Day one and a half

I saw the Movie Julie and Julia last Friday with Anthony, my husband, and was hugely inspired to do something. I related to the Julie character, because I too, start many things and finish very few. Really what I've learned about myself is that the things I am most passionate about are the things I don't finish...it's too scary or what if I get so satisfied that I can't handle the sensation of that and then nothing else would ever compare? I am sure right now many of you want to give advice about that. The only problem with that is I don't want advice, I am blogging as a form of welcomed narcissism in the day and age we live in. The way I see it, the word"blog" is just missing a few key letters that really make us all want to do it about something. What letters are they? b(e)lo(n)g. We all want to belong! This is my attempt to belong to a hip, trendy, fast, and patient community in which I am certain I don't "belong", but will try anyway.

I didn't ever think, and still don't have much faith, that i would do something on the computer besides e-mails.

I have been known by my husband, friends and even some co-workers as "the idea girl"...I am full of them. This is how I came up with the name of the blog. Who am I? answer: Idea girl full of thoughts. What am I passionate about? at the moment anyway? answer: pennies.


The night after I saw Julie & Julia, I saw a commercial for Staples, the office supply store. The commercial takes place on a used car lot and is basically pointing out that no one wants to be bothered with pennies. When the salesman finds out that he can give a cash discount to the customer, he is ecstatic until he sees that the cash is a truck bed full of pennies.

So, I start thinking about all th pennies in the world, and how random a coin they are. They appear everywhere, get stepped over and tossed in cups at cash registers with signs reading," give a penny, take a penny." They are currently in the bottom of every purse I own. Pennies appear on the floor of my car, in my kids pockets and in the toy box.

My curiosity begins to deepen and now is non-stop. I started my yoga class yesterday talking about this and I got my students curious. Now, what to do? My class and I brainstorm a little, but that wasn't enough. If I practice anything I preach it is to tell someone, so the idea, feeling thought, dream can be realized or processed. Not that my students weren't good enough, but I knew I had to take the next step.

Where will all these pennies go to be counted? Me? Will I teach my kids to count and roll pennies? Shall I collect them in a large water bottle and then sit and sort and count with my students as a form of meditation? Will the bank take them and count them? The latter was my brain wanting to cop out and not go through the whole process of this.

As I leave my studio I realize I have banking to do, what great timing. So, after doing my deposits, I dare to ask, the not so friendly teller about pennies. At that moment I realize she is probably as annoyed by penny counting as I am. Which is why I was asking how I could most easily get them counted. As soon as I said the word penny she sat up straight and tightened her lips.

First, the teller tells me she is out of penny paper rolls and I would have to go to another branch, then I decide, fuck it, I have been at this bank for almost 18 years, and in a split second I decide to try getting her interested in hearing how I am going to perhaps start collecting pennies. She stood up and gave me 3 large coin bags. Then she said if you need more just come back.

Now what I have in my possession is 3 coin bags , 1 bag containing $1.10 in pennies. Plus I have the 18 that Anthony found in his car for me this morning and one .50 cent roll from yesterday that is in my purse. That is a total of $1.78!

This is the beginning of what? I don't know? But I'll take a penny for your thoughts?