Category Archives: melanie kristy

Thirteen Things to Do in 2013

Posted in aspirations, lists, melanie kristy, self improvement by

So here we are, it’s 2013 already. I feel good about this year, but truthfully the odd numbered years seem to be better for me. 2005 was full of parties and going to California, 2007 I graduated with a Bachelors and spent a few weeks in Italy, 2009 I spent a lot of time with Sarii, went to New York City and Martha’s Vineyard and I turned 25. In 2011 I went to Memphis and visited Graceland, Shaylin got married and I met Francesca Lia Block and some other various firsts.

That’s not to dis-count the even numbered years though. I just feel better about odd numbers.

Anyway, I’m not making many resolutions this year, at least not in the traditional sense. Instead I am listing things I want to do and focusing  to start, on eating real food. I’ll move on from there.

1. Watch the sun rise (Already got this one out of the way, but I’d like to do it more).
2. Finish Nana Sprinkles. Edit it to completion, fill in the gaps, make it ready to submit.
3. Make cheese. Probably mozzarella.
4. Go to The Strand bookstore in New York City
5. Participate in guerrilla gardening
6. take a water yoga or water aerobics class
7. participate in a flash mob
8. go to a psychic and have my cards read
9. put my ad up for this blog in at least 3 blogs
10. submit a piece of writing to Rookie Mag
11. Submit a short story for publication somewhere

I guess this list isn’t finished but I plan to revisit it throughout the year.
Do you have any suggestions?

xo

The First Sunrise

Posted in aspirations, inspiration, love, melanie kristy, photos, winter by

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For years I’ve been telling myself that I want to see the first sunrise of the new year. I want to get up way too early and venture toward the ocean and experience nature. And for years I’ve let this idea slowly slip away, because I wasn’t ready for it. Because I didn’t want to wake up early. Because it’s damn cold in January.

But this year, I did it.

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I convinced my friend Heather to wake up way too early with me and meet me near the beach. I bundled up in two pairs of socks, a sweatshirt and wool coat, scarf, and gloves. I brought towels to sit on.

We were going to picnic there but decided to get coffee and breakfast sandwiches after our adventure. (I did, however, have an amazing Gingerbread Man coffee on the ride back to my house).
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I wanted to do something that was different, though. I wanted to write everything down that I wanted to let go of and do something symbolic to let it go. So I bought pretty scrap book paper and some cut out things from Michaels. I brought Sharpie markers. We wrote our secrets on them, I listed the health issues, weight and habits I wanted to be rid of and then we took the cut outs and made confetti of our problems. We talked about how we wanted our new year to be, what we wanted to do different or strive for.

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A lot of people think it’s cliche to make “resolutions” or goals for the new year. They think it’s dumb that people at parties are going to talk about all the things they’ll probably never do and make all these plans and ideas for things they’ll forget about tomorrow. But I think it’s important to take the time to think about change. I think that, even if you don’t actively follow through with these new plans, it’s good to think about them. Because you can’t improve on yourself or change anything unless you think about it first, right?

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So when I got home I took out a piece of scrapbook paper and wrote all over it words for my new year. My WORD of the new year is PRESENT, as in BE MORE PRESENT. But I wrote lots of other words I want to incorporate into my life or hold onto. It’s basically an inspiration world cloud of insight and hopes and goodness. I’m going to pin it above my desk to look at daily.

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I hope everyone is having a great day, no matter how they spent their New Years Eve (hungover? I went to bed at 9pm…) or Day :)

xo Melanie.Kristy



 

 

 

 

 

On Slowing Down

Posted in inspiration, love, melanie kristy, winter by

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It’s December, already? How does this happen, anyway? How does time pass and all of a sudden you are here in this moment and you aren’t sure how you got here or why you’re here or what’s even going on. But it’s December, in 2012, the month that, according to the Mayans, the world is going to end.

Or the world as we know it.

That could mean we’ll be disconnected, battling a war on home grounds, without chocolate, the end of The Twinkie. It could mean natural disaster. It could not mean anything at all.

But if we take a second to think about it, trace the steps to how we got here in this very moment maybe, if the eternal light goes out on December 21st (or we lose someone or something or go through heart break or get sick or lose our jobs or become lost in the woods), maybe we can take a moment and inhale the pine and Christmas cookie scent, taste the peppermint lip gloss and sit in this moment.

& remember

Remember anything, really. Like those times when your biggest struggle was learning how to tie your shoes. The first concert you went to without adult supervision. What it’s like to graduate school with a degree. The last amazing meal you ate. The last time you really, truly laughed until your eyes watered (and then you laughed some more).

In reality I hate the busyness that comes with “growing up” and responsibility. I hate feeling stick with all these obligations because socially its become part of what’s “acceptable”. I’m going to school and working full time. I kind of hate it. But I don’t hate going to school. I don’t hate working.

And I really enjoy those free weekends full of Christmas lights, too much pizza, laughing until you cry and then ending the (too short) weekend with being immersed in beautiful, descriptive fiction.

But in the busy days its hard to remember what it’s like not to feel bush or stressed. It’s hard to remember what it’s like being five years old and riding a bicycle without training wheels for the first time. It’s that busyness that takes away. When we forget to breathe, we forget to acknowledge and we forget about the moment we are in or the times that we’ve already had.

