Basking in the Glow of Success

I was able to experience and take part in something very special this past weekend. After so much planning and stress and hard work, a team of us were able to see a little idea that we had become a reality. It is an incredible feeling to not only see an idea realized, but to see it blow away any of our hopes and expectations. All the heartache was worth this:

In the Shark Lagoon, originally uploaded by VintageSon Foto.

Our event was a fun evening with art & music and it was a smashing success. So many people chipped in to help out, and I'm very lucky to work alongside such an amazing, talented, and supportive group of people.

All in a Day's Work

1 juvenile gray whale,
2 fin whales,
1 mom and calf gray whale pair,
bottlenose and common dolphins,
and a beautiful view of Catalina Island.

What a great day at work!

Quote-o-the-day

"Oh, no one will take fineness from a morning. The beauty of the day is the only thing that doesn't fade in time. Day after day, such beauty revives itself."

-Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, Gregory Maguire

Quote-o-the-day

Master Schoonmaker:
"Let the story happen the way it will."

Iris:
"I don't know what will happen; stories don't tell you how things will turn really. Paintings and stories are different. Paintings are steady, unchangeable; stories convulse and twist in their revelations."

-Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, Gregory Maguire

Sunday: how I spent my day off

Morning: dropped flyers around town for an upcoming event


Afternoon: explored the Natural History Museum with Staci & Emily
(Grizzlies are so scary!)


Evening: dinner at a yummy Persian restaurant

Saturday: how I spent my day off

Morning: a nice hike in Griffith Park



Afternoon: relaxing with a latte & a good read

Stressed

A long and crazy work week can sometimes lead to emotional breakdowns. I reached that point around lunchtime today, all my stress built up and released itself in a tearful afternoon.

Thank goodness the weekend is here.

Busy, busy!

Today at work, I...
got some coffee,
checked some emails,
gave an update to the morning staff about a new program we're switching to,
did a fish ID activity with some of the staff,
watched one of my coworkers teach a class,
taught an hour-long class,
ate lunch,
did the fish ID activity again with other staff,
gave the new program update again to the afternoon staff,
went to a meeting about an el nino program being developed,
sat in on a meeting for an upcoming event,
ate a snack,
witnessed some shark-chasing-after-fish excitement,
checked some more emails,
went home.

I'm exhausted.

Ever have one of those nights...

...when you're lying in bed for hours and hours trying to fall asleep, and you just can't? Worries and ideas and questions and thoughts just twirl and swirl in your head. And all you want to do is say "shhh" to your mind and have a peaceful night's sleep, because you have a really long week ahead. But there you continue to lie and you still just can't fall asleep. And so, you give up and wake up and go online and blog about how you can't sleep...Ever have one of those nights?

2009 Reads

For some reason, my passion for reading slowed down a bit last year. I picked up and put back down book after book after book, so ended up actually finishing less than half the amount of books I read in 2008. From 28 books in '08 to 12 books in '09, here's my short little list...

2009 books, in the order I read them:

The Tales of Beedle the Bard, JK Rowling
The Princess Bride, William Goldman
Austenland, Shannon Hale
The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan
Peaches, Jodi Lynn Anderson
Mr. Maybe, Jane Green
The Sea of Monsters, Rick Riordan
Practical Magic, Alice Hoffman
The Eyre Affair, Jasper Fforde
Good Omens, Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Willful Creatures, Aimee Bender
Enchantment, Orson Scott Card