the new years eve blues

totally sick, stuck here at work for another 45 minutes, feeling like a pile of ickiness. Want to do something to differentiate tonight from all the other nights, but not sure what. No energy. What do I do?

blech

throat hurts. skin aches. nose running. coughing. etc. sucks, man.

probably not going to karate tonight. will instead watch ratatouille while drinking chamomile tea and feeling sorry for myself. boyfriend wonderful. fish fun. cross stitch progressing. work day long.

boring to some, wonderful to me

One of my favorite things to do is work on projects around the house with Adam. Today while I did dishes, he took out the trash, and started the coals. Then I cooked the chicken and he took out the recycling and then he hung my new jewelry box while I swept behind the dresser and he took out the box springs while I held up the mattress and dinner is done, and he is playing his game and I am about to go through my shoes and get rid of the unnecessary ones, and today, my friends, is a good day.

re-emerging after the holidays

I didn't mean to take such a long break from the computer, even though it was Christmas, but yesterday my internet was down and I had no idea why. Today it's all better though, so....mystery stays unsolved.

In any case, christmas was exactly what I thought it would be - fun, tiring, and good. My boyfriend actually went onto my etsy account, found my list of favorite items, and ordered the most beautiful blue and silver necklace for me from afinishingtouch.etsy.com. How thoughtful is that?

He also got me a fish tank! We went yesterday and bought rocks and plants and fish, and now our house feels even more like a home. I'll post pictures eventually.

When I got online today I had two nice etsy surprises - first, I made another sale. I sold my salt air and sea form crocheted purse - and how silly is it that I am a little sad to see it go? That was definitely one of my favorite bags that I have made - and the photographs of that bag represent a breakthrough for me in taking pictures. In any case, it is also nice to know that someone else appreciated it too!

The other nice surprise was that my shino cup with the curled handle got into ANOTHER treasury!!! This one was curated by desertsoapstone and it's a beautiful, beautiful treasury, so go check it out.

That's all for me for right now. I'll be back here later, I'm sure!

christmas eve!

Today is shaping up to be a good christmas eve. Adam left this morning to go snowboarding, which is his favorite thing in the world to do, so I am glad he gets to today. I am at work until 2:30, then I am going home to CLEAN like crazy - which makes me doubly glad Adam is snowboarding, cuz it'll keep him out of my hair so I can actually do things. :) I need to finish wrapping the last presents, and make dinner, and then Adam and I are going to watch Love Actually and open presents.

Puppy fever is still going strong, but it's starting to be tempered with realism. I can't afford a puppy on my own right now - minimum is 500 just for the puppy, not for food or shots or toys or anything. I will have to wait at least til Jan 7th before I could afford it on my own. Adam says he will come up with money if his dad comes up with a good litter. We had the chance to have a bitch to breed with Rommel - Adam debated it all day yesterday but he was crazy to even consider it that much! What would I do with 8 german shepherd puppies? That'd be my full time job. Yeesh. But it's good to know his dad is looking out for us.

In other news, I've been having some crazy heart palpitations for the last two weeks or so. If they continue past the new year, I should go to the doctor. I've had ekg's, heart monitors, even an ultrasound of my heart, and my heart is structurally healthy, so all they've been able to tell me is don't drink caffeine, don't get stressed, and when I need to use an inhaler, use it two fingerspaces away. So I don't know if there's anything they can do for me, but it's uncomfortable. Occasionally painful, but usually it's just like living in a constant state of anxiety. It's so weird - my brain is not anxious about anything, but my physical reactions to things feel so nervous. My heart keeps jumping like it does when I get startled or scared, but for no good reason. Ahhhhhhggggg. I have to keep telling myself that I am calm and everything is fine. So very strange.

Anyhoo, hurrah for Christmas Eve. Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!

xmas, puppies, and...biopsies?

I always wonder just how personal to make this blog..and I go back and forth about which details to write and which not to write. But ya know, I've never been one to hold back, and honestly - you all saw me dressed up in 80's style hair/makeup, so I think we have no secrets anymore. I went to the doctor again today for a recurring issue that's caused a lot of pain for me for about a year. I've been so frustrated - I've seen I can't even tell you how many doctors how many times. I switched again, so today was the first day with this new specialist, and it was a little disconcerting because she shares an office with the last person I saw. She was younger, and had a lot of confidence. I really liked her - she seems like she is really taking control of my situation, rather than everyone else who all had a "wait and see..." attitude..for the last YEAR. So that's the good news. The bad news (well, sort of good news too I guess) is that I am having a biopsy in a couple of weeks. It's good because some sort of progress is being made, but it's bad because the idea of a biopsy is kind of freaking me out. So... I don't know. I think I am deciding to just be glad that she is doing something about it.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve! I seem to be more enmeshed in Christmas than I ever have been in the past. Part of it is working in an office for the first time - so the amount of cards and candies and cookies is kind of staggering. Part of it is running an etsy site, I WANT people to be christmas-present-ing, and part of it is living with Adam and having a tree and putting up lights and getting presents for each other's families and everything. I believe that wonderful man o mine is going snowboarding during the day, but then we have a Christmas Eve date to watch Love Actually and open our presents. Christmas day is going to be a very very long family day, so I'm going to take a minute now and zen out so I remember that I love being with family, Adam gets overwhelmed sometimes by mine, and we won't all hang out again til Easter so I should soak it up now.

Oooooh the other big news, which deserves it's own post really, is that we are looking into getting a PUPPY!!! So exciting! We are going to get (ideally) a female german shepherd puppy, which I will be initially and primarily responsible for, since Adam already has Rommel and Adam will be starting Police Academy soon. I have puppy fever like crazy. I want want want want want and it's sort of driving me bonkers not being able to rush out and go GET one. We're waiting to hear from his dad, though, because as captain-something-or-other of the la-county-animal-something-or-other he has some ins and favors he could potentially call in to get us a catch on a new dog. SO EXCITED. WANT A PUPPY NOW.

I am so excited in fact, that I think this post deserves some puppy love in the form of photos of german shepherd puppies. Who doesn't love that??

AHHHhhhhh I die, I die, I die... must-have-puppy-NOW!

