Noury's Creative World…

A very dear friend invited me for a Sunday afternoon fashion show in a bedroom community of Orlando.  It was labelled as a Fall Fashion Show.

Very lovely crowd, chicken salad in a croissant with romaine lettuce and fruit salad on the side was the delicious lunch.  Sweet or unsweetened tea or lemonade.  Lots of door prizes, and plants to give away.  I brought home two small plants.  Can’t wait to put them in my bedroom.

So the show gets going, all dark colors, hats, scarves, coats, ready to face a nice winter weather.  I was getting hot, very hot from just looking at the models in their “fall outfits.”  Hot flashes came back out of nowhere and there I was fanning myself in a place that was quite cool, weather controlled wise.

After the very entertaining fashion show, my friend and I went to watch the documentary “Forks over Knives.”  That is after me chewing down a chicken salad sandwich.  Veganism went out the window.  What can a girl do when she is hungry and I didn’t feel like grazing with just romaine and some mini-cut pieces of fruits.  Give the woman something meaningful on a Sunday afternoon.

Well…there we go happily after ingesting some stuff that are not at all acceptable by the Forks over Knives concept, to watch the film.  No wine suggested.  WHAT??  Isn’t a nice glass of red wine supposed to be good for you?  Besides it makes you feel all relaxed and ready to go to bed.  The world seems a friendlier place when you have had a nice little glass of wine.  I just looked at my friend and said “there goes the happy moment with dinner.”  Not only no meats for me, now no wine either.  Suddenly the world is not that nice and friendly any more.  But…I want to be healthy and live longer.  My cable guy told me just last Friday that by 2035 we may be able to live up to a 150 years.  What for, I asked him.  I am running out of things to do as it is right now.  Man, things are getting a bit much complicated lately.

One hundred and fifty years.  Hmmmm…How many languages can I learn?  Mandarin, Greek…and the list goes on.  It does not matter how good my life could be…150 years is a lot of years.  Stop!  No more thinking beyond this moment.  Suddenly I am getting tired.

So…it was today…16 October, 2011…a day full of contradictions…no more wine for me, and living up to 150.

Your Happy Contessa

“One thing that never ceases to amaze me, along with the growth of vegetation from the earth and of hair from the head, is the growth of understanding.”  Alice Walker, American writer, poet and activist.  Pulitzer Prize winner for fiction.  9 February, 1944-.

Let me introduce you to my new kitchen gadget.  My new convection oven.  I see myself having so many tasty meals.  It looks good,  doesn’t it.

First, have to clean it and read the manual.  So the first meal probably will be cooked the week after next.  I ordered it last Sunday afternoon, so when it arrived yesterday afternoon, I was somewhat perplexed.  I was not emotionally ready for this apparatus.  Just taking it out of the box took all my brainpower away.  Need to recharge the few neurons floating around my scarcely populated brain, so the whole excitement of tasting my first meal will have to be put on hold.

Isn’t this familiar with some other things in our lives.  I was imagining, that is before this thing arrived,  already preparing some zucchini with bread crumbs and parmesan cheese on top,  some broiled organic chicken having it all with Riesling wine, but when I heard a noise outside of my door, and hearing the motor of a big van taking off, I went to see what was the matter.  There it was!  My new oven.  Had to bring it into the apartment and open the holy box.  Then had to reshuffle things around in my kitchen to accommodate this sparkling thing.  Now I have to read the manual, after I finish studying my French and then…wash the whole thing…then go to mecca for organic stuff and…then cook.  I am exhausted already.  Maybe next month I will use this highly efficient new convenient oven.

Ask and you shall have.  I did.  Now I ask for time to get ready to use the blessed thing.

So…it was today…13 October, 2011…a day of admiring my ever shinning oven…and leaving it alone for a few more weeks.

Make it a happy and enjoyable weekend.  Next Monday it is.

Your Happy Contessa

“Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock, and the door will be opened.”  Holy Bible.

