life list: 2017
January 5
01.05.17
another year has passed and i did little to make any of 2016′s life list a reality. to be honest, i barely looked at it. life completely got in the way and i was basically in survival mode. that being said, i’m going to keep trying to make things happen. If you want to see previous years, there’s 2013, 2015, and 2016. i’ve done these every year for a long time and finally published it for the first time in 2013.
1. live in LA again full-time. i miss it and it’s always felt like home. visiting, even for extended periods of time doesn’t feel enough anymore.
2. put more focus back into my personal life
3. practice TM 2x per day and not fall off of it
4. learn to play something on guitar (i’ve always been completely intimidated despite being around them my entire life)
5. own a guitar again
6. visit japan again (i miss my family there)
7. get a traditional tebori tattoo in japan (lifelong dream)
8. become a million miler on one airline
9. run a 5k with little effort
10. see the northern lights in alaska
11. see the northern lights in montana
12. see the northern lights in finland again
13. visit the salt flats in utah
14. visit yellowstone
15. take a vacation without any work
16. float in the dead sea
17. job with benefits or enough money to create my own, like for retirement
18. see the eiffel tower
19. own another vintage VW and restore it
20. do another cross country trip
21. visit all 50 states – 10 left: alaska, hawaii, north dakota, south dakota, wisconsin, maine, new hampshire, minnesota, rhode island, and vermont
22. do a split again
23. own a fancy watch
24. visit the eames house, farnsworth house, glass house, stahl house
25. stay at the madonna inn
26. drive the entire highway 1
27. take the tram to roosevelt island
28. go away on a major holiday without family
29. have a porch to watch sunsets from
30. pursue a crush
31. watch a sunset with someone important to me
32. master inbox zero
33. try pilates
34. write something personal and publish it
35. sit next to andy cohen on a plane
36. do a project with published credit that i can talk about
37. look in the mirror and not have the first thought be negative every time
38. have a spot for a hammock
39. have an indoor swing
40. have sex everyday for a year
41. buy an original piece of art
42. fold 1000 origami cranes
43. say hello to howard stern in person
44. write a book
45. own an eames lounge chair
46. see a concert at red rocks
47. walk across the brooklyn bridge
48. cross the golden gate bridge
49. raise serious money for a charity
50. take a good photo of the moon
51. see a particular song sung live
51. see more live music again
52. rescue a dog from a shelter
53. visit coney island
54. learn to keep a hula hoop up
55. learn more about my dad’s family
56. wear a swimsuit again and give zero fucks
57. pare down and get rid of things i don’t love or need
58. do morning pages every day (ala the artist’s way)
59. watch the stars from the middle of nowhere
60. take a risk that scares me
61. give kristen b. a hug to thank her
62. learn to pose for a photo
63. see dead & company with andy cohen
64. find love again
65. take a trip by train
66. find an enjoyable exercise i stick with
67. visit montreal
68. visit NASA
69. try dairy-free for a week \\\ try vegan for a week
70. own a vintage christmas tree
71. learn to dive into a pool
72. have an organized closet
73. pet another welsh springer spaniel because i miss mine so much
74. have a tech-free weekend with someone i love
75. find fancy underthings that i love
76. have a birthday party as a adult
77. pay for someone to learn transcendental meditation so i can pay it forward
78. take voice lessons to help with granuloma
79. take a good passport photo
80. quit picking my cuticles so i’ll have nice nails
81. start a retirement fund
82. hike runyon without dying
83. go to disneyland
84. see pee-wee’s red bike in person
85. find a place to display my hundreds and hundreds of PEZ dispensers
86. bike the Strand in los angeles
87. see yayoi kusama’s infinity room in person
88. see a concert at shoreline amphitheatre in mountain view, california
89. see a show at the fillmore in san francisco
90. see a meteor shower
91. visit the salt flats in bolivia
92. see the cherry blossom’s bloom in japan
93. swim in the blue lagoon
94. see a play on broadway
95. go to venice, italy
96. own a leica
97. visit the equator
98. have a family, whatever that looks like
99. fall asleep at night and know i’m in the right place with the right person
100. live long enough to see 1-99 come true
life list: 2016
January 17
01.01.16
it’s that time again. time for me to sharpen my focus on what matters. my birthday hit me hard this year, harder than any other making me not want to waste anymore time. i’ve done the life list for probably 10 years now, and it’s time for 2016. hopefully, i can make more happen in the upcoming year. i published my 2015 and 2013 lists if you want to view. here goes…
1. figure out where “home” is – i’ve been a nomad for a really long time now and i’m still searching
2. learn to play guitar – 1 song to start (i’ve had so many opportunities to learn but i’ve always been intimidated. i need someone who wants to teach me a bit because they want to pass along something they love, not because of ego.) – help?
3. own a guitar (again) – i’ve had several and lived with several but i don’t have them anymore – suggestions?
4. practice TM 2x a day, everyday. i haven’t been consistent.
5. get rid of the granuloma on the vocal cord or find someone who can treat it
6. give kristen b. a hug (she knows why)
7. have someone fun sing ‘sweet caroline’ to me (again). i secretly love it.
8. a big shakeup/change of scenery
9. i need a headshot for work stuff and i dread it (help?)
