m2h blogs by Marcia Hansen » meta

Birthday Wishes Come True

Marcia Hansen — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 06:36:05 +0000

Instead of enjoying a birthday dinner on the evening of my birth (back in May) with family and friends, this year found me traveling west for a job interview the next day. If you’ve been following me in other channels, you know the interviews went well. I started my new job with Intel just after Independence Day.

Living and working in California feels like freedom—not freedom from what I left behind, but in appreciating what lies before me. I feel like I’ve stumbled into a land of endless opportunity in California and in working at Intel.

I love the weather. It’s great for motorcycle riding, and also just for everyday life. In the middle of the day, I can enjoy the warmth and brilliant sunshine, yet the mornings and evenings are cool enough to open windows and enjoy the fresh air. Even though it’s been a month since I arrived, I still marvel at how beautiful it is day after day. My Midwest friends will know how outdoor plans have to be adjusted, summer or winter, on account of the ever-changing weather. I’m free from all that. (I know, I know, I’m not saying the E-word yet. Really, tho, it’s not part of long-time residents’ everyday vocabulary.)

So far the move has been all that I hoped it would be. It’s inspiring and challenging, and I love that.

Life is good. I’m grateful.

Still breathing

Marcia Hansen — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 05:26:50 +0000

I’m still here and breathing. Work and workouts have just kept me busy.

I’m thrilled…

My nephew is doing yoga with his preschool class
I’ll travel to San Jose, San Francisco, and New York this spring.
My office is getting cleaner and more organized.
Spring is coming

I enjoyed watching…

The Jane Austen Book Club movie recently. I might even have to pick up an Austen novel. I haven’t read much fiction lately, but the upcoming plane trips might be just the occasion.
(finally–it’s from January)the soul series interview with Oprah & Dr. Oz. I expected it to be all about how diet and exercise are good for you (really!), but there were some good questions from listeners about alternative health topics.

I’m thinking…

about doing a solo international trip this summer or fall to break in my passport. Ireland and Switzerland are possibilities. If I wait till the new year, Australia or New Zealand are on the list.
about doing some motorcycle riding while in California. Also thinking about July long weekend trip.

I’m a Katherine!

Marcia Hansen — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 04:24:53 +0000

seen at Nels. I don’t know that every word is spot on as with Nels, but the results are about 95% accurate. I’m not completely spontaneous. I’m a planner and list-maker, but I can be impulsive. And, I’ve been a little less outrageous lately. I’m going to have to work on that!

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...


You Are a Katharine!





You are a Katharine -- "I am happy and open to new things"

Katharines are energetic, lively, and optimistic. They want to contribute to the world.

How to Get Along with Me    

Give me companionship, affection, and freedom.    
Engage with me in stimulating conversation and laughter.    
Appreciate my grand visions and listen to my stories.    
Don't try to change my style. Accept me the way I am.    
Be responsible for youself. I dislike clingy or needy people.    
Don't tell me what to do.


What I Like About Being a Katharine    

being optimistic and not letting life's troubles get me down   
being spontaneous and free-spirited    
being outspoken and outrageous. It's part of the fun.    
being generous and trying to make the world a better place    
having the guts to take risks and to try exciting adventures    
having such varied interests and abilities


What's Hard About Being a Katharine     

not having enough time to do all the things I want   
not completing things I start   
not being able to profit from the benefits that come from specializing; not making a commitment to a career   
having a tendency to be ungrounded; getting lost in plans or fantasies   
feeling confined when I'm in a one-to-one relationship


Katharines as Children Often 

are action oriented and adventuresome  
drum up excitement   
prefer being with other children to being alone   
finesse their way around adults    
dream of the freedom they'll have when they grow up


Katharines as Parents    

are often enthusiastic and generous   
want their children to be exposed to many adventures in life   
may be too busy with their own activities to be attentive


Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn?  Or Someone Else?  Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

Just Pleasantries

Marcia Hansen — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 03:16:02 +0000

A couple business colleagues took me out to lunch today to Bob-Chinn’s Crabhouse. I was really surprised at how good the food was–especially considering how far Illinois is from any sea. I chose the Florida Grouper for lunch, and the taste had me going “Mmmm” from the first bite to the last. It was as good or better than any I’ve had in Florida.
I am also surprised at how much I’m enjoying green smoothies these days. Tonight I blended a little apple juice, 1/2 banana, 1/2 pear, and 1/2 bag of organic baby spinach. I love how it looks — bright green — and I love how it tastes. Yum! Who knew!?!

