Life

• Most Topular Stories

• Vivid Yoga Studio in Menomonee Falls, WI

  Lisa Sabin-Wilson

  Lisa Sabin-Wilson

  10 May 2012 | 5:55 pm

  I’ve become the owner of a business that is completely unrelated to WordPress – do you believe it? As a matter of fact – it’s completely unrelated to internet publishing or any type of web development or design work at all! Months back, I posted about how I found yoga (or maybe how yoga found me?) and SO much has happened since then! I met a good friend, Michelle Schultz, who has been a yoga instructor in this local area for the past 6-8 years. She’s a super teacher and I cannot say enough about her teaching style and classes. Michelle has been making her living…

• Embarking on new challenges

  L.P. "Neenz" Faleafine

  NEENZ

  28 Apr 2012 | 12:27 am

  “The purpose of Women’s Leadership is to create leaders, empowered by their wholeness as women, and committed to living their vision by actively contributing to the world.” Back in December 2011, I completed a 4-day seminar aptly called The Basic. There, I became more aware of my strengths and abilities, as well as a set [...]

• A Drug to Prevent Alzheimer's

  The New Old Age

  By THE NEW YORK TIMES

  15 May 2012 | 1:49 pm

  Government officials announce plans to test a drug to prevent Alzheimer's disease.

• What Makes it a Classic?

  Peterman's Eye

  15 May 2012 | 11:00 pm

  "She took my breath away...I still don't know if I've recovered..."Spoken like a true classic car collector. It's said you don't collect classic cars with your head. You collect them with your heart. How else can you explain a 1934 Pierce-Arrow Salon Twelve that originally sold for $3,395, going for more than $2 million?Maybe it's that classic cars were built to a standard, instead of the bottom line. Heinz, Pierce and Munschauer were initially known for iceboxes and yes, birdcages.In 1872, Pierce, having other ideas, eliminated Heinz and Munschaurer (legally) to form the George N.

• And You Shall Know Me By The Tugging Of My Earlobe

  Nothing But Bonfires

  Nothing But Bonfires

  11 May 2012 | 12:12 am

  I have some things that I would like to discuss. The first is that Jared Leto is currently at my office and I am not. Trust me, I'm not even sure how this actually happened—how he came to be at my office, I mean, not why I'm not there; I know why I'm not there and it's because it's after 8 o'clock at night—but I have deduced, through a flurry of tweets and Facebook messages, that this is indeed where he is. What's he doing there? Eh, probably just wearing a jacket with a sheepskin collar and leaning against things, I guess. Does my office have a boiler room? read more

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  L.P. "Neenz" Faleafine

• Embarking on new challenges

  NEENZ

  28 Apr 2012 | 12:27 am

  “The purpose of Women’s Leadership is to create leaders, empowered by their wholeness as women, and committed to living their vision by actively contributing to the world.” Back in December 2011, I completed a 4-day seminar aptly called The Basic. There, I became more aware of my strengths and abilities, as well as a set [...]

• Freestyle Invasion concert at the Blaisdell

  NEENZ

  23 Apr 2012 | 12:49 am

  Disclosure: Lilinoe and I received two free tickets to the Freestyle Invasion tour from the cool cats at Hawaii Pacific Entertainment. Last night Lilinoe and I put on our dancing shoes, well…the same shoes we wore to a wedding reception a few hours ago and boogied on in to the Neal S. Blaisdell arena. As [...]

• The power of giving

  NEENZ

  16 Apr 2012 | 11:04 pm

  This past weekend Jayden Boy participated in the Basic for Kids seminar facilitated by the principles of PSI Seminars. He’s the last of our family of four to attend the first step in a series of seminars. As parents, we understand the importance of empowering our children early and arming them with lifelong tools. Some [...]

• Take a pause to rethink life

  NEENZ

  9 Apr 2012 | 2:59 am

  This month is unusually busy for me with multiple deadlines for different projects. It’s all self-inflicted self-induced. All of last week I could feel the tension creeping up my neck and down arms into my fingers. Friday was particularly unbearable, so Lilinoe booked me a massage to alleviate the stress. During my consultation, I informed [...]

