Tag: positivity

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New Year, New World

We all thought that 2016 was the worst year on record (and I would definitely venture to say that music-wise, it was a pretty bad year considering how many great artists we lost – Pop star deaths in 2016), but 2017 saw that disaster and raised it to extreme levels. Seriously. Is it safe to say that 2018 will be better? If nothing else, the wounds that have been festering for all of eternity when it comes to women’s place in the world have been peeled wide open. The sadness that comes along with the realization that women are still trying to conquer workplace harassment and violence, across industries, coupled with the anger that has been re-directed at the perpetrators will be the catalyst for change throughout the working world. These changes are LONG overdue and hopefully, we can continue the trend of calling out horrible people and holding them accountable moving forward. Never shall we go back to the days of just ‘letting shit go’. We said no more and we meant it.

But for real, can 2018 be better? Can we move forward with positivity, leaving behind the hopelessness that has been present for most of eternity? Can we build upon the good things that happened in this particularly horrible year and bring about a change like the world has never seen? Can we finally and for all time, dismantle the patriarchy?

I usually do a year-end/year beginning post that is positive and uplifting. A post that charts out the things that I would like to do during the new year to make things better. But, I think for 2018, I’m just going to say let’s keep the momentum up! Let’s continue on this great path of change that has been sparked by so many women (and a few men as well) coming forward to name their predators and keep pushing for the removal and downfall of men who, for too long, have felt it okay to do and say whatever they wanted, without repercussions. This includes the current POTUS. He needs to go and 2018 is the year to do it. He should be the first president to be impeached AND removed from office. Let’s make history in that way and make this country great for EVERYONE again.

2018 should be the year that we see the white supremacists pay for what they have done throughout history. Their leader needs to fall from grace and they should also be outed in ways that hurt them. People that believe any one race is better than all the other races should be called out for their bullshit. If they march with tiki torches (as they did in 2017) they should be given a special place on the internet to be seen so that their employers can take action by letting them go. If they are hurt financially by their stance, so be it. That is the punishment you receive for being a racist asshole.

2018 should be the year that we see the demise of right-wing Christian organizations that lobby against all citizens having the right to marry. Hard fought rights should not be torn down for one group’s religious belief system. This is America. We ALL have rights, no matter our religion and Evangelicals need to learn that lesson in a way that shuts them up. You don’t have to change your mind about the world, but you certainly need to mind your own business. Lobbying for laws that restrict the rights of others is not Christian, but if you belong to a sect of Christianity that believes it is, you should simply continue your worship in private. Changing the world for your morals is not cool. The rest of us want to be able to live freely without you making laws to restrict our rights that are based on your archaic view of the world. Stop trying to shove your traditional values down our throats. Concentrate on your own houses and leave the rest of us alone.

2018 should be the year that we rebuild the world in a better image than the one that has been persistent for the whole history of time. Gain a new understanding of each other as humans and the ability to give each other credit for our strengths. We should move forward with positive force and allow humans to compete on an even playing field with one another. This should be the year that we learn, indeed, women are capable of leading our country. Even though we still haven’t had a woman president, it is possible. The only requirement for POTUS should be a sharp mind. There shouldn’t be any kind of restriction based on sex organs. And, I suppose, judging from our current leader, a highly intelligent mind is not even a requirement, but it would be a useful thing to have. We prefer smart presidents, as we should. After all, they do hold a bit of the future of our country in their hands. 2018 should be the year that we, in earnest, work toward a better set of presidential candidates. Regardless of their sex organs, or skin colour, or religion – we should be searching for the best and the brightest from all cultures and backgrounds. Our future depends on it.

So – will you join me on a positive path? Or are you still committed to the old ways of the world? Do you still feel like women should be merely mothers and wives? That they should stay in the kitchen and out of politics? If this is the case, I don’t want to know you anymore. I realize that to be open-minded means that you should retain friends and acquaintances that think differently from you, but I’m over it. I cannot be in close contact with people that are so backward in their thinking anymore. If you don’t believe that every human is equal, I cannot relate to you anymore. So, I suppose what I’m saying is, 2018 will be the year that I move forward without the baggage of the past. If you are hateful toward others, due to the fact that those other people are different in any way from you, I’m done interacting with you. Have a great life – good luck to you – I hope that your way of living serves you well. I have my doubts, but hey, it’s your life to live. If instead, you want to join me on the right side of history, I’m here for you. Welcome to a new year and a new way of being.

Love and peace always,

Chantale (aka hippiegrrl)

relevant links:

7 Ways 2018 Will Be Better Than 2017

How To Do Things Better in 2018

Positivity

Priorities

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Sociology, Libraries, and Life

In 2009, I made the decision to return to school and obtain a second Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology. This time I would apply myself. I would study and try my best not to procrastinate. I would work as a volunteer and devote myself to causes within the major. I would work on a research project and continue on into a PhD program. My goal, at the time, was to move forward into the world of academia and become a Sociology Professor.

From the moment I stepped into my first Sex and Gender class I was hooked. From there I took classes on social movements, race and class, ethnography, emotions, environmental sociology, power, research methods (qualitative and quantitative), and many other topics within the realm of social science. I had made a pact with myself that since this was a second bachelors degree I would not spend more than 2 years at the school. I had already obtained a BA from the same school and so I was not required to take many of the core classes that I took the first time around. This meant that my course of study was very specific to sociology (with a bit of anthropology thrown in for good measure – could never stay away from Dr. Fish!) and allowed me to be immersed in the subject matter. I began my studies in January of 2009 and I completed the program in May of 2011. This meant that I attended 5 semesters, but I still felt like it was a whirlwind experience.

This time in my life was somewhat tumultuous for several reasons. First, my Papa passed away suddenly in February of 2007. We were extremely grief stricken as a family, but had to keep moving forward for my Nana. In September of 2007, the job that I had worked my way up to over the course of 6 1/2 years was coming to a close as the bank I worked for was being bought out by another local bank. This meant that in February of 2008 I would be out of work. It was difficult, but not impossible as the writer had a full time teaching job and we felt like we were okay. I was given a severance package and immediate unemployment and worked until the very last moment – making me the proverbial “last one out turn off the lights” person at GBSB. It was sad, but freeing. Knowing that I would be losing my job in February, I decided that instead of continuing on in the banking world, I would go to the Small Business Association and get a loan to open a coffeehouse. I started working on that dream in October of 2007 and continued into a small business education program, run by the city of Buffalo, in January of 2008. During the planning stage, I was very optimistic. I had worked in coffeehouses on and off in my 20s and felt like this would be an excellent way to move into my 30s.