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Letters to Myself on My Birthday (11/12)

Posted in melanie kristy by

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Letters to myself
Past 18:
Senior year of high school is kicking off wildly. Be you. Write fiercely. Follow your dreams. There are going to be so many people who don’t understand. Don’t let them change you. One day you are going to meet Francesca Lia Block and she is going to help you more than you can imagine. But right now don’t forget to live. Let your emotions out. Scream at the top of your lungs. Go to the beach all of the time. And don’t stop writing.

Present 28:
You are exactly where you need to be right now. You are on ledges, dangling off and dancing with caution. But these ledges are only cusps to something better. Something beautiful. Relax. Your work will get done. Read books. Write fiction. Save pennies. Believe & most of all love.

Future 38:
Don’t forget who you were and all you’ve done and gone through. Don’t forget the magic. Spend your life shining. Wear glitter. And keep on writing, even if no one is reading. Youhave it all inside you.

dont dwell. Calm nostalgia.

Be here. Now. Today.

Manic Monday

Posted in lists, melanie kristy by

It’s Monday again! How can that be? The weekend was just here, wasn’t it? I’m just so sick of Mondays, aren’t you? I’m sick of the reminder that me weekend, which was a little space in my life just for me, is gone. I have to share myself and my space with other people. This usually means different responsibilities than I had on Sunday and most definitely a different pace than I’ve spent my last 24-48 hours.

What can do to make your Mondays (Even if that day of the week isn’t actually Monday) a little bit better? What fills you up and gets you through the week? Here are some things to try:

* Carrying around a new book with you, even if you don’t get the chance to try it
* Scheduling writing into your day (Nano writers, blog writers, journalers, haiku connoisseurs, etc.) even if it’s in blocks of ten minutes at a time
* Making sure to smell good, like something that’ll make you smile every time you catch a whiff of yoruself
* A huge coffee to get caffeine working on your side. Make sure it tastes amazing, too.
* A new nail color to start off your week
* A new bracelet (made of hearts) to cover your tattoo (and remind you of love.)
* Schedule something at the end of the week that’s going to make working these next 40-45 hours so totally worth it
* Set up a savings account with direct deposit into it every week so you don’t have to think about it
* If you have the extra change, consider a facial, massage, manicure or pedicure
* Tell someone you love them. Or hint that you might like someone. Or kiss someone for extra long in the morning before the real world rushes in
* Re-examine your priorities. Maybe Mondays aren’t the best day for you to actually do work. Or maybe you’re taking too many classes. Working too many hours. Spending too much money.
* Do yoga tonight after work. Even if it’s simple — a few downward facing dogs, childs poses and forward bends should bring you back to yourself
* Remember the phrase: I am here. When things feel overwhelming, tell yourself, I am here. This helps you focus on only the very moment you are in which in turn should help the overwhelm.
* Pack a lunch tonight for tomorrow (and maybe you did the same last night for today). It takes away the guesswork of lunch time and also saves you from spending extra money.
* Think of all the things you could do with what you’ll earn today.
* Take a shower and start your week off clean and fresh

On Running…

Posted in aspirations, festive, goals, melanie kristy by

photo courtesy of The Color Run dot Com

Have I told you that I signed up for a 5k? No?

I’ve never been able to run. In grade school I was that girl who finished twenty minutes after everyone else’s 8 minute run with my steady walk. I cheated around the corners of the track and fields we had to lap, I decided that one lap really meant to, I didn’t give a shit about stupid health exams. They ask you to run once a year and record your time. Like that means anything in the grand scheme of healthiness.

But anyway. I still can’t run. And the 5k I’m doing is in a month from today. I realized yesterday that it’s been a month (!!!!) since I attempted my Couch to 5k program.

The 5k I signed up for is called The Color Run. (Because Gala was talking about it, really). It looks amazing. And the only reason I signed up really is because at every kilometer people on the sidelines throw colored talc-like powder at you. And you end up all sweaty… but colorful at the same time. And I’ve always wanted to do a 5k. It seemed like the perfect motivation.

Obviously it hasn’t been the perfect motivation.

Because my sneakers started to hurt, I needed to wait until I had the money to buy running sneakers (and be properly fitted and run on a treadmill while a girl videotaped my legs running), and running is hard, man. And then I got a cold. I can run for about 30 seconds at a time. In intervals between that and walking, I Can do about twenty minutes. Something tells me that won’t get me very far.

So I figured out what 3 miles is near my house (if you didn’t know, a 5k is 3.1 miles). I plan to walk around the blog every day I can, timing myself and aiming to go faster and faster. If I do it in under an hour, that’s 20 minute miles,  out of shape me walking very fast. (While my out of shape friend Karen, who agreed to get all rainbow-y with me is aiming for a 35 minute 5k. I am practically running this thing ALONE).

So I’m still not a runner. I’m not even really a fast walker. I’m a girl with a cold whose throat is too dry to allow her to finish sentences who weighs too much to really run who has a month left to “train” to get colored talc powder thrown at her.