Everyday I am given suggestions from my blog host on how to increase my audience.

And my thinking is…I don’t need a bigger audience than the one I have.  I like what I have and why is this constant need in our planet to have more and more.

In my case, I write for the sake of writing, to keep a journal for my darling daughter and to have something to do.  To be accountable to myself.  It makes me be alert to make up stories out of nothing.  Look how far this is going.

The more you have, the bigger the responsibility.  My plate is pretty full as it is.  You don’t have an idea of how many times I have to consult the dictionary and other resources.  By the time I am done, 1/4 of my day is gone.  Ask my friend Lucy how long it takes me to take a picture…lots of flashes, props and taking picture and more picture-taking.  You see, I am very demanding and expect a lot from myself.

Just imagine if I was thinking that I have to cater to let’s say over a thousand people a day.  Holy tamale, I will have to be answering their somewhat half intelligent questions, well, you know what I mean.  The more you expose yourself, the higher the possibility that the stuff will be hitting the fan at a higher speed.

Leave me as it is.  I am under control somewhat and I love my highly intellectual and selective audience.  I hand-picked them.  I am not a tolerant person to put up with people who think they have a license to tell you what to write, how to paraphrase things and at the end, you end up angry and wanting to send everyone down to Hell City.

I am a happy unpopular blogger and I just love it so.

To my few followers, I am forever grateful that you put up with me and most of the time are very silent, so in a way, most of the time I don’t know what the heck you think about my writings.  Perfecto!

So…it was today…12 October, 2011…Hey Columbus, they really did a job on your fame, didn’t they.  I honor you today, the real day that you and your buddies discovered some beach in the island of Hispaniola.   To you Columbus, Happy you Day!

Your Happy Contessa

“When it takes little to be happy, you have mastered the art of living.”  Moi

Or I don’t know how the outcome will change or affect my life.  Or I just tell myself, not now…I am not ready…the pieces are not in place.  Ha!  That’s a good one.

Wow!  That’s a powerful question.  Most of the time we are on denial, and tell ourselves that  we are afraid of nothing.  We just procrastinate and think that fear is not an element at all in the dynamics of doing something we would like to see accomplished.  Right!!  Who are we kidding?  Ourselves, all right!

Really…if I was not afraid of how things would evolve in my life, I would put all my belongings in storage or just give them away to the Salvation Army, get ready a backpack and take to the Himalayas to start climbing some mountains, would love to visit Tibet;  stay for a while in India doing some country sightseeing;  live in France for at least three months;  finally get into a schooner and live it up as a free spirit;  go climbing the Andes and stay for a while with the Indians from Peru, and so many other things.

The question is…why don’t I just do it.  What or who is holding me back?  I don’t see anyone holding a barrel against my back.  Maybe I don’t want to do those things bad enough to just get going.  Am I afraid of what people would think, that I would run out of money, that I may acquire an incurable disease…frankly, I guess I don’t do these things because they feel almost unattainable.  But, honestly, I could start with the first one and take the first step.

The reasoning of this posting came from the Oprah’s interview on Facebook and other books I have read or is it that sometimes I don’t even know what really I would dream about doing.  I guess my Paris dream took 46 years to accomplish, so do I think I have 46 more years?  Don’t think so.

First, I think I need to just start my list once again and pretend that everything I want or dream about doing is attainable and doable.  It depends on me, not on anyone, or any circumstances.  Fear is a paralyzing emotion and the best way we deal with it is just putting it aside and out of our minds.  I am wasting very valuable time…I don’t have an eternity.

Himalayas, why not…so it was today…11 October, 2011…a day of revising my dreams list, again and again.  A lot to do, and how much time left?

Your Happy Contessa

“If it is to be…it is up to me, and it is sooner than what I think.”

Note:  This posting was also prompted after I finished watching the speech Steve Jobs gave to the class of 2005 at Stanford.

I was watching a show about these two designers…their works of art have been shown in  very famous museums in the United States and around the world.

