A Book Release + A Photo Shoot + A Road Trip + A New Career Path = Phew!

Greetings, dear readers! Happy Friday! I don’t know about you, but things have been positively positive around here, swelling with new energy like crazy. I have great new things to share! An essay of mine just came out in a book, I took part in a fantastic Day of the Dead photo shoot, I went on a road trip through the U.S. southwest, and I’m starting school again in January for a total change in careers. And that’s not even counting the political changes here in the US. Lots of good going around! Read on for more!

Book Release! Nothing But The Truth So Help Me God

Last summer, I wrote an essay as a submission for an anthology and the book has just been released! It’s called Nothing But The Truth So Help Me God: 51 Women Reveal the Power of Positive Female Connection, and you can buy it on Amazon by clicking that link!

I’m part of 51 women, including Joyce Maynard and Christine Bronstein, writing about female friendship and life for an anthology that set out to share only positive stories about women! It has already received glowing reviews from Eve Ensler, Michael Krasny, Katherine Spillar (editor of Ms. Magazine), Peter Coyote, and many, many more.

My essay is about how I assisted a good friend with pre-natal yoga and then with the birth of her daughter, even though I don’t want to have children of my own. It’s about supporting friends and learning what it means to be a great auntie!

The other essays in the book cover everything from cancer and abortion to the challenges and rewards of finding friends later in life ~ the latter being someting I know we are all familiar with.

I do hope you’ll pick up a copy of the book for yourself and for your friends this holiday season, to help share the goodness and the power of positive female connection!

Photo Shoot: Tea Time de Los Muertos

I was honored to take part in a fabulous photo shoot spearheaded by my creative friend Rebecca of My Dirty Dishes and photogaphed by Barbara Jacqueline Photography!

Rebecca’s creative vision was a spooky tea party with Day of the Dead elements, which, if you know me, is one of my favorite holidays and creative visions ever! I’ve been making my own Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) art since I was in high school and was absolutely stoked to help out Rebecca.

With two other models, we spent the day helping everyone pull together this fantastic mis en scène, from tea party to tea party debauchery to ending up in the spooky elevator. It was a blast!

Check out the public photos on the Barbara Jacqueline Photography Facebook page by clicking the photo to your left or by clicking here!

And while you’re at it, check out some of my own Dia de los Muertos art on my Tumblr, Sugar Skull Senoritas and see some older stuff at my website, Spacekitten!

Road Trip: Sedona, Grand Canyon, Joshua Tree, and More

I had the great fortune to take a 10-day road trip through the U.S. southwest and visit a bunch of places I’d never been to before, including Sedona, the Grand Canyon, and Joshua Tree ~ all of which were amazing! I saw some old friends and family, some familiar places, and many unfamiliar places that were jaw-droppingly beautiful.

The Grand Canyon was simply amazing. If you are in the U.S. and have a chance to visit, do not pass it up! Seeing ancient stone from the beginnings of our planet up close really puts things in perspective. We are so new to this planet and the planet has so much history! Earth beings, let’s please respect Earth and not screw it up!

Here’s a short slideshow of the trip highlights. Enjoy!

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And Last But Not Least… Back to School for a New Career Path!

So! Many of you know I’ve been writing and editing for many, many years. I’ve also done other things along the way, including teaching yoga, corporate training, and even professional fire dancing. But for the past few years, I’ve been focusing on writing and editing as my career, since that is what I went to grad school for and, well, because I love it. I still do love writing and editing, but I was missing the human element, the face-to-face time, and the service aspect. One of my favorite things in life is helping people feel good! So, after a long decision-making process and TONS of research and soul-searching, I made my decision. Starting in January, I will be going back to school to become a licensed cosmetologist! OMG!

That means that all of this advice I’ve been giving over the last year in my 52 tips? It will all be legit! Haha A lifetime love of all things hair, skin, and makeup will finally be made official. It also means that I will be on a career path that will put me in situations where I get to work one-on-one with people, face-to-face, hands-on, helping people to feel GOOD about themselves!

