Peppered Thought – The Spice of Life

The ongoing Gwen Bell “Best of 2009″ idea continues with: Challenge. Something that really made you grow this year. That made you go to your edge and then some. What made it the best challenge of the year for you?

This one is tough. I have some fears that are completely absurd (drive-thrus, Mall Santas, PHONE CALLS?!) so whenever I am able to do one of those things it’s a big little victory for me.

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But a challenge that comes to mind is public speaking. A common fear that most people aren’t bothered about enough to want to get over, for me it’s part of my job.

As an Information Specialist for the city and state, I meet strangers everyday wanting me to tell them about things. Small groups of people are extremely easy to deal with, thanks to all the plays I was involved with in hish school (go Drama!)

But there are times when my boss wants me to give a little speech in meetings, or, like this particular time, ON TELEVISION.

Turns out, if it’s something I know a lot about (like my job), I’m a pro!

It also helps when you’re in an elf get-up and can pretend you’re a sort of character (go drama!)

The ongoing Gwen Bell “Best of 2009″ idea continues with: Moment of peace. An hour or a day or a week of solitude. What was the quality of your breath? The state of your mind? How did you get there?

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I try to take a little time to myself each week. I am completely ashamed to admit wasting water, but my “me” time is usually in the shower. Especially in the winter, it’s the only place I can feel completely warm, safe, and alone to think.

I can take stock of what has happened in the last couple days, what the future week will be like, you know, check in with my inside people.

In the summer I’m able to not waste water when I do this by sitting out on the back porch with a popsicle. Even in the evening it’s still very hot outside, so focusing on keeping the popsicle a solid mass is top priority, but second it gives you time to take a breath and assess everything.

I think if you only take a couple times a year to do this, everything bottles up and you become a ball of stress.

Regularly thinking about pathways and directions in your life keep you on course.

The ongoing Gwen Bell “Best of 2009″ idea continues with: What was your favorite restaurant experience this year?

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Hands down: Sadie’s of New Mexico in Albuquerque. It’s one of those places the locals go, so you know it’s good. We waited about an hour and a half. By then we had built up what it was going to be in our minds and thank the Gods of Mexican Food, it didn’t disappoint.

They’ve won awards and garnered tons of press, all well-deserved. Their salsa is some of the best I have ever had. I’m no salsa connoisseur, but let me tell you a little bit about this reformed picky eater: I Hate Tomatoes. I’m glad that’s out in the open now. That being said, I do not like when my salsa tastes like tomato paste. This salsa was an inferno of magic. As soon as you put it in your mouth, it envelops it and your throat in spiciness. But as soon as you finish eating one chip, you immediately go back for more. It’s just that tasty.

If you don’t believe me, order some and try for yourself.

Being the picky eater that I am, and still pouring face-numbing salsa into my face, I decided to play it safe with just a bean + cheese burro. Notice it isn’t a burrito, a small burro. It was the burro that burritos aspire to be. As big as the oblong plate and bursting, there was cheese on top of it, as well as inside.

I took a bite and gazed inside and thought I saw a dealbreaker. But, what I thought were diced onions (the HORROR!), was actually chopped up potato. Sadie’s, I salute you. I had never even thought of that!

A sort of aside: the busboy that brought us drinks and chips was AMAZING. He was this young kid and although that was probably not his dream job, he busted a** like it was the best job in the world. The Beau and I wrote notes on our bill to him and how we appreciated him. We even tipped a little more because of it.

If you ever find yourself in the Q, go to Sadie’s.

Another installment of word origins!

Hapless – meaning “unfortunate,” first began use in 1568. Stemming from the Old Norse word “happ,” meaning “chance, luck or good fortune.”  Who better to illustrat hapless than Gilligan?

 photo credit: elfie and me

Sundries - meaning “miscllaneous items” from the Old English syndrig “separate, apart, special.” Phrase ‘all and sundry’ first recorded 1389; sundries “odds and ends” is first found 1755.

I love asking my friends random questions, because I get varied answers, and get to know how similar some of them are, despite me meeting them in different places and times in my life.

Childhood toys you wished you still had:

Seattle: sense of wonder

Tucson: glow worm

Grosse Point: kermit with velcro hands

Lubbock Redhead: playdough factory

The Greek: pffft, never got rid of them.

Prescott: lite brite

LZ: there isn’t a name for it weird see-saw puzzle sphere

Al: water babies

Club Coco: monchichi, teddy ruxpin and spirograph or gak

Across the Street: “four letters: TMNT”

Georgia Grits: my bike

Wyoming: sega genesis

Viking: glow worm

My favorite answer is The Greek’s. I still have my blankie I’ve owned since before I was even born. I guess it doesn’t technically count as a toy, but I used to make forts with it a LOT.

What is a chilhood toy you miss?

Remember the scene in Amelie when she finds a little tin treasure box that had been hidden behind the tiles of her powder room?

“…Only excavators of Tutankhamen’s tomb could have known what she felt like, uncovering this.”

Or Addie Loggins’ (Tatum O’Neal) keepsake box with the false bottom in Paper Moon?

These were the only things she held on to from her old life with her mother, before her whole life was turned around by a con artist with a heart of gold.

Having to leave a place without all your belongings is traumatic to anyone, yet she took the things that mattered most to her, and they served her well: a picture of her mother, some of her mothers old perfume and jewelry, cigarettes – all little memories that will comfort her and make sure she never loses that part of her.

Whenever I see things like this, such as a character that only has one suitcase of their belongings, it intrigues me. We have been trained in this capitalist society to buy more stuff buy bigger houses to fit more stuff. When does it end? If there was a fire in your gigantic house, would you be running into your bathroom to grab the soaps carved into roses? No, you’d be grabbing a quilt your grandmother made you and your dog (or children, if the case called for it). It’s these things that are most important to us, so why do we need all the other things? Why do we keep unimportant stuff around?

I have started reading Rowdy Kittens, and became very interested in the subject of downsizing. This couple is downsizing their life because they want to be able to move into a tiny house soon. But they have nothing but good things to say about living with less. Why don’t more of us do that?

I have been inspired to start purging my life as well; the Beau and I are going to have a garage sale to get rid of a lot of stuff, and once the dust settles from that, the real purging can begin.

What would you put in your trinket box?