The many hats of Roya

On Roxana's 21st birthday, Roya went insane.

camping in big sur

So I went camping this weekend.....It was so much fun. Totally relaxing. Totally FREEZING. The best part was when we were crazy driving along these gnarly dirt roads, up on this ridge with sheer drops on either side....and we hear a clunking sound like something had just fallen out of the jeep. Turns out the drive shaft broke, and we spent the next three or four hours removing it (adam under the jeep, my foot on the break because of the incline we were at) then we managed to get down to our campsite, ate, slept, and dealt with it in the morning. We dealt with it by using 4 wheel drive to get up out of the valley and into Morro Bay, where we then spent the next 4 hours in an Autozone parking lot. But I was so impressed - Adam managed to spend only about 20 bucks and he FIXED the car. Totally fixed it. Man, my boyfriend is handy. So this picture is him "testing" the jeep around the parking lot. We stopped for a second in Cambria - last time we were there the male elephant seals were there in full force. This time of year there weren't as many elephant seals, but I got a few photos. They're so big. You don't even realize it til you're standing close to one.

This photo is my doggydog playing with me - he does this great POUNCE thing - and he was posing just long enough for me to get some photos.

I did a lot of drawing those 10ish hours while my foot was on the break. I came up with a few cup series that I want to do - I need to go to Aardvarks and invest in a high fire glaze pencil, I think. I'd love to be able to get across what I do on paper onto clay. I've never been good at that. I think I'll take some time to do it soon, because I'd like to start developing a portf0lio for an art therapy program.

So this weekend was a blast. Despite the car troubles, it was fun, relaxing, and wonderful. The cold was intense, but I was always fine at night (I have the most amazing sleeping bag ever) and it was so good to be where there were TREES and not a whole lot of people.

Adam and I also decided it's time to get a puppy. SO EXCITED. He's going to talk to his dad, and ideally we'll be getting a female german shephard. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

another treasury!

I made it into another treasury!!!!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=27517

I feel so special. I love it when the things I make get recognized - I am like a 4 year old after I make something - I want to run around showing it off to everyone I know. Treasuries sure satisfy that need in me. :)

This time it's thanks to http://stampinmom.etsy.com so please oh please go check out her shop!!! THANK YOU!

I'm tired. Today I worked a full day, then picked up photos at karate, then went to Anaheim for our client holiday ball, ate a lot, danced some, then drove home and opened 1 early xmas present from adam (lights for my bike!!!!!! YAY) and then I took my final exam for my abnormal psychology class. I got an A in the class, and I am pleased to be one more step on the road towards a degree in Art Therapy. This semester I'll be taking life drawing, next semester I'll take painting. I am working on my portfolio, I was featured in an etsy treasury, my boyfriend is going to police academy and is going to quit smoking, we sent out christmas cards and life...despite it's...occasional...horrendousness..is for the most part chugging along at quite a nice pace.

I am featured in a treasury!!!!!!!!!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=27416

I am so excited. This is the first time I have been featured in a treasury - apparently it made the front page for a while too. I'm excited, it's a super beautiful treasury to be a part of, too.

KhopeC.etsy.com put together the treasury, so let's hear it for her. Her husband also has an etsy site, which is jessedanger.etsy.com! Go check them out, go check out the treasury, (which expires in a mere two days) and spread the love!

ceramics studio memories, again

you know what's strange? I don't know quite how to write about this, either. I am not one for believing in angels, or any kind of tangible "life after death" I don't believe in ghosts, nothing like that - and I know it's just because I've been thinking about it, but Danner feels so crazy *close* the last few days. I've been obsessing over my ceramics more, and he is very tied up in that for me. The more I think about him and ceramics, the less time seems to have passed between the last time I saw him. Ducky and I have been talking a little bit because of it, and Rebecca and I keep in touch via etsy - I will probably see Char at Jon's funeral, and Janelle will be there - so ceramic people are suddenly *present* in my life the way they haven't been in five years.

I wonder if T ever reads this. She's the one I should have hung on to with all my claws.

I wonder where Fil is, and Morissey, Jeremy..all these people who were SUCH an important part of my life that are just gone now. You know, they are the ones I wish could be at my wedding, for instance - they mattered so much to me for so long. I love the people I work with, but I've only known them a year, so they haven't formed that crazy connection yet. And ceramics was special. Char made it something special. I hope I am not the only one who feels that way.

I remember at closing circle at Not Back to School Camp, Eira said something once that if any of us ever had grandchildren who needed a couch to sleep on, they were welcome at her house, JUST because we had been at NBTSC together. The island trip had something of that same bonded feeling. Just because you had an experience - even if you weren't at the same session or there the same year - you share something special. Ceramics GOT TO ME in that deep down soul altering way, and I don't know how else to commemorate it except keep throwing clay and writing about it on here.

I have to keep remembering how young I was - I started when I was 13 and Char retired when I was 18. That was also the year Grandma died. I lost a lot that year. The five years preceding it made me me. I had pink hair and silver glitter converse and Jeremy introduced me to Tom Waits at the same time that Daniel was making me the same CD's. Char played Bob Dylan while Jon and I raku'd and Les got me the job at Laguna Clay where I met Paul and everyone, and I was surrounded on all sides by clay. I didn't have to do the final because I was the only one to get the other test 100% and Rebecca made me that great Guitar plate (which is hanging in my room) and Mike Lewis introduced me to Nina Simone and Santa Monica, and Mike Duckworth cackled in the background of all of it.

I need to stop this now or it floods. Anyways - Danner, he feels like I just saw him the other day, and ceramics is still as engrained in me as ever.

ceramics!

Hi folks, I got a few of my pieces out of the kiln yesterday. I only had time to snap photos of three of them last night, but I am happy with them! I learned how to us ethe macro setting on my camera for close ups, and with the lightbox that Thantrong gave me, I think my photos are definitly improving!
These cups are smaller than ones I normally make - I tend to like really big mugs, but these are smaller - I was thinking they're better for tea, or something like eggnog - where a small amount goes a long way.

