Quote of the Day 03/28/2007

What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?

-- Robert Schuller

Life is Good!

This is the "Happy Face" on the Galle Crater, near the Argyre Planitia impact basin on Mars. I am using this image because Life is good!

I'm currently reading The Wisdom of the Enneagram and learning all sorts of new things about myself. According to the the RHETI Sampler on http://www.enneagraminstitute.com/ I am a type 6: The Loyalist. My results also showed strongly for types 2 and 5: The Helper and The Investigator, respectively. The quick test is 80% accurate. The whole point to discovering your personality type is to go past the limitations of your personality and express your true self. It's all about experiencing life, rather than reacting to it. I'm still a novice at it, but I am slowly becoming more aware and learning to be present everyday. Fun!

I had a great boost at work today. I was asked to serve on a hiring committee for an open position there. I asked about the capacity in which I will serve the team, naturally thinking it was for my technical point-of-view. I was told that, in fact, I was chosen for my integrity! Woo-hoo! What a great compliment! I love it! It's interesting because a life theme has recently recurred where I do not trust my judgment... in life situations, people I choose for friends, intimate relationships, seeing the big picture, etc. This almost seemed like a pop quiz for my growth and development: "Jaime, are you going to trust your instincts or not? Well, here's an opportunity! Go for it!" So I am. How could I not go for it? Hence, the happy face!

As for how I decorate my life (the question from my last post), the first thing that pops to mind is reading. There is such a rich texture that is added to my life because I read so much. It's almost like being there. I've always had a big imagination and a well-written story is all I need to travel most anywhere. My favorite is historical fiction, anything ranging from Servant of the Bones by Anne Rice to Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Devereaux. It's no secret that my favorite store is Barnes and Noble. Sometimes I go in just to browse and drink chai tea.

I went to Cocula for lunch today while I was having my MINI washed next door. And what to my wandering eye do I see, but a cute boy sitting in the booth next to me! Lol! He smiled, I smiled... we didn't speak but it was nice exchange. I guess you could say we had lunch together! Haven't had too many moments like that lately, so it was refreshing.

Work is hectic right now, but I am enjoying it. I am looking forward to kicking off my cousin's Spring Break trip in early April. Holla, Megan!! Even if for a weekend, I'm still excited. I haven't spent much quality time with my cousin in a while... she's like my little sister, really. And do I even have to mention the exciting discount shopping opportunities in Myrtle Beach??? Before the trip I am going to have the curls installed into my 'do. Great look, low maintenance. :)

Thanks for reading,
J.

Now I want to hear from all of you...

I've been doing a lot of the sharing so far and I'd like to know a little about my readers! I came across a "suggestion" in a Dove chocolate wrapper (hey, whatever!) and it read, "Decorate your life." So I want to know:

How do you decorate your life???

I'll post my thoughts on how I decorate my life soon. I look forward to hearing your answers!

J.

ACC Wrap-Up and The Beauties of Florida

Current Read: Chill Factor by Sandra Brown
Current Mood: Exhausted, but content

Ok, so State didn't take the ACC title this year, but damn they played awesome bball! And I must be happy that a Carolina team took the title. :) Rah, rah Carolina! Carolina!

I just spoke with my Dad, Jim, to wish him a happy birthday. (Holla, Daddy-O!!) He's 29 again... forever young! Rock on, Dad! As we were chatting, he mentioned my blog needs correcting. If I want to root for the winner of the NCAA, then it's all about the orange and blue! Go Gators! So now I am rooting for UF. :) They are favored to be the champs again (they won on April 3, 2006 the NCAA title).

When I was visiting my Dad in July '05, he took me to the Butterfly Rainforest at the Florida Museum of Natural History. It's located on the campus of UF Gainesville. Check out my recent Flickr uploads to see what I saw. It was like being at the end part of a fairy tale. Butterflies were fluttering all around me while sunlight filtered through the glass dome. I was surrounded by lush vegetation that formed the butterfly habitat. Sharing it with my Dad was truly special. I believe he really enjoyed it, too. :)

Some of the most gorgeous pictures I've ever taken were on that trip to Florida. We visited the ghost town of Leno and Ogden Lake, St. Augustine, Silver Springs and Cedar Key. I'll be uploading more pictures I took from that trip. My Dad and I really "bonded" on that visit. It was great! Turns out I have a lot more in common with him than I ever knew. We both just like to chill. No pressures, no hectic schedules... just appreciating the simple things. I almost went scuba diving there.... but I kind of chickened out. Getting in the water with living organisms that could bite or nibble at me has taken me some time to get used to. Next time, maybe!

Dad's selling his house in Florida. :( I'm sure it won't be the last time I visit Florida though. Or my Dad for that matter! LOL!