• Make a bookmarked at Rep. Heather Giugni booth!

  NEENZ

  30 Mar 2012 | 10:50 pm

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  The New Old Age

• A Drug to Prevent Alzheimer's

  By THE NEW YORK TIMES

  15 May 2012 | 1:49 pm

  Government officials announce plans to test a drug to prevent Alzheimer's disease.

• The Shingles Vaccine Returns

  By PAULA SPAN

  15 May 2012 | 5:00 am

  The manufacturer of the shingles vaccine says production has been restored.

• When Disaster Strikes the Nursing Home

  By JUDITH GRAHAM

  10 May 2012 | 2:30 pm

  Many nursing homes remain unprepared for a natural disaster, a federal report finds.

• A Benefits Statement You Can Read

  By SUSAN JAFFE

  9 May 2012 | 2:51 pm

  Medicare plans to simplify the quarterly benefits statements mailed to millions of older adults.

• Therapy of a Different Sort

  By PAULA SPAN

  4 May 2012 | 12:11 pm

  In a Long Island living room, a model coffee klatch.

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  Peterman's Eye

• What Makes it a Classic?

  15 May 2012 | 11:00 pm

  "She took my breath away...I still don't know if I've recovered..."Spoken like a true classic car collector. It's said you don't collect classic cars with your head. You collect them with your heart. How else can you explain a 1934 Pierce-Arrow Salon Twelve that originally sold for $3,395, going for more than $2 million?Maybe it's that classic cars were built to a standard, instead of the bottom line. Heinz, Pierce and Munschauer were initially known for iceboxes and yes, birdcages.In 1872, Pierce, having other ideas, eliminated Heinz and Munschaurer (legally) to form the George N.

• Turn up the Heat

  14 May 2012 | 11:00 pm

  New research indicates that chili (also spelled chile and chilli) pepper plants may have developed their signature heat as a way to discourage insects. One taste:"Whoa!"

So why aren't they discouraging us supposedly rational humans?

In Santha Rama Rau’s book, “The Cooking of India,” he relates the story of an Indian woman visiting London who became ill from the bland food and craved the hot stuff so much she poured a bottle of Tabasco sauce, plus 16 red-hot South American chilies over her omelet before she could eat it.

And for dieters, it can be an…

• Adaptation: Why your brain loves to tune out

  13 May 2012 | 11:00 pm

  I'm taking an extra day on the farm but that doesn’t mean we won’t have a lively discussion. Since I've found something fascinating for you to read. (If you tune out I'll understand.) Regular programming will resume on Tuesday.  J. Peterman From: The BBC  Continue reading this post

• This Mother's Day, recognizing the trials, triumphs of the modern mom

  12 May 2012 | 11:15 pm

  I've gone to my farm in Kentucky for the weekend. It's a great place to relax, do a little hard physical labor, and forget about the rest of the world. If you don't have such a place, I highly suggest you get one.In the meantime, here's something I found for you to read that might give you pause for thought. Happy Mother's Day!See you on Monday.J . PetermanFrom: The Star Ledger Continue reading this post

• Homes: perfectly imperfect

  11 May 2012 | 11:00 pm

  I've gone to my farm in Kentucky for the weekend. It's a great place to relax, do a little hard physical labor, and forget about the rest of the world. If you don't have such a place, I highly suggest you get one.In the meantime, here's something I found for you to read that might cause you to rethink some of your decorating choices. See you on Monday.J. PetermanFrom: The Guardian Continue reading this post