The glazing was all pretty different than I anticipated also - a lot of sublte beauties I think, nothing super flashy, but I like them more this way. They're the kind of mugs where I want to keep looking and staring at them because I keep seeing little things I hadn't seen before.

the inside of this mug is a shino glaze - I remember when I first started at cypress, I didn't like shino's at all. Now I have come to love them. I don't know what it is about them, but their earthiness and warm colors sure are growing on me. I am not a fan of them when it's too thick and it goes to white, but I love the orange speckled action.

If you want to see more, I have uploaded all the photos from that particular photo shoot on my flickr site!

ceramics

I went to the Irvine Fine Arts Studio again on Saturday to finish glazing the last batch of cups and bowls that I had thrown. At a big studio like that they take forever to get out of the kiln, which means a long lagtime between throwing and getting the finished product.


This first photo is the container that holds the wax resist that you put on the bottom of high fire pieces to prevent the glaze from staying there, so when it melts (glaze is largely glass) in the kiln, it doesn't stick to the kiln shelves and ruin very expensive pieces of kiln furniture.

Then I have some of my cups and bowls all turned upside down ready to get waxed! After you throw a piece, it gets fired once (at roughly 1800 degrees f) and then when it comes out it is considered "bisque" - you rinse it to get rid of any refractory dust, then wax the bottoms, and glaze!

I always have so many pieces to glaze that glazing has never been an exact science for me. A lot of people keep very, very close track of exactly which glaze with which clay and which oxide, etc. that they use. I always start out with good intentions, but by piece 45 I am tired of it! I figure part of the fun is the random surprise joy of seeing what you made after it comes out of the glaze firing. So these are some pieces after they've been glazed, but before they've been fired for the second time. For stoneware, the second firing reaches over 2300 degrees f. This is a photo of the gas kiln used to fire pieces at IFAC. My pieces are actually IN that kiln in the photo - I watched the lab tech load them, then I took the photo.

So anyhoo, such is the life of a piece of clay. I will be picking up some of my pieces tomorrow night, and the rest next week sometime! Yay! I can't wait to post photos.

I am still thinking about Danner, but it's a strange kind of sadness. It doesn't occupy my every waking moment in pain or anything, but I cried myself out one night and now I just feel contemplative. But I am feeling this contemplativeness pretty consistently.

I just found out that one of the people I was closest to back when I took ceramics at cypress died. Jon Danner and I started the same semester, and were both over achievers when it came to ceramics - although he overachieved with the SIZE of his pieces and I overachieved with the number of them. He called me "Roya binoya" and we shared a locker at ceramics for a minute, but then got moved to the lab tech locker area, where we had lockers next to each other. This was hugely important to me at the time - also, he lent me paints so we could paint our lockers crazy cool neon colors. Danner also made me my favorite ceramics tool. Also, it went without saying that any time I needed something I could go into his tool box and find it.
I don't know what to say. I can't believe he died. It was so good to know, that even if we didn't talk, that he was out there making humongous bowls. I will call today and find out when there will be a service. Meanwhile, Jon Danner, you are still wrong about hip hop, even though I listen to country now too.

running, being cold, and yarn

fingers...so...cold....

woke up this morning at 6:30 to go running with Adam. We went to the park so the dog could go crazy. We have the best dog. Running was hard for me this morning - something about how cold the air was, or how asleep I still was - made it incredibly hard for me to breathe. But I am glad I went. It makes me feel like no matter what else happens, this day was a success.

I am still tracking my points and still doing good! I need to encorporate more crunches, but other than that I am doing just fine. This morning I had enough time after we got back from running that I made the Hungry Girl broccoli cheese soup in my new blender, AND a smoothie for breakfast. I am so looking forward to lunch - I brought some chicken I grilled the day before yesterday, soup, some fruit and string cheese to snack on all day. I figure for lunch it'll be 3 pts for the soup, 3 pts for the chicken, I ate 3 pts for breakfast...that's only 9 points, which leaves me 13 pts to play with for the rest of the day. Woohoo!


So I have a question to pose to you - does anyone else out here suffer from the same thing? I feel like I am really, really easy to buy presents for: GET ME YARN. It's not that hard, right? I would truly, deeply, seriously, really love every skein of yarn ever given to me as a present. I can NEVER HAVE ENOUGH yarn! I don't have the money to buy all the yarn I want! I want yarn for every gift! But...do people ever get me yarn? Not really. In my 24 years of life I have received 3 gift certificates to yarn stores. But I am thinking - yarn is cheap! (at least, some yarn is) it'd be a great present - just a bag o' yarn. And yet people complain that I am hard to shop for. They buy me other, random things just to buy something, when if they spent 10 bucks at Alamitos Bay, I'd be through the roof. Anyways - I don't understand it. I have told people this time and time again "just buy me yarn" "I love yarn" "what do I want for christmas? Yarn!" but still - no one believes me. yeesh.

Oh - I have an amendment. I do have to say, when Adam and I first got together, his very first gift for me (which was for no special occasion, just random) was a beautiful, beautiful skein of green (expensive!!) cashmere. That was a good present.

But more people should give me yarn.

That's the moral of this story. :)

PS We at Roya inc. would like to say that our official stance is one of gratitude no matter what gift is given. Your presence is present enough, etc. Thank you and goodnight.

tired. broke. happy.

life drawing class

I just registered for a life drawing class at Goldenwest College! So excited! I am excited first because I love taking classes, and second, because I love taking art classes, and third, because it's another step to my goal of getting a degree in art therapy, which is a step on my way to my goal of running an art camp.

YAY! Classes don't start til January 31st though. Bah humbug.

Ah well - that gives Adam and I about 2 weeks to adjust to him being at police academy before I start this new endeavor, so it's actually good timing.

food woes

I don't know how much I have talked about my eating issues/exercising/weight loss/etc. on here - but it's a decently large focus of my life so it deserves some air time. About 4 years ago I stepped on a scale and weighed 201 pounds. I about died right there. That was the day I decided to start losing weight. I proceeded to, without the help of any "diet" - just by eating right, cutting out soda, and exercising - to lose 50 pounds. It wasn't easy, but it was FUN. I actually enjoyed the process. My boyfriend at the time helped me a lot - I asked him to never comment on what I was eating, except at the beginning of each meal to ask me to think about what I wanted to eat before I ate it. He also helped me develop my own personal exercise grid. I had so much fun every night checking off the little boxes for "50 crunches, 30 leg lifts.." etc. I would exercise while I watched West Wing every night.

