Weekend inspiration

If you think you are beaten, you are
If you think you dare not, you don’t,
If you like to win, but you think you can’t
It is almost certain you won’t.
If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost
For out of the world we find,
Success begins with a fellow’s will
It’s all in the state of mind.
If you think you are outclassed, you are
You’ve got to think high to rise,
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.
Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man,
But soon or late the man who wins
Is the man WHO THINKS HE CAN!

Thank you Uma & yvette!!

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READER SUBMISSION!!!! YAHOOO!

Also NOT on my to-do list but can’t help myself- Reader submission from sarah!!

I. LOVE. THIS. JOURNAL!!!

Just makes me happy.

Imagine all the muchy secrets you could write in there!

Sarah writes:
My daughter and I just got a matching Muchy journals at Justice. I love Claires, and Justice is a close 2nd for satisfying a Muchness jones. 

Look closely at the computer screen... it's... MUCHNESS BANDS!!!! yay!!

TOVA’S MUCHNESS PIC OF THE DAY

Since this site is about being honest, I’m gonna be honest.

Last night, I had a million Muchness things to do. People are waiting for their login info to start their challenge, emails are waiting to be answered, Muchness bands are packed up and waiting to go to the post office, Pictures of those muchness bands are sitting in my iphoto waiting to be uploaded to the site. I havent even shared the print version of my article, which was on the FRONT PAGE of the shopping section. And Ellen DeGeneris is waiting on pins and needles for my unfinished PR kit to arrive. I’m sure of it. But ya know what I did last night? I watched three hours of DVR’d Americas Got Talent. And then an episode of Color Splash. Then I did about 20 minutes worth of Muchness-ing (new word) and then I went to sleep. At 1am. So I am tired AND feeling like it was a double waste of time. (Except that I got to watch these Muchkins. Avery and The Calico Hearts. Though they were not put through to the next round, I heart them – so cute)

ANYHOOOO, Elie keeps telling me I need to get a notebook to write my to do list in so I can get organized. But I have my phone to do that, but I don’t. But I don’t wanna schlepp around a huge notebook in my little sequined bag.

But he’s right. If I don’t sit and write a list and cross stuff off it, I feel I will drown in the to do list and end up defaulting to ass on couch mode. So. NOT. MUCHY!!!!

I went to Claires. If I’m gonna get a notebook to maintain The Muchness, it damn well better be a muchy notebook. And it is. And it fits in my little sequined purse. And the special pen! I couldn’t decide which color. so I splurged on both. Oh, the sacrifices I make… 🙂

Drowning In Muchness.

Here I am. 12:28 AM.
Working on Muchness.
It’s still early, compared to last night when I hit the pillow at 2AM.
I rose off of it at 7am.
And was STILL late for work.

yay.

Please forgive me if this posts lacks a bit of muchness. And a few of the !!!!!!’s I am so fond of. That article in the paper was awesome. And it made me a busy, busy bee. The response has been awesome and opened my world to some new people who found me and my story. It also opened up the ability of (real life) people to feel comfortable with me feeling comfortable mentioning the twins. (Which reminds me, I have an email I have to respond to. Or seven. Love emails. I should have taken that typing class in high school. I can only imagine how much more I could accomplish if I could use all 10 of my fingers instead of just  five. And looking at the monitor instead of the keyboard?!?!? Imagine how much time that would save me! But alas. I type like….. What on earth am I babbling about?!?!?!?!

It is now 12:42. Oy.

So, the purpose of this post was to apologize for the lack of posts lately. Is it arrogant to assume anyone misses them? Well, Um, ok.

I did see this chic in awesome muchy shoes today. I’m still working up the courage to start asking people if I can take pics of their Muchness. I DID compliment her on them, but then felt dumb asking to take a picture of her feet. I’m thinking I have to do it specifically because I am afraid of it, and that is exactly what The Muchness is all about right? (If I’m being honest, I likely would have had the guts to ask if she had smiled and been more appreciative when I complimented her but she kinda just looked at me like I had three heads, making me wonder if maybe she didn’t speak a word of english. But she did. She just wasn’t super friendly.)

Anyhow: Super Muchy shoes, **Sneak attack picture***

FRONT VIEW: NEON WITH STUDS

 

BACk VIEW: Leopard print pony fur. Really??? Um, yes. Really.