I’m hoping it’s not one of those 95+ degree days like the ones we were having last week. But otherwise, I’m still pretty damn excited.

I’ll update you in a month, assuming I survive this endeavor.

xo.

Wanderlust: Tulsa

Posted in hanson, love, melanie kristy, moments like movies, music, passion, travel, wanderlust by

Over the weekend I went to Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was for a festival of sorts, what we named a convention that was really a weekend of stuff put on by the band Hanson in honor of their 20 years as a band. At the beginning of the show they played (actually the second of two shows — they had to do two shows on Sunday night because so many people RSVP’d for the event) a video from their audition to play at Mayfest twenty years ago. Isaac was 11, Taylor was 9 and Zac was 6. It was precious.


If you’ve never been to Tulsa, it’s a small city in Oklahoma. The first time I landed there, I was shocked to see there were only five (!!) tall buildings in downtown. This is very unlike cities I’ve been to before, mostly on the northern east coast, even the small ones.




There are cute little stores and restaurants, really pretty houses and art on buildings. I ate fried pickles, breakfast for dinner and drank ice chai tea lattes. I even found a coffee place with tangerine kombucha. We rented bikes and reenacted music videos and blared music in the middle of the street at 11:30pm while we waited for a train to pass.





It was one of those weekends that was exactly what I needed. Even if I couldn’t put it all into words that makes sense just know that I returned home feeling inspired and full of music and love.



ps You can read the Good Groupie’s reaction to our weekend at her post here, where you can also see a video of part of the street dancing three of our friends did in attempts to reenact the Thinking About Something video they were in.
That’s something I was reminded of this weekend as we drove around Tulsa, listening to music we all have in common and the stuff we don’t – it’s so much fun to share a musical moment with someone, knowing you both have a connection to a song. – The Good Groupie.

A Room of One’s Own

Posted in aspirations, blogging, characters, melanie kristy by
Credit: Fresh Design Blog

I totally wish this desk was mine!

I’m not really sure how to describe myself except to say that I need my own space. I need a part of my life that’s untouched, nights after work where I don’t socialize. I need my room to be my room and not for anyone else to come in and clean it or move my things around or hang up winter laundry that needs to be put into storage or take down Christmas lights I’m not done admiring.

In some ways, the internet feels like my own space. This blog, I mean. It’s the part where I can choose what I share and how. It’s my voice, the one that gets lost in groups of people. I’m that person who is never quite heard. Insisting my ideas for five minutes while others around me talk. “Oh hey maybe your grandfather and my mom’s grand father are brothers.” I said that once while we were camping we met some people with my mom’s maiden name and they were trying to figure out the relation. Five minutes later someone actually heard me. At parties where I’m not close to people, I mostly observe the conversation. I am part of it without having a voice. I am absorbing. In ways I am recreating the event in my mind. I’m filing my life under the headline of Fictional Scenes and creating characters out of people I barely know. Or, if I’m in a coffee shop eavesdropping on the interestingness of other people, I am creating their lives. I am documenting what I think their lives should be and writing Morning Character posts about them.

The thing about being a reader is that it’s so easy to be absorbed you sort of forget to live. Like sometimes I get jealous of characters who have lives. Who are out living while I am there watching them. Hobbies that include fiction or television shows or watching films are passive hobbies.

I write because I don’t always want to be passive and this is the only way I know how to be. I write in my blog because I want to be heard when subjects and conversations

One time someone told me that if I spoke with the same peace of mind I write with, maybe people would know me better. Or maybe they would understand. (I’m sorry I forget exactly what you said. You might not even remember saying it). But a lot of times that peace of mind comes when I have a keyboard beneath my fingers or a pen and paper easily accessible.

I’ve recently realized I’m introverted. You’d think, knowing all I know about myself, I would have realized this sooner. But to be honest I never really thought much about it. But reading this article Nourishing Your Inner Introvert made me think even more about it. Made me think about how it’s okay to be introverted. It’s okay that I don’t always want to hang out after my social schedule is over booked (by my own definition). It’s okay that I don’t always want to watch TV with my entire family lounging around the television in the living room. And while it’s okay, and I know it’s okay to be this way, to be ME the way I know how to be me, it’s often that people don’t understand. I ignore the constant requests to watch TV when there’s stuff I need to be doing. And I can’t always make plans five times a week when every person I know seems to be demanding my attention. Sometimes I can’t immediately respond to text messages. And I think part of this explains sporadic blogging. Because sometimes using my voice and speaking out and going through the motions of writing a coherent post, finding pictures for it and publishing it all feels a little too demanding.

But all of this is okay. It’s just part of who I am. And I need to stop hating on myself for being lazy or for not writing or whatever. Because it’s not laziness that causes this overwhelming fog of exhaustion sometimes when I think about needing to write another blog post. Don’t get me wrong, I ADORE blogging. I just can’t adore it every hour of every day all of the time (to infinity and beyond, 24 hours a day in color).

And this isn’t an exercise in making excuses, it’s an attempt to dig deeper, accept more and to reach out.

Would you consider yourself introverted? Do you have a hard time feeling like other people understand you need for alone time? Do you have any tips of other introverts?