DISQUS

To provoke beauty, thought and compassion through emotion and imagination. To push the boundaries against restrictive ideas about love, family, vocation, etc...so that people have the freedom to navigate where they desire in the world to completely fulfill themselves. To create communities and fellowship through art and self-expression.

I have a few: Doctors Without Borders because they go into the most difficult crisis zones and stay there. As a New Yorker, I support Robin Hood Foundation (http://www.robinhood.org/home.aspx), which fights poverty in the city. I also support CARE (http://www.care.org/) and local animal shelters. I also support ALS and lymphoma treatment/research, since key people in my life have suffered from these diseases in my life.

I write my master To-Do list on a dry-erase board. I'm not sure why this helps over writing it down on a regular piece of paper, but it does for me! I sit down with my coffee at the beginning of every week and write down my goals and intentions and I plan out my week's To-Dos. I also use the Lifestyle Map from Style Statement as a list template and write down something under each area for the week that I want to do, reflect upon, accomplish, etc. I also used IWantSandy.com to create text reminders and appointment reminders as prompts through my day to keep me on track, but now that the service is ending, I'm going to have to find something new!

Also, I have to say that I am a huge fan of the Entrepreneurial Time Management System's ideas of Focus Days, Buffer Days and Free Days. Danielle, I think you linked to it a few weeks ago -- I started implementing it in my own life and I have to say, I can really see a transformation! So thank you!

I live on the Upper West Side and I love how it feels here: bustling but not overwhelmingly so, diverse, literary. There is a lot culturally in terms of cafes, restaurants, access to museums and the like, but I also live near Riverside Park and Central Park. I like the little farmers market that pops up twice a week. The "mallification" of NYC is happening up here, and that is unfortunate; I wish we could preserve more local businesses.

I know "hostess" is gendered female as a word, but the most welcoming person I know is actually an ex-boyfriend of mine -- always creating a warm, welcoming space for people to come into, attends to those pleasurable details, and had impeccable Texan manners. He loved to engineer memorable gatherings...a consummate host.

I've had a great creative year in general -- wrote, directed and edited a short film, curated an art show, finished a lot of long-term writing projects. I'm also proud of taking ballet classes again after many, many, MANY years!

I'm a highly sensitive person overall, but things that stand out especially: smells, lights, 'back-handed' compliments, ulterior motives, voices (they reveal so much about people), clutter. And on the good side: touch, genuine smiles, respect, when someone's being genuine, flirtation, rhythm (and music in general.)

A great quote! If you haven't seen it, I'd also highly recommend the documentary "The Spider, the Mistress and the Tangerine" on Bourgeois. So fascinating! (I think it's on DVD in 2009...)

Madonna. I'm not so into the Kabbalah-edition Madonna, but back in the day, she repped everything exciting about being a girl to me. Also: Louise Bourgeois, PJ Harvey, Courtney Love, Neil Young, the Chanel logo, Target, Obama. And is Tina Fey an icon yet?

Besides lots of love, kisses and friendly, warm wishes from my loved ones, I love glamorous, festive, long, HUGE dinners at really beautiful but relaxed restaurants -- with everything from appetizers to champagne to dessert to aperitifs! And of course, all of my favorite people in the world there, with great conversation, stories, laughter and all-around joy.

On a more personal note, I like to "cherish" me on my birthday by figuring out my solar return astrological chart (why not?) Even if I don't 'agree' with it, it starts me thinking about what I want for my next year in life, and how I can go about creating that.

It's pretty low-tech, but I love my blender. Smoothies, soups, crushing ice -- I put it to good use!

Intuitive, friendly, sensitive, intelligent.

A wolf! Nocturnal, solitary yet very community-minded, minds our own business, connected to the moon, quite shy and keeps to itself. I also have had a lot of dreams with elephants in them lately.

I concur on the Goldberg and Tharp books -- both are fabulous! I agree the suggestion of Bird by Bird in the comments as well. It's self-deprecating, wise and rich with insight. And often very funny!

