That’s Life « Don't Be a Picklebump

That’s Life

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8
Jan 12

Week One of the New Year is Done!

Boy, did Week 1 of the New Year go fast! But it was a good week of living in a world of deliberation.

I’ve been working to make sure that I keep a balance between my work life and my home life. Sometimes my work life comes home with me at night when it shouldn’t. So I’ve made a conscious decision to leave the laptop at work unless I know that there’s going to be some sort of weather emergency that’s going to mean that I need to work from home. If I need to do something from home, I can remote in to my work computer.

I’ve also been deliberately working on making an image a day. It may not be the best image, but I have at least one a day since December 27th, 2011. The image could be taken with my iPhone, my point & shoot, my DSLR or one of the many analog cameras I own. I’m getting some good images and I am capturing the life that is going on around me. I like that. Here’s some of my favorites from this week.

I’ve also been focused on my diet and moving more. Yesterday I worked working in the garden and today I’ll be doing more of the same. Plus I’ve been taking walks. Tonight I need to get my weight area finished so I can start lifting again this week. Nothing like moving iron to get a little stress relief too!

Oh and I made my first ever video using the web cam R got me for Christmas. I’m walking though one of the art projects this year – Effy Wild’s Book of Days Class (here’s the details). One thing I’ve got to work on is getting the phrase “um” out of my speaking. The former speech contest nerd in me is embarrassed by it. But it was fun to do, and I anticipate there being more throughout the year. So here’s the first one.

Paula’s BOD Show and Tell Week 1 from Paula P. on Vimeo.

2012 so far is looking to be a good year!

Taking a Break

Due to software testing at work, I’m officially burned out from working with computers. I need a break from being online so I’m taking myself offline for the weekend. I’ll be back Monday sometime However, my Reverb11 posts will keep coming.

I need to spend some time recharging my batteries with a non-computer activity such as photography! I took some time tonight do some iphoneography. This was taken at Ellington Field.

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18
Nov 11

Ahhhh – A little Gordon Sumner anyone?

The final concert for this year was Sting at Verizon Wireless Theatre. One more thing off the life list. Now I need to get some more goals on there!

More pictures to come!

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12
Oct 11

Between Admiration and Giggling Insanely

An acquaintance of mine shared this on Facebook. I’m not sure if I admire the guy for dancing wherever and whenever he wants, or if I want to continue to giggle insanely this morning for the same reason.

This is one of the reasons I lift at home. I’d be more interested in what this guy was doing instead of what I should be doing (moving iron).

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5
Oct 11

Between Life and Death

We’ve been waiting for word that R.’s neighbor H. has passed. He’s been in hospice for the last few weeks after several on and off stays in the hospital. The last time he went, he and his family were told that H needed to go into a nursing home. Instead, H. decided to come home and die on his own terms.

H. was one of the first people in R’s life that I met. R. and I were working out in his grove cleaning out tallow trees and cutting down dead wood 5.5 years ago. We started working on the tree shown below and we managed to get the chain on the chainsaw stuck between the tree trunk and the stump. R. got the chainsaw apart and the blade out easily. But the tree was held in place by grapevines in the upper branches and was perfectly balanced upright on the trapped chainsaw chain. R and I had to leave the tree where it was because it was too dark to safely do anything.

When we awoke the next morning, we found the tree down and pulled a distance away from the stump. H. had put a chain around the trunk, and used his ancient tractor to pull the tree down so so it wouldn’t fall on the electrical wires on his property or hurt anyone. I liked the fact that H told R “I was a keeper because I worked hard.”

The ancient tractor H had was the subject of much laughter between R and myself. Every once in awhile, R would go over and work on the tractor and keep it running for H. R would come over and grumble about how the tractor leaked like a sieve but H. insisted it would still keep going. We’d come back to R’s place every once in a while and find the fence line mowed. H’s repayment for R’s services.

The tractor episode I heard the most about was right after Hurricane Ike came through. H had a limb caught in a tree. and R got into the front loader with his chainsaw on a stick (a.k.a. the telescoping chainsaw). R. had to stand at the end of the front loader, on his tiptoes, with the chainsaw fully extended to get the branch down.

I will miss the across the fence conversations with H and his wife. They are good people and H will be missed by R. and myself.

ETA: R told me that H passed at 3 AM this morning.

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30
Sep 11

The Last Concert of the Summer – Part 1

This summer has been good for music. I’ve seen Arlo Guthrie, Peter Gabriel, Poison, and Motley Crue. I finished this summer up with Night Ranger, Foreigner, and Journey Sunday at the Cynthia Woods-Mitchell Pavilion. Here’s a few shots from the show.