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  Nothing But Bonfires

• And You Shall Know Me By The Tugging Of My Earlobe

  Nothing But Bonfires

  11 May 2012 | 12:12 am

  I have some things that I would like to discuss. The first is that Jared Leto is currently at my office and I am not. Trust me, I'm not even sure how this actually happened—how he came to be at my office, I mean, not why I'm not there; I know why I'm not there and it's because it's after 8 o'clock at night—but I have deduced, through a flurry of tweets and Facebook messages, that this is indeed where he is. What's he doing there? Eh, probably just wearing a jacket with a sheepskin collar and leaning against things, I guess. Does my office have a boiler room? read more

• How To Make A Tire Swing

  Nothing But Bonfires

  7 May 2012 | 11:38 pm

  You may remember that Sean wrapped up a tire for my birthday a few months ago with the promise to build me a tire swing. And it turns out he's a man who's true to his word! Go on, add your swingers joke right here. Just try not to.  read more

• Like A Patient Etherized Upon A Table

  Nothing But Bonfires

  3 May 2012 | 8:10 pm

  Oh god, I've become the sort of person who gives her blog posts titles from TS Eliot poems, have I? Apparently I have. I do apologize, but every time I've had to lie on one of those crinkly paper-covered chairs in a doctor's office, that line from The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock has popped, unbidden, into my head. Blame the in-depth critical analysis of it I had to write for a foppish professor in 1999, if you must, but don't blame me. read more

• Renovation Speculation: Will My Bathroom Remind You Of Incarceration?

  Nothing But Bonfires

  1 May 2012 | 11:37 pm

  We are currently in the middle of a bathroom renovation, as you may have guessed from the title of this post, which for some reason I saw fit to write as though I was rapping it (there are just so many good words that rhyme with renovation!) read more

• Let's Talk About My Vacation Part 6: The Train From Cape Town To Johannesburg

  Nothing But Bonfires

  30 Apr 2012 | 7:03 pm

  I am recapping, excruciatingly slowly, the two-week trip we took to South Africa last year.Here is part one, about our layover in Paris; here is part two, about Cape Town; here is part three, about Cape Point and the penguins of Boulders Beach; here is part four, about wine tasting and stroking a baby cheetah in Stellenbosch; and here is part five about shark-diving in Gansbaai. Expect me to be finished with this sometime in 2014. read more

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  Schmutzie.com

• Please Tell Me That Bloody Carrot Is the Hair Colour of Cool Maturity

  Schmutzie

  15 May 2012 | 7:05 pm

  Before I got married in 2001, I panicked about life changes and ended up dyeing, then perming, then bleaching, and then dyeing my hair again all within the span of two weeks. I did all of that myself at home with ten-dollar boxes of chemicals. I'm lucky that it didn't all fall out before the wedding. Years before, I shaved my head when I feared that a relationship was ending. It seems that I use my hair to deal outwardly with the inward grief and fear of life changes, so what can you expect that I've been up to in the lead up to my TEDxRegina talk tomorrow afternoon? Overprocessing my hair,…

• Grace in Small Things: Sunday Edition #98

  Schmutzie

  13 May 2012 | 11:36 pm

  The underneaths of bridges The incredible thing Palinode does with lentils Feeling a slight breeze across my arm from an open window on the first really warm night of the year That I'm feeling pretty good about my upcoming TEDxRegina talk on Wednesday How happy my favourite pair of blue jeans can make me Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace in Small Things.

• Dye and a Hair Cut, Two Bits

  Schmutzie

  11 May 2012 | 7:35 pm

  I gave myself a home dye job and a haircut today, and then I somehow lost the ability to take decent iPhone photos. I proved myself to be beyond cool on all fronts. I am the worst sort of person, if you are the sort of person who judges people for cutting their own hair. I know I am that sort of person. One of my favourite insults? That person looks like he/she cuts his/her own hair. My hypocrisy is naked. As a change, I left a little more on top than usual. Yes, that is a little more on top than usual. Also, yes, I did it blind without my glasses, and, yes, I think I missed a patch of hair…

• World Domination Summit: Here's What I Need

  Schmutzie

  10 May 2012 | 10:09 pm

  I woke up at 5:00 a.m. with terrible pain in my neck. It's been out of place for over a week, and the muscle relaxants wear off while I'm sleeping. I felt panicked and trapped in my body from my first moment of consiousness. So what was the first thing I decided to do? Check over my financial situation. Look, it was five in the morning , I was in pain, and I'd just taken drugs. I wasn't at my smartest. Anyway, I looked at my finances and came to terms with the fact that I really couldn't afford to go to the World Domination Summit. When I had signed up to go last year, I spent the majority of…

• Has Blogger Always Been This Salty?

