Neglect & Music

I have very much been neglecting my blog as of late. I keep getting great ideas of things I want to write about but I am usually driving at the time and then by the time I get to my computer I have forgotten what I was going to say or get sucked into my flickr vortex! So back in the saddle I go.

We had beautiful sunny weather for a whole week last week! This may not seem all that important to my readers in Australia but for Vancouver that is a miracle run in February! I love the rain and generally am happier when it is bucketing down but this time I was loving the sun. All I wanted to do was get in my car, put on the music and drive in the sunshine!

Lately it is like I can't get enough music! I have to have it on at all times. I have always been more of a movie/tv girl so this has surprised me a bit. Through my life, especially when I was a teen, I used music like therapy. Whatever I am feeling I work it out through music. Note to people who are around me on a daily basis - please do not start over analysing my playlist, sometimes I just like a song.

I don't know if my new music obsession is based on me needing to work through issues or feelings or the fact that lately I have been feeling like I am 17 again. Or maybe I have just changed....either way I am going to enjoy it while it lasts.

Songs I currently can't get enough of:

Love Game - Lady Gaga
That Beep - Architecture In Helsinki
Fear - Lilly Allen
Brother - Little Birdy
Foolish Games - Jewel
Joydrop - Sometimes Wanna Die
Ruby - Kaiser Chiefs
Beautiful, Dirty, Rich - Lady Gaga (this one grows on you)
Mr. Brightside - The Killers
Sex on Fire - Kings of Leon
Live Without - The Panics
Calypso - Spiderbait

Day 50

I am 50 days into my 365 challenge. So far it hasn't been too bad. There are days when it is hard to think of something to do or nights where I just can't be bothered but I haven't missed a day yet! YAY!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shutter_pixie/sets/72157612959839950/

Tonight I Watched the Moon Rise

Amongst the sprawling black of the night sky
a cloud glows with silver light
Electric like the neon lights of the city
It draws me in, captivated by it's beauty

Slowly it begins to peek out
Little by little making it's debut
The starless sky is illuminated
As it glows, full, round and milky white

Tonight I watched the moon rise.

Year of Jessie

So as my office desk neighbour Marc has heard more then he probably wants to, this is "the year of Jessie". Now before you think I am the most self involved person on the planet let me explain.
It all started when we were in Australia and Lindsay was talking about how this year was going to be his year. To focus on himself and his training and give his dreams a go. It made me think about a year where you focus on bettering yourself. Phase two came when Lindsay mentioned that I have a habit of not always treating people the best, especially in the way I speak to them. I also have a habit of hating. Finding the negative in people, places and things. I decided to change that and so became the year of Jessie.

This year I will try and become a more positive happy person. I will be content in what I have without losing the drive to achieve what I want from the future. This does mean however that I need to change how I live in order to find the contentment I crave. I am doing my 365 photography challenge to push me to shoot everyday and make time for things I love. I will get healthy without putting ridiculous amounts of pressure on myself to lose weight at the pace of a Biggest Loser contestant. I will stop thinking the grass is greener some place else and realise that my grass ain't so bad after all.

I want to give more time to old friends and try harder to make new ones. I realised that I was so happy when I was in Australia because we were out doing things and seeing people. It is hard to make friends as an adult but I need to learn to make more of an effort and not always wait for people to come to me.

I promised Lindsay that I would hate less this year. It is a challenge, one that sometimes I want to just give up on. I will never be happy-go-lucky, nor do I want to be. It isn't that I want to lose my prickles, that is part of who I am, but I do need to avoid becoming thorny!

Striving to find rainbows in storm clouds

Listed

Just after Christmas Ms Shannon tagged me in a list. Of course I didn't know this. One day I was perusing the blogs Beat follows, looking for something new and different and stumbled upon Shan's Smiles & Winks and BANG!! There I was. After being all flattered that she even knew I had a blog I thought oh no! now I have to step up to the challenge. So here it is.

The rules are,
Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog. (see above)
Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog - some random, some weird (see below)
Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blog. (This is going to be hard as I only know a couple of bloggers and most of them have already done this). Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

[7 things about Shutter Pixie]

1. I can't ride a bicycle. Not even a little bit. I had training wheels once but never got to the wind in your hair flying down the seawall bit. Some people have told me that it should be easier to learn now that I am older and have a better sense of balance. It is not. I have tried it. It ended in tears.


2. I have irrational childlike fears about "things" (i.e. monsters, creatures, ghosts and psycho killers). I can't hang my feet off the bed because something might grab them, same goes for my arm, hand or fingers being over the mattress when I am in bed. I run full speed down hallways when I am alone and have to look behind me all the time because I swear I can hear people behind me.


3. I love little toys, nic nacs, ornaments. This includes funky/odd dolls, finger puppets and vinyl toys from Japan.


4. When I was a child I wanted to be black. I wanted dread locks and to be from New York. I preferred all my dolls to be black. I blame the Cosby show for this.


5. I love needlepoint. You know, yarn, needle, canvas. I only like the ones with the patterns on them because counting stitches is too much like math, which I am ridiculously bad at.


6. Most of my best friends are also members of my family. I guess they are usually the only ones who really get me.


7. I believe that inanimate objects may have feelings and therefore always worry that I am hurting them. I have a hard time ever saying that I don't like an object in my home like my couch. Anything with a face is worse like dolls or stuffed toys. I feel bad when I pick one and leave the rest on the shelf. This also leads to not wanting to get rid of anything.

7 bloggers (ummm, 3 bloggers, I really have to expand my blogger circle of friends):
djbeat - for starting it all
Smiles & Winks - for tagging me
Sarah - because maybe this will make her finally write in her blog