Monday, November 29, 2010

Black Friday...Cyber Monday...What will tomorrow be?


Black Friday? Cyber Monday? What is all this?

On Friday, I was reading through my newsfeed on facebook. So many posts were around the exhaustion and excitement of Black Friday shopping and deals. I was relieved not to be a part of any of it, sitting on my couch with coffee and a good book. (And well rested at that since I didn't wake up at 4 a.m. to stampede the malls when they opened.)

I wonder if people would buy these cheap electronics, luggage, and sweaters if it wasn't for the hype or low prices? And when do you have enough? It seems to me the more you buy and stock up on, the more parts and batteries you'll need for the electronics, the more pants you'll need to match the shirts you bought...its like a never-ending addiction that never leaves you satisfied.

The same goes to show for tv. How many channels are on cable now? 300-something? And with more channels, we find there's even less to watch. The more DVDs we own, the less we seem to be able to figure out what to put in the DVD player. The more songs we have on our iPods, the less we have any idea what to listen to. It becomes about the quest to figure out what to play and not about what you put on.

I grew up thinking that more at a lower price was better. But in the last year, my thought patterns have changed. Now, instead of buying 3 bottles of cheap wine, I purchase one bottle of good wine. So I'm drinking less, but when I am drinking, I enjoy the craft of what it is I'm consuming.

Another thing to note: I decided my next writing project will be a full length play. I thought it would be in my best interest to read the last few years of Pulitzer prize winning plays to see what's being acclaimed as the great theater of today. My impulse was to go on to amazon and buy 10 or so plays (used). So, I did. I was about to check out, when I thought, "You should check the library." And I realized I was able to borrow them all from my local library. At no cost. What a true value that is!

-Courtney

Thursday, November 18, 2010

The First Real Glitch

Okay...so it's November. And mid-November at that. Stacey and I have almost completed our 'year of nothing new.' First off: I can't believe it. Second off: I'm so glad that its already November, because I've hit the first real challenge. The first thing that's going to be really hard for me to not rush out and buy is:

CARDINALS III/IV on vinyl.

Apparently, the Cardinals recorded a couple albums they never released before Easy Tiger and this was one of them. Pre-sale starts on Tuesday.

Sidebar: For those of you who don't know me, I am a HUGE music fan. And at the top of that list of artists is Ryan Adams and his band The Cardinals (who haven't put anything out in almost 2 years because he 'retired' from the music business.)

But you know what? I have 4,000 other songs I can listen to in the next month. And half of them I probably haven't even ever heard. Now that's abundance.

Its so funny too, because just yesterday, my friend Monica was asking me what the first thing I was going to rush out and buy January 1rst. I said that I honestly didn't feel the need to buy ANYTHING. Which is great and kind of the whole point. But there's always an exception, and this album is the perfect one for me.

Can't wait for 2011.

-Courtney

Monday, November 15, 2010

Collecting Dust

The Vera Wang stemware was the only “extravagance item” that we registered for 7 ½ years ago when we got married. I remember the expression because after an hour the salesgirl convinced me that every bride deserved a little extravagance. Everything else on the list was practical: pots, pans, flatware, towels, a bedspread, etc.– sensible things. Things we still use today.

But this stemware, I just had to have it.

When we didn’t receive the full set as gifts, Brian and I fought about using some of the wedding cash to complete the collection. I won that argument. And the day after we returned from our honeymoon, we were proud owners of the 2003 Vera Wang by Wedgwood Glassware Collection.

We brought it home to the apartment we were living in at the time and put it in a box for safe keeping until we moved to a more permanent residence. Three moves and seven years later the whole collection was still in that box, unopened and in its original packaging. I know, because I found the box this weekend when I was cleaning.

At first I was just going to dust around it and, I don’t know– leave it there for another seven years? Then I realized how ridiculous this whole situation was and in a moment of minor hysteria I liberated the whole collection. Freeing each delicate piece from its crypt of plastic and foam wrapping.

And right there, among ruins of the cardboard tomb, I filled one of the wine glasses with Cabernet and toasted to progress.

It’s funny (and maybe even a little sad) that it took my ridiculous relationship to this stemware to remind me that value doesn’t belong to things, but rather to how we choose to interact with them.

~Stacey

Thursday, November 11, 2010

40 Days

I just spent the last 40 days as a vegan. And surprisingly – I loved it!

The decision to make such a drastic change to my diet came as the natural evolution to my relationship with Baron Baptiste’s program, “40 Days to Personal Revolution” (based on his book with the same name).

The program uses yoga asana, seated meditation, a mindful diet, and probing journaling questions to guide participants towards a more authentic expression of themselves. I have taken part in, and more recently facilitated, the program several times over the last five years and each time it lands differently with me. This time (with a little urging from my co-facilitator and friend, Sally) I decided to “go vegan” for the entirety of the program.

Okay… Great so I didn’t eat animal products for forty days.

But why mention this on a blog about not buying anything new? Well, because the combination of this project and the 40 Day program proved to be both powerful and informative.

With the new restrictions to my diet, I immediately noticed how much time, money, and energy over the last year I’ve poured into food. Seeking it. Shopping for it. Reading about it. Preparing it. Eating it. Fantasizing about it.

Now, let’s get something straight… I LOVE FOOD! Always have.

But it didn’t take long for me to realize that my enthusiasm for it had shifted into an obsession over the past year. In the simplest terms, I had transferred my desire to shop – to accumulate – from “things” to food. (And to be completely honest, my waistline was starting to reflect this trend.)

A big wake-up call, for sure. And one I wouldn’t have heard without the combination of these two undertakings.

Maybe it’s because I’m sipping on the first coffee I’ve had in six weeks, but right now I’m filled with gratitude for this new awareness and for the opportunity to make some new choices.

(If you’re wondering, I plan to continue this vegan diet with a 90/10 approach. Similar to my thoughts on incorporating the things I’ve learned, thus far, from this year of nothing new into my post 2010 existence. My new mantra: Balance.)

~Stacey

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Where Giving Less is Getting More


Rumor has it that Christmas commercials have started to air. And I just saw Christmas tree plants in front of a home improvement store. Already??? Really?

With the kick-off of the holiday season, I realize how different this year will be for me and my gifting. Every year, like most people, I find myself rushing around for gifts, writing cards, and not enjoying any of it because I’m not taking the time to enjoy what the holidays are all about: the people you love. Last year, I even decided to run a Christmas cookie business on the side to make some extra cash. But instead of putting me in the holiday spirit, all the extra baking left me tired and grumpy.

I’ve decided for this year, I’m not going to give many gifts, and if I do, they will be extra thoughtful, homemade, things ticket/event related, or things people can eat/drink during the holiday season. I may even just cook dinners for family and friends over the course of the next couple months as my “gift.” I’m not even going to send out any Christmas cards. Most end up being impersonal and thrown out eventually.

My gift from my mom is my flight home. And I’ve asked to receive nothing else. Because my family is all I really need this time of year.

And Stacey...you hear that? No gifts! Let's just go out for some great dinners when you're visiting in January.

I’m committing myself to truly enjoy the holidays, to enjoy the people I’m with and gifting a present, cheery self.

Here’s to a new holiday season: where giving less is getting more.

-Courtney