Then, in April of 2008, my Nana passed away. This was very difficult for me. We had only just lost Papa a year earlier and now we were losing Nana too. I was closer to nobody else in the world and they practically raised me alongside my own parents. The loss was great. My mom is a determined woman and although she was grieving for both of her parents, she got us through the funeral and moved us toward getting the house in order. We worked, through the summer of 2008, clearing and cleaning out the house and at the end of the summer it was sold. The Autumn holidays were the most difficult that year because Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas were my Nana’s favourites. Any day that brought her family together to visit, eat, talk, and sometimes yell and scream (as any self respecting Italian or Southern family does) was a good day for her, and the holidays were the absolute best. It felt like time stopped on April 4th and didn’t restart until after the New Year. Although it has been over 8 years, it is still difficult to think of them being gone. There are still mornings that I wake up and forget for a moment that they are not available to talk to. I will think of something to tell one or both of them and then remember they are not there anymore. Time numbs the pain, but it never fully goes away.

During the Autumn of 2008, I decided that I was going to stop pursuing the coffeehouse idea and started looking at schools. I navigated to the website for my Alma mater (Buffalo State College) and searched through several programs until I stumbled on Sociology. Since I had already obtained a degree from the school, the admission process was quick. I was admitted for Spring 2009 and thus began my journey into Sociology. So now, here I sit, 5 years beyond graduation, a Masters degree in Library Science also in my bag of tricks (obtained in a slightly longer time frame, but still useful) and a job at a software company.

So, what’s next? Where can I go with a BA in Music, a BA in Sociology, and an MS in Library and Information Science? Academia? That’s the goal, but we will see what happens. The writer completed a PhD in the last 5 years as well, and he is currently searching for a full time professor gig. We are hopeful that our degrees will allow us to move somewhere new and start a new chapter in our lives. My dream, now (and it could change at any moment) is to start off as a reference and/or research librarian in a University and then move into a PhD program. This is all contingent on our physical location in the next 5 years.

At the end of it all, I really just want to write. Helping others understand Sociological concepts and constructs would also be awesome, but if I have to do that through a library rather than a classroom I will be content. As long as my future profession involves reading and writing I will be happy. Oh – and the ability to work from the neighbourhood coffeehouse sometimes would definitely be a bonus. Writing and research – mobile employment – that is the way to go.

Peace,

Chantale (aka hippiegrrl)

 

What dreams did you have, as a teen or 20-something, that you still need to achieve? Tell me about it in the comments! And please share with your friends. We love opinions and constructive criticism!

 

Appropriate links:

How to Craft a New Career from aarp.org
Six Steps To Reinvent Your Career After A Major Life Change from forbes.com
Best Graduate Schools 2017 from US News & World Report

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Priorities

It is a new year and, as so many others do during the month of January, I am assessing my life and habits and looking toward making changes. These changes will not come in the form of resolutions. We all know what happens when we make those. No, instead, I will be making long term changes over the course of the full year. To start off my assessment, I made a list of things that I used to love doing and have, for one reason or another, stopped partaking in.

 

  1. Beading
  2. Tap Dancing
  3. Yoga
  4. Cooking from scratch
  5. Coding
  6. Blogging
  7. Writing for Sociology
  8. Swimming
  9. Learning about and developing content
  10. Singing in public
  11. Reading at the caffe

 

Most of the activities on this list have been pushed aside to make time for work and school. Although it was important to focus on other things, I believe that I can now reincorporate these activities back into my life in a meaningful way. I did not believe I had time to make necklaces or sing in a local choir because I had to focus on my future. Well, the future is now and if I continue putting things I enjoy on the back burner the future future will be bleak. So – in order to make sure that I start doing all of these activities again, in 2016 and beyond, my priorities need to be assessed and shifted. In order to do this, I must look at a typical day and see what changes can be made to incorporate things that make me happy back into weekly existence.

 

My typical day (Monday-Friday):

  • 6:45 am: Hit the snooze
  • 6:51 am: Hit the snooze
  • 6:57 am: Hit the snooze
  • 7 am: Out of bed and into shower
  • 7:45 am: Prepare food/drink for breakfast and lunch
  • 8 am: Leave for work
  • 8:30 am: Arrive at work
  • 8:30 am – 5:30 pm: Workday
  • 5:30 – 7 pm: Extended workday
  • 7 pm: Leave for home
  • 7:15 pm: Arrive at home (in perfect weather and traffic conditions)
  • 7:15 – 8 pm: Make/warm up dinner
  • 8 pm: Eat dinner
  • 9 pm: Watch television
  • 11:30 pm: Go to bed
  • 12:00 am: Fall asleep

 

The first change that I am going to make to my schedule is to only work until 5:30 pm each day. Any later than that is bad for me, both mentally and physically, not to mention it hurts my pocketbook since I am giving extra time to a company that isn’t paying for that extra service. Being a salaried employee means that when I work 45 or 50 hours a week I make less per hour than I do when I work a normal 40 hour week. There is nothing that important that I need to stay late. By making this one change, I will get back 1.5 hours per day (7.5 hours per week) of my life to relax and enjoy my dinner. Eating so late was having a horrible effect on my sleeping patterns, so I’m hoping that by having dinner by 6 or 6:30 pm each weeknight, I will be able to sleep more soundly when I hit the pillow.

 

The next change that I will make is to choose an activity from the list above and do that in the time that I’ve gotten back from not working late. What I mean by this is that if I finish eating dinner by 7:30, I will have 2 hours for an activity and 2 hours for television. This will give my dinner time to digest while I’m doing something more active before I sit down to relax for the evening. This 2-hour span of time will also be useful when the semester begins because I can use it to do my schoolwork. In the meantime, if I can get back into beading, dancing, singing or any of the other items on the list when the semester begins I can move those activities to the weekend and use the 2 hours in the evenings to study. This will make my semester more enjoyable because I won’t be spending my whole weekend reading and writing for school.

