The sun is setting on 2009 yawl

From the "Letters to my fam" Series

While I share my usual ramblings to my family lets have coffee shall we?Good morning mi familia. I seem to wake up before the crack of dawn when my house is silent. I dont mind the quiet but the quiet itself seems to wake me. I've got a meeting scheduled with the workout room in a little while, I'm feeling the pull to nature's prozac, cardio! I've already started making a mental list of what I want to do in 2010, too early? Nah, there are 5 days left in 2009, I'll make the best of them but I am very ready for the New Year. Lots of things to look forward to, a possible trip to Hawaii in May (crossing everything I have that this trip includes me getting on a plane headed west), getting my kitchen ready for new appliances and floors, (mom will you believe this, they've sent me a note saying its scheduled for march, I know I know), work is going to be interesting as my "team" is gaining 4 new members, not a bad thing given these times of layoffs and whatnot, my workout zone needs me to get back in it, hence the workout room today, lets see......personal growth. Well I always do that. At least I think I do. We all do, without even meaning to, unless we're sleeping through the days and not paying attention. Mom got me "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch, for Christmas. I've almost read this entire book in two days. I'll finish today. This will be one I keep, its going on "the shelf". Only my favorites go on the shelf. Or books I havent read yet. Or books given to me as gifts. What I mean is, the luxury of having a Half Price Books nearby is that I can get a few books for ten dollars, read them, and then sell them back and get more. But if they fall into those 3 categories, they stay with me. I will now share what we all would like to know, so that we can wake up fresh each morning. I hope everyone had a delightful Christmas, and you're still enjoying the weekend. Monday calls early, I suppose I'll answer.

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/beauty/10-ways-to-wake-up-beautiful-439583/

Love to the masses,
Apiphany

And a word from Randy Pausch:"The brick walls are there for a reason," he said during his lecture. "The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something

That dreaded word we all hate. The C word.

Breakfast at Tiffany's

I don't know if I have an irrational fear of getting cancer, I don't think I do, but when one of my dearest friends is diagnosed with the devil disease, it rocks my world as though it were me hearing the three words we don't ever want to hear; "you have cancer".

You know that feeling of your legs buckling out from underneath you? The oxygen being removed from your lungs? That's how I felt when I heard the news. Anger, immediate anger. WHY HER? It's not fair, and I pulled out my virtual list of why its not fair. This is not supposed to happen to her. But it's not supposed to happen to ANYone for that matter. I was absolutely amazed and instantly grateful at her take on this diagnosis. Humor intact, and providing the facts with ease, she updated our group of friends the best way she could, giving it to us straight, and all at once. I thank her for that. Living in different states she could have chosen to go through this without sharing and we may never have known. I am so glad she did not choose that, but instead, chose to let us in her private world that I am sure was rocked to the core.

In keeping with my idea of a "dia"blog I am sharing a bit of conversation I had with her today.

Me: I'm learning so much about this that I didnt know. I wish I was learning it from a freakin magazine instead of through you, but you are going to get through this. I would GIVE MY LEFT LEG if I lived there so I could help you. You know, sit there while you cuss at me, be the target . I'm a good target.

Friend: You know, right now I'm not feeling like that. EVERYONE has been so supportive.....it makes me get weepy when I think about all the people that really do care about me. I can be such a b**ch at times, but when the crap goes down, everyone is standing right beside me. I'm very lucky!!

I got tears when I read that alone. This friend considers herself lucky. She has cancer folks.

Me: dude I get it, it's easy to forget that peeps care and love, but I'm not going to let you forget, because I ADORE YOU. And I always will.

Friend: Everytime I talk about people supporting me, I really do start to cry. My mom's friend (who I have never met) made me a little knit hat. I'm writing her a thank you note and sobbing. I think it's just a lot of emotional stress and I'm not venting it enough or in the right direction or something.

