My Handmade Laptop Bag and Life Questions

This was my back-to-school-craft that I made at the end of summer. Like the students its hard to get excited about returning to the school year. I am in love with Japanese craft books and I found book like this one:

The books are not in English but the imagery, layout design and quality transcends translation and is exceptional. Click on the book to get order information!

As you may be able to tell I miss living in NYC; my birthplace and families home outside of Puerto Rico. I can't say that I regret moving out of NYC, because I don't. I simply miss it.

Most of us tend to learn early on that we should never live life with regret. Fortunately, I usually don't cater to regret at all. Still, I find the following questions intriguing, because we still often catch ourselves saying "I wish I hadn't done that." What I do regret, was not being more mindful of the importance of a community before my husband and I purchased our first home out here in the dune docks of hunting country (we're not hunters).

So here are the questions:

• If you learned you would die in a few days, what regrets would you have?

• If you were given five extra years of life, could you avoid those same regrets five years hence?

I realize the answers to these questions may be too personal and complex to share here with me, so I added another question from the Book of Questions for you to ponder and share with me!!!


• If you had the choice of one intimate soulmate and NO other close friends, or of no such soulmate and many friends and acquaintances which would you choose?

Since marrying and moving out of NYC this is more or less where I have found myself...with a soulmate and not many local friends - but I didn't really have a choice. If I had a choice (as this question implies...) I'm not sure I would change anything.

10 Things I NEVER Want to Forget

I was participating in this week's 3WW (ThreeWordWednesday) challenge, when I read this piece entitled, Distant Apology by blogger Myrtle Beach Ramblings. It was a very intense piece of writing on Alzheimer's and it got me thinking about things I never want to forget. I thought I could simply make a list of ten concisely, but I couldn't!
I think this is a great exercise even if you don't have Alzheimer's (along with a Tsunami) down as one of your greatest fears. Ahh... greatest fears...that is another blog for another day. Honestly I would prefer to forget nothing, so some categories are a bit longer than others...

So here goes:

1. The way I used to play space invaders with my Pomeranian under blanket tents and t.v. tables when I was little.

2. The day my father left. The first time I traveled with crayons and an American Airlines pin to see him in Puerto Rico alone (it was my first right of passage as an independent travelin' gal). My cousins showering (with soap) in rain storms, drinking juice from the center of red flowers and making lizard earrings. My father eating raw clams. My brothers and their fearless passion for life. Every tint and shade of the color green that exist in the universe blanketing Puerto Rico.

3. NYC East 92nd St., Central Park Carousel, my single mom working as a superintendent playing ironing with me and letting me use the baby powder as "starch spray". My Barbie hotel with elevator and our claw-foot bathtub in the kitchen.

4. School - Luis Armstrong (Junior High), walking down the hallway singing OHOH Here She Comes- She's a Man Eater!!(the Hall & Oates song) with Shireen and ???(oh, oh -its starting, I forgot the other girl's name).
High school A&D; being nominated one of the five best fictional writers for writing non-fiction, Attending Lehman college summer writing program with Randall and Scott. High-school friends that I cherish though we have become estranged...
Ahh college...I don't want to forget any part of my entire Ohio, Antiochian experience...even the breakdowns, dances, traveling to Europe, motorcycle rides or music gigs...especially not the painting, sculpting, performing and writing. Professor Pat Linn and her family. The day I met my housemates in Grad school- Baltimore MD, especially the one that turned out to be my husband. Eating sushi with fellow artist's Steve Fox and Ce Scott. The Visionary Museum & the Inner Harbour.

5. Glass-blowing in Maine and two phenomenal trips to Pilchuck in Seattle, the time Annie picked me up in a hot red convertible Fiat.

6. Being a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, intimately living among artistic mastery.

7. My grandmother. My grandmothers Upper East Side apartment (our family home), living there with her and Jaz.

8. My year-long courting. The blue/green of my husband's eyes and eyelashes. The most aesthetically beautiful day- my wedding. My most fantastical trip - my honeymoon.

9. Delivering Santa's custom letters through the fireplace flue to my niece Lindsay and my nephew Dylan.

10. My first home. My four-legged children: Maya's face, fur, paws, eyes, body weight and heart-wrenching howl. Chulo's hello-cry, his long lashes, the fan of his tail, his unquenchable love, attachment and stalker-like concern.

Ultimately, its the laughing, loving and living that becomes sacred and we hope indelible. What are your top 10 things you never want to forget? Try making more than one list - one for events, one for people, and one for sensual experiences - where your five senses were overwhelmed.

Here Comes the Snow & A Call to Live

All my students are at home hoping for a snow day tomorrow. This would make for our second long weekend (last weekend we celebrated President's Day), but you don't hear me complaining. I have so much painting to do, I could definitely use the time. My two four legged children are feeling the cold front too, check out my 14yr. old Maya and the new addition to the family, Chulo (8months) who has discovered a fetish for burrowing!

Last night the four of us (including my husband) ran outside around 10:30pm to frolic in the cold under the amber light of the lunar eclipse.

This really brings the concept of time passing, to the forefront for me. The next lunar eclipse will be three years from now. Which brings me to the point of today's blog. This blogging community has inspired me not to wait for New Years Eve or Birthdays to set my intentions into action. While I was out there in the blog world, I found SuperViva, great little site that encourages you to write down (list) your goals, dreams, desires for things you want to get done. I for one, have done this before in various journals. So why not just do this on paper? You may ask. Well, the cool thing is they encourage you to set timeline categories (like one of mine is 'Before I die' or 'In The Next Five Years'). You can connect with people who have the same goals and or, may have completed your goal and be able to assist you in getting your dream accomplished. I thought it was great fun! Try it!

Here are five of my top dreams to get accomplished:

1. Be a surrogate mother to chimpanzees (no, I am not joking)

2. Be able to walk or ride a bicycle to my daily grind

Right now, I commute a horrible 1hr&15 min. to work each way!

3. Write a graphic novel

4. Travel to Ireland, Africa and/or India

5. Adopt a child

So Share-- What are your top 5 (I know we all have more) things you would like to get done before you die?

To inspire you think of this:

One of my students, spent last weekend at an intense family gathering bidding farewell and celebrating a life past of his great Aunt Doris Willner. This was the quote on her refrigerator door, "Life's journey is not to arrive in a grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways shouting 'holy shit...what a ride'."

Update on Sunday, February 24, 2008 at 11:06AM by Amarettogirl

I was traveling through the blog world linking from one blog to another and I found this quote by author Dawn Markova on the Journal of the Meandering Muse Blog.
It's a great follow-up response to my last post.

• Fully Alive
  I will not die an unlived life.
  I will not live in fear of falling or catching fire.
  I choose to inhabit my days, to allow my living to open me, to make me less afraid, more accessible, to loosen my heart until it becomes a wing, a torch, a promise.
  I choose to risk my significance; to live so that which came to me as seed goes to the next as blossom and that which came to me as blossom, goes on as fruit.
  

~ dawna markova ~

I want to thank every one who shared their five 'must-do's and left me such great comments! Keep making, altering and better yet, accomplishing your goals!