 

The third change (and this is the big one) that I am going to make in 2016 is shifting my food habits. Rather than going on a diet where I am restricting myself from eating based on calories, I’m going to start replacing foods that I know are not as healthy with alternatives. In order to assist me in this quest, I have purchased 2 books about the Whole30 plan. Once I have completed my readings and research, I will make a plan so that this can really work. It is not a diet, it is a way of life. Shifting my food choices should help me to have more energy which, in turn, will help me to get back into shape. The weight loss is not the main goal, it is a happy outcome. In order to truly facilitate this shift, the writer and I have agreed to begin by not getting take out for dinner during the week. We are going to start off with a 30-day plan to cook meals each night for dinner and bring lunches every day. This will exclude going out for dinner on the writer’s birthday and potentially 1 or 2 Sunday brunch meals, but overall we will try to cook for all 3 meals, 7 days a week, for 30 days.

 

With a 9-hour workday, an earlier dinner schedule, and a wind-down activity prior to television viewing time, I believe that I will start falling asleep faster when I go to bed and eventually I won’t have to hit the snooze so many times in the morning. Once the food shifts and the benefits of cooking at home (and this also fulfills my ‘cooking from scratch’ activity) kick in, I should gain a renewed sense of self that I have been without for quite some time. It is not just about the weight. It is really about the feeling of being healthy. It has been a while since I have felt truly good about myself, overall, and I want to get back to that place. Once I do that, I’ll be able to conquer all the items on my list and start doing the things I love once again.

 

Peace, Chantale

 

What are you doing to change yourself in 2016?  Are you a resolution maker or do you scoff at that? Tell me more about it in the comment thread and if you enjoy this post, please pass it along!

A few links:
whole30.com
whole30 shopping list
nom nom paleo
well fed resources
tips for sleeping well

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Trying New Things aka Letting Go of the Past to Create a Better Future

Throughout my life I have been skeptical of pretty much everything.  I have been highly attracted to the mystical and spiritual side of life, but I have never fully bought into any of it. Each time I go to the bookstore, I end up in one of three sections; Sociology, Cultural Studies, or New Age/Spirituality. Self improvement has been something that I have been longing to jump into, but never had the guts to fully commit to. That is, until now.

This week I downloaded a new book on audible by Jen Sincero titled You are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life. I figured I would listen for a few chapters, put it on hold for a future date, and complete it next year sometime when I was bored and just wanted to finish something. This was NOT the case. I was sucked in. Every trip in the car was an opportunity to listen to a chapter. I sat in the parking lot at home and at work a number of times just to get to the end of a section. I listened intently to all she had to say and things started to line up.

Why have I not been committed to making my life truly, madly, and deeply better? Well, one reason is that I have been lazy but another is that I didn’t really believe in myself or the universe. There are days when I think that just driving in to work is a futile activity, but I do it anyway because I have to. This is a self limiting belief. Yes, I have to go to work to make money to pay bills to live, but I don’t have to do it where I am, now, forever. I can put positive vibes out into the universe, be grateful for what I have, raise my frequency, and know that what I truly want is out there waiting for me to grab it.

Now you might say, “Seriously? You? The most sarcastic and self loathing person in my life is going to change?” Yes. I am. Self limiting beliefs are just that. Self Limiting and Beliefs. They stop us from moving forward in life and they restrict what we think we can and should do. They do not give us hope or make us grateful. They keep us down and on the couch, wishing we could move forward but somehow stuck. Well, I refuse to be stuck any longer.

I feel that this blog has already been a step in the right direction. The pieces I have written have been positive in nature and detailed little things I have been working on to move forward. Having listened to this book (and I will be listening several more times to get the concepts really ingrained and do the exercises to strengthen my resolve) I know that I can manifest that which I want and by being open to the universe and all it has to offer, I am giving myself the ability to receive good things in return. By meditating and sending out good vibes, the way that I want my life to be will be. It is that simple and, at the same time, that difficult.  The difficulty comes from the change in self limiting thoughts and behaviours. These are ingrained in us from years of learning from other people exactly who, how, and what we should be. Those other people, however, are not us. They are not inside our brains or living our lives. They have their own lives to live.  The first step in any self improvement journey is to shake off the negativity and get right with yourself. Move away from the self limiting beliefs of others and make your own new, different, and more positive beliefs. Turn your frown upside down in a bigger, more cosmic sense. Move ahead with conviction and determination, remaining grateful, and life will open up.

I hope you will join me on this new journey and that I can post more often on the events and new experiences that come my way based on my new determination. As I continue to manifest my destiny (which already exists out there in the universe) I will make a conscious effort to keep you, my readers, involved and up to date with my journey. I am sure there will be some bumps in the road, but I have been here before. Quitting smoking was one of the most difficult and most rewarding things I did for myself. It took guts and determination and this past August I hit the 6 year mark.

If I can take my new self improvement ideas and marry them with my old, ingrained level of determination, which I displayed in my ability to stay smoke free for 6 years, I can do ANYTHING! Stick with me and you will see. We can be awesome. We just have to choose to be and then keep at it.

Peace and Happy Manifesting,

Chantale aka hippiegrrl

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Looking Inward

This is the year of 40. Although it does not happen until nearly the end, it is colouring all my decisions. It sounds like a sad occasion, but it is not. 40 has given me a clarity I did not realize I could have. My experiences leading up to this milestone birthday are helping me make key decisions for life going forward.

So what have I learned? Here are some of the highlights.

1. I have the ability to shape my future to my liking, without the voices in my head that say otherwise.
2. I can overcome negativity, rise above it, and be a better human.
3. I can live anywhere in the country (or world) and be happy. My location on the planet does not determine my mental state.
4. My talents can be combined to make a kick ass career, if I just apply myself to the future.
5. I do not need to have children to feel fulfilled.
6. My life will mean something only if I make a difference for others while I am here on this rock.
7. The life I thought I was supposed to live should never hold me back from the possibilities of the future.

A key concept that I have decided to pursue in order to make the future bright involves modifying my state of mind. Here is my plan to gain clarity and move forward. This can be useful for so many of us and I wish that I had been presented with it at a young age. It is not about being selfish, but mindful.

First, block off a minimum of 15 minutes, uninterrupted. Be sure to have paper and a pen or pencil, whichever you prefer. Find a comfortable spot to sit where you can reflect and write. Once you are settled begin by writing down your top dream in life. What did you want to do when you were growing up? It can be the most impossible dream ever, but you should still write it down. When you are considering this dream, do not veer off into blame or negativity. Do not think of the reasons why you did not fully pursue the dream, just simply consider it.

