Be true to yourself!

I was talking with a friend the other day and she mentioned being a different person to hopefully be more “liked” by a person or a group.  She was telling me how exhausting it was and asked if I had ever felt like this.  I think as humans we all have the need to feel included, liked, a part of a group, etc.  The question is how far we will go to feel that way?  I think in a group setting there are always compromises we’ll make like, “Sure I’ll have Mexican food versus the Italian food I was craving.”, but will we compromise what we truly like and who we truly are to fit in? 

I am reminded of the Runaway Bride movie where the character does not know how she likes her eggs cooked because she likes whatever kind of egg the man she is dating likes.  In dating I have had men assume I like a certain kind of music, or how I want them to be to please me, and then they come off as disingenuous.  I have had to tell some of them, “Please just be yourself.”  How am I supposed to see if we are truly compatible if I don't really know who they really are?  

I still remember years ago working as a human resource manager where we were having a fun off-site event planned.  One of the employees came to my office and said, “We’re going to have so much fun and we’re going to get you drunk.”  I will have a drink or two, but I have personally made the decision in my life to never get drunk.  It is a choice.  I don’t want to lose judgment, I don’t need liquid courage, I don’t need to feel hung over, nor do I want to pass out.  Most of all, I don’t need to drink to have a good time.  This is a personal decision and I told my co-worker that I had made the decision never to get drunk in my lifetime.  I remember him walking away and looking disappointed.  At that moment I thought to myself, “If he is a true friend then he will accept me for who I am, and if he does not then he is not a true friend. “  He and his group of friends were still my friends after I said that. 

Let’s face it, we all want to be accepted for who we are, and so why not be to others?  Not being authentic is exhausting, and by being true to ourselves we come off as authentic and genuine which then comes off as confidence.  Everyone likes a confident person, and in the end we want to surround ourselves by people who like us for who we are and not for who we pretend to be.  So go forth and be true to yourself!  Authenticity is one key to happiness!  

Tie up those laces and start walkin'!

I know it's been ages since I've written.  A lot of things have happened since I last wrote, like a trip to Iceland in the summer of 2012 which was amazing, and this summer I went to Europe.  Europe is the country of walking and when you travel to Europe you know you're going to be spending a lot of time hitting the pavement.  Before I left in June I thought I'd get a cool pair of Converse tennis shoes.  They seemed comfortable, they were a hip purple blue, and everyone wears them right?  The answer is yes, and I saw a ton of them while in Italy, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Germany. Well I wore them for one day while I was on a trip in Idaho and I could not see myself walking for miles in them.  Yeah, they're a cool shoe and all, they are comfy to a certain extent, but they are on the heavier side and with little arch support.  

So while I was in Idaho I happened to be at Silver Creek Outfitters and voila there was "the shoe".  I picked it up, it had arch support, it was the lightest tennis shoe I've picked up thus far, and it had color.  I haven't worn all white athletic tennis shoes probably since high school and that is one travel tip I've always gotten when planning to travel to another country.  Never wear white athletic tennis shoes!  It screams, "I'm an American!" and sad to say us Americans aren't loved in all nations.  So I try this Merrell Mix Master Move Glide (quite the mouthful eh?) in orange and gray, and it's fantastic.  There's enough room in the toe box so that when your feet get swollen from walking there's plenty of room without pinching.  It seems light as air, and I was sold.  Ironically my good friend and best travel buddy ever bought the same shoe (without knowing I bought it) the very same weekend.  She got them in bright blue.  Good friends see eye to eye on a lot of things, even good tennis shoes! 

So did they pass the European walking test?  Yep, they became a fast favorite!  They were comfortable, hip, light, and I didn't have to "break them in".  I have gotten to the age that when a salesman tells me that the shoe will take awhile to break in but leather always softens up quickly, I just sort of look at them thinking..."You just want the sale buddy and I'm not stupid enough (anymore) to fall for that line."  Enough pinched toes, the starting of bunions, blisters, and cutting into my feet have taught me how to say, "No, I think I'll keep looking."

