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“We must stand still so our daughters can look back and see how far they’ve come.

I saw the Barbie movie with my daughter and This was the line that made me cry.

I’m finding that people either love or hate this movie. There seems to be no in-between.

I went with my daughter and my sister in law and we laughed and we cried and we loved Helen Mirren and Weird Barbie and we wore pink. We adored Ann Roth, and left telling every other woman in the theater that they are beautiful.

But we don’t stand still so our daughters can see how far they’ve come. We climb as far as we can on the shoulders of the women who came before us and we bring our daughters with us, and then we boost them forward as far as we can. Only then we do move everything forward.

I wonder if part of my reaction to the movie was a reaction to an article I read yesterday about how women have been written out of history by the record keepers.

It reminded me of the Prologue to Women of Futures Past by Kristine Kathryn Rausch, the former editor of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, who realized that when it came to the history of science fiction the great women writers were being lost since they weren’t being included in the modern anthologies. Not to mention that she was left out of the listing of editors for F&SF in Locus magazine despite having edited for years. And by leaving women out of the historical record, women today think there is a barrier to overcome that never existed.

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by shondratasha on August 16, 2023  •  Permalink
Posted in life, media, random thoughts
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Posted by shondratasha on August 16, 2023

https://shondratasha.wordpress.com/2023/08/16/we-must-stand-still-so-our-daughters-can-look-back-and-see-how-far-theyve-come/

June is a month for impulse purchases

In June 2021 used vehicles were hard to come by but we were lucky and found a beautiful Toyota Tacoma Sport model.

Since this was my truck, I got it pinstriped by a Rat Fink artist. Keith knew this was a girl truck and needed pink and purple.

I’ve been driving her when I have to leave the house.

So 47 days ago my husband decided to drive his girlfriend down to pick up his watch from repair.

My husband’s girlfriend

While at the jeweler’s shop, the manager of SLC Porsche told my husband that his girlfriend was just what someone was looking to acquire for a special project. So he thought about it and decided that we had 23 years of fun and it’s starting to turn into a garage queen and the price was right.

Then we got an invitation to the annual Porsche club summer social. So DH started missing his car and today we went back to the dealership and told Gavin that we had a problem- there’s a hole in our garage without a Porsche.- DH had done some research online of the used cars they had in, on the lot.

And I would like you to meet my new baby who needs a name.

Yes the mirrors fold in when the engine shuts off.

Funny thing is the payment on my new ride is the same amount as the payment on my old ride. We had paid off that loan with the proceeds from the sale of the girlfriend. At the end of the day, I have a car loan again but can use the amount previously budgeted for the truck. So, what should I name the Cayenne?

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by shondratasha on June 19, 2023  •  Permalink
Posted in Budget, life, personal history, random thoughts
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Posted by shondratasha on June 19, 2023

https://shondratasha.wordpress.com/2023/06/19/june-is-a-month-for-impulse-purchases/

Chernobyl for Christmas

Still from HBO’s Chernobyl Docudrama

No this isn’t about the war in Ukraine although I trust Ukraine over Russia when it comes to managing the site. No, this is about my family’s choice of Christmas viewing.

Christmas Day conversation revolved around 9/11 and the survivors and the physical toll on them. That led to talking about the HBO docudrama on Chernobyl.

So Boxing Day we’re all watching Chernobyl because that’s how we roll. And that led to some Google for history and where are they now answers and did you know that more people died in the holiday snow storm in New York than the Russians and therefore the UN admit were killed by Chernobyl? The official death toll for the nuclear accident is 31.

This led to a discussion of what happens when society conditions you to believe that lies are truth. And both sides of the political aisle are guilty of misusing opinion as facts. Try looking to see where the often quoted statistic about 50% of marriages end in divorce came from you’ll find it’s an estimate not actual data. (Latest estimate is that almost 60% of first marriages will last until death parts them, it’s the 2nd and additional after that that skews the data up to over half of marriages fail).

But back to Chernobyl – the scene that hit many of us hardest was the “it can’t be graphite, you must be mistaken” and the one where it’s pointed out that 3.5 is the maximum reading their detectors can register. People are willing to accept misinformation if it fits their narrative. It’s how we start believing social media is reality even if real life doesn’t match the screen.

So ask yourself – what beliefs am I looking to support when reality doesn’t match? What facts and reality am I ignoring in order to support my beliefs? Are there any beliefs I hold that should be re-examined given the reality happening outside of my screen?

