Life In Limbo

Inspiration: March 11

March 11, 2016

I have to talk about the tools that are changing my (work) life at the moment. First, there’s Timely, an app that lets you track your time spent on projects and later export the hours as an invoice. I had been using a horrible system of timing on my phone timer, manually writing the hours on a document and later adding them up by hand (WHY?!?!) so I adore Timely.

The second app is Slack, a messaging application that my team started using this week. Goodbye to endless emailing! We’ve been more productive and worked much more efficiently by having an easy way to send along the answer to a question or an update quickly and easily.

There were lots of loans being matched on Kiva this month, which is always very exciting! The matching is over for now, but you can still make a big impact by giving a loan now.

In similar news, I’m trying to raise $250 for Charity: Water before my birthday on April 7! You can help the cause by donating here.

Guinea Pigging Green got an update this week! I used the free WordPress theme West for the design, but I also saw this cool theme from Colorlib today. Free themes just keep getting better.

I always love to read Elise’s favourite things list each year.

This Instagram account makes me want to make a quilt so badly. This summer it’ll happen!!

The Sixty Second Photograph project is so beautiful so far. I like this one a lot and am so inspired to do my own.

Speaking of which, I made a video of life in Quito so far if you’d like to see it!

This week was so much better than last week that it’s crazy. I’m so happy my mom is home from her big adventure trip and that she had such a great time. I taught a lovely new private yoga class this week, applied for and got a volunteering position at an organization doing great work, and found out more about a very affordable Spanish course starting soon. Life is feeling full of possibility which is a wonderful feeling, right?

I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Inspiration: March 4

March 4, 2016

I haven’t watched the Oscars for a few years but I like to read about the highlights. This year, my very favourite part was Lady Gaga’s beautiful performance.

After seeing that performance linked above, I watched the documentary that the song was written for: The Hunting Ground. It’s available on Netflix, and it is both horrifying and excellent.

I always love the Lively Show, but I liked this episode on generating more positive emotions (right now!) in particular.

This interview from my friend Laura on Little Black Leggings with the founder of The Yoke was so great. The Yoke is a way to create more yoga community and bring affordable yoga classes to everyone: you can see my teacher profile right here!

If anyone else reading is a freelancer, check out Timely! I started using it this week to track my time and I absolutely love the interface.

For anyone who wants more insight into relationships of all kinds, check out Baggage Reclaim. I find her articles so incredibly spot-on.

I found this analysis of Donald Trump (ugh) by John Oliver very insightful. He really broke things down so clearly and convincingly.

I signed up for Scribd this week, and I absolutely ADORE it.

This week on the podcast, we talked about how to cultivate a growth mindset.

This was not a great week for me personally, but it had a lot of bright spots too. I went to the movies with a friend, recorded the podcast with another, and Facetimed with a third. I also painted myself a little reminder, had a great meeting for work, and watched way too many episodes of Ru Paul’s Drag Race. Oh, and I made cupcakes! So yeah, there are always bright spots.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Book Club: January + February

March 1, 2016

I absolutely love to read, and I love to share the books I like best with other people. Every few months here on the blog I choose my favourites from what I’ve read lately and write about them. As always, you can see everything I’m reading on my Goodreads profile!

One of the best things I’ve done in Quito so far is to join a book club. We’ve had two meetings so far this year, and both have been such interesting, awesome discussions about really good books. It’s also introduced me to some great people who have become friends outside of our book club meetings. It just goes to show: books (and the people who love them) are the best!

Here are my faves from the last two months.

1. The City & The City by China Mieville

This was our February book club choice. It’s about two different city states that exist in the same physical space but aren’t allowed to acknowledge, see, or interact with the other city that exists right next door. I felt that the setup and description of the cities and their rules was more interesting even than the murder mystery plot – fascinating, and definitely thought-provoking. I didn’t love the end, but we had a really great discussion about the book and how it brings up issues of class, capitalism, bureaucracy, authoritarianism, and human nature.

2. Delancey by Molly Wizenberg

This one left me really feeling like I needed to drop everything and open a pizza restaurant. Molly Wizenberg is a great writer, especially when it comes to her food descriptions (yummm) and her total honesty. I appreciated how real she was about her reservations about the restaurant and how she wasn’t always fully supportive or understanding of her husband’s big idea. The story is so inspiring and exciting, and it made me feel nostalgic about my restaurant days.

3. Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari

This was the first book I read for my book club and it surprised me. I expected a bunch of funny essays on love, in the style of Bossypants, but it’s not like that at all. Yes, there’s humour, but what’s interesting is that Aziz actually teamed up with a sociologist for 3 years (!) to do formal studies of what dating and relationships are really like right now. It’s interesting and insightful, and talks about everything from Tinder to the success of arranged marriages to how people used to choose marriage partners 50 years ago to what the dating scene is like in Japan right now.

4. A Year of Mornings by Maria Alexandra Vettese and Stephanie Congdon Barnes

This one is actually a book of photographs – diptychs, to be precise. I “read” it in about half an hour, but I really found it inspiring. Two friends live 3191 miles apart, and for a year they take photographs of their mornings every weekday. They pair the photos together and the result is this lovely, simple collection. Sometimes the photos are uncannily similar or complementary, even though they never coordinated with each other or had themes for each day. It left me wanting to pick up my camera, wake up earlier, and do a better job of documenting and celebrating my humble, beautiful life just as it is. The photos in the book don’t seem overly styled and they don’t depict a life that seems unattainable – they’re just a source of inspiration for you to notice the beauty in your everyday life, too.

You can see all my book recommendation blog posts here.

Inspiration: February 26

February 26, 2016

I’m back into Duolingo this week to finish up my Spanish course and I am sad I ever left.

This post makes me want to create a standing coffee date/book exchange with a good friend, stat. Such a great idea.

11 ways to get through a Monday, or any day.

I finished reading The City & the City this week for my book club and really enjoyed it. Next up, I’m planning to read A Window Opens and The School of Greatness.

Speaking of reading, I liked these tips on how to read more from TheWhat.

I wrote this quote in my planner this week.

I’m heartbroken that I can’t get Book of the Month Club here in Ecuador or even at home in Canada. Come to Canada please!

The Blue Apron app is serving as a big source of inspiration for new recipe ideas.

It was a mostly quiet week, just getting back into the swing of things after a week spent exploring the city. I went to a fun trivia night at a local pub, had a good meeting for work, recorded an episode of the podcast and tried out a cool new café. This weekend I’m looking forward to yoga in the park and my book club meet-up. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!