21
Oct

Wishcraft: My Ideal Day (Then)

   Posted by: Mattie   in Business, Wishcraft

I promised "My Ideal Day" as it was "then" (on my first reading of Wishcraft). I don’t have the written version anymore – meaning I don’t know where it is in my multitude of journals. But I envisioned it so clearly in my mind, it’s become more of a fond memory for me … even though the places and events of that day never fully came to be.

My Ideal Day Then (as it was prior to achieving many of the goals I set for myself. Note that this is past tense, although for Your Ideal Day, you should write it out in present tense.)

I woke up just as the sun started peeking into the lace curtains of my bedroom window (No blinds in this house, that’s for sure.) My bedroom and office were both on the 2 nd floor of a two-story house, situated so the sun would wake me in the morning and I could still look out onto the ocean of my Texas gulf coast home.

The first order of business for the day was to check the computer and print out any orders that came in through the web site overnight – because there were always orders – and respond to emails. Next, downstairs for a cup of hot tea, followed by my cat, who went almost everywhere with me (this was written even before I got Sassy, and that’s just what she would always do.) Finally, dressed and ready to go – with printed shipping labels and receipts from the online orders – I would walk to my nearby gift shop, an easy 5 minute walk from my house, and located just off the beach in an artistic community within easy access for tourists as well as locals.

The shop would be already open by a trusted employee (a local art student), and already filling with customers, as it was the start of summer and a beautiful day out. My shop would specialize in offering the work of local artists as well as classes in the studio located in back. Our studio would be equipped for almost anything an aspiring art student might need, from painting and drawing to pottery to jewelry-making and lapidary.

On this day, our studio had a visiting local artist teaching a jewelry metal-smithing class, which I was looking forward to attending. Before the class started, I took a quick inventory of our pottery because I knew we needed to re-stock a few items soon – some of which I would be making myself in the days to come. In addition, I gathered and boxed the orders for shipping, getting them ready for pick-up by the postman. I also helped a few customers in their choices for gifts to take home – and every customer walked out with a purchase and a smile on their face.

After attending the class (most of which was like a refresher class for me as I already knew how to do it), and enjoying a light lunch with my fellow students – all of whom made a purchase of the instructor’s jewelry from our shop – I helped my employees clean and close up and took the day’s receipts with me to enter into my database at home.

Arriving home, I went straight to my over-sized, farmhouse style kitchen to start preparing dinner for a dinner party that night with the jewelry instructor, my employees and other local artists. (And of course, to feed the cat, who greeted me at the door coming home.) After a wonderful dinner with lots of wine, laughter, conversation and compliments on my food, I went with the cat back to my office where I prepared the day’s receipts and inventory (on a program I’d written myself) and checked email and orders one last time, getting everything ready for another great day tomorrow.

From Wishcraft:

With pen in hand and as much paper as you need (or a tape recorder if you prefer to dream out loud), take a leisurely walk through a day that would be perfect if it represented your usual days – not a vacation day, not a compromise day, but the very substance of your life as you’d love it to be. Live through that day in the present tense and in detail, from getting up in the morning to going to sleep at night. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up? What do you have for breakfast? Do you make it yourself – or is it brought to you in bed, with a single rose and the morning paper? Do you take a long, hot bath? a bracing cold shower? What kinds of clothes do you put on? How do you spend the morning? the afternoon? At each time of day, are you indoors or outdoors, quiet or active, alone or with people?

As you go through the hours of your fantasy day, there are three helpful categories to keep in mind: what, where, and who.

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21
Sep

Remembering Kim Manners

   Posted by: Mattie   in General Rants, Supernatural

To the Primetime Emmys,

I am sitting here in shock after seeing your In Memoriam piece. To not include Director/Producer Kim Manners, who lost his battle to cancer in January of this year breaks my heart. I understand not everyone can be included but this man has worked with some of the top television shows, including The X-Files, Supernatural and even Charlie’s Angels. To leave him out in this way is an absolute disgrace. I am saddened to see that a big name like Michael Jackson, who was a Musician and not even in the television industry was included when someone who has given so much to Prime Time Television was excluded.

