I’m back! And so is Ukulele Wednesday!

I’m feeling the Christmas Spirit, so I decided to record a Christmas Classic! I hope you like my version of “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas.”

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I’m starting something new this month. Seeing as it’s the Thanksgiving season, I thought it might be nice to write about (and remind myself of) the many, many things I have to be thankful for. So every Thursday this month, I’m going to devote a post to looking on the brighter side and counting my blessings. Starting now.

Yes. Coffee and tea. I am thankful for warm, comforting drinks.

More than that, I’m thankful that I have the money to buy frilly drinks for myself.
I’m thankful that I work for a company that lets me take all the tea breaks I want, that keeps me stocked with tea and honey, that allows me the chance to look out the window and sip from my mug and think of all the things I am thankful for.

And I’m thankful for my coworkers. This morning, I stopped by Starbucks to buy myself my very favorite frilly coffee drink, a peppermint mocha. In a red cup. With an extra shot of espresso, thankyouverymuch. As the barista made my drink, she said “That’s weird. This is the second peppermint mocha I’ve made for a Corley today.”

Let’s be real. I thought she was wrong. I thought she was thinking of Corey or Carly or even Courtney. I did not consider that she might have actually made a drink for Corley already that day. I am a self-centered jerk who is certain that she is the only Corley in the world, by the way. The thought that there might actually be another Corley wandering the streets of Fletcher, NC was just too upsetting a thought to bear.

But back to the barista. “That IS weird,” I said. “Are you sure it was another Corley?” (See what I mean?)

“Yep,” she said. “I hope it wasn’t your friend buying you a coffee. If it was, you’re going to have a serious sugar rush.”

Sure enough, when I got to my office, there was a peppermint mocha waiting for me at my desk. (And you’re darn straight I drank them both.) I’m thankful for coworkers who buy me my favorite coffee drinks. For baristas who remember my name and who don’t spit in my coffee when I imply that they might be wrong about the names on the cups. For peppermint, chocolate, espresso, and the magic they make when they are combined.

Also. I’m thankful for these hooligans:

But you knew that already.

What are you thankful for on this Thankful Thursday?

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On my computer monitor at work, there sticks a yellow Post-It note. It is held to the plastic with clear tape, because it has started to lose its stickiness. Written on it are two sentences. Two little sentences and a name. Six words total.

Six words that remind me every day to do what I love, to live the life I want for myself, to make it happen.

Stay hungry.
Stay foolish.

Steve Jobs 

When the day seems too long or I think I’m too tired or I start to feel like I can’t sit under the fluorescent lights for another second, I look at this sticky note and I feel better. I feel like I can do it. Like something great is just around the corner, and if I can just hold on, I’ll make it happen for myself.

I am so sad to hear about Steve Jobs. It is overwhelming to think of all that he managed to achieve in his short life - all the thoughts, the revolutionary ideas, the changes and innovations he brought on…

I don’t need to write about how he changed my life, how I write and listen to music and create and watch movies and basically spend my entire day looking at the screen of a device he is responsible for. What I will say is that tonight, I am more inspired than ever to stay hungry and stay foolish.

We can create remarkable things in our short time. We can be inspired by the giants who have gone before us, and we can make the most of these incredible machines by creating incredible things on them.

We can achieve greatness.

I often say that we live in the future - and we do! Look at how far we have come since the car phones in bags, the floppy discs, the VCRs and laser discs, the Walkmans and boom boxes. Steve Jobs was pivotal in getting us here, and I am thankful.

Life is short. Today’s loss was another reminder to make the most of the time, the brains, the creativity we’ve been given.

Stay hungry.
Stay foolish.

Original Article

I can’t believe September is gone already - don’t I say that every month? September was especially tough, though - saying goodbye to September means the end of the month AND of another of my years. This year, I turned 26…and it feels like a much bigger deal than 25.

My birthday was perfect - roller coasters, cake, post it notes, cupcakes, presents, more cupcakes, pizza with some of our very favorite people, a trivia victory, and a ghost tour through downtown Asheville. I’d say the word for this birthday week would be epic. Check out my Instagram for photos of all the fun.

And now, here we are at October. Crispy, crunchy, red and orange October.

calendar via Christiane Engel

I’ve got plans for October. Goals, even. You could call them goals. I should probably start calling them goals again. If I tell you about them, will you hold me to them?

October Goals:

Lose 5lbs. Yup. I’m throwing down a number. 5. Make it happen.

Write 750 words every day. (Would you believe I have ALREADY fallen short on this one? I’m a disgrace. It’s October 4th. It’s not too late. I’m taking back the reins TODAY.)

Write a short story. Maybe using the awesome Craigslist idea left as a comment on this post.

Paint a picture. On a canvas. And then hang it somewhere in our house.

Run another 5k.

Finish 100 Years of Solitude (I’m ashamed that I even have to add this one to the list).

My last goal for October isn’t as easy to list, but I have a feeling it’s going to be the most important. As the air gets cooler and I find myself wanting to do little more than hibernate and watch Felicity on Netflix, I need to find a way to stay positive and motivate myself to be as hard-working as I was through those productive summer months.

I keep reminding myself of the Maya Angelou (I think) quote: “Nothing will work unless you do.” And because the key is motivation, I’m offering myself a reward. If I can achieve all of my goals for this month, I’m going to order myself business cards - not for my 9-5 (or 6 or 7). Not on behalf of my company.

For myself.  On behalf of me.

Corley May, the goal-oriented, self-motivated writer.

(I’ll work on the title, don’t worry.)

How about you? Are you a goal person? What’s your plan for the month? Leave me a list or a link and I’ll help you if you’ll help me. 