At some point I realized I wasn't going to lose weight unless I started running. So every day after work I would drive to Cypress College track and go 8 times around - running the straights and walking the curves. I hated it with a passion. But there was always something to fixate on - a little old asian man who walked with his head down and didn't look at anyone but was there every single time. A tall black woman with this incredibly bright gold jacket who was there a lot, etc.
I worked at a daycare, so I was outside a lot with the kids. At one point I realized how much more I wanted to be active, and it was so fun to be able to actually play kickball and handball and tag and stuff with them.

When I started working here, I knew that going from working at a daycare (and I worked part time at a nature center where I walked all day long giving tours) to working at a desk in an office would be difficult for me to stay active. So that's when I joined weight watchers. My mom had lost about 85 pounds and was very invested in that program, my aunts were doing it, it seemed like a good option for me to maintain being healthy. So I started going to meetings and tracking my points.

I really love the weight watcher's program and their focus on the healthy living habits. I no longer go to the meetings (if I could afford it, I would) but I still track my points. I go through phases, though - and it's SO OBVIOUS how much better I feel when I do track and when I exercise.

I made my own tracking form and keep the points calculator in my purse. I use a lot of the online resources you can find just by googling. I started hardcore tracking my points on October 28th, and the only gap I have had since then was three days over Thanksgiving. However, I am not doing so well with the healthy eating things. Here is how I am going to fix it:
1. Water - I need to drink 6-8 cups of water a day. I have been totally slacking on this. I will make sure I have a water bottle with me all the time! No more ordering diet soda for a while either, I will drink water!
2. Fruits and veggies - I need to go shopping. It's as simple as that. I am out of fresh produce.
3. Dairy - need to buy non fat milk and yogurt.
4. Oils - this is hard for me. I never know how to get in oil except for salad dressing. So I guess I'll try to make more salad.
5. Vitamin - About half the days I forget. I will just have to make it a more consistent part of my morning routine.
6. Grazing - I do better when I eat small amounts of food all day long, rather than one or two big meals. Having more fruit and veggies to snack on will help with this. Also ordering less food when I go out. For example - although it's a good deal, I will not be buying the foot long veggie subway anymore, because that makes me want to eat it! Instead, I will buy the 6 inch, with the knowledge that if I am still hungry afterwards, I can always go buy another one.
7. Exercise - I miss running. I actually do. I am charging my ipod right now, I have my gym clothes in the car. I will change at work, and head to the gym or to Seal Beach to run. Tomorrow I will do the same thing. Friday I have an A2A event so I probably won't have time - unless I ask my supervisor for a long lunch and do it then. Or even if I just take a walk on the river trail for lunch. That would at least keep me thinking active and not break my streak.
7a. Crunches - I had a weekly challenge with a coworker of mine to do a certain number of crunches a day. We haven't done it for months. Today is the day we reactive that!

Okay. That's all from me. Sometimes writing down your intentions is the key to making them actually happen. I am using all of you as witnesses to help keep me accountable. Thanks!

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas?

Apparently christmastime is upon us. I think I mentioned that last week Adam and I went and picked up a christmas tree and put up lights! Here's the photographic evidence.

So my big plan this year was to make my own christmas cards - I have never sent christmas cards out before, because I never celebrated christmas so attentively. However, last year was Adam and my first christmas living together, and apparently he was sad that we didn't have cards to send. So this year I started way back in June or July making Christmas Cards so that I would have time to handmake them. See, I think getting packaged-from-the-store cards are sort of a ridiculous waste of paper just so someone gets something with your name written on it. But handmade cards! That's a totally different thing!

Except now it's December 9th and I have all of 6 or 7 cards actually done. I need a plan B. I think what I will do is instead of making them as intensely as I was, with full on scrapbooking supplies, I might make them on publisher and just print them myself. That counts, right?

flickr and twitter

I have been uploading photos to flickr.com like crazy the past few days! So go find me!

www.flickr/people/royaboya

I also now have a twitter account - I am royaboya, once again. FIND MEEEEEEEEEEEE! I don't really know what I am doing on there, so find me, friend me, and talk to me.

random find of the day

I just found out about a strange phenomenon called "Mickey Mouse Fish." Have you seen these? Check it out:

december blog carnival

Since I am updating...

I missed the first blog carnival for december, so I'm going to get a head start for the second one. The blog topic is:
1. Christmas traditions & recipes- Share Christmas traditions or your favorite holiday recipe.


Now - I love Christmas time. I really do. Last night Adam and I went out and picked up a christmas tree, and hung lights on the front of the house. I'm thrilled with it. Picking out a christmas tree was one of the best family traditions that we did with my Grandma. We'd get all dressed up in those cheap drugstore gloves and wear scarves the one time a year we ever wore them (we live in Southern California), and run around a christmas tree lot pretending to be Laura Ingall's and drinking hot cider.

The reason it was so exciting was that we didn't have a christmas tree at my house. My parents are Baha'i' - so we didn't celebrate christmas with our immediate family. We did christmas at my grandma's with the extended family, and all my life I have loved having the best of both worlds.

My family did celebrate a winter holiday though - called Shabiyalda. This is celebrated on the longest night of the year, and is so full of winter traditions I don't even know where to start. We start the evening off by covering up the tv with some sort of cloth, so that we aren't even tempted to turn it on. My dad puts on Iranian music on the cd player (there is one song with my name in it, so I am always begging for that) and my mom puts all of the little snack foods in her pink glass bowls. We eat so much that night - I guess that's a tradition for most holidays. The big ticket item is roasting potatoes in the fireplace. Yum yum yum. Those always take so long that they're kind of our midnight snack. Oh - that was the other neat thing about Shabiyalda, at least when we were younger - the idea was to stay up as late as you possibly could. We'd drag all of the blankets and pillows to the living room and fall asleep one at a time while my dad read Persian folk tales. The older I get, the earlier I fall asleep.

