Project Time... 'tis the Season.

I would love to make this blog more useful. Rather than just trip reports & pictures (which is great fun, don't get me wrong), what information can I pass along that you would like? Please help me out here. I'm thinking along the lines of anything related to the subjects I normally cover at this point... art... outdoors... self improvement... etc.

In the meantime, It's that time of year again... for me it means Project Time. That accomplishes many things. For instance, a project can produce something, such as a holiday gift for someone, something that really needs to be done and I've been completely procrastinating (like organizing pictures, books, equipment in an orderly fashion). It can also be something that simply distracts me from the Season of Darkness, as I call it -- that time from "Fall Back", with the shortened days -- up until the Winter Solstice and on into mid-February, when the days start to get noticeably longer. Examples of this would be doing yoga, workouts, reading, studying, drawing -- you get the picture.

One thing I noticed while living up in Canada for all those years was that light really affects me. Moving from the climate of Colorado, which has something like 300 days of sunshine per year, up to British Columbia (I'm thinking Whistler, but it was also true for the East Kootenays) was harsh reality! Little did I know that darkness = hibernation mode for my body. Sunshine = energy. Crazy, huh?! Though on a nature-related DNA level, I suppose it makes sense. I managed to keep my sanity by having a late afternoon/evening job that allowed me to get out in the sunlight in the mornings, walk, run, whatever. It really helped!

I'm back in Colorado these days. Salida is a reasonably sunny place but nonetheless, daylight hours are shorter this time of the year. So here it is, Project Time. Gotta keep at it -- chocolate only helps so much! LOL. I'm currently working on "normal" projects, such as holiday cards & presents as well as organizing *all* my boxed stuff & art (huge undertaking for me, and it's going pretty slowly, much to Steve's dismay). Also, I'm gearing up for my NCETMB Massage Boards sometime this winter. Hoping to sign up for another CE course early 2010 and maybe Chicks With Picks again (see link on sidebar). Chipping away at it, that's about all any of us can do.

Here are some ideas for you to start with:
*Crochet, sew or knit something (i.e., crafts)
*Make holiday cookies
*Organize pictures/stuff
*Do something productive that could help someone (volunteer?)
*Draw or paint
*Work out/do yoga/ski/run, etc.
*Clean out the closet
*Organize music (Steve's current Project)
*Read the book or sign up for the class or trip you've been putting off
*Get a massage (ok, that's not really a project, but it can really help alleviate stress)