Love the Linkage (2_18_12 Edition)

February 18, 2012

I spent this week and the dreaded lovely VDay working for some incredibly sweet (and far too male) nerds, amongst some fantastic tv peeps and in a frantic sense of lethargy. It is mindlessly fantastic to devote days to working for someone else – especially when it takes you far from home. The paycheck is nice of course. I expend a great deal of energy and feel like I accomplished something and did I guess… but end of week finds me spent and my to-do list for my own projects is just as long if not longer. It is, like so many other life states, a balance.

Saturday finds me additionally fatigued from a long ride and feeling like this year is escaping my clutching fingers. Perhaps it is the influence of the exceptional Avery IPA I’m sipping but my bed beckons, the To-Do List just as long. Ah well, let’s cross one item off shall we? On to the linkage…

Information

2 Bookstores opened by Marc Jacobs (LA and NYC). What do books give us? “History. Beauty. Inspiration and Peace.” Will def be visiting Bleecker St. when I’m back in NYC, if nothing else to support the sentiment.

Falls under inspiration to drink more coffee too (espresso version: bottoms up, it isn’t bad for you)

[Read more…]

Leave a Comment Filed Under: Linkage Tagged With: , , , , by

Being

January 4, 2012

Herein is the the thematic underscore to this site. The mission. The objective. The ideal.

Ready?

Be In

That is it.

4 Letters. Believe me if I could have made it 3 I would have.

Ready for the longer version?

BE IN YOUR LIFE.

That is my message.

Go all IN.
Be IN it to win it.
Be happy/content/blissful/thankful/joyous IN the moment.
Be INto you.
Be the central hero or heroine IN your story.
Be IN.

The Why

For far too long I wasn’t IN my own life. I was living a life — a fairly good life — but it wasn’t mine. It took one resounding wake up call where I literally turned around to see who had made the statement in my own head to start me on the path towards change and a better life for me.

It took years to make adjustments and shifts to create a better reality for myself — and that process is ongoing — but I first needed the reminder that I am in control here. I belong IN the driver’s seat IN my own life.

It’s not too late.

You can make the choice to do the same.

BE IN

Under that theme there are the routes: INspiration (coffee), INnformation (books) and INntentional enjoyment (beer).

There is great crossover but generally here is how I break it down:
 

Moments of INspiration (coffee)

Coffee LoveLike the coffee that starts your day, these are the fuels that light your fire. They come in the form of life experiences, lovely images, passionate posts of fellow bloggers, great conversations, great cups of literal coffee, interesting people or the latest workout-high creative inception.

What ignites your heart’s desires and motivate you to be IN and contributing to the world?

Make sure your life is full of them. Treasure them. Use them to kickstart your passions and push you forward.

 

 

INformation about varied and various paths (books)

342/365: BooksThis starts with understanding our own steps forward and steps back. I also love meeting and telling of the INdividuals I meet who are living the Be IN mantra.  If I can pinpoint or posit on them, I’ll share the keys to their engagement with their life.

My lit lover self also enjoys escaping into a novel, reading about a different life, and discovering different people, places and events through a good tale. It is this process that further INforms us as individuals and, by looking at others and having an emotional reaction to a story, INforms you about you.

 

INtentional enjoyment rounds out the triad (beer)

Craft Brew in candlelightAh yes, the beer. Drinking fully of life (and beer) but not to excess or to escape reality. The ideal is to be fully engaged IN where you are. To be able to laugh and be merry IN the moment (with or without beer).

I think that you can find experiences, observations, elements, opportunities and simple pleasures whenever that is what you want.

I strive for the positive spin and search for joy unbounded.

(and I like beer)

 

These three things contribute to a life of being IN.

The objective isn’t to “be different.” The objective is to find our own engaged and happiest normalcy.

We are IN when we appreciate and surround ourselves with the ideas and physical things that we are INto and provide ourselves with happy purpose.

We are writing our own story every day and have the choice to make and mold it to be what we want.

Whatever you are INto, you should be INto you.

I’m Joanna and CBB is let beginning of my process to share my story and be further IN myself. I hope you are able to find inspiration, information and enjoyment here as well.

Now go BE IN YOUR LIFE.

IMG_0475

A note from the (future) archivist: After working over this idea in my head for the last few months I finally googled “Be In.” Apparently Be-IN was a cultural phenomena of the 60s (what wasn’t?) that has seen some recent resurgence in the digital sphere. As I don’t disagree with their calls I’m sticking with mine.