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by shondratasha on December 31, 2022  •  Permalink
Posted in holidays, life, media, random thoughts

Posted by shondratasha on December 31, 2022

https://shondratasha.wordpress.com/2022/12/31/chernobyl-for-christmas/

A word of intent for 2022

In 2020, my word was focus and it helped as there was much distraction and redirection in 2020.

In 2021 I went with Flow because if I learned anything in 2020 it was that plans change and anticipation and foreplanning create anxiety when what is doesn’t match what you want things to be. And Flow worked – even if it never made it onto the focus board to be viewed in the morning.

But 2022 needed something different for it’s intent. Something for me to manifest and work toward. So I took quizzes designed to help find your word for the year and I looked at other people’s words and I looked at goals.

Then one of the responses to a quiz smacked me hard in the face. It told me I was in Warrior mode and gave me a list of Warrior affirmations. What hit me is that I have been questing and battling for so long, I forgot to slow down and look at the roses on the path. I forgot about the joy in the journey. I forgot about checking the rear view mirror every now and again to see how far I’ve travelled.

But gratitude didn’t seem like the correct word.

Abundance, however, did feel right.

I can work on my health and losing weight because I have an abundance of food. I can exercise because I have an abundance of options and can prioritize my time to do so. I have a new job which also gives me an abundance of opportunities to learn, grow and develop. I have an abundance of family members to improve relationships with and practice emotional intelligence. I have an abundance of stash to work on my hobbies.

This year I will recognize my ABUNDANCE and I will be a good steward of what I have so the universe can use it to make room for even more.

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by shondratasha on January 2, 2022  •  Permalink
Posted in focus, goals, life, new year resolutions, random thoughts

Posted by shondratasha on January 2, 2022

https://shondratasha.wordpress.com/2022/01/02/a-word-of-intent-for-2022/

Saving things for later is another form of procrastination

For Mothers Day my husband gave me a gift basket which included a bath bomb.  I had never had a bath bomb before but it looked like a larger version of the bath cubes I used to have which took forever to dissolve.  In my mind, I planned to save it for later.  Save it for a time when I would take a really long soak.  

Today I finished a fantastic leadership/public speaking course called leadership from the heart.  My feet were sore, my voice was shot, I was physically drained and still on an emotional high.  I realized this would be the perfect time for that long soak in the tub.  I turned on the water and dropped the bath bomb in.

It was a bomb, alright! There was a plop and a POP!  The bath bomb exploded and the scent of wildflowers filled the room. 

I realized that I had mistaken what the gift really was.  I had preconceived notions which limited my desire to use it.  I thought it was going to fizz and take a long time to dissolve.  Instead, it was quick and because I was not mindful in the moment of it’s use, I missed seeing it explode, I heard it and saw/smelled the result. 

Since I was still in that coachable mindset, I saw the parallels.  How many times have I procrastinated things thinking that they would be long, arduous processes?  What if that was incorrect thinking?  What if things things I’ve been thinking are big hairy monsters are actually cute little puppies run through my scary filter? How many times have I missed things because I was not fully present in the moment? 

Even worse, how many times have I judged people from things in my past experience instead of who they are really?  How many times have I stopped seeking to understand based on something they said or did that triggered me?  And turning that around, how many times have others stopped listening to me because they judged me?  

To end on a lighter note, I will definitely be getting more bath bombs and using them frequently. 

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by shondratasha on November 19, 2017  •  Permalink
Posted in corporate culture, education, focus, life, Procrastination
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Posted by shondratasha on November 19, 2017

https://shondratasha.wordpress.com/2017/11/19/saving-things-for-later-is-another-form-of-procrastination/

Bringing Agile to my hobby….

I’ve been reading and implementing Scrum/Agile practices at work. I am advocating it to my team as a quicker way to work.  We use scrum boards at work and as I was updating my Excel spreadsheet which I use for my stitching, it hit me all these projects are my current backlog.  I have even more projects which are kitted and not started so those might be my roadmap.  The two filing cabinets of patterns are my ungroomed funnel.
It really hit home when I looked at the calendar I’m using for my plan for Stitch May-nia – It’s a planned sprint.

So some things I’m missing.

  • What is my definition of done?
  • What is the acceptance criteria for the stories?
  • What is the theme of this sprint?

As I’m typing the questions, the answers are coming.

  • The theme of this sprint is re-acquainting myself with the projects.
  • The acceptance criteria is 2 days of stitching and track the progress (so I have a starting metric).
  • The definition of the project done is displayed or gifted.

