Reformed Cynic

Herb & Dorothy

Went to see Herb and Dorothy last night, a wonderful film about two unlikely art collectors in NYC. A librarian(Dorothy) and a Postal Worker(Herb), they lived on her salary and used his to purchase an extensive Minimalist and Conceptual Art collection, which was eventually gifted to the National Gallery in Washington, DC. The National Gallery paid them a small annuity in exchange for the gift, which they amazingly use to continue purchasing art.

What struck me about this film is that two people of very modest means fulfilled their driving passion for art, and continue to do so over 40 years later. Their commitment to art and each other, and their genuine enjoyment of each other is touching - I can only hope that I find someone I'm so in tune with.

It's also been an eye-opening example of conscious spending - putting your dollars, pounds, euros, rubles, and so forth into what matters most to you, your values, and what feels best for the life you lead. I have been doing this over the past couple of years, but my commitment has been renewed after watching this film.I want to have a fresh look at where my money is going to make sure it reflects who I am and the life I want to lead.

Trying out jott blo...

Trying out jott bloggingcapability. I hope this works it seems really cool. listen

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Happy New Year!

Here's wishing all of you a healthy, happy, and prosperous 2009! This is a year of change and clearing the decks to make room for something better and more worthwhile.

I've embraced the spirit of this by merciless purging, freecycling, reorganizing and recycling these past three weeks. The apartment has been re-arranged, and even though I've brought in more furniture (much needed to corral my items), I now have more floor space. Home is so much more pleasant and airy, and I'm looking forward to entertaining at home.

I'll be posting my goals for the year soon, as well as reorganizing some of the categories and layout to reflect my professional and personal lives.

Simplifying Holiday Shopping

I've long made a Holiday Gift and Card list - my first may have been at 5 years of age - and I have already made my 2008 list. In doing so, I've noticed a few things. First, due to deaths in my family, I have fewer people to buy "special" gifts for. Second, by extension, I'm purchasing fewer paper cards. The day I realized that I'd never be able to send anyone a "Grandmother" card again was especially painful.

The number of electronic cards that I send goes up every year, and outside of 3-4 special cards paper, I can get away with only 1 box of paper cards. Contrast this with my card-giving in high school, when I easily handed out 40 or more cards to everyone I knew. I know that online cards are the Green option, but it's especially nice to get a handwritten note.

I've decided to give comestible/potable gifts this year. I'll bake some biscotti or cookies for office gifts, and give restaurant.com gift certificates (the denomination will be the surprise!), and/or a bottle of wine. I know it seems uninspired, but I'd rather someone have a nice meal and a few drinks on me than saddle them with something they don't really want.

Tempted by the Whole Foods gift ideas booklet I picked up in the store, I was going to make some flavored sugars or salts, but I'm not certain if anyone would use them. Again, as I'm striving for utility here, I think the gift certificates and wine are a good idea. I'll print the certificates out and send them along in the appropriate card; online gift recipients will receive an e-mail and a mention in the e-card text that the certificate was given.

This simple choice of gifts and cards will save time, eliminate endless concerns that I haven't purchased the right gift, and should also save some money.

Simple, Progressive, and Sensual

Some of these online quizzes are uncannily correct.

Your result for What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test...

Simple, Progressive, and Sensual

12 Ukiyo-e, 7 Islamic, 2 Impressionist, -2 Cubist, -8 Abstract and -12 Renaissance!

Ukiyo-e (浮世絵, Ukiyo-e), "pictures of the floating world", is a genre of Japaneseand paintings produced between the 17th and the 20th centuries. it mostly featured landscapes, historic tales, theatre, and pleasure. Ukiyo is a rather impetuous urban culture that has bloomed in popularity. Although the Japanese were more strict and had many prohibitions it did not affect the rising merchant class and therefore became a floating art form that did not bind itself to the normal ideals of society.

People that chose Ukiyo-e art tend to be more simplistic yet elegant. They don't care much about new style but are comfortable in creating their own. They like the idea of living for the moment and enjoy giving and receiving pleasure. They may be more agreeable than other people and do not like to argue. They do not mind following traditions but are not afraid to move forward to experience other ideas in life. They tend to enjoy nature and the outdoors. They do not mind being more adventurous in their sexual experiences. They enjoy being popular and like being noticed. They have their own unique style of dress and of presenting themselves. They may also tend to be more business oriented or at the very least interested in money making adventures. They might make good entrepreneurs. They are progressive and adaptable.

Take What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test at HelloQuizzy

Trying on several options for size

I feel like a bit of a nooge - after promising a friend back in May that I would start to update this bloody thing, I haven't - but have had lots of great ideas for doing so. Here I go again..

