My mama’s got an iPhone and loves to browse the App Store, otherwise known as the nifty little place where all things you can imagine are made possible for the iPhone. Games, Stock Tips, Calorie Counters, my handy dandy Google Reader. We send each other little tips on Apps we think are fun or cool or handy.
The last App she recommended to me is called Momento. It’s like a daily journal where you can record little thoughts and pictures and choose to share them with others, if you like. I haven’t shared my scrambled words with anyone yet–nope, not even my Mama–but I have been using it quite a bit, recording snapshots of my existence as an individual, not just as a mother, a spouse, an employee, a…
My mood fluctuates so rapidly and with such force, sweeping up and down and here and there, that I need these little reminders of how I felt yesterday, or an hour ago. And these quick glimpses become more revealing when days have passed and the moment is washed over, when I can’t even remember what the precursor to my glee or sadness was. When I’ve stepped out of the anger or the frustration, stepped away from the quiet moment that had me paused in reflection, stepped off the edge of the cliff I was teetering on.
Monday, January 25th, 2010
3:47 pm • [I took a photo of myself.] Depressing photo. Crooked glasses that really must be fixed. Tragic hair. No make-up for how many weeks now? If I can just start running again and stop the bad habits I know I will feel better about myself.
Tuesday, January 26th, 2010
10:11 am • What can I do to make my mornings and evenings better? Easier?
11:11 am • Number one: Wake up before the kids. Number two: Keep a cleaner house.
Friday, January 29th, 2010
9:35 am • Dan and I met each other at a time of change in our lives, and it is the most important reason our marriage is a success.
11:45 am • Ani DiFranco Song: If He Tries Anything. Amazing how I can remember the lyrics after all this time.
Monday, February 1, 2010
9:08 pm • Music feels so good. Makes it worth the run.
9:09 pm • Jamis: “Hi, Mom. You’re watching Home?” Me: “It’s House, honey.” And then I smiled wide.
Monday, February 15, 2010
2:44 pm • Must try to write on way home. Feeling out of place? Like I don’t know myself or the person I want to be. Why?
4:53 pm • Thought: I am not the person I want to be. Well then, Question: Who am I? And Question: Who do I want to be?
4:54 pm • I want to be more adventurous. Do It.
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I was going to reflect a little more on each of these little mind-bytes. But I think the only thing I really feel the need to say is I finally got my glasses fixed. They were crooked for a good six months and I’m proud that I finally marched myself to Lenscrafters and had them tweaked. It’s the Little Things, people, really!
The rest is the underside of a me that tries very, very hard to live an honest, respectful, and reflective life. And, oh yeah, to stop and smile and laugh a lot. And to do it all through tears, both literally and figuratively. For me, that comes out in these little tidbits of thought I’ve chosen to share with you all, and it compels me to keep using Momento, and to remember to look back at days past and see what’s come and what’s gone.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
3:20 pm • I want nothing more than to live an honest and authentic life.
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I’m on my way to check it out! I know I’ll love it. Snapshots. I feel like my life is millions of little snapshots and Momento seems like one more way to note them.
And Sarah, you do live an honest, authentic life. It’s so obvious reading your blog. And I’m sure the more you write down in your new App, the more you’ll see it too.
iPhone envy! It’s a little tempered by hearing about you using it to live a happier, more present life than to play Scrabble with friends who aren’t me. ;)
Yes, and I used it for about 3 days to record the dieting thing. And no one would be interested in reading those entries.
How much more interesting to capture the fleeting thoughts our busy brains churn out – and surely the true purpose of the app. Sometimes my brain feels like a kaleidoscope, little twirling fragments of color unfurling into pattern, even if sometimes I have to look really, really hard to find that pattern. Yes, I like that thought, that behind the fragments there is a pattern and the pattern creates the whole picture.
So, keep recording your fragments and, after awhile you can look at them as a whole, and I’ll bet you’ll see the pattern, ’cause you are a whole picture, Peach. In living color.
oops – sorry Kelly, I wrote under “reply” instead of “leave a comment”. The Geege rides again.
What an interesting way to capture moments and thoughts, and you don’t need to explain them. It’s like pointillism. I especially like what you captured at 3:20pm, today.
I am having Windows 7 issues! UGH! Lost my comment but I am jumping in with Kelly and the iPhone envy!
I love this 2010 version of the writer’s notebook! I’m still a Luddite where cell phone and PDA technology is concerned, but little Apps like this might just make a convert out of me.
Seriously, I know it’s all kinds of geeky and techy and seemingly overrated and unnecessary but…the iPhone is the shit of shits, if you don’t mind me saying.
That said, if you never leave home and are always with computer, it might not be as handy. Wait, nope…totally wrong there. What am I thinking? It’s almost MORE handy to have at home than anywhere else. Check an email while you’re stirring the sauce? Sure. Read a blog post while the kids are in the bath? Sure.
Okay. Okay. It might make you “less present” for the little moments. But I’ve given up on all the pressures of motherhood. I am not a saint. I will not always be present. I…
Wait, crap. This is turning into another post. Excuse me. It’s like 6 am and I haven’t finished cup #1 of my coffee….
