Simplicity. Happiness.

After almost six years, I think it's time to end this blog. I've had trouble keeping up the posts, as you can tell by the dwindling number of posts per year. I'd like to blame it on my perfectionist streak - I can't even post a Facebook album without meticulous photo editing and caption writing, so it takes forever to publish a blog.

But, more importantly, I think my life has taken shape. When I started this blog in 2008, I needed an outlet. I wasn't happy, though I was trying to pretend (fake it 'til you make it, right?). My life felt out of focus and all over the place. It seemed like an interesting experiment to flex my creative muscles, write it all down and see if I was any good at that. And it was a fun experiment! For kicks, just read back through some of these posts. Some still feel really poignant and bring me back to those days, others make me roll my eyes.

My story isn't unique. I think these are feelings and issues most people have during those in-between years, right after college ends and you're spit out into the real world. Man, did I do some fun things while trying to "grow up," though. Travel (including a once-in-a-lifetime solo trip to France!), goofy nights with friends, ill-advised drunken decisions, beauty experiments, shopping addictions, adventures in cooking, finding my way into and out of debt... I kept it interesting.

With less than a month until my 29th birthday (cringe), I have to say, I feel pretty grown up. My life has a calm, happy rhythm, and I think it's primarily due to these three guys. They are my world and make me smile every day.

Having a job that allows me to write and be artistic, an apartment I can be proud of, and loving friends and family I can rely on helps, too. In a few words, the lessons VIPS in my life have taught me about being an adult:

Mom - love others, faults and all, always
Dad - dream a little dream, and keep it alive until it comes true
Evan - challenge yourself to do something great (this kid runs marathons!)
Regina - be strong, be kind, be open to what the world gives you
Rita - do your research and be bulldog for the things you believe in
Bryan - stay focused, be organized and be on time! (a lesson I still need sometimes...)
Mary - laugh at yourself, at others, at life
Sarah - embrace change, sometimes it can be pretty great
Theresa - never stop exploring; be a good friend to others
Jen - be poised and gracious (and a charming Southern belle if possible)
Amy - cooking is love; look for the deal everywhere
Minna - be spontaneous!
Karyn - it's okay to be exactly who you are, all the time

Though I will not be updating this blog anymore, I do still love sharing my musings and view of life in NYC. Here are two channels I do intend to keep up: Twitter and Instagram.

New Year reviews and resolutions

The New Year is here and I have to say, I have high hopes for 2011.

I do make resolutions, but I really attempt for doable things - last year my goal was to run a 5k (and I did it...4 times!). This year, my physical goals are to run a 10k and get my finances back in shape. My loftier (read: mental) goals that I hope to tackle this year are finding the clarity within all my daydreams and putting some direction in my life. And further than that, having the courage to take action and make the changes I'm seeking. I have some things in mind, but I won't go into detail here just yet...

This year seems like a promising year for me to make significant changes. Back in San Francisco when I visited the psychic, she told me that in the coming year, my life would come together and I would be happy. I also recently figured out my numerology chart for 2011, and out of the 9 year cycles our lives go through, this is my year 1 - my banner year! Here's the sum-up of what a personal year one denotes:

Personal Year 1...A New Beginning In Your Life
The current year is the beginning of a new nine year cycle for you. It holds the promise of being an exciting new adventure, with life taking on new challenges that pave the way for the next cycle of nine years in your life. This is a time to clarify your goals and it is a time to act on them. Hard work may be necessary to get a new venture moving. Your physical strength will be up during this year, perhaps higher than it has been for some time, as you have some special needs for this extra energy. If you are unable or unwilling to answer the call to change and make the move in your life the appears necessary now, your prospects may be delayed until the next cycle begins in nine years. Because of this, you feel like an adventure, a major change in your life, something new. New goals should be clearly set and worked toward, as this is really a new beginning of a nine year cycle and it is best not to dwell on the past at this time. This will be fairly easy for you to do because most of the problems and disappointments of the past will tend to disappear, leaving the way open for these new challenges. This is a great time; use it to its full advantage.

Please don't take me for a gimicky weirdo that reads too much into the zodiac, but sometimes, I really do feel like there's something to it. Not that I rule my life by horoscopes...it's just another way to understand your personality and where you stand in the world; another perspective to look at and measure your life and experiences against. And you know what, the psychic, the numerology chart, and even my fortune cookies on New Year's Day this year (a pleasant surprise is in store for me, and my existence has a positive contribution to mankind!) excited me. They give me hope and mirror what I've been feeling inside for the past several months - that I am figuring it out and that the sky is clearing up ahead for me.

Aside from resolutions, packed bars with expensive cover charges and crowded gyms, the New Year for me mostly signifies a passage of time. My birthday does the same. Each year on these memorable days, I find myself reminiscing about previous years and how much I've grown (or not...) in the past year. Sometimes it causes a few tears, but normally it's nice to take some time to reflect on the previous year and the highs and lows, and where am I am now compared to where I was before. I found a really helpful tool for this in the December issue of Whole Living magazine - check it out below (the print is a little small - my apologies).

I just did my "Year-End Review" last night, and I really liked the thinking and free-flowing writing it allowed me to do. Even though I enjoy writing and do it often for work and for this blog, I'm a perfectionist and typically re-read and fix things many times before sending or publishing. It was nice to not think about grammar or proper sentences and just let my mind and pen wander for once. Now I just have to figure out a place to store it so I don't lose it before the next New Year! I definitely think this is something I want to put into practice for each year.

Happy New Year, and may all your resolutions, hopes and dreams for the coming year come true!

Thoughts on Beauty and Life as a Girl

I remember using Cision (PR speak for the Yellow Pages of editors, bloggers and producers) for the first time almost 3 years ago at my first job. I was updating our Beauty Bible of editors and thought it was a tad strange that they were all classified as "beauty and grooming editors." The word "grooming" conjured up images of cats licking and matting down their fur...why not just call them beauty eds?

Fast forward to last week when I was leaving the salon near my office after getting a wax. It suddenly hit me...in today's world, beauty IS grooming.

grooming - to care for the appearance of; to make neat and trim

And let me tell you, for ladies, there is a lot to care for. Manicures, pedicures, brow tweezing, waxing and shaving everywhere, expensive face creams, makeup, lash enhancers, haircuts (TG I don't have blond hair, getting regular highlights would be such a bitch)....

And this really isn't an exaggeration - there is NO SUCH THING as a natural beauty. We aren't in the times of Adam and Eve anymore. It's not being fake, it's just the reality of being a girl.

The upkeep can get exhausting and I swear it's not always fun (some parts of grooming do NOT feel good), but without shaving everyday, getting regular hair trims and just generally taking care of ourselves, we wouldn't be considered confident women...and we probably wouldn't get any dates either.

That's all. Just a thought on grooming's place in the world of beauty. It's both the savior and bane every girl's existence!