A photography group I belong to gave us an interesting challenge: take interesting photos of things within one minute walking distance of your home. Their suggestions included smoke curling upward, a photo of your spouse, or a back lit spider web. I didn't find any spider webs, and dust bunnies didn't seem nearly as photogenic. So I went looking for other possibilities.

It was really fun looking at everything around me in a different way - with an eye toward what would make an appealing photograph.

A single branch against the sky took on its own artistic qualities, and seemed to tell me something, instead of standing there blandly as I walked right past, like every other day.

Branch against the sky

Orange on a blue plate

Related posts:

1. Your world is as big as you make it
2. One must have the adventurous daring

Wait - back up... It's not good to start a blog post with a lie, is it?

I DO know why birthdays evoke such a mix of emotions. First off, phrases like "getting older" - well, let's just say I live in a world of denial where this doesn't exist. Then there's the annual question - "another year, and what have I accomplished?" No matter what I've done, it's never as much as I could have or should have. And finally, there's the loss of something irreplaceable - one year of a finite life is gone forever.

On the plus side, I'm always happy for any reason to celebrate!! It's just that this particular party comes with a bunch of baggage.

Birthday wishes and wisdom

Fortunately, we now have Facebook! Getting birthday wishes from boatloads of Facebook friends around the world, and replying to each one, inspires new feelings of gratitude.

It reminds me of all the friends I've made over the years, the places, the adventures, and all the fun times I've shared with people.  Though I prefer counting my birthdays backwards, it reminds me that I really wouldn't give up a single one of those years.  (Days and weeks, definitely, just not years!)

And nestled in this deluge of birthday greetings were a few nuggets of wisdom, that are good to remember not only on a birthday, but throughout the year, too.

May you blow out all the candles and may all your dreams and wishes come true! - To me, this is a reminder to never let your dreams fade away.  They'll only come true if you keep them bright, refer to them often, and remember them when the candles are in front of you.

Once more around the sun. Well done! Hope today is awesome and sets the minimum bar for every day going forward. - Do I have a bar for days going forward, or do I just let day after day pass on by?  If I want more awesome days, it's up to me to make it happen!

Have a great birthday, oh all-powerful wench! - What a great reminder that we're not just helpless victims.  We really are powerful, and we create our own reality!

How time flies....seems like it was just last year you had one of these. If you were here I would have let you celebrate by shoveling snow!! - Now this is a reminder to be grateful for things we don't have, as well as those we do.  Not shoveling snow is now on my gratitude list!

You worked hard all year long to get here, so go out and make some great memories. - It's true - we do work hard all year to get to wherever we are.  This goes with the "powerful" part above - we create our own realities.  Everything I've done so far has gotten me to this point.  And if this point next year is going to be different (with a bunch more happy memories along the way), who's going to make it happen?

Dance, laugh, mainly pamper yourself. Cheers! -  Why wait for a birthday?  We could be nice to ourselves every day.  I don't mean daily facials (though that would be nice!) - but why not dance more, laugh often, and do a little pampering frequently?  How hard would that be, and wouldn't life be happier for it?

Enough philosophizing for now...  I've got some dancing to do! 

On the downside, no A report card so far!   On the upside, I've identified 5 simple rules to make sure your resolutions fail.

Failure is achievable - you can do it!

5 Simple rules to achieving failure

Don't allocate time in your schedule for new tasks.  Simple, and so effective!  I have a very full work schedule, that goes until after midnight most nights.  Why not add a resolution to do daily writing, without changing the schedule?  Saying "every day from 9 to 10" would be far too simple - introducing a recurring scheduling dilemma is much more effective. While this rule on its own won't guarantee failure, it's a big step in the right (wrong?) direction!

Make your new tasks as big as possible. This fits hand in glove with the rule above.  It's not such a big deal if 15-minute tasks aren't scheduled.  But give yourself tasks that could easily take 1/2 day each, and then try to squeeze them into a full schedule - now we're talking!  You can easily expand the work with a couple of judicious words - for example, "write and publish".  Those extra two words add all the time needed to find graphics, quotes, links, do formatting and testing.  See what I mean?