I truly can’t think of anything better than helping people feel good all day. Who doesn’t love to put a smile on people’s faces? And that’s what hair stylists, makeup artists, and skin care specialists do! It’s also a very creative career, which will allow me to channel my creative (writing) energy in a positive new direction.

Helping people feel good, providing service, being creative, and working one-on-one ~ BRING IT ON! 

Staying Strong & Healthy

On that note, I am exhilarated just writing this post! But with so much going on, I definitely need to stay grounded and healthy. It’s more important than ever that I eat super-healthy and nourishing foods, get regular exercise including running, swimming, yoga, and strength training, and get plenty of sleep, relaxation, and quality time with my honey and our kitties.

As long as I focus, do my best, and take very good care of myself, all wonderful things will continue to bloom.

Tell me, now ~ how are you??

Llewellyn Moon Signs Book + San Francisco Marathon!

Greetings, dear readers! Happy Friday! I have two fun things to share with you today and I hope they make you smile, wherever you are.

The Wipro San Francisco Marathon—done!

 

The first announcement is that it’s done! I ran a marathon! Holy cow! I DID the San Francisco Marathon this past Sunday ~ success! It’s done, I did it… I done did it. And I’m more than happy with the way everything went! What a race! My awesome sister came into town for a week with her family, which was a blessing and joy, and a great way to relax before the race, being touristy and hanging out with good family. My race recap is short, folks:

• 25,000-ish runners—9,000 doing the full marathon, everybody else doing the 1/2 marathon or the 5K
• Early, early start time: 6am!
• Hilly, hilly route
• Crossed the Golden Gate Bridge and back
• Ran through Golden Gate Park, my favorite spot in the city to run
• Began and ended at the Ferry Building, near the Bay Bridge, a beautiful and scenic waterfront spot

My sis and I ran the entire race (except for short walking at water stations), a fact that makes me proud and yet not surprised. We both trained well for the race and we did it! In the few days since, we have also recovered… at least, for the most part. I’m still a little stiff when I wake up, but yoga helps with that (as always).

In sum, it was an excellent experience, from training through to the end! I’d be interested in possibly doing another marathon, but maybe something…less hilly? Chicago, perhaps! We shall see Stay tuned.

Llewellyn’s 2013 Moon Sign Book—my gardening tip published!

The second announcement is that I am published! In a book! Actually, I’m published in TWO books, one of which will be coming out this fall (more to come on that…) but this first one is a cute little thing that I completely forgot about, and it’s available in stores now! Many moons ago, I answered a call for reader tips on gardening for this book… then never heard anything… until a few days ago, when I received the book in the mail, with my tip in it! It’s just a short blurb, but makes me very happy to see in print

The book is Llewellyn’s 2013 Moon Sign Book, an astrological guide for pagan types and nature lovers, published by the wonderful New Age company, Llewellyn. The company’s online description says:

This essential planning tool can help you choose the best time to do almost anything: buy stock, get married, buy or sell your home, start a new job, travel, have surgery, and much more. With lunar timing tips on planting and harvesting and a guide to companion plants, this book is a gardener’s best friend.

In addition to New and Full Moon forecasts for the year, you’ll find insightful articles on 2013 eclipses and careers, moon goddess energy gardening, preserving your bounty, foraging for food, lunar fertility, and waxing Moon yardwork.

My gardening tip is in there, but I don’t want to give it away Tap into your lunar / yin / feminine essence and get thyself a Moon Sign book to own! (NOTE: I don’t make any money from this book ~ it’s just a fun little thing!)

Well, I hope you’re all enjoying yourselves, whatever you’re doing and wherever you are. That’s all for now. Enjoy your weekend. xo

2011: Top Five Bests

Looking back at the year, the months seem like a swirl of running, biking, swimming, yoga, Pilates, writing, reading, and cooking. Good thing those are some of my most favorite activities! The year was also filled with some heavy, high emotions and deep, soul-searching (and soul-baring) moments in my meditation practice, my race training, my writing, my search for writing and editing work, and my relationship.