ACC Championship Game Today!

State has a date with Carolina today at 12:30! (That's 11:30 for those you who haven't patched your daylight savings time or set your clocks forward) The Pack's gonna do it this year, I can feel it in my bones! Here we go, Tobacco Road!

Quote of the Day 03/10/2007

<<Le coeur a ses raisons que la raison ne connaît point.>>

-Blaise Pascal (19 June 1623 – 19 August 1662) French mathematician, physicist, and theologian

"The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of."

This has been a favorite quote of mine for many, many years. I put this one on here especially for my sister, Jenn. Call me anytime, sista, when you feel the need to work on the pronunciation!

(Ed. Note: We occupied ourselves with the proper pronunciation on the drive to LAX in January.)

Paging Willowby Bobbin...

Today was another weird one. I was still kind of floating from my dream the other night until lunchtime. We had a group troop to the cafeteria for Mediterranean food. I couldn't help but feel that my ex-friend (see "Is it the full moon?" post) was trying to thumb her nose at me. Probably illusory snubs, but enough to kill my mood. Then, all the lunch rice contraindicated with my sleepiness and I was Goofy (incarnate) the rest of the afternoon. Entertaining, no doubt, for my colleagues!

After work, I'm still kind of sad so I begin thinking of things that make me happy. Top of that list? My little furry buddy, Willowby Bobbin! He's a tri-color shih-tzu, who's nearly 10 months old. He's an incredible source of joy and laughter everyday. When I first got him he was the runt of the litter (6 wks.) and developmentally behind. With enough TLC for 5 puppies, he grew by leaps and bounds. His weight when I brought him home: 1.9lbs. His weight now: 16.9lbs!

Among other nicknames, I call him "Paper Boy" because he absolutely loves any sort of paper goods. Small boxes, toilet paper rolls, paper towels... if it came from a tree, he tucks into like it is a trove of treats! His most recent trick is "High Five." I place my hand, palm up, flat on the floor. He swings his paw out by his side landing squarely on my upturned hand.

You may be wondering what his other nicknames are.... well...

Nugget. Love. Mr. Bobbin. Lovey. My Buddy. Wills. Sweet Pea. Handsome. Poppet. Sugar. Good Boy. Sweetest Boy EVER. I know, I know... obnoxious!

Nugget is short for Nugget of Love. He was so tiny when I brought him but just a bundle of affection. I sing songs to him, like "My buddy, my buddy... Wherever I go, he's gonna go..." Sometimes I make up songs, like last night's dinner prep song about chicken and rice. :) He's a chicken and rice addict... it's like puppy opium for him. To Wills, "420 friendly" means "partial to poultry."

He loves performing (fetch, catch, come, bring toy) and enjoys the praise more than dog cookies. He's already been through the beginner/puppy class at PetSmart. I plan to enroll him for the intermediate class soon. He really enjoys meeting new dogs and new humans... any opportunity to show off and to play. He's an avid learner and loves new challenges.

Aside from paper, he always takes time for belly rubs. The belly rubs induce a state of puppy nirvana and I can usually make him fall asleep with a well-timed belly rub. Recently, he's been getting a belly rub close to bedtime that will make him start snoring almost immediately. Lol!

A true boost to my strange day was State opening another can of whoopa** tonight! Wolfpack triumphs over No. 2 Seed, Cavaliers. Go, Pack, Go! State's frontcourt game is just a marvel to watch. They can be on the inside or downtown: Doesn't Matter! I've become addicted to the swish the ball makes as it slides through the basket!

Wake Forest is playing Va. Tech right now. State will play the winner. Go Deacons! I want the showdown! Don't forget to see my Flickr page for more pictures of Willowby.

March Madness is HERE!

So, it's official. NCSU just cleaned the court with Duke! One OT, State won by 5. It was truly beautiful. I've never seen such an amazing reverse layup, courtesy of Atsur. I think the new State coach, Sidney Lowe is the ticket to the championship. Woo-hoo! Helluva first day!

Funny story: In preparation for the 1st ACC weekend of the season, Mom went to Sam's Club. As I unloaded a 6lb. lasagna, a 4lb. bag of broccoli, 3 giant bottles of ketchup, 2 tubs of mustard and the biggest damn bag of crinkle fries (8lbs.), I turned to Mom and just started laughing. I wanted to say, "When's the underground bunker being installed?" And her reply?? "Well, I knew I was gonna be glued to the ACC this weekend so I wanted to make sure I got stuff that's easy enough for you to fix." LOL! And I tell her, "Do you really expect we're gonna eat all this in ONE weekend?!?! That's the one and only Linda...