Avoid setting clear priorities. The recurring schedule dilemmas are much more fun if you can also question the priority of your resolution several times a day.  Whenever you think about working on it, just say "is this really more important than issue X that is sitting in front of me?"  Every time you ask this question and the answer falls in favor of issue X, your failure probability goes up!

Add other big changes at the same time. Simply put, the more things you try to change at the same time, the greater your chance of failure.  So if you started the month with a single resolution, like writing something every day, find something else you can add to the mix. Perhaps this is also a good time to start a new exercise program.  And why not start getting up a few hours earlier, too?

So tired... Can't go on...

Minimize your physical capacity. The more energy you have, the more you can accomplish. For the purpose of failure, aim for the opposite.  One possibility I can recommend, is starting a kick-butt bootcamp workout, so early that you need to get up about the time you're used to going to bed.  The schedule change will mean you're always tired, and an aggressive workout can leave every muscle in your body aching.  With physical and mental deterioration like this, just watch your results sink through the floor!

Note: Be careful about working out. If done on a regular basis, it can actually lead to the opposite results, increasing your energy, focus, and capacity. When you're looking for the way to failure, avoid that consistency - you want big changes, all at the same time.

That's it! With these 5 simple rules, you can set yourself up for almost certain failure, on any resolution or goal. See how easy that is?

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Plenty of lessons learned here! I'm working on course corrections to try to salvage my monthly resolution, but I sure set it up for failure! I think I may have a hidden talent here, since I wasn't even trying - all these rules just came naturally!
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Related posts:

1. The number of times I fail?
2. New Year's travel resolutions and resolution aids
3. New Month's Resolution: Write something

It's one of the greatest feelings in the world. You step through the door of the airplane, out onto the metal stairs. Sultry tropical air greets you, heavenly after the chilly plane. Palm trees sway against a bright blue sky, and in an instant, you realize "normal life" is gone. You are now on a tropical island.

This is my vision of one of those perfect moments in life. Now in order to recreate this, there are a few key things to include.

Love the old-fashioned stairs

First of all, the stairs. I love stepping out onto old-fashioned roll-up stairs instead of a jetway. You get the immediate impact of your new location -- taking one step gets you outside right away, instead of wandering through yet another airport hallway. It's an obvious difference from all the other airports you fly through. And there's something special about the stairs that reminds me of the old days of travel. Walking down the stairs seems more romantic and exotic, and I can picture being in an old movie... Walking down a jetway doesn't have the same effect at all!

Next, the weather. It must be balmy. Arriving during a record cold snap or a drenching rain storm could be an interesting experience in its own right, but it just doesn't fit with this vision. In the perfect moment I'm envisioning, it has to be balmy.

Airplanes are almost always freezing cold, so the contrast between stepping out of the cold plane, into the marvelously warm tropical weather, is fabulous. You know you're somewhere wonderful when you have to immediately start shedding layers. Ditch that extra sweater you wore for the plane. You're in the tropics now!

Nothing says tropics like palm trees

Then there are the sights. There's nothing dull or grey about the tropics, it's all about bold, vivid colors. And you need palm trees. Now I know that not all tropical islands have palm trees, and that some places have palm trees even though they're neither tropical nor islands! However, it's my vision and I love palm trees, and even cartoonists know that a palm tree indicates a tropical island.

There's nothing that says tropics quite like palm trees waving in the breeze. Add a wide blue sky, some turquoise water, and splashes of colorful bougainvillea, and you have a brilliant, beautiful welcome as you step out of that plane.

Whether you're in the Caribbean or the South Pacific, savor that first moment. It's right then that you know you've arrived. The "real world" of normal life becomes a distant memory, as this island life takes its place. The rest of your vacation is bound to be wonderful too, but that first moment is one of the greatest.

