Ready...Set....Blog

Quote of the day

2007-11-07T09:04:00.001-06:00

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."

~ Melody Beattie ~

Food for Thought

2007-10-19T11:22:00.000-05:00

"People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care."
-i don't know who said these profound words-

Quote of the day

2007-10-15T14:48:00.000-05:00

"Strong people make as many mistakes as weak people. Difference is that strong people admit their mistakes, laugh at them, learn from them. That is how they become strong."
-Richard Needham

Quote of the day

2007-09-26T10:29:00.000-05:00

"We are forever changing. Say what you have to say to me now, for tomorrow I won't be as you knew me."
-Aaron Marshall Miller

P is for...

2007-09-25T10:30:00.000-05:00

I'm beginning to think that the whole notion of "tagging" in blog world really works for me....well, motivates me... that is... to post something. Anything. Thanks to los angelista.
I will honor her request, seeing that she is my blog stalker. Basically, i'll get a lot of crap if i don't...

Here are the rules: I must come up with seven subjects beginning with the letter "P" that are meaningful to me.

1) Patience. I haven't always been patient. "I need to be here at this time, this place. What? You're going to be late? Great! Now I have to wait....what an inconvenience..." blah blah blah. I would like to think that I'm much better at practicing patience in my 30's than in my 20's. What makes this virtue so challenging is that it usually involves many ideas, opinions, people, time...all rolled up into one way of being. Practicing patience has made me slow down in my everyday life, future goals and has made me realize that the world is not going to end while being a little bit more stress free.

2) Politeness. Saying "please" and "thank you". Holding the door for someone. Giving up your seat on the bus. Making eye contact with a stranger and telling them "Good Morning". A simple smile. I make a conscious effort to do each one of these every day.

3) Poop. Also known as #2, BM, dookie, shit, taking a dump. Any others you would like to add? Ok. You get the point. Everyday is a good day when you have a good poop. And sometimes twice a day....even better! All I know is that being regular is a good thing and my internal organs/digestive system thank me that they are working properly.

4) Performance. I am a junkie. In the good sense of the word. I love to dance. It rocks the core of my being. However, performing is on a whole other level. It is hard to describe, but sometimes I actually feel like I am flying. To convey a message or an emotion through movement to 1 person or 100 people is pure bliss. For me, it sure beats public speaking.

5) Psychiatry. What a service psychiatrists and psychologists do to help humanity. I am fortunate and lucky to have found someone who has truly helped me along in my life. For the first time in a long while, I feel whole.

6) Puppetry. It is magical. I will never forget my going-away party in Oakland, CA. My crazy roommate wanted to put on a puppet show for me. And yes, folks....he sure did. The stage, fancy puppets, music, script....it was all there. Mucho kudos to Sean!

7) Peers. What would I do without my friends and co-horts? My life would sure be less exciting and pretty darn boring. Thanks, my dear friends for spicing up my life!

It is now time to sucker, i mean tag some folks....
mojan
delara
ingrid

the red project

2007-09-20T11:02:00.000-05:00

i just love this:

http://soa.utexas.edu/work/redswingproject/homepage.html (thanks to shokufeh's blog link)

that's all.

one stop shop

2007-09-19T16:00:00.000-05:00

did you know that you can buy anything from baby items to burial caskets and urns at costco?

nope. i didn't.

AVAST!

2007-09-19T10:54:00.000-05:00

Believe it or not.....It's Talk Like a Pirate Day Today! And this isn't some national holiday. Oh no folks, this is a International Phenomenon. "But I don't wanna be a pirate!" (Anyone who can guess correctly where this quote came from....you'll be my superstar.)

http://www.talklikeapirate.com/

So, arrrrrrr maties.

Have a happy pirate day!

10 Things I Like About Myself

2007-08-21T12:22:00.000-05:00

I was tagged by Mojan! That silly, silly pregnant woman! I know it was a ploy to get me blogging again. Well, it worked and now my blog stalker will stop stalking me :-)

Here it is: 10 things i like about myself (not in any particular order)

1. I like my laugh. I'm not afraid to use my laugh. I like to make other people laugh. I laugh everyday. he he ha.

2. I am generally a happy person because I find joy in the small details.

3. I like my body. This one took a long time for me to accept. It allows me to be the dancer that I am. I thank my body with massages, going to the chiropractor, feeding it with nutritious and healthy foods and exercise. It is the only one I've got and I treasure it.

