On a hectic remote work day it is always wonderful to stumble upon a handful of distractions to take the edge off or give you a nice break from the mundane. And since the pandemic, we’re mostly flocking to the outdoors, I figured sharing is a good thing…hope you enjoy.
In need of visual therapy…
Travel is always on my mind, more so during the cold and dreary summer months we experience here in San Francisco. It fuels my need to get away, to somewhere sunny and warm. Funny how the UK is experiencing scorching temperatures right now, while in San Francisco, we are bundled up in winter sweaters, and heavy blankets. Here’s what’s happened in my world. Since March of 2020, I’ve sort of been at a loss. Not sure what topics to write about or thoughts to share past the doom and gloom we’ve all been feeling since the pandemic. I didn’t want to add to all the news, nor come across insensitive in any way by avoiding controversial topic throughout the year+. So, I’ve stayed quiet for the most part. Remained focused more on the challenges my family has faced throughout the year. The biggest loss for me this year, was putting my dog down in February. After 16 wonderful years of countless memories, silliness, and naps curled up on the bed next to me while I …
I feel these days I work more hours and do more chores than before COVID-19. Checking work emails the second I wake up, which is four in the morning and then again at night right before bed (mind you we are a global company) But that does not excuse the fact, I find it difficult to disconnect from work after an eight hour shift. Are you finding yourself doing the same? The other craziness I’ve noticed is how high the chores have piled up, each day with hardly any downtime during the week (I force my long walks over the weekend to help recharge) but that’s not enough, because by the end of each day, I am drained. As always, the internet reads my mind and sends reminders like these (countries with the best work-life balance in Europe) to help me adhere to some sort of normalcy. For the rest of the surprising countries, go here – How do you work-life balance? featured image source and full credit
While serving my mother chicken Fajita last night for dinner, she asked if there were any surprises for her to look forward to – in terms of dinner. So I told her, I was considering making this pasta and she actually grimaced at the idea of lemon in pasta. Which happens to be my favorite – ingredient – Shrimp Scampi, which I often substitute with Salmon. Artichoke steamed in olive oil and lemon – all recipes I learned from my Mediterranean family. Anyway, back to the pasta – check out the simple ingredients making up a very flavorful meal – and will pair nicely with a glass of my favorite cab and sure, salad too. Recipe: Spaghetti With Creamy Lemon Sauce Serves 4 2 lemons 4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil Scant 1 cup of half-and-half 1 egg yolk 3/4 pound (about 4 portions) spaghetti A small bunch of thyme Fine sea salt Freshly ground black pepper {more} I keep thinking I want to share my personal recipes with all of you – someday soon, …
As promised, I did venture out to San Ramon and Danville (California) to see about new home development sites and while walking through the many 4000 square foot ‘family homes’ I felt no desire to uproot and move out of my old house and into one that felt so not like a place I could call my home. I suppose I love the old, the charming architecture, creaky floors, slanted walls, and my ocean view too much to consider anything but investing in upgrades – electrical, structural and a professional landscape, and a polish on the old hardwood floors. This is something I am now one hundred percent certain I want to tackle. But I did walk away with some ideas of course, in decor 🙂 Bathroom tile, bay windows, landscape, a dedicated laundry space, tile work and more On Sunday, we drove out to Tiburon with hopes the fog remained at bay, San Francisco bay and for the most part it did. We managed to sightsee this fair town in a whole different spectrum. …
It has been a week – on a personal level, with a car break in, plumbing issues lost driver’s license, and health related concerns, and yet I am buying a bouquet of flowers, and sprucing up the house, to do my best in staying positive or even optimistic. Photographs of pretty things help, especially these lovely ones. Hang in there if you are having an equally tough week. {featured image source and full credit}
I love the end of May in the city. Because it is the only week before the actual summer we get sun, warm temperatures, and no wind or very minimal. Everyone is out this week, walking naturally this year, or sitting six feet apart at the beach or the parks. So with that mood, I feel the need to share a few lovely things on this Wednesday. Featured image source, 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5
The upside to being a writer is the fact, you can turn most any situation into a story. The downside is that – you cannot turn off your observation sense, in that you see every detail, hear too much and feel even more about all that is around and that emotion can sometimes be debilitating. This was my weekend. Now, to be fair, I am already titter-tottering on a slew of emotions, which usually happens around this time of the year – Fall-ish, where I am not in the best place emotionally. Not sure why this happens? But it does. To the best of us. So it is challenging to remain on course-the steady pace of happiness, positive thinking and perseverance when the environment all around is set in dismal mode. But such is life, and we must do our best to stay busy, challenge ourselves and dabble in creativity to help distract the otherwise bleakest of moods. Do you feel the same? Are there too many negatives people in your life? And how do …
My entire life, I walk this earth, displaying a strong persona – someone who can handle most anything and everything, as long as I am able to trouble-shoot and handle all that comes my way. This has been my motto, and my advise to everyone in my life. Recently though, I’ve struggled with keeping up appearances, in that I am beginning to feel overwhelmed with all of the responsibilities and what is expected of me from members of my family. The funny thing is, everyone always apologizes for adding to my already stressful life, but yet, it still happens, and I am right there to help, even at the expense of my exhaustion. Just so you have a clear understanding…usually around this time of the year, in between end of summer to the beginning of fall, I often feel out of whack, and end up doing and saying things not usually the norm for me-not sure why that is, but I wonder if you have experienced such mood changes during this time of the year? …
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