What else am I enjoying?

Clothes/Jewelry from Chico’s — So many bright colors and patterns. On. Sale. If I was married, I’d be embarrassed to walk in the house with yet another Chico’s bag. However, one of the joy’s of being single is not having to explain–you see, I had this great coupon off of the sale price…. However, I do admit that it is about time that I have a talk with myself!
Merle Norman Soft Touch Eye Pencils — They are so creamy going on. I can get a thin subtle line or that smoky smudged look really easily.

What else is working for me?

20 minutes on/20 minutes off — work a while, play for a bit. I’ve been able to make more progress at getting necessary household chores done without it seeming like such a big deal. I won’t go so far as to say it’s been fun, but definitely more manageable!

What’s working for you? Or, what seems like less work these days? Any new food addictions?

Awake at 3:00 a.m.

Marcia Hansen — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 08:54:45 +0000

Wondering if I confused Tim Berners Lee with Tim O’Reilly in a talk I gave at work. Stumble out of bed, check preso. Whew. I’m good.

So, what now? why not blog? It’s as good a time as any to write here in this space. Finally. It’s been so long since my last post. I’ve thought about blowing the thing up. It’s not all that…just random musings, curiosities, notes. Who is my audience? What do they want to read? What do I want to write about? or share? I’m liking Twitter these days. Only 140 characters. Less space to fill.

Random surfing commences. Read How to Blog. Find another pearl from Merlin.

LOL. Laughter feels so good. Maybe now I’ll be able to sleep.

More soon.

Fresh start

Marcia Hansen — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 02:46:27 +0000

These are flowers I’ve planted on the back patio. I’m loving the colors!

So much has happened since I posted last. I’ve accepted a full-time job with Allstate as a Marketing Manager, with responsibilities in social media, community management, and project management of interactive web projects. It’s really a fabulous job that draws on the expertise I’ve developed over the past few years.

I’ve also moved to Wheeling, IL. For those of you not familiar with northern Illinois, it’s a northwest suburb of Chicago. I’ve discovered that the people here are so nice and friendly. My mom was here for a few days to help me unpack and she remarked on it too. Plus, living here is a breeze of a commute. It’s wonderful being so close to work.

The weather was beautiful today on the last day of May. Any callers this afternoon had to endure voicemail, as I was out enjoying the day on my motorcycle. 150 miles of sunshine, lake views, beautiful houses, and waving to other bikers. I had a fabulous time.

And, it’s time to close for now. I promise not to let so much time pass before posting again. Hope you’re all doing well!

Big Flakes

Marcia Hansen — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 06:00:42 +0000

Tonight on the way home, I saw some of the biggest snowflakes I’ve ever seen. And, it’s still snowing hard, as you can see in the photo below.

You can also check out the other snowy night scene photo I took this evening in the flickr badge to the right…

You can find me…

Marcia Hansen — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 02:06:00 +0000

m2h Project 365

Happy New Year!

Marcia Hansen — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 17:35:41 +0000

I created a 2008 calendar that I’m sending out to friends and family who have e-mail, and I thought I’d post it here too in case you’d like to have a copy.

Each month has a picture of a place that is on my “Must See” list. There is also space at the side or bottom of each calendar page to jot notes or important dates. It’s too bad there are not more months in the year, because I ran out of months before I reached the end of my list. I didn’t even include any domestic locations. Oh well, that will be more for next year.

I realized by creating this calendar, it helps me…

visualize all year and work towards visiting these places one day.
keep in touch with friends and family
use a little bit of creativity.

However, you get to use a little creativity too. There is some printing and assembly required. Choose the paper, rubber bands, and chopstick color of your choice! Also, please let me know your favorite places or if we have favorites in common (hey, maybe we could think about a group trip and do an international blogger meet-up).

I chose all of the pictures from Flickr, and they each have a Creative Commons license (feel free to share, but check the individual license for each picture before you modify or use commercially). See the photo credits on the first page for links.

I hope you all have a wonderful 2008!

Breaking the silence

Marcia Hansen — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 02:17:31 +0000

Sorry for the long time without writing. I’m still alive. My job is great. Life is good.

More to come (soon, I promise!)