Me: I totally get it. Every day I always ask myself what I would be feeling if I were going through this, I'm telling you, this sh** has effed my mind a little. When you told me about it, I was so MAD, I kept saying this is not supposed to happen TO HER. Its not supposed to happen to anyone, but I'm sayin. and then I've walked myself through what I would feel like, and quite frankly, I still think I dont know. I will say this, you're handling it beautifully, and if you have to cry, for godsake cry. Let.it.out. It's cleansing, then your insides are cleaner. (I admitted I was on caffeine overload at this point, but I too, turn to humor, always)

Friend: LOL...I like that...cry your cancer away. My new self help book. You can help me write it.

Me: omg THATS IT. What are we going to wear when Matt Lauer interviews us on the today show?

My message today is this: Be grateful. Choose to live. Fight for whatever is necessary to do so. And yes......if my friend and I are right, cry that damn cancer away.

Croissants were delish mon ami, thanks for having me.

Until then,
Tiffany

America is my country, Paris, my hometown

Letter to mi familia, regarding my trip to Paris Sept 8- Sept 15th, 2009

Ah my fam, I can't believe it has taken me this long to share my Paris experience with you. I came back a different person, no I didnt get married, change my name, or purchase land. I did however, have a 'perspective' shift-change, that was needed and I didn't even know it.

As I glance at my journal sitting next to me I realize now how difficult its going to be to trim down the experience and not include every single word I wrote. I'm going to do my best, I hope you read this when you're bored and it provides entertainment.

I have to give honorable mention to the Geico gecko that rode with us to the airport the day I left. He stayed with us most of the way, not sure when he made his exit but it might have been when I whispered to him that he couldn't go with me because he didnt have a passport. I will probably never get an insurance rate reduction offer again, but I can live with that.

The TX heat was rather oppressive that day, I sat outside waiting for my peeps and tried to imagine the cool fall weather Paris promised. one: finding people and getting them together in the same place to check in at the same time is like herding cats. cell to cell convo: "look, I dont see a HUGE wishbone, I dont know where you're at, I know where I'm at, what are you talking about? just walk towards me and you'll find me" hows that for clear and concise....two: exchanging american dollars to euro can either be a quick 3 minute transaction or it can be a 45 minute excursion to the gates of hell, you decide. I myself became friends with exchange girl because we had the same cell phone she noticed. Even the same pink, right down to the shade, much to the chagrin of my friends. I can't help it if I'm sociable people. But MY transaction took 5 minutes. A few others couldnt decide whether to get Euro in paper or do the debit card thing, then when finally deciding on the debit card thing, it was too late to change their minds once they realized that was going to take a whole lot longer to process. Fast forward to bff Brian leaning against the wall of the airport, sighing, and we havent even got through the check in yet. But we're going to Paris, who cares! (that was my standard phrase through this entire trip. B: "Dude the van is stuck in a tunnel, in a narrow line of traffic, faced in the wrong direction, of oncoming traffic, its too narrow to turn it around, and the tunnel guy doesnt speak ANY english" me: "we're in Paris, I dont care"

Flight check in-done. We're through the security gate, we're now all together, waiting at the bar outside the gate (Champs its called) so excited we cant be quiet and let the other one finish their sentence. It dawns on me that there are a lot of people speaking french around us, probably headed back to their home country. For everything they say in English over the loud speaker, they then repeat it in French. The Paris experience began before I set foot on the plane. 9 hour flight looming. Did I care? not a bit. They served us several times throughout that flight, warm croissants, little cheeses (fromage) like gruyere and camembert, fruit baskets, baguettes, wine, espresso.....my eyes were drinking in every last detail because this flight was different. I was GOING TO EUROPE.
Two movies, 4 snack/meal times and several catnaps later, we touched down at Charles de Gaulle airport. My time was 2:30am. Their time was 9:30am. Rise and shine!
Going through customs was not what I expected, I could have been carrying a cow and that man wouldnt have noticed. But I have a stamp in my passport that says Paris, I dont care. And his welcome to me, to his country, was warm. We had a driver waiting which was nice (you need to budget about $200 for this roundtrip, but for 8 people thats good) The first thing I noticed was how fresh the air smelled. No signs of humidity or smog. Fresh crisp fall air. They dont drive pick-up trucks over there, like Dodge rams and the like. Not an SUV in sight. Cars, and service trucks, thats about it. *we were in a van* They drive on the same side of the rode we do, and the steering wheel is on the left side of the vehicle, unless someone has driven their car from somewhere else, I did notice some with the steering wheel on the right side of the car.
Once we got in the city the traffic can't be described any other way than a total clustered nightmare. I promised right then to never get upset about Dallas traffic ever again. Motorcycles can drive in between cars, its allowed. (they scare me lol) Hotel Opera Cadet, Rue Cadet....I spent 7 days here. It took about 40 min to get there, we just drank it all in along the way. We were told that its best to stay up and have your first day in real Paris time, you'll drop at the end of the day but hopefully awaken on Paris time, and thats exactly what we did. By the 3rd day I was completely switched over and had to remind myself what time it was at home before I texted anyone to let them know all was well or what was going on. I had no cell signal issues at all, had the international plan added to my phone before I left, made no calls while I was there, and did very little texting.
Each morning in the hotel, we had free breakfast. They boil eggs and put them in a huge wicker basket and you just grab as many as you want. They're still in the shell, and always warm, never figured out how they keep them warm. coffee, croissants, jellies, cheeses, cereal, juices, baguettes....and this breakfast was all they serve as far as food, they don't do lunch or dinner. We did so much walking it turned out that we were only doing two meals a day, that breakfast and early dinner if we planned well.