Clearly you were going for cheers with your Memorial not remembrances. Since you seem to not remember Kim Manners, allow me to refresh your memory. Here is a small run-down of the accomplishments of this extremely talented man, who is missed not only by casts and crews of shows on which he worked, but by fans as well. Having never met him myself, I can tell you that fans across the world mourned his passing as though we had lost a dear and close friend ourselves.  This is how deeply he touched our lives.

Photo Credit: CW

Photo Credit: CW

From IMDB.com

Producer:

  1. Supernatural (executive producer) (60 episodes, 2006-2009) (co-executive
    producer) (18 episodes, 2005-2006)The X Files: Revelations (2008) (V) (producer)
  2. The X Files (producer) (97 episodes, 1995-1999) (co-executive producer)
    (40 episodes, 2000-2002) (supervising producer) (22 episodes, 1999-2000)
  3. The X-Files: The Unopened File (1996) (V) (producer)

Director:

  1. Supernatural (16 episodes, 2005-2008)
  2. The X Files: Revelations (2008)
  3. Over There (1 episode, 2005)
  4. Empire (2005) TV mini-series
  5. Alaska (2003) (TV)
  6. The X Files (52 episodes, 1995-2002)
  7. Harsh Realm (1 episode, 2000)
  8. Fortune Hunter (1 episode)
  9. M.A.N.T.I.S. (1994) TV series (unknown episodes)
  10. Greyhounds (1994) (TV)
  11. The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. (7 episodes, 1993-1994)
  12. The Hat Squad (1 episode, 1993)
  13. The Commish (1991) TV series (unknown episodes)
  14. K-9000 (1991) (TV)
  15. Disney Presents The 100 Lives of Black Jack Savage (1991) TV series (unknown
    episodes)
  16. Broken Badges (1 episode, 1990)
  17. Booker (1 episode, 1990)
  18. Baywatch (2 episodes, 1989)
  19. 21 Jump Street (10 episodes, 1987-1989)
  20. Paradise (1 episode, 1988)
  21. Mission: Impossible (2 episodes, 1988)
  22. Star Trek: The Next Generation (1 episode, 1988)
  23. J.J. Starbuck (1987) TV series (unknown episodes)
  24. Wiseguy (1987) TV series (unknown episodes)
  25. Stingray (2 episodes, 1986-1987)
  26. Hunter (2 episodes, 1986-1987)
  27. Sledge Hammer! (1 episode, 1986)
  28. Simon & Simon (5 episodes, 1984-1986)
  29. Street Hawk (1985) TV series (unknown episodes)
  30. Finder of Lost Loves (1984) TV series (unknown episodes)
  31. Automan (4 episodes, 1983-1984)
  32. Riptide (1984) TV series (unknown episodes)
  33. Hardcastle and McCormick (1983) TV series (unknown episodes)
  34. Matt Houston (1982) TV series (unknown episodes)
  35. Charlie’s Angels (8 episodes, 1979-1981)

Production Manager:

  1. Scared Silly (1982) (TV) (production manager)
  2. Charlie’s Angels (production manager) (42 episodes, 1978-1981)
  3. The Pride of Jesse Hallam (1981) (TV) (production manager)
  4. Second Unit Director or Assistant Director:
  5. Hart to Hart (assistant director) (1 episode, 1981)
  6. The Pride of Jesse Hallam (1981) (TV) (second unit director)
  7. Charlie’s Angels (assistant director) (3 episodes, 1977-1978)
  8. Locusts (1974) (TV) (second assistant director)
  9. Valdez Is Coming (1971) (second assistant director)

Actor:

  1. The Headmaster
  2. Halls of Anger

Articles:

It isn’t like you couldn’t have known about this sad event. Is it possible that your show snubbed him because of the last show he worked on? Was your desire to keep one of the better dramas out of your little circle that strong? Fans of Supernatural have watched you time and time again overlook the actors, directors and writers of this show, and for what? Fear that it might win one of your little awards? With a steady three-million viewers in what is clearly the toughest time slot on a network that doesn’t bother with providing much in the way of production or advertising budget, Supernatural has proven itself to be a grade above most of the shows out there. It’s one thing to overlook the show time and again. But this oversight for someone who has given so much to your own industry is a disgrace.

