Happiness Project

 Week of April 12, 2012, Courtesy of Rob Brezny:
Some of our pagan forbears imagined they had a duty to assist with nature's revival every spring by performing fertility rituals. And wouldn't it be fun if it were even slightly true that you could help the crops germinate and bloom by making sweet love in the fields? At the very least, carrying out such a ceremony might stimulate your own personal creativity. In accordance with the astrological omens, I invite you to slip away to a secluded outdoor spot, either by yourself or with a romantic companion. On a piece of paper, write down a project you'd like to make thrive in the coming months. Bury the note in the good earth, then enjoy an act of love right on top of it. 

For the past month of so I have been reading "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rueben. The book has been criticized for being written by a woman who lives on the upper east side of Manhattan, is a writer, and is married with two kids. Skeptics ask, "What does she have to be unhappy about?". I on the other hand understand (or at least I think I do) where she might be coming from. No, I dont live in Manhattan, Im not a writer, Im unwed with no children (thank god) but in comparison to many people in this world I really dont have a lot to be unhappy about. Sure, I live pay check-to- pay check, in a studio-like apartment with limited counter space BUT I have everything I need. I have a supportive family, friends, food, a place to live, and a great job. But like Rueben, at times, I feel unhappy. Unhappy in the sense that I feel like life is, well, blah. So, in attempt to make myself happy (which only I can do) I have embarked on my own "Happiness Project".

April: Take Better Care of Myself

My resolution this month is to simply take better care of myself. Over the last couple years I have increasingly taken care of myself less. By this I mean: I have stopped exercising, started drinking more, taken one too many shower sabbaticals, and all in all have just let myself go. Now, I have always been one of those people who say "Im never gonna let myself go...I dont understand how people let themselves get that far off track". Now I understand. Fifteen pounds later unfortunately.

SO the first part of "taking better care of myself" is to lose weight. Now, in the past this would consist of me limiting my caloric intake, taking diet pills, sleeping, and essentially starving myself. But this time I commit to doing it a different way. I pledge to make changes in a healthy, mature, and realistic manner. My goals for losing weight are as follows:

1. Exercise at least four times a week-- walk, run, jump rope, bike, etc. for at the very least 30 minutes.

2. Limit my intake of meat-- now, I have done this before and I will tell you, I feel a whole lot more energized when I stay away from meat products. Does this mean that I am going to cut out meat altogether? No. I enjoy the occasional burger and chicken wings, and I refuse to deprive myself of things I enjoy. However, I am going to restrict myself to only eating meat when I go out to eat at restaurants (see #3).

3. Eat out less-- I think this one is self explanatory.

4.  Eat breakfast-- I have always steered clear of breakfast because it makes me hungrier throughout the day. I have always known this is because it speeds up my metabolism, but I hate the feeling of trying to stay away from food and being hungry. So I have created an unhealthy routine in which I never eat breakfast. So far this month I have eaten breakfast almost everyday, and I have more energy and am less hungry in the late evening. BOOM!

5. If it's in walking distance- WALK or bike. This of course excludes when I go grocery shopping and need to carry loads of bags home. But, often times I go to the store to walk around or just pick one thing up, and I live very close to Target, Ross, Frys, Fresh and Easy, and many restaurants and bars. I can easily walk my lazy ass there if Im going for something small or to just get out of the house.

Now, taking better care of myself is not all about losing weight. I have slacked off in many areas over the last couple of months. There are many other components of taking better care of myself that seem like they would be no-brainers.

1. Shower everyday

2. Wake up in the morning with plenty of time to get ready for work (when I rush I feel off all day)

3. Apply lotion everyday-- I use to do this religiously and I have always taken pride in my skin so I want to keep it young and fresh as long as possible. Moms has great skin, so I know if I take care of mine, in thirty years it will still look great.

4. Get plenty of sleep

5. Keep my place neat and clean (not obsessively so, but in Rueben's book she commits herself to completing any task that takes 60 seconds or less, immediately) that's my goal.
I think that is enough for April. So far I am doing well, and feel better than I have in a long time.

Ok, that's all for now.

I need a broom.

 “The overdressed traveler betrays more interest in being seen than in seeing, while the true traveler knows that the novel world about her serves as the most appropriate accessory.”- Gregory Mcguaire (Wicked)

 Week of April 5th, courtesy of Rob Brezny:
Researchers report that the typical man falls in love 5.4 times over the course of his life, while the average woman basks in the glow of this great mystery on 4.6 occasions. I suspect you may be close to having a .4 or .6 type of experience, Sagittarius: sort of like infatuation, but without the crazed mania. That could actually be a good thing. The challenging spiritual project that relationship offers may be most viable when the two people involved are not electrifyingly interwoven with every last one of their karmic threads. Maybe we have more slack in our quest for intimacy if we love but are not obsessed. 


 I think I could easily accomplish this goal: http://www.theuniformproject.com/

 “Doubt was much more energy efficient than conviction.”- Gregory Maguire (Wicked)

 
“People always did like to talk, didn't they? That's why I call myself a witch now: the Wicked Witch of the West, if you want the full glory of it. As long as people are going to call you a lunatic anyway, why not get the benefit of it? It liberates you from convention.” - Gregory Maguire (Wicked)

In the 1939 film version of The Wizard of Oz, the character of the Wicked Witch of the West is played by Margaret Hamilton. The Wicked Witch is her most famous role. It appears on lists for Best Film Characters and Best Film Villains time after time.

Now, in adapting the classic children's novel by L. Frank Baum, the film makers made a few changes to the Witch. They switched the Witch's method of transportation from magical umbrella to a broom, which is an instantly recognizable witch symbol. They also made the crushed Witch of the East her sister, which makes her hatred of Dorothy understandable. But the most interesting change is kind of a big one. In the book, the Witch was not green.

I haven't found any reasons as to why they made that decision. I suppose the Witch has green skin for the same reason that there are ruby slippers instead of silver ones, they wanted to show off the new color film technology. But whatever the reason, it was a great choice. The image stuck. And when Gregory Maguire wrote his novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, he expanded on this character. He made her green skin a big part of the forming of her personality. He also gave her a name: Elphaba. Elphaba comes from a phonic pronunciation of L. Frank Baum's initials: L. F. B.

Without giving away any spoilers to those who haven't read it, here is what the Wicked Witch is like in the novel. Elphaba Thropp comes from Munchkinland, and is born with green skin. We don't really know what caused it even though there are several theories presented. She also has a bizarre allergy to water. She never allows herself to cry and only baths herself with oil because of this. Her green skin immediately makes her an outcast no matter where she goes. While in university, many people avoid her because she's perceived as odd and ugly. She wears a lot of black because everything else clashes with her skin tone. She has power that she can't control very well that mostly manifests itself when she's angry. Even though she's clearly upset that her sister is "the favorite," she dutifully cares for her anyways. As a young woman, she's a radical revolutionary. Despite being the daughter of a priest, she's an atheist. She's also a strong supporter of Animal rights (Animals are capable of human thought and speech in Oz). As she grows older, she becomes increasingly disillusioned and bitter. As a result, she does some pretty nasty things.
 
“She dropped her shyness like a nightgown, and in the liquid glare of sunlight on old boards she held up her hands-as if, in the terror of the upcoming skirmish, she had at last understood that she was beautiful. In her own way.”- Gregory Maguire (Wicked)


I need a broom. All the awesome characters have them. Harry Potter, The Wicked Witch. Nuff said.


“Animals are born who they are, accept it, and that is that. They live with greater peace than people do.” - Gregory Maguire (Wicked)

)