Not only did these shoes pass the European walking test but I decided to take a 25 mile walk in them one day this month.  I work for a retailer part-time and joined what is called the Global Corporate Challenge which has participants worldwide.  Global Corporate Challenge is a 4 month challenge where we wear a pedometer that counts our steps each day.  We log in our steps, and are in teams of 7 people.  The hope is that we would walk at least 10,000 steps per day which is equivalent to 5 miles.  We have mini challenges, we get trophies for hitting weight goals, step goals for the month, and we compete against teams around the world.  A few weeks ago the mini challenge was to walk 100,000 steps in a week which is 50 miles.  So me being me, I decided to walk what I thought was 20 miles. I figured it would be an experience since I had walked 12.5 miles in a day in Italy, so why not 20 miles in California?  It turned out that it took me 12.5 miles to get to my goal destination and 12.5 to get back. Can I just say that my leg muscles cramped up like crazy, I was in pain, but as a former athlete in high school I kept telling myself, "Mind over matter, just push it. Push past the pain."  I hate giving up so I trucked it all the way home.  I was even crazy enough to think that I could put in 1.2 more miles to make it marathon length, but my legs were giving out.  So what is the point of that whole paragraph? That I wore my Merrell shoes during that crazy walk, and they were still comfortable to the very end.  So to anyone who plans on doing any type of long distance walking, you definitely need to check these shoes out.  Oh and you may ask how they are if you run in them?  All I can say is that when I sprinted 1/2 miles in the Frankfurt airport to catch my flight to Rome that they performed great!  Sidenote:  I did catch my flight!  

A pic of our awesome Merrell shoes taken
at
LAX airport prior to taking off!  

2012: May it bring all good things!

Welcome 2012, and after a short hiatus I’m getting to the point of why this blog was even created.  Now I’ve often wondered why they’ve made pants that zip off around the calf so you cool off, but why oh why haven’t they made jackets that have zip off sleeves?  When I work out I often layer because it’s cold starting out, but about 15 minutes into my workout I have to take off my jacket.  Sure it’s okay to run or cycle with a jacket around your waist, but really who wants the extra flapping in the wind?  I sure don’t. 

So I found a tour jacket on the Athleta.com site and bought it.  It's now on sale!  It fits well, and the sleeves stay on by zippers and magnets.  I'm amazed at the design and how easily it is to zip the sleeves on and off.  It's such a great idea and I’m glad clothing like this exists for those of us who need exercise clothes that are multifunctional.  So I’m sharing the goodness with you all. 

Photos taken from Atheleta.com - Convertible Touring Jacket

Props to the graphic artist!

So I wanted to give the graphic designer some props for the winning logo I chose.  I would say that the other graphic designers definitely took my creative brief and ran with it, but I didn't get what I had envisioned.  I kept telling my friends and family when it comes along it'd just hit me.  At one point, I truly thought the contest was going to end once again without a winning design.  So without further ado, let me tell you a little bit about my winning designer.

Desynz, as she is known on 99 designs, or otherwise BJ, began designing at 8 years of age. Her first memorable design was a formal for her Barbie doll and her designing continued from there. Her first job in designing was as an Assistant Manager of a small local newspaper where she had to create the layouts of ads.  From that point on she was hooked and a career of 25+ years in the graphics industry followed. She says, "My sense of design just comes naturally and all the software I use I learned by doing. Although, I have learned some rather awesome Illustrator techniques from the tutorials on the internet."

 BJ's design aesthetic is one that prefers curves to angles and abstract or impressionist to literal.  She loves color and gravitates toward jewel tones, purple being her favorite color.  However, that said, she is able to put aside her own preferences and works with a client to achieve what the client envisions.  I can attest to this because I asked for BJ's opinion in regards to her favorite design for me, but I still went with what I wanted.  I’m stubborn that way!  I loved her input and that she was very honest in how she felt design wise.  She is accommodating and listens to her client.