Shame, emmys. For shame.

Twitterers and Supernatural Fans! Please RT this: RT @YellowRoseKat Remembering Kim Manners http://ow.ly/2bpTMK @Primetimeemmys #RememberKimManners  #emmys #epicfail

And don’t forget to e-mail them!

Feedback on Primetime Emmy Awards
To give feedback on the Primetime Emmy Awards, please send an
Email to: EmmyAwardsFeedback@emmys.org

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27
Aug

Wishcraft – My Ideal Environment

   Posted by: Mattie   in Wishcraft

We’re still on chapter 3, Stylesearch http://www.wishcraft.com/wishcraft_ch3.pdf

Exercises 8 and 9, to me, are two of the most important in the book. How do you know where you’re going if you don’t know where it is you want to go? If you can’t SEE yourself already there? That’s what these exercises are all about.

From Wishcraft:

There’s only one rule for the kind of imaging you’ll be doing in these next two exercise, and that is no reality considerations! In the world of play, like the world of dreams, there is no law of gravity, no death or taxes—and no irreconcilable conflicts. … In these fantasies you don’t have to do what you were told to do at age 5: “Make up your mind.” You get everything.

My Ideal Environment

Then: When I first read Wishcraft, the where of my ideal environment was more important than the who. At the time, I had neither, so the who was just too difficult to imagine, much less consider.

I love the beach. I always have. My where was “an artistic community on the Texas Gulf Coast.” The “who” were the other artists of the community and employees – for in my ideal world, I owned my own business – who shared in my vision and dreams.

Now: My Ideal Environment now is not entirely different than it was then, although living in my own house on the beach isn’t on the priority list (will explain this in the Ideal Day exercise). Another difference – who is there matters more now.

In my Ideal Environment, I am surrounded by people who want to support me. They give me time I need to do my work and yet when I need some help or an opinion or someone to talk things out with, they’re right there. And, of course, my partner is right there working beside me and I’m doing the same in return – giving support and help when it’s needed.

Because everything would be as we need it (no restraints of the laws of physics here, remember?) in my ideal environment there’s time to get all the work done that I need/want to do for the day, still have time to come home and cook a full meal (without needing to worry about washing dishes) and still have lots of energy for other activities – whenever I want.

Part 2: What positive qualities in me would emerge?

  • Creative
  • Supportive
  • Helping Others
  • Productive
  • Playful
  • Loving
  • Energetic

Yes, I pretty much took the list from the book – in a different order and with a couple of additions – but she nailed it with this one.

Next: My Ideal Day – Then & Now

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30
Jul

Product Review: Zazzle Keds Shoes

   Posted by: Mattie   in Zazzle

I ordered my pair of custom-designed Zazzle Keds exactly 30 days ago (June 30) and they arrived today!!! YAY!

First, I should say something about the shipping. This is directly from the Zazzle site regarding shipping specifically for shoes:

Your made-to-order custom shoes are produced for you as quickly as possible
and you should receive them in 4 weeks within the continental US, depending
on the shipping method selected. For international destinations, delivery
ranges between 5-6 weeks.

For this order, I selected “Ground- With Tracking (4-7 Business Days After Manufacturing No PO Boxes, APOs or FPOs).” As the weeks went on, I became a little concerned because in the Order Status of my order, the shoes remained in “Processed” status up until the day they shipped, which was last Friday.

