i finally caved in...

... after all my ranting about Facebook, I finally caved in. That partly explains the lack of action on the blog now (the rest can be explained by my addiction to being busy with work and travels). Sorry. I can't keep up with all the inboxes nowadays (voice mail, email, snail mail, Facebook mail, blog comments...) so I'll be mainly on Facebook. My main hope and purpose of the blog was to stay in touch with people, and it seems Facebook is a better way to do that (even better than email for some Crack-book addicts!)

racing to read

Ahhh! I'm swimming in all kinds of fun stuff to read right now... I received two shipments from Amazon this week (a total of five new books), my friend who is writing a book e-mailed me some new chapters, and I picked up two books I put on hold (and five magazines) at the library.

I saw a deal where you get a free subscription to a Canadian magazine if you buy two other Canadian subscriptions... For a minute I entertained the idea, but realized quickly I can barely keep up with what I already have from the library and books and old magazines that are already on my shelves.

I'm thankful that I've been given the gift and ability to read, but I can't help but wish I could read faster! It always made reading in school painfully slow. I'm only recently rediscovering reading for pleasure since I've been out of university. Part of it is that I never learned very well how to approach different kinds of reading (newspapers vs. fiction vs. research studies, etc.) Good thing one of my new Amazon books is the classic How to Read a Book. But I am quite glad to be returning to a bout of reading while I'm at the gym and on public transit (which equals about 8-10 hours every week!).

I love how reading opens up new worlds, knowledge, perspectives, understanding, ideas, possibilities and dreams.

a tale of two scarves

Random short post:

• Yay! I found the scarf my mom made me that I thought was lost!
• Yay! I finished my scarf on the weekend. Thanks Dilys for showing me how to cast off!

Hmmm... now I have to think of what I'm going to do for our arts and crafts night as I thought I'd be still working on my scarf then... Maybe I'll make my own version of the Daring Dice of Transformation that I've been wanting to create for some time now. Or begin one of my off-the-wall sample wedding invitation ideas.

art as procrastination

So yesterday I had a full day ahead of me with potential to... get lots of work done! But no... creative procrastination got the better of me.

It all started with a quick consultation in the morning with Rock on his business cards (who has done a fabulous job of designing his own!). After he left, I was just revving up creatively and Dilys was in the living room making greeting cards... so I decided to give myself permission to not work (I'll be making it up shortly with 20 hour work days in March, or so my conscience tells me).

Just as I was beginning to get a taste of not being stuck on the productivity treadmill, I discovered that you can be addicted to productivity even in artistic endeavours (I thought, and was hoping, that art would help slow me down!) But still, I couldn't help but get a buzz from all the tick marks on my creative to-do list that I got done all in a day!

• Finished up the letterhead set for Lubna, the final step after logo development and business card designs we started over half a year ago...Patient woman and gracious friend for the unacceptably long wait!
  
• Drafted some initial wedding invitation ideas for Andrew and Maggie.
  
• Knit a few rows on my scarf while talking to my friend on the phone.
  
• Finished a calligraphy piece I've been thinking about for a month on the theme of "finding home" just in time for the Arts in the City, Arts in the Sanctuary call for submissions. There's nothing quite like a deadline to get me moving! Now there's art on demand for ya...

All in all, (putting procrastination and productivity-addiction issues aside), it was just a great spontaneous day of wrapping up, beginning and making progress on random creative projects.

My new book Living Out Loud had a good point in it about how creative people surround themselves with other creative people as one of many ways they foster creativity in their lives. I can see the truth of that, even in yesterday's inspiration being instigated by Rock and Dilys... It should be great to get together with other creative folk next week for our arts and crafts night at our place.

diving in again

The year has just begun and I'm craving a beach holiday, already.

After coming back to my apartment with the goal of some serious hibernation time to recharge my mental, emotional and spiritual batteries, I procrastinated for two days by cleaning house. Plus I consistently haven't been sleeping well since I've been back... barely enough energy to make it through my greeting duties at church on Sunday and then through the New Year's Eve party. A little drink helped with enough energy to ring in the new year.

Enough procrastination already. January 1 and 2 finally settled down in spirit enough to have some chill time with God to try starting the year off right. The day was pensive and somewhat sobering as I reflected on 2006 and looked ahead to 2007.

Last year was an amazing year by all kinds of standards. According to my productivity standard (which often is out of whack and unreasonably high), a lot was accomplished -- both work wise and personally speaking. My task-driven side should be satisfied, yet all these big giant tick marks on my to-do list left me profoundly dissatisfied. But I am thankful, because I think my productivity-work idol is finally showing its true colours and leaving me dry enough that I actually want to give it up. I've always known in my head that relationships are the important thing in life, but I think this new year I actually believe that in my heart and want to make relationships a bigger priority than my task projects this year.

January 3. The calls and emails start coming. I'm overwhelmed already. I want to hide on a beach somewhere before the avalanche of a year starts. I look at the waves and start to sink. I need to fix my gaze on Jesus. There is promise to do the impossible as I follow in his steps. I hope it's a year of walking on water. Hold on tight -- it's going to be a wild ride.

to home and back again

Christmas in Saskatchewan was kind of meh. On the positive:

• The weather was a steady and mild -10 the whole time.