Now think about where you are currently. What is your situation? Do you have bills and a family? Do you have a job you love or a job you hate? Are you in a slump? Write this down.

Next, think about what you would do to change your current situation to make it happy for you. This is difficult, but during this portion of the exercise do not think of others. Only focus on you. In a world where you are on your own, with no obligations or restrictions, what would you do? Would you pursue your previous dream or would you create a whole new dream? Would you move to a new city or would you stay where you are? If no other human beings were involved in your decision making, what would you do? Write this down.

Last, think in practical terms. If you were to pursue this new (or old) dream, what would you need to do to make it happen? Would you need to take classes? Would you need to travel? Would you need to get better organized or would you simply have to just get started? Write down the steps you need to take to make this dream a reality. Again, do this without consideration for others.

Now, I realize this might seem like a self centered exercise and, in fact, it totally is, but that is the point. If you do not take the time to sit and think about your own goals and dreams, you will never seek to achieve beyond your current state. You will continue to live in the past, hold grudges, grip tight to the things you have that you think make you who you are, and never leave your comfort zone. This exercise does not have to result in a full life change, but it simply gives you clarity and, perhaps, a plan to move forward. Having self awareness and self reliance are important parts of being a functioning human. Being able to move forward with positivity is the goal. Whether you stay where you are in life or move on, as long as you gain an inner peace, this exercise was successful. Releasing the past is key to moving forward.

I hope this is as useful to you as it has been for me. I find that doing this exercise every couple months can help me to refocus my goals. I may not get to my ultimate dream, but I will get closer than I would if I chose to never consider my own needs and wants. It also gives me the clarity to make my five year plans and move forward toward those larger life goals. Let me know what you think in the comments.

Peace,
Chantale

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Happiness

This week, at the office, we had a gentleman from the Wellness Institute of Greater Buffalo come in to do a seminar on happiness in the workplace and the home. It was slightly dry, at times, but still motivational. The thing that struck me the most was that the answer to almost any question about happiness is positivity. If you want to be happy, act happy. If you want to be happy, don’t hold grudges. If you want to be happy, be nice to others. And my personal favourite, if you want to be happy, surround yourself with positive people.

positiveThis is all well and good, in theory, but once you sit down and really think about how to put this into action, that is where the fun begins. What if you have negative family members? What if you have friends that hold grudges longer than life itself? How do you extricate yourself from situations where you are surrounded by negativity?

My first thought was to just be a happier person, internally. Radiate positivity and others will be happy because of their proximity to you. At one of my old jobs, we used to make a joke about how all you really needed was a positive mental attitude (PMA) and you could get through anything. Unfortunately, that idea was born out of the fact that we had a boss that was so awful that she was making us all unwell with her tyranny. When a group is under stress, they often bond together over the stress, and try to rise above it. Now, all those that worked for her (except one remaining hanger on) have gone on to better things and rose above what she believed any of us could do in our lives. We have exceeded our own expectations by blowing her negativity out of the water and showing her that we had more capacity than she imagined. In this case, the PMA worked in our favour. PMA, along with the act of leaving the job and separating from the negative force that was the crazy boss, worked. What was the lesson learned? If you are working for someone that is negative, get out! Start looking for somewhere else to work immediately. Start pushing yourself toward that career where there are people that see you as a human and know you have worth. Bottom line: move on! This is easy to accomplish in the workplace, however, when you are thinking about family and friends, this gets a bit more murky.

Surrounding yourself with positive people ultimately implies that you must either make negative people into positive people (which is nearly impossible) or shut the negative people out. In these seminars, the facilitators always say the same things about surrounding yourself with positivity, but they never really get to the way to go about it. How does one simply walk away from a family member? How many years do you try to make someone close to you more positive before you simply give up the fight? When there is a toxic person in your life, sometimes you need to just detach from them. This sounds harsh, and especially so if that person is a family member, but it is true. There are times when you just have to let go of the family/blood connection and move on. Otherwise, it is impossible to be a healthy and happy person yourself.

Health and wellness are inextricably attached to happiness. Our brain chemistry effects the way we feel in very profound and sometimes hidden ways. If you hold on to negative thoughts, feelings, and relationships, they can ultimately make you sick in one way or another. This is why we must strive to first be positive in our day to day lives. If that rubs off on others and they become more positive in the process, great! If not, at some point, the ties must be severed. Sometimes, just sitting down and telling someone how you really feel about their negative attitude and that you will stop talking to them if they don’t try to be more positive can also do the trick. Sometimes it cannot. We can try our best to spread sunshine (no matter how hokey that sounds, and it does sound super hokey) everywhere we go and hope that a little bit of it rubs off on others.

One final note: when I talk about having a PMA and spreading happiness, this isn’t the kind of nice attitude that is fake. Having worked in the banking industry for almost 10 years, one of the main lessons I learned was that nice is not always what it seems to be. When you are in an industry that has a main goal of increasing sales over time, at all costs, you will run into many fake/nice people in your travels. Many sales people feel that being nice is something they have to portray in order to pull you in and, to a certain extent, they are correct. However, if after the customer (or ‘mark’, if you prefer) walks out the door, that same salesperson can often turn into a raging asshole. I’ve seen this happen more often than not and it isn’t real positivity. It is pure salesperson bullshit wrapped up in a fake PMA. This is unhealthy for the person pursuing this way of being, as well as those that work for her/him. Fake is not what you should go for if you want to improve your life. Genuine happiness comes from genuine positivity. It is as simple as that. Look on the bright side because there is a bright side, not because you think you have to see one. Look for the true positivity in your day to day life and you will be much happier and healthier for it.

Peace and happiness, always,
Chantale

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You Can’t Get Off, So Pitch In!

A few months back, the CEO of the Nestle corporation announced that it is his belief that “access to water is not a human right”. On the surface this is sad and awful, but if you think about it, obvious for him to believe. After all, how can you run a company that makes a bulk of its profits from bottled water sales and NOT believe this? How else would you make money? If you believe that clean water is a basic human right, how can you make money off of this commodity? This, in no way, excuses the idea, but it gives it reference. In order to live in a world that allows him to make money off of a basic core of life, he has to rationalize his views on the topic.