Bonus points for anyone who can identify this crazeeness and help me find them online.
Extra bonus points if they’re on sale.

12:51. I’m Out.
xox, Tova

IN TOUCH WITH THE MUCH?

Not sure if it is officially Muchy or if It’s just cool.

I’ve heard rumors of the existence of these bags made entirely from the pop top from soda cans. Like the lock-ness monster, they live in infamy.

And then this chic was right there on the corner, waiting to cross the street. I couldnt believe what a clear, close picture I got!

Sharing Muchness

Todays Muchness is kinda a reader submission, but it’s also kinda a Pic of the day. And ya know, it’s also kinda just a post. Because I’ve been sorta MIA in that department lately. I feel like I should wait for inspiration to strike before I write, and sometimes that takes a few days. (which is in contrast to the 30 Day Challengers who have to push to write daily, forcing the inspiration to strike… hmmm, something to ponder…. but anyway….)

So, yesterday was a great day. A monumental day for me, in fact. In part, thanks to April. But I’ll get to that in my next post. The deeper one.

This post is about the text message I received in the middle of my day from my new friend and 3 block away neighbor, Michelle.

So, whats so muchy about this? Let me tell you.

She sent me a pic of a sequin tank top and wrote MUCHNESS!
That, is obviously, the most obviously Muchy thing about this post. But wait. There’s more…

I have a new friend and 3 block away neighbor!! And she is Muchy!!! And she introduced me to another friend in our town who is also In Touch with the Much! And they know other women that they claim are also like-minded and I am excited to meet them too!
It is quite a Muchy achievement when you live in the sorta Suburbs to make new friends as an adult. Especially random ones that are like-minded. That’s hot.

Once I started thinking about it, I realized I’ve also made other new real life friends. Among them a groovy little art gallery opened in our town named BLAST. It is SO OUT OF PLACE that it is just inspiring. So, I walked on in and introduced myself to the owners, an awesome, artsy couple living among the suburbanites next door. More new friends!

I think what I’ve realized is that the relationships I’ve been able to form with my online friends- the connecting with different types of people whom I’ve never seen in person, on a deeper, truer level online has translated into me being able to connect with people better offline.

We all walk around wearing our masks and our costumes, and we judge people based on theirs.

BTM (Before The Muchness) I walked around in jeans and sneakers and t-shirts. I gave nobody any ammo with which to make a snap-judgement about me. But mostly I was just making myself invisible. I guess that’s because I was worried about what those snap judgements might be.

It’s hard to remember that we see things not as they are but as we are.

I was making snap judgements about others because I had forgotten how to connect with people. I was categorizing people in my mind because I couldn’t remember a better way to get to know them. And though those snap judgements were often (not always) complementary to them; “oh- they are cool / cultured / intellectual / successful”, it was working against me. Big time.

Now, I dress MUCHY. I present myself in a way that I know might invite snap judgements- both good and bad, depending on your personal taste and opinion. But now I remember how people are inside. I’m not as quick to judge them on the superficial. I’m not as scared to say something to them that reaches below the surface of who they are. Because that’s where their humanity is. And I’m not afraid to not be invisible. Judge me all you want. I know from personal experience that THAT is about you, not me.

… Funny. I write this as though it’s something I’m just learning but it’s not. I knew this in college when I dressed weird, even by art school standards. And my friends – and their hair- were every color of the rainbow and from all walks of life and I liked it that way.

Sometimes though, we just forget what we know and have to relearn it. I relearned it with the help of my online friends. I imagine that many of them, would we have met before, we’d likely assume we had nothing in common. And maybe we wouldn’t have. But now they understand parts of me better than members of my own family. And while they may live around the country or across the world, I think it’s very Muchy that their effect translates into new friends that I can connect with, around the corner or across the street.

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READER SUBMISSION TIME!!!!!

I got this email from my friend Rachel. Wife, mom, chocolatier, and woman who is IN TOUCH WITH THE MUCH!!!!

She wrote: Tova, Just want you to know that I celebrated my Muchness by getting a sparkly nose pierce. Thought of you. Looks fab!

YES IT DOES Miss Roxy Chocsmith!!

I Love that you shared this with us!!!
Thank You!!! xoxox