tagged by Boho and Meg
We have to post these rules before we give you the facts:
Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged write their own blog post about their eight things and include these rules.
1. I can do the running man.
And when I say this, I mean really well and almost without irony.
2. I have a lot of superpowers (juxtaposing color, manifesting places to live ) but my anti-superpowers are equally numerous. One example: I have no sense of direction. Recently, I was in an elevator in the subway station and had to stop and think about which direction I needed to go to get out of the station. Up or down? It took me FAR too long to figure this out.
3. I eat ice cream twice a day. (Vanilla in my morning espresso and chocolate in the evening)
4. I am that annoying person that wants to talk to you on the airplane.
5. I laugh hysterically (nervous laughter?) when getting an eye exam. When I see the doctor’s face and big eyes coming at me through that big machine I can barely hold it together.
I’m up to five so far! Leave your random facts in the comments…
Jeremy, Canon Digital Rebel XTi
When your brain is fried and dinner conversation gets boring, you can always photograph your friends in a glass of water! I am thinking about offering up a creative photo assignment each Monday that you could post on your blogs. What do you guys think? You can list a link to your post in the comments.
Camie, Canon Digital Rebel XTi
In other news, I was sad to have missed Blogher this year. I am living vicariously through Jen Lemen and all of her wonderful tales from the weekend. She and Magpie Girl along with Krystyn Heide led a workshop called “It’s not your size, it’s your passion that matters.” These remedies for small blogger blues is so inspiring.
they sky today, Canon Digital Rebel XTi
I just finished an interview over at Jen Lemen’s site (will be posted soon) and I am still thinking about one of the questions. She asked about what surprised me most about becoming a parent. One thing that I didn’t mention in the interview but has been a theme these days is how utterly incompetent I feel most of the time. I didn’t know to expect that…
It started out during the baby blues time… the textbook case of ANYONE can do this mom thing better than I can. I would cry and cry and hand Ben to Matt and say, “Here! You hold him! I don’t even know how to hold him!” I fantasized about sending him back to the hospital until he was bigger and stronger and wasn’t so scary to take care of. This feeling of course was increasingly exacerbated by latch problems while nursing. (He wasn’t gaining weight) For months I felt like a complete and total failure.
I have a new case of incompetency lately. Things were going alright until recently. Yesterday I fantasized about going back to work more hours so that the babysitter can take over. She is clearly better at this than I am.
Is this a feeling that every mom has? I have never dedicated myself to something so completely that I feel so incompetent at…
Shoshana Berger, wearing an angel necklace, Canon Digital Rebel XTi
Been photographing more of my superhero ladies these days (I love fulfilling my fashion photographer fantasy) and it occurred to me how AMAZING my friends are, and that I would love to share more about my superhero girls with you. I have always loved those catalogs (like Prana and Athleta) that say a little bit about the person modeling. I find myself actually reading the fine print and being really inspired. This is definitely on the horizon for Superhero.
I’ll start with a few words about Shoshana Berger. She is a new mom (her little one was born the same week as Ben) and is also the editor in chief of Readymade Magazine. She is one of my inspirations for being a mother and a powerful creative force!
Nicole Socia, wearing an earth necklace, Canon Digital Rebel XTi
You might recognize the gorgeous Nicole Socia from my web site. She is an interior designer, an actor (she currently performs with the sketch comedy troup Killing my Lobster) and is one of the funniest people I know. Ben fell so hard for her the other day that he literally CRIED when she went home. He doesn’t even do that when I leave the house! Then he was mad at Matt and me that we took his superfun toy away.
Sasha, wearing a joy necklace, Canon Digital Rebel XTi
If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, you have come to know the beautiful and stylish Sasha! She is a graphic designer, the editor of Meatpaper, and won an AIGA award for a tiny book she made about glass eyes. She practices yoga, dances tango and learned to ride a bicycle when was 28. Everyone falls head over heels for Squash.
Another installment of superhero girls coming soon. I hope you’re enjoying knowing a bit more about these incredible women.
The Perfect Kiss, at a romantic civil ceremony last weekend, San Rafael, CA, Canon Digital Rebel XTi
It was my final day guest blogging over at Design Mom. What a fun week it was surfing around for goodies to share! One of my favorite things I came across was this photo on Flickr.Makes me wish I had a gorgeous wall of books that I could organize by color.
My friend Brian told me about Moo.com where you can make mini photo cards and stickers directly from your Flickr account. Perfect for the photographer’s calling card, the mom who wants to share photos of her wee one, or featuring your budding new business as a craftperson.
