Confession – I have a problem. It’s called outlet shopping addiction.
So when it comes to decluttering, it is a big dilemma.
How many nail polishes does one need? Apparently, at least 50. Essie, OPI, Revlon, CND, Sally Hansen, Zoya, Deborah Lippman …
And lipsticks? For my perpetually chapped lips? There are about 30 here, not counting the couple I have in my cross-body bag, my napsack, my car… and the ones I haven’t even taken out of the boxes yet.
Charlotte Tillbury, Vasanti, Mac, NARS, Stila, Pat McGrath, L’Oreal Paris, Shiseido, Clinique. I was particularly obsessed with Mac – beyond the outlet, I would treat myself to duty free every time I travelled out of country for work – the beauty advisor at Airport, Terminal 1, MAC counter was the loveliest. Add to the drawer.
I am in search of the perfect eyeliner for hooded eyes, and the best mascara for flat Asian lashes
I know, I know, I should just unsubscribe from all those email blasts. They are terrible this time of year, and I am extra gullible. Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas are all coming up.
Wow, this week flew by! Adjusting to full-time work is a little tougher than I thought it might be. The commute is certainly a lot longer, and I need to change out of my sweats… but midway through the week something hit me.
I felt energized; even after only 4 hours of sleep (because my head was spinning with work solutions and thoughts), something clicked. I’m getting in the zone. Somewhat overwhelmed with everything, I realize that this is what I asked for.
I’m doing something that aligns with my purpose. Yes I believe in that stuff. I believe that I can make a difference. And that grounds me. Don’t get me wrong, my initial reaction is still to hit the ceiling when faced with unreasonable asks. But then it settles in, as I remind myself that I’ve been faced with much bigger hurdles before. And flew over them.
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Does anyone still manage by post-it? This is what my laptop looks like (not so much the inspirational quotes, but I should throw some of those on mine too!:
I’ve been wearing running shoes to work. A couple of weeks ago, I even had a pair of work shoes in my bag, to change into later, as I walked through downtown streets on my way to a meeting.
Remember when that was a thing? I guess only if you’re a certain age.
It was 1988, the year I graduated and started looking for work.
The shoulder pads. The puffed up hair. The power suits. The heels. I wore all of that. I even went to New York City pretty regularly for work at one point.
Nowadays, jeans and Converse are just fine. I even carry a backpack, like Dora.
Work feels more like a campus. And working from home is the ultimate dream.
I was recently asked to give some fun facts to share as an introduction. For new readers here, I thought I would do a round-up of random Karen facts:
1/ I’m the eldest of three; even though my siblings and I are well, well into adulthood, our 88 year old Mom still manages to rule us in not so subtle ways.
2/ I’ve been with my husband for almost 40 years; married for 32 of those. I like to think we got married as infants.
3/ I have two kids, a boy and a girl, both in their 20s now. We struggled with infertility and were very fortunate that things worked out for us. I am not shy about that fact, even though the subject is still often kept on the down-low these days.
4/ I was also fortunate enough to take a couple of breaks from my career to stay at home with my kids for several years. Which provided fodder for me to …
5/ Blog. I have had two other blogs, which I started while off with the kids. I was quite into the blogging community in the early 2000s, even dabbling a bit in product reviews. Blogging in its heyday with the BlogHer tribe, was such a blast!
Can you imagine if I had taken that further? I suppose a precursor to being an influencer, which is a totally legit career these days. Who would have even imagined that as a path?
6/ I still have this relentless urge to work, hence I’ve had to brush off some old reading:
7/ I’m a huge fan of music, especially 80s and 90s alternative, British, all of that. My husband made me a mixed tape when we started dating, which had songs by the Cure, Japan, David Bowie to name a few of our favourites. We binged the miniseries “Mix Tape” recently, finished it in one evening. A fantastic playlist!
We love live music (not stadium concerts – done with those). You’ll see a lot of posts of that sort here.
8/ I am a dog lover. We never had pets growing up, but we adopted a 4-year-old cormungdeon Shih Tzu, Cody, in 2012 and he became the centre of our universe. He crossed the rainbow bridge in June, but we still miss him every day.
Will we get another dog? Probably, but not for a bit. The last couple of years were tough while the little guy was in decline. But I do look at rescue sites and Petfinder more than once in a while, so it may be only a matter of time…
9/ The gym is another passion of mine, I’m a regular at group fitness classes, even certified as a Les Mills BodyJam instructor. I stopped teaching when Covid hit and the gym industry took a massive downturn. Workouts have been my salvation, in fact I ballooned up during the pandemic. All those snacks, wine, and working out alone wasn’t cutting it for me. I’ve made many new friends and social circles from my Bodyjam, Bodycombat and Bodypump classes – yes, I’m the one yelling and high fiving and clapping in the classes.
Bonus is that I’m feeling stronger, healthier, and I’ve lost almost 20 pounds since my all time max weight of 4 years ago.
10/ I am Canadian, born of immigrant Chinese parents.
11/ Totally random – I’ve met both the King and Queen of Denmark, when they were the Prince and Princess. (They got promoted in 2024 when Queen Margreth abdicated.)
12/ I’m an extroverted introvert (see above, re:gym). I like a good party and then the next day I’m happy to be alone with my book or binge-watching a show.
13/ I love to dance.
Would love to get to know facts about my gentle readers too!
It’s fall, and for the first time in 6 years, I’m working in an office.
I haven’t shopped for work clothes in almost 10 years! In my last in-person gig, I lived in a corner office with a view, and dressed the part. Lots of pant suits, 3 inch heels (albeit block heels), inseam 30 inches so the bottoms skimmed the floor perfectly.
