After walking around for over an hour and having some coffee and a little snack at Camden Lock I ventured on to my next destination…Covent Garden and Trafalgar square.
….a little lost in London
my cute apartment
Motivational Monday…Happy New Year (one day late)
Today is the first blank page of your 364 page book. Write a good one!
How will you make the most of 2017?
You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails!
Motivational Monday…A few thoughts as we end 2016
“I know not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I’ll go to it laughing.”…Herman Melville/Moby Dick
“Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark in the hopeless swamps of the not-quite, the not-yet, and the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish in lonely frustration for the life you deserved and have never been able to reach. The world you desire can be won. It exists.. it is real.. it is possible.. it’s yours.”…Ayn Rand/Atlas Shrugged
You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails!
Movie Reviews…Arrival…& SING
I was all packed and ready for my trip to London for the holidays and had a few hours to spare yesterday, so decided to see the movie SING! ….but it was sold-out 🙁 which isn’t surprising given that it’s in the top three at the box-office, since it opened on Tuesday! I had heard that Arrival was good, so went to that instead.
Delightful, FUN, poignaint, FUN…and who doesn’t love a bunch of animated animals singing!? Oh, wait, that would have been my review if I had seen SING…’cause I know I’ll love it! Okay, Arrival…I really liked it. I’m not a big fan of sci-fi futuristic movies, but this was so much more than that. It’s about communication and world peace with a lovely family story thrown in. It was engaging and interesting…and it stuck with me for a bit after I left the theater..always a good sign.
So, that’s my quick review of Arrival. Go see it….and go see SING, because I know you’ll love it too!
Happy Hannukah, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Be the joy you wish to see in the world…. xo…jeanine
You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails!
Motivational Mondays…Direction
Sometimes in the waves of change we find our true direction…unknown
You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails!
Social media…”likes”, or something else?
Wow it’s been two years since I started this blog and sometimes I wonder why I’m doing it….and what social media is all about. Do you do it for likes, is it a popularity contest, or you just trying to share or capture the moments of your life.
As I reflected on this, I realize I do it because I really love the creative outlet of writing, and, although it does sound morbid and a little dramatic, I also do it because if I died tomorrow I know I’ve left a little footprint and my grandkids will know who I was and what I was all about….and that’s important to me. As I wrote last week, “tomorrow is never promised.” Sure, some may think it’s morbid, but I choose to think that it makes me live my life as if today were my last day. I’m truly grateful to see the beautiful sunrises at rowing in the morning…last week was a doozy!
I try to squeeze every last experience out of my day and life…whether it’s traveling, enjoying the company of my family/friends or just sitting on the couch and savoring a book for a couple of hours….all make me so happy!
Okay, so sure I look to see how many likes I have on an instagram photo (admit it, you do too!), but, more importantly, I truly love the idea of an online diary. It’s fun…and I go back every once in awhile to look at old blog posts or pictures to see how my life and outlook have changed (…and unfortunately how my weight has changed…ugh!)
As much as it sometimes takes over our lives, I choose to think of social media as a gift that was given to all of us. My parents didn’t have a clue what I was doing when I was at college in San Francisco or when I moved to Illinois, where both of my kids were born. When all my kids were on the east coast it was a great way to stay connected. Just getting a random photo of the four of them when they were out to dinner together really warmed my heart. They knew how much I loved it and Taylor and Kate always made sure to send a pic, which made me feel like I was sharing in their evenings together. It’s hard to have my son and daughter in law 3000 miles away, but I get so much comfort from the pictures or videos they send or I see online. I get a little sense of connection to their life…and live, for a moment, in their space. It’s not as great as being with them, but that’s why I go to NY twice a year…and the pics in-between are just icing on the cake. I am so thankful that my daughter and her husband are only 12 minutes away and can share some day to day experiences.
So as much as I think some in my generation get a little disheartened with the whole “like” popularity contest, etcetera…the younger generation can just open their phone or go online to see a snapshot of their lives…instead of forgetting to get those photos printed from that memorable trip (as I’ve done before!) What a great memoir to have in the palm of your hands! So, embrace it a bit and be thankful for the technology that keeps us connected.
You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails!
Motivational Monday…Deep Breath!
Your dream doesn’t have an expiration date. Take a deep breath and try again!
You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails!
It’s the HOLIDAY SEASON! random thoughts…
…okay I know you’re singing that song by Andy Williams!
A few months ago I got the season schedule for the Irvine Barclay Theater and saw “An Irish Christmas” on their calendar. Well, what a great way to start out the holidays! It was this past Sunday, right after Thanksgiving, and I loved it! Irish music, lots of Irish dancing, a little Christmas tree, some Irish history and just a warm, lovely show. They’ll be touring California, with a stop in Arizona, but the closest they’ll be back in SoCal is Dec. 14 in Thousand Oaks or Dec. 17 at Caltech in Pasadena…if you wanted to take a moment from the holiday madness to sit back and be entertained.
I also got to see the movie Jackie at the OC Film Society screening this week and I was a bit underwhelmed. I have always admired Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who doesn’t. She was poised and had so much class…and I loved the way she raised her children in NYC without much pretentiousness. I randomly rode in an elevator with her while shopping at Bergdorf’s in NYC in the early 90’s…who can mistake those fabulous sunglasses…yes, she had them on in the elevator. I digress… If I had watched the trailer I would have known that it was a small snippet of her life as first lady right after Kennedy was shot. I thought it was going to be much more of a biopic of her entire life, so, honestly, I was a little disappointed….but it was still interesting. I thought Natalie Portman’s performance was great (she’s had some reviews that thought it was a little too much “acting”) portraying her as I suspect Jackie was…guarded, rehearsed, always on, trying to live up to her new Kennedy name. On a totally personal note, I got all choked up when she puts on a record of Richard Burton singing Camelot because my dad used to sing it and it just caught me by surprise. It could hear him singing it like it was yesterday. Weird how songs and movies can do that to you. Anyway…would I recommend? Eh? If you’re a big movie goer and want to see all that’s out there, it’s worth seeing and well done, but if you’re the type who’d rather wait for the video release, I’d go with that.
Well…it is the holiday season, so check out this list of events to go do and see in the coming weeks here in Orange County. A few of my favorites are our own neighborhood progressive hors d’oeuvre party at three homes (start one in your neighborhood!), the Balboa Island Holiday Home Tour (next Sunday 12.11), our team Christmas row, in costume, out to the Newport Jetty with other clubs and paddlers, the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade (12.14 thru 12.18)…and Roger’s Gardens never disappoints. Of course every mall will be decorated to the nines, there will be countless opportunities to see The Nutcracker….but sometimes it’s just nice to sit at home by the fire with Christmas music playing and relishing in the joy that the season brings (ignore the noise of holiday chaos!). Share some things going on in your area in the comments below!
ps…check out the Barclay calendar as they have some awesome entertainers coming up (and it’s a lovely small theater), not the least of which is the AMAZING tap dancer Savion Glover. I’ve seen him numerous times and if you like dance…oh hell, even if you’re not a huge dance fan…he’s truly something to experience. He’ll be there February 10th & 11th.
You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails!
Motivational Monday…Holiday Sentiment
May you be Inspired by Giving…
Changed by Love
Filled with Peace
and
Touched by Miracles
After a magical, warm, Thanksgiving surrounded by family and friends I thought this was a great sentiment. Have a great week!
You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails!