Coaching My Way to "Type A"

I'd like to blame it on winter hibernation. Unfortunately, I'm afraid the problem runs much deeper. Lately (and by lately I mean throughout the last year), I've fallen into a rut of laziness. It saturates my every minute. From sleeping in as late as I possibly can, to skipping my workouts, to going to bed at night with my makeup still on... yuck.... My zest and energy seemed to have escaped me. Even the things that I love most: sewing, baking, reading, WRITING! have taken a back seat to, well, nothing actually.

This year for Lent I decided to give up shopping. A big step forward considering last year I gave up denim (which is surprisingly harder to do than it sounds). I've gained a new appreciation for the things that I already have and found creative ways to make do instead of just running to the store to pick up something new. This has inspired me to pull my act together and take a good hard look at the rest of my life.

What I found, I wasn't too proud of. Fortunately, by starting at the bottom, there's no place to go but up. First things first, I've decided I watch WAY too much TV. It's insanely addicting. Most of the time, I find myself watching shows that are neither interesting nor enlightening. The problem is, I can't seem limit myself to "a little" one half hour show turns into three hours of nothingness. With TV, it's all or nothing, and I choose nothing. I'll probably still watch movies and documentaries, but other than that, all TV goes.


This should open a lot of time to do the more productive things I've been meaning to get to for months like repainting my dresser, finishing half sewn dresses, and writing that book friends and family have been encouraging me to do.

Other life improvement efforts will include the following:

• Flossing. Seriously, what almost 30 year old doesn't floss on a regular basis (besides me?)
• Taking vitamins and drinking more water.
• Taking Gatsby on more than just "potty" walks. When he was a puppy, I'd take G on mile long walks every day! The Seattle rain and cold... and my laziness, have unfortunately affected Gatsby too.
• Doing at least two chores each day. I have a tendency to put them off until the absolute last minute. But maybe, if I tackle them a little at a time, they won't be such a nuisance to get through over the weekends.
• Go on a Facebook sabbatical during the week. I'm not sure about this one yet. Maybe I'll just abstain during the day and only visit at night. The bottom line is, second to TV, this is definitely a huge time waster in my daily life.

Wish me luck on this new leaf I've turned over. I hope that seeing the fruits of my labor will give me the energy and enthusiasm to stick with this new kick of productivity. I'm very ready to leave my sloth-like Winter self behind and move into Summer with a spring in my step!

Hello lovelies,

I hope you all had a fabulous summer. I suppose I took a bit of a school break myself from writing and blogging. With the uncomfortably cold temperatures this summer brought the to West coast, I had to find new ways to occupy my free time, since tanning, boating, and drinking blended drinks with little umbrellas were certainly out of the question. Instead, I filled my hours by picking up some wonderful side projects like working on-call as a photography stylist for a fabulous new company called Zulily, volunteering for the Goodwill Glitter Gala Fashion Show (actual show is in November), and starting a monthly guest blog appearance with Girl Power Hour, writing in on modern etiquette.

Now that the leaves are starting to turn, the days are getting shorter, TV's fall launch has begun, and school is back in session, I feel drawn to return to my laptop once more and pick up where I left off. I suppose I owe myself (and you all) a post on fall fashion trends, my thoughts on the Emmy fashions, insight into my trip in October to Paris and Amsterdam, and some new etiquette posts over at Millennial Manners. But for now, it's simply good to be back.

Cheers,

Carina

Frustrated

I've been trying hard to finish up last night's Oscar post. Unfortunately, I'm now regretting having recently updated my Blogger format. What seemed like a promise of larger pictures and more functionality has only resulted in my loss of spell check and inconsistency in the ability to type next to pictures.

Hmmph.

Blogger, I miss the way we were. Can we please go back??

Stay There

It occured to me today how silly paper weights are. Who on earth works in a windy office?

Lesson of the Day

It is impossible to look sexy in swim goggles



Beer goggles, on the otherhand, are a completely different story...

