Note to Self in 2012: Live Like Lara Croft. Yea, the Tomb Raider.

I have a big to-do list for 2012. Ideas and changes that I need to make in my life. Things around me and things about me. I decided last night, while watching one of my favorite movies, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, that I want to do things more like Lara. Tomb Raider is a video game, but to me, Lara Croft is the character portrayed by Angelina Jolie in the two movies.

One of my all-time favorite movies.

Lady Croft has a sexy, graceful determination about her. A confidence that shines through no matter what crap she’s being dealt or who’s trying to kick her in the head. I had lost my confidence some time ago, but I’ve been working hard on getting it back. It’s taken longer than I would have liked, but going into the New Year, it’ll be kick-butt, guns-loaded, strapped-to-my-thighs, don’t-even-think-of-messing-with-me-confidence.

Lara Croft plans things to a T. But, she’s also flexible enough to figure things out on the go if they change. I want to be deliberate in what I do, but also be flexible. I will try harder to think things through with more logic. Lara Croft doesn’t have fluffy bunnies and rainbows bouncing around the Croft Manor. Well, I may never get rid of those around the Beige Home, but maybe I can have some logical bunnies find their way into my world and procreate with the fluffy bunnies?

Croft Manor is a wee bit bigger than my home...

She always looks cool as a cucumber.

The Tomb Raider is fit and sexy and adventurous. I’m going to continue my lifelong quest to be fit. A few years ago, I lost about 25 pounds that I put on during a long, bad relationship (think rusted-out jalopy). Best part is that I’ve kept it off. I’ve watched my portions. I eat fairly healthy. Not a lot of meat. Not a lot of fat. My new goal is to watch my sugar intake. I’m not sure I’ve seen Lara eat much in the movies but whatever she is eating she has incredible energy to do her extreme workouts and go on her unbelievable adventures. If you’ve seen her in action, you would also consider her to be a practitioner of Parkour with her super-physical prowess. I want prowess. I want to do Parkour. I’ll add more physical training in the form of adventures (I especially love hiking and biking and boogie boarding) to tone up even more over this next coming year. 

This guy rocks in the Parkour world. Check out the link below to see him in action.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNvJy0zoXOY

In the movies, Lara Croft lives in a fantasy world of endless money and getting whatever her heart desires (though she hasn’t quite found true love…had to shoot him in the Cradle of Life…totally freaked out my girls). I’ve always lived in a bit of my own fantasy world. But, we all need lightness and happiness like that in our lives. Without it, we’d constantly focus on the heaviness or problems that come along.

So, while I’ll never have those gorgeous lips of Lara Croft (aka Angelina Jolie) or the incredible bosom; and you probably won’t catch me dead in a shiny unitard (though I’d like to incorporate more boots into my wardrobe and ride motorcycles), I’ll try to copy her confidence, fitness level, zest for adventure and logical determination. I’m going to live like Lara and make 2012 my Tomb Raider year. I’ll just try not to shoot my true love.

Like the strapping and holsters. Not sure you'll ever catch me in an outfit like this though.

www.barbarabeige.com
@Ybbeige

Namaste in Notes

Recently, my Sweet-Smelling Girlfriend challenged me. Not to a duel or anything, but to a challenge not to write notes for a week.

My challenge note to not write notes.

If you know me, you know I write notes. I have notes all over my house. Mostly of things I need to do. Occasionally, there are duplicate to-do things. All in my chicken scratch. On little pieces of paper. I’m infamous for cutting up papers I had printed -- ones that have blank areas on them that would have just ended up in the recycling bin anyway. And, they’ve been neatly cut up on a paper cutter, just so you know. Not messily with scissors or anything.

My eldest's interpretation of what would happen to me if I didn't write notes.

A dear friend of mine gave me the trail name, “Pockets.” Not because I wear cargo pants (though I do like them but don’t currently own any) but because I always have a piece of paper in the rear left pocket of my jeans. On this piece of folded card-stock I have my weekly to-do list on it. Then, I always add to it. Things that I find interesting like movies, songs, websites or quotes people may have suggested. Or, things that I need to buy. Like groceries for meal ideas. Which I may have also added if I had heard someone talking about a great recipe. All in my microscopic print.

