An Unmarried Woman

March 24th, 2010

What is on your nightstand, bedside table?

Reading wise.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo seems to top a lot of lists – sort of the way Noble House and The Thornbirds did in the early 1980’s and The Pelican Brief did in the early 1990’s.  Remember those fun reads?

There have been similar blockbusters since then.  Forget the NY Times list, just take a gander at what people are reading in airports and on planes.  Speaking of which, Kindles are taking off. Do you have one?  On a flight to Dallas I sat next to a free spirit, retired from overseeing the food service of the Pennsylvania prison system.  He liked reading on the (clothing optional) beaches of his Carribean island. Over a glass of wine in the DFW airport I learned from him Kindles are a challenge in bright light conditions.

Switch for me was an easy pick up at Powell’s Bookstore this week since change is inevitable in both professional and personal arenas.  I read Fast Company and I cannot sit still, inspired by so many people doing neat things.  Travel guides for Oregon and Washington also creep into my stack.  It is very easy to work, walk the Whippets and want for nothing living in the Pearl – mixed urban land use at its best, delivering EVERYTHING within 6 short blocks of my front door.  I know I must expand my geographical horizons or face disapproving looks from visitors this summer, to say nothing of bluffing my way through conversations with locals when they speak of any ‘hood outside easy walking distance.

The magazine More came recommended by friends in Tulsa and Portland.  I found it a bit light on content and suggest you’ll do as well with a visit to their website.  On a wild hair I picked up the college day rag choice of many TU female students, Cosmopolitan, and of course, who can resist the marketing machine of Oprah, to say nothing of the cover hook:  REAL LOVE?

I leave you with two items for comment:

Somewhere in the sea of online literature this week I stumbled on a study that concluded 6 minutes a day spent reading boosted your mood.  As willing as I was to embrace this over a recommendation of 6 minutes on a treadmill, I found it rather vague.  Is subject matter important? Time of day? What do you think?

Oh, and here’s a thought-provoking, potentially scary observation: lots of fellows on match.com are reading Five Love Languages.  Are their motives for wanting to understand women honorable?

As always, Trix

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February 18th, 2010

For improved mental alertness and a bit of spice to life, it’s a good idea to vary your daily routine. With this in mind (no pun intended!),  the Whippets and I took a different flight of stairs to the lobby and walked a different route to the dog park.   Never did  I suspect such a minor variation would bring so much into focus.

Quite unexpectedly I stumbled upon a wealth of knowledge about goal setting, health, creativity, love, travel, children…even some good points on orgasm.

ALL this on one shopping bag hanging on a coat rack in the window of a salon on Marshall Avenue.  Who’d have thunk?!  Answers can be in unexpected places.

Some gems include:

• Choose a positive thought. The brain can only hold one thought at a time.
• Just like you did not know what an orgasm was until you had one, nature does not let you know how wonderful children are until you have them.
• Life is full of setbacks. Success is determined by how you handle setbacks.
• Dance, sing, floss & travel.

Almost time for another walk.  I’ll let you know what we find!  Trix 

Yesterday I decided to forego shaving my legs. I haven’t inherited a small fortune or the pain tolerance level to switch to waxing and I am not advocating a more natural look. I simply ran out of time. Has that ever happened to you?

To be on time for a dinner date a decision had to be made: do I go another day engaging my muscles only to sit upright at my office desk or do I step out…and up? I bolted for my front door and the stairwell a few energetic strides beyond it.

Eleven flights down, 15 up, 15 down and 11 up. Pick the right tempo of music for your iPhone or iPod and you’re done before Van Morrison or Michael Buble can sing about a third affair. Some music has even inspired me to toss in a few upper body and hip Zumba movements during my assent.

I am motivated by a craving for endorphins during rainy season and less jiggle to my thighs. Fact is, it’s a cheap, convenient, effective workout. According to ehow.com, “A focused 30 minutes of step climbing can burn almost 300 calories.” The site goes on to list other benefits: increased fitness level, low-impact, lower cholesterol levels. I repeat…firm thighs and endorphins.

Last July I started climbing stairs at the suggestion of my friend Mary Hinckley to increase my endurance on trail hikes around Multnomah Falls. It’s bottom up on those trails; downhill sections start after the summit.

Get out and climb a few stairs, forge a few streams. It’s a great pick me up.

Trix