If I had to do a word collage of what I see now in my mind it would go like this:

Very very narrow, winding streets, cobblestone, brick, UNbelievable architecture, highrise apartment buildings, flower window boxes, fast paced walking, espresso that could start a car, little cafes with tiny tables and chairs, fromage (cheese) shops that smelled like a pigbarn, (stinky cheese doesnt cover it) the metro, brown paper bags with baguettes peeking out of the top, wine, berets, artists, ambulence/police sirens that don't sound like ours, bonjour, merci, pink skies, bicycles, scooters, smart cars, motorcycles, La Tour Eiffel, Montmartre Village, Louvre, Mona Lisa, Sacre Coeur Basilica, Latin Quarter, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Seine, Champs Elysees, Luxembourg Gardens, Chateau Chambord, maps, coins, narrow bath tubs, narrow elevators, very few odd electrical outlets, and finally, patience.

You MUST have patience during a trip like this. 8 different personalities, long flights, walking 900 miles (it felt like it I can say it) public transportation, map reading, impending starvation if you don't pay attention to where food is served, and a 7 hour time difference.

The Eiffel Tower is HUGE. I had no idea it was that big. We went to the top, in two different sections of sideways elevators, that entire process took 2 hours. The view from the top was breathtaking, also very chilly and windy, and my ears were popping a little just like they do when I fly. There's a champagne bar at the top.
Chateau Chambord is a castle, in the truest sense. 400 rooms and most of them have fireplaces that 8 people can stand up in. I could smell that they are used all the time when its colder, the wood is stacked beside all of them.
Notre Dame Cathedral has stunning stained glass windows, and alters with candles throughout. If you donate a euro or two you can light a candle if you want to and kneel and pray right there if you choose. I lit a few while I was there.
The Louvre absolutely cannot be done in one day, its too big. Walking the river seine was my favorite part I think. Artists line their work along the walls of the bridges and streets to sell it but also paint new ones while you peruse their work. Some painted, some sketched. And some of those paintings were WANTING ME TO BUY THEM. I came home with few different sketches, if you want to see one and you're in the 'ville, please drop by to see my Mom. (mom have coffee on hand, I just invited peeps over) I couldnt afford to get the big beautiful paintings, I took a few pictures of some of them but only if I sensed that was okay with the artist.
In the latin quarter and montmartre village you have to learn to politely say non and keep walking if the local artist with his sketchpad approaches you and starts sketching and you don't want to purchase that sketch. I do think that would have been a cool thing to have, but we werent sure what the cost was and we really didnt have time to stop too long, we were trying to see so much each day. In the latin quarter I had a gyro that was to die for, the meat was in a huge cone shape attached to a vertical spit that turned in circles and cooked all day, then they sliced the meat off into a pita and put anything else on it that you wanted. Monmartre Village was filled with artists and art galleries and flea markets, and crepes! I had a fromage crepe that was quite tasty. I noticed that in the cafes when ordering lunch, they dont add fat to things that dont need it (in their opinion). If you order a tuna sandwich, you will get a baguette with tomatoes and lettuce and tuna. Its not tuna salad mixed with mayonnaise like we're used to. I never saw any sliced bread other than baguettes or large fench bread rolls, croissants, etc. We had pizza one night that was really good, but not like pizza hut. The crust was like a crepe, very very thin, a little red sauce and tons of cheese. I saw one dominos pizza, two starbucks (and of course I went in, do you even need to ask? it was the weakest coffee I had over there), and 3 mcdonalds. Prices were similar, but slightly higher, and you can buy wine and beer at their mcdonalds. I didnt, but I'm sayin. Absolutely nothing written in English but for the most part I didnt have any trouble. The really nice dinner on the last night was courtesy of the owner of the hotel where we stayed. Brians mom has known him for years and because of that relationship we were well taken care of, that dinner was totally on him which to me was very nice of him, there were 8 of us after all. (oh he owns the restaurant too so....) If the french promote anything its definitely wine, escargot (tried it, loved it) and fois gras. (goose liver pate in this instance but it can also be made with duck) and it was YUM. If you want a "familiar" beer in Paris, you can have heineken or corona, but we chose to drink their beer if we wanted one, Kronenbourg 1664. Light, very good, and not expensive. They had wine shops, cafes, flower shops, cheese shops, and pastries on just about every street we walked.

