Monthly Archives: March 2015

Truly Living

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“If you are depressed you are living in the past.
If you are anxious you are living in the future.
If you are at peace you are living in the present.”
Lao Tzu

My Perfect NYC Apartment 2015

I love this NYC apartment with its clean uncluttered design.

Some people’s lives are cluttered with possessions to the point where their possessions are taking over their life.

I’m a minimalist, so I don’t have lots of knickknacks, magazines, books and papers in my home. I’ve been a minimalist since sixteen years of age.

At sixteen years old, a friend of my grandmother’s died. He didn’t have any family or friends, except for my grandmother and my family. There was no one to contact about his death, so my older brother and I were elected to dispose of his belongings. This was my first experience with losing someone I knew.

As I sat there looking through his photo albums, clothing, books and knickknacks he had collected over the years, I felt very sad. All of these precious items he had for over eighty years. All of his belongings and items he treasured, were left behind with no one to continue his memories. Sadly, we emptied item after item into the trash. Furniture, clothing, books, kitchen items, and electronics went to the Salvation Army.

Since that day, I stopped hanging on to items that I felt were nonessential possessions in my life. This allows me to simplify my life and also allows me to live in the present. When it comes right down to it, the only important moment is the present moment.

If you can only live one moment at a time, you might as well make it the present. Because choosing to live in the past or the future not only robs you of enjoyment of today, it robs you of truly living.

Shine On

Our Lives

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“As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth,
so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind.
To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again.
To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over
the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.”
Henry David Thoreau

Esplanade at four pmMosaic ShellMosaic SnMosaic StarfishMosaic Sea Shell

On my afternoon walk, I noticed that the city of Redondo Beach added more mosaics to the pillars along the Esplanade. I took some photos and just had to share these beautiful works of art. Click on the pictures to see a more detailed photo of the mosaic.

Shine On

Pictures Are A Snap

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“Of all of our inventions for mass communication,
pictures still speak the most universally
understood language.”
Walt Disney

Pictures Are a Snap

Taking a terrible photo is almost a thing of the past. Everyone either has a camera on their phone, or owns a digital camera.

Thirty years ago the best thing to a digital camera was a Polaroid. Polaroids gave you immediate gratification, and no processing expense. If you ask anyone under the age of twenty what a Polaroid camera is, they probably wouldn’t know what you were talking about.

The cameras of today have come a long way from the large cumbersome cameras of the early 1900’s. Even when you watch old movies from the 1930’s, the camera’s were quite large with their flash bulbs lighting up their subjects.

In the 1970s my camera of choice was a used 35mm Nikon EL camera. It was extremely difficult for me to learn about exposures and f-stops. All I wanted was to take nice pictures and not be bothered with all the details.

Then in 2003 my husband bought me my first digital camera. It was the first generation of the Nikon Coolpix. The lens on this camera is incredibly sharp. So sharp, when I blew up a seven-foot poster from a photo I took of my son, there was zero pixilation in the print.

Currently, I shoot with a Sony HD video camera that also has still image capability. The photos are even sharper than my Coolpix, so I rarely use my Nikon.

My favorite feature I like about digital video and camera images is the zero cost in processing fees. But what I really love is when I take a bad photo, I can just delete it. Yes, thanks to modern technology, taking great pictures are a snap.

Shine On

The Nitty-Gritty

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“Successful organizing is based on the recognition
that people get organized because
they too have a vision.”
Paul Wellstone

Palm Pilot 1

My First PDA, the Palm Pilot circa 1997.

I like to think of myself as a very detail oriented person. Making “TO DO” lists daily helps me to keep on top of everything. I’m proud to say, rarely does anything fall through the cracks. Also, crossing off each accomplishment throughout my day, gives me great satisfaction when I complete a task.

In the past I used a “Day Runner”. Some of you might remember this company from the 1970s. I actually carried around two of these notebooks, one for work and one for personal appointments.

Then in 1997 my thoughtful husband noticed how much these notebooks weighted me down, so he bought me my first PDA, a “Palm Pilot”. This device was basically the forerunner of the Apple iPhone. This little device held all my work and personal information in one hand with a touch of a stylus-pen (the little pointy-thing).

Enter the new millennium where I began using applications on my laptop, my iPhone, and then my iPad to keep me organized. I very rarely use a pen and paper any more as a “TO DO” list. I’ve probably saved a hundred trees by not writing things down.

This brings me to my husband. He seems to have an aversion to writing down his “TO DOs”. He barks his list at me and wants me to “write it down” for him. Sometimes, when we are in the car and he gives me some tasks to take care of, and it doesn’t get added to my digital “TO DOs”, his request goes in one ear and out the other.

I kinda resolved this problem. I handed him a spiral notepad and a pen. He has been starting to write some things down to remind me, but I still have to tell him, “if it ain’t written down, it ain’t gonna get done”. My mind can’t seem to remember all the details of everyday life, unless he writes it down or I input it into one of my digital devices.

Got to run. My husband just phoned and gave me a task to take care of for him, and he asked me to “write it down” for him.

Excuse me while I get down to the nitty-gritty.

Shine On

The Eaglet Has Landed

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“It’s a great event to get outside and enjoy nature.
I find it very exciting no matter how many times
I see bald eagles.”
Karen Armstrong

Eagleholic UpdateAs some of my followers know from a previous post, I have been following the progress of a family of Bald Eagles in Pittsburgh.

In my researching of Eagle Cams online, I came across a blog that is actually called: The Eagleholic

This blog is great! It gives you all the current information from all over North America about Bald Eagles and their eaglets.

Unfortunately, last week one of the eggs in the Pittsburgh nest broke, leaving only one egg to hatch for the season. Then yesterday another egg broke in the nest in Santa Cruz, California.

The good news is the first hatch took place yesterday in the Turtle Bay, California nest.

The eaglet has landed !

Shine On