Author: Rebecca Raspberry // The Rebecca Project

Post #9: Puppies! (Part one of a zillion)

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Welcome to the ninth post of the Great Writing Challenge of 2012. Five days a week for six months, I will be given a topic to write about. The stipulation: it must be 250 words (or more), and positive in tone. If you would like to suggest topics for me to write about, please email me at TheRebeccaProject [at] gmail [dot] com. Today, I spent a lovely day hiking the hills in Marin with Mary and puppies Patrick and Charlie. It was a beautifully clear day, and surprisingly warm: amazing weather for winter. There were numerous times on the trail where it as not marked, or poorly marked. So what did we do? We pulled out the iPhone and Google Mapped it. For most of the walk, we could see the city, and the top of the Golden Gate, so we were not super worried. But it just made me think about how we rely and turn to technology, instead of going to visit the Visitors’ Centre to pick ourselves up a map. So anyhoo, …

Post #8: BART

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Welcome to the eighth post of the Great Writing Challenge of 2012. Five days a week for six months, I will be given a topic to write about. The stipulation: it must be 250 words (or more), and positive in tone. If you would like to suggest topics for me to write about, please email me at TheRebeccaProject [at] gmail [dot] com. BART trains are cool. They look like portals from the future, prepared to take you back with them. Even the horns sound digital. Harrison Ford caught one in Blade Runner. Or maybe I just made that up. But he totally would have. Each day, I ride the futuristic cars to work and back. BART is my preferred form of public transport, and mostly an enjoyable experience. The system is known for its large, comfy seats, and has a completely different feel from the hard plastic seats on trains in New York and London. I am a creature of habit and each day, I make a beeline for my preferred seat: the reverse-riding left …

Post #7: University at 17?

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Welcome to the seventh post of the Great Writing Challenge of 2012. Five days a week for six months, I will be given a topic to write about. The stipulation: it must be 250 words (or more), and positive in tone. Thanks to Maia for the topic suggestion. If you would like to suggest topics for me to write about, please email me at TheRebeccaProject [at] gmail [dot] com. I was 17 in my final year of high school, and took to telling those who asked me what I was planning to do with the rest of my life that I was looking forward to becoming an astrophysicist. They’d reply with an exaggerated “ooooh!”, raise their eyebrows and change the subject. Most were probably conscious of the fact that they had no idea just what an astrophysicist does, so they thought it best to seem impressed and move on. Truth is, I never knew what I wanted to do. I just told people that so they’d stop asking me. My mind changed more frequently than …

Post #6: Packing Light

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Welcome to the sixth post of the Great Writing Challenge of 2012. Five days a week for six months, I will be given a topic to write about. The stipulation: it must be 250 words (or more), and positive in tone. If you would like to suggest topics for me to write about, please email me at TheRebeccaProject [at] gmail [dot] com. On Twitter this afternoon, I heard all my favorite bloggers discuss what they are packing for Alt Summit in Sat Lake City. Truth is, I’m super jealous. Maybe I should add Alt Summit to my Life List? I’m sure Maggie Mason would approve. I love hearing about what people deem important to pack. To some, it’s mundane and they want to head straight for the photos, but I think there’s a real art to packing light. Maggie Mason sometimes posts about what she packs for a trip away, and it’s amazing how she can fit everything into an overnight bag (see HERE and HERE. This woman knows how to pack). So whilst I …

Post #5: The Gym

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Welcome to the fifth post of the Great Writing Challenge of 2012. Five days a week for six months, I will be given a topic to write about. The stipulation: it must be 250 words (or more), and positive in tone. If you would like to suggest topics for me to write about, please email me at TheRebeccaProject [at] gmail [dot] com. With the new year, brings a renewed vigor for trying to achieve a balanced life. This is something I usually attempt most years, but I’ve usually failed before the first week is through. But not this year! 2012 is the year of Doing, and here are seven things that are helping me get on the right track: Ask the tough questions. First thing I did was address the problems (eg “I feel gross. And I’m not happy with the way I look” etc). I followed up these problems with why questioning. (eg “I don’t look great because I eat ridiculous amounts of chocolate each night.”). It’s important to be truthful – you’ll only …

Post #4: Reality Television

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Welcome to the fourth post of the Great Writing Challenge of 2012. Five days a week for six months, I will be given a topic to write about. The stipulation: it must be 250 words (or more), and positive in tone. If you would like to suggest topics for me to write about, please email me at therebeccaproject [at] gmail [dot] com. I must confess: I love Reality TV. Well, most of it. There’s some that I will never like (read: Jersey Shore), and some that is just lame (anything to do with tattoos/towing cars/hunting for antiques). But there are some shows that I absolutely love. Well, enough to set a series recording on my DVR. One of my favorite shows is Project Runway. I seriously love that show, and it’s because these people have talent. They can construct an entire outfit, sometimes two, in a day. Having taken about a week solid to construct a sack dress recently, I could not be more impressed. The show does not reward mediocrity. Fashion isn’t really my …