Highlights

Posted in Life by C.

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{My desk feels complete again.}

Well guys. I have some news. I’m in a new relationship and though it’s less than a week old – I think I’m in love! I won’t go into heavy detail about all the various “dates” and losers I had to sift through, the reminiscing about old times with my last love, and all the follow-up research and more dates I went on before I made the commitment, but I will say that as of right now, life is good.

Okay, silly metaphors aside – my first world problem is resolved and I couldn’t be happier about it. I bought a new laptop last weekend on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon, after spending the week before heavily researching what I wanted and figuring out how things have changed since I’ve been in the market for a new computer. I’m starting to feel like everything is falling back into place. I struggled a lot with the MacBook Pro versus a higher-end PC and ultimately decided that cost would drive my decision, among important technical and aesthetic specifications and features that I was looking for.

The funny thing is that it’s been so long since I’ve had a new laptop – it’s been strange acclimating to all the fun new differences this one has (I forget that if I touch the screen it reacts – though I’m not sure why laptops with touchscreens are so hot right now anyway!?!). And while I won’t say that I absolutely hate it, because I don’t – Windows 8 is an…adjustment.

With this dilemma behind me, I’m ready to move forward. I’m sure my boyfriend is too, who patiently listened to me talk about nothing but RAM, gigabytes, processors, touch screens, optical drives, screen size, MAC vs. PC, and battery life for a week straight – even happily taking my picture holding the box once I got it home. (Thanks Darlin’!)

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Other highlights during the week were much more simplistic in nature. It’s beginning to feel a lot like fall in LA. I’ve been so stoked not only to feel the gradual shift in weather, but in all things turning pumpkin. Indulging in my first pumpkin spice latte of the season, rockin’ a pair of boots, and feeling the chilly draft in the air when waking up in the morning have been so invigorating after such a hot sticky summer. I was so happy about my latte – I kissed the cup 🙂

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The plan this weekend is to spend some time setting up my laptop and trying to crack the code of what the heck Windows 8 is trying to do. I’ll catch a film with my guy and run errands, you know, the usual. I think this a weekend to simply sit back, relax, enjoy the turning of the leaves, and be grateful that life really is good. Have an amazing weekend guys and Happy Fall!

20Sep2013

Highlights

Posted in Life by C.

As the summer wraps up, at least according to the calendar this Sunday (though I’d give it a few more weeks before we’re in the clear from the next heat wave), I’m finding how ready I am for the change in seasons. Of course, sunshine is never too far away in L.A., but I’m terrified to see my next electric bill after a pretty consistent relationship with my air-conditioner at home over the last month.

This so-called last week of summer found me on a complete roller coaster.

Professionally, it’s been a pretty chaotic, but very productive work week – juggling many different projects happening worldwide; along with a happy highlight of spending some time on-set this week supervising the on-camera interviews we’re filming for a series of short documentaries. I’m finding that I love the diversity of the projects happening right now and I’m even more in love with the fact that my responsibilities are changing in a way that feels like growth (uber important to me at this time in my life when it comes my career).

Personally, since my laptop broke up with me last weekend, much of this week was filled with ~~stressing out over~~ researching my next move. It’s been a long time since I’ve had to get up to speed on the laptop market in a way that actually matters and, as expected, I’m overwhelmed with the thousands of options out there. Do I go Mac Book Pro or stick with a sleek and more affordable PC? What are my deal-breakers? (I’m just now catching on to how rare it is for a laptop to have an optical drive which I had in the deal breaker column…until yesterday – go figure). And more specifically, what do I need to do financially to shift around expenses to accommodate this unexpected break-up? I have a plan and everything will be okay in the end. While I know my last post spoke of this great revelation in a new perspective on stress – it still bugs me to have to deal with this right now, and therefore, still causes short spurts of it. (I know, I know.)

So I guess the universe decided to send me yet another message.

On Wednesday night after a much-needed yoga class – I sauntered home tired, thinking about computers, scrambling eggs for dinner, and mentally going through what I could watch in my Netflix queue to unwind some. Interestingly, nothing in my queue appealed to me so I started browsing and literally stumbled across the most life-affirming and moving documentary I’ve seen in a while – with a message that perhaps I needed to hear again, in another form, and even more intensely.

What drew me to the film was the unusual title, 65_RedRoses, and once I read the synopsis something pulled me to put it on among the thousands of other options in front of me.

65_RedRoses follows Eva Markvoort, an instantly lovable and highly spirited 23-year-old, whose lungs are failing from cystic fibrosis. The film enters her life during her difficult journey as she waits for a lung transplant, next on the donor list. Watching her struggle with simply breathing, something many of us take for granted, couldn’t be a more powerful way to shift perspective – not only in living life to the fullest, but in the importance of organ donation.