Sasha in kiwi, Canon Digital Rebel XTi
I’ll be guest blogging over at Design Mom this week ! So come on by and check things out… Also, the kiwi superhero necklace is back for a limited time (until I run out of those awesome lime beads)
And for those of you requesting updates on Ben, he has slept through the night three nights in a row! I feel like throwing a party.
Ben is 7 months old and way cute, Canon Digital Rebel XTi
You know that urge you get to chomp on those cheeks and those little legs? I had a dream recently where I couldn’t hold back anymore and took a big bite out of his cheek. I felt terrible… and was so relieved when I woke up. But how can you resist?
In other news, I moved Superhero headquarters into a studio space! Choking hazards be gone! I was prepared to close the doors on the jewelry business while Ben was small, but an incredible studio space miraculously appeared and I couldn’t pass it up.
This is the first time I’ve worked somewhere other than home in the 8 years I have had my business. It’s very exciting to have somewhere to go and feel that separation between personal and business. (Those boundaries were always blurred for me) There is no computer at the studio so it will be purely creative space. This excites me as well!
Mama’s gettin her groove back.
The shop will open very soon. I have a temporary “secret” link available for orders right now. Get your superhero necklaces here !
pink dahlia, Canon Digital Rebel XTi
The message “Ask for what you want” has been coming up a lot in my life lately. (Author and coach Mike Robbins wrote a wonderful piece about this in his latest newsletter. Truly inspiring!)
Isn’t it easy to complain about what we don’t have? Sometimes the solution is as easy as making a request and yet we often choose complaining over and over again about the same things… “I never have time for myself. I never get to go to my dance class. I don’t even have time to be sick! I never get to see my friends…” These are some of the things I have been complaining about lately.
At some point I stopped myself and said, “Okay girl. You’ve been doing a lot of complaining. What do you need to request?” (BTW, I probably said this out loud because since I had Ben I talk to myself in public ALL THE TIME) I decided that the first request I needed to make was for Matt to watch Ben during my Nia class. I was surprised at how easy this was to arrange. Matt said, “Okay. I’ll work from home on Fridays and watch Ben during the class.” Easy as that. I now get to dance every week! (and I don’t get to complain about it anymore)
My next request seemed a bit more challenging:
After more than 7 months of not sleeping through the night (Ben averages 3 night wakings/feedings) I was suddenly at the end of my rope.
I sat him down before putting him to bed last night and said, “Ben, I really need you to sleep through the night. How about you wake up for only one feeding? say around 3AM and sleep until 8AM. I really need some rest.” He stared at me, fascinated, noticing I was speaking to him in a rational, adult tone he had never heard.
So here’s the crazy part. He slept for ELEVEN hours straight. Eleven hours people! I couldn’t believe it. I checked to make sure he was breathing around 4AM in total disbelief. If there is anything I’ve learned so far as a parent, it’s to not get attached to any of it, good or bad. It will surely change. But a girl can hope, right?
I’ve also been learning to make requests, to ask for what I want, even to tiny humans who don’t speak english.
Sasha in Angel necklace, Canon Digital Rebel XTi
Had so much fun photographing Sasha last weekend! She is one of my favorite people to shoot. How can you resist her gorgeous smile and ringlets?
She is wearing the Angel necklace in the above photo. Another style that is back in the superhero repertoire!
Carrie, my Nia teacher, when she was pregnant last year, Canon Elph SD1000
I finally got back to my awesome Nia dance class this week. It has been a year and a half since I’ve been and I must have grinned for the entire hour… Not only was I out by myself but I had forgotten how much my body craves movement, how I get in touch with the 12-year-old version of myself whose favorite thing is to choreograph dances to the Flashdance soundtrack and teach them to her friends. I was completely transformed after this one precious hour.
Sometimes I get stuck trying to think my out of a funk or think my way into a new place of joy or inspiration or energy. I forget that often the very best transformational tool I have is my body.
At one point in the routine the music shifted to a slightly dark, techno-y, industrial beat (not the good kind of techno) and my teacher, sensing this said, “Find your joy amidst the really bad music, find the joy in dancing to music you don’t like…”
She added later, “It is up to each of you to find your joy. No one is going to do it for you… A harsh fact of life sometimes, but it’s up to us.”
This does not mean we have to be happy all the time or not feel our true feelings. It means that it always comes back to us to choose how we want to be. When we’re done being sad or angry or afraid, we can choose something else. Doesn’t have to be joy… but it’s a nice option.
Even when we don’t like the music, it’s good to know there’s a dance tucked away in there, ready to be found.