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I’m sitting with Josh in our favorite coffee shop, and I can’t help but listen in on every conversation going on around me. I’m a Nosey Nancy and have been forever. It’s a fact…and a trait that comes in handy when you’re a writer who can’t seem to start writing.

When I was in college, I wrote constantly. I took a lot of pride in filling notebook after notebook with stories, conversations, comics, and ramblings. I would sit in the coffee shop for hours, writing on graph paper  until my hand cramped, my pen ran out of ink, or I was asked to buy something or leave.

I’ve always kept a journal, but I don’t think I really started writing until college. I took my first creative writing class freshman year, and one of our early assignments was to eavesdrop. Take someone else’s conversation and make it our story. So as I waited in the airport (one of my favorite places) waiting for a flight home to Indiana, I listened in on nearby conversations until I heard something I could build on.

That first story was pretty terrible - it was an assignment in writing Magical Realism, and my conversation spiraled into one of those terrible “you couldn’t have met Sandy, because she died five years ago ON THIS VERY NIGHT” stories…but it was a start. And I’ve been eavesdropping ever since.

As I approach this October with 750words.com, I’m trying to remember all the ways I used to find inspiration to write.

I have a few more inspirational tricks up my sleeve, but I would love to get your advice, too. Where do you turn for inspiration when you’re having trouble getting started?

Original Article

Happy Monday, everyone!

This morning, I decided to make the most of Monday. I got to the office a little early and traded out my regular old chair for a large exercise ball — the effect on my day was instant and clear! First of all, you have to actually balance when your chair is a balance ball, which resulted in a nice little sneaky workout for my core. PLUS, chair dancing is way more fun when your chair is an oversized bouncy ball.

After work, I met my sweet friend Julia for dinner, and we got to just sit and catch up. What a small thing, but it felt SO NICE to make time for my friend. Mondays are typically a super-stressful day, but this morning, I made the conscious decision to make it MY Monday. I put on a new outfit, traded for a new office chair, and made time for myself. It was perfect.

What did you do for yourself today?

Original Article

I hope you all had a fantastic New Year’s Eve full of only fun and no regrets!

We hit the town and met up with friends at Asheville’s newest bar, Arcade. They haven’t gotten all their games in yet, but it’s already shaping up to be a new favorite bar of ours, especially for when friends come in from out of town.

From there, we headed out in search of food. LAB had a line out the door, Bouchon Street Food closed just as we stepped up to order, and Wasabi didn’t have room for our group - so we ended up getting sushi further down the street at Kanpai-Sushi. They were super accommodating, especially considering we showed up 10 minutes before the kitchen closed. As an official former-waitress, I know how jerky that move can be. In our defense, we were polite, fast, and we tipped well. I hope we’re forgiven.

From there, we headed to the Thirsty Monk, which was slammed - we stayed long enough for a beer and then headed to Asheville Brewing Co. to ring in the New Year. THANK GOODNESS we made it in time to catch the NKOTBSB performance in Times Square. Whew. Close call.

On the way back to our car, we stopped in Arcade one last time (mostly in search of a seriously hilarious character we met their earlier in the night. His name was Pimpin’ James and he was an inspiration). I’m super excited about heading back once the new-bar rush is over and it’s back down to normal-bar traffic levels. They did, however, score MAJOR points for the photobooth underneath the stairs.

Major.

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you started the year off just right.

Original Article

I’ll tell you what I’m doing! Going out on the town with my husband! But first - the resolutions.

This blog and I have had our go-rounds. For a while, I’m a machine, and then all of a sudden it’s been a month since my last post, and a month further since the post before that.

If my blog were my boyfriend, I’d have totally been dumped by now.

Lucky for ME (and you?), it’s time for a New Year! I’m declaring 1/1/11 to be the fresh start to rule all fresh starts. I’ve never really been a person who makes a big list of resolutions (and certainly never the type to stick to them), but I’ve decided this year will be different. This year, I have a gameplan.

I know. It’s an impressive graphic. All part of the plan.

FIRST OF ALL, we’re going to get organized. This blog is getting categories. They are as follows:

1. Life. This is where all the personal business will go down. Ramblings about how much I love Josh and Rocky, venting about how my coffee was too hot or too cold, musings on why we are the way we are…all now a part of the Life category.

2. I Want That. You may remember the first (and only) installment of I Want That from a snow day last winter. That post was the result of my lazily browsing etsy from bed, but I think it’s got legs.

3. The Asheville Review. This little number was another midwinter’s brainchild. I’ve been looking for a way to combine my love of Asheville with my love for the Internet for a while now, and I think I’ve found it. As soon as it’s up and running (read: as soon as I actually work up the nerve to go somewhere and review something), The Asheville Review will be a resource for local events, restaurants, vendors, attractions, and so on.

4. Hello, Healthy! Oh yes. It’s on. When I was engaged and planning our wedding, I was a fitness machine. I was working out daily, eating right, and getting enough sleep. It was wonderful. And I ended up losing in the neighborhood of 15 pounds. Then, of course, I got married, got a job, and got lazy. But NOT ANYMORE. I’m back on the healthy wagon, and this category is going to be what a) holds me accountable and b) lets me share my healthy life with YOU!

AND SECOND OF ALL, to kick off this blog revival, I’m doing something I should have done a long time ago. I’m making it a habit. Tomorrow will start my 31 Days of Blogging Challenge. The goal is to become so addicted to blogging that once the month is up and the challenge ends, the regular blogging lives on.

And there you have it. The gauntlet has been thrown. 2011 will bring life to this blog! It will! And I hope you’ll be along for the ride.

Original Article