Life By Kristen

Go, and embrace your liberty. And see what wonderful things come of it. – Little Women

Archive for the category “Random”

25 Apr 2013
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Random Thursday Musings

I’ll be traveling soon and have been busily prepping for that at work and home, which has left little brain space for much else it seems. Everyone keeps asking me if I’m excited, which of course I am, but I’ve been trying to temper my enthusiasm so I don’t get too anxious. This is something I’ve wanted since I was 7 years old, so that fact that it is now happening, seems almost unreal to me.

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The exhibit at work that opened a few weeks ago has received a lot of great reviews and attention which after working on it for about 6 months, always makes me happy. It’s fitting that I get my vacation after it opened since this time around, the exhibit really felt like this huge thing I was creating since it involved more research and out of the box thinking than past exhibits I’ve done. That feels good to me- more than the good reviews.

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I sort of threw out the  house ‘to do list’ about a month or so ago, but perhaps it’s the start of warm weather ( finally!) in Southern New England that has me making a mental list of items to accomplish after I return from Amsterdam. It’s sort of a feeling of wanting to do things because I enjoy them combined with a feeling of being sick at looking at peeling paint or water stained curtains. I think knowing I can do them at the pace I want without pressure or guilt is a new feeling too.

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I’m realizing I don’t give myself enough credit often for many things. Maybe my worst habit next to procrastinating.

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I have been obsessed with avocado lately and had one the other day at lunch that was at its peak- practically licked the inside of the skin to get as much of it as possible. That might have been TMI.

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Will be quiet on here for the next week or so, but I promise updates and photos from vacation ASAP!

Posted in Random
12 Mar 2013
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Welcome to the Crazy

Every year for the past almost 5 years ( what!?! How have I been at my job this long!), March is the CRAZIEST month at work for me. Exhibit installation, getting the museums ready for the season, general craze of spring and life, and much more.

You’d think after all these years and the cycle of my job that I would be prepared for when this happens. But every year it sort of sneaks up on me and I find myself sort of in a whirlwind. This past weekend I didn’t have much planned and instead of trying to get ahead of things to lighten the load in the next few weeks, I sort of just hunkered down with myself and enjoyed the winter sunshine in the sun room, took naps, and read. It’s hard sometimes for me to put the giant to do list aside and take time for myself, but I’m glad I didn’t do a whole lot this past weekend and was able to breathe a bit. Of course, come the next few weekends of birthday parties, conference presentations, and a social life, I may regret that weekend of doing nothing as I stare at the growing pile of dust bunnies.

 

Oh who I am kidding? I’ll never regret an afternoon spent reading over housework.

 

And now…drumroll please! A winner of the giveaway for my birthday and 100th blog post!! The lucky gal picked randomly by rafflecopter is………. Stephany!!

Posted in Random and tagged
25 Feb 2013
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Oscars 2013

What I loved about the Oscars: Ben Affleck. Joseph Gordon-Levitt singing and dancing, as well as some other random singing and dancing celebrities.

What I disliked about the Oscars: Just about everything else.

When I was a kid, staying up to watch the Academy Awards was a big deal for me. I was never allowed to stay up for the entire ceremony, but even being allowed to watch TV past my usual bedtime for even an hour was a special treat. Back then I would record the end of the show on VCR and watch the best parts over and and over again.  The dresses, the celebrities, the tributes, the heartfelt speeches- I loved it all.

I’ve hosted a few Oscar parties over the years and attended my fair share too. This year a weird weekend illness combined with a weekend long migraine left me on the couch in my pajamas alone this year, which considering how anti-climatic and uninteresting the show was this year was a good thing since I was able to be somewhat productive during boring times and commercial breaks.

What I did do was stay off of Twitter during the awards show because the amount of snark out there during the show makes me both equally mad and sad. I don’t care enough about half of what people are wearing or what their speeches say as much as the excitement over recognizing the best of movies from the previous year. I don’t get why people have such a hatred of one person or movie over another and why if someone does in fact like someone, why the rest of the Twitter world feels the need to attack that opinion too. That’s just my perspective and one of the reasons I resisted Twitter for so long because of all the negativity I think it has the possibility to support.

Overall, I thought the show was dull and disjointed. Until Ben Affleck did his acceptance speech at the end, I wasn’t quite drawn to any aspect of the show except for the random singing and dancing in the beginning. Even as a lover of musicals, I thought the whole Chicago, Jennifer Hudson, and Les Mis thing was a bit self-serving to the producers ( who were also producers of Chicago) and less a celebration of movie musicals– and if it really was a celebration of that, why not include something not from the last 10 years? I didn’t think there were any surprises in terms of winners and no one dress really wowed me all that much either, though to be honest, some gals like Charlize Theron could wear a trash bag and look amazing.

And while the whole William Shatner thing in the beginning was the epitome of random, I couldn’t agree more with his idea that Tina Fey & Amy Poehler should host the Oscars…or really just about anything ever.

Posted in Random and tagged , , , , ,
27 Jan 2013

Happy Things

When things are a bit blah or stressful ( like this past week at work), I like to remind myself of the simple, random things of life that make me smile, laugh, and bring the warm fuzzies.