In the conversation they were asked to define art per se.  She said, spirit, and he said vision.  But one phrase stood out more than anything else during the interview.  He said, and she agreed that without discipline, they would both be nowhere.  Sometimes he is assigned by a major store to produce illustrations to go along with some of the clothing designed by his wife and other designers.  He stated that he just sits with nothing in mind, and starts doodling and eventually something starts to happen and before he knows it, voila! there is the foundation of the piece he keeps on working on until it is finished.

I thought about this and agreed with them.  Without discipline there won’t be any food prepared, any children taken care of, any careers finished, or even a thought taken to its final stages.  If I wouldn’t have sat at the keyboard, you would not have the opportunity to read this posting.  Even to be a good person, you must have discipline.

If we really analyze this phenomenon…nothing would ever get accomplished if someone does not commit to the discipline needed to take any task to its finished version.

Everything, and I mean everything major that was ever accomplished is due to the people involved having the discipline to start and take it to the finished level.

I know it is not easy, but in the time it takes to think about something, I should really start with the motions of doing it.  It would snowball just like everything else in life.

So…it was today…10 October, 2011…a day to make a decision about being disciplined enough to take it to the end.

Your Happy Contessa

“Life is half spent before we know what it is.”  George Herbert, Welsh born, English poet.  3 April, 1593 – 1 March, 1633.

Are you out there a bit like me?  I always have this need to be doing something, otherwise, if I rest for long, I feel guilty.  Where the heck did that come from?

My father was as easy-going as a turtle in a hurry and my mother, ah!  that’s where it comes from.  Somehow now she has had to slow down a bit.  Approaching 86, but she is always knitting, cooking, fixing things, throwing away things, mopping the floor, she is blessed with tiles throughout the whole apartment, and always something cooking in the pot.

It is sometimes difficult to be like this.  I feel restless and is like living with Contessa A and Contessa B who is always watching over me and making me feel guilty if I slack a little.  My own worst enemy is moi!  I have read books, listened to tapes, watched shows, but it is getting worse as I become more mature and interesting.  This need to be always on the go, and doing whatever.

I feel that walking inside the condo while I watch tv will help me with my circulation.  Maybe am I afraid to get sick and die?  That’s a possibility.  I have noticed that I am very much interested in taking care of my body and my mind.  But, on the other hand, I could convert into invisible energy right now, and I am just fine with it.  This is a conundrum.  Should I try to look further into it, or just go with the flow.

I just thought about it, this blog started with the pursuing need to do something with my time.  Learning technology and putting out there my philosophy.  Now, it is very difficult to disengage from this daily task.

Today is Sunday…I will go with the flow for today.  Need a break from being too efficient.

So…it was today…9 October, 2011…another day of pondering why things are the way they are.

Your Happy Contessa

“I always do what I need to do when I need to do it.”  A sentence I borrowed from a book called “What to say when you talk to Yourself.”  It has been ingrained in my mind for almost thirty years.  It means to me, “just move and do something.”  No wonder!

What kind of writer am I?

I asked myself that question while reading a book about Rachel Carson, known as the patron saint of the environmental movement.  She wrote about our connection to nature.  So, I thought…what in the world do I write about all the time.

Then I said to myself…no cat or dog to even consult with…let me continue with my little story before I get sidetracked as usual…so I said…maybe I am an observant writer.  I write about everything and anything I observe.  I am always observing and arriving at conclusions in my mind.  Now, more recently I am starting to question my conclusions due to another book I am reading titled “Loving What Is” by Byron Katie.  Progress and evolvement in this synthesized bundle of energy.  I need to evolve, so when I convert to invisible energy, the transfer will be easier.

You see, I told you, going on a tangent again.  So I am going to try something new here, I am going to invite you to read my first little poem.

I cannot come up with anything decent.  This was a harder task than I envisioned.  Cannot figure out also how to do single space when I press Enter.  Conspiracy of the universe not to allow me to try to be a poet.  Pondering…still pondering.  Nada.