Hey! Just to let you know that you have been awarded a Beautiful Blogger Award… Link back to my blog to find out the details…Thanks for being so inspiring!
Thank you, Maria!
Funny–my mom and I trade app ideas all the time as well. My mom had an iphone long before I did, so she’s usually the one showing me the cutting edge stuff. (Come to think of it, my Mom beat me to blogging and facebook too!)
Anyway, I love the idea of Momento. And your mind-bytes were just perfect the way they were. No explanation needed.
Hmm. Mind-bytes. I really do like that little thought about thoughts.
Your mama is definitely on the cutting edge…beating you to blogging and FB? I love it! How cool is that, really? I’m so grateful that my mom is “with it,” you know. Interested in modern technology and not just guffawing at the newest, latest and greatest gadgets. Seriously, she called my two days ago for advice on buying an Internet-ready Flat Screen TV. Shoot, I didn’t even know they made them. But that GG, she’s “in the know.” :)
Psst: If there are any Apps I can’t live without, give me a shout out, wouldja? My phone has been taken over by kiddie games and I am bound and determined to win it BACK! That, and my addiction to Words with Friends is getting obscene. :)
Your mama is one cool lady.
She sure as hell is, thanks for noticing.
And I didn’t even leave in the part about how she kicks my butt in our iPhone Scrabble games. Seriously, she’s dangerous with words! A topic for another post, I suppose. Sarah’s “post of shame,” that is…since I’m like 50+ points behind in every recent game we’ve played.
I am downloading this app right now, how cool! This is exactly what I need. Thanks for mentioning it. (And seriously…how did we ever survive without iPhones? I mean, really, without it your glasses might still be crooked!)
Seriously. I told myself to get those damn glasses fixed for 5 months or MORE. Probably MORE.
After I took that picture of myself and wrote that little comment in Momento, I think I went the next day or so. I needed to see it, you know? I needed to read it and re-read it.
It sounds so silly but it really is the little things that make a huge difference in how we feel about ourselves, and thus how we feel about the world…our life…our kids…blah blah.
And nope, couldn’t ever freaking live without my iPhone now. I’m one of *those* people. And damn proud of it!!!
the examined life…..always the best. and hardest. I love what you are doing.
Hey you, Friend of a Friend. Lovely to see you here.
Yes, the examined life. Gosh, I didn’t even think of it that way–it sounds so pretentious and academic and shit–but that is it, isn’t it? Pausing and revealing my thoughts to myself, and then quietly picking them apart later. Or, putting them on a blog for all the world (yeah, right) to see.
Me=always thinking too much. Me=always trying to figure out what I’m thinking. Me=always telling my head to shut the fuck up, ya know?
Sarah, I agree that it’s the little things that can really start making a difference. Just one small thing, one after the other, can really make my life feel fixed. Like your glasses. Like me faxing a stupid appraisal to my insurance agent (it took me 10 days), to filling out forms I’ve been avoiding or making calls I don’t want to make.
And when I clear away all the stupid crap, guess what I find beneath it all? My actual, real life.
Absolutely, Linda. I think that is why I felt so compelled to mention that I did, in fact, finally get my glasses fixed. I knew it was a small detail that didn’t really need telling, but I couldn’t NOT mention it. And it’s because of this:
“And when I clear away all the stupid crap, guess what I find beneath it all? My actual, real life.”
I think I needed to remind myself of this. Thank you. Cause I like my real life when it shines through.
Ooh. Thanks for telling me about a new app. I’m so bad at finding them on my own. (And you can get google reader on your iPhone, too?)
I downloaded something called a Gratitude Journal which I was using for a while. It’s similar because you can write down what makes you grateful and even add pictures. But it’s not the most well-designed app. I’ll have to try Momento instead. (To be honest, I gave up on the Gratitude Journal a few months ago. I got busy. That’s the only problem with these things. It takes time, time when I could be surfing the internet on a bigger screen.)
What a great idea. I love how much you captured in those short sentences. How much you revealed.
And I loved: “Ani DiFranco Song: If He Tries Anything. Amazing how I can remember the lyrics after all this time.”
Nothing makes me feel better than singing along with a song that I thought I forgot all about. It has a way of making me feel more…Me. More…who I was before having kids. It’s a nice break. (Unless it’s “Elmo’s Train.” A song I worked hard to forget, but my brain held onto.)
This is very nice. LOL @ the Home vs House. Sweet memory indeed.
I jot down my thoughts throughout the day as well, but I do it via Twitter. ;-)
I dont have an iphone, but this sounds like a handy little app. I agree with your last statement, about living an authentic life.
Life is just too short to do otherwise.
Have a great day!
It’s little moments like these that add up to a life. Your life. Thanks for sharing it with us.
So lovely, this:
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
3:20 pm • I want nothing more than to live an honest and authentic life.
The entry under which all else falls, makes sense, and matters.
I’m always looking for good apps! Thank you!