To reach the top of Sacre Coeur Basilica, you have to climb quite a few steps, I lost count, but remembered that workout for a few days, or at least my calves did. My thoughts on the walking were this, hey we're getting exercise every day. Nothing wrong with that!

I have to mention, for the girls, the women over there don't match their clothes like we do. Its nothing to them to wear a black skirt, turqouise shirt, red scarf and pink shoes, seriously not kidding, and the funny thing is they pull it off well. I know if I did that here it would look odd, but it doesnt over there. The sizes on the tags on the clothes were written weird, never really figured them out. Some shops VERY expensive , others not at all.

For the change in perspective. I learned that the people that live in Paris are so easily satisfied with just doing simple things. Walking.....sitting at cafe's and sipping espresso with their friends....reading a book on bench at Luxembourg gardens while their kids play in the grass. Buying their dinner at the food shop around the corner that has rotisseries set up outside, roasting chickens, and taking it home. Taking naps, outside, at those same gardens, and not giving their backpack or "stuff" a second thought. I'm not saying Americans don't do these things, don't misunderstand. But I do feel like we're spoiled a little. Or it takes more for some of us to be entertained. (not all, just some) And I'm sure there are people over there that are spoiled too, just saying.

I just came home different, and I'm squeezing the life out of that 'paris' feeling I left with. I don't want to lose it!

adieu for now
FiFi (my chosen French name)

P.S. The sky really is pink over there!

This is a very small part of Brians family email regarding the exchange of money at the DFW airport, I'm just sealing my story of my newfound friend that only liked me for some reason, she didnt seem to care for anyone else she was waiting on. Hence, he deemed her stick-butt girl. =)

More time passes. Tiffany whips out her own cell phone and starts texting. Stick-butt stops typing and squeals. They have the same exact cell phone! OMG! So now all financial activity ceases while the Cell Sisters completely bond over the joys of handheld devices.

and so it goes....

Discussing Social Media.....AGAIN

Yes I'm at it again. Discussing Social Media.

Do you think that social media is causing people to have actual conversations less, and communicate online more? It's easy to sit at the computer and read what is going on in our friends lives, and click "like" (facebook) or comment with "I agree!" or "you are hilarious!" or...."we so do not share the same political views" =). Hitting "reply" in twitter, then having only 140 characters to type our response takes what, 20 seconds? We don't even have to worry about our hair or what we're wearing! Yep. Easy.

But should we let that be the ONLY communication we have? I know, we're all busy, we have a lot of things to do, and connecting and communicating online while multi-tasking is fun. I get that. Its a cool way to stay in touch while doing 20 other things. But if it totally replaces meeting a friend for lunch for live, verbal conversation, I'm not sure that's a good thing.