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I'm in the British Virgin Islands now, on one of our BVI sailing vacations. Sure enough, stepping out of the plane in St. Thomas was just like this -- a perfect introduction to the islands.
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Related posts:

1. British Virgin Islands - How to get to the BVI
2. San Juan Islands by float plane (video)
3. Ireland - A vanished life in the Blasket Islands

Reality is the leading cause of stress amongst those in touch with it."
~ Jane Wagner

Funny and true! Especially when reality is as full of stress-causers as it is these days!

Geez, Louise -- you can't turn on the news or walk past a newspaper stand, without seeing more dismal news. And for millions of people, it's not just bad stuff on the news - it's real life. I tell you, it's enough to turn a person into a giant screaming ball of stress!

Of course I'm bleeping stressed!!

But wait... I've taken stress management courses before, and their mantra was that "You're the only person who can cause yourself stress."

That's right. You're to blame for the stress, too, so why not add a little more guilt for that too?

Now they do have a point, I admit. Feeling like a helpless victim is never useful. Other people and situations can present you with a certain trigger or set of facts -- a certain reality. After that, it's up to you to decide how to react to it.

If you get bad news -- whether it's a pink slip, a medical diagnosis, or a Dear Jane letter, how do you react to it? With tears of despair, or steely resolve, or eruptions of anger, or an icy calm? Do you want to try out that primal scream, or take a baseball bat to somebody's car, or curl up into a tiny ball and disappear?

It's certainly true that we do control our reactions to situations. We've all seen cases where multiple people are all presented with the same circumstances, yet they react in different ways, some empowering and helpful, others disempowering and self-destructive.

However, it seems only logical to admit that while we have a range of emotions and reactions available to us, it's a limited range.

Surely nobody except a superhuman ice machine could lose their job, lose their home, lose their health care, or face financial ruin, and NOT be under stress. Even if you're in the "steely resolve" reaction phase, and moving forward in every way you can to bring about positive change, there's still stress involved. How could there not be?

So I guess that means I agree with the comedian more than the stress management experts who have done their best to educate me otherwise... Reality IS the leading cause of stress!

What do you think?

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I'm down in Tucson now, for a mini-vacation. As much as I know I should be back in the office working, I find that a getaway now and then is so important to clear my head, and get a little sense of space back. It's one of those Catch-22's -- the more we're stressed, the more we need a break, and the less we feel able to take one. (But of course I *did* bring the computer!)
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Related posts:

1. Wilde about the senses
2. Is not life a hundred times too short. . .

A recent post on Travelogger argued that in spite of the current economic turmoil, this winter could be a good time to travel.  Holiday rush aside (which is always a zoo at major airports), they could have a point.

The primary reason they cite is that for those of us in the US, things are apt to get better economically after the election is over.  I can't say for sure if this is true or not, but there is some logic to it.  Whoever wins the election, it will accomplish two things for sure:  (a) usher in a change from the current unpopular administration, and (b) lessen the uncertainty level, once we know the outcome of the election.  In addition, the winner will have a incentive to make things better for normal Americans.  There are all those campaign promises, after all!

Travelogger:  Why you should travel in winter

Of course the other big reason to vacation in the winter is to escape the winter!  I lived up north enough years to know how appealing a warm, tropical getaway can be when January and February roll around. By then, winter always felt like "enough already"! 

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Gee, I hope they're right, and things really do improve for us after the election!  Then people could stop dreading the financial news, and get back to the important things...  Sailing in the Virgin Islands, or exploring the Costa Rica rainforest...
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Related posts:

1. Back to the Balmy Breezes,Virgin Islands
2. There's no cure like travel

San Francisco Bay, from the Golden Gate Bridge

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A few days later, the scene was a bit more crowded! Fleet Week gets all the once-a-year boaters out on the water, and everybody heads for the middle of the bay. If you want to rent a sailboat for this time, book early, and be prepared for an extra-steep deductible, since the folks at the Modern Sailing Academy in Sausalito said this amateur hour leads to accidents every year.  It's easy to see how!  There were hundreds of boats out here near Alcatraz, all jockeying for position, while craning their necks and peering up at the sky.  Some were anchored, some were motoring about, some drifted slowly with the current, and occasional show-offs tacked through the crowd under full sail.

