Movies

Life, Lately

March 22, 2016 by Abbigail Kriebs 6 Comments

A few weeks ago, I posted on Instagram about being in a “Middle Season.” Now, after the rush of launching The Chasing Creative Podcast and making a dozen decisions on our house, we’re back in a middle season with not a lot to report. Instead of trying to force out a witty blog post about a semi-relevant topic, I decided I would share what I’ve been up to in this Middle Season, because even when we feel like not a lot is happening, it often is.

So, lately I’ve been…

Listening

To my friends Jenna and Josiah Hazel. They recently released an album and I have it on repeat all the time. Their band is called Settling Houses and you can listen to their first album, Drive and Never Stop here.

Also, this Tiny Desk concert by Asgeir, again and again. Perfect for writing.

And podcasts, of course! I’m in love with The New Yorker Radio Hour. And recently, my friend Gracie got me back into listening to Freakonomics and I am hooked.

Reading

I’ve been reading a little more for fun lately, to wind down at the end of a day. I read Brooklyn and it was OK. Pretty, but not grand.

I just started The Paris Wife after hearing Paula McLain give a talk at the Madison Public Library last week. I fell in love with her words in person, and I hope to love them on the page as well.

I’m still slowly, slowly working my way through Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. Trying to take this one a chapter at a time and really think through some of the questions that it raises for myself and my creative life.

Watching

Scott and I recently watched Aziz Ansari’s Master of None on Netflix. While I enjoyed the social issues that the show addresses, issues like feminism and race in Hollywood, sometimes it was a bit too crude for me. The show did end on a bit of a cliffhanger, so I am excited to see where Season 2 goes. Even if the jokes don’t always hit home with me, I feel like it’s important enough to keep watching, and to support a show created by individuals of color in a world where a lot of comedy T.V. isn’t.

I’m still in Season 5 of Downton Abbey, so don’t spoil the ending for me! I’ve managed to avoid it so far and am 100% happy about this. At the rate we are able to watch the show, I will finish Season 6 sometime in 2018, I do believe.

Doing

We’ve been working on plans for the house. A few weeks ago we picked out flooring, and just a couple of weeks ago we chose kitchen cabinets and decided on what kind of trim we would like throughout the house. We’re still waiting to get a driveway in, but then the real fun begins, or so I hear. I’ve not built a house before, so I really, really have no idea what I am doing. Glad my contractor does.

I’m excited that I signed up for Brooks Editorial’s Content Challenge. I may be biased, as Ashley is my podcast co-host, but I really do think its going to be awesome. Anyone who can run a business and a blog while working from home and raising a toddler AND podcast on the side is someone I want to learn from, STAT.

Podcasting

Speaking of podcasting… Chasing Creative now has nine (!) episodes out in the world. Ashley and I have had such a great time chatting with our guests and learning from them as much as our audience is. We cannot believe how much love you have all shown us in just these nine short weeks, and we can’t wait to see where it goes next. We are trucking along behind the scenes, recording and editing more episodes every week to keep them rolling out to you. We hope you’ll join in the discussion over on Instagram and Twitter using #ChasingCreative.

So that’s what I’ve been up to lately. What about you? Reading, watching or listening to anything astonishing? I’d love to hear about it?

When Your Weekend Doesn’t Go As Planned

September 2, 2014 by Abbigail Kriebs Leave a Comment

You know the kind of weekend I’m talking about.

Where you have managed to line up four days in a row of Going Absolutely Nowhere. When you are looking forward to relaxing. Or catching up. Or getting ahead.

Or all three.

And then you spend all Saturday morning at the vet with a cat, after spending Friday night washing all the bedding in your house because she keeps peeing on it. [sad, but true]

You spend $168.44 on shots and gland expressions [also sad, also true] and antibiotics that are The Cure.

And then you spend another hour trying to get her to choke down those blessed antibiotics, powdered and hidden in the chicken-flavored mush known as Fancy Feast, a.k.a. The Worst Smelling Stuff Ever.

And you know you will be doing so for the next 14 days.

On Sunday, you take a break, help the husband build a shed, knowing you have two more days to work and rest.

And then Monday, on the day you planned to Get All The Stuff Done, you spend most of it cleaning up piles of puke that contain the antibiotic that you ~~fought so hard to stuff down a kitty~~ lovingly gave to your cat.

You head to the kitchen and see a can of salsa sitting on the counter, reminding you that you forgot to throw supper in the crock-pot earlier. You quickly throw corn and beans and salsa into crock-pot, and then reach for a knife to open package of chicken.

But all of your knives are dirty because you have been using them all weekend to chop tiny little cat pills into powder to feed to the cat who then promptly pukes them back up on the carpeting.

You then realize it is noon, you have not eaten breakfast, and you are not wearing any pants.

You declare defeat, collapse on the couch to watch an old standby, Serendipity, and reach for a latte made with the best birthday present in the world.

As the credits roll and a love song plays in the background, you realize in a haze of caffeine and the warmth that can only come from a slight crush on mid-90s awkward-adorable John Cusack, that maybe your list was too long anyway.

After all, you still have tomorrow.

Happy long weekend, everyone. I hope yours involved less cat puke.

P.S. The adorable culprit, who I am only slightly mad at:

The Walter Mitty Effect

January 27, 2014 by Abbigail Kriebs 6 Comments

One month and one day later, and I am still thinking about this movie.

I connected with this film. Immensely.

Maybe it’s because I’m in this vulnerable in-between stage in life right now where I sympathize with Walter. I’m in this waiting period at work, in my own business, in trying to sell our house. I’m just crossing off the days on the calendar, waiting for things to happen.

To happen to me.

When maybe I should be doing something about it.

Like Walter, I spent much of my childhood (and let’s face it, my adulthood) daydreaming amazing and wonderful scenarios in which I led an impossibly grand life: a life where I was recognized for my talent and admired for my abilities. Some of these abilities I didn’t actually even possess. Sadly, I am not a world class tennis player or a chess champion.

I just wanted to do big, grand things.

So now, I am. It’s a slow process, and it’s definitely going to take more time and effort than any of my “fake” dream scenarios ever included.

I’m calling it “The Walter Mitty Effect.

thewaltermittyeffect

I have decided that mediocrity is lame. Mediocrity is unacceptable. Mediocrity is just … mediocre.

I’m upping my game to live a more grand adventure.

And I’m learning to play to my strengths in the process.

Instead of dreaming about becoming a big-name tennis star or a chart-topping singer (neither of which is vaguely in the realm of possibility for this girl), I am going to dream about what I really want: Writing. Telling stories. Traveling.

I am going to dream – and dream big – and then do.

What is your big dream? What are you doing to make it happen?

*The link to “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” on Amazon is an affiliate link. If you purchase or pre-order the DVD, I will receive a small commission on the purchase. Thanks for the support!