Sweeping Out My Cyber Space

Yep, I’m working on a little cyber housekeeping here at EyeJunkie.  November was a very fruitful month for me in mind and spirit, particularly during the 12 Days of Thanksgiving adventure in daily posting.  Although I was on a mission to pay daily attention to giving thanks, I found that the whole month was filled with posting ideas as well as experiences, words and snapshots that begged to be studied more carefully.  But, with my mind mulling the 12 Days, those thoughts have been left to simmer (and perhaps write themselves into posts :).  November also marked my 6-month blogging anniversary which went unacknowledged but not forgotten on the 6th.  It served mainly as a reminder that I’m due for some cyber housekeeping.

Housekeeping chores include decluttering the categories and tags, fine-tuning some of the photos and illustrations, soul-searching the general pages, maybe adding or retooling a few widgets, or reorganizing sidebars.  Yes, WordPress Dude and I will become best buds.  Like Charlie Brown, I’m prone to wishy-washy-ness when it comes to some of these things, so the three of you who visit regularly are likely to see some experimentation.

I’m also feeling the urgency of prioritizing some of the post ideas that are resurfacing–wary of that use it or lose it rule that applies to french fries and writing topics.  At some point, I hope to put flesh on a review of a great mystery I read, lessons from my 3 1/2 year-old’s fledgling prayers, some comments on Mumbai, Baby Girl’s first two Gift Tags, a praise for something God’s been teaching us about Himself, a few lists, more Montgomery Madness and a poem that’s slowly swirling in my brain.

During the next week, I’m also putting the final thoughts together on a special “event” celebrating Christmas.  I’ll be posting a series of “nativity scenes” starting on December 12 that will count down to Christmas day.  Similar to my Thanksgiving adventure, the 12 Days of Christmas will include poems reflecting on various “scenes” and “characters” in the story of Christ’s birth.  I’ll be posting “invitations” in my social media accounts and sending emails as well.  I hope you’ll surf by with a little comment love.  My hope is to still my mind and reflect again on the incredible story of Emmanuel. 

So, stay tuned!  I’m getting the house ready for company.

4th Day of Thanksgiving: Nacho Love

Yep, over a handful of Doritoes the other day, I started recording my thoughts pen to napkin with cheese dust and all. They inspired me to seize the moment and go low-tech–although I prefer to think of it as grass-roots thought processing.  I was having some homemade “nachos” and thinking about how good they were.

When it comes to what inspires a grateful heart, sometimes we forget about the little things and the simple pleasures they bring.  For a few moments on Monday, squished in between pumping for breast milk, zooming across town to work and the umpteen details flying through my brain, I was very thankful for nacho cheese Doritoes–their yummy crunch and the orange cheese dust they leave on your fingers.  They brought a momentary jolt of “Mmmm” to the morning and a yummy contentment.  It’s amazing the delight a simple lunch can bring when, just for today, you throw food groups to the wind and settle on something you might have chosen as a pre-teen. With no husband or children’s nutritional health to consider, I indulged myself in Doritoes, cheese and bacon bits for 15 minutes of no dietary accountability.  It got me thinking about some of the other “brands” we buy that provide similar simple pleasures–the names that routinely up our level of contentment.  Most aren’t necessities.  But, I appreciate the “extra” they add to my life.  Here’s my “thanks” list:

1.  Doritoes:  My favorite go-to snack is a pan full of the cheese clad triangles with grated sharp cheddar and bacon bits on top.  I broil them for a few seconds, and my taste buds sing with crunchy gratitude.

2.  Huggies:  I know it’s not “green,” and I realize that my family has it’s own personalized plot at the land fill.  Nevertheles, I’m thankful for these life-saver diapers and pull-ups that make the daily “tee tee” and “doo doo” of life a little more bearable.

3.  Apple:  My parents gave me a Mac iBook in April and it’s amazing how much unexpected convenience and fun it’s provided–like this blog, a way to do my day job when kids are home sick, and an organized address book.  Life’s little plus signs.

4.  Hersheys:  Need I say more?

5.  Lipton:  Their family size decaf tea bags gave me my much needed sweet tea fix during pregnancy and now while I’m breastfeeding Baby Girl.  Key word = Decaf.  Three tea bags, four scoops of sugar and one gallon jug of water.  Ahhh!

6.  Vietri:  This company makes the “everyday” china we got when we married–Cucina Fresca in “saffron and sage” and the creamy Fiori de Bosci ”Italian earthenware” patterns.  The combo works well together and I like the variety.  I have almost a full 12 place settings combined.  And, yes, my toddlers use them.  Little Drummer Boy prefers green.