I've always been the sort of person who has lots of different business ideas kicking around in her head - as a child I sold radishes from a small plot in my Grandma's garden, cheerfully did other people's chores for money, and sketched out fantastic inventions that I would someday build. Having ideas is easy for me, but choosing which to bring to fruition - and knowing when to let go of it and move on - has been my challenge.

I sort of happened into my primary career in IT ( I've moved from programmer to network admin to project manager), but never felt that IT was the best fit for me. I have a knack for explaining things to people, and can be extraordinarily patient, so I thought that freelance Tech Consulting for the computer-phobic would be a success. While I got great reviews, my heart wasn't in it, so I never really marketed myself to people who could pay me what my services were worth, and ended up doing fix-it jobs for a few people around the neighborhood, who moaned about the cost of my heavily discounted services. I've kept a DBA and a business account open for this endeavour for years, but feel that it's foolish to do so. I've just listed the domain for this business for sale, and will close out the account, that has all of $7 in it, and pull the DBA certificate.

I also started to sell vintage wares on eBay, but soon realized that I had neither the space nor, at the time, the resources to support myself while this got off the ground. I was a Trading Assistant briefly, but there was so much other drama going on in my life that I couldn't focus on it. The field opened up, and I realized that I just couldn't make a go of it at that point. Another no-go that I finally gave up on for good last year. I still do sell things occasionally, but that's it.

Now, I really feel drawn to my fledgling voice-over career, but I've done precious little about it. I have a day job, and while I enjoy the work, the environment is not for me. I also have an idea for a book/multimedia project , want to pursue public speaking as a career, am looking into buying into a laundramat, and other business ventures. I think I'm scattering my energies, and am not certain what to do first.

I should also mention that I have some side income as a mystery shopper, but am finding that most of it is no longer worth the bother, but I can't pull away from it.

I wish I knew what I ought to focus on first - voice overs, public speaking opportunities, or something else. I know that I need to find a better work environment, but things have not progressed as quickly as I'd hoped. I feel like I've been sending out so much "new work" energy, but have not been led to/created the right situation yet.

Focus - what to focus on, and when. That's what I need to figure out.

My funny valentine, Belatedly

I spent Valentine's Day with a friend whose SO is in Peru (work) and hanging out in Buenos Aires (pleasure) this month. We took in the Kathy Griffin show at Symphony Hall, *for free* due to a sort-of-happy set of circumstances. I wasn't sure about going, as I thought she was a bit of a one-note performer, and didn't want to spend the $32 on a ticket. At the very last moment - two hours before showtime - my friend calls, telling me that the couple he was going with were ill, so I was in for free. Unsurprisingly, the audience was 98% gay men, 1.5% female, and 0.5% straight men.  My friend was there, and he brought along the a straight friend from school - one of those dumpy little men who 1)thinks every woman wants him 2)feels he deserves women who are way hotter than he is. As an aside, men almost never settle, and they get far better than one would generally think. Definitely a lesson to be learned.  I think straight dude was a little unnerved by P-town at the Symphony, too.

We had great balcony seats, right across from the stage, and I have to say Kathy did not disappoint. From her opening salvo where she declared, "I hate kids!!, " I knew this was the show for me. She pulls no punches, and despite her self-deprecating, D-list mumblings, I'm sure she's laughing all the way to the bank. She was also a performer in 2 USO shows in Iraq, which shows she has integrity.

All in all, a good evening out.

Volunteering: An exercise in Thanklessness

I am mad as *fuck* . I attended a board meeting of the library group I'm involved with, and found out something in confidence that made my blood boil. This past May, I was invited to join the board of said organization as its Marketing Director. This group raises money for our local library through poorly-advertised booksales, memberships that offer no benefits outside of a tax write-off, and unsolicited donations. I long enjoyed their book sales, and wanted to get more involved with the organization. A friend of mine is on the board, and after an introduction to the President, I was soon invited to join.

Many of the board members are elderly. Not justthisside of Boomer, but hardcore elderfolk. I've always enjoyed working with the elderly, and was not too surprised at their concern when I suggested creating a MySpace profile for the group or using a Yahoo! Group to spread information about events. When I suggested that we eBay some of our more valuable donations, I was not prepared for the resistance. After all, isn't it our goal to raise as much money for the library as possible? One of the Book sale heads, someone who I thought was forward-thinking despite her age, kept bringing up roadblock after roadblock: who would ship it? how would we get the merchandise to the post office? Wouldn't it take time? Lady, you've got nothing but time.