  Schmutzie

  10 May 2012 | 4:22 pm

  Blogger.com asked me to prove that I am not a robot by testing my ability to suss out the word "analfire" in this captcha: I'm twelve, so this made my whole afternoon. Also, it makes me question what Blogger's been doing with its bad self lately.

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  Holy Kaw!

• Time-lapse video shows 1000 years of shifting borders in Europe

  15 May 2012 | 11:43 pm

  Who needs history class when YouTube exists? This epic time-lapse video shows Europe's shifting borders, alliances, unions, territories, and occupied lands from 1000-2003 AD. Brush up on history. Permalink | Leave a comment  »

• How the growth of mobile is driving cloud computing [infographic]

  15 May 2012 | 11:29 pm

  As smartphone adoption has grown, so has app consumption. As a result, businesses are now prioritizing mobile application development. By 2015, mobile application development projects targeting smartphones and tablets will outnumber native PC projects buy a ratio of 4 to 1. Innovation in mobile is imperative, and there’s a need for tools that enable businesses to innovate quickly. Via Engine Yard. Learn more about cloud computing. Permalink | Leave a comment  »

• Facebook "Likes" money: The IPO everyone's talking about [infographic]

  15 May 2012 | 11:22 pm

  While regular folks try to scrape together $35 to buy a single Facebook share, Mark Zuckerberg prepares to fill a swimming pool with cash as the social networking giant's IPO approaches. Via MBA Online. (H/T @gvoakes) The scoop on Facebook. Permalink | Leave a comment  »

• Corn that looks like stained glass

  15 May 2012 | 11:01 pm

  Taste the rainbow and fill up on a serving of vegetables with Glass Gem Corn, the corn with kernels that look like the glass of church windows. Via Geekologie. Beautiful food. Permalink | Leave a comment  »

• How to tell when your cat is crazy

  15 May 2012 | 10:46 pm

  Cats in crazy mode can do a lot of damage to your furniture, leg, and small children. Via Cat vs Human. Enjoy a laugh. Permalink | Leave a comment  »

• 

  meg fowler tripp dot com

• stream of consciousness.

  meg

  15 May 2012 | 11:22 am

  Do you think there’s one herb that thinks it’s better than the others? Like thyme looking down on chervil, or oregano judging basil? Personally, my favorite herb is Alpert. If you have an antique vase with chips, you’ve just lost money. If you have a bowl with chips, you’ve got yourself a party. We’re working on saving up a nest egg, and I can’t wait until it’s big enough for me to sit on. Every time I get stung by a bee, I go buy a big jar of honey so its relatives will have to work overtime. If you get the shingles vaccine, does your house fall…

• she was the best of friends, she was the worst of friends.

  meg

  14 May 2012 | 11:28 am

  If you gathered all my closest (or at least friendliest) friends in a room, I’m pretty sure most of them would say they like who I am. I’m not sure which good qualities they’d mention — it likely would change from person to person, and might even depend on when they met me. But if you asked about my flaws — the things about me that earn eye rolls at the low end, and fury at the top end — I’m pretty sure I know what those are. I spend a lot of time thinking about what it means to be a friend, actually, and where the bonds come from that draw us to one…

• the best mama of all.