Texting. I am the queen of this. The phone vibrates, I immediately know what some of my favorite people are thinking right at that second, or what they're doing. This is SO addictive people. But I have to say that while I usually don't want to spend hours on the phone, there is something to be said for hearing the voice on the other end tell me what they've just texted me. It's closer contact, and makes it a little more real, wouldn't you say?

The flipside of that is, texting is easier at times (see above) . I'm in the store looking for shoes, I really don't want to talk right now, but I have to tell you something really quick! Flip the phone open, and in 30 seconds you've been enlightened of my most recent thought.

Be warned: written word sometimes gets lost in translation, because the connotation gets muddled. This will happen, just remember that you may perceive something a different way than it was intended. If you're not sure, ask! Before the conversation turns south when that could totally be avoided.

Blogging, ah my favorite way of learning people's thoughts, hopes, dreams.....or just their humor in general. I've read blogs that have made me DIE laughing. I've also read blogs that have made me cry, or see things in a totally different light. If they took the time to share it, I'm gonna take the time to read it.

So today, lets have breakfast for real mmmkay?

Oh wait, I havent showered yet. See you on Facebook!

Je t'adore
Tiffany

Music. Makes the people. Come together.

How true is that? Conversations beginning with "so what kind of music do you listen to?" have endless potential if given the oppurtunity. One of my favorite things to do is get in the car, turn the music on, and drive. It doesn't matter if there isn't a destination in mind. Even when there is, I get there happier when I take music along for the ride. Of course, I can also practice my vocal skills in my mobile "recording studio", the acoustics are amazing and I'm not bombarded with my fans so there is less interruption, but I digress....

When I'm sad, I turn to music.When I'm happy, I turn to music. When I need inspiration, I turn to music.When I "wanna make....a memoryyyyyy", I turn to music. (Whatever Jon Bon Jovi says yawl, just sayin).

I've often talked about certain things that can trigger memories very quickly, a few being, a scent....a picture....and what else? A song of course!

I'm also a movie quote lover, the following is an excerpt from "Music and Lyrics"

"A melody is like seeing someone for the first time. The physical attraction. Sex."

"I so get that."

"But then, as you get to know the person, that's the lyrics. Their story. Who they are underneath. It's the combination of the two that makes it magic."

Another favorite, "The Holiday", has a scene where Jack Blacks character, Miles, is playing the piano with Kate Winslet's character, Iris, sitting next to him. He says to her. "Iris, if you were a melody, this is how I would play you". The music following that line was of course, brilliant. A review I read of that movie had a list of people commenting on why that relationship was one of their favorite parts of the story. One comment stated, "Because he made her a melody".


I think music heals. Inspires. Separates. Reminds. Lifts.

And I need it every day.

Lets put the soundtrack to Garden State on in the car, put the car in drive, and Go.

We'll get breakfast somewhere along the way, okay?

Luv
Tiffany

Um....but please dont spill, I just washed the car.

Are you Twitter-pated?

Ah social media. So many places to tell the world what you're doing, what you're thinking, what you're eating, what you think is funny, what your issues are.....

But today, I want to talk about my beloved Twitter.

First up: what a cool word. Twitter is the perfect word for a one hundred and forty character (or less) statement of whatever idea comes to mind. "I'm twittering!" Well of course you are. Lively conversation outside the virtual world could also be called twittering , couldn't it?

There are all kinds of various types of twitter applications to use, oh the choices! Tweetdeck, Twitterific, Twitterberry, TinyTwitter, Twibble, Bigtweet, Twitterpod, Twucket, TWhirl....this list goes on forEVER. Want to post a pic with your Tweet? Use Twitpic! Want to include a URL linking an article to your tweet? Use TinyURL!

Coming from a lover of words, I ask, how can you not adore these? They're just so tweet! See, thats what I do. I even make up my own twitter words. I told a friend once that I was feeling "twucky" when she asked why I hadn't tweeted anything for a day or two. Yes, the 140 character or less statement is called a "tweet". Well, you can call it whatever you want to. But lets try to at least stay "in the know" if you're going to tweet, mmmmkay?

