New computer, new month, new approaches

March, the bridge of a month between the icy chill of winter and the first beams of spring's toasty sunlight is here and that point alone has me smiling up a storm. Add to it the fact that my new Dell laptop reached me at long last and I'm one very happy camper at the moment!

There's still some setting up, configuring and file transferring to do, but that will all get taken care of soon enough and the main point is that it's here and I was able to type these very words on it.

Naturally, I have a fair bit to catch up on from the past month and my blogging schedule for the first half of the spring has been thrown for an absolute loop (and then some!) because of the fact that I was computer-less for all of February, but as with most things in life, everything will get straightened out sooner or later and I'm trying not to worry too much about it.

Truth be told, I'm trying to worry less in general. I'm a natural worrier and I've battled various type of anxiety my whole life, so stress - especially unforeseen stress - tends to hit me hard.

During the past few weeks of being sans computer, one might have thought (understandably) that I might have taken a bit of a much needed breather, but instead I was hard at work doing as many non-computer dependent things for my blog and my Etsy shop as I could (from outfit shoots with Tony to sorting recently acquired merchandise).

Yet, in the midst of such things, I was able to find time for some areas of my life that I haven't focused on nearly enough in recent years (such as taking more outdoor walks), cataloging all of my modern books, and most importantly of all, reinforcing the concept that I simply must look at my work (blog, shop, and the other websites, such as Any New Books, that Tony and I run) as more of a 9 - 5 job.

At present, health permitting, I usually put in 40 - 80+ weeks between running this blog and my Etsy shop, plus at least several more hours for our other websites, each week. Each is a labour of love and I certainly won't be retiring off these efforts anytime soon.

When it comes to my blog and shop though, money has never been - and will never be (especially regarding my blog) the sole reason why I launched them in the first place (a love of vintage and desire to share in this passion with other like-minded people was a huge driving force behind both). It doesn't take a rocket scientist to tell you however, that such a heavy pace is not only a recipe for burnout, but ultimately a less than healthy way to approach your work.

We each need and are entitled to down-time and to have clearly distinct lines between what is work and what is personal time. Can, and do, the two sometimes overlap, you bet your bottom dollar they do - especially when, like myself, you're self-employed - but in this ever more digital world, it's important to remember that we (usually) have the ability to set boundaries and to define how we connect with things, our jobs very much included, on our terms.

I know that in order to keep on thriving, and moreover, genuinely enjoying, my time online and the world that I've built here, I must continue to have better defined work and off-time hours and that, at least once in a while, I have to take full days off and not feel almost cripplingly guilty (generally for zero legit reason) about doing so - and if you're in the same boat, too, I truly hope that you'll be able to do so as well.

I don't say all of this to lead up to any sort of announcement about radical changes, retirement plans, or complete overhauls of my life - not in the slightest.

I say it, in no small part, to help hold myself accountable in terms of separating work from off time more frequently. To remind myself that I am less stressed and far happier when I create time to take nature walks with Tony and Annie, curl up with a good book and Stella on my lap, spend a whole day just visiting friends, rearranging my closet, cooking meals to freeze for future dinners, or who knows, maybe even finally crafting again.

{This matters just as much, when all is said and done, as this does...}

{First image source & second image source}

In doing so, I am able to give more of myself - in terms of the quality of the focused, clearly defined work hours that I put in - and to create an ecosystem that, hopefully, holds far more longevity than burning the candle at both ends until there's nothing but a fizzled out wick stump left.

I believe that we work better, smarter, and healthier when we balance the drive and goals of our career with the other passions in our lives, and though I've rarely been a shining example of practising such in the last few years in particular, I'm vowing - even as a natural born workaholic - to work on changing that.

It's not so much that I plan to work considerably less (I don’t), but rather that I will better define when and how I work, and set boundaries. If I need to post slightly less often here to do that, so be it. If I photograph a few less items for my shop each month, so be it. If I take a little longer to reply to never-ending mountain of work related emails in my inbox, so be it.

These things matter, undeniably, but they aren't the only ones that count and when the end comes for each of us as we look back on our lives, it won't be that we didn't have time to post anything on social media on some random Tuesday in August or the fact that we were five minutes late to the office on Friday January 12th that we'll regret. No, it will be the moments with family, pets, loved ones, nature, travel, great books, our spiritual paths, and our passions that we'll wonder, could I have made more time for?

Chances are, the answer is yes and it doesn't have to mean a total 180 of how you live in the slightest. And that is the beauty of it all. We're here now and we can continue to balance the scales, give a better version of ourselves to both areas of our lives, and find, in the process, that we're happier, healthier, and far less stressed.

I walked away from a month of being computer-less with this concept at the forefront of my mind, and I will embark on life spent with my new laptop better equipped to delegate my time spent on it due in no small part to this unplanned hiatus.

Lessons are everywhere, we just have to keep our hearts and minds open to them.

My computer died suddenly and other recent happenings

If you've seen less of me online this week, my dears, it is because this Monday, February kicked off by me attempting to turn on my computer and finding that it simply wouldn't do so. It was, as the old expression goes, as dead as a doorknob.
 
This was both worrisome and greatly surprising, as the machine was little more than two years old and was, in theory, a powerhouse of a laptop that cost quite a pretty penny when it was bought new at the end of 2013.