Graphic design is not her only talent, she's made jewelry, and clothing on which she has hand-painted original designs. Right now her alternate creative outlet is jewelry made from reclaimed jewelry parts and lots of chains. She has a couple of shops on Etsy, but has not been very attentive to them lately due to designing for 99 designs. To see them, you can go the following websites: www.essentialluxuries.etsy.com and www.girlshoppe.etsy.com  She tells me she is also currently setting up a web site for her and her daughter's art called Arts Desyre.

I asked BJ where she draws her inspiration from and she says that when she reads a creative brief she waits to see what comes or doesn't come.  With my brief she immediately saw the idea, and thank goodness she did!

BJ joined 99designs because she loves to design and needs a creative outlet.  She has been a professional designer for over 25 years and plans to continue designing.  BJ said, creating/designing is her life energy.  So far her experience on 99designs has been positive and she is hopeful it will help her to create contacts for future work. I'm providing a link to her portfolio on 99 designs http://99designs.com/users/503572 and you may contact her directly at bj@artsdesyre.com.

Case in point!

Last week I was able to participate in a stand up paddleboarding focus group.  It was by far one of the coolest experiences I have had.  There were 6 of us there (3 women and 3 men) plus the moderator.  What I gathered was that they wanted insight regarding stand up paddleboarding clothing, who we are as SUPers, what fabrics work while exercising, colors, logos, etc.  It was so awesome and embodied who I am as an athlete and also as a clothes lover.  I soaked it all in and gave them a ton of my own feedback regarding color schemes and fabrics that really wick moisture.

Here's the thing though, I again got put into a box.  When people see me at first glance I think they think I'm a certain kind of person.  They see someone who dresses well, who is poised, and then I think they just think I sit on my behind all day.  When the moderator asked what the stand up paddleboarder looks like, I looked around the room and said, "Diverse."  One of the ladies looked at me and said, "No offense but when I saw you I would have never thought you were a paddleboarder."  I mocked offense and one of the guys said (in my defense), "I would have seen you as a paddleboarder."  I told him thank you, but there it is again with people looking at the outside and making snap judgments.  I told one of my friends about the incident and she said, "It's a good thing though because you're always surprising people."  I guess that can be a good thing, but I wish that people started to realize that there is so much more to a person than the way they appear.  So I'm going to say that before you make a snap judgment know that humans tend to be deep and it goes way beyond what you see on the outside!

How does one get a cool blog header?

When you aren't an artist, you have artistic tastes, a certain vision for a blog header, then how do you get what you want?  Well I'll tell you how.  I heard about 99designs through one of my good friends who read about the company in The New York Times.  After going on the site, posing a question or two via e-mail to them, I decided to go for it and post a creative brief.  Basically the concept of 99designs is that you post a creative brief of what you want, what look you’re going for, and then designers from all over the world have 7 days in which to submit their designs.  You then can provide feedback for what you do and do not like, what can be changed, and they can submit new designs.  The costs vary depending on what you need and want. 

I submitted on the banner ads section per the recommendation of one of the associates at 99designs.  Within a few hours I had my first design, and after a few days nothing came in.  I online chatted with a 99designs associate who moved my contest to “other designs” and started my 7 day clock all over.  Well those 7 days came and went, and then nothing.  I had only received that one design, and I had communicated with the designer that he was on the money regarding the overall look and I wanted a few things tweaked.  Well no tweaks ever happened, and at the end of the contest I had nobody to award the prize to.  Discouraged?  Oh yeah, and that’s when I decided to see if maybe my friend who is a copywriter at an ad agency knew of anyone who could draw a design for me.  I used to work at an ad agency and have graphic artist friends, but I really wanted someone to take my vision and push it even further, so that’s why I decided on 99designs. 