Beside my bed, on my nightstand, are 3x5 cards. More places to write down notes, thoughts or dreams upon awakening.

My house is fairly small. Think efficient, close-to-the-beach home. And even with its campy size, I have notes and paper for notes in almost every corner of my home. Everywhere but in my girls’ room. There is always a place for me to write notes and lists or whatever my brain is thinking. (And I always write using my favorite pens…retractable blue Uniball Signo 207 pens).

A note with a mantra from my Pocket-nicknaming friend's recent yoga class and my note to vacuum (maybe I didn't have to write that down...just looking at the floor should be enough of a reminder...but I write stuff down.)

When my Sweet-Smelling Girlfriend challenged me to not write notes for 1 week, she told me to “Ride the wave of life” and see what happens. She questioned my ability to remember things on my own without writing anything down. She wondered if some type of amnesia would kick in. I have to say that I felt naked for the first few days without that weekly pocket note. I’d reach for it to write something down and remember that I didn’t have it. I wonder how many things that I would have liked to have remembered that week slipped my mind? I couldn’t tell you. It wasn’t written down. I was happy that I didn’t have a lot going on that week to actually keep track of.

This is what I wrote on a 3x5 by my bed when my Sweet-Smelling Girlfriend challenged me. We decided it would make for an interesting blog subject.

Do I need to write notes because I’m blonde? Or, is there the fear of forgetting to do something? I think it’s a combination of those things. Maybe not so much the blonde thing because my brain is always in multi-tasking mode (do blondes really multi-task?). I’m constantly creating. Writing in my head so I don’t feel like I have a lot of extra room to remember the have-to’s. The have-to’s aren’t as fun to have swirling around in this head of mine. My head that lives in my land of fluffy bunnies and happy rainbows.

Because my pocket note went through the laundry (one of the hazards of pocket notes), I was forced to write down this idea at work for the coolest snowflake on some horrid yellow paper that would easily dissolve in humid air.

So, I survived that week’s challenge. But, I’ve written notes since then. There’s a comfort for me in writing notes. Then there’s the whole sense of accomplishment when you can check things off that have been done. I like that feeling. The more I have going on in my life, the more I write down. As Christmas approached this year, I found myself writing more lists and notes than usual. But, Christmas has a way of overwhelming even the most organized. I may try to limit my note-writing from time to time. Or, at least be sure to consolidate the lists in my house so they don’t overwhelm my Sweet-Smelling Girlfriend. But for now, for me, they work. And they are part of my wave of life. I am one with my notes. Ooh, let me write that down…

How my Sweet-Smelling Girlfriend interprets my world without notes...

www.barbarabeige.com

The Past is the Past

Wrong choices made in the past,

Ultimately affects my life today.

Somehow, I didn’t know that then.

At least the permanence of it all.

But, the past is the past.

Let it go.

I have.

Walk with me now.

Make the best of today and what it is.

Think about the future.

We’ll make choices together today that affects our tomorrow.

And when tomorrow comes,

Today will be yesterday.

And yesterday is the past.

And there is just no going back.

For good,

Or, for bad.

It just is.

http://www.barbarabeige.com/

The Woman I Am

Have you ever had someone in your life who inspires you? And, inspires you often? My Sweet-Smelling Girlfriend said something today that inspired me to write this poem...

The Woman I Am

From the earth I have come,

Molded and shaped like the clay from which I was born.

Weathered by the sun and hardened with time.

But, all is not lost for I have been softened by the rain,

And by your hands.

And in your eyes,

Seeing me for who I am.

Freeing me from my confines,

Forgiving me of my past.

With gentle touch,

And loving caress,

You shape me back

Into the woman I am.

Cloudology. Say It Like You Have a Mouth Full of Marbles. It’s Funner That Way.

I often find myself saying, “Today I saw the most amazing sky.” That should denote the best of the best. Like I couldn’t see anything more beautiful. But, I swear I keep seeing an even more amazing sky day after day.