• The cousins are still cute (but they're growing quickly! Nicholas' voice started changing last month and he'll be taller than me next time I see him!).


• I successfully learned to cast on and started knitting again after a 22 year hiatus... I finished one scarf and a half, but need to learn how to cast off and finish it!


• The boxing day shopping was good.


• The trip to see my great grandfather's laundry shop preserved at the Western Museum of development was cool.

What was difficult or weird:

• My sister was not able to come and join us.


• My expectations for hibernation and cave holiday time flew out the window early on and let's just say, the quiet didn't happen.


• While my body rested well and I slept lots, my mind and spirit were restless. I think it's just been such a snowball-down-the-hill paced year that I didn't know how to just be still.


• My trip ended on a sour note with some relational conflict that took me some recovery time to move on.

After all that and some cramped full flights all the way back, it was really good to come back to Vancouver and realize that this is home now. For the first time since I left my parents' home 12 years ago, I think I'm finally sinking some roots down and not wanting to run away somewhere new. That realization alone is a gift I am thankful for.

another successful bash

Well, we did it! We survived our Christmas party. Last year we had 40 people, arriving in two major waves of 20-25 people each. This year, we had 40 people again, but this time, they were in our tiny apartment essentially all at the same time. It was a bit of an experiment, as I wasn't sure how many would show up, where they would all fit, and how loud it would get... This isn't the best photo of the night, but it gives an idea of how every inch of our space was used well! :)

This year I really wanted to be present (as some of my more contemplative friends would say), rather than running around all over the place not having a proper visit with any one person. I was determined this year to really catch up with people and listen well (as well as possible with the loud din of 30 some odd people chattering in the background). So we stripped down all the prep work and bought mostly ready-to-serve foods. But the deeper issue in "being present" is having the right heart and attentive spirit in connecting with people. I'm thankful I received a spirit of prayer throughout the week before.

While I know I am biased, there was a great food (appy potluck style), great people and great conversation. It was the best mix of people I've yet seen, from different circles of life in the city. Mingling is a tough thing -- most naturally people stick with the people they know all night. But I was quite pleased that this was the most mingling I've seen at any of our parties. I love it when different spheres of my life collide and integrate and one of those ways is seeing people I know from different circles mingling.

Earlier this year I went to a marketplace conference at Regent that shed some light on the busyness of modern life. Back in earlier days and centuries, you interfaced with a finite number of people who represented different roles and spheres in your life. For example, your siblings would also be your friends and co-workers in the family business perhaps. Another person in your life might be your butcher, friend and fellow church member.

Now, in contrast, we have a far greater number of spheres of people to juggle. In the Christmas season, for example, at typical family might have multiple Christmas parties to attend -- the husband's work party, the wife's company party, the kids' portions of work parties in addition to their own school parties, the church Christmas celebration, family friends' parties, etc. And all these parties would conceivably involve all different people. Logistically it gets busier and more difficult to manage the time to maintain all these relationships and arenas of life.

Since then I've been thinking a little more about wanting to deliberately integrate my life spheres more. Having these mingling parties is a simple start I hope. After all, I've never been one to not want different kinds of food on my plate touch each other and eat only one section on my plate at a time, so why be so firm about keeping my social lines distinct? Hopefully I can grow in integrity in being consistent in who I am, and not put on different faces for different friends as much.

funky & tasty open house!

My friend Teresa who is a funky jewelry designer and a delish cook will be hosting an open house selling her jewelry creations and some kitchen wares at the Wired Monk. The Wired Monk is a fabulous place to mingle and hang -- there's a lotta love in that place especially due to shop owners/hosts Timothy and Leah (also friends of ours). If I lived in Kits, I'd be at there all the time... My roommate Dilys and I were wishing for a coffee watering hole near our place to hang comfortably, that's not Starbucks!

Anyway, I was glad for this opportunity to help make this invitation for Teresa...I've been playing a lot with circles lately (my Christmas card is totally circular -- coming soon to a snail mailbox near you!). Circles are more of a challenge to layout, but they are definitely fun!

It's so cool to see creativity in so many different expressions coming together for an event like this, from the jewelry, to the decor and atmostphere of the Wired Monk and promo materials!

If you can make it, come on out for the open house and support a local artist and business! It promises to be a fabulous time (I've never once had an un-fun time at The Wired Monk...) Unfortunately I will be back in Saskatchewan already and will be missing out :(

snowy and sunny blue skies, just like in Sask!

I love it!

snowy sunday

Yippeee! I was squealing with delight and quite excited when it began to snow. I know it's hell to drive in, but it's just such a novelty in Vancouver that I miss. I love the blanketed rooftops and the brightness the snow brings. The grey skies just don't seem so grey anymore... This is the perfect snow for playing -- just the right consistency and stickyness for snowmen and snowball fights without being too cold. Good thing I bought boots while I was in Toronto (first pair in years!). I went snap-happy last night and this morning.
This is the earliest snowfall I've experienced in Vancouver! We'll see how long it lasts before the rain reigns again. For now, I'll enjoy the Christmas-like atmosphere in the air... speaking of which, our doors are open for our Christmas party (see next post below). Hope you can make it!