In random order and in no way a complete list….
– mint hot chocolate
– cozy sweatpants
– quiet, sun filled mornings with coffee while reading blogs and the paper
– fresh veggies
– peanut butter on apples
– a great book
– making my parents laugh
– fun dinners with friends& family
– finding an answer to a research issue
– cool breezes on warm nights
– reading the day/ night away
– down comforters on cold nights
– low electric& gas bills!
– Downton Abbey
– old black& white movies
– office supplies
– books, libraries, dictionaries
– heels with jeans
– dresses
– Nutella and bananas
– walking after work

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19 Jun 2012
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Brainstorming

My commute to my full time job is about an hour, depending on the day and season. I spend most of my time listening to NPR or talk radio. I’m going to be branching out and trying audio books for the commute as well.

Mostly though, during my drive to work, I’m thinking about the day ahead and on the way home, trying to decompress from my day. On either end of the commute I find I do some of my best thinking in the car. The problem? Capturing all those brainstorms and great ideas once I reach home.

In the four years I’ve been making this drive, I’ve tried a number of different things to try to remember all the amazing ideas, taglines, blog post brainstorms, etc. In the beginning, I had a pad of paper in the car that I would scribble random thoughts down at stop lights or in traffic. The hazard in this was that my notes were frequently so illegible that when I sat down to read them I was wondering why I wrote something about elephants in the hall ( no clue what I was trying to reference here).  I tried doing quick texts to my email (not while driving!) but those notes end up sitting in my email without being acted upon. I often call and leave voicemails for myself on my work phone, but that has not been as successful as I hoped because I get to the office, write down the notes, and then a number of things happen that keep me from my great idea. By the time I get to that notes pile on the desk, I’ve run out of steam and time to execute the great idea.

I know there must be a better way to capture the brainstorms and thoughts that happen between point A and B, but I’ve yet to figure out the best system for me. Of course the larger question might be that I have too much static in my head to remember these great thoughts, that I am too distracted to concentrate on what’s going on in my brain. Since that’s a whole other can of tomatoes, I’m wondering if anyone has any suggestions for brainstorming on the fly and remembering it later!

Posted in Random and tagged
11 Apr 2012
1 Comment

History and Girls

I’m currently reading The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie by Wendy McClure. I’m only a bit into the book so I’ll save my review for another time, but so far I’m loving it- her wit, the various scenarios she writes about in her quest to understand and learn more about Laura Ingalls Wilder and the books she loved as a child.

I will admit that while I read Little House on the Prairie, I did not read all of the other Wilder books in the series, though I do remember owning them. I just recently read the section of the book where McClure discusses the American Girl dolls, books, and franchise– now that is something I can relate to even more.

I loved all the American Girl books and like to think that between those stories and a few Disney history movies like Johnny Tremain is where my love of history began. The American Girl historical characters and their books are well read and well- researched definitely would be a dream to work there.

Of course the franchise of the books, dolls, and more has grown since my time as a girl with them, but I still hold a fondness for them. I went to the website for the company to see the additional girls they’ve added to their lineup and I was sad to see that the doll that I had– Kirsten ( chosen because of similarity in name) has been retired. My friend (practically like  a sister) Jessica had Samantha I think, also retired. I know I have Kirsten somewhere at my parents’ house, hopefully well-preserved in a closet or plastic bin in the basement.

While the franchise has become huge and has commercial endeavors with department stores filled with products for the dolls, I definitely loved the books as a girl and would get them for any young girls in my life ( Jessica just had her first child, a beautiful girl named Lyla, who I am sure will benefit from Aunty Kristen’s love of history and books with some American Girl in her future). The books for me were pure magic- they fed a curiosity about history and ignited it even more. I had a love of reading long before I discovered these books, but knowing that they blended fiction and history together was an awesome discovery for me- I’ve loved historical fiction ever since.

Review on The Wilder Life to come, but from what I’ve read so far it’s definitely going to be a thumbs up!

Posted in Random and tagged , ,
12 Jan 2012
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Already behind the 8 Ball!

I have two or three posts ready to go but need to add photos to them– for those who know me, I am horrible at getting photos off my camera and actually uploading and sharing them with people. Don’t even get me started about printing photos. In the year and a half I was married, I printed I think 2 wedding shots ( maybe that was a sign?) and one of those was in bulk for Christmas cards. I am also horrible at remembering to document things as I go along, but I am slooowly improving in that area. Two or three food making adventures will be coming up (with photos!) and the beginning of the Great Wallpaper Peeling of 2012.

Peeling the wallpaper began on Monday night. After a long day at work, I decided peeling wallpaper, making chicken stock, and ripping apart a chicken roaster were good ways to unwind from my day. Updates and photo of the wallpaper are forthcoming, but it was incredibly cathartic to rip the old stuff down. For now, these teasers are from the camera on my phone, which is obviously subpar.

So far two lessons from wallpaper- 1. It sucks to peel it off of 1930 horsehair plaster. If you want an exercise in patience, come to my house and help me. 2. You really never realize how much dust and grossness can accumulate in the corners of a space until you are nose to nose with it trying to get an edge of paper off. And I clean weekly!

When I first ripped wallpaper in the house when purchased in 2009, I discovered that I may be allergic to horse’s hair, which is super convenient since that’s what the walls of my entire house are made of. Yep. Allergic to my own walls it seems. Hence the HEPA filter surgical mask for wallpaper peeling adventures.

I had hoped to be painting by this time since it’s a long weekend for me from work which seemed perfect to devote to home projects, but my lack of pre planning and doing anything before Monday night is making this wallpaper weekend instead. Mama & Papa Costa will join in the ripping down fun! And by ripping down I mean wetting the walls repeatedly to get small square inches off at a time. That’s love ( and free lunch!)

Posted in Random

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