This got me to thinking about developed and non-developed land masses. It has become politically incorrect to say “third world”, and for good reason as we in the “first world” should not be putting ourselves above those in less developed areas of the globe. We should be looking at everyone, everywhere, as human beings in a collective planet. The things we do here, in the over-developed world, effect everyone. When we pollute our air, we pollute all the air. When we pollute our water, we pollute all the water. Our actions cause a ripple effect and we cannot easily reign it in. Our actions have become ever increasingly nonchalant and negligent.

I like to say over-developed, rather than simply developed, because that is what we have become. Industrialization has made us over-developed to the point that we have done harm to our planet. We can no longer continue living the way we have been or we will doom the planet for eternity. There is a certain level of development that is good for an area and anything beyond that starts to degrade the environment. We blew past that exit years ago and have continued to speed down the highway at an alarming speed. Never looking back.

Then there are those that say it doesn’t matter if we continue on the way we have all these years. Some even say that global warming is not real. Those people are idiots. Sorry to be so blunt, but it is true. Global warming is a big deal and until we collectively make efforts to reduce our carbon footprints, we will continue to kill the earth. Those that say it is too late are not idiots, as they could be correct, but they also push in the direction of futility. If it is too late, I guess it doesn’t matter. To them, it does not matter. To the rest of us, it kinda does.

And then there are the religious, end of times, folks. They think this is all pre-determined and that global warming is something that we have to endure to get to the apocalypse. They are excited by the possibility of the end of the world and do not see anything wrong with the manner in which we have been treating the earth. Here is the problem with that line of thinking. Yes, it serves the purpose of the apocalyptic, but what will happen at these so-called gates of heaven? When St. Peter asks if they were good stewards of the earth, what will they answer? “Well, I did not think that was important because we needed the end of the earth in order to get to the gates.” St. Peter will answer with something like this, “um, no, the big one said that you should take care of the earth for it was given to your care, so, you’re out” or something to that effect. There may be pre-determination, but there is also free will, and if you are making free will choices to be bad to the environment, it is likely that the big one will not be happy.

So, where do you stand in all of this? Are you like the dude that sits in the cubicle across from me, that throws his pop cans in the garbage all day long? Each time a can drops, my heart dies a bit, which I have voiced to him, to no avail. Or, do you recycle every single item that can be recycled? Are you the person that breaks down the keurig cups to recycle, reuse, and compost the materials within? Or, are you more middle of the road with your recycling? Do you return your bottles and cans for deposit, but not always recycle those that have no monetary value attached? Whatever type of recycler you are, now is the time to up your game. Unless you have made an effort to reuse, reduce, or recycle every single bit of material in your life, you can do more. After all, every day should be earth day because without it, we are screwed! Here are a few suggestions to get you started on your path to helping our planet heal.

50 ways to help the planet.
Protect the Wildlife.
Make a Recycled Craft.
Need to recycle something? Find a local site to recycle.
Start an office recycling program (this one is for me!)
Green your morning (and afternoon and evening) coffee
Educate yourself on how much it means to recycle
Keep up on things with EcoGeek and Treehugger

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Nice To See You! How Have You Been?

I realize that it has been almost a year since the last update here at rise up buffalo.  To my readers, I am truly sorry.  Life has become chock full of things to be done and this web journal had to be put on the back burner for a bit.  I should have mentioned that, but sometimes life takes off before you have time to give notice.  Anyway – we are back now and hopefully there will be weekly updates of goodness for you to ingest.  

Here are some of the things that have been happening elsewhere, but are, in many ways, connected to rise up buffalo:

For all you gender studies folks, and those of you that could use a couple lessons in gender studies, we present not just girls, a place to learn and pass it on.

Are you interested in wiping out hatred? Squashing bullying? Eliminating racism and discrimination? Join us at Hatred Be Gone where we will attempt to put a positive spin on the negativity that comes from discrimination and hatred. Moving toward a world without hatred. This includes the hatred perpetrated by those that are discriminating in the name of religious beliefs. This is the worst type of hatred, couched in the words of scripture or a system of belief. Hatred Be Gone! Poof!

hippiegrrl explains it all is up and running! We are finally on our own server. All the old posts from Backwash.com are archived here, as well as the new goodness. Please pop by and check it out when you have a moment to spare.

In the future we will have a landing page for all the “hippiegrrl” properties, but for now we are scattered across the interwebs. Safe travels and see you again soon!

Peace,
Chantale

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Find Your Calling

For 24 years, I have worked in customer service, in one capacity or another. With that many years under my belt, I can say that I have become pretty damn good at it. I am excellent at smiling through the bullshit of unreasonable requests. I am a master of making the people on the other side of the counter or telephone feel at ease. Sometimes I genuinely feel happy after assisting a customer with an issue, but most of the time I feel like my soul is draining from my body. This is what the customer service industry will do to you. Especially when customer service is not where you were meant to be, but you ended up.

That last thought makes me think of other things I am damn good at.

1. Singing: I am a mezzo soprano and I have a beautiful voice. Normally I wouldn’t be blunt or egotistical about it, but I am really very good at it. I can sing circles around other mezzos, but I do not enjoy competition or rejection. I mean, nobody truly loves those parts of performance, but if they are committed to being stars, or at the very least working singers, they will push through the crappy stuff. I didn’t want to push through the crap. I just wanted to sing and get paid for it. Instead, I gave it up to do other things that were less heart wrenching.

2. Writing: This one is a bit more difficult for me to admit. I have been told, by many people, even those not in my immediate circle, that I am an excellent writer. I suppose that is for you, the reader, to judge. However, I enjoy writing and even though it is also a very cut-throat profession, it does not require putting your entire body and soul on the line the way that performance does. It requires you putting yourself out there, through words, but there is a bit of shield involved that makes it more appealing.

3. Computers: This is most likely due to the generation I was brought up in. Most people my age have an affinity for all things tech. My interest began at an early age (6 or so) when my aunt took me to a computer class for beginners, to help her figure out her new computer, and it was all over. I was hooked. Learning to write programs, in basic, at age 8 and ingesting every computer language I could, after that. I continue to learn to this day and try to be on the edge of the new.

4. Debating: I was never on a team. In fact, I don’t believe my high school even had a debate team, although I was too busy with drama club, band, and chorus to notice. It didn’t matter though, because my mother’s family gave me an education in debate. Every holiday was a championship and I honed my skills with some of the best opponents I will ever face. This skill was very helpful my second time around in college and has also done me well on Facebook, as most of you reading this probably already know. I love being informed on as many topics as I can and using that knowledge to prove my point.