Cloud dove.

I have a fascination with the sky. With clouds in particular. I’m forever oohing and aahing at the sky or taking pictures if some formation catches my eye. Okay, that’s almost every day. To me, and to others (because I think I’ve heard it quoted this way), the sky is like a canvas. It’s a blank canvas that is forever changing…becoming a priceless piece of artwork that we can only fully take in with our eyes and our minds. And, even then, I don’t know how fully it is because there are times when I wish I could hold an image of it and put it into the core of my being forever.

Took this yesterday somewhere between MA and ME.



One of the things I love about the sky is when you add the rising or setting sun in it. With all the colors that are exuded then, mixed with the swaths of clouds, it’s almost more than one can take in at any one time. That must be where the term ‘breath-taking’ came from. My Sweet-Smelling Girlfriend has told me that one of the things she’ll miss when she dies are the sunrises. I’d have to agree with her and add the sunsets in there, too, because I tend to take as many evening walks on the beach as I can. Right now I live close to the ocean and life is too short not to enjoy the natural beauty around us.

  

Sometimes, the sky seems uniformly grey and without definition of clouds. I find that our moods are changed by what we find in the sky. How many people mope around on gloomy days? Lots. When the sky is all grey, we should try not to get down. Instead, we should look at it as a canvas covered with tinted gesso readying itself for another glorious day.

Cameras can capture pieces of the sky and help us to remember the beauty of the clouds and colors before us. But unless you can photograph it 360 degrees around you, it’s hard to see exactly what you can take in like you can with the human eye.

I was joking with my oldest one day about how I thought that I should be a cloudologist. One who studies clouds. I’m sure technically that would really fit under the heading of meteorologist, but cloudologist doesn’t cover all of the weather and it is so much more fun to say. Especially if you say it like Bill Murray’s character, Carl Spackler, in Caddyshack would. (Now, you want to go watch that movie again don’t you? It’s a classic. Trust me.)

Now, if I was really a cloudologist, I’d have to know the names of the clouds. I do have vague recollections in my head of words like cirrus and cumulus and cumulonimbus. I’m sure I could and should go brush up on the names of the many types that I think I once knew. And, with the internet, that’s even easier to do these days. I guess, though, that I’d put myself in the artist-cloudologist category. I appreciate the beauty of the clouds in the sky without having to define them.

I see them and enjoy them. I’m in awe of their beauty. I think of ways I can capture their images. And, when I do, what can I do with them? I don’t need to use my voice to label them; to know the individual names of what I see in the sky. I would use my voice, though, just to say ‘cloudology.’ Because it’s wicked fun to say. Especially like Carl.

http://www.barbarabeige.com/

@Ybbeige
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Life is Like a Scary Movie

I’ve been talking with a few different people lately noticing similarities between their lives and mine. Besides us all being cute and fun and adorable people (insert winky emoticon here), we have all dealt with or are dealing with fear.

Most of what we are afraid of is the unknown. I heard a saying many years back that said, “85% of what we fear, never comes true.” Yea, yea, there’s that 15% left, you say. But, most of us wouldn’t bank too much on odds of only 15%. Eighty-five is a much bigger number to think about.

What do we worry about? Jobs and financial stability or lack thereof is at the top of the list. Many people aren’t making ends meet. And that is among friends who have shared with me that they make 20k a year, 75k or even 100k. Everyone’s life and life style is different. I’m not judging anyone on what they make or how they spend their money. We all have different needs and wants.

Then, there’s the knowing that you’ll be moving out or going out on your own and then trying to survive on your one income. Whether you’re leaving your parents’ house for the first time or leaving a marriage, it’s all the same. That’s scary stuff. Do you get a new job? Add a part-time job to the mix? Get creative with your art or writing or jewelry making and sell that? What do you do? All those things take initiative. There’s that first step. That first step can be scary. Really scary. What if you fall? What if you fail? Are you worse off than when you started though? So much to think about.