After a few days had passed after the contest ending, I noticed that two designers asked me to reopen the contest so they could participate.  So I decided that since it wouldn’t cost me any extra to reopen the contest, I would.  Well, once I opened it more designs came in.  I got the chance to work with some great designers who were willing to make the changes I needed.  After awhile you can get tied to the designers because you e-mail them back and forth, and they work so hard to get it right for you.  It made me feel so bad about not choosing one of the designers who worked so hard on her design and really took into consideration what I wanted.  When there was only about a day left and I thought that I again wouldn’t award a winner, a design came in that caught my eye.  It’s like that “aha” moment.  Well after communicating with the designer and tweaking a few things, we were well on our way.  I extended the contest by 3 more days, got even more designs in by other designers and knew which one I was going to go for.  You can now see the finished product as my blog header.

Road rash care part II

Tuesday:  Last night I got to wash my own hair which I think gets it a lot cleaner than anyone else trying besides a salon.  My sister got the lucky job of washing it in the first few days.  I got to seran wrap my arm and tape it up so water wouldn’t run down my arm in the shower.  I also put Tegaderm on my shoulder wound so I wouldn't have to worry about it and could just leave that on until new skin grows.

I’m doing okay except my forearm wound is still in pain.  My shoulder wound isn’t really seeping and it’s just really itchy under the Tegaderm.  I managed going up and down stairs at work today, and the knees are just sore. 

Wednesday:  Well my forearm is still oozing, and sticking to my non stick bandage.  My shoulder is healing well and is quite itchy.  My knees still hurt and I can't sit cross legged because the weight of my one leg is too much for the other leg to support for a longer period of time.  Other than that things seem to be healing well and I haven't really exercised for almost a week.  It's a strange feeling, but I'm letting my body focus on healing itself. 

Thursday:  It’s been a week and my shoulder wound is almost all healed.  Woo hoo!  Most of the wound was superficial so the scab actually rubbed off on the gauze when I was applying Aquaphor to moisturize my wound.  My forearm wound is still oozy and because my Tegaderm patch wasn’t fully sealed it started to ooze out of the Tegaderm.  Not a great thing to deal with at work and I wore my elastic stretch net so no one else saw my wounds under the Tegaderm.  I have been walking around with my elastic stretch net (the doctor says it’ll start a new fashion trend – not!) and I’ve seen that people want to ask me what’s wrong but they don’t.  Well my co-workers have asked and wonder how I managed to crash out on my bike all by myself.  I know, it makes me scratch my head too. 

Today I also went out for my first physical activity which was to walk 2.5 miles at the beach.  It was so great to be out, but after wearing high heeled wedges all day at work my bum knees were in pain.  Yeah, high heeled wedges were not a good idea today and probably won’t be for awhile. 

I’m still going to put Tegaderm on both wounds and let my new skin come to the surface.  Hopefully my infected forearm will heal soon.  At the moment I’m taking antibiotics and putting on a topical antibiotic on the wounds.  Here’s to healing!  

Sidenotes:  I thought my bicycle wasn't injured in the fall, but I finally took a good look at it today and the handlebar tape is gouged along with some major scratches on the gear shifters.  Sadness, and I'll probably need to take it to the bike shop to get a full look over.  I also got a get well/lecture card from my little sister who included an article from The Economist that says "Dying while cycling is three to five times more likely in America than in Denmark, Germany or Netherlands."  Basically the article states why it's not safe in America and how we don't protect cyclists by having "traffic calming" which means that cars slow down to 19mph.  Perhaps this is something we need to incorporate here in America, especially here in California.  I can see that going well with us Californians who can't seem to get to the next destination fast enough.  It's a good thought, and I'd love to see changes that protect cyclists: traffic calming, concrete barriers between cars and bicycles, etc.  That would be awesome!  

Some pics of the healing process:  1.  Elastic stretch net keeps paper tape and non-stick gauze in place.  New fashion trend?  2.  How the healing has gone after a week.  3.  Hmm...my shoulder scabs came off!  Yes, cuz I have a wedding to go to this weekend.