Snap Ginger

Fresh Start

sginger — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 02:24:14 +0000

The ball dropped, the hangover ensued, and it’s the first Monday of
2010 – officially back to the daily grind. But this year, maybe
because I had a pretty fab New Year’s Eve for the first time ever, I’m
committed to making the countdown actually count.

Not one for resolutions, restrictions, rules, and routines, I often
find myself with great intentions which never pan out. But in 2009, I
had a brush with project management (PM). Cue the celestial chorus.

While it didn’t really end up being the answer to my career safari (an
ongoing quest which will no doubt be detailed here for the amusement
and edification of all), PM still ended up being a pretty effective
way of managing projects and getting the ball rolling in my day-to-day
life. Now there are dozens of thousands of different strategies,
guides, turn-key solutions, and frankly a lot of useless,
self-aggrandizing time wasting under the all encompassing feel-good
title of Project Management. Most of this, I intentionally ignore
otherwise I’d never stop taking inventory of anything long enough to
affect any change, but lo and behold the wonder that is “Stop Start
Keep.”

Simplicity, clarity, and limited choices will save your sanity, kids,
and don’t you forget it.
A lot of us set unrealistic goals and feel defeated when we don’t
accomplish them, instead of approaching the usual flow of our lives
with focus and a plan.

So, start with what you got. If every morning you wake up and (fill in
the blank), ask yourself: “Start, Stop or Keep?” It’s amazing what
that initial momentum will do to your day, your mood, and subsequently
what you can achieve for the year to come. As you go through the
motions, ask yourself what you could do without and what small changes
could have tremendous impact, then “Stop Start Keep.” In a week, if
you’ve found one thing to Start, one to Stop, and one to Keep, you’re
going to be way ahead of the guy who has a gym membership charge on
his credit card, but has yet to make it through those glorious double
doors of pain.

Remember, the easier it is to do, the harder it will be to justify not
doing it. What are you going to “Start Stop Keep?” Let me know in the
comments section below, I’d love to see what makes you tick and you
might even inspire someone to echo one of your positive changes. Send
this to your friends and see what they’re focusing on this year. Don’t
be shy, everyone’s doing it…

finding Wisdom on Craigslist

sginger — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:19:50 +0000

It’s never easy being a twenty-something, but these days it takes some real cahonas. The last few months have been full of ups and downs: I’ve experienced unemployment, budding romance, settling into a new work environment and many hours on Craigslist hopelessly searching for everything from jobs to cars to …Wisdom?

As the saying goes, you don’t find Wisdom, it finds you. And today while searching how to get to and from my new job (thank you Craigslist!) on Craigslist – I swear they’re not paying me, but there’s an idea, huh? – I came across something I just had to share on none other than the “best of Craigslist.”

Ladies, this one’s for you:

From an Old Woman to a Young Woman
Date: 2009-09-01, 1:22PM PDT

1. You are not a victim. No matter what happens to you, don’t take the pussy route and blame the world for your misfortune. If you were sexually assaulted, verbally abused, etc and lived to tell about it; take your pain and help those who need it. Writing emo poetry isn’t going to solve anything.

2. Invest in your education first, your looks second. Anyone can pay a plastic surgeon to look hot, but not everyone can read a book and do simple math.

3. No matter what you call it, having a ‘man to take you shopping’ is glorified prostitution. He wants you for your body, you want him for his wallet. Cut the crap and call it what it is.

4. Do not seek confidence in other people. Magazines, celebrities and most pop influences are there to make you feel like you’re nothing. Don’t buy into it. Those celebrities need your money to look fabulous. Invest in yourself, not hype.

5. Stop fueling gossip mongers [Perez Hilton, TMZ.]. They have nothing to talk about and if you follow them for long, neither will you.

6. Be modest; why have all your goods unwrapped and leave nothing for the imagination?

7. Know the difference between fucking and love. There is a major difference and if you don’t know it, pick up a book or ask someone who does.

8. Do not have children just because you’re lonely or insecure. Your child will end up hating you for it and you won’t get the emotional blanket you hoped you’d get.

9. Get a job. Seriously. Just because you’re a woman doesn’t mean that you are excused from work. Find a trade, get a job. If you are a house wife, be a good one. If you are a career woman, put your heart into what you do.

10. A respectable companion is rarely at a ‘bar’ or da club’. These places are meat markets and will only set you up for a douchebag or a wimp. If you go, refer to rule 7.

11. Learn to cook. Cooking is a dying skill that needs not be. You’d be surprise how much weight you lose and how you can get a decent companion if you know more than picking up a phone and calling for dinner.

12. Get off your phone. If it’s not your best friend, your job or your family, your cackling is not important and the rest of the world does not want to hear it. Listen more. Talk less.

13. Stop putting so much of your money into things [purses, shoes, make up] and start putting it into a savings account, a 401k or an IRA. Those shoes are not going to vest when you turn 65.

14. Stop using men to get you stuff. Have some self respect and buy your own drinks, meals and entertainment. A date will respect you more if you show them you are not helpless.

15. Perfume and baby powder does not make up for good hygiene. Shower, do your laundry, clean your place. Body odor is not excusable for either genders.

16. If you are a Lesbian, respect yourself and stop trying to find acceptance in the world. 9/10 they will not accept you. Tell them ‘fuck you’ and be your own woman.

17. If you are a Lesbian, you are not anymore special or important than anyone else. You love other women and you have that right, but do not flex your preference thinking it makes you unique. Your mind and experiences make you unique, either gay or straight.