5. Research: My second bachelors degree not only helped me become a better writer, but it gave me a chance to flex my research muscles. Having done very little research in my first bachelors program (that consisted of singing, drinking massive amounts of coffee, working part time jobs, and singing some more) the Sociology program was an eye opener. It made me feel like I had not been to college the first time around, but more of a conservatory atmosphere within a SUNY school. Not as competitive as an actual conservatory, but with very little academic reading and writing. In Sociology I found that my love of the library grew and learning about new populations through participant observation gave me great insight into the world of research and the potential within. It made me rethink my future and make new decisions based on this new knowledge. And that is what college is for, right? To broaden your horizons and help you grow as a human and an intellectual.

So what do all these things add up to? At 38, they still add up to customer service. Tech support. But I am finding my calling. You have to live through a lot of crap to find your true goals. Now I have set those goals toward becoming a research librarian. This will encompass my love of research, academia, social science, and customer service. In the end, I will still be serving a population of patrons, but those patrons will be (fingers crossed) interested in learning. They will have a fire for whatever subject they are requesting documentation on. And the best part, they will not be ordering food and complaining about their order. They will not be calling me on the phone to help them fix a computer issue. They will not be asking to speak to my manager because they didn’t get their way. They will be genuinely interested in working with me to find the answers, and if they are not, I will make them interested. A good research librarian can do that and still be providing good customer service.

The most important thing that you learn, at some point in your life, is this: find what you love and do it. Don’t worry about those around you that might not believe in you. Or those that might be concerned about you taking a different path than others have. Although they most likely have your best interests at heart, they cannot always see beyond the known to the unknown. You cannot let anyone hold you back. You must move towards your dreams, not towards others dreams for you (or themselves.) This is the only way to exist in a space where you can be happy and content. If you are living for others, you will never find the peace you deserve.

Have you found your calling? How long did it take for you to figure it out? Are you still searching? Let me know in the comments!

Peace,
Chantale

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Finally

Five years. That is how long it has been since GBSB officially closed its doors. Even though First Niagara took over the GBSB customers, the culture and time of GBSB was over. Since February 2008, many things have changed in my life. Looking back now, I can see that I have been stuck in a haze that I have been unable to overcome until now.

After the announcement, in September 2007, that GBSB was to be taken over, I immediately began seeing an advisor in the small business center at Buffalo State College. I felt that receiving the severance package from GBSB and starting my unemployment, would give me the opportunity to start planning a business that I had always dreamed of opening.

Let me pause here for a moment to say that you can have more than one dream in your life. I started out believing that I wanted to be a famous broadway actress. That was my goal. To sing and dance and be known worldwide. When that dream did not come to fruition, mostly because of my own laziness in pursuing opportunities, I had to modify my thinking. My next big dream was to own a successful business and even though I haven’t reached that goal yet, I still hope to one day. Everything I do going forward is leading to that eventuality, I just have to open up to other possibilities along the way and make things happen. Understanding that I may not do it here or now, but someday I can if I keep moving forward.

After the business did not take off, my funding was not secured and a death in the family caused me to rethink my goals, I decided to return to school. This return found me in the Sociology department at Buffalo State. Back to my alma mater, back to my home, back to my comfort zone. The program was challenging, but I excelled in it and was able to do quite a bit of undergrad research. It was a wonderful experience and it gave me a chance to see what the college experience really should be. Focusing on my studies was gratifying and I feel that I was able to learn things that I never would have learned on my own. My feminist sensibility was already ingrained in me before I started the program, but after taking classes in gender, power, class, and so on, I was able to put words to my feelings and better articulate my arguments. It was truly a wonderful two years that I will never regret.

An important part of this experience was that it led me to research. After finishing my second bachelors, in 2010, I returned to work full time (in a bank) but continued to have the research bug. I wanted to continue on in a masters program that could include research, but Sociology was not quite the perfect fit, so I decided to apply to the MLS program instead. Having one semester under my belt, at this point, has given me a sense of what this new program is about and where it can lead. I truly feel that everything in my past has led me to this point. Becoming a reference and research librarian encompasses all the other things I have done in my life. Music, Sociology, customer service, tech services, management, database maintenance, web development, etc. can all be pulled in.

My liberal idealism is a great springboard for the open mindedness that a librarian needs to have. No questions asked, helpful no matter what, assisting customers without judgement. These are the cornerstones of the library profession. You can never let your own personal ideals or morals get in the way of what a patron requests. Information is important and the organization and dissemination of it is critical. People are always saying that libraries are going to be useless in the future and that the library profession is not a good one to get in to, but they are wrong. Librarians are going to be even more necessary in the future. We are the ones that can find and organize the information. Without librarians, the world of information would be completely unorganized and impossible to navigate.

My journey will take a couple more years in the masters program before allowing me to work in the industry, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I can feel that I am on the right path and I am excited to see where I can go with this degree. It looks like things are going to improve now. I do not want to say this for certain as I know how quickly things can change, but I am trying my best to be positive. After working in a book store, as a tutor, in a bank as a teller, and a prep manager at a deli, I have finally reached a job option that is similar to my job was five years ago. All of my experiences over these past five years have brought me to this. Without going through everything I did, losing family members, losing jobs, living in the same apartment for eleven years, and generally bouncing around, I would have never been able to appreciate this new opportunity.

Coupled with my MLS degree, my new employment will be even more interesting. My understanding of database management and information systems will help me to be successful here and elsewhere, in the future. The writer and I may have had to work hard at a lot of random jobs to get here, but things are definitely looking up. 2013 is going to be a welcomed good year for us and hopefully the following years will only get better. A professor and a librarian. That is the future and we just have to keep chipping away at it until we can make it happen. Finally.

Peace and happy learning!
Chantale

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De-cluttering

In an attempt to simplify my life, I have decided to better organize my surroundings. This begins at home, with my apartment.

The writer and I have quite a bit of stuff from 11 years of living in the same place. When we moved back to Buffalo, from Rochester, we had few items that we brought along, but over the years our few items have grown into a mountain of stuff. This stuff can become stifling and this is where we are now. Stifled. Unable to be creative or productive in our space. Crushed under the weight of stuff. The Chi cannot circle freely through the space for the many hard corners and edges created by the stuff. This year, it ends. We will stop buying new stuff and start getting rid of old stuff.  We can do it!