It's one of my favorite nights of the year. It's one of those traditions that can be celebrated with no religion involved - just for the wonderment of being warm, inside with family, on a long winter night.

featured etsy blogger for December!

I have been feeling a bit disconnected from the etsy world lately - I have been so busy at work I rarely had any time even on my lunch breaks to stop by, and I didn't have an internet connection at home. However, my little sister's boyfriend set up the computer he made (and gave me) with a wireless router today, which means...drum roll ladies and gentlemen...I HAVE A COMPUTER!

So the first thing I want to write about now that I have this wonderful little set up is about the etsy bloggers team. First off, I love being a part of this team. I love having a reason to blog, and a feeling that there is an audience, and a group of people supporting each other. Not to mention - it's amazing to me how even when you've never met somebody, you can get SO caught up in reading their blog - even when they are just writing about the ins and outs of their daily lives.

I wanted to post about the etsy blogger's FEATURED team member today - because I just spent a fair amount of time getting lost in her blog! Spotted Cow Soaps' blog can be found here, and her etsy shop can be found here. Go get lost in her shop - tons and tons and tons of wonderful soaps and bath things. One thing I love about her shop is that I saw from her blog that she really tries to collaborate with other etsians, for example - getting someone else to crochet soap bags. She's very interactive - has contests for her shoppers, etc. Her products look wonderful, her blog is enticing - she's going to be a Grandma! Go look!

Thank you Spotted Cow Soaps, and thank you etsy bloggers!

plan

Ok here is my plan:

1. Get dressed.
2. Eat an apple.
3. Put on a scarf and caliometry.
4. Get bike lock from Adam. Learn how to use it.
5. Bike to Jenny's Fabrics.
6. Buy zippers.
7. Bike home.
8. Eat lunch.
9. Finish laundry.
10. work on coin purses.
11. Rosie and Daniel come over.
12. Watch Bolt?
13. TV shows with Adam.
14. yes.

gray, gray day

Yesterday I went down to Balboa Island and hung out with Amber - we did some ceramics at IFAC and then headed back to Marine Dr. where all the cute shops are. We ate chocolate covered bananas - twice - had tacos at Martin's, shopped for unnecessary dresses, and I discovered the store Art For the Soul. Everything in there is handmade and I WANT TO BE IN THERE TOO. So I talked to the nice gentlemen and lady behind the counter, and they gave me the material on how to get considered. So I now have a new goal - make a portfolio so I can sell pieces there, and somewhere like Fern's Garden on 2nd Street, too.

I have so many projects I don't know where to start so I am futzing around on here, and I played two games of Spider Solitaire also. yay productivity. :P

I should exercise at some point today. It's been a while. I have this whole new bike thing that I should ride... maybe I will ride my bike to Michael's? That would be a pretty far ride. I could take a backpack to hold the yarn. I also need to go to Joann's and get some zippers for my coin purses.

Oh who knows. Usually posting on here helps give me a plan for the day. But I am feeling unmotivated - I have a christmas tree (we got it last night) and a warm house and it's gray and cold out there.

finally uploaded photos!

Yay, I finally uploaded the 400 some pictures I had on my camera from my birthday and thanksgiving. Here we have a random assortment...starting off with the crazy mess my coworkers made of my office. I am still picking up pieces of confetti from between my keyboard and in the drawers. There's a lot.

After that, we have photos of Adam with my mom, and Adam with my dad. The one with my mom was taken at El Torito, where we went for my birthday dinner. In the other photo, my boyfriend is patiently letting my father explain about coaching soccer. I love photographic evidence of my boyfriend becoming a part of the family. :)

In the next photos, we have Rosie's best ever "That's What She Said" face, and a three-headed-monster of Sorooshian Sisters.

So did you know I have not one, but TWO little sisters? Rosie, the youngest - is my karate instructor as well as my sister, so I end up doing a lot of stuff with her, which means her photos get put up here quite a bit. However, Roxana, my other sister, is phenomenal and wonderful and talented and ridiculously busy so I never have photo opp moments with her. I thought this blog might be a little Rosie slanted, so it's time for a photo post of ROXANA! She takes great photos, because she is a musical theater-aholic and so she is always in one costume or another. Here we have Roxana as Mayzie, the floozy bird from Seussical the Musical and Glinda, the good Witch from the Wizard of Oz. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, my sister wants a profession where facepaint is a permanent part of her life.
Seriously, though - Roxana is always the shining star of every production she is in.

busy and tired!

today's update:

last night was one of those nights that when you wake up you wonder what the heck happened and where was the smart part of your brain? I am paying for it today.

In brighter and moving-on news, tonight is the office Holiday Party, my office is full of raffle baskets, I have a cable box that records tv shows so I can fast forward during commercials, I lost another pound, I went for a bike ride yesterday, Adam put letters of resignation in to both his jobs, I bought a blue tooth from my coworker, I have a NEW COMPUTER, and I am very, very tired.

More later. Today is crazy. Tomorrow is movie night. Then weekend. Thankkkk goodness.

work and sister

I mailed 1500 copies of the most recent newsletter to my clients last week, so this week I am swamped at work with finalizing the events and registering participants. I use junky old excel spreadsheets that I formulate - which are fine for your basic stuff, but don't do half the things I need to do (for a very simple example: print mailing labels, make payment invoices, etc.) Anyways, so it's a busy time for me at work, plus I am co-in-charge of our holiday party which is TOMORROW, so my office looks like drunken frat boys broke into Santa's workshop and went crazy. Not to mention, this is piled on top of birthday decorations that I just haven't had time to take down. I haven't checked my phone messages yet today either. Yikes.

My dad sent me a few photos from the turkey tournament from this weekend. They're pretty spiffy. Ladies and gentlemen, my little soccer playin' sister Rosie:

needle felting

So for my bday I got some Alamitos Bay gift cards, and I went down there..bought some yarn, and some needle felting tools - just for kicks. Then I was talking to a coworker, who ordered a coin purse for her sister with "princess" embroidered on one side, and a crown on the other and I had an epiphany for how I would do the crown! Here I come, needle felting!
woohoo.
I finished a pair of socks yesterday - a project that has been half done for about 3 years. Man. They're cute. I also have a child sized scarf I am almost done with - I think I want to weave some other colors through the white yarn. I am also working on a purple bag - which I plan on felting and then incorporating needle felting and beading into. Then there's NV's sister's gift, Reggie's kufi, and the other half to the manos del uruguay pair of fingerless gloves.

