SHALLOW WORDS AND DEEP THOUGHTS

I was out with my friend S. the other day, when a young couple, female and male, early 20's I'd guess, stopped us and asked if one of us could take their picture. We chitchatted a little, asked them to move into the sunlight for better lighting (we were considerate), took some pictures of them, reviewed those, thought better of it, took better shots, and then went our separate ways. 

When the couple was safely out of earshot, we turned to each other. The conversation went like this:

S:  That girl? She was so pretty! Didn't you think she was pretty?

Me: That's exactly what I was thinking! 

S: I'm so jealous! I wish I was that pretty!* 

Me: Me too!  

(Significant pause.) 

S: She was too good for him.

Me: Oh, hell yeah. 

With the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, there may be a few elements of that conversation that could be improved. For the record, the boyfriend looked fine. He just wasn't exceptional. Not the way she was. She caught your eye, while your gaze might just pass right on over him without stopping. That's not a crime. He could even have been a Getty. Although, based on clothing, I have my doubts. 

Back to the her: based solely on appearances, both of us immediately felt that this girl's looks entitled her to someone better. It seemed perfectly rational at the time. It made sense. Some of the most irrational thoughts always seem perfectly rational. We both had high expectations of this complete stranger. She should do better. She should dump her nice boyfriend, and get herself someone more in her league. Her looks league.   

What were the assumptions behind this line of reasoning. Do good looks naturally lead to higher expectations? Do we assume that she had all these better choices, and then chose this somewhat blah guy? Did he trick her? Is he, in fact, evil? 

In future, I will probably reflect less on other people's choices, and more on my own line of reasoning.

* For reference purposes, she looked like a younger version of actress Kelly Hu. Hu is probably best known for being really hot on the Scorpion King. Check it out. 

ON THE SOUL AND THE MIND

Interesting. Do you believe this?

FUN LINKS

Street Art

Writing

The Trick of Life

You're trying to finish your book. It's not working. Nothing is working. In fact, your book sucks. What do you do? Here's what one man did.

Creativity

The Creative Process

Finally, you can diagram this. Here's what it looks like.

Running

7 Things You're Probably Not Paying Attention to When You Run (But Should Be)

Do you run for exercise? Want to do it better? Let me put this another way - do you want to limit your injuries? Well, you're in luck. Here's some tips.

Recipes

Baked Eggs with Chickpea and Spinach

Beauty

DIY Beauty: Thyme to Tame the Breakouts

There are a lot of expensive acne products out there. This one's simple and natural. 

Work

Why You Hate Work

According to this, people that hate their jobs are in the majority. That's the majority of your day spent doing something you hate.

Style
Why French Girls Dress Like a "Clone Army"
Everyone seems to want to be more French, including me. Here's a different perspective.

SLEEP IS GOOD

Small changes.

Sleep is a necessity. Sleep is a luxury. You know what makes sleep better? A sleep mask. It blocks out all ambient light, and helps you really get the most of those precious Zzzzz's. 

A recent discovery. 

BODY THOUGHTS

It's Friday, and I have a subscription to US Weekly. It was a gift. From a friend. 

Because I kept reading her copies. Oh well, secret's out. You won't see a copy of James Joyce's Ulysses hanging around in my bathroom. Of course, you won't see US Weekly either, because that's gross. 

Most of it is exactly what you would expect, but sometimes, in the The Body Issue of all things, certain celebrities have some interesting things to say. 

"I really love myself. I'm comfortable in my own skin."
- Charlize Theron

"My Grandmother wore daisy dukes until she was 70! She loved her legs. And my mom wore plunging necklines. They were good examples for me."
- Jessica Alba

"I'm pretty healthy so I think that helps a lot. I've been that way for a long time - 20 solid years of eating vegetarian, vegan and taking care of myself."
- Jared Leto

I know. It's right there, on the tip of your tongue - if I looked like that, I'd love and take care of myself too. Thanks, genetics!

But what about just caring deeply about yourself? And then drawing nourishment from the well of love you have for yourself? How would you behave? 

Differently or the same?