In order to organize the current stuff, a purchase was necessary…

 image

My hope was that this would be an easy assembly and quick to get up.  I am a pretty handy grrl, so putting it together was a snap.  It took me less than an hour to assemble and just over an hour to de-clutter the area of need.  Here are my process pics.

imageParts out of box and ready to be assembled.  My trusty toolbox sits on the floor, ready to go!

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On the way there.

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Done!

Once completed, I needed to ready the area of de-clutter.  This was the REAL time consuming portion of this session.

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Before

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After!

Although there is still a lot of “stuff” at least everything has a place on this new shelf.  This is what I am hoping to do with my whole living space.  Make a place for each thing and the things that end up without a place, leave the space.  My Chi is so cluttered, at this point, that I have trouble concentrating when I’m at home.  I am hopeful that my Feng Shui journey will help me be more calm and focused, moving through 2013 and into the future.  With just a little bit of organizing and de-cluttering each day I can free the flow of Chi in my surrounding space and help myself be more healthy and happy in the process.  Feng Shui is something that is useful within an individual life to prepare for better days, but it is not a magic bullet.  Using it to become more organized is a great way to start being more mindful and work toward personal peace.

Peace and Positivity,
Chantale

Sharing rocks! Please click on the social media apps below and bring your friends…

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Positivity

It is the last day of 2012. The year has had great ups and downs for the writer and me, but we have persevered. Now that we are at the end, it is good to look back, reflect on the previous experiences, and move on. The moving on part is the thing that I most look forward to. Taking stock of the previous year is hard work, but moving forward is the ultimate reward. So, in light of this, I am looking forward to 2013. I do not make resolutions at New Years, mostly because I never live up to them and then just feel bad about it, but more so because I feel that resolutions are something people feel required to do.

Resolutions loom over us at the end of December and people love to inquire about each others decisions. Goals, objectives, verifiable results, these things are more in my wheelhouse. Considering that I am not always great at completing my goals (unless they are school related) I will be using this journal as a means to check on myself.

My initial goal for 2013 is to become more aware of my surroundings and change my living situation to better provide stability and positivity. The way in which I will attempt to accomplish this is through Feng Shui. I have to credit HGTV with giving me this idea as I was watching an episode of “love it or list it” and got totally drawn in to the Feng Shui design elements. Redirecting energy to improve the Chi of both myself and the writer will allow us to have better days ahead. I do not believe it to be a magic bullet (as it is not meant to be) but it is a good start toward more intentionally positive living. Negativity out, positivity in.

The clutter that exists in our home has greatly effected our life. I have truly believed this for a while, but have not had the motivation to change until now. Today is my last day of living with the clutter and just trying to move around our stuff. Tomorrow is a new day and I will allow new energy to enter and fill our home.

My hope is that by modifying the living space, based on Feng Shui concepts, I will also be able to modify my behaviours. As I mentioned in my previous post, I would like to do more yoga, but my living space does not currently accommodate a practice. I would also like to add a meditation practice to my daily existence, but in the current environment, it is impossible for me to relax.

As I move through the Feng Shui process I will be updating my readers on the progress. There is sure to be pitfalls and fall backs to my old cluttering ways, but you cannot improve without some set backs. I am ready to go! 2013, here I come!

Peace and positivity,
Chantale

Sharing rocks! Please click on the social media apps below and bring your friends…

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The Internet and Procrastination

I start off on a good note. Looking things up. Reading articles. Doing schoolwork. And then, all of a sudden, something happens. Like a shiny coin in the corner of a webpage, I see a link that takes me away from my original thought. I follow this link and begin reading other articles. Eventually, an hour later, I realize that I am off on a completely different track than where I began. So is the nature of the Internet. So much stuff, so little time. It would be nice to take it all in and get things accomplished, but I feel like only 30% of my time on the computer is productive. The Internet is the best place for a procrastinator. Even as I am in the middle of doing actual coding homework, I get side tracked and end up doing something other than what I began with. Is this so for others? Or am I just bad at keeping on task? Share with me. Tell me your thoughts…

Peace,
Chantale

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Singing as Therapy

Back in the day, when I was in college the first time, I used to be able to work two part time jobs while I was studying. This was partly due to the major that I had chosen. See, even though I loved school, I didn’t really care about going to college. My mother was on my case about it and so I chose the easiest school to get in and the least difficult (for me at least) major. Playing instruments, singing, studying theory, practicing. These were all things that I had been doing since I was 3 years old. Some things (practicing for one) I did grudgingly. My mother had to set the oven timer to thirty minutes in order to keep me seated at the piano for at least that long. This would change in college where, when I was supposed to be practicing my singing, I would sit in the practice room for hours upon hours playing the piano. I guess it was a case of me wanting to do what I wanted to do. Per usual. Just like everything else in my life, if someone said I had to do something, I would choose to do something else. Music was not immune to this attitude.

Something I have come to find out in the past month is that no matter what, music is a saving grace for me. If I feel tired or sad or mad or agitated, I can sit at the piano, play a tune and feel better. It is really the best therapy. I inherited a piano from my maternal grandmother (Nana) that has brought many things to my abode. If I want to have a good cry, all I have to do is sit down at the piano and play “Blue Butterflies” and the waterworks start. I have been able to cry a little less with each rendition, but it still provides a release. I can think about how much I miss my Nana and Papa and the music gives me the push to let it go. After a good cry I like to sing a few tunes, usually of the operatic version, and this perks me up again. The piano also brings with it many memories of lessons (mine and other students) and holidays when the family would want me to play. Of days when I would visit and give in to or deny the request to play. It helps me to remember good times, but also times when I could have been quite a bit nicer. What is one song, really, in the grand scheme of things. Now I wish that I could play one more song on this piano, in the old house. And so it goes.

Music is like a drug. It can be an upper, downer, or maintainer. In college, it served as an escape. Forced rehearsals turned into wonderful occasions when the chorus sounded just right. When everyone was in tune and sounding glorious, it could truly lift ones mood. The addition of massive amounts of caffeine probably also had a lot to do with the up mood, but I am going to give music all the credit. Being in a show or chorus or band is an experience that everyone should be able to partake in at some point in their lives. It is cheaper than therapy and gives one the same outlet. In fact, it is sometimes even better, when you get to play out a “character” that is close to your own personality. Working out your issues on the stage is the ultimate in self absorption and whom but the self absorbed needs therapy? Try it, you will not be disappointed.