And what about relationships? I know people who are afraid of being alone all their lives. They get their monies worth out of dating from Match.com, that’s for sure. Are we better off dating lots and lots of people every single week until we find that absolutely perfect match? Is there really such a thing as a perfect match? How do you know when something really good may be in your life but you question if there is still something better? Do you lose out on that good thing by going out and looking?

How do you know if you are settling? Are you settling if you meet someone who is pretty darned compatible though they may be so unlike anyone you’ve been with before? What if you find yourself in a comfortable relationship now but you’ve had so many relationships that haven’t worked out? How do you know this one will last? How do you know it won’t? Do you fear taking the next step with this person and going head on into something that could be really positive because of how your past has been? This person is different than what you’ve known. You are different. Life changes us. It changes all of us. That’s a scary thought right there. I always hope it changes us for the better though and doesn’t really taint us or tarnish us too badly.

What about the relationships that we get into and we are fearful of getting out of? Even the relationships that we know are just plain bad for us? The relationships with the people who take and take from us and don’t give back? The ones who actually physically or mentally or emotionally abuse us? The relationships with the ones who drink excessively or cheat over and over again? The ones who use us? We usually stay in those situations because it’s so familiar to us. Fear holds us there. Fear of leaving. Fear of change. I was in a bad relationship like that before. For way too long. Years too long. I know getting out of it was the best thing I could have ever done. There was a heaviness there that I didn’t even realize was there until I was away from it. A weight was lifted almost instantly when I was finally in my own place. I will never get into a situation like that again. I know that I broke that fear once I left. The leaving a bad situation will never be a problem for me. Actually just knowing what I learned from that will keep me from getting into the same situation (I sure as heck hope so).

So, how do we know what is good for us? How do we know when to be afraid? When is something bad going to happen? When is the creepy critter going to jump out and scare the crap out of us in life? We don’t know. Things happen all the time. Bad things happen often. Accidents happen. People get sick. People die. Relationships end. Jobs disappear. Bank accounts get sucked dry. But, you know what? Good things happen too.

Good things happen every day. I choose to find something good in my life every single day. Many things actually. Today, I woke up beside a beautiful woman. We saw one of the most amazing sunrises of our lives as we left for work. I walked the beach this evening. And there I saw an amazing evening sky. I talked with a friend on the phone who offered to give me free passes to ride the train to and from Boston if I’d like. I got a refund check from my car insurance company in the mail. I came home to my house lit up all Christmas-y. I have wonderful people in my life. I may not be rich, but I’m appreciative of what I do have and I feel very abundant.

There are no guarantees in life. Things can jump out of the bog and pull you under at any moment. Scary stuff happens all the time. You can either keep running down the center of the road knowing that the fearful thing is right behind you (don’t you always wonder why people do that in the movies? As loud as I yell at them, they keep doing it) or you can duck off to the side, grab a weapon and slam that fear in the face. You can keep your scary movie if you’d like, but I prefer my new adventure flick with a little romance and comedy mixed in there. And, a big bucket of popcorn on the side.

@Ybbeige

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I Could Make Your Whatever Better

Okay, writing the blog about my job from hell the other day has had me thinking about what my ideal job would be (I like my current job okay, but it isn’t my ideal). I have two ideal jobs that I can think of. Writing is one. Creative writing to be more specific. Like doing this. How cool would it be to make a living writing blogs and novels all day?

My other idea has to do with my design side. I’m not even sure of the exact title of the position. It would have to do with making products better. Testing prototypes and giving feedback on them before they go out into manufacturing or more importantly, before they go into the real world.

I think of the old BASF commercials. “We don’t make the whatever. We make the whatever better.” I could make a lot of whatevers better. Seriously, how many products do you have in your home that kind of irk you when you use them? It could be something little about it, or it could be something big. Fact is, if it’s a pain to use, if it isn’t easy, safe or convenient, you’re apt to use it less. And you’ll probably curse it while you are using it. Which means, you are giving it a bad name (could be a REALLY bad name). And, perhaps you’ll choose not buy that brand again. And, you’ll tell all your friends about how bad it was. You may even post it on Facebook. That’s a big oops for companies.