4. I like that I am neat and organized and I don't live with a lot of clutter.

5. I am genuine, kind and honest.

6. I like the fact that I am independent and self-sufficient.

7. I am willing to try new things.

8. I am an artist. creative. intuitive. sensitive. willing to look and think outside of the box. I am a dancer.

9. I truly care about people. how they feel, what they think, who they are.

10. I like to play.

Sonia...Delara...Kari...Kim...Husayn...YOU HAVE OFFICIALLY BEEN TAGGED!

inspiration

2007-06-20T11:37:00.001-05:00

quote of the day

"life is a matter of being born. but art is a question of being alive."

- e. e. cummings

answers to questions

2007-06-20T10:58:00.000-05:00

well, a while back liz "interviewed" me by asking me some questions about myself. here are my answers to her questions:

1) When did you first know you wanted to be a dancer?
honestly, i've wanted to be a dancer ever since i can remember. my mom was a dancer and was pregnant with me while she was still teaching dance. i think that might have had an effect on me! i started taking classes at an early age and as i got older it became less and less of a hobby and more about a way of life......a way of moving and feeling.

2)What's the best vacation you've ever been on?
it was my trip with my sister and brother-in-law to haifa, israel for baha'i pilgrimage. it was my first taste of being overseas and it felt like i was coming home. i absolutely loved it and it was a blessing that i could share this experience with my family. there are so many other places i would love to visit......

3) What is the biggest sacrifice you've ever had to make?
i don't know if i would call it a sacrifice, but i would have to say it was moving back to chicago from california when my step-mom got sick. i knew it was something that i had to do. i've realized that the older i get the harder it is to just pick up and move to a new place (even if that new place used to be your home!). as difficult a transition as it was, i don't regret a single decision made.

4)What's your favorite Broadway show?
i would have to say it's a 3 way tie between Rent, Chicago and the 25th Annual Putnum County Spelling Bee.

5) What's your favorite restaurant in Chicago-land?
now this question is too difficult....i think i'll break it down by type of cuisine :-)
pizza - giordano's stuffed spinach and mushroom
italiano - maggiano's
american eclectic - lucky platter (evanston goldmine)
indian - any place on devon ave.
cheapest and really good middle eastern food - pita inn
japanese - mitsuwa marketplace

really, folks.....i could go on forever.

yes, i know....i've been tagged!!

2007-06-06T08:33:00.000-05:00

thanks for the reminder, son and liz, i noticed yesterday. :-) it's only been a day. however, aren't you both impressed how quickly i am responding?

The rules: each person tagged gives 7 random facts about themselves, and then tags 7 people to do the same.

1) I have 1001 useless, random facts floating around in my brain. I can't remember who the 5th President of the United States was, but I can remember what someone else was wearing 2 weeks ago.

2) I LOVE brie. No, i don't think you understand. I REALLY LOVE brie.

3) I'm a neat freak. My throat gets itchy when things are "out of place." Everything I own has its own place to live. I think this is because I was dropped on my head one too many times as a child. NO, i'm kidding. I do think it's because I like open spaces. I like to be able to walk from one room to another without having to trip over a couch or something.

4) If I could fly (without the help of an airplane), I would. I guess the Superman hyper-coaster at Six Flags is the next closest thing. I highly recommend it!

5) I like salty snacks....pickles, black olives, green olives stuffed with blue cheese &/or garlic, salt and vinegar potato chips.....hmmmm

6) I'm proud of the fact that I don't have cable tv or an internet connection at my apartment. Yes, folks....I'm managing to survive.

7) I wish I could wear flip-flops 365 days of the year.

I still don't know how to set up links, so I'm re-tagging Sonia's list of people. That doesn't mean you have to write two lists, it just means that you're double-y special.

sometimes timing is EVERYTHING

2007-05-18T09:28:00.000-05:00

it truly is amazing when two people like each other at the very. same. exact. time. how often does that happen? but when it does, it is almost magical. too bad my timing stinks!

waiting and waiting and waiting......