7.  Fisher Price: Thank you for hours of imaginative play and made up story lines with Little People Farm, Little People Noah’s Ark, Little People Airplane, Little People First Thanksgiving, Little People Nativity, Little People Garage, Little People Dump Truck…  Shall I go on?

8.  Hallmark:  In addition to the great musical cards my kids love, the Peanuts valentines and the great holiday ho-ho trims, I am especially excited this year because my entry into the myHoliday Product Red card contest was selected as a top 20 finalist!  I’m thankful for much-needed prize bucks, and the ego boost of seeing my design in print with the Hallmark logo!  Go here to vote for a winner and buy cards.

9.  Sesame Workshop:  I am in awe of the talents of Kevin Clash and his ability to entertain the 39-year-old, 36-year-old, 3 1/2-year-old and 2-year-old in our house with falsetto and a goldfish.  The 2-month-old has even started to get interested.  I’m thankful for all things Elmo (or ‘Mo as Squiggle calls him)!

10.  Crayola:  ”Washable” sums it up for us.  Their easy-to-clean crayons, markers and paint have helped produce some of the masterpieces that grace our walls.  They come off counter-tops and t-shirts.  Even Little Drummer Boy’s favorite red.  An added bonus for Squiggle is that they come in a box he can load and unload repeatedly.

11.  Dreft:  Gentle and unscented for baby’s protection, this stuff packs a punch in the washing machine.  It’s great at cleaning spit-up, throw-up, mud and red marker (see #10).  I’m thankful that it gives me the freedom to say, “it’s ok, we can wash it.”  

12.  Adobe:  Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Freehand–these are tools of my trade.  I’m thankful for “text-flow,” “paste-inside,” “flip horizontal,” and “check links sitewide.”  And, I’m thankful that “undo” daily removes the fear of experimentation and makes mistakes easy to erase.  If only the rest of life carried such a function!

Fa La La Finalist

I decided on whim to enter a design for this online Hallmark Christmas card contest, and now, I’m a finalist.  Wow!  The sale of the cards and the matching donation for the finalist prizes go to benefit the Hallmark (RED) campaign which works to eliminate AIDS and other devastating diseases in Africa.  Thank you to Annie, my friend at SisterWisdom.com for letting me know about the contest.  I got her email at about 10:00pm on Sunday night before the contest deadline on Monday morning.  The boys were in bed and I was awake in my third trimester-my body’s trying to get me ready for 3am feedings mode, so I decided to go for it.  It was one of those serendipitous moments–the idea of hands overlapping to form a Christmas tree reaching for the star came to mind right away and seemed to really reflect the mission of (RED).  The design came together quickly with the message “merry and bright. share love. share light.)  An hour later I uploaded my entry!  I was stunned and grateful that it was chosen as one of the finalists.

Go to the Hallmark contests site and vote for my hands in their mini-contest starting Oct. 13 and in the final contest in mid-November!

August

August: New Little One

Day Job: Launching a New Company Logo

The classic marketing conundrum:  My logo is outdated and inaccurate, but people know it well.  How can I introduce a new, snazzy look without alienating my current clients or staff?  It’s a question I get a lot in my day job.  

The answer:  plan, plan, plan.  The marketplace is completely familiar with the concept of upgrading, and they’ll come along with you on your journey to revamp your image.  But, they don’t like surprises.  Involve your clients and staff in the process, and you’ll come out not only looking, but smelling like a marketing genius. 

Here’s my eHow article with some tips.  Click and comment!

How to Introduce A New Logo to Your Customer Base

A Creativity Treat

Business tips.  IT solutions.  Weekly coupons.  Parenting ideas.  Ways to go green.  Child development.  All things Mac.  Various blog alerts.  New Hallmark goodies.

I get a lot of Ezines–you know those mini magazines and at-a-glance hints that filter through your in box every day or week or month with usually lots of advertising links and sometimes a few good ideas.  But, this one from Jupiter Images is my FAVORITE!  

Yes, it has it’s share of advertisements, but in it’s consistently concise top three “treats,” it never fails to somehow turn over my giggle box or get my creative juices going.  It’s mainly targeted at designers, but who doesn’t need a little creativity boost or shot of fun?

It has introduced me to this crazy way to pass the spare time — making Presidential Candidate Finger Puppets from the website folduscandidate.com, complete with downloadable candidate templates, a countdown to election day, instructional videos and a rockin’ beat (”body movin’ body movin’ a sound so soothin’)!  The things designers do to pass the time!