As for the shoes themselves – I couldn’t be happier!!! I LOVE THEM! The design rendered exactly as I’d hoped while creating them (yes, this is my own custom design). Using the Keds templates helped tremendously, but it does take some getting used to in getting the “bleed area” and placement where you want – I redesigned them a couple of times after seeing them in the Zazzle design tool.

The gradient in the roses looks wonderful, as does the black and white “keyboard” contrasting colors across the toe. I added 3 different “flaming” skulls designs – on the toe, on the heel, and a different one on the tongue (even though it can’t really be seen), and I’m very pleased with the result. The orange and yellow flames are exactly as I envisioned them. The entire design is very crisp and clean.

The fit couldn’t be better too. These are among the higher quality Keds shoes that I’ve owned (right up there with the most expensive Keds walkers, which I loved). If you’ve ever worn Keds, there’s no need to worry about sizing – the size is spot on with traditional Keds’ sizing. (I know this could be a concern since shoes are non-returnable.)

I can’t wait to get out there and show off my new Keds shoes! Thank you so much Zazzle! These are wonderful!

Toe detail:

Heel, with the traditional Keds logo:

Tongue detail. The skull is different here.

And here’s what they look like on…

Visit my shop on Zazzle for your own pair! You won’t be disappointed!

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25
Jul

Overcoming Depression

   Posted by: Mattie   in Depression

I wrote this back in 2006. Found it again when I was going through my files trying to recover everything after the computer meltdown.

Assume Nothing
Demand Everything

How to Overcome Depression in 10 Easy Steps

1. Just Snap Out of It
2-10. Just Snap Out of It

Sound familiar?

Maybe we should start over.

Step 1: Get out of bed.
Day 2: Get out of bed.
Day 3: Get out of bed.
Keep working on Step 1 until you
are ready for Step 2.
Step 2: Shower.
Get out of bed.
Shower.
Step 3: Brush your teeth.
Get out of bed.
Shower.
Brush your teeth.
Step 4: Get dressed.
Get out of bed.
Shower.
Brush your teeth.
Get dressed.
Step 5: Repeat Steps 1-4 until you are ready for Step
6.
Get out of bed.
Shower.
Brush your teeth.
Get dressed.
Step 6: Get out of bed.
Shower.
Brush your teeth.
Get dressed.
Get out of the house.
After Step 1, Step 6 may be one of the hardest Steps. And, I think, one of the most misunderstood in terms of how to go about it. This isn’t “snap out of it” kind of getting out of the house. You can choose to get out with someone, but for the initial phases of Depression, I recommend against it. The instant you agree to go outside with someone else, you are setting up expectations — on your part and on theirs. Getting out of the house does not mean go shopping or go out to lunch. Right now, Get out of the house means: open the door, walk outside.
Step 7: Now that you’ve accomplished one of the most difficult steps, it’s time for another.

Smile.

Once you’ve stepped outside the house, reward yourself: Allow yourself to smile at your ccomplishment. And remind yourself that it’s okay.

Smile, even if you don’t feel like it. And I’m not talking about smiling at others to convince them everything’s okay. Smile at yourself — for yourself — in private. Begin smiling every day for just a few minutes a day. You don’t have to look in a mirror (it may make this more difficult). Smile to yourself. And if the urge hits you, Laugh.
Step 8: It’s time to work on food.
Some people overeat when they are Depressed. Some people don’t eat at all. So Step 8 will help either
way:

Eat Healthy

If you’ve only been eating bag after bag of candy, stop.
If there’s still candy or ice cream or fried chicken in the house, I want you to do the unthinkable: Throw it out. Even if you’re having money trouble (you had the money for the candy/ice cream/potato chips didn’t you? Trust me on throwing it out. “Money trouble” and “Can’t afford to buy more food” were two of my favorite excuses for keeping it around too.) If you have the tendency to overeat when you’re even slightly Depressed, not having unhealthy food in the house is the only thing that will keep you from eating it. And you will often be pleasantly surprised by the healthy foods that were there all along, but you’ve been avoiding.