Fleet Week crowd near Alcatraz

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And here's what everybody was waiting for -- the Blue Angels.  They were the featured act, following a number of other air show entries, which were pretty astounding in their own right.  But there's nothing like seeing (and hearing) the angels roar over your boat as they zoom over the bay in impossibly tight formation.  They do a lot of stunts over the water, and from a boat on the bay, you feel like you're right in the middle of the action.  Very impressive!

Blue Angels, buzzing the bay

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All in all, the day was a blast!  We had a nice sail on the bay, then lunch anchored by Angel Island (the day before the island burned, as it turns out).  Follow that with the thrills of the air show (and the attendant boat show), and you've got the makings of a great day!

Just one caveat.  If you go, make sure one person on board is keeping an eye on the boat traffic, and you're not all shooting plane pix at the same time. It's a zoo out there!

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I was in San Francisco for our annual San Francisco and Napa Valley trip.  We do some hiking, some sightseeing, some wine tasting - and even a sunset sail on the bay. Fall is the perfect time of year there, too!

Related posts:

1. Maltese Falcon - with and without the fire
2. San Francisco - home again
3. Photo: Napa Valley, vine-covered winery

Thank goodness we had a guide with us!

Today started out as a beautiful blue-sky Monday morning.

But by this afternoon I realized it was really a black day.  Or perhaps a black & blue day?

The bailout plan went down to defeat, as did the stock market. Shock waves are circulating.  For many, it's a day of profound uncertainty. Insecurity. Doubt. Fear.

Our economy is certainly on a wild ride right now. It reminds me of the white water rafting trip we took last week, out on the Rio Grande. I'll tell you now -- whitewater rafting seemed a whole lot safer!

On the rafting trip, our guide was in control, and knew exactly what he was doing. He'd calmly give instructions as we approached a set of rapids. "Everybody ahead 3 ... Ahead 2 more... Now all back hard!" Before you knew it, we'd successfully twisted & turned & navigated another rapid. After a few of those, we all had complete confidence in him.
- - The difference with the economy is that we don't know who's in charge. It's like our guide has fallen out of the boat, and we're left with us beginners trying to get through the rapids. People mean well, but nobody has the expertise.  Some are doing "ahead 3" while others are doing "back hard", and the net result is that we're not navigating anything - we're just going as the rapids take us.

In the safety talk before the rafting trip, they showed us the line they can throw if you fall out of the boat. They also said it rarely works, so if you fall out, plan to take care of yourself - don't count on getting a lifeline.
- - Gee, that seems a lot like this economic situation. The big guys may get lifelines, but us normal people are on our own.

If you fall out of the boat in the rapids, the advice is (a) don't panic, and (b) lie on your back and float downstream feet first, using your feet to fend off the rocks.
- - OK, we're trying, but floating was a lot easier when we learned it back in a swimming pool. It's a whole different story when you're shooting through the rapids, trying to see ahead enough to fend off those rocks, absorbing various bumps & bruises, and trying to keep your head above water.  And the "don't panic" advice is easier said than done!

Once you reach calm water, turn over and swim aggressively toward the boat.
- - OK, so economically speaking, where's the calm water? When will we get there? Since our guide fell out of the boat, none of us have a clue.

Then there are the experts, who can shoot the rapids in their little kayaks.  No need for a guide, they're having a great old time.
- - These are the people who did really well today, talking about how much $ they made short selling as the market plummeted.

The rest of us are back here floundering - either in the boat, arguing about which way to paddle as we bounce off the rocks, or floating downstream on our own, fending off with our feet, and trying not to panic.

I really wish our guide was back!