Peace,
Chantale

Appropriate links:

music therapy association
why music makes you happy
jamiroquai they always make me happy.

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May Holidays and Changes

This week has been crazy. I began a new job and it has been somewhat overwhelming. I love it, but it is taking me some time to get up to speed. Anyone that knows me knows that I am not good with change or being behind the eight ball. I like to know everything about what I am doing and being “in training” is a very difficult place for me. Pushing through will prove to be rewarding but, in the meantime, it is somewhat disconcerting.

At the same time, mother’s day is hovering. All the commercials are about moms and how much they mean to us. Hallmark, teleflora, pampers, etc. all use the holiday as a marketing scheme. This is not a new phenomenon, but over the past four years this May holiday has become extra sad for me. I still have my mom, but the person whom I saw as a second mom has been gone for four years. It is hard to watch these commercials without getting emotional. And with all the changes, it is even worse. I am hoping that a couple days off from the training, a brunch with my parents and the writer, and some time spent in the library will help me get out of the funk.

One thing to look forward to is the end of the month, Memorial Day, holiday. My local drag club (go go gay rights) holds a white party on the Saturday night before the holiday and I will be there with my friends. Good times and a great way to end the month that started with much change (for the better, but still.)

This post may seem frivolous, compared to my usual banter, but I just felt like posting something about me and stuff that is happening in my life. The blog was down for a few days and this is a resurgence for me. Don’t fret… I will be getting back to the politics and human rights posting soon enough, but for now I will be enjoying the rest of May and hopefully everything will be on an upswing from here on out.

March On!
Chantale aka hippiegrrl

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Archiving

I was able to recover the old rise up buffalo posts this past week, through a tiresome and timely retrieval process (thanks to the wayback machine) and I am hoping to get the best of the best up on the current version as soon as possible. This week is my vacation, so my hope is that I can get rise up buffalo back to its former glory and move forward in a positive writing direction.

Keep visiting as I create new pages and posts from some of the best of the old material. Thank you for being there, my loyal readers, for without you rise up buffalo would be nothing!

Peace –
Chantale (aka hippiegrrl)

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Is This A Dream?

Sometimes I wonder if my current state is merely a dream and that someday soon I will wake up to a different reality. I will still have the same apartment and the same significant other, but I will be doing something else (something better and more important) with my life. On that day I will rise in the morning, be happy to get out of bed and go to my wonderful job, teaching the future leaders of the world. Until that day, I am living in a haze of good intentions. Until that day, I am applying to PhD programs and attempting to make something of myself. Until that day, I will continue to be a low level employee, working my butt off for very little money, induring great heaping piles of micro-management.

As you may or may not know, I dislike my job. Mostly because it feels like I have taken several steps backward to get to it. At any given time in my past you could have found me managing IT projects for a small community based bank, doing the barista thing, or stocking the shelves at the college bookstore. For a short time I did a stint as a teller, hoping it would evolve into something more. It did not. The only solution is to take a different path. Customer service has been at the root of nearly every job I have had in my life. This has to change. I have finally figured it out. I do not enjoy waiting on people!

So – working from that realization will get me beyond this simple, but tedious and aggravating job set. Moving toward being a professor, working on web design and development as a freelancer, writing articles for hyperlocal media and journals. These are career paths that will lead to somewhere better. Somewhere challenging and fun and not so staunchly conservative or sales based. My dream will come true someday, only this dream will include a classroom and office hours, not a knight in shining armour.

Peace,
Chantale (aka hippiegrrl)

What I’m reading now:
Book: The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir
Magazine: Ms.
Online article: The Only Child: Not a Loner?

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“They” as an Obstacle to the Future

Today I feel like getting a little motivational – for my readers and myself. Sometimes one just needs a kick in the behind to see the light. This is me sharing my thoughts with you and hopefully it will benefit both of us!

Over the years, I have worked for many companies that push the idea of loyalty as a core value for employees to abide by. Loyalty can mean many things, and in some cases it is definitely a plus. However, when the idea of loyalty becomes a crutch by which owners and operators rule their roost, it can get sticky.

We have been brainwashed, in this bootstrap, dollar and a dream country, to believe that if we work hard for the corporation we will get something in return. “They” will give us a raise or a promotion or whatever old thing we want for our efforts, down the road. “They” will be upset if we do not achieve. “They” will be hurt if we decide that there is a better opportunity that we want to grab and leave “them” for that brighter future.

Well, “they” are not worth it. “They” are not thinking about our futures, but merely the bottom line. As “they” continue forward the money will roll in or it will not, while opportunities for us will come and go. Living for “they” sometimes hurts us and we need to stand strong in our convictions.

Always remember that “they” are in it for themselves, not the betterment of the community of workers. “They” are not thinking about our family and friends. “They” are not thinking about our growth as human beings as well as career-minded individuals. “They” are always and continuously thinking about the bottom line. People that get in the way of this pursuit for profit will be labeled unloyal or insubordinate. This cannot be a deterrent to continuing on the best path for oneself. “They” will go on surviving (and thriving even) without us if we decide to move on to more important pursuits for ourselves.

So – I propose that each of us begin living and working for “us”, rather than “they”. This change in perspective can you do you well. When faced with a better job opportunity think of how it will better “us” and not how it will hurt “they”. “They” cannot be hurt in the ways that “us” can be, so there should be no feelings of guilt. “They” will continue on without “us” so “we” need to be able to continue on without “them”.

Sometimes the “they” is not a real group of people. Sometimes it is a force that is inside each individual, standing in the way of true growth. “They” is sometimes used as an excuse and this is something that needs to change. Fear of the future can create a “they” in our minds that does not exist in reality. Roadblocks can transform into the “they” that keeps us from making it to the other side of our goals. We need to power through the “they” in each life, real or imagined, and move through to bigger and better things. Without drive and confidence in ourselves, “we” will always be subordinate to “they” and never become the “I” we were each meant to be.

Peace – Chantale aka hippiegrrl

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The Return

The journal has gone through some changes, yet again.  In the midst of moving servers, all our posts, catgegories, comments, pages and users have vanished.  This is a new beginning (hopefully the last one.)  We will be moving into the future with a clean slate, which may be useful.  We shall see.  Please bear with us as we start a new round of posts and comments.

Peace –

Chantale (aka hippiegrrl)