Temptation Walk (what is this?) next week, so stay tuned. For a guaranteed laugh, check out the "80's Roger Rabbit" in the "Get up and Dance" section. Oh man. I am laughing just typing the words "Roger Rabbit." Bonus ab workout, hahahah. Ok, I can't breathe. Litegeister, out. 

Lite Treats-Spring Coffee Drinks at Hotwire

In addition to trading in the pea coat for the cardigan and watching the Avalon Glassworks display turn from pumpkins to sunflowers, there is one more seasonal treat a litegeister loves: new spring coffee drinks. 

In this economically-conscious age, coffee drinks are the perfect elegant, fancy under $5 treat. So I was delighted to see Hotwire Coffee's new roll-out of seasonal spring drinks. And we aren't talking your average iced mocha. The green siren's got nothin' on Hotwire's luscious caffeine bouquet including lavender mochas, marigold lattes, and violet chai. Violet chai. Just sounds sexy to say, doesn't it? Not to mention a lot more low-key than your usual working girl hardcore half caf, non fat, triple grande, sugar free vanilla latte, am I right? 

Those were just three of the great options I saw today at Hotwire, but there was a veritable laundry list of fragrant flower flavors, so you must go see for yourself. Today, I sampled the Marigold Latte, a blend of vanilla, honey, and real orange peel, and it was heavenly, a true sip of spring. Walking down California Ave in the typical standard Seattle sporadic sun and rain, I had a moment of blissful urban bohemianism as I sipped my glorious garden-inspired drink, and I encourage you to go and do the same. Now I confess I am usually a sugar-free syrup girl myself, but I plan to indulge in at least three of these decadent drinks over the season as a personal toast to spring, and will be reporting back on my findings. Are there yummy spring coffee drinks in your area? Post your favorite one in the comments below! 

Little Shoots of Spring

Zulu Loves...The Library!

Ok, maybe it's not a total revelation. But for a hardcore card-carrying Barnes & Noble city girl like me, the library is a fascinating attempt at a liter, more simple lifestyle that doesn't include books that pile over the side of the shelf and take big bites out of my bank account. So for the other library neophytes out there, here is an account of a first-time library goer.

First of all, even as a litehearted gal, this sensitive soul is pretty picky about the environments she puts herself in. If it's too crowded, not clean, or has unkind people, forget it. But the quaint little neighborhood library met all my loftiest expectations. The clerk was this cool dreadlock guy with an English accent who was super helpful assisting me in finding books. And the checkout man was the hoped-for twinkly white haired man. When I approached the desk, he was busy telling a little neighborhood boy a riddle. A riddle, I tell you! How adorable is that? Best of all when you check out, you get none of the mega bookstore hardcore credit card sale that you have to suffer through in traditional book-buying. You know, the sales spiel you've heard so many times you have to fight the urge to recite it along with them after a while. 

The cool thing about going to the library is that it is guilt-free shopping. You still get the tingle of getting something new, without the stress of how much it cost. As a reformed shopaholic, I've been hitting my new "store" at least twice a week, back to my old beloved habits of cocking my head, judging, appraising, chortling with glee when I find something I like, and dismissively tossing back thin

gs I don't. 

Now, in my experience, it is better to just browse the library shelves rather than go in on a mission for one specific thing. This is not the place to find the latest bestseller or the book for your book club. Every book I specifically looked up had at least 4 people holding it. If you're patient or a plan-ahead type, this might work for you. If you're an "in the moment" kind of girl like me, just roam the shelves with no expectations and you'll be surprised what you might find. From what I can see, the library is perfect for those "oh yeah" books, the bestseller from f

our years ago you kept meaning to buy but completely forgot about. It's also good for picking up books in new genres you want to try, how-to books, language books, and even DVDs and cassettes. Overall, I feel the library is a can't-lose situation. More on this below...

For example, sometimes you'll pick up something excruciatingly bad, like Blueberry Nights starring Norah Jones. You meant to see it in the theater but something in your soul told you this sub-par arthouse flick had serious suck potential. And you were right! But since you got to view it in your house sans the twenty-dollar sting of a movie ticket and a giant tub of heart-attack popcorn, or even the minor downer of a 2.00 Itunes rental gone bad, it's terribleness is merely laughable instead of embittering. Winner, you.