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We were rafting as part of our Santa Fe & Taos tour, and it was a lot of fun!  Santa Fe is a lovely city with a unique atmosphere, and there's a lot more in New Mexico, too.  Geez, I wish I was still out there in the high desert, blissfully unaware of the stock market news!
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Related posts:

1. Arizona water policy = don't ask
2. Moving forward in today's economy
3. Taos, New Mexico - Rio Pueblo Gorge (video)

What was once frowned down upon as unladylike, trivial, and shocking, is now done openly and with the approval of the beholders. Perhaps nothing illustrates this so much as the riding of the bicycle."
~ Dr. Gracie Ritchie

Egad - a woman on a bike!

Would you believe it - a woman with a bike!!  And she's not even wearing a proper dress, she's not...

Thank goodness times have changed, and adventurous wenches can now ride bicycles, tromp about in hiking boots, or go white-water rafting (our next escapade), without endangering the safety of male onlookers.

We certainly owe a debt of gratitude to all those women who came before who pushed the envelope, and broke the rules, and step by step gained more freedoms and rights for women.

We take this almost for granted now, and it's shocking to read of countries where women aren't allowed to drive, or have to get permission from their father or husband to travel, or get stoned to death for adultery.

Even in the US, it wasn't that long ago that women had no right to vote, and the suffragettes had to fight and suffer so that we now have our voice in politics too.

It's hard to imagine living under the restrictions that women faced in the past, or face today in other countries.  I'm SO happy to be living in a time and place where women have more opportunities than ever before -- in work, in lifestyle, in politics, and (of course) in bicycling!

Wonder what this guy would have thought of bike shorts?

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I'm in New Mexico now, with our women's trip to Santa Fe & Taos.  This morning we're going whitewater rafting on the Rio Grande.  If I get any decent photos I'll post them later.  I bet this guy would think it's a decidedly unladylike thing to do.  Hah!
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Related posts:

1. Ireland says NO to EU
2. Valentine's thoughts for singles
3. Lucille Ball: One thing I learned the hard way

And there's no cure like travel to help you unravel the worries of living today. When the poor brain is cracking, there's nothing like packing a suitcase and sailing away."

(from Anything Goes) ~ Cole Porter

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You're slaving away in a stressful job, with a daily to-do list that you might be able to finish in 5 months, if people would just stop adding stuff. On top of that, you've got issues -- family, career, relationship, health, legal, whatever -- there are issues. It feels like things will never let up!

The poor brain is cracking, and THIS is the time that good old Cole was talking about!

Of course, you probably wouldn't schedule a vacation right now, but fortunately, you had the foresight to do it months ago. Now V-day (vacation day) is just a week away, so you're down to the 7-day drill.

* V minus 7: "I can't afford to take a week off -- this mess will only get worse if I leave!" Then (because you're already committed to the vacation), you make some lists. "Must do before vacation". "Really should do (but life on earth won't end if I don't)". And the infamous "Do on vacation" list.

* V minus 5: You have 3 weeks of work left on the "Must do b4" list, and only 5 days to do it. You give up sleep, and subsist on coffee and granola bars. You'd skip bathroom breaks if you could, but not with all that coffee...

* V minus 3: You still have 3 weeks of work left on "Must do b4", since a few new items have made it on. Despair and hopelessness start to kick in. Or maybe it's just fatigue. It's kind of hard to tell at this point.

* V minus 2: The fact that you can't get everything done has percolated into your sleep-deprived brain, and you realize it really IS impossible! This is a good thing -- it's liberating. Now you cut "Must Do b4" to shreds, by delegating, deleting, and deferring. (And actually doing some of it, too!)

* V-day! You've got a few last items to take care of before your 6am shuttle pickup, and a couple of phone calls from the airport, but then that's it. You're off! As you fly away or sail away, you leave those stacks of work and dratted issues behind. And through the magic of perspective, things that are farther away look smaller. Problems seem to shrink as you relax and let yourself ease into the vacation. This really works!

Cole was right! There's no cure like travel.

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I've just went through this whole cycle, getting ready for our San Juan Islands women's tour. At first it seems so hard to get out of the office, but once I do it, am I ever glad! Escaped, and free at last!
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Related posts:

1. Why we travel, and old-world travel advice
2. Air travel better than ever?
3. I travel for travel's sake