Even the little thing about roses are red…violets…you know the rest…now I will not underestimate anyone who is trying to come up with a single sentence of material.  It is as if all my artsy neurons have taken a dive into some cave pursuing another writer with more talent.  Good luck!  Leave me with my mediocre output, I don’t think I am ready for the big lights and big paychecks.  Not on this lifetime, at least.  And definitely, not writing for a living.  My hats off to all of you writers out there.

So…it was today…5 October, 2011…a day of finding out that poetry is not an easy thing to do or create.

Take some time during this lovely weekend and write a little poem to yourself, your spouse or your cat or dog.  I will applaud you from here.  I will be back next Monday.

Your Happy Contessa

“To write for thee is a pleasure indeed.”  Moi

Sometimes you feel that some people are larger than life…of course, no one is…but this morning I just found out that Steve Jobs has passed away, and it felt as if he was.

I never met the man, don’t even have one of his products, but somehow tears just keep flowing, I really cannot explain why.

I have never in the history of my humble blog have changed course in what is published, but this morning I felt compelled to do so.

Mr. Jobs, a toast to you and the great legacy you have left behind.

Your Happy Contessa

“It is not what you do, but how you do it.”

I always have a choice…do I approach anything in my life, even if it is a pain in le derriere,  with grace or just be a nasty, disgusting being.

After 62+ years, I think the choice is obvious.  It is 100% better for me to go with the Pollyanna approach.  Stick it to others and let them be miserable.  I am a citizen of  Wonder and Happyland.  It makes me feel better and my stomach appreciates the fact that I am not putting unnecessary stress in my muscles.  My head also.  Let them think you are in happyland while they are in miseryland.  It works for me.

Nothing has happened to trigger this posting, I was just thinking while staring at the screen, what should I write about today.

So my friends, as the old saying goes, honey is sweeter than vinegar.  Do not waste your good vibes and energy trying to be obnoxious or like the pink stuff that makes you want to throw up.   The only one getting the halo all red and black is you.  Keep it blue and pretty…trust me, it is worth it.

The old lady that moved to Florida and finally found the hole through which my friends from a distance, the froggies, were coming in, has written.  Don’t play the role of an idiot, it is not becoming and it makes you ugly and give you unnecessary wrinkles and bags under your eyes.

One more observation…have you noticed how the people who are in a bad mood or always carry on like a grouch seem to feel more important, just because their misery makes them feel they are above we the commons,  who always carry on with a smile or just shrug off the crapola of life.  Interesting dear Watson…interesting.

So…it was today…4 October, 2011…a day to choose to be in a good mood and have good karma.

Your Happy Contessa

“Be happy…or be miserable…Duh!…”  Contessa’s arsenal of good humor.

It is that time of the year whereby in Florida we can leave the doors and windows open without feeling that we are in a sauna.  I took the opportunity to spray for bugs also, so the fumes could escape to the outdoors.

I locked my screen doors, because the fear of having unwanted and unsolicited visitors is always with me.  I need to find that whistle.  At least I can blow it really hard and hopefully the people with their hearing aids in place will be able to hear me.  I am such a mean person.  Maybe one of these days, I will have to get one of those and remember to turn them on, so I can hear the conversation.  Oh my…so much to look forward to, that is, if I am lucky enough to make it to that stage.

Then as I am getting ready to type this posting, I hear some noise as if someone is trying to open my screen door.  I rapidly went to the door to check it out.  There she was, Miss Nonagenarian trying to open the door to bring me some fresh basil.  How sweet and kind of her!  She grows basil outside of her door and it really looks healthy and smells so fresh.  I already had some with my salad.  Random kindness.  I am so blessed.

Beautiful weather, Duke won their football game yesterday, I feel great maybe because I am breathing fresh polluted air and life is good, very good.

So…it was today..2 October, 2011…a day of being grateful to be among the existent ones.

Your Happy Contessa

“Better to believe too much than nothing at all.”  From my little book of Old Chinese Proverbs.