To be fair, this movie was beautiful to look at and if the acting wasn't so incredibly overwrought (five scrunchy stares for every one line of dialogue) it might have been ok. The premise of a girl who shares a piece of blueberry pie in a diner one night and then writes letters to the shop-owner during a road trip is charming. But the symbolism was sooo over 

the top, it really just became ludicrous after a while. This might be a nice movie to have on mute at a tea party or when having wine with a friend, just to take in the beautiful cinematography. There is even some solid acting, such as Natalie Portman's off-the-charts poker player. But even that cannot atone for the horror that is Norah Jones' acting debut, or the hideously strained love affair between Norah Jones character and Jude Law's character. Whatever the opposite of chemistry is (biology?) they have it. Ewww. Also I know the pie affect was meant to be artistic but I preferred this 

method in the movie Waitress. This felt a little more like food porn.

On the other hand, you might pick up something brilliantly good that absolutely surprises you, like Dandelion by Catherine James. I picked this book the same way I pick wine: solely by the enchantment factor in the cover. Intrigued by the cheerful blue and yellow motif and the whimsical image of a woman's face appearing in a dandelion, and the lines "Memoir: Of a Free Spirit," I decided to give it a try. Wow. That's all I can say. This unheralded treasure is a much-needed Go Ask Alice for the older set. What a page turner! I read it until well after midnight then woke up at 6 a.m. and read again. From the intro where her father becomes a woman to her affair with Mick Jagger to her stint at Wilhemena modeling agency, James's incredible life is offset by such a frank, friendly writing style, it's the writing that pulls you in as much as the incredible plot. It's amazing that someone with such a topsy-turvy life could write with such levity, which makes James a litegeister after my own heart. I wholly encourage you to pick it up. Or, check out the first page, here.

The moral of the story is, as long as the story is free, you really can't lose. Libraries offer a peaceful, cheerful sanctuary that you can't find in bustling mega-bookstores, a unique sense of community, and they really need our support as the library industry is another one being hit hard by pink slips. Why not check out your local library this weekend? 

The Dream Duel

My fellow Lady of Leisure gets back from Hawaii today, and we are foresworn to engage in a "dream duel." For the past week we were both supposed to ponder and articulate our life's dream. Then we were going to count to three, turn and utter them aloud, hence the dueling part. 

What I have figured out is not that much different than what I had before, but I've tried to turn it from vague to articulated. While it's true I left my last job to write a novel, the overarching reason was to live a more creative life in general.  Yet it seems like even though I am committed to cranking out a clever opus, my fickle eye keeps straying to the unemployment crack that is Craigslist. Is it just "cold hands"? Or should I try and get a job?  The goal of living a more creative life leaves plenty of room for interpretation, and therein lies the trouble. 

The biggest thing I've been asking myself as we prepare to draw a line in the sand is: do I want to get a job out of fear, or out of desire? The answer to that is, depends. I've told myself all along that if I got a really good yummy creative job offer, I should definitely take it. On the other hand, I should not take any sub-par job just to be employed.

So here's what I'm going to change: I'm going to stop living my life in "but what if I get a job?" mode. I am going to start embracing creativity, commitments, and life in general now, and stop turning down opportunities because I'm worried about what the future holds. 

So, I'm going to start volunteering. I am going to learn Photoshop, and eventually screenplay writing and videography. I am going to write and maintain this blog. I am going to continue trying to take a picture everyday to ensure life is not passing me by. I am going to work on my novel full speed ahead and treat it with the respect and reverence it deserves. And I am going to do everything I can to help make Ladies of Leisure a thriving LLC, or whatever business-y thing it can be.

There only remans one thing I'm not sure of. My lingering question is: Should I get a leetle part time job? I am the most working class person you'll ever meet, which at times clashes with my bohemian instincts. I'm always tempted to take a little job, although the happiest times of my life were when I was living on less and not working. Still, I think the answer is the same: if it is creatively fulfilling, yes. If it is just a soul-sucker to pay the bills, no.

Whew! Thanks my silent shareholders. I feel a million times better now that I have that established. Now all I have to do is make sure to do it! En garde! 

Welcome! Ole!

Hey everyone! See this girl on the left of me? Basically, she is an example of exactly how I want to live my life from here on out. A little more color. A little more flair. A little more zest in the daily routine. That is why I walked away from my secure little cubicle nest in one of our country's greatest recessions and stepped out to become an unemployed writer attempting her first novel. 

This blog is my stab at adding a little more structure to my lady of leisure life while still letting my creativity flow. The "lite" part reflects my desire to make this blog a happy, positive place. I hope to put a light-hearted spin on my posts that will inspire myself and others. That's not to say I intend to write some artificial super perky beauty-queen pageant type nonsense. But I believe there is a pearl of positivity in every experience, and I think the key to finding it is processing appropriately.  "Memory reflected in tranquility" as Wordsworth would say, which is why I've taken the daffodil as my talisman. Anyway, I hope this colorful offering of culture, cooking, nature and life's lighter moments makes your life a little zestier too. Happy Guacamole Day!