10. see the eiffel tower
11. get a digital camera that i love. i still want a leica monochrom…
12. feel comfortable using the above camera
13. ride the london eye
14. own another vintage VW and restore it
15. go back to japan – i miss my family there and the country
16. go on a trip in an RV
17. visit all 50 states – 11 left: alaska, hawaii, north dakota, south dakota, wisconsin, maine, new hampshire, minnesota, montana, vermont, & rhode island
18. have sex in every state
19. have sex every day for a year
20. see dead & company and have a good experience the entire night – that’s not too much is it? (fun fact: the grateful dead was the first concert i saw as a kid of 12-years old)
21. more fun travel and not only work travel
22. find THE WATCH – i have a bunch (more than a bunch) but i’m still looking for that one that i really love.
23. 1 million in the bank
24. visit the eames house, the farnsworth house, and the glass house
25. take a relaxing vacation and do zero work
26. do a split again
27. finish the apartment
28. plan another road trip. take said road trip.
29. write more letters
30. watch the stars from the middle of nowhere
31. drive the entire highway 1
32. take the tram to roosevelt island
33. redo this blog
34. get back to morning pages, ala ‘the artist’s way’
35. go away on a major holiday with someone that isn’t family
36. receive a love letter
37. get lasik surgery
38. volunteer on a major holiday
39. volunteer for veterans again
40. pursue a crush
41. visit the broad museum
42. watch the sunset with someone important to me
43. inbox zero
44. travel around europe by train
45. get rid of all things i don’t love or need
46. visit australia
47. find a penpal
48. zero debt
49. exercise routine that’s fun and i stick with
50. have an art studio
51. do a project i can talk about with published credit
52. wear a swimsuit again and give zero fucks
53. buy a painting i love
54. have a spot for a hammock
55. start studying japanese again
56. visit ecuador & pose with feet on either side of the equator
57. find a mentor (i may be old but we all need one)
58. learn more about my dad’s family
59. fold 1000 origami cranes
60. learn to hula hoop (i.e. keep the hoop up)
61. write something for jane pratt
62. sit next to andy cohen on a plane – he seems like he’d be fun
63. wear only fancy underthings
64. go to a tropical island and relax
65. take a multi-country trip with zero agenda
66. job with benefits (i’ve been freelance for eons)
67. visit coney island
68. own a photo booth
69. visit NASA
70. write a book
71. rescue a dog from a shelter
72. have someone amazing play ‘purple rain’ on the guitar for me
73. own an eames lounge chair
74. see my recent favorite song sung live
75. make out with a stranger (again)
76. visit yellowstone (plans in the past kept getting changed because of road closures)
77. take a good photo of the moon
78. ride a vespa
79. cross the golden gate bridge
80. drive cross country again
81. watch the sunset over the Mediterranean again
82. a capsule wardrobe of only good quality clothes
83. find love again
84. become a million miler on one airline (close, but hasn’t happened yet)
85. own a large format printer
86. sing a song… on stage
87. get a tebori tattoo in japan by a master (long time dream)
88. find someone to draw the idea i have in my mind for a tattoo and then get it done
89. see louis ck live
90. live in california again. it still feels like home.
91. find a simple organization system for paper that works for me
92. raise serious money for a charity
93. have my own family, whatever that may look like
94. see a concert at red rocks
95. visit every country in europe
96. walk across the brooklyn bridge
97. find another necklace i love as much as the one that recently broke
98. fall asleep at night and know i’m in the right place with the right person
99. ???
100. live long enough to see 1-99 happen
visvim: fw 15-16
December 6
12.05.15
i’ve been loving on japanese brand visvim for about 4-5 years now and every month or so i find myself searching to see what they have going on. these are just a few of my favorites from recent months. damn i love a stripe. at one point in my late teens and early twenties, my entire closet was stripes.
also, i’ve been trying to get the man behind the brand, hiroki nakamura, to do a friday five for design milk. hopefully one day…
the older i’ve gotten…
November 9
11.09.15
chicago bean reflection
thoughts i’ve learned along the way…
1. the more i realize that the image i’ve always had in my mind of my perfect mate and perfect life doesn’t always make the perfect reality.
[Extreme hotness does not necessarily lead to extreme happiness.]
2. the more it feels okay to not have to take a stance or have an opinion about everything.
[try it. it feels pretty good.]
3. life is just a series of choices we make, all day, every day, each with their own costs and benefits.
[when you break it down it doesn't feel so overwhelming.]
4. it’s easier to spot the good ones – the people that matter. the people you want to inspire your life, not corrode it.
[hold onto them.]
5. i try to imagine what the view looks like from someone else’s perspective.
[always shift your lens.]
6. complacency kills creativity.
[stepping outside your comfort zone into a frothing pool of vulnerability will shift things, one way or another.]
7. more often than not, quality will always trump quantity.
[this works for people, time, things, etc.]
8. the less fucks i give.
[doing you and doing you to the best of your ability is what makes a difference. caring about the outside static only compromises your soul and if that's gone, what do we really have to stand on?]
9. even the smallest expectation will always lead to disappointment.
[expectations kill dreams.]
10. perfection doesn’t exist.
[again, expectations.]
11. love isn’t just a feeling, it’s an action.
[you show it.]
12. leave a trail of stars.
[be good to people. do your best work. love hard. take risks. it's the trail of stars we leave as our legacy.]
