Other Thoughts | BulgingButtons

July 15, 2013
by BulgingButtons Leave a comment

More Challenges

I have no idea where these will lead me, but I sort of like having them. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, or why I’m starting with 25, you need only look down the page a bit. Mystery solved!

25. Save up for a really cool family vacation

26. Try to listen to my teenager better instead of just talking at him

27. Talk to mom more

28. Discover more of my state (there are tons of hidden treasures I’ve never seen)

29. Take more photos on my actual camera instead of my phone

30. Learn some new aspects of the job I’ve been doing for a long time

31. Figure out some additional ways to get income into the household

32. Take better care of my car (it has over 100,000 miles and it has to last!)

33. Fit better in my clothes

34. Lighten up mentally!

35. Surprise my sweetheart with a weekend away

36. Girls only day trip

37. Climb that stupid mountain

38. Read magazines, then recycle (so hard to part with some of them, and no, I’m NOT a hoarder)

39. Push my limits in all ways

40. Don’t forget to be kind, to myself and others

41. Look good in THOSE jeans again

42. Give myself a reason to replace my sneakers at this time next year

43. Sing even if I’m not great at it

44. Do more with less

45. Get things done right away when possible

46. Have fun

47. Enjoy life

Ok, so some of them are really vague, and the last two are just plain license to mess around, but if I do all those others I figure I’ve earned it, right? The good news is that there’s no challenge police. It’s just me and my list, and you too, if you care to play along at home.

July 3, 2013
by BulgingButtons 2 Comments

Challenges for the Upcoming Year

Ok, I will give credit where credit is due. I totally stole this idea from the Goddess. You should read her blog, she’s awesome. You should especially read her Forty Challenges for My 40th Year post. She inspired me, and I told her I would be stealing her idea. Little did she know I would do it so soon! Now I’m a little older than the Goddess so I get a few more challenges than she does. I’m not really sure how to handle these. A spreadsheet seems like a good idea, but I wonder if I would ever get back to it. The Goddess has really pushed herself with her challenges. Mine will be smaller things, but still, I’m writing them down and letting you all see them. That’s a little scary all by itself.

Here goes in no particular order:

1. Get at least one piece of writing published, in print, not via internet

2. Commit to eating home cooked meals at least four times a week (eMeals is helping with this one, check them out!)

3. Leave the house in plenty of time to not rush every morning

4. Read 47 books

5. Start a writing group

6. Reconnect with old friends

7. Take my meds everyday until I no longer need them

8. Use the treadmill at least once a week (hey, you have to start somewhere!)

9. Try Zumba (even though I have two left feet)

10. Finish the charity quilt on my sewing table

11. Finish one UFO (unfinished object) per month (this would mostly be quilts)

12. Eat more fruit

13. Eat more vegetables

14. Drink less soda

15. Teach my son to drive (eeeeeeek!)

16. Take the dog to the dog park at least once a week

17. Finish the office to make it a nice place to work (clear out clutter and organize)

18. Donate unused items (just dropped off a bunch of items today but there’s more to get rid of)

19. Leave work at a reasonable hour each day

20. Limit pinterest addiction (it’s embarrassing, really)

21. Keep on blogging! At least once a week share thoughts, ideas, challenges, triumphs, etc through this forum

22. Learn how to be a better blogger (and a more widely read blogger)

23. Learn to box, really, I want pink boxing gloves and something to hit

24. Try to improve sleep habits

Ok, that’s enough for now. I’m nowhere near Goddess level, but for me it’s a start. Baby steps, that’s what I’m all about.

July 2, 2013
by BulgingButtons 2 Comments

Listen to Me!

Cover of Julie & Julia

Cover of "Mastering the Art of French Coo...

Cover via Amazon

The other night we watched Julie and Julia again. For about the fifty-third time. My sweetheart loves it, and I admit I do too. This time, though, I paid closer attention to the blogging aspect of the film. If you’re unfamiliar with it (shame on you) go get it right away and watch it. Amy Adams is adorable, and Meryl Streep makes a surprisingly wonderful Julia Child. The gist of the story is that New Yorker Julie Powell cooked and blogged her way through Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Along the way, the film provides wonderful flashbacks to Julia’s experiences in Paris and beyond. From this cooking and blogging experiment, Julie got her own book deal and, obviously, a movie. Now I’m no Julie Powell, and I’m not looking for Amy Adams to play me (maybe Melissa McCarthy would consider it?), but I am intrigued by the whole blogging scene. I’m still trying to figure it out, and trying to find a place for bulgingbuttons in the very large and crowded world of the internet.

I’ve been reading a bunch of blogs, and man, am I impressed! They are fancy, fancy, fancy. They have calendars and polls and buttons and contests and linky parties (I’m still not sure what those are) and all sorts of exciting things. I’m not there yet. What I do have is a voice, a decent camera, and a desire to be heard. I will keep sharing what it going on in my head, with the idea that at some point someone will read it and find some worth in it. In the meantime, I will continue to write for myself. This is proving to be a great outlet for me and good practice for developing some discipline. If I can’t figure out discipline with eating and exercise, at least I can with writing. And by the way, if you do find something worthwhile, please comment, or share, or hit the like button, or something! I’d love to know that I’m not all alone out there.