It started with the Night Ranger Meet & Greet:

I laughed when I saw that the meet and greet wrangler had an abominable snowman on her walk talkie.

Me with Night Ranger (L-R Joel Hoekstra, Kelly Keagey, Jack Blades, Me, Brad Gillis, Eric Levy).

Joel Hoekstra, Brad Gillis and Jack Blades rocking.

Jack Blades and Kelly Keagey during “Sister Christian”

Brad Gillis during “You can still Rock in America”

Brad Gillis

Panning Shot of Joel Hoekstra

Kelly Keagey doing his thing at the Drums

Joel Hoekstra, Brad Gillis, and Jack Blades

Foreigner and Journey Pictures to come in the next post.

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18
Sep 11

Why I Don’t Like the Term “Bucket List”

“Don’t be a spectator, don’t let life pass you by. ” ― Lou Holtz

In 2007′s “The Bucket List” starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, the main characters of the movie are both terminally ill and they go on a road trip with a goal of completing their personal wish lists before they “kick the bucket.” Since the movie came out it’s popular to have a “bucket list”. But while the concept of the bucket list isn’t new, I’m not a fan of the fact that it centers on what you do before you die.

The first time I heard of the concept was when I was selling Mary Kay and one of the directors mentioned Lou Holtz’s Life List. Holtz was 28, between jobs, and his wife was expecting their third child when he put the 107 item list together. The list is a guiding force in his life and allowed him to achieve numerous things including coaching for Notre Dame, being on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, and having dinner at the White House. Holtz has completed 95 of the 107 things on his list. Here are Holtz’s tips for achieving goals:

1) Decide what you want to achieve and the date.

2) Know what talents you must acquire to do this.

3) Consider who you have to work with to achieve it.

4) Determine what problems you must overcome to achieve this.

5) Have a plan.

6) Share with others why they will benefit.

I like the term life list because it emphasizes that you are meeting your goals while you are still living. That means you can share these events and lessons learned with your loved ones and focus on living in the moment.

I’ve been working on my life list over the past few months (I don’t have 107 items on it yet). Just writing some of them down made these items more concrete for me. I’m creating plans for the ones down the items that I want to work on next. What’s on your Life List and what are you doing to make those things in the future?

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4
Sep 11

Perfect Weather

Although we didn’t get the rain needed in Houston from Tropical Storm Lee, we did get some clouds and some wind and the last two days have been gorgeous around here.

I caught this image on the way home yesterday from visiting my friends at Texas Art Asylum. The clouds make a nice contrast to the sun hitting the glass.

Then, just before I turned down Saturn Lane to head to the house I saw this glorious bit of sunset.

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2
Sep 11

Building Kitty V 2.0

I’m very happy to report that Junior, a.k.a. Building Kitty V1.0 has found a new home. I’m very happy because that means he wasn’t euthanized and he didn’t turn into a feral kitty (which is good because he’s much too nice for that). However, last night I heard more meows outside my door and discovered that Building Kitty V 2.0 had arrived.

This time I have a little long hair female who’s just as friendly as Junior, if not more so. She’s got a lovely coat don’t you think?

And such a dainty pose:

But don’t be fooled. When her head poked in the door last night and she saw Simba, she had a hissy fit (a couple of them actually).

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20
Aug 11

Junior (A.K.A. Building Kitty)

A few weeks ago, this guy started hanging out by my front door.

R and I dubbed him Junior. R thinks that he’s abandoned and Lori the apartment manager agrees, although she thinks he was dumped from the complex across the street. R felt sorry enough for him that we started him feeding him some of Simba’s good food (wet and dry) and there’s always a container of water between me and my next door neighbor.

Junior is a pretty good little kitty though- very friendly. Except when he wants to come in. Then he’ll sit outside my kitchen and meow like crazy.

Every once in awhile, I come out and he’s perched on the steps leading up to Lori’s apartment. Evidently he likes hanging out by her door too.

All he asks is that I don’t disturb his nap. When I do that, he gives me a go-to-hell look.

Don't Be a PicklebumpBecause Life is Meant to be Lived

That’s Life

Week One of the New Year is Done!

Taking a Break

Ahhhh – A little Gordon Sumner anyone?

Between Admiration and Giggling Insanely

Between Life and Death

The Last Concert of the Summer – Part 1

Why I Don’t Like the Term “Bucket List”

Perfect Weather

Building Kitty V 2.0

Junior (A.K.A. Building Kitty)

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