Good night for projects.
Oooh - also a good night for making things with my new Magic Bullet - I made guacamole and a smoothie yesterday and am excited to make more. I wish I was more creative - all I can think of is throwing in fruit. Any ideas for fancy blending, anyone?

survey time!

I felt like wasting some time today, so here is a survey that will hopefully provide some insight into ROYA: THE HUMAN BEING.


What is the best part of your job?
Getting to travel for work.
Are you touchy feely?
I am definitly in that end of the spectrum, yes
Are you Irish in any way?
I think so - although my Grandma always made us go to the Scottish games, so...
What last made you laugh?
Adam's explanation of the dogpoop and blanket incident this morning.
Have you ever drank Jack Daniels?
yes
When was the last time you got a good workout?
I went for a bike ride yesterday
What were you doing at 11:59 pm last Friday night?
I was probably asleep. Last Friday was my birthday, we got back from dinner around 11 and I headed for bed.
Is your bedroom window open?
Nope, it's cold!
Who is your favorite person to have a serious conversation with?
Serious conversations with Adam have been my thrill for the past 4 years.
Whats the last thing you said and to who?"
"you bankers are ridiculous" directed to Stacy, a coworker
Does talking about sex make you uncomfortable?
I am all for akward conversations.
Do you remember the person you first kissed?
Joshua Karl Engle, I was 14 years old.
Have you ever kissed someone you weren't dating?
Yup. But hey, that's what the train ride back from NBTSC is all about. ;)
Do you like sharpies?
Especially the silver ones.
Kissed someone that had a gf/bf?
Yessiree.
Ever kissed someone younger than you?
Yes.
Older than you?
Every day!
Have you ever kissed someone you didn't like?
Yeah - it was actually one of those in-the-movies-revelationary moments. I kissed him, realized I didn't like him, and never kissed him again!
Do you regret your last kiss?
No way man.
hats the last thing you did?
Read an intern's application.
What time did you get up today?
7:30am.
What are you listening to currently?
My officemate complain about being cold, one of the banker's make loud phone calls, and people out near the reception desk.
What is the status of you and the last person you texted?
My "work mama" Pam - whose birthday it is today.
Whats wrong with you right now?
I am not at liberty to say.
When did you last cry?
yesterday. but it wasn't a lot of cry. Just a little. I was mad.
Who/what do you hate?
Anyone else driving on the road with me. I have road rage kinda bad.
What do you want back in your life right now?
Alaska.
Are you happy?
For the most part.
What do you smell like?
My shampoo is lavendar, my conditioner is coconut, my perfume is Calvin Klein. You do the math.
What’s your favorite thing to have on your bed?
su madre.
Do you tend to make relationships complicated?
noooooooooooo not meeeeeeee not at allllll
How do you feel about the person you got this survey from?
She's my little sister. I adore her guts.
What’s something you wish you could understand better?
other languages and adam.
What is the last movie you watched?
In the theater - Role Models. At home - I saw part of Men in Black last night. The day before I watched a Knights Tale.
What are you excited about?
Marina's wedding, Adam starting police academy, riding my bike
Do you want something you can't have?
yes
What’s on your mind right now?
How to help Adam eat really healthy, movie night (for work), and my extreme lack of fundage.
Who was the last person to make you cry?
probably Adam. he makes me the most frustrated. :)
Do you trust people easily?
yes
Do you think you'll be married in 10 years?
yes
Whose next to you?
Rosie, my office mate, is behind me.
Who was the last missed call?
My dad
Do you plan on moving out within the next year?
I think I am staying put for at least another year. Then Adam and I will see.
What happened at 10:00 am today?
I was calling all of my movie night clients.
What is a realization that you have come to?
I need to get outdoors.

gray outside

Just a quick update - it's gray and cold outside, strangely unmotivating. It was hard to get out of bed this morning. I've been feeling a little -flat- lately... needing something to happen to distinguish my days or my life, or my..something. Thanksgiving was nice. Eating dinner on my birthday was nice too. The 40 minute bike ride I went on yesterday was fiercely blissful. I was angry yesterday, and frustrated, and didn't want to sit and stew at home, so I got on my bike. It was almost sunset, and cold, and I enjoyed the parts where I had to work hard over the gravel surfaces of ghetto HB and I enjoyed the hill on Gothard where I didn't pedal and just felt wind. I rode for about 40 minutes and didn't notice the time. When I got back my cheeks were pink and I felt like I'd worked out, even though I didn't feel like it while I was riding.

Then Adam and I carved the turkey I'd roasted - oh - yeah, did I mentioned I roasted a whole turkey yesterday? Criminey. Turkeys are huge. I was fine until I reached in to pull out the neck. I felt violently ill, and threw it across the room into the sink. Then I went to the front yard, jumped up and down and squealed a little to get out my disgust, and then went back inside and dealt with it. The turkey was a little overcooked I think - and next time I'd add more spices. But we now have a ton of meat for leftovers.

Thanksgiving/birthday weekend

This week has been very, very full. So full I haven't had two seconds to process, much less write on here. Thursday, Thanksgiving, we went to my mom's with my extended family, then to Adam's aunt's with his family, then back to my mom's and then bowling with my family again. I was really proud of Adam and I. Typically, holidays come with a fair amount of stress - from everything from just sharing the mirror to figuring out timing of when we leave one family to go to the other, to feeling neglected or left out at the other person's family, etc. But last year I made some resolutions about getting through what is supposed to be a happy day of thankfulness and family, and I am so thrilled to say it was perfect.

Part of what made it better is that Adam is getting more comfortable with my family, so that helps tremendously. Also, I made a point to not be touchy or sensitive about ANYTHING, no matter how stressed I might be. It felt good feeling almost like I was...outsmarting him. Does that make sense? I don't mean it maliciously, I just mean - it was nice to feel like I had control over how pleasant the day was. I could look beyond my own petty wants, and make everything fun.

