Sharing My World, As One Does When One Keeps A Blog

March 2, 2016August 29, 2018 / Ally Bean / 29 Comments

Thanks to joey of Joeyfully Stated I’ve become aware of Cee’s Photography’s Weekly Share Your World Questions.

I’ve decided to answer them this week because I like to keep things fresh and vibrant around here. No same old, same old for me.

Variety rocks.

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Q1: Have you done something you truly want to do today?

A1: Yes, I have. I started sorting through my clothes, accessories, shoes, focusing on getting rid of things I don’t like and/or things that don’t fit properly.

I’m not a clothes horse and would enjoy having less stuff to deal with every time I need to get dressed. Which is to say, every day. So this is a step in the right direction for me.

Q2: What can you help the world with?

A2: I’m better than the average bear at figuring out solutions to problems involving, but not limited to: understanding family dynamics; planning for any event; and decorating your home in a way that reflects your personality.

Yep, that’s what I can do for the world. Facilitate understanding about what makes people tick; get things done in an organized way; and support you as you make things pretty.

Q3: If life was “just a bowl of cherries”… which fruit other than a cherry would you be…?

A3: Difficult question. I’m torn between being a blueberry which would snuggle up smoothly against the cherries, OR a slice of kiwi which would contrast in color, shape and texture with the cherries.

Probably going with kiwi, but here’s an idea: we could kick the fruit salad up a notch by putting it in a carafe and pouring white wine sangria on top of it. Then it wouldn’t matter what kind of fruit any of us were.

Happy fruit is the best fruit, you know.

Q4: Quotes List: At least three of your favorite quotes?

A4: Thinking about funny movies I like…

ONE

“The world is made for people who aren’t cursed with self-awareness.” ~ Annie [Susan Sarandon], Bull Durham

TWO

“Laugh while you can monkey boy.” ~ Dr. Emilio Lizardo [John Lithgow], The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension

THREE

“I just find it amusing that you came from somewhere.” ~ Marcella [Joan Cusack], Grosse Pointe Blank

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Bonus Q: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

Bonus A: Last week we finished taking unwanted household items, formerly stashed in our basement, to Habitat for Humanity.

This coming week I’ve arranged for St. Vincent de Paul to come to the house to pick up used furniture, also formerly in our basement.

Those two events combined translate into a tidier basement, and a sense of relief about getting the right things to the right place.

Hallelujah!

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March Is The Do-Over Month: Happy New Year 2.0

March 1, 2016March 1, 2016 / Ally Bean / 20 Comments

• I ALWAYS FEEL LIKE January and February are practice months.

It’s during these months that I flesh out how I’m going to do whatever lofty word I’ve chosen for my one word of the year [this year’s word here]. I make my mistakes in the cold of winter when no one will notice.

Or so I think.

• THEN ON MARCH 1, which happens to be today, I start all over again, relying on the wisdom I’ve gained through ~~fiddle-farting my days away~~ failure, marching toward being a better bean.

If you know what I mean.

• THIS IS HOW MY wack-a-doodle mind works, so when I found the following simple Workplace Thinking Style Graph [details here] that leads me to believe I am not alone in the way I do things, I was thrilled.

Coolness. I love straightforward explanations.

• ACCORDING TO THIS CHART, I am an Optimizer. That is because, no matter what I do, my focus is on process; and, despite wanting to be less of a micro-manager, my orientation is on details.

This describes me perfectly. [Read beginning of this post to confirm.]

So it is with this insight, as I move FORWARD into the rest of 2016, that I leave you, my gentle readers, today. Later kids, I’ve got some New Years celebrating to do. 😉

If We Were Having Coffee On This February Morning…

February 27, 2016August 29, 2018 / Ally Bean / 49 Comments

THE SETTING:

We’d be sitting in my kitchen at the table, staying warm, glancing outside at the bleak leafless trees that make you wonder if you’ll survive this time of year with your sanity intact.

We’d be drinking basic brewed coffee, with cream, and eating donuts because carbs are where it’s at when the world is this dull and gray.

We’d be listening to the local university rock radio station because on Saturdays they play hits from the 60s & 70s & 80s– and it’s fun, once in a while, to groove on tunes from the past.

THE CONVERSATION:

√ We’d be sharing… our latest reading obsessions, which in my case would be 3 different books that I seem to read depending on which room I’m in. My father did this and I realize I’m doing it now, too. So, when I’m in the tv room I’m reading The Fortune Hunter by Daisy Goodwin. In the living room I’m reading 1215, The Year of the Magna Carta by Danny Danziger & John Gillingham. And in our bedroom I’m halfway through The Key by James N. Frey. You’d assure me that this book-reading behavior isn’t as weird as it sounds.

√ We’d be discussing… how I find Cheryl Tiegs’s out-of-touch criticism of Ashley Graham’s size and look to be sad and spiteful. I’d mention that I never thought CT had much on the ball, so I suppose she hasn’t noticed that the ideal body image of models has evolved and diversified since her days as a model. I’d realize that I was being snarky, but conclude that sometimes it’s the only response to stupid.

√ We’d be laughing… about how this week, after months of effort, I got to Level 445 in Candy Crush Soda Saga, and how I believe I just might make it to the end of this game, which is Level 565. You’d roll your eyes at me because whatever, but I’d still be proud of this achievement considering I’ve never come this close to finishing one of these silly games before.

√ We’d be talking… about how when Zen-Den went to buy paint for one of our bedrooms, he made me the happiest girl on the block when he bought me a brand-new slick and wonderful Sherwin-Williams ColorSnap Fan Deck that has in it, according to the SW sales clerk, 200 new shades of paint. My little amateur interior designer heart is racing with the possibilities.

THE CONCLUSION:

We’d have to part after an hour or so of chit-chat because we each had obligations in the afternoon to get ready for.

We’d hug and promise to get together sometime in the Spring, which for both of us is busy, then realize that maybe it’d be Summer before we do this again.

And we’d thank each other for listening to & laughing about our small victories and wacky ways. Like friends do everywhere. Often over a mug of coffee.

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Idea for this post came from Diana at Part-Time Monster.

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Trumped: In Which I Admit To Agreeing With The Donald On One Point

February 25, 2016December 12, 2016 / Ally Bean / 53 Comments

Earlier this week did you happen to see Rob Lowe as a guest on Conan?

[If not, I’ll wait here while you watch this clip of it. Take your time. No rush.]

[Okay, continuing on…]

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IN THE ABOVE INTERVIEW Conan reminds Rob Lowe that The Donald thinks that Rob Lowe is the most beautiful man he’s ever seen.

As much as I dislike The Donald, for many reasons, on this particular point I agree with him.

I’ve seen Rob Lowe in person. In an airport. Waiting for his wife [girlfriend?] to exit the Women’s Rest Room.

He smiled at me as I walked by, tipped his ball cap– and I swooned.

Yes, Rob Lowe is as incredibly handsome in person as he is on-screen. I’m talking really. good. looking.

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THANKS TO THE FOREGOING remembrance I got thinking about all the celebrities I’ve seen in person, usually in airports, occasionally at business events.

Or sometimes just out and about.

The following is a list of these celebrities, presented in no special order, intended to get you, my gentle readers, talking about famous people you’ve seen in real life.

Go on. Tell all.

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