OK, so I had totally decided to abandon this blog. It is not a coincidence that my last post is from August. Around that time, after having participated in the redesign of the Mortal Muses site, I decided it was time to do something with my online home. I bought a domain and a site theme and had every intention of creating a great site that would set off my blog and allow me to showcase my best photography work. And then I got crazy busy at work and my good intentions to learn some code and customize my theme (which is lovely but dull, dull, dull) quickly unravelled. At the same time I became caught up in the Muses momentum and putting my best blogging foot forward on that collaboration, of which I’m truly proud to be a part.
The great news is that I’m planning to launch the new site within the next couple of weeks. Because of that, I had decided not even to bother posting here any more (even though I’ve had stuff I wanted to say) and just wait until I could unveil my pretty new home. And then I started seeing everyone’s one little word posts. And I needed to play. So perhaps to the chagrin of my web designer, I’m adding one more post here that we’ll have to migrate over to the new Manifeisty home.
2013 will mark the 3rd year that I have selected a word to guide me. In 2011 I chose Open and holy sweet crap did stuff come flooding in! In 2012 I chose Abundance, partially to give myself the strength to deal with the lasting reverberations of Open!
Last month as I started to put my mind to my word for 2013 I turned to Amy Palko for some ideas and input. Amy does these mini-Goddess readings in December to connect you with the Goddess that can help guide you in the year ahead and to offer some suggestions for your word. I got Amy’s e-mail on the Solstice and read it after having returned from an Aboriginal healing circle and then done my own releasing ceremony at home. So yeah, that day was about me full-on embracing the woo woo! So I’m sure that my Goddess-guide Aphrodite and my feelings about having her in my life will show up in later posts (because having her around brings up a boatload of feelings!) but for now I’ll say that while I laughed wryly when I saw Aphrodite, I puzzled a bit on the word that Amy suggested:
Delicious
Having been absent this blog much of last year, I’m not sure how much I wrote about the weight I’d lost (and I’m too lazy to look it up). Here’s the upshot: I lost a bunch of weight (60+ pounds) and thought I had all my issues sorted. I don’t (big, surprise). The good thing is that I know more than I did a year ago and I’m committed to continuing to build a peaceful and loving relationship with my body. Anyways, at first Delicous brought up some questionable stuff (like visions of me stuffing my face full of cake), but then I sat with it for awhile. As well, I read again through what Amy had sent and started thinking about the reading in total. She talked about the year being about my sensual side (hello, Aphrodite!) and about using the question “Does this feel delicious to me?” as a touchstone. The more I rolled it over in my mind, the more Delicious started to resonate. As someone who has always been very think-y and in my head, this focus on feeling — you can’t think delicious, you have to feel it — seems like something I want to bring to my life this year.
So here we go, heading into 2013. The next time you hear from me it will be to unveil the new site and the new blog. I have lots of ideas for next year and even a few plans, including a plan to do lots of juicy planning and scheming for 2013 beachside in Mexico next week.
It’s going to be Delicious, y’all!
Well, it’s been pretty busy around here lately. Work has been non-stop since I got back from vacation and there has been lots of excitement leading up to the Mortal Muses launch. Amidst it all I’ve been chipping away at the editing of my Vancouver photos. Here are a few of my favourites from my “mooch around” Saturday.
I started my day at Granville Island (arriving by AquaBus, which was very cool!). What a great place to hang out with a camera!
Then I hopped the AquaBus to go downtown and after a stop for lunch and a little shopping I ended my day at Cafe Thierry where the barista made me an especially photogenic iced mocha to match the pretty, pretty plate of macarons. I grabbed a seat by the window and snapped away.
It was a good day.
Want to join us on the August Break?
While I’ve been taking the August Break my lovely friends and fellow Muses have been hard at work to put a new face on MortalMuses.com. I was invited to join the Muses just as this transition began taking place. I’ve long been inspired by the Muses. Tammy Lee Bradley, the group of women that she assembled, and those who have followed have established and nurtured a creative and collaborative community of lovely souls.
I’m thrilled to be part of this collaboration, and to be part of this new phase for the Muses. I’ll be posting there regularly (and here too!) and of course participating in the Muse Flickr pools. I hope you’ll join us.
Taken at the Sun Yat Sen Garden in Vancouver. I took 3 versions of this same shot – one with my DSLR, one with my iPhone (below) and one with my beloved Polaroid SX-70 (above). I could have sat and looked at this view all day
Want to join us on the August Break?
Ah, the happiest week of the year! This is the week that instant film crazies enthusiasts show off some of their images to each other in the ‘Roid Week Flickr pool.
My first additions were taken during my weekend in Toronto a few weeks ago.
Want to join us on the August Break?
I adore my family but today I took my chance to escape and do my favourite thing. I took my camera out and played tourist in my hometown.
mooch: (v) To wander about with no particular destination in mind, ideally with a camera.
Ever since Xanthe Berkeley suggested we meet up to have a mooch around Brick Lane in London I have co-opted this word as my own. I adore it. It just perfectly describes one of my favourite ways to pass the time. Today my camera and I had a nice mooch around the Gastown neighbourhood of Vancouver.
Want to join us on the August Break?
I read about Marché St. George in Canadian House and Home magazine a couple of years ago and something in my gut whispered “This should be your life”. I know that shelter magazines are designed to inspire envy and feelings of “oh, I would love to have that life” but this was different.
“This should be your life”.
It was more than the beautiful store that inspired me. It was the lifestyle of the owners, who lived upstairs and used the store space for personal gatherings. It was the sense of community that they intended to grow up around the store (and judging from things like the Kinfolk dinner, they have). I felt it. I loved it. And I could picture myself doing it in my own community. At the time I cut out the article and pasted it into my journal.
These days it’s not an active dream. I’m not strategizing around it or working towards it. But it’s there. My maybe dream life.
I finally got to visit Marché St. George on this trip home to Vancouver and they very kindly allowed me to take some photos while I was there.
Want to join us on the August Break?
My vacation home started with a family barbeque. I loved watching my niece and nephew play on the trampoline – starting with a few tentative bounces that got higher and more daring as the day went on.
Want to join us on the August Break?
Manifeisty 