Friday was my birthday - I did absolutely nothing all day, then went out shopping with my sister/mom, went to my sister's soccer tournament, and then went out for dinner with Amber, Adam, Daniel and family. It was really nice, really fun and low key - Amber, Rosie, and Roxana got me YARN gift certificates, Adam got me diamond earrings and a BIKE, and my family got me the game Hive, and the coolest blender ever (yes, a blender, hush, I am thrilled). Oh, also Roxana made me the coolest CD of "shower songs."

Then yessstterrrday...I spent all day studying for my psychology test, took that, and then went to the Alamitos Bay Yarn Company and knitted there for a while. I got a needle felting kit, which will be fun to use, and some manos del uruguay and lamb's pride wool/mohair. Very very yummy. After that I went running for a while in Seal Beach, then went home and got ready to go see Tom Russell at McCabe's Guitar Shop in Santa Monica. Adam and I met Linda and John Wilson, and Tracy and Matt there (all the director/co director of the daycare I used to work at and their husbands) at a mexican restaurant, then we went and listened to the absolutely wonderful southwestern crooning of Mr. Russell.

Today I did dishes, half a load of laundry, grocery shopping, finished a scarf and a pair of socks, and am roasting a whole turkey! It's crazy. I've never cooked a whole animal before. :P It smells really good - I hope I don't screw it up. It's got an hour and a half left to cook and I am resisting the temptation of opening up the oven to look at it.

The rest of the day holds finishing laundry, eating turkey, going bike riding or running, maybe going to my sister's soccer game, maybe going shopping with my mom, and then Sunday night tv with the boyfriend. Tomorrow it's back to work as usual.

I've of course been taking photos of all of this - so as soon as I can I will put up the illustrations. :)

birthdays at work

So my place o' employment has the tradition that the night before someone's birthday, their friends/supervisors stay a little late and decorate their office for them. That way, when the birthday person gets into the office the next morning, they are greeted by streamers, balloons, etc. I've seen some entertaining office decor before - top prize goes to Emily and myself for filling Monice's office top to bottom with balloons, and then ceran-wrapping them in to the cubicle. I'd say second prize goes to yours truly for Emily's office, just due to the sheer difficulty she had in finding her computer and chair under the streamers. I shoulda known payback was coming.

So the day after tomorrow is my birthday, but since we have thanksgiving tomorrow, they decorated my office for me this morning. I completely forgot about that, until I walked into the office and it looks like a clown exploded. There are streamers. Balloons. Ribbons. Bows. Banners. And confetti like you w0uld not believe. To top that off, Rosie made me a sash and a crown that I have to wear all day. I will post photos eventually.

I just wanted to write this post right now, even without the photographic evidence, because I was feeling sort of down the last few days, and this picked me right up. Three cheers for Rosie and Emily. It's good to have friends.

photos from this week

Hi kids, it's time for a photo update.
In no apparent order, we have...yours truly, going camera-happy and taking self portraits. There's plenty m0re where that came from...

Then there is my little sister and our friend Nadine (who will now forever be known as Nadizzle). They were enjoying a photo shoot for my bags a little too much.

Following that photos it's my little sister with her boyfriend at the karate studio car wash. I am sure they had been busy earlier washing cars...but note that they were not busy at the moment.

Then we have what I thought was a kinda cool photo of some of the larger bags that I have made. The middle one (the bright yellow/orange one) has been on reserve for someone at work for a while, and I finally wrapped it up and delivered it today.

I spent the last two saturdays doing ceramics at the Irvine Fine Arts Center with my friend Amber, so she took a photo of me throwing, and I took some of my works in progress.

The last photo is totally random - I was closing the screen door and realized there was a lizard on it. I decided that was a perfect chance to mess around with the close-up settings on my new camera, so mess around I did. I also used the chance to get a sneaky photo of Adam while he was unsuspecting. Mwhahaha.

I just realized that my birthday is a mere four days away.

gee.

stuff

sooo tired...

last night we went to the gym at about 12:00am..got home around 1-1:3am..then Adam puts on the movie 88 Minutes. It starts with a rape/murder in a girl's house, and it's ICKY. He falls asleep instantly. I am up until 4am watching this horrible movie so I can know who dunnit so I can fall asleep. It had the stupidest, lamest ending ever and four hours later when my alarm went off, I was very angry at myself for staying awake for it.

But my alarm went off so that Amber and I could go do ceramics at the Irvine studio - so that was good.

Adam and I are going ouuuutt tonight - to see Role Models. I am happy. It's been a good day.

Yesterday I finished ALL of the granny square bags I'd been working on. 6+ hours of sewing. I will post pics eventually.

Right now I need to go work on my essay before it's movie time!

sending gifts

This is going to be brief, because I am ridiculously tired and it's past my bedtime - but, I just wrapped up the Pollock Pencil Holder I sold a few days ago, to mail tomorrow, and I wanted to say...I LOVE wrapping the items I have sold. Every one I've wrapped has been totally different - I don't have one style I do for everything I sell, and I don't know if that's good or bad, but I like going through my materials and deciding which fit the item the best. Each package takes on it's very own handmade-ed-ness which I really like. There's also such a good warm and fuzzy feeling of sending a package all wrapped like that. It's not just a business transaction, I really feel as though I am giving a gift.

Tomorrow I want to take some work-in-progress photos of my granny square bags. I'll also write about my presentation tonight. I think it went well. It was a long day. Time for bed.

Time to unload

Phew. I have that feeling right now like life is starting to get just sllliiightly out of my control - and it would be very simple to solve that feeling, I just have to stop, breathe, and take the time to organize.

This feeling tends to be induced by a messy car. I don't know what it is with me and a messy car - but as soon as there starts to be more *stuff* than carseat, I start feeling a little anxious. It starts to feel like water is rising while I'm sitting at the drivers wheel, and it's stressful trying to keep my head above it. Like I said - ten minutes of cleaning out my car would do the trick, it's mostly just a bunch of jackets and water bottles and my karate clothes spread out in the backseat. But it's one of those things I procrastinate which then makes the rest of my life feel tense.