All of this adds up to one very full year of rollercoaster highs, lows, and sideways twists! And I guess sometimes that’s just what life is all about

Here I present my Top 5 Best Memories of 2011:

1. Racing!

I completed my first triathlon, ran the SF Marathon 5K, the Title 9K, and the North Face Endurance Challenge 10K. It felt great to get back to running races after a few years and it felt fantastic to complete my tri. I’m very much looking forward to new races in 2012!

2. Clean Eating

This year also included some dietary choices that surprised some people around me. After reading The Mood Cure (which I highly recommend to anyone looking to adjust and balance stress, energy, and emotions without pharmaceuticals), I was inspired to clean up some lingering habits that I knew weren’t benefiting my life:

• I quit drinking alcohol.
• I gave up sugar for the most part (except for the very occasional cookie or birthday cupcake!) by replacing it with stevia or eliminating it entirely from recipes.
• Most significantly, I started eating a LOT more protein, about three times what I had been eating. This really helped my energy levels and mood and was particularly beneficial during my triathlon training.

I also added amino acid supplements, such as Tyrosine and L-Glutamine, to help with cravings and energy levels and after a few months, I was able to cut them out almost entirely, too.

These days, we eat out rarely, spending most of our time and money cooking at home. We stick to “clean eating,” which I define as whole foods with an emphasis on quality, low-fat protein and lots (LOTS) of vegetables, especially leafy greens. Our recipes typically have no more than 5 ingredients and we almost never use processed food or “food products.” (This includes tofu and vegan meat substitutes, which are some of the most highly processed foods out there!)

3. Writing

(note: not my hands)

• I successfully re-added “freelance writer” to my resume after a few years, when I went freelance with iSport. I wrote over 200 how-to and informational guides on yoga and Pilates, more than any sport on the site, and pumped up my portfolio in a huge way.
• I wrote a novel! Then I edited it, edited it again, and once more, then proofread it and submitted it to a contest by December 15. If I win, I’ll know in February. If I don’t win, I’ll also know in February Either way, I’ll keep ya posted.

4. Yoga

The definite yoga highlight of the year was my 50-hour Advanced Teacher Training with Jason Crandell, indisputably one of the best teachers in the U.S. today, as Module One of Yoga Tree’s 500-hour Yoga Teacher Training program (which is currently on hold for me due to other priorities).

5. Time Spent with My Honey and Kitties

I know it sounds shmaltzy, but when the stress of everyday life hits and the world seems cold and unknowable, it’s nice to know I can count on a few things to warm me up. Watching our kittens grow up to be cats has been one of the sweetest experiences ever.

What were your favorite experiences / memories / moments of 2011?

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What would a year be without music and books? Dreadful, I say!

Here, my Top 5 Books of 2011 (books I read this year, not actually books that debuted this year):

1. ChiRunning by Danny Dreyer

A game changer.

2. Counterculture Through the Ages by Ken Goffman (a.k.a. R U Sirius)

A wild romp through the funnest nonconformist countercultures throughout history.

3. Cheesemonger by Gordon Edgar

The cheese guy from our local c0-op wrote a book about punk rock and cheese. It rocks!

4. Deliverance by James Dickey

There’s no “Squeal like a pig” in the novel. This book is pure survivalist poetry. Brilliant and chilling.

5. Vision in White and the rest of the Bride Quartet series, by Nora Roberts

Fun, emotional, sweet, complex, and everything I want in a romantic series about four best friends who run a wedding business!

Top 5 Artists of 2011 (music that got me through the year, not artists that debuted this year):

1.Brian Eno

Suffice it to say, I wrote my novel to several of his ambient albums from the ’70s on repeat.

2. Deadmau5

Bassy progressive/electro and such a cutie, too.

3. Ulrich Schnauss

Dreamlike, neo-shoegazer psychedelia.

4. Josh Brill

I can’t tell you how many yoga practices I’ve done to his lush soundscapes.

5. Arctic Monkeys

And nothing gets me out the door running better than these guys.

What about you? What were your favorite books and music from 2011, (new or not)??