I should also mention that the group as a whole is disorganized. When I discovered that taxes and public charity papers had not been filed since 2001, I spent weeks of my sabbatical sifting through receipts, old newsletters, and bank statements, bringing the filings up to date. The office itself looks like a hobo's hideaway, but I'd been steadily organizing it until last week, when I fell ill. I spent today putting together a marketing plan, trying to bring cohesion to our outreach efforts, as my one (successful) campaign last year was not all I hoped it could be.

Perhaps I stressed the eBay thing too much, but it's a great idea, and beats the hell out of just giving something away for $1.00 when it's worth $8.50. I've put a lot of energy into this, but I enjoyed it as I felt I was helping the organization and the library. Tonight I found out that two people on the board fear my energy and new ideas so much that one (the staunch eBay opponent) has called me "pushy" for sending along *solicited* meeting agenda items, and the other one snickered "I bet she does" when told that I had contributed to the agenda. Might I add that one of these people contributed nothing, the other contributed two via telephone at the last moment, not attending tonight's meeting. The phoner was actually recovering from surgery, and I was thinking of visiting, but forget it now.

God forbid I ask people to join the 21st century! Why bother being taken seriously, or setting new fundraising goals? It feels like a slap in the face, and to be honest, I am going to become far less involved than I have been. I'll be returning to work in a couple of weeks, and have been planning how many hours a week I could spend helping them. I thought about 10 hours a week, now I'm thinking 4, tops.  So even though selling on eBay could have raised thousands more a year, forget it. Have to keep the stubborn old folk happy. How is it that people are content to do the same shit, year in , year out, and not even try something new? My late Grandmother was always open to adventure, even at 90 years of age.

After tonight's revelation, I have a totally different perception of those two. My feelings have chilled, that's for damn sure. Keep putting out the same shitty books that no-one cares about, keep throwing out perfectly good merchandise while keeping boring shit, keep posting your meager, pathetic event signs. Don't expect me to help you.

I could have joined the "Young Professionals", a fundraising group of people my age with money to burn and a desire to party. They raise about 5 times as much money as we do by hosting balls, cocktail parties, and trips to various events. Me, however, with my "must be involved" complex, had to join the low self-esteem branch, who describe themselves as "hamburger" to the Young Professionals and the Foundation's (the real bigwigs and high-rolling philanthropists) "Filet Mignon". I railed against the description, but if they are determined to be fucking bottom-feeders, then maybe it's time I rethink my association with them.

A New Year, finally

Thank goodness things have calmed down a bit. My Holiday season starts just before Thanksgiving and ends around January 6th. I managed to party a great deal, be hungover once (and only once!), not gorge myself, and not feel depressed.

What I'm Reading: On Becoming Fearless.. in Love, Work, and Life by Arianna Huffington

I first became acquainted with Arianna Huffington through Bill Maher's "Politically Incorrect" on ABC. She was a frequent guest, flanked by Ann Coulter and Andrew Sullivan, the gay conservative blogger. I knew that she had abandoned the Republican party and an became outspoken critic of what she felt were its heartless, corrupt core values. Her Huffington Post blog community always attracts interesting features and commentary, and I decided to read her new book based on the snippets included in the 'Post.

The message to live authentically, overcoming fears to do what is right, is not a new one, but is useful and important. With many real-life examples from Arianna, her family, and friends, there was much practical insight. Most people (even though the book is geared towards women) will find role models or sentiments they can identify with within these pages - I found a few lines in the love chapter discussing love and pain to be right on my personal mark.

Despite the anecdotes and positivity, I found the book a little bit "draggy" in parts, especially the parts on children and faith. I can't relate to the parenting chapter, except thinking that the woman who elected to be a single parent by using a sperm donor and feeling that she's done something phenomenal has a skewed sense of what bravery is. I found the chapter on God to be difficult to get through. While we all have our opinions and beliefs about faith, using debatable research findings - a study citing humans being hardwired to believe in God - made me pause. If this is a book about being spiritually fearless, why not include someone who is fearlessly atheistic? Furthermore, if the beliefs spoken of in this chapter are Juedo-Christian, then why is there any fear? During my church-going years and certainly among Christian relations,the ethos was one of Faith being the antithesis of fear.  I did take heart in the fact that she also cited inspiration and guidance from deities from the Greek Pantheon, especially Hestia, the Goddess of hearth and home; it's good to see that one can draw inspiration from a variety of traditions without feeling like your chance at enlightenment is being compromised.

All in all, it's an inspiring read for anyone who has let themself be overcome by fear, letting it dictate your choices and holding you back from being the best person you can be. It's also well-written, which is a joy and a rarity in inspirational writing.