  meg

  13 May 2012 | 11:13 am

  This is not a picture my mom loves. Which makes posting this picture on the internet, well… perhaps not the best choice for Mother’s Day. Here’s why I’m doing it: I love how silly and delighted my parents look here. I love how my dad looks like he’s totally thrilled someone is taking a picture of him being goofy with my mom. I love how my mom is in mid-expression and mid-sentence, because she always is. And I love how beautiful both of them are… and still are. They’re much younger than I am here. My mom wasn’t yet 30, and my dad was probably…

• 15 of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever received.

  meg

  8 May 2012 | 11:01 am

  15. Clean as you go, whether that means doing a load of wash a day, or wiping a counter quickly between steps. Trying to do it all at once is both easier to put off, and more exhausting when you can’t avoid it anymore (you’ve got no clothing left to wear, and you’re not ready to be a naturist outside of the shower.) And laundry piles larger than 5 feet can kill small animals and short people. 14. Don’t pet the dog if the dog doesn’t want you to pet it. Unless you’re tired of having a hand. 13. Don’t trash your mate / spouse / partner in front of your…

• on writing.

  meg

  11 Apr 2012 | 1:46 pm

  I read before I could write… of course. But after jumping that hurdle at age two — thus forcing my parents to put most magazines just out of reach, and grown-up books with grown-up ideas on higher shelves — I was putting words together daily on any scrap of paper I could find. (Though I preferred a fresh white piece of paper, or a fresh unlined notebook page, even then.) (And a pen… never a pencil.) Sometimes I wrote stories. Sometimes I wrote poems. Sometimes I wrote out the details of my day in a format not unlike a blog post… long before there were blogs. As…

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  Simply Jews

• Israel Inside - the movie

  SnoopyTheGoon

  16 May 2012 | 4:25 am

  This critically-acclaimed film, hosted by former Harvard lecturer Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar, uncovers the core values that enable Israelis to succeed against incredible odds. The film debuted on PBS in November and is being screened at more than 150 locations worldwide. For a limited time, the film is available for free online streaming. So enjoy. This post will stay at the top of the list for the duration, so to see other new posts go down one.

• Israeli European bee-eater is no turkey!

  SnoopyTheGoon

  16 May 2012 | 4:24 am

  Hm... Israeli European bee-eater sounds confusing. But a quote from here may set us straight: Turkish authorities are examining the carcass of a European bee-eater on suspicion that the bird was spying for Israel, Turkish websites and media have reported in the past couple of days.Here is the culprit while alive: To my shame I don't have my own picture of this one... anyway, Turkish authorities may examine till second coming: the sensitive equipment self-destroyed with the last heartbeat. Examination notwithstanding, our birds spied, spy and will continue to spy. You can take it to the bank…

• Tombstone and Mexican spotted owl

  SnoopyTheGoon

  16 May 2012 | 12:00 am

  Let me ask you all a question: imagine you are dying from thirst, and the only way for you to get a glass of water is to disturb a Mexican spotted owl that has chosen to build a nest between you and the spring. What do you do? Now let's make the situation a bit more complex by adding a few details and a third party. The details: you have to cross a distance of two or three miles to get to the water; the way is covered by boulders and thorns; you are weakening. The third party (let's call it Forest Service ranger) demands that you crawl in order not to disturb the said owl, oh, and by the way,…

• Stupidity On Parade

  SnoopyTheGoon

  15 May 2012 | 11:30 pm

  Here.

• Oh Debka, Debka... or connect the dots...

  SnoopyTheGoon

  15 May 2012 | 1:56 pm

  I am still staggering after reading that Debka article with a smashing headline: New US battle strategy against Iran in US movements and Israeli drill The first sentence is so incomprehensible that I dare to quote only its first part: A series of apparently unconnected military movements observed in Middle East seas and skies in the last tendays have a common factor: introduction of the new US Air Sea Battle (ASB) doctrine... Oh, I see you don't believe me, so here goes the rest: ...which is designed to make the most of tightly coordinated operations by air, land, sea, undersea, space and…

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  this time - this space

• Connecting Kids and Nature

  timethief

  15 May 2012 | 9:06 pm

  We islanders got the dry spell we were craving and quickly exchanged our gumboots and umbrellas for sandals and sunglassess. We’ve been celebrating a week of gorgeous weather outdoors and … Continue reading →