I had a random thought about my blog. It's been 4 days since I created it and so far I haven't gotten any comments on it. Could it be that I have been officially rejected by the Internet?? Ha ha! Actually I am having so much fun with the creation thereof that I really haven't felt rejected. It's such a great repository for lots of things that float through my head. In fact, I just got around to sharing my blog with the majority of my family and friends today. (Holla ya'll!) I am so lax about keeping in touch with my loved ones, this serves as a vehicle to do just that. At least my laziness hasn't completely taken over... :D

Time for the American Idol results... could it be that there really is a website designed to keep the bad contestants in the game? Then you could argue that it pays to sing badly!

Cheers!

Quote of the Day 03/08/2007

Ok, so 'Quote of the Day' tends to indicate that there's only one quote per day, but I just love collecting quotes! Here's another:

What is that you express in your eyes?
It seems to me more than all the print
I have read in all my life.

-Walt Whitman

Cool, eh? I read a lot, so this quote speaks quite loudly to me. :)

Poetry Anyone?

I write poetry from time to time. As it is with most of the poetry I write, it seems to come through me rather than from me. This poem you're about to read is exciting for me... it rhymes! My poetry normally doesn't rhyme, so enjoy!

Through your maze I see
A clearer version of me.
A bright, shining vision
for anyone to see.
Beautiful in its simplicity
and simple in its truth ~
I get a glimpse of what it is
for us to be.

~jed

Quote of the Day 03/08/2007

Have you learned the lessons only of those who admired you, and were tender with you, and stood aside for you? Have you not learned great lessons from those who braced themselves against you, and disputed passage with you?

Walt Whitman

Is it the full moon?

What a strange week this has been! Some things have gone supremely well. The rest... disastrously bad. Is anybody else feeling that?

I had a major riff with a close friend and now she won't talk with me. Here's the gist of it... over the past several months there have been a series of small disappointment stemming from our friendship. I am not a confrontational person by nature, so I usually let things like that slide. This time I didn't. She asked me what was wrong and I answered her truthfully. She didn't like it. I thought I was opening up a line of communication because I thought our friendship was worth it. Now I see our friendship wasn't strong enough to withstand the truth. It's rather sad, but it's also a relief. I feel like I've broken though with myself by being true to myself.

I had the greatest dream last night... one of those dreams that kept me happy all day. No talk of any hoo hoo dilly visiting somebody's cha cha, but it had a sensuous warmth and intimacy that permeated everything. It took place in a brick colonial on a beautiful summer night ~ a house I didn't recognize, but felt totally at home in. In the dream, I was with a guy I know and feel utterly comfortable with. We were both in white bathrobes and just kind of puttering around this house... laughing, talking, exploring. I felt so full of life. I haven't had a dream like this in a while. It keeps me believing love that lasts a lifetime. If only finding it were as easy as dreaming about it!

Work has been a joy lately and quite distracting. We hired a new guy to our team last week and he's already a great asset to our department...

Sometimes I wonder if my ramblings are boring, so I submit this link to keep things lively:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1lDBx1gBww . I absolutely love Ellen Degeneres! She is priceless.

So this week has been all about the meaning of life, what it means to be a true friend and the reality that laughter really is my lifeblood. Happiness is being loved for who you really are. I hope that all who read my blog find a bit of true happiness everyday. :)

Quote of the Day 03/07/2007

Big jobs usually go to the men who prove their ability to outgrow small ones.

Ralph Waldo Emerson
(1803-1882, American poet, essayist)

My 1st Blog

Well, here I go... blogging my soul out. A friend suggested I start a blog. I suppose he's done with my long emails about my philosophy of life! (E: Get that damn monkey off my back!)

Actually, the reasons he gave for it are excellent. I love to write, express and debate. An added benefit is that it's an opportunity to connect with others from all over the world. I never considered myself the type to blog, but this has been rather fun so far.

I can't promise to add new content every day, but as interesting patterns and themes arise I will post them here. I'm all about art, literature, history, travel, diversity and spirituality. As my blog grows I will most likely touch on every one of these subjects.

A little about myself... I am a 30 year old woman living in the mountains of Western North Carolina. I work at a local college where I scurry around fixing equipment (PC hardware and software) as quick as I can.

I've never been married, although I would like to be one day. I consider myself an equal blend of creative and logical. It's been tough meeting people with the same blend. I usually have a variety of different friends with whom I can express different facets of my personality.

Eventually, I would like to finish a bachelor's degree in Literature and Creative Writing. For right now, I am enjoying my career, my friends and my little furry buddy, Willowby Bobbin. (More about him later!)

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy my blog. It may wander in all different directions at times, but with any luck you'll find tidbits you can relate to.