2007-05-18T09:21:00.000-05:00

i really need to change my blog title. it currently should read, "ready....set....stop blogging." i know. there is no excuse. i mean....why have a blog if you're not going to use it, right? i have disappointed my 2 biggest fans. :-) it would be nice to get to the point where i blogged everyday, just like breathing, but i'm so distracted.....and quite frankly a little intimidated (i think i've said this before) by my amazing friends!

test page

2007-02-14T11:48:00.000-06:00

just checking to see if this pops up on my main page. i'm having problems....

Q R S T U V-Day

2007-02-14T09:46:00.000-06:00

let's be honest.....i'm not a big fan of the whole valentine's day celebration. maybe it's because i've spent the majority of my "dating" life single....yes, folks....single. i think it's stupid that today is a made up holiday. and that when i walked into the cafeteria this morning at work there were cheesy decorations up. it made my teeth hurt!

for all of you couples out there, i believe that you should tell the person you love how you feel about them everyday. that's right! who knows what tomorrow will bring.

however, early this morning when i was wiping the sleep out of my eyes, i did get a text message from a very old friend saying, "happy valentine's day, baby!" i have to admit.....it was nice to know that someone was thinking about me today.

i'm a fighter

2007-02-14T09:34:00.000-06:00

i dreaded the walk to my car this morning. i had to move it off the side street and i knew that it wasn't going to be an easy task. i was armed with a mini-shovel......i was ready! i got to my car and was pleasantly surprised. there was hardly any snow on my car (due to yesterdays violent wind gusts) and the snow drifts happened to be near the curb, not on the street. as napoleon dynomite would say, "lucky!" i quickly moved my car in front of my place, padded myself on the back, and strolled to work....well, cautiously walked to work (i didn't want to slip and fall!). it was a beautiful morning.

brave the bitter cold

2007-02-05T13:14:00.000-06:00

bears are hibernating.......why aren't we?

waiting anxiously

2007-02-02T16:35:00.000-06:00

dear beloved readers,

don't get me wrong, i love the blog-world....but sometimes i forget that i, too, exist in this world. i get so caught up on reading other peoples thoughts and feelings that sometimes i forget that i have thoughts and feelings too that need a little sharing.

please don't be mad.....i'm just a late bloomer and am sometimes a little intimidated by all of you and your wonderful blogs.

more to come.....promise!

sincerely,
dena's blog

20 minutes late-er

2007-01-17T09:37:00.000-06:00

i always set my alarm to wake me up at 7am. for the past week, i have heard my alarm, but then proceed to roll over and go back to sleep. now, every day for the past week i have been waking up exactly 22 minutes later without an alarm. EXCEPT, this morning i swear i heard someone whisper to me, "you know....you probably should wake up now."

the time was 7:23am.

good ol' cosby

2006-12-07T09:33:00.000-06:00

Okay...this is telling my age, but quoting from the famous words of Whitley Gilbert, "Relax, Relate, Release.....Relax, Relate, Release!"
(for those of you who know what show this is from.....bonus points.)

Getting closure is a splended thing. Closure had not been present before this moment. I think she was afraid. Walking too close to the edge scared her. Acceptance is a close friend.

I have to say it again, "Relax, Relate, Release." If I say it enough I know that I will believe it.

it was all a dream

2006-12-01T10:06:00.000-06:00

wet wet snow.....go away.....come on back another day!

lately, i have not remembered my dreams. i am a big believer that we dream every night, but i'm unsure as to why there are extremely long periods of time where my memory fails me. well, it didn't fail me this morning. i woke up feeling very weird and a little concerned that a couple people in my dream were from work! now, when you start dreaming about co-workers....somethings wrong :-)
as far as not remembering, maybe it's for protection? or there's an underlying message that maybe we learn later in life? i've never been into the whole dream analysis, but now i'm a little curious........

now that i'm up...now what?

2006-10-31T09:28:00.000-06:00

now that i'm up in the blog world.....i have no f@#%%!* idea how to upload pics, create links to other fabulous bloggy people....etc....who wants to help me? who wants to help me? anyone? anyone? bueller?

happy halloween....i'm not sure if it's happy....just another way for many of us to indulge in sweet fatty fats....anyway, watch out for those tricker treaters. they can be tricky, ya know.

2006-10-20T09:17:00.000-05:00

now that i have gotten the sleep out of my eyes......i can clearly say that it is FRIDAY! wohoo...

it happened yesterday

2006-10-19T16:01:00.000-05:00

i went to a cardio kickboxing class and it kicked my ars.