REQUEST FOR SUBMISSIONS

So here's a new chapter. 

I'm requesting and accepting submissions to be published on this blog, because I like to know about people and what they do. If you've ever talked to someone about what they love, it's like the best kind of disease, because when they open up, they release a creative spark, and if yours happens to be dim at the moment, you can catch something. I believe that enthusiasm is contagious and indiscriminate, and in the same way that you follow, say, Tolstoy's daily habits and learn something, you can do that same with your peers.

*PLEASE SEND SUBMISSIONS TO writeandamuse@gmail.com*

So here goes:

Submissions should answer the following questions, but these can change according to topic:

Who or what inspires you? 

This is for picture purposes.

What are you passionate about doing? 

This can be writing, drawing, travel, or anything really, as long as it genuinely drives you. 

How do you express this passion or interest? 

Pretty simple really: if you like to paint, what do you paint?

How do you stay inspired? 

Short burst of passion are commonplace, but it's the long term commitment, the every day dedication that is hard. What do you do to keep that interest alive? What is the day to day process? 

I'm going to put this request in the header bar, and see what happens.

Send an email over to writeandamuse@gmail.com

MAYA ANGELOU: STILL I RISE

Maya Angelou passed away this week, and with her goes greatness. I could say something here, but nothing encapsulates her better than her own words. When you read Still I Rise, you can't help but come alive in your skin. Try it. 

Still I Rise

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may tread me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns
With the certainty of tides,
Just like the hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Doesn't you take it awful hard
'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines 
Diggin' in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes.
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise 
I rise
I rise

- Maya Angelou

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

THE NEW 10 COMMANDMENTS 

1 Laugh.
2 Read.
3 Say please.
4 Floss.
5 Doubt.
6 Exercise.
7 Learn.
8 Don't hate.
9 Cut the bullshit.
10 Chill. 

- @TheTweetOfGod

HOUSEKEEPING

A few notes on the blog, since I've been thinking about this for awhile. I want to implement a few changes. Nothing majorly dramatic, but in the interest of refocusing the content. So, a few things of note:

I want this blog to be a positive space, a good and safe space, where people can share what inspires them, and what inspires their creative process. I'm curious about what other people do, where resources they use to stay inspired, and will make a formal post regarding submissions. Soon.  

I've relabeled the description to reflect this semi-new direction. 

Have you ever noticed that the same information gets recycled over and over again? There really is nothing new under the sun sometimes. Many people post quotes and habits from established authors and geniuses. This is not to say that's not inspiring stuff, but don't you want something that you haven't seen somewhere else? That's the reasoning behind wanting to track down new perspectives. This leads me to...

My next goal, which is just to find information that makes life better. I wish I had a more glamorous topic, the usual hair/makeup/outfits/kittens/recipe posts that I personally find addicting to a degree that is embarassing. But what I'm looking to do here is to focus on internal change, and to nurture that internal creative spark. I want to find ways to make life better. Unfortunately, this is not sexy stuff and it translate well into hot looking posts. The other stuff (fashion, etc.), while fun, sometimes distracts from important internal work. For example, I have five other tabs open while I'm writing this post. This needs to end. 

Another thing: there is a Follow by Email widget on the bottom right of this blog. I don't handle that at all, and do not have access to anyone's email account who has signed up. This may be a good or a bad thing, but if there are problems with it, I can find another way to let people know about posts.

So...I will probably not post as regularly, but I am also gradually going to make this more personal. This is not to say that I will ever suddenly make posts about myself in different outfits. That's not going to happen. I have a basic uniform, and that's not where I want to focus my creative energy. But I will try to use pieces from my life to flesh out ideas. I feel sometimes that I've been playing it too safe with this blog, and that there's been no attempt to make a genuine connection. So there will be changes in that direction, and hopefully I will not turn into a whiny narcissist, because we all have our demons. 

If you have suggestions or questions, just ask.  

PICTURE FOR THE WEEKEND NO. 30

Finally got around to biking the Golden Gate Bridge. It's a lovely structure, the bridge. Here's my rented bike, as proof.