18. Buy clothes that fit. Be tasteful with your clothing be you big or small.

19. Don’t eat for comfort, vomit to make yourself beautiful, and starve yourself to feel loved. Exercise, be sensible with your food choices, don’t deprive yourself but never eat too much. The quickest way to a size 30, and to the grave, is past your teeth.

20. If they say the love you, ask them to earn your heart through good deeds, genuine kindness and respect.

21. Romance is not dead; but if you’re not willing to give it, don’t expect it in return.

22. Stop being a bitch to other women and other people. If you are not happy, go get therapy. No one deserves to be berated because you don’t have the guts to berate yourself.

23. Do something new every day. Pole dance to learn about your sensuality, paint to express your creativity, write a blog to express your soul. Evolve and never stop learning.

24. Look in the mirror everyday and smile at what you see.

25. Stay safe. Learn to defend yourself against one or multiple attackers. Jackals do not attack if they see a big stick. If all else fails, run. There is no shame in running if it keeps you safe.

26. Love yourself. Always. When you love yourself to the fullest, the world will open with opportunities

* Location: LAX

These are not my own words (and I might have phrased it a bit differently) but whoever you are “Old Woman” in LAX, thank you for laying some solid ground rules. As a “young woman” who is often confused and disappointed by the behavior and mentality of my contemporaries, this was reassuring and confirmed my belief that you can be a modern woman and still hold onto some of that classic charisma if you just respect yourself.

I still need a way of getting from A to B, but this is certainly great advice on how to get where you’re going! Good luck and don’t forget, a little bit of poise goes a long way.

Can’t Get Enough | Frau Diablo

sginger — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 18:18:12 +0000

I recently had the pleasure of being completely immersed in the awesomeness that is Daiblo Cody. From book, to big screen, and now TV, the Diablo Cody Trifecta is something I can’t get enough of. There’s something for everyone – stripper, pregnant teen, and a wife and mother suffering from dissociative identity disorder (DID). Not to mention the male counterpoints, Michael Cera as Paulie Bleeker in Juno and John Corbett as Max in The United States of Tara, are sweet, supportive, and in my opinion incredibly sexy.

Between inserting my favorite lines from Juno in just about every conversation, reading Candy Girl, and watching The United States of Tara, I am completely devoted to Diablo’s unique and quirky perspective. She has a masterful way of portraying real feelings about the extreme situations you hope never to find yourself in through a lens of nerdy-chic with such understanding and compassion that it leaves its mark on you instantly.

Watch the hilarious interviews with Diablo on youtube and of course enjoy her on-screen and in print countless times over. I do. And it has yet to disappoint.

Brasil for the win!

sginger — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 21:21:43 +0000

The beach - Rio de Janeiro

In typical Brazillian fashion, Kaka and the boys showed up to the match against the USA confident. After a slow start, Brazil started bringing the pressure and sure enough finished strong. I consider myself spoiled in regards to soccer, but love every minute of it. And after every game I give thanks for being uma Brasileira.

In front of my favorite bakery in Ipanema

Can’t get enough | Eternity Summer by Calvin Klein

sginger — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 22:38:32 +0000

A warm Summer breeze in a bottle, what’s not to love?

Ode to a Rhizome Part II

sginger — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 16:39:40 +0000

Unlike other plants native to tropical climates, ginger is cold hardy. I immediately identified with the little darling, plucked from its exotic, warm, lush environs and expected to thrive in an ice-storm. Another fact which earned my endless devotion was that despite having gorgeous orchid-like flowers, ginger often called gingerroot, is best known for the portion that grows underground, the rhizome, which has a myriad of medicinal and culinary uses.

More than just another shrinking violet, ginger is to me the ultimate beauty. Practical, substantial, can take root anywhere, full of merit, and impossible to dismiss for even a second after I had made its acquaintance, ginger manages to embody all of the qualities I strive to maintain. While I do not care to be pickled, crystallized, or grated, I do admire its versatility. And knowingly smirk at the fact that it can be overwhelmingly acerbic when mishandled, not unlike me. Quite an adequate mascot in my opinion…

So when you’re hungering for something out of the ordinary, something you just can’t put your finger on, you might just be craving Snap ginger. Bon apetit!

Ode to a Rhizome Part I

sginger — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:03:05 +0000

One thing you’ll learn about me is that I get infatuated, completely and obsessively consumed by things, on a regular basis. A song, a color, an ingredient… There is nothing that can be done to stymie the entirely unpredictable and insatiable moods that envelop me from time to time. Surely these whirlwind romances (like my current highly public affair with DayGlo yellow fashion pieces) will certainly make innumerable appearances, but for now I’d just as soon build a foundation for all these flights of fancy by devoting this first post to the blog’s namesake.

It all started at a sushi bar in Albuquerque; eating raw fish in the desert. What can I say? It’s exactly these kinds of contradictory experiences that make my world go ‘round. I also love challenges, which has to explain why I decided it was a good idea to live in New Mexico as a foodie with no spice tolerance to speak of. Amidst the wasabi wars that raged on at my table I overheard “not even the ginger? Lame.” Now I’ve been called a lot of things which I won’t go into just now, but being referred to as lame required immediate retribution. So I did what any food-obsessed know-it-all would do when faced with a challenge over a new ingredient, I went Iron Chef on the pickled ginger.

The sushi became secondary and I focused all my attention on this simultaneously refreshing yet stinging sensation which I couldn’t decide if I liked or not. That day I began my absolute devotion to this seemingly innocuous little rhizome. My life will never be the same.