Class dismissed.

Images via Flickr under CC license by yours truly and Magic Madzik (342/365)
3 Comments Filed Under: Blog Post, WednesdayPost Tagged With: , , , , , , , , by

Tales from My Local #1

October 26, 2011

Southern Tier Pumking

I’m that girl that you are not paying any of kind attention to in the corner.

Quietly sipping my beer, nose buried in a screen or maybe even a book at 12:31 on a Friday night.

You might not even glance in my direction but I see you.

With a soft smirk I hear your awkward, rambling, chauvinistic, bombastic, lewd, self effacing conversations.

Oh I know I have been there, so forgive me my judgement.

I might be on the other side even now — you might have really seen me and similarly smirked my snifter of dark brew with hoodie and jeans.

So there, we are even.

I must say, however, you are quite splendid.

Although probably not the way that you intended, you are captivating.

You with your black T bible verse in star wars title theme shirt.

You expounding on the wonderful intricacies of a black pencil skirt by way of flirtation.

You with cowboy boots and miniskirt in a martini bar.

You with Reading Rainbow shirt, getting carded at the bar (sorry you are too young for that to be “retro cool”)

You four who discuss jeans— skinny jeans — for 10 minutes.

You who woo with talk of ultra-marathons being— not to brag or be like whatever or whatever — but it really is god-like.

You, who win the eve, with your Pabst hood up in summer with khaki shorts and black socks pulled up to your shins.

Please keep it up you magnificent specimen of bar culture.

This barfly is amused to no end.

Leave a Comment Filed Under: Bad Barware Bingo, Tales from My Local Tagged With: , by

I like beer… an intro to Tales from My Local

October 26, 2011

I love the idea of having a pub. My “local.”

A casual, comfortable, decent-brew serving place where maybe even a few people, yes, know your name.

The German tradition. The Irish tradition. Where people gather, drink (but not to too excess) and enjoy each other.

Just so we are clear: I’m not a girl who just likes boys who like beer…

I like beer.

Terrapin Side Project #14: Tomfoolery Fall 2011.

I like boys too but that it is a different blog post.

I can tell countless stories of the Ex ordering a gin and tonic, me a stout, and 9 times out of 10 they would be delivered reversed. Even by the waitress that took our orders.

I wish it wasn’t so very eye-brow raising for a gal (me) to say “I was down at the pub the other night taking to this guy…” Which maybe I do say a mite too often.

But my pint companion could be pushing 70 (usually is actually) or 50 or 21. He’s an interesting person to talk to. A kind face with a ready laugh through which I can see a different life and perspective for a while.

He could easily be a she. But I don’t find a whole lot of solo women in bars. Or, if I do, they often aren’t interested in just chatting with me.

So I talk to Dave the bartender down the street about his family back in Ireland while he sips a (no lie) bud and says that the Guinness over here tastes terrible.

I hear about a couple’s recent trip to Europe, their desire to escape the south even though it means leaving their chickens.

The environmentalist tells me about his agriculture research and his daughter’s love woes.

“Get Down” Brown and I share jibes and life advice in equal measure.

That is what I love about a local and beer: it is a communal experience. A pint is poured to be toasted and shared. Kinda like wine but (for me at least) not headache inducing.

My Local

In New York I had my place where I could sit and watch and taste and just be. Surrounded by people yet alone if I wanted. The game(s) would be on and I could read or talk or just take some time to think.

Comfortable and confident. Sipping something yummy.

I’m still searching for my local in Athens. I’ve found some good prospects including a fantastic coffeeshop that has some decent brews on tap regularly and Rasputin by the bottle where I camp out for the weekend to work. But I haven’t found the right place yet.

I’ll keep looking. I hope you find your place. A place. Be it coffeeshop, bar, or bench outside of a store.

A place to enjoy the scenery. Reflect. Laugh, smile or frown at things you see and hear. And, most importantly, to be able to chat with strangers who part as friends.

To me a good local — a good beer — means finding new friends whose names I might never know but whose stories I never forget.

This is all by way of introducing a new passing fancy: Tales from the Local Corner.

The @write_practice the other day was to write about your surroundings. I was sitting staring at my wall at the time and not inspired so instead of writing something fresh I found the first one in my notes and polished it up a bit. So here is the first in a series.

1 Comment Filed Under: Blog Post, Tales from My Local, WednesdayPost Tagged With: , , by
« Previous Page