Hop ahead to this week and the issue lies in the motherboard, which is completely fried. The cost to replace such is comparable to that of many new laptops, so replacing this part isn't a logical route to take.

Thankfully, it would appear that the hard drive is intact and functional, so I should be able to import the reams of data on there straight onto my new computer and not lose anything vital in the process.

I'd honestly expected to get 4+ years out of my (now "old") laptop and was surprised that it would give up the ghost so suddenly. Even more jarring is suddenly being faced with the cost of new computer, something that falls under the heading of a business expense for me, and which has been quite a shock to the system and pocketbook alike!

After three days of nearly around-the-clock shopping, both online and off, I was able to determine that there was nothing locally that met my specs (chief amongst which was great screen resolution, as I do so much work with photos that I need to be as true-to-life as possible), so on Wednesday afternoon I placed an order with Dell and should have my new computer in two to three weeks time.

I opted to purchase an extremely extensive three year warranty package, so if - goodness forbid - my new computer were to run into issues in the next 36 months, it would be completely covered and, in theory, a replacement issued, if need be. Hopefully it won't be though and this new gem of a laptop will last be for that long and then some!

{Being computer-less for long  periods of time is simply not on option for me, especially considering that I make my livelihood online through my blog and Etsy shop, so a new one had to be ordered on the absolute double!!! 1950s photo source.}


This is, of course, not how I expected February to play out online in the slightest! Thankfully I have a fair number of this month's posts already written and ready to go live, so things will not be a ghost town here this month, fear not!

In general through, operating just off of my cell phone, or a borrowed computer, when I can get access to one, I know that much in the ways of my online plans and productivity for February will be temporarily curtailed.

I will be doing my best in the coming weeks to stay abreast of blog comments that I receive here, my emails, social media PMs, and your wonderful blogs. If something is very important/time sensitive and you need to get ahold of me, please email me with the word "Urgent" in the header of your message.

In other recent news, my family suffered a heartbreaking blow last week when my 95 year old step-grandfather - a wise, warmhearted, extremely hard working man - passed away after a long battle with various medical issues. His departure did not come as a shock to our family, given his health, but it is certainly painful all the same, especially for all nine of his children (of whom my step-father is one)        and their families.

Under our own roof, Tony and I have completed (or at least made serious in roads) a lot of home organization, DIY, and (early spring) cleaning jobs that we opted to tackle in January, which is awesome! Some remain to be wrapped up, but such is certainly in sight and we're delighted about that.

Speaking of Tony, the poor dear has been experiencing some rather serious back problems for several months now, which have only worsened in recent weeks (I'm sure that the above mentioned heavy-duty work around the house didn't help matters there for him one bit) and is going for a doctor's appointment to hopefully get the ball rolling on some answers at to what is at the route of this issue a little later today (he and I are leaning towards a herniated disk, but of course, until we find out more, that is just our educated guess base on his symptoms and our research).

Aside from those points, and some (normal level, for me) flare-ups with some of my medical conditions, we're okay and certainly hanging in there. Despite the various difficult points that have been, and continue to be, on our plates, we're in good spirits and remain hopeful that February will ultimately turn into a lovely, enjoyable month (very much including Valentine's Day itself, which I have some really fun posts already lined up for).

I truly appreciate your understanding regarding my computer situation and look forward to hopefully getting 100% back to normal on that front by the end of the month.

Wishing you all an awesome, fun filled February!

Vintage 365: Beautiful Firefox skin melds vintage style with modern technology

✯ Day 25 of Vintage 365 ✯

{The classic grey version of the top-of-the-browser header that’s featured in the "Retro Chic" Firefox theme, which I added a black border to so as to help it stand out against the background of this post.}

 

Generally speaking, I'm not a minimalist. While I wouldn’t say my style is exceedingly flamboyant or over-the-top, if I know that something can be dressed or jazzed up a tad, I'm usually game (sorry, stark white Swedish interiors, you just don't do it for me - give my sweet hubby a ring though, he loves you to pieces :D). As such I always like it when I can add an unexpected hit of vintage style to something that might otherwise veer on the ordinary side of thing.

Case in point, the melding of modern with old school that I've been using to beautify my internet browser for a number of months now. Like many of us, I've been a devoted Firefox fan for a few years (I use a Windows based PC), and for much of that time I've enjoyed sporting the wonderfully pretty skins (aka, themes - or as Firefox calls their themes, "Personas") that Firefox provides (delightfully for free) to their users.

Last year while browsing for a new theme (I like to switch themes every now and then, if only to give my eyes something new to look at when staring at my browser's internet scene each day), I chanced upon a particularly elegant number called "Retro Chic", whose name sound more fitting be "Vintage chic" (note that this skin is available in several colours including pink, purple, gold, black, and light grey).

Featuring the illustrated image of a sophisticated, deeply lovely looking 1920s woman holding a crimson rose (this image is credited by the skin's designer as being one of Alberto Varga's early works) this engaging Firefox skin is a charmingly fun way to add a splash of vintage style to the time I spend online (even when I'm not visiting a vintage site or writing a CV post).

If you use Firefox, I totally suggest checking out the thousands upon thousands of options that they have available in their personas gallery. While many of the themes have a modern spin, a quick search for keywords like “retro”, “pin up”, and "vintage" shows that there numerous personas with a wonderful old school vibe to them - which is especially great if you share my passion for guising up everything – including your internet browser - in your environment. :)