I also found this cool tool at Add-Art that replaces all the annoying internet advertising boxes on FireFox with great artwork from around the world–in this case Renoir in various states of cropping.  It beats AT&T and IcelandAir any day.

Then, I got to see this exhibit of posters by top graphic designers shown at Florida’s Wolfsonian called “Thoughts on Democracy” and highlighting some modern takes on Norman Rockwell’s Four Freedoms.  I’m still pondering “Democracy is the Helvetica of Politics.”  Hmmm.  There’s another post in there somewhere.

And, most recently, let me test my typography and pop culture acumen with this quiz from the Chicago Tribune challenging us to identify the magazine logos these letters came from.  It’s multiple choice.

Yep!  Subscribe to this one.  It’s a creativity treat!

17 Days on the Wagon

Yeah.  The Junkie has been on the wagon for the last 17 days.  In some situations, being on the wagon is very good (and I mean VERY.)  But for EyeJunkie–not so much.  It’s been 17 days since I posted anything that was meaningful and “right now.”  Yes, I’ve posted interesting photographs, some poetry I’ve been wanting to add, links to freelance articles–but nothing that really speaks to where my soul is at the moment.  That usually means that I can’t really put my finger on where my soul is at the moment.  Not good. 

I know I probably need to write.  I want to write.  I think.  Still, I’m kicking, screaming, and procrastinating.  It’s taken me three days to write this post.  But, here I go.  Finally, a tumble off the wagon.

Why so long between fixes?

1.  I have legitimate reasons.  (said defensively to myself)  I’m 8-months pregnant for crying out loud.  The ETA for the divine Miss M is five weeks away.  It’s July and hotter than the devil’s domain. But, I’m still hot-flashing, so my internal temperature is about 135 degrees.  Just standing on the porch makes me sweaty and out of breath.  Heck, just standing period makes me sweaty and out of breath.  There’s no room in my lap for Squiggles or my Little Drummer Boy, let alone both.  So, somebody has to sit ON Miss M, which makes me feel like I’m about to birth her right now!  I need a nap after just taking a shower.  I can’t see my toenails, let alone paint them which is really a moot point anyway since my feet won’t fit into any cute sandals at the moment.  So, writing is not really at the top of the list, ok.

Whew!  It felt good to get that out of the way.  Sometimes a little whining at the top of your lungs does the trick, but I’m getting a grip now.

2.  I have nothing to write about.  At least, that’s the surface reaction.   But, since writing is inevitably tied to thinking, it usually means my brain is so FULL I can’t get a handle on articulating my thoughts.  I can’t get my hands around what’s going on inside.  No thoughts = no writing.  The complexities of daily activities and the unexpected effects of all the change in our lives make for quite a juggling act.  Even the most expert jugglers sometimes find themselves with too many balls in the air.  Every action turns into a reaction–thoughts to a minimum relying on an overactive coping mechanism.  My instinct is to go with it and try to keep the balls in the air at all costs.  Unfortunately, that’s usually the last thing I need to do.  

My solution–drop a few balls.  Drop them all.  They don’t break.  They just bounce.  That gives me the chance to examine them, see where they go, find out where they roll to a stop.  My friend calls it “Take 10.”  Presto.  I CAN actually think and decide and act — and write!  And, for me, writing means I can think better.  Pretty soon I’m back to juggling, just with a little more balance and not as much Tylenol.

3.  I have too much to write about.  At least, that’s how it seems when I get like a creative deer in the headlights.  You see, I like to use the nifty “stickies” feature on my Mac.  One is devoted to writing ideas.  Only, now my one has expanded to two.  Stickies — my frenemy.  Ideas are good.  They’re great when paired with freedom.  But, when they start to become a burden, they can produce creative paralysis.  I’m intimidated and overwhelmed by the sheer possibilities.  I’m at a total standstill.  

My solution–choose a starting place, one idea.  Whether I’m writing, designing or planning a birthday party, the first step is choosing a place to begin and then having the courage to follow through.  I can begin anywhere.  Ideas aren’t precious.  They’re not my children.  They are just ideas, baby thoughts that may or may not grow.  It’s ok not to explore them all.  One that’s half-baked now might get all warm and bubbly sometime later.  In my creative pursuits, I must strike a balance between giving myself a break and holding myself to a healthy state of accountability.  When that balance finds its place, creativity can flourish.

So, here’s to falling off the wagon without getting bruised!  Let the writing begin again.

July

“July: Can”  created at wordle.com