• Finding My Path

  timethief

  8 May 2012 | 10:57 pm

  Though I was raised to be a Christian, my understanding of God/Nature/Universe and how to live my life does not come from the Bible. When I reached the point in … Continue reading →

• Super Moon Moments and Memories

  timethief

  7 May 2012 | 11:11 pm

  Supermoons occur when the moon’s closest approach to the Earth coincides with a full moon, an event known as perigee. The average distance between the Earth and the Moon is … Continue reading →

• Springing Forward

  timethief

  2 May 2012 | 12:24 pm

  There are many reasons we appreciate the characteristics of each season. For thousands of years, winter was literally a threat to survival. The advent of  warmer weather meant the survive … Continue reading →

• The Power of the Smile

  timethief

  30 Apr 2012 | 10:48 pm

  There are hundreds of different variations of smiles expressing the full range of human emotion.  From Charles Darwin’s  facial expressions interpretations to Stanford University’s “Happiness” class — smile scholars have … Continue reading →

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  TIME GOES BY

• The Elite Meet on Social Security Today

  Ronni Bennett

  15 May 2012 | 7:30 am

  You've heard of Peter G. Peterson, haven't you? He is the billionaire financier who has, for decades, been spending his money in pursuit of privatizing Social Security. Whenever you read the word “privatize” in that regard, read “loot.” Here is what Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and TGB contributor Saul Friedman wrote about Peterson in these blog pages two years ago: ”Give Peterson his due; he’s smart enough to know that Social Security is not in serious difficulty, that it’s not a big drag on the federal budget and that it’s not a 'Ponzi scheme,' as some ignorant…

• President Obama Endorses Gay Marriage – Finally

  Ronni Bennett

  14 May 2012 | 7:30 am

  The latest cover of the New Yorker magazine on newsstands today. Isn't this terrific: Compared to Congress and the judicial branch of government, a president has few actual powers. However, his position does imbue him with the authority to influence and, in time, even to change the course of the social zeitgeist. That happened last week when President Barack Obama endorsed same-sex marriage: Now the public conversation about full rights for gays and lesbians is altered. Among the zillions of words spoken in response to the president's announcement were some important ones from our own Jan…

• ELDER MUSIC: Buddy Holly

  Ronni Bennett

  13 May 2012 | 7:30 am

  This Sunday Elder Music column was launched in December of 2008. By May of the following year, one commenter, Peter Tibbles, had added so much knowledge and value to my poor attempts at musical presentations that I asked him to take over the column. He's been here each week ever since delighting us with his astonishing grasp of just about everything musical, his humor and sense of fun. You can read Peter's bio here and find links to all his columns here. Self indulgence time today (as if all these columns aren’t just that). BUDDY HOLLY was the most famous musician to come from Lubbock,…

• INTERESTING STUFF – 12 May 2012

  Ronni Bennett

  12 May 2012 | 7:30 am

  BIONIC EYES FOR ELDERS An estimated half million Amercians age 75 and older are afflicted with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) along with, eventually, the resultant blindness. Two years ago, the Federal Trade Commission approved an amazing space-age treatment for some with AMD: video platform video management video solutions video player You can read more here. HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TOMORROW And if you happen to live in the Spokane, Washington area, have we got a gift idea for you. Peter Tibbles found this and passed it on. Nothing says love like a family holiday at the shooting range.

• The Best Health Advice? Just Move

  Ronni Bennett

  11 May 2012 | 7:30 am

  Sometimes it takes me all day to write a post for this blog. That is, six or eight or more hours sitting in a chair poring over books, magazines, printouts, a dozen or more open browser windows and a keyboard. For many years, sometimes – nay, most times – I didn't get out of the chair but for lunch, to search the shelves for another book or magazine I needed, or to pee. (Ollie the cat conveniently jumps up on the