Twitter has definitely nailed portability with all of these available applications. I think that is half the pull, one can tweet from just about anywhere if they have the right tools to do so. Tweeting while out and about can produce all kinds of interesting things for your followers, things like "at Dallas farmers market, very crowded, tomatoes fabulous", "seeing SlumDog Millionaire today so excited", "at Mavs game, down 3 points" , etc..

Let me just select "Trending Topics" and see what everyone is twittering about right now. Michael Jackson (may he R.I.P.) MJ, Twitter Increases, Good Morning, Drake.....you can select any one of these and go to tweets that people have submitted that you aren't even "following" on Twitter. One thing I learned when entering the "twitterverse" was that the virtual world does make us all feel connected, regardless of distance in miles. But at some point those virtual connections we make have the possibility of becoming real connections. You decide just how close you want to connect with someone. But I warn you, this "connection" will happen when you least expect it, and if your intent is to just "be" in the twitterverse, be careful what you tweet regarding personal information, such as your address, telephone number, or location if you are not at home. Some people use Twitter to meet people with similar interests, others use it to promote their blogs, and yet others use it to just, well, Tweet of course! There's always the option of locking your Twitter page as well. The only people that can see your tweets if you do this are the one's you have allowed to follow you. I know there are some Twitter haters out there. That's okay, I dont judge. I do ask this though: Please, if you don't care for Twitter, just don't use it. It's that simple. I don't need a four page written essay on why Twitter is the devil of the interwebs. I will, however, have coffee with you and listen intently, utterly fascinated, about just about anything you want to talk about. Um....virtually I mean. Just sayin. I know what you're thinking, "but what about Facebook Tiffany?". Yes I know. Its there for the taking as well. And partake I do.

Sincerely,

Tiffany, a Twitter fan for sure

Lines For Winter by Mark Strand

Lines For Winter by Mark Strand

Tell yourself
as it gets cold and gray falls from the air
that you will go onwalking,
hearingthe same tune no matter whereyou find yourself
--inside the dome of darkor under the cracking white
of the moon's gaze in a valley of snow.
Tonight as it gets cold
tell yourself
what you know which is nothing
but the tune your bones play
as you keep going.
And you will be able
for once to lie down under the small fire
of winter stars.
And if it happens that you cannot
go on or turn back and you find yourself
where you will be at the end,
tell yourself
in that final flowing of cold through your limbs
that you love what you are.

Is your life cluttered?

I woke up one morning not too long ago with the very first thought of "my life is too cluttered". I did mean "stuff" but I also meant the things we tend to take on that we don't need to, therefore carrying monkeys on our back that are too heavy and not necessary.
I got up, made coffee, and started ripping through my apartment like a tazmanian devil. Cleaning, and removing things I no longer wanted. A couple of framed pictures that I've had forever, knick knacks that sit and collect dust, or that are shoved in a cabinet and never used. Tons of clothes, which surprised me because I've already done that within the last 6 months (to the tune of 6 bags of them) shoes, you name it, if I hadnt touched it or seen it within a few months, it was going.....
The getting rid of "stuff" is an ongoing process. For the getting rid of things not tangible, I'm working on it. If its something or someone not good for me, it's (they are) gonna go. If its a worry about something I have no control over, its gonna go. If it's resentment or jealousy, that yucky stuff that only hurts me, its gonna go.

Gotta surround yourself with good, then be grateful for all the happy.

:)

Ellen-Deepak Chopra

I watched an episode of Ellen tonight (tivo'd) where she had Deepak Chopra as a guest. I was thinking, who the hell is that?
Very intrigued by the things they talked about, his views on a non violent world, etc.

One particular thing he said was:

"Resentment is like drinking poison, thinking your enemy is going to die"

I know a LOT of people this thought could benefit.

I haven't done any homework on this guy yet. But I will now.

http://www.chopra.com/

Sharing.....

My new friend Jet inspired me today to get back into this yet one more time.....I know you're dying for it, right?

Well then.

Happy New Year!!