No Reservations

Tuna. Yes please.

What is it about the simple pleasures of comfort food that makes us calm, happy, and smile? I’ve been craving good ole’ home grown tunafish sandwiches for ages! I haven’t quite pinpointed why, but I gotta say, in addition to embracing my foodie-girl-ness and eating at the most amazing eateries in Austin, I’m also gonna continue to find a way to make the comfort food I love even more awesome. Cheers.

PS, I’m currently on a No Reservations binge.

How to Get What You Want.

How do you get what you want? How do you get inspiration? How does it happen?

One of my professors had a great quote today and it impacted me. Although I’ve been anxious about the idea about achieving my fitness goals for the year, I can get there.

“It takes work. It’s not about willing a physical thing to ahppen. You have to do the work to make it happen. It’s all about the work. It’s not about just inspiration to get you there. It’s about work.”

DAMN that’ll work. Later that day, one of my classmates said something too that I thought was a great story.

“There are two children in a tree with two parents from a far. One parent yells ‘hold on’ and the other yells ‘don’t fall.’ The child who falls is the one who was told “Don’t fall.” So, focus on what to do and not what you’re not supposed to do cause you’ll end up doing whatever is on your mind.’

Damn… that’ll work too.

the NON-Rule Rules.

1. Give yourself a break
2. Think about the long haul but remember that it all happens in CHUNKS
3. Start early if you can.
4. Party, celebrate, and relax often.
5. Dwell in the creativity of others and let it inspire you.
6. Avoid negative nancy’s at all cost.

Self-Love & the Big-O

Self – Love has many forms. Some seem rather sterile and clinical – ie writing on a piece of paper the different things about yourself that you… well… love. And some seem to constantly teeter totter the line between fun and inappropriate ie the use and ABuse of drugs, alcohol, and otherwise chemical transforming elements.

But then… there are those that are even MORE controversial.Those that are rarely discussed in homes in Mid-America or any part of America and certainly not instigated by parents. See, this form of self love is more titillating, more fascinating, and more provocative. Now, of all the forms of honoring one’s body as an amazing masterpiece in a positive way, why is masturbation a big deal? Have the earliest Puritanical principles upon which the US was founded become that deeply enriched in our mental psyches? Or is it more about the tight embrace make religion and culture bed buddies? Seriously, those loves have done more, some good and some bad, for what we deem appropriate acts then even the most lust-filled vampire show could. AND why is it that men seem to have somewhat slightly easier time when it comes to dealing with dealing with it?

Do YOU have a problem with giving yourself the Big-O? Can’t get pass the things your mom and dad did and did NOT say about things that would fall off? Or… do you tap into the pleasure palace with the P and coddle the coital desires of the C? Cause I’m sure lots of people are curious.

Narcissus - Self Love at It's Best.

Friendship

Take the time to develop your relationships with other people because they DO matter. Part of enriching oneself, and thus fulfilling the mission of the manifesto, is to make sure ALL of you is happy. Cultivate your friendships… and you’re more than halfway there.

When the money and ‘fame’ goes away, you’ll want your chums to still give two shizz.

BOOTCAMP WORKOUTS = Check!

I’ve finished. I kicked major ass. It kicked my ass majorly. I recommend everyone taking one bootcamp class once a year. Heck maybe twice so things don’t get rusty. I had a great time. So hopefully I don’t forget this amazing feeling.

1. I am much stronger
2. I am a runner (go figure)
3. Sweat can be a good thing
4. Hydrate.
5. Proper form is key
6. It a little something before a workout.
7. Recoop and start over again.
8. I was amazing. Had a great time. And would totes do it again.

I just hope I can keep it up afterwards. I CAN kick my ass as hard by myself. I CAN. I CAN. I CAN. I Will.

The 4 Elements of Happiness

Keep. It. Simple. Stupid.

Simplicity is key. Now, I’m not saying become basic and disengage from complicated conversation. Also, I’m not saying that you should ignore dealing with the innate complexities of life. But, life… is just life. Live it. Enjoy it. Be happy. Take some risks and once that makes you a bit uncomfortable, fall back.

I mean… haven’t you noticed that guy or girl who put on way to much scent or way too much jewelry, or  talks about way too much. You just want to tell them… fall back. It’s not that serious.

