Last night while simultaneously watching my new favorite show Covert Affairs on my computer and writing out some plans/ideas, I heard the faint sound of jazz coming from my neighbors apartment. It warmed my heart a little. Maybe they were having a romantic dinner date over wine and fresh pasta, enjoying each others conversation while the music played in the background. Or maybe I assume too much.

Did I mention I am in love with Covert Affairs? I rented the first season on Netflix on a whim and am now addicted. It doesn’t take much for me. Just recently I talked about my love affair for the movie Friends With Benefits and I actually watched it back to back one night. Also, it took me awhile to get over the series finale of The O.C. which I also rented on Netflix. I now follow Ben McKenzie and Peter Gallagher on Twitter, thank you very much. Oh, and good news. Peter Gallagher is on the show Covert Affairs and now I get to see him in a new light. I also read that Ben McKenzie stars in the series Southland so that may enter my Netflix queue in the near future.

One might think, how do I have time to write and be productive in my spare time while watching all of these series? I have the answer for you. I multi-task. I rarely sit still so sometimes I have the TV on while writing or other times I’ll be watching a show via my laptop and I’ll pull out my notepad and brainstorm away.

Moving on, I was recently reading an issue of Health Magazine. I came across the cover story on actress Eva Longoria and I was intrigued.

I observed is that she is 36 years old and taking the world by storm. She’s an actress. She’s pursuing her master’s degree. She runs a nonprofit in which she founded. She also co-owns two restaurants, wrote a cookbook and produced a documentary. It was interesting that I was reading this particular article at this particular time. I was just thinking about my life the other day and wondered if I was “too old” to pursue some things I had in mind for this year. Yes, this was my thought process. Am I kidding myself? Who am I? People run marathons when they are 85. I finally told myself to get real. I never plan to stop dreaming or pursuing my passions in life.

I decided I would explain myself to myself in the same manner I described Eva’s contributions above. I work in beauty PR. I’m a writer. I created The Gumption Project. I’m a runner who competes in races. I will become a certified health coach one day soon. I’m writing a novel. I like to remind myself to stop selling myself short from time to time.

Speaking of books, I recently finished reading My Life With Eleanor by Noelle Hancock. I cried at the end. It was a brilliant ending to a honest, touching memoir. I first spoke about the book in a previous post. What I took from this book were a few points of interest. The author made a pact with herself and followed through. She spent every day for a year facing a fear. Secondly, she made me realize I want to know more about Eleanor Roosevelt. Next, I caught myself googling hiking trips to Mount Kilimanjaro. (Seriously? I don’t even like a two hour plane ride.) I took notice that this particular author has a distinct writing style that really drew me in as if I were a part of the experience with her. Back to my first statement, the ending really did it for me. The book was all I hoped it would be.

So, my final thoughts from me to you today in summary would be to watch Covert Affairs if you haven’t yet, think about climbing Mount Kilimanjaro if you enjoy hiking, know that you are never too old to pursue your life,  listen to jazz as it may warm your heart unexpectedly and never judge me for watching too many romantic comedies and teenage-inspired TV shows.

Have a great day.

I have mentioned previously that I was watching the TV show The O.C. on Netflix. As a side note, if I became too impatient to order a new disc on Netflix, I would purchase episodes on iTunes. It’s true.

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I recently finished watching all four seasons. No, I’m not a teenager but I happened to get hooked on this show. I actually grew to adore many of the characters on this show as they developed through each season. I almost shed a tear upon the end of the series. Oh, who am I kidding. I did shed tears watching the finale. I was forced to say bye to the teen drama.

I’m not afraid to admit anything about myself as you can now imagine at this point. If there is one thing you should know about me is that saying goodbye is probably one of the hardest challenges for me to face in my life.  I have a really difficult time with the concept.