The other thing that is looming is a presentation I am doing tonight at Whittier College for work. It's turning into being a bigger deal than I thought (students are getting extra credit to come listen to me speak). I am wholly confident in my ability to get up and speak, but I am not wholly confident in my factual information regarding specific developmental disabilities, nor am I wholly confident in my power point. What would fix that? Spending a solid hour today updating the powerpoint to include the information I want it to include.

I have been doing okay with my sleep schedule - the last two nights I ended up sleeping around 11-11:20, which is getting to be a little too late again. I would really like to be in bed by 10 tonight. However, there is a Young Alumni Mixer that a few of my friends are going to, who I haven't seen for a long time, and it would be nice to see them. I don't get done with the presentation til about 7:30, then I want to go to karate, then am I meeting them for dinner AFTER that? I won't get to bed til midnight-ish if that's the case. I don' t know when I got to be such an old lady, but it's very apparent to me that I just WORK BETTER with more/earlier sleep.

I am also trying to get the newsletter for work DONE - I am trying to send the giant file to the printers. As soon as they say they have it, that will be a load off my shoulders.

Last night I attached handles to a few new bags, and started crocheting another one. The canvas straps that I bought at the fabric store seem to work well! I am excited by this prospect. My goal is to have enough stuff to sell at a craft fair in December. Amber and I talked to the lady who runs the Long Beach Sunday Craft Fair, and she said all she needs is a few days notice, so we are going to split a booth in December. I am SO excited about this! I am going to try to have a bunch of bags done, and some ceramics. It's time to crank up the production line.

Oh - one more little stressor is my psychology class. I need to spend all of my spare time reading my textbook - I have a quiz tomorrow, and I have one more chapter to read.

Last night Adam and I went to the gym and I did day 2 of Week 5 again. It's two 8 minute runs. This run was the easiest of any of them so far. I was really, really pleased with myself. I listened to Les Miserables and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and sang along in my head and actually enjoyed running. Could this turn into something I like to do after all?

I am still tracking my weight watchers points, I am into week 5 of doing that now also. I have no idea how much I weigh, but I feel really, really good, so that's all that matters. I'd like to start doing more crunches and ab things too - when I go to the gym I do things I could do at home..I just don't do them at home.

Okay. You know how I love my lists. Here is the list I am going to stick to today!

1. Call Commonwealth Printing, make sure they got the newsletter. Ask about timeline.
2. Tell Rudy what day Day Program should come help out.
3. Print labels (compare them to Bernard's, make sure I don't overlap)
4. Print Movie Night labels ready for Nancy when she gets here
5. Update powerpoint, print notes pages. Go through and decide who will say what.
6. Print directions to Whittier.
7. Bring extra paper/pens for activity.
8. Lunch, pick up Nancy, do other work.
9. Presentation
10. Karate
11. Stuart and Sal?
12. Wrap pencil holder.
13. Read at least a few pages.
14. Throw away trash in car

Tomorrow (friday)
1. Work
2. Read other chapter
3. Take quiz
4. Do activity/discussion board
5. Mail pencil holder
6. Go running
7. Sew linings for bags.

Okay. That's all for now. Enough updating, time to go do the things that will make it all better.

small update

Okay so my list yesterday didn't go so well. I did not water my plants, read my book, or do dishes. However, I did put away laundry, and I ended up going out with karate folks. I finished fingerless glove #3 (short gloves made with manos del uruguay) and I lurrrrve it. I did also stop at the discount fabric store and bought fabric for the lining of my bags. I also bought some of this cool canvas strap that I am hoping to turn into the handles for large bags - it'd be so much cheaper to do that than buy them...if they work.

I am going on Saturday to do ceramics again and I am so excited. Adam invited me to go climb Mt. Baldy with him - and I really would love to do that too, but the call of the clay is strong...

Looking at Rebecca's pieces, I am inspired all over again. Yes, this is the same Rebecca that I used to take ceramics with. I am so impressed by her stuff, it's ridiculous. It made me really, really, really want to use Bmix and polish up my pieces.

schedule

Tonight...
1. Stop at the discount fabric store for fabric lining
2. Stop at Joanne's for handles
3. Go home, with any spare time, wrap recently sold Pollock pencil holder, read textbook (or do dishes...)
4. Go to karate
5. Do not go out with karate folk
6. Go home, do dishes (if not previously done) and finish reading Chapter 8
7. Put away laundry
8. Water plants
9. Go to bed early

Tomorrow
1. Wake up early
2. Start reading Chapter 9
3. Work
3a Print more copies of internship/volunteer applications and flyer
3b send newsletter TO PRINTERS
3c go to Fullerton job fair
3d finish Whittier College powerpoint
4. Leave early - go to Post Office, mail Pollock order
5. Sew bags and stuff!
6. Find article for research paper

Thursday
1. Work, etc.
2. Whittier Thing til sorta late
3. karate hopefully

Friday
1. Work etc.
2. Leave early

Saturday
CERAMICS!

dr. horrible

By the way, for those of you who haven't watched Joss Whedon's Dr. Horrible Sing-A-Long Blog....oh go find it. Really. Your world will be better. Neil Patrick Harris + Nathen Fillion? How could it not be amazing? Really - your awesome levels will increase.

photo time

Hi folks! I have had such a nice few days. But I don't have much time right now, so here is a photo blog... The f irst few photos are Dr. Horrible induced...also my excitement at Daniel bringing me a new card for my camera! I can now store the technical ammount of "two gajillion" photos.

The next photos are my two sisters and I, outside of the theater where Roxana performed admirably in And Then There Were None - the Agatha Christie. It was hard to get scared with Rosie and Daniel next to me whispering "that's what she said" after every other line.

Then, at dinner (fine dining of Subway) - they decided to neither speak, see, or hear...hardeeharhar.



This is my dad in his kitchen! I don't get to see him nearly often enough - the other night I went over there and we watched Top Chef together and had a heart to heart, which was really nice. He's always busy working (data analyst for Edison International) or coaching soccer, so it's always good to get to go watch movies or talk with him.