And if you need yet ANOTHER example of why keeping it simple is imperative, check this clip. Every single pop record ever made… only comprised of 4 essential chords. (Meaning: You can end up with a lot… if you just focus on the little.)

Manifest’s Mandates

You only have one body your entire life. Parts of it may become plastic, may be modified, may be usurped from other people, but you only have one vessel. Reward that sucka! Mine’s gotten me through some tough times and I still sometimes treat it like crap. You know, not moisturizing, not shaving, not showeri…. tough times is all I’m saying. So, how do I show my body that you love it. Well… let’s start with these three.

1. Traveling – visiting friends or going somewhere outside of your normal day-to-day locale is not only helpful but very necessary! It’s good to log out of my vortex and into another one. Helps me recharge and reconnect with the world another way, with my friends in another, with myself in another way and see the things that CAN be, a la, perspective. And as it specifically relates to friendships, long distance relationships of any kind, don’t really work unless you take the time to get some face-to-face time with that face that makes you want to go one more time, whatever that may be. At least once a year you’ve got to actually SEE your people. In a world of SKYPE and laptops for $300, you really don’t have THAT much of an excuse.
2. Shopping – spend your money if you gots it honey. Otherwise it will get really lonely and bored in your bank account, existing but never existing as anything other than numbers brought to life but the technology of a computer screen, the net, and a modem. Your relationships with your friends should be like your relationship with your money. You need to give it some face time, hold it, share it with others.
3. Playing/Laughing – If you are NOT a big kid, life sucks. You get all grown-up-y and forget to not take yourself so seriously. I’ve been told that I never grew up and I still act silly…. and yet those same people still talk to me all the time. I know what they’re doing. They’re absorbing my youthful essence and wise know-how. So go play. go laugh. go dance.

THREE-in-ONE  —-> take your friend out to the movies and pay! The End.

Trusting Your Gut

(unless your two nickels short of ten cents.)

We are all unique individuals, unique individuals are we. We all come to the flock with our own sensibilities, our own tempers, and our own lived experiences. And, some of those connections, like the first one that lead to the light bulb, explode when they collide. But, that’s fine. That explosion can lead to good things I say. Why the semi-philosophical tidbit this humpday?

I LOVE when people go the off center route. In Hollywood, that means not having a stylist. Gasp! I know right. But, Marion Cotillard cand do it. So, Instead of paying $8000 to have someone tell me how to flaunt it, I’m going to continue/keep trusting my own gut and let my style naturally shine through. It’s when I’m most confident, most energized, most comfortable. Granted, I will ask for input, but, I will not pay for it.

*If I look like an unkempt Amy Winehouse, be a friend. Tell me to take a shower.*

PS – I love Amy Winehouse.

“Mrs. Obama, Hands Off Our Obesity!”

Um… WTF?! People need to stop finding reasons to be mad. A recent post on Huffington Post, cited a woman who was upset about First Lady Michelle Obama’s work to decrease America’s obesity, especially childhood obesity. Apparently, this is a bad thing, a very bad thing!

Carrying signs that read “Mrs. Obama, Hands Off Our Obesity,” angry Teabaggers marched on the White House to accuse Michelle Obama, in the words of one protester, “of plotting to take the Big Macs out of our mouths.”

“Being obese is one of our American core values,” said Carol Foyler, a Teabagger from Toledo, Ohio who showed up for the march. “It’s guaranteed by the Constitution.”

Ms. Foyler said that Mrs. Obama’s campaign against obesity was yet another example of the White House interfering in ordinary people’s lives: “They want us all to be skinny like they are in Europe.”

The Teabagger said that she would fight the First Lady’s obesity campaign “because you know what happens when you get too thin? Your husband runs off with a tattoo model.”

HAHAHAHAHA! Tell me that isn’t hilarious?! I got to hand it to her for being current with entertainment news, tying in cultural stereotypes, misquoting the Constitution…and amendments, and delivering amazing one liners. She should write for TV!

Politics aside, obesity is NOT a good thing. It’s been proven to be linked to early death (heart attacks, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, etc.) No one says subsist on a diet of lettuce alone. I’m just saying, 3 Big Macs a day is a cry for help… and if you want me to hear it, it’s probably better if your mouth isn’t full.