The Word

Posted on February 16, 2012 by vmacandcheese

Welp, it’s been exactly one week since I started working from home full time. So far, so good! I will say that the differences between working in a cube versus in my own home office all day everyday are almost jarring in a way. Of course that seems like it would be obvious, but you never realize these things until you’re in it. I’m still getting used to the dramatic change in routine, but I’m happy!

Several of you guys have been so sweet to email me or chat me to see how things are going. Thank you! Here are a few things I’ve observed:

+ My upstairs neighbor, who also works from home, seems to get a lot of phone calls during the day. Note to self: figure out how he drums up business.
+ My downstairs neighbor works from home too. Plan: weekly lunches with my fellow building co-workers!
+ As much as I love my ghost chair, it’s extremely uncomfortable to sit in for 12 hours a day. New mission: find a chic, comfortable, affordable, ergonomic desk chair. Twitter suggested this one, but I had one like this at my old job, and I found it extremely uncomfortable. I think it’s the petite stature. Also, I’m not spending a thousand freaking dollars on a desk chair.
+ I need to take time to get up and MOVE. In an office, I was up and about more than I realized. Here, I have a tendency to park it in my chair and not move for hours on end. Hello, stiff shoulders. The good news is I can stretch it out anytime I want. Doing lunges next to your cube was generally frowned upon. And by frowned upon I mean awkward for everyone.
+ In the same vein, I gotta drink more water. I don’t have co-workers to go hang out and make tea with in the staff kitchen.
+ One of the small joys: being able to play music as loud as I want and light a candle while I work. Both were previously verboten.
+ If you do laundry in the middle of the day, you never have to compete for the building’s washer or dryer. It’s fantastic.
+ It’s an exhilarating feeling to be able to tackle projects I’ve been putting off for months, simply because there was no time to do them.
+ I love working with clients!
+ I think this is going to be good. Really good.

Happy almost Friday, everyone!

{Image Credit: Makeunder My Life}

Filed under: Just thinking..., The Word | 39 Comments »

The Word

Posted on December 6, 2011 by vmacandcheese

Something to remember today. Embrace it, live it, love it.

Two other little items to update you on. Today I’m over at Karlita’s blog The Purple Bow, sharing the things that most inspire me in life. Check it out. Knowing you guys, we’ll have a lot in common. Secondly, today marks my first column on the blog Young Sophisticates! Each month, I’ll be featuring a fabulous editorial or street style photo, then show you how to get the look with both splurges and budget pieces. I’d love for you to stop by and let me know what you think of the column.

Hope you’re having a lovely Tuesday!

{Image Credits: Note to Self (where else?)}

Filed under: Blogging, The Word | 13 Comments »

On getting your feet wet

Posted on November 21, 2011 by vmacandcheese

“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”
– Ira Glass

{Credits: Paintbrushes; Quote found via wit+delight, originally Mint}

Filed under: Just thinking..., The Word | Tagged: Inspiration, motivation, quote | 9 Comments »

A little inspiration

Posted on November 8, 2011 by vmacandcheese

Bits of black and gold and a lovely thought to keep you inspired today…

[Also: Psst! Be sure to stop by Things That Sparkle today! I'm very excited to be guest posting for Alex and sharing my favorite items in my home...]

{Image Credits: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7}

Filed under: Beautiful Things, Just thinking..., The Word | 10 Comments »

Monday Musings: Flow

Posted on June 13, 2011 by vmacandcheese

I’ve had this pretty graphic pinned for a while and there’s just something about it I love. It’s so simple, but an amazing reminder to take things in stride.

And it’s especially appropriate since I had a pretty frenetic and at times stressful weekend, helping out with a couple work related events. I’m a bit run down as we start of this week (and admittedly, did not have much time over the weekend to put together a post for today), but when I revisited Pinterest for some inspiration, I knew the mantra of ‘flow’ was a perfect way to start my Monday. Whether you feel good, you feel tired; you feel happy, you feel sad; inspired, uninspired, it’s all good. Just go with it. Flow.

{Image Credit: Victoire de Samothrace}

Filed under: Beautiful Things, Monday Musing, The Word | 3 Comments »