Many episodes of the show made me think of certain aspects of life:

• The show reminded me that I do enjoy listening to the band Jet.
• Family will always be there for you if you are blessed with a good family. If not, you create who you want as a part of your family.
• We all make mistakes.We are only human.
• No matter where you are in your life, you can change. It’s your life.
• Don’t ever settle for comfortable.
• If you are meant to be with someone, it will be.
• Don’t be afraid to share yourself with the world.
• The show also reminded me that I’m a fan of the band Keane.
• Once one door closes, another door opens.
• When you have something good, hang on to it.
• “You can either ride change or change rides you.” – Summer Roberts
• Goodbyes are painful and there is no way to change this fact.
• There are certain time periods of your life you will cherish forever.
• Odds are Mischa Barton stops traffic when walking down the street. Well, at least circa 2004 – 2006. I haven’t seen her in recent years.

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• There is something nostalgic about the house one grows up in and all of the memories it holds.
• “I believe in being myself. If I say something I don’t believe in I could end up with the wrong life.” – Summer Roberts
• It’s a somber day on the day you and your family pack up a home you spent years in together. Suddenly when you take your last glance around before walking away, the house feels so empty, still and quiet. The memories are already becoming distant but never forgotten.
• There is something to be said for solid parenting.
• You’ll never forget.
• Love isn’t always black and white.
• You can’t hide from who you are as a person.
• Family and friends will always be forgiving if they are a true part of your life.
• Saying goodbye crushes the heart a little.
• Friendships are worth a million bucks.
• It only takes one person to change your life forever.

Have a great weekend.

Last night I watched the movie Love Actually which I like to do at least once when the holiday season begins. What first made me fall in love with this movie is the opening voice-over dialogue spoken by Hugh Grant’s character, the Prime Minister:

“Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion’s starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don’t see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often, it’s not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it’s always there – fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge – they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaking suspicion… love actually is all around.” 

I also enjoy observing the many intertwining relationships throughout the film.

There are relationships that seem exciting with possibility. There are relationships that make you smile every day. There are those relationships that break your heart. There are those that you yearn for but can never call your own. There are relationships where you can’t possibly think you could love this person any more than you already do. There are friendships that last a lifetime. There are those relationships kept apart by a language barrier but somehow you find ways to communicate. There are everlasting bonds between children and parents. There are those lost forever and you must find a way to move on. There are those relationships that are unexpected in more ways than one.

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Lately I’ve been feeling at peace with most aspects of my life, especially my career path. It’s as if things are beginning to fall into place and everything is where it’s supposed to be. A big part of this is due to the fact that someone new entered my world recently. I’ll call her my mentor. She truly is and I’ve only known her for about four months now. I was feeling quite confused about my career direction before she entered the picture and if she hadn’t come on board I may have even taken another opportunity that came my way. But the pieces fell where they may and I can feel with certainty that I’m in the right place for right now. More importantly, all of my passions and career goals are aligning.

I’ve mentioned recently the small things make me happy and appreciative. Since this mentor has entered my life, my confidence is coming back in full swing and I no longer second guess myself. I feel fresh and invigorated and it’s as if nothing is holding me back. I’m observing that this person can find the perfect balance between her career and personal life. Her family is number one and she would do anything for them. I’ve only known her for a few months but this I know for sure. I also know that she gets it done. One of her sayings is “Set it free.” I laughed when I first heard her say this but now I find it to be true.

This afternoon was the first time in a long time that things got under my skin at work. There are always going to be mean people to encounter and I accept that aspect of life. It’s hard to avoid. What is worse is that when you want to tell them to shove a pole @#@#@!@$@@ but you simply cannot as that wouldn’t be the professional thing to do. Believe me, I’m as professional as they come and would never dream of saying something of the sort but lets be honest, sometimes people can make us feel this way. There is nothing worse than a mean person to get under my skin.

There was an incredibly rude and out of line person who wrote an email to me today and I had to exert effort not to respond and instead let it settle. I thought of my mentor. I felt a little emotional today as this person I speak of who will remain anonymous is also dealing with a personal issue but you would never realize it. She always keeps her head up high, has a smile on her face and you bet she can always make the whole room laugh. So when I suddenly thought about what she is going through (I’m certain the situation will end up with a completely positive outcome) I wanted to cry. Simply because I knew at that moment it was silly to let strangers upset me. It’s not worth it in the end.

So, in honor of my mentor, I’m setting it free.