I had no idea how affected I would be by this film and by Eva’s story.

As soon as the film ended, I literally felt myself opening up and relaxing into a mixture of sadness and gratitude. The trivial stuff that I’d been allowing myself to be bothered by from work issues of the day to laptop worries seemed completely unnecessary, and in the grand scheme of things were and are completely fixable – therefore, unimportant.

What I’ve been thinking as I write these words is whether or not it’s a coincidence that the Oprah Winfrey Network logo was at the beginning of the documentary? I mean, twice in one week I’ve come across these messages (granted this type of stuff is very “Oprah”) that I can’t help but somehow interpret as the universe speaking to me, getting me to just relax and change my thinking and my approach.

Since this seems to be a recurring theme this week, I encourage you to see the film if you can. It’s streaming on Netflix and is available on Amazon Instant Video.

I was saddened to hear of Eva’s story, but I was grateful to have heard it. The tagline of the documentary I later found out is simple, yet profound; particularly because it’s literally true: Every breath counts.

With that, I’m entering the weekend with Eva and the universe’s message on my mind, my laptop worries a very distant second.

#4Eva

Have a wonderful weekend.
Candice

17Sep2013

A New Perspective on Stress & A First World Problem

Posted in Life by C.

“What you resist persists.”

As the saying goes, the universe is always speaking to you. Yesterday afternoon in the midst of a little bout with stress, I came across this short clip, took a deep breath, and decided…ok, I get it.

This past weekend, I got some pretty bad news that I knew was likely coming, but still upset me when I took in the full weight of what was happening and what needed to happen next that I wasn’t prepared for.

A few days ago, my laptop officially gave out and broke up with me. As in, I was in my bathroom, unexpectedly heard this loud beeping noise over and over in the next room – and walked over to my desk to see my screen jumping repeatedly. I couldn’t stop it and it wouldn’t respond to any key strokes. I finally just turned it off, walked away thinking it needed “some rest” and would try starting it up again later. Well, it sure as heck is getting plenty of rest now, because it refuses to even boot up past the main screen.

Fast forward to the tech guy at Fry’s on Sunday, and apparently my motherboard has died.

I swear one of first things that crossed my mind was that episode on Sex and the City when Carrie’s beloved Mac laptop dies and she hadn’t heard of the concept of backing up her work, and then how completely freaked out (but comical) she was sitting in the repair shop waiting for the bad news. My reaction wasn’t freaking out – though I did curse myself for not backing up everything like I’ve been telling myself to do FOR YEARS…it was “great how in the hell am I going to be able to afford a new laptop right now?”

While I know that I had more than gotten my money’s worth out that laptop, along with a very healthy and lasting relationship of nearly 7 years, I’ve been stressed out because:

Computers are not exactly considered a modern “luxury” anymore (especially given the industry I’m in and how the world works in general) so it’s not a question of if I replace it, but when I replace it.
It’s difficult to call yourself a blogger without one.
I wasn’t expecting this additional expense. (And this is the area I’m most stressed about.)

Admittedly, I realize that what I’m fretting about, while important to me at the moment, is still trivial if I step back and look at the big picture (or in this case, a complete first world problem). I have my health, a steady job, and therefore the means to figure out a solution – though I’m more fighting the urge and the acceptance of an additional expense to my budget, which I was really working hard to keep where it is, given that my rent increases next month. Talk about prefect timing for your computer to die, huh?

The fact remains that most people don’t get 7 years out of a laptop (and because I took great care of it – I should consider myself lucky I haven’t had to deal with it until now). Luckily, my internal hard drive is likely okay, so I haven’t lost years of my digital life.

So what I take away from Eckhart Tolle’s words is to accept the situation, get out the mud of “why now?” and change it because I have to accept what is. A gal on the move in the 21st century like myself needs a working laptop.

Since I’m taking on this new perspective, I guess I should also be rather excited to be in the market for a new home computer. It’s been so long since I’ve had to buy one, that I’m sure this new laptop will blow my outdated device out of the water and I’ll betray every feeling I have right now about the expense when I’m like – “why didn’t I do this sooner?”

Bear with me over the next few weeks. I’ll be posting regularly, but if you don’t hear from me, it’s probably because I’m SO overwhelmed by the sheer volume of options in the laptop market while I research my next move, that I don’t want to be on a computer more than I have to be.

Just kidding…sort of. 🙂

My parting words to you: take a quick look at this short clip and see where and how you can change your perspective on that annoying, but very human thing we call stress. I know there’s someone out there who needs the universe to intervene at this exact moment and speak to you as well.

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