When I was on a break to stay home with the kids again, I lived in jeans, sweaters, and runners. Very suitable to be on school councils, meeting other SAHM’s for coffee, running errands, a little consulting here and there. The wardrobe suited me well for remote work, which followed. I loved the Pacific Northwest style of that job – jeans, puffy vests, boots, running shoes – perfect! Did not have to shop for a wardrobe.
So today, even though workwear is decidedly a lot more casual, there’s an inner girlie shopper in me who feels the need to flex her retail muscle! Yikes! I am conflicted, because remember, I am in a decluttering mode. I already donated a lot of my shoes of yore (no more Cinderella, I will never get back into them, darn bunions – and my daughter is not the same shoe size). The suit pants I have can work, but they are all slim ankle grazing. I have a couple of the trendier wide-leg pants, but they now pool on the floor when I wear my ballet flats or flat booties. I have a sewing machine (remember, the masks I made during Covid)… but I don’t have the patience to hem them. And hemming these days costs more than the pants themselves, especially if I get an amazing sale at H & M, Uniqlo, Old Navy or the Gap.
“Shop my closet” – well, that has merit, as some of my stuff is so old it’s on trend again. Not even kidding – big padded shoulders a la 1980s – it’s a look! Long leather coats? Pointy-toed shoes – yes, even my flat boots, all pointy. Skinny leggings for the win!
But still, I have the urge. After all, most of my stuff is black. And the newest trend – Nature, browns,, animal prints – brown is the new black. Thank goodness Black Friday deals are coming up early.
Do you journal? I suppose blogging is a sort of journal, at least that’s the way I use it often.
But I also have about half a dozen physical journals, as I like the notebooks.They keep piling up though, many of them only partially started. Like the 5 minute gratitude journal. I could barely keep up, so funny. And then I go away for a while, away from my daily practice which was a way to keep me grounded.
It’s not such a good thing though, is it, to feel the pressure to write? On my. blog, in my journal, a scene for a memoir.. I crave it though, I need a writing outlet, especially now that I’m working fulltime again. And I love to read.
I’ve made a commitment to myself to stay committed to work life balance. I went back fulltime for a reason, for fulfillment, to make a difference. To avoid becoming a couch potato who loves to snack post 9 PM at night while professing to be intermittent fasting, who works out more than occasionally, but now getting lazy after a drive home from work.
So my morning routine is thus:
1/ Drink coffee (hopefully I had energy to make it the night before and schedule it
2/ Do a brief Headspace exercise – I joined the stress management program. 2 minutes a day. And add a motivational few minutes in there as needed.
3/ Do a quick Duolingo in French – I’m past a 580 days streak! I hope to be able to stretch that muscle again next year in France!
4/ Then I check my work phone to double check what’s going on.
5/ If going to the office, I’m out the door. With my travel mug of coffee. If lucky, my garage door opener will work – figures it’s glitchy now that I’m heading out more often. First world problem I know, but not helpful during a snowfall!
If I’m working from home, I crack open my laptop in my home office. Coffee in hand.
It was gray, and wet, and a little sombre today as I drove home from the gym.
A classic rock grunge song played on the radio, reminding me of the gray, wet, and somberness that often greeted me whenever I went to Seattle for work, a few years ago.
Chris Cornell was such a huge talent; I was shocked and saddened by his death in 2017. He was just a bit older than me and is now forever frozen at 52. Such a tragedy. I took a pic with his statue one of the last times I made it to the city.
Chris Cornell Statue, Seattle
Soundgarden was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last weekend. I didn’t see it, but hope to catch the ceremony on Disney plus.
I was in Pike Place Market around this time 2 years ago, and took a pic of this store window – I just had to — that T-shirt was great! I wish I had bought it. All those Christmas-y things, I guess the holidays are just around the corner!
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We went to a holiday dinner hosted my husband’s cousin tonight. It was a lovely get together, but with all the kids now young adults, the vibe is really changing. The kids’ table (all in their 20s) was drinking the wine – and the adults’ table, was drinking mostly water (well, at least after one glass of wine)! My daughter, home for the weekend, was supposed to join us but she felt a cold coming on and decided to stay home. She made herself a potato, cheddar and bacon soup for dinner, a perfect meal for a cold.
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Tomorrow, Sunday, is another workout day. I’m glad I came home early enough – no excuses, I have to make it to the gym in the morning.
I reached my Goodreads Reading Challenge for 2025 with 66 days to spare. I had a lower goal this year, to be realistic at two books a month. I’ve been fortunate to discover some excellent choices through Netgalley, which also provides me with some incentive to flex my writing muscle by preparing reviews and sharing on Goodreads.
Of all the books I’ve read this year, I think only a couple were in physical copy. Most have been via e-reader or on my ipad. It’s just so convenient, especially when borrowing from the library. And I have so many books in the house that I’ve read,so while I am now in a decluttering phase, it almost pains me to have to purchase any physical books. Even if I enjoy the feeling of an actual book in hand.
One of the issues I have these days is sleep, as in trying to get enough of it. I know that sleep hygiene is key to that, and part of a good routine is to avoid any blue light/ electronics, within a certain timeframe before bedtime.
Which is the major challenge – I like to read before bed! With the preferred method being my iPad or e-reader, even on my computer, this is an issue. And a dilemma. I like paper, it’s likely better for my sleep, but is impractical.
I love reading on my electronics, which is bad for my sleep.
Conundrum.
What’s your preferred reader – physical book or device? Inquiring mind wants to know!
At a time 