A big thing to me in design is button placement. If you can’t figure out how to turn something on or off rather quickly, what’s the point? What if safety is an issue? What if the phone is ringing? What if my toddler is eating rocks or something? (Not that I have a toddler and not that mine ever ate rocks. Acorns maybe, but not rocks). How do I turn the darned thing off? I always wonder if someone actually tried the product or did it just get approved because it looked pretty on paper? Trust me, I’ve done those drawings in college (we called them renderings) of industrial widgets. A little shading and a few highlighting starbursts and, Shazam! Any product can look fantastic. I’m not saying things shouldn’t look pretty because they should. But good design shouldn’t compromise efficiency of use. I know, I know. Form before function for some people. I say both. (That’s also where us interior designers sometimes have problems with architects, but that’s another story).

When things are beautiful and they feel good in your hand, they are a pleasure to use. I think finding pleasure in the simple things in life could so improve our overall happiness. I have the most wonderful vegetable peeler ever (I know my Sweet-Smelling Girlfriend is getting tired of me raving about it, but I can’t help it). It’s stainless steel. Has CIA printed on it. It has a heft to it. It feels great to hold. It looks pretty. It works beautifully. It was well worth the $20 or so dollars it cost. Yes. Really. It cost that much. Most people balk at that. “A potato peeler should cost three to five dollars,” you say. Yes, but what if it slips in your hand and practically cuts your finger off? Or, if it’s so uncomfortable to hold that you get blisters after peeling enough potatoes for all your guests coming to your Thanksgiving meal that you can’t even enjoy your company? Or, if it breaks and you have to keep replacing it? You’ll be spending that amount before you know it. Should have bought mine.

Some items that could use major redesigns in my life (and this is just the tip of the iceberg; I feel I could redesign SO many things) are my alarm clocks, vacuum cleaner and iPad. Alarm clocks shouldn’t be so difficult to set. Or, to change the time with daylight savings time or whatever reason you need to change it. They should have a decent-sized snooze bar on them and the shutoff button shouldn’t be so accessible while trying to hit the snooze. The point is to have it wake you up and if you want to sleep an extra seven or nine minutes, great, but you shouldn’t be able to hit a button and zonk back out for hours if your only intention was to snooze a few more minutes.

My vacuum cleaner needs a better place to put your foot to make the handle bend backwards so it actually vacuums. Or, maybe it needs a hand-held trigger release? Something. And, there are so many attachments that they don’t all fit on it. And if they do, they pop off. Then, there’s the whole handheld part. Really? Really. Not. Good.

I believe that if more attention was paid to detail on how a product is used, it could be made so much better. There are so many situations and scenarios in which products are used. Many people who design things seem to think that everything will be used in an “ideal” setting. On some fantasy land. Or, in June Cleaver’s already perfect home. Yea. No. When is anything in your home ideal? These improvements could and would also be kept in mind for manufacturing. You can never not think about how it will be built and the costs involved. But, gosh, do you know how many more items a company could and would sell if they have a knock-out product?

Now, to the third one on my list…the iPad. The iPad is really an awesome piece of technology. Very few buttons (which I may reconsider the feel of those a bit); it has a touch screen…it’s great for the most part. My big exception with it is with the charger. The piece that has to be plugged into the unit is narrow. Hard for little or old fingers to hold and it is not at all intuitive on which direction it goes in. I’ve watched co-workers flip it around and around several times trying to get it in its socket. Add to that the complexity of having a thick foam protector case that we need to use in schools and it makes it even harder. Why did decent design stop? The plug was like an afterthought.

In design, nothing can be an afterthought. Good design incorporates all parts of the product. Good design is comfortable. Good design is functional. Very functional. Good design is beautiful.

So, if you make things at your company and you are looking for someone with an eye to make improvements, give me a call. I’ll take your whatevers and make your whatevers better.*

*Plus, I’m a lot of fun. And, I’m easy on the eyes.

www.barbarabeige.com