If you’re the type who doesn’t eat when you’re depressed, it’s possible you may need to go grocery shopping. Your fridge very likely only contains mustard and hot sauce and you hate hot sauce.

No matter your Depression eating style, consult a nutritionist or nutrition web site. Here are a few to get you started:

Buy fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, low-fat dairy and whole grains. If you have children and a family, ignore their pleas for anything else. These are the foods they need to eat too. Feel the urge for something sweet? (or your children insist on it?) Buy only naturally-flavored sweets: fruits and all-fruit drinks, raisins, etc. Yogurt, granola bars, even popsicles are all low-fat alternative snacks. Want
salty/crunchy? Pretzels are perfect! (just not too many, or at least go for low-salt pretzels.)
Beans are not only a low-fat, high-protein choice, they can also be used to go back to Step 7
(remember the ditty from childhood, “beans, beans, the glorious fruit…”?) If you find yourself farting more now, don’t be embarrassed by it! Laugh about it. Allow yourself to Smile.
Or you could just fix them with a teaspoon of plain vinegar. That works too.
Step 9: Show me the money.
Okay, so that’s not Step 9, but this
is:
Watch your spending and stick to a budget.

I’m only going to address people who overspend when they’re Depressed. (if you underspend as punishment — not allowing yourself essential items — this is addressed in Step 10.) I’m not going to
ask you to identify your overspending habit. You know if you do it. I’m also not going to ask you to have someone else do this for you. Every Step is to show you that yes, you can take care of these thing yourself.

First, Make and keep a budget. Not as easy as it sounds, I know.
Go back three months in your bank and credit card statements. Categorize where the money went — ALL of it. Every single item on a bank or credit statement should be in a Category.
For example:
Expected Bills: rent, electric, phone, internet,
insurance, etc.
Unexpected Bills: doctor visits, for
example
You can sub-categorize those 2 even
further:
Rent
Electric
Phone
Cell
Phone
Internet
Groceries
Gas (if you drive anywhere at all,
might as well budget this high for a while)
Car
Payments
Insurance
Credit Cards
I’ll say it again: Every
item on your bank statement MUST be in a category, with the last one
being:
CASH WITHDRAWALS
How often do you withdraw
Cash? How much do you withdraw at a time?
Where does that money go?
This is the hardest category to keep up with, and the one that can get you in the most trouble. If you have to, begin keeping up with your receipts every time you use Cash.

Now that you know where your money is going, how can you Watch your spending? This isn’t easy sometimes, but little by little, you can do it by asking yourself, “Which of the first 2 categories does this fall under? Is it an Expected Bill? Is it an Unexpected Bill? Just how necessary is it?” And even within the Bill itself: for example, is the Rent always late? That late fee is Unnecessary.
I think you’re beginning to get the picture.

Most importantly, see how much of your overspending you are able to recognize on your own. This is Your Depression we’re helping overcome here after all, not your accountant’s.
Step 10: Don’t punish yourself.

Let’s review:
1. Get out of bed.
2. Shower.
3. Brush your teeth.
4. Get dressed.
5. Repeat 1-4.
6. Get out of the house.
7. Smile
8. Eat healthy.
9. Watch your spending and stick to a budget.

Step 10: If at any given time during the road back from Depression, you miss a Step, or have to go back one or two, don’t punish yourself.

This includes not allowing others to punish you too. Don’t fall for lines like: “just snap out of it,” or “how could you do this to me?”

Remind yourself every day that you accomplish even one thing from Steps 1-9, you have made a breakthrough. All 9 will not happen all at once (hence the need for Step 5: Repeat 1-4).

Instead of food or spending, begin to Reward Your Accomplishments with Step 7: Smile. Allow yourself to feel good about your progress. While one or two of these Steps may prove more difficult than others, Step 7 is, by far, the most important. Once you can Smile and feel good about your accomplishments and how far you’ve come, you are well on your way out of depression and back into
Life.

And that feels pretty darn good.
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