My husband has started to worry as the kids move out that I will continue to start projects and buy new patterns without finishing them.  He has asked that I cut my WIP list from 35 to under 10.  I can agree with this.  However, the thought of working on one piece at a time without any new starts makes me queasy and following his plan, I would end up with 2 large pieces at the end before doing any new starts.

I enjoy rotating pieces and I feel I make progress but the 10 hour block I’ve been using hasn’t been working for me. When I get to a stopping point, I want to stop and sometimes I want to keep going when I hit the end of the time slot.

I’m thinking instead, I’m going to start creating stitching stories for the projects in the rotation.  Things like a set number of stitches or a page or a segment of the design.  Then I’m going to story point them based on relative size. This way, I can start getting a cadence and a velocity.  I find if I have too much on my plate, I freeze up and don’t stitch or quilt or do anything except play games on my tablet.  Having things pointed and knowing what is achievable each sprint could help keep the anxiety from hitting.   And if things come up, I shouldn’t be afraid to call the sprint.

I’ve been thinking about monthly FlossTube videos so that could be both my demo and planning.  If you’ll excuse me, I’m off to find something to use for my Kanban board.

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by shondratasha on May 5, 2016  •  Permalink
Posted in Agile, focus, goals, life, Stitching
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Posted by shondratasha on May 5, 2016

https://shondratasha.wordpress.com/2016/05/05/bringing-agile-to-my-hobby/

Have you thought about a personal history?

I’ve been feeling like I should write more.  I used to write quite frequently (according to my archives). In an attempt to find more topics, I found a great little books of writing prompts.  Looking through them, not only may they be interesting but they could provide a way to leave a personal history for my children and grandchildren.
I know that many of my ancestors kept journals and I’m not sure what happened to them but sometimes I wish I had access to them just to know what life was like in that day.  What did they think about?  I have a few stories that I asked my grandmother and great grandmother but as I get older, the questions change and they aren’t  around to ask.

I’ve been told that one of my great grandmothers journals was mainly to do lists and grocery lists and budgets.  That still would be an interesting look at her life and a historical record.  So often we think that what the future wants to know about is the exciting things that happen but not all of life is exciting.  So much of life is what happens between adventures.

So how do you live between the adventures and with whom do you share that information?

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by shondratasha on February 11, 2015  •  Permalink
Posted in Aging, books, family, life, random thoughts
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Posted by shondratasha on February 11, 2015

https://shondratasha.wordpress.com/2015/02/11/have-you-thought-about-a-personal-history/

No WIP updates this week…

Yep, there is no WIP update this week. Mainly because I was having Mommy Angst with the Last First Day of School. Yes, my baby started his senior year of school and I’m having those – How did he grow up so fast? He was so tiny (my runt at 8′ 3″)? Where did the time go? How did I get this old? And the realization I never made him a baby sampler!
Unlike the other kids though, he got his own baby quilt which is now boxed away since it’s nothing but 2 pieces of worn out fabric. The stuffing is gone and when held up the once heavy cotton is now sheer.
He was about 8 when he agreed to box it up to save for later. We may take it out of the box when he goes away to college next year. At least, he’s asked if we can or could he at least take the box to school?

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by shondratasha on August 23, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in family, kids, life
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Posted by shondratasha on August 23, 2013

https://shondratasha.wordpress.com/2013/08/23/no-wip-updates-this-week/

If I haven’t been to bed, it’s still Wednesday – Right?

loom80713

Note, all warp threads are through the comb and through the correct (I hope) heddle and all that is left is remembering how to tie it off in back and tighten it up so I can weave.

FandI731

So this is what Fire and Ice looked like last week, and this is what it looks like this week –

FandI80713

And I really wish I could figure out how to just drag and drop photos without losing the posts but that will be an issue for another day.

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by shondratasha on August 8, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Free time, hobbies, life, Stitching
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Posted by shondratasha on August 8, 2013

https://shondratasha.wordpress.com/2013/08/08/if-i-havent-been-to-bed-its-still-wednesday-right/

Life happens

Life happens and the best laid plans often go awry and plans to blog weekly turn into “Oh wow, it’s been over a month since I posted anything.” I’ve been on Facebook and the boards but just not here. One board I belong to has a weekly WIP Wednesday post. It would be easy to post that here as we’ll as there. So maybe you’ll see me more often.

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by shondratasha on July 10, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in life, random thoughts

Posted by shondratasha on July 10, 2013

https://shondratasha.wordpress.com/2013/07/10/life-happens/

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