11.28.2009

Tradition

Just in case you missed this beauty last year. Or perhaps you want to make it a tradition and watch it every year like us . . .

If you don't watch the whole thing, make sure to go to 3:20 -ish.

11.20.2009

True Love

I spent 3 hours in his chair last week to see him practice what he preaches.



It was nice because I could give him honest feedback that most patients wouldn't, or I could just bite his hands when he hurt me. He has exceptional chair-side manner, but maybe I am biased.



He practiced this one about 8 times . . . good times.

11.19.2009

Whale of a Tale

Niels was sort of a guest blogger today. Check it.

5,6,7,8

I have several adolescent-ish guilty pleasures, one of the main ones being that I love watching So you Think you Can Dance?

While I have been more loyal and dedicated to some seasons more than others, I really enjoyed season 5. So in pure teenage/groupie fashion I went to see the top 10 dancers live on tour with my friend Ally. We danced together back in the day, so it was only appropriate.



If you don't already know, all of the dances on the show are usually meant to express some sort of theme, or they are intended to tell of some kind of story that a choreographer envisions. Now I am not one to get emotional when it comes to interpretive dancing. Mainly because I rarely see or understand what the choreographer was intending to portray. (i.e. Melissa and Ade's Breast Cancer dance that everyone cried about. Don't get me wrong, it was a beautiful dance . . . but I still just don't see how it correlated!) But one dance in particular really moved me last season. I literally got goosebumps and a little misty-eyed when I first saw it, and again when I watched it live last week. Silly, I know. That is the first time a dance has ever done that to me.

This piece is about addiction and I find it so brilliantly powerful. Again, while I find most interpretative dances to be pretty abstract and out-there, I find this one to be very direct and moving, even if you aren't into dancing. The song is great as well.

I may also have a certain affinity for this dance seeing how addiction has impacted both of our families on several levels. I am pretty confident that if you haven't personally been affected by some sort of addiction, you will likely know someone who has and you can appreciate this dance:


Watch Lyrical Dance videos and dance lessons at DanceJam.com

11.13.2009

Who Needs Flowers

What girl doesn’t love fresh flowers?

In the early days of our relationship, I occasionally found little discreet ways to hint to Niels that tulips are my favorite flowers and that I thought roses are so cliché. I just thought he should be aware in case he ever . . . wanted to know or anything.

Needless to say, I felt slightly crushed when he directly shot down my passive hints by telling me that fresh flowers are overpriced, they die too quickly, and that they were not a part of his poor student budget. Zing. I thought that was pretty Debbie Downer of him initially . . . until I discovered that he would give me things far cooler than an occasional tulip arrangement.

Niels has always been a music buff. He lives to find new bands on blogs and he is constantly updating his iPod with fresh tunes. And then you have me who gets around to changing my songs out about thrice a year . . . if that.

Who needs flowers when your husband makes you awesome new music mixes every month? They don’t die, they don’t cost a dime and they are one of a kind.



I listen to each mix all month long and by the time I am burnt out the next month’s mix is ready. It’s a fabulous system he has going really. Oh, and his disk art is always the best part.

At first glance I was confused by this one. He said, “Look closely, it’s a mixture in a beaker.”



This month's was pretty good too - the labeled cornucopia.


Do you put ham in your cornucopia?

11.12.2009

Scrappy



When I got laid off this summer, one of my closest friends reassured me that I would be ok because I have always been “scrappy.” An awkward silence followed and then I replied, “Um, thanks? . . .”


I’m sure she meant well and that it was one of those intended compliments people give you like, “Wow, you look really comfy today.” Nonetheless, I sat for a minute not really sure what to make of it. Over the past 4 months I have realized that I am indeed scrappy.


A day or two hasn’t passed these last few months without someone asking me if I am working yet, and/or how I am staying busy with my time. I either give the long or the short answer depending on who is asking, and what my mood is that day.


The truth is that I have been staying crazy busy with tons of side work- short version.


Long version - I feel very fortunate for how things have come out of the woodwork and have fallen into place. Some might already know that I have been working as a virtual assistant for over a year for one of my former professors. I know, it kind of sounds kind of futuristic and somewhat Jetson-esque. Anyway, he has an established career with a well-known institution, but also runs a PR consulting firm on the side. I mainly do research for him, edit case studies and manage some of the operational things he doesn’t have time for. For a while, I juggled assisting him and doing my full-time job with HP. I really enjoyed the diversity it added to my daily grind.


After I lost my job this summer, I seriously tossed around the idea of how I could make a business model out of assisting people remotely from my home because I enjoy it so much. I started doing some preliminary research and soon discovered that I wouldn’t be able to compete with the ridiculously low rates that VAs charge in places like India and in the Philippines on sites like Elance.com. They seriously work for practically nothing!


I hadn’t thought twice about the whole thing since then, but somehow managed to pick up two more clients. So, I am now assisting 3 people remotely and it is working out fantastic. The best part is that I will still be able to manage them when I start my new job next month. I will be a crazy lady, but I guess I have always enjoyed a full plate.


While some friends already know the details of my new job, it is still too premature to announce them to the World here. More details to follow . . . stay tuned.