I've been a freelancer and working from home nearly all my adult life, and at this point I feel like I couldn't do it any other way! (Although sometimes I wonder if I had to switch over and get a office-based job -- would I be able to? Am I employable?) I do admit, I feel great anxiety sometimes during this period of economic uncertainty -- but I also feel like I have well-developed skills to be pro-active about it. One challenge for me has been with avoiding burnout and the constant temptation to "do one more thing," but that's life -- one beautiful opportunity to learn and grow.

Muppet Babies!! I wish they would come out on DVD! I have nieces and nephews I want to share them with! Also: I have a stuffed toy dog that I have had since I was 2 that I still love to pieces. My Madonna Like A Virgin cassette tape. Choose Your Own Adventure books. Solid Gold (I wanted to be a Solid Gold dancer when I was little!) Three's Company, although at that age most of the humor went over my head. Roller skate night in elementary school. And I miss my dad's "streetlight" curfew in the summer: basically, we could play outside with our friends till the streetlight at the corner went on. One night it was broken -- what a dream!

Developing proper sleep habits! I have always been an erratic sleeper, and being in grad school and working self-employed/full-time in a creative field doesn't help, either. To this end, I really need to make myself get off the computer at a proper hour.

I was a Sassy-reading punk rock cheerleader, overachiever, total brain, one of those people that was acquainted with lots of people in all different groups but kept close to a tight circle of friends -- most of whom were music fanatics like me, so a lot of my best memories at that time involve us driving into Chicago for shows and various music-related misadventures. After games, I used to change out of my uniform into combat boots, fishnet tights and my army jacket -- what a contrast! My junior high years were terrible, but my high school years found me progressively finding who I was. My only "regret" is that I was so focused on getting the hell out (via a good college) that I never quite focused on enjoying the moment.

A recent favorite professor of mine passed away recently. Charismatic, funny, demanding and passionate about our shared subject matter (filmmaking), I will always remember how he held us to such high integrity because of his deep belief in our talent and potential.

I cried when Obama was elected! I also tend to cry when someone tells me they love me for the first time. And once, when dealing with an illness in the family and feeling absolutely overwhelmed, I got a call from an old friend on my cell phone while I was grocery shopping. His voice was so warm and sincere when he asked me, "How are you doing?" that I burst into tears, right there in the middle of the wine aisle, because I realized how much I was trying to be strong and how sad and weak I really felt.

I love riding on the subways and going into different neighborhoods as well. One day this fall the New Jersey PATH trains were free all day, so my boyfriend and I decided to stop at each station and walk around for a bit!

I'm with Carrie -- book stores and art galleries! I also love parks, and people-watching in general, just sitting and watching the world go by. Oh, and in the summer -- free movies in the park: Bryant Park, Brooklyn Bridge Park, etc.

This question makes me realize how incredibly lucky I am to live in NYC, where there are art galleries galore (and so much art showing in non-traditional places!), free MoMA on Friday evenings and the sidewalks are like performance art and a fashion runway all at the same time!

This question makes me a bit sad because I'm working all weekend! Then again, my work is writing, sitting in cafes, agonizing over imaginary characters and their lives...which is what I love to do, so it's okay.

All that said, I'm going to take some time out to go to Sephora and smell some new fragrances :-)

My seven-year old nephew asks the best questions, which always make me look at life with fresh eyes -- or at least make me laugh. Some recent favorites: "Why do we have so many stars?", "Does God have an assistant?", and "Why do I see corn in my poop?"

I've been thinking about this question all day, and I think it's been a difficult question for me to answer because I feel like this is shifting for me. I was (and still am!) a very driven, ambitious person; being a creative person and pretty much devoting a huge part of my life to exploring and fulfilling this part of me, I have always wanted to make an impact in the world and leave something beautiful and thought- and spirit-provoking once I am gone. But I realize that giving beauty and joy on a smaller level works well -- a genuine smile to the person who gives you coffee in the morning, a sincere acknowledgement for your supervisor for fixing your door, a phone call in the middle of the day to my mother and father, drawing with my niece and nephew and helping to foster their creative spirits, a comment in a blog to engage and show that what someone's written has really stimulated me. This makes my days feel as if I have been engaged and fully participating in my life -- and this feels worthy to me.