As a recent recipient of the Stylish Blogger Award, I now have the task of listing seven things about me that you may not know. Trying to come up with this type of information when I have been sharing the details of my life and work on this blog for the past two years (just realized I forgot my anniversary – I started blogging on March 2, 2009) proved to be a difficult task. I needed a couple of days to think about something new to share. Here is what I came up with ...
I don’t love to exercise.
I am a sitter. I like to read and write and sketch and compute. I have to force myself to get up and move (when my kids were little and I was chasing them around all day, I didn’t have that problem) so I joined a doubles tennis team 3 years ago. Now I know I will fit at least a few hours of cardio into my schedule each week because I made a commitment to my partner and the team to be there. What I enjoy most about tennis is that it feels a lot like meditation when I allow myself to focus on the tiny yellow ball and remember to breathe.
Sometimes I forget to breathe.
Do you ever find yourself holding your breath? If I am really concentrating on something I tend to hold my breath. I have noticed myself holding my breath when I am in engrossed in writing (not so bad) or when I am playing a game of tennis (definitely not a good idea here). When I catch myself doing it, I try to counteract it with a series of deep breaths. After taking in more oxygen, I feel calmer and much more capable of handling the job at hand.
I love to escape in the printed word.
I am in two book clubs. I like the social aspect of them plus I like to have a schedule of books to read. If I had to choose, I would be picking books based on their covers (I can’t help it, I am a graphic designer after all!) Sometimes the monthly picks are hard to get through (we are reading Room by Emma Donoghue in one, Townie by Andre DuBus III in the other) but getting together with the other moms in town is a nice way to connect and have some purely grown-up time (plus we always have wine : )
I don’t love to travel.
I used to before starting a family, but now the thought of going places I have never been before (plus packing for it) unnerves me. I guess I have gotten too accustomed to our daily routines. Once we get to our destination I always enjoy it, but it is just the thought of not knowing what to expect that bothers me. I am working on getting better at exploring outside of my comfort zone, however, and even signed up to attend Blogfest 2011 in New York in May. Going by myself to New York is something I have never done before, but I know once I get there I will be surrounded by lots of great people that I have met through blogging. If you see me there looking like I am not sure which direction to head in first, feel free to lead the way!
My house is far from perfect.
When I go to meet a client, sometimes they will apologize for the way their house looks. Maybe there are toys on the floor or laundry isn’t put away. My reaction? I have four boys and live in a fixer-upper ... my house never looks camera-ready even on a good day! I would love to be able to open the door to guests and know that everything was in its place. Chances are, however, that there would still be boxes of something to sort through hidden in a closet somewhere. Life just seems to take over and there are only so many hours in the day. I would much rather spend my time creating something tangible than tidying up.
I enjoy watching TV with Ben & Jerry.
At the end of the day, I just want to kick back and relax in front of the TV with a bowl of good ice cream (although to be honest, I eat it right out of the pint). My favorite shows right now are Modern Family (makes me laugh), Parenthood (director Ron Howard nails it), Housewives of _____ (about the most drama I can handle), Gossip Girl (for the set decorating) and The Nate Berkus Show (I like to keep up with what he is doing). I also can’t wait for the Novogratz family to come back on the air (they will have a new show this summer on HGTV). Now that is a family I can relate to!
I would like to know more about my readers.
I wonder sometimes if I am sharing information that my readers enjoy. What do you like about design blogs? Are you looking for something in particular? Working on a renovation? Curious about design? What would you like to see more of in this blog? Introduce yourself with a comment or email me. I would love to hear from you!
Email: yblacker@verizon.net
Yvonne Blacker Interiors on facebook
follow me on twitter
