Meileen

So I purchased my domain name and was well on my way to designing the site when my hard drive died! May its little silicon soul rest in peace.

So now I have my beautiful computer back from the shop, with a brand new 120gb hard drive. Unfortunately I lost all my data including my fledgling blog… bummer! So now I begin again. Hopefully I will have better luck this time around. :)

Stop by and leave me a bit of encouragement!
http://www.nakedandnameless.com

I just purchased some site hosting and registered the domain name today. $178 later, and I am now guaranteed 3 years of blogging nirvana. After much debate on the site name, I went with my first choice of Naked and Nameless. It’s gonna be great. :)

Now I need get crackin’ on site design/format. Then, ladies and gentlemen, we blog… check out my progress at:

http://www.nakedandnameless.com

Just had them taken out yesterday! The pain is manageable with the Vicadin the doctor prescribed. Plus I get to eat all the pudding I could ever want. :) It’s a 5-year old’s dream!

So I’ve been pondering this title thing, and the best I can come up with are two possible names for a spiritual cafe/coffee shop:

Holy Cow!
The logo could have something to do with milk… :)

or my favorite:

Java Jesus
Yes, it’s mildly disrespectful, but could you imagine driving down the street and seeing a sign for this? Christ with a big ol’ cup of joe? Oh my goodness, that would be so funny!

How does this help me come up with a blog title? Hell if I know, but at least I’m thinkin’.

Day 1 didn’t go so well. In a nutshell, I woke up late and had to rush out the door to a doctor’s appointment. No running happened today – My fabulous pink capris are still neatly folded on the dresser. :/

Tomorrow will hopefully be a different story! I am still unsure of how far/long I should start my runs. I’ve never been much of an athlete. What’s a good goal for a beginner?

Alarm went off at 7am, and like any good late-sleeper, I promptly reset the sucker for 7:45… fortunately I did get up at that point. Although I didn’t have much of a choice; I had a doctor’s appointment. ;) But, hey, whatever it takes to get the job done!

Maybe better luck tomorrow.

Alright Ladies and Gentlemen, I have been itching to start a blog for months now. My problem: I can’t think of a title! I have general ideas, but nothing has come to mind. Please, help me out!

About me: I’m a religious studies major and an architecture minor. I have a deep interest in religions/philosophies from all over the world, from all cultures. I spend most of my free time reading philosophy & religious texts, and I am dying to talk about it!

The concept: I’d like to foster discussion about these topics and present what gleamings of truth I have scrounged up in my research. These topics are fascinating and I want to share my enthusiasm with the world – I tend to be mildly irreverent and a bit goofylicious.

The Name: I keep playing around with the idea of nudity – it has a lot of potential for humor, but it also embodies the idea of getting to the bare naked truth (in philosophy/religion). I keep coming up with tag-ish lines:

- Naked and Nameless
- Stripping down to the bare naked truth.
- Get naked.

But I am having a deuce of a time coming up with a title. Can someone help me out here? Any ideas?

Alright Ladies and Gentlemen, I have been itching to start a blog for months now. My problem: I can’t think of a title! I have general ideas, but nothing has come to mind. Please, help me out!

About me: I’m a religious studies major and an architecture minor. I have a deep interest in religions/philosophies from all over the world, from all cultures. I spend most of my free time reading philosophy & religious texts, and I am dying to talk about it!

The concept: I’d like to foster discussion about these topics and present what gleamings of truth I have scrounged up in my research. These topics are fascinating and I want to share my enthusiasm with the world – I tend to be mildly irreverent and a bit goofylicious.

The Name: I keep playing around with the idea of nudity – it has a lot of potential for humor, but it also embodies the idea of getting to the bare naked truth (in philosophy/religion). I keep coming up with tag-ish lines:

- Naked and Nameless
- Stripping down to the bare naked truth.
- Get naked.

But I am having a deuce of a time coming up with a title. Can someone help me out here? Any ideas?

Somehow, somewhere over the past 2 years I gained 20 pounds – The horror! Well I’ve decided to nip this slow inflation and lose the weight. At the moment (March 2006), I come in at 133 lbs. My target weight is 110-115 pounds.

The main reason I want to do this is that I remember what I felt like when I was at my previous weight. I was “lighter” and had more energy. Over time with work and stress that feeling has changed, and I want to recapture it.

At the moment I do not have a set diet/regime. However, I have committed to running every morning (one of my other 43things!) and driving my car less. Hopefully the boost of activity will help me on my way to losing these 20 pounds. My plan is to weigh in every week to monitor my progress.

While most people in America are scrambling to buy a car, I am struggling to give up mine. Six months ago (May 2006) I made the decision to quit my addiction to my car. Yet in that time, I haven’t made much progress. Maybe 43things will help me focus!

First, the catalysts: why give up the vehicle?
1- I despise taking care of my car. The oil changes, the cleanings, filling up the gas tank, insurance, car payments, etc. This object drains too much from me.
2- I feel disconnected from the city. Instead of living an urban lifestyle, I spend far too much of my time in a little metal box.
3- The environment. There has been plenty of literature on this topic that I don’t need to get into it here, but needless to say it weighs on my mind.

So why am I having trouble kicking this habit?
I’ve owned a car for over 15 years, and it has become fully integrated in how I live my life, how I structure my time, etc. In a very real sense, my car is what connects me to the rest of the world… and I do not like that. I feel this will be a bit of a struggle, but I’m going to do it. I’m going to give up my car.

After weeks of searching, I found exactly what I wanted on Craigslist. A great little place, in a vibrant beautiful neighborhood. And best of all, the place is all mine!

Drawing isn’t always an easy skill to master, but it is possible to master it!

Look into the book “Drawing with the right side of the brain.” It’s a great text that gives you a perspective on a lot of the psychological barriers in learning how to draw. It also gives you many exercises that help you to think in a new way.

Beginning today, March 11th, I have decided that I will run every morning. It is something I have wanted to do for years, and how goofy am I that I have never made it happen?

To inspire me to keep up my morning jogs, I am now the proud owner of a fabulous new pair of pink running capris. It’s gonna be great! :)

Alrighty, I’ve never been an early riser. For years, 10am was early – noon was preferred! However, I have noticed that on days when I do roll my butt out of bed, I feel better throughout the day. The first half hour is hell as I stumble around my apartment, but the rest of the day I feel happier, more confident knowing that I am not a complete sloth.

Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to keep it up for more than short bursts. Usually my enthusiasm plummets the next morning, and I am again sleeping in for too late.

I would like, ideally, to get up at 7am every morning. And I don’t mean half-dumb and drooling. I want the birds to be singing and for me to joyously enter the day. Think Sandy on Greece – that would be ideal.

Hopefully I can get this under control. Then I can move on to part B: running everyday!

I stayed in Southern China (Lijiang) for two weeks in June 2006. It was beautiful: the weather, the countryside, all of it. The city was so full of energy and history.

I would have to say my favorite part was visiting the local villages around the city. I have never seen something so majestic as the rice fields… it was a truly moving experience.

Summer 2006, I was part of a fabulous trip to this little corner of the world, and let me tell you, it is beautiful! We stayed at a great little hotel in Old Town and spent the two weeks wandering around this wondrous city. To give you a Western parallel, the city reminded me greatly of Venice, Italy.. it has all the beauty, energy, and history you could ever want. A place definately worth visiting!

Venice is everything they say it is. It is a treasure on this Earth.

Be sure to get off the beaten path. The city becomes completely stuffed with tourists by mid-morning, but Venice is a true city. Get up early and see the locals start there day (8am-ish). You will see the true charm Venice has to offer.