Picture Taking 101

I thought my mom was the queen at avoiding pictures. Getting that lady in a photo is harder than keeping the cast of the Hills out of them.

This was until I placed it upon myself to build a staff page for my company's website.
Wow.
I have never had to stalk people as much as I have the past two days. Yes, it's taken me two days to capture all of 8 employee's photos. We've gone through coaching, staging, wardrobe changes, hair changes, powder and make up (and not just for the ladies). It's ridiculous.

Is my calling in life teaching the everyday person how to be comfortable in front of a camera? If only such a job paid real moola! I credit my four years in a sorority as all the picture education I'll ever need.

For all of those still "challenged" out there, here is my hanful of "no fail" tips (if you start to look for it, you'll notice every celeb following these rules):

• Stand straight, slouchy shoulders add weight and look frumpy


• Angle your head just slightly and pop your chin out (again just slightly). This will thin your face and look less staged


• When taking a full body shot, place one hand on the hip. I know it may feel cheesy, but it won't look that way in the picture. This will thin your arms and make them look more toned


• Last and most importantly, flash those pearly whites! A grin never looks the same as a real smile. I know many people who are not too confident in their teeth. Let me tell you, the best investment I've ever made in my appearance, and I've had my share, is keeping my teeth white (both over the counter and with the help of a dentist) and straightening them. The latter is not necessary... look at Robert Pattinson... but I chose to do so because it constantly bothered me. With some excellent dental insurance and the magic of invisalign, this was not expensive nor embarrassing. I'll even put up with the nightly harassment I get from Nick when I wear my retainer.
  
  
  

Someone's been taking notes in class

What's in a Name?

I have never been a fan of small talk. I find it pointless. Not to be confused with "schmoozing," sucking up to people for business reasons over a cocktail can reap amazing benefits. I'm referring to the mindless discussions on the weather. Filling silence for the mere fact of doing so is pointless. Furthermore, chances are, I will not be seeing said individual again. What they had for breakfast is about as useful to me as remembering high school trigonometry.


The greatest of my pet peeves are

• how much someone's clothing costs (a compliment does not equal asking the price tag, offering this information up is simply poor form)


• telling me to smile in passing. People aren't made to perma smile. Please don't ask me to sit and grin, it's creepy


• The origin and spelling of my name

The last of these might be the worst. I didn't choose my name, nor the spelling. I have no idea where it came from. What is the point in knowing why it's spelled with a "C" not a "K" or whether there is an "O" somewhere? After this conversation, what use is this knowledge? That someone's sister-in-law's mother's name is similar to mine, doesn't really spark my interest.

Then there is my last name. Let's talk about it being Dutch... then what? An in depth topic of the Netherlands? Our culture? That I resemble the typical blonde blue-eyed stereotype to a "T?" The best is when the person inquiring has no idea what/ where Holland is. I get secret pleasure out of hearing their response about their interest in someday going to Belgium or Switzerland. I'll never be the one to correct them.

Small talk is almost painful enough for me to avoid elevators, airplanes, and Starbucks lines all together. Unfortunately, this would mean being stuck in Austin caffeine free.

I'm Thinking...

I send a list of the things I accomplish each day to my boss. It helps him know that I'm actually accomplishing things (and not blogging or facebooking), as he's in Houston, and I work from home about 2x a week.

It gave me an idea. I'm going to start keeping a running tab of my random daily thoughts to post at the end of each day. Funny, perhaps. Witty, I hope. Something else to keep me occupied, Absolutely.

Without further ado...

• I've recently rekindled my love affair with John Mayer. It's been awhile since I listened to his first CD. It may be his best. My theory is it's because he tried harder when no one knew who he was. But what is it with deep insightful musicians? Why must they have such terrible personalities?
  

I couldn't even find a non-creepy picture of him


• I have a new guilty pleasure. I watch 7th Heaven at lunch time on days that I work from home. It's oddly soothing, like living close to my family again. Strange.


• All home office furniture and organizers are bland and lack style. Did no one think to tap into this market? I'm sure I'm not the only one who doesn't want wire mesh to hold my files.