Mindful Monday : reflections and thoughts

I really love to just sit in a cafe and read and write. Lucky for me there are a couple of great ones near my home in North Portland. 

So, the end of February is here and I'm reflecting on what I did and did not do. This month has been a period of many endings, as well as new beginnings. I closed bloop oatmeal cart, but I have undertaken a consistent blog writing habit. I have been great about putting more fruit and vegetables into my mouth each day, but terrible about exercising on a consistent basis.

Regardless of what I have or have not done, I am increasingly aware of what I am choosing to do/ not do and spend my time on/ not spend my time on.

While I have been mindful about my actions and choices this past month, I am just learning the art of being mindful with my thoughts. Wow...that was a mouthful!

This March I plan to spend the next month observing my thoughts. This should be interesting.

Thought of the Day: What are the thoughts rolling around your mind lately?

And now for your chance to support Portland art !

First of all I want to apologize for not posting last Friday..unfortunately I was pretty sick and did not get a chance to post. After lots of sleep, I feel much, much better.

I want to take the time to share something very special with you. My friend, and very talented artist and blogging buddy Erika Lee Sears is an oil painter from Portland, Oregon. She just launched a kickstarter project to create an artist residency in Hong Kong for two weeks.  At the end of this artistic journey, she will publish a coffee table and iPad book of her paintings, drawings, and photos.

For those of you who don't know, an artist residency is where an artist visits a location to isolate themselves away from their typical environment. It allows the artist to have the gift of time to create based on entirely new creative influences.

Check out her video below and give her some support! Every dollar makes a difference to make her dream come true! If you are unable to give $$$, spread the word via twitter, fb and your blog. This is your chance to support Portland art !

love

I love him with all of my heart, soul and mind. To love him is my only job. And my love is so great that my mind turns to mush and my heart becomes a hologram.

bloop oatmeal: last call for oatmeal :: two more days of bloop

bloop oatmeal: last call for oatmeal :: two more days of bloop: "bloop's lease is up at the end of this month. At this time we do not have plans to re-open as a food cart and we will be closing ..."

Whatever Works

I just finished watching the Woody Allen film, Whatever Works. I love that movie, everything about it is so......Woody- with a little Larry David mixed in.

When I was a kid I would gather all the neighborhood kids and put on plays and shows. I lived in my imagination and created all sorts of "schools" and "stores." I bossed all the younger kids around giving them jobs or roles to play.Reflecting on this, I really wonder why those kids still hung out, my director style bordered on a dictatorship.

I once wrote and directed a play in my garage, complete with a soundtrack I dubbed on my cassette player off of the 95.7 oldies radio station, I created elaborate scenery made out of cardboard, and even had a concession stand where I sold popcorn. I remember working on this for hours and getting upset with the neighbor kid who had trouble memorizing her lines, most likely because she was four-years-old and couldn't  read yet. On opening day, I seem to remember that I had the garage door closed in between scenes more than I had it open for the show. My audience consisted of two sets of parents parked on folding chairs in the driveway.

Afterward, I remember my mom coming up to me and saying: "Katie, when the garage door was shut in between scenes I heard you say, shut up over and over; you really need to watch your mouth honey."

While I put on other shows in the neighborhood from time to time, I never again attempted to produce a show of that caliber again. Maybe I outgrew all that nonsense, or maybe I grew tired of managing so many personalities.

Reflecting back on all the situations I've found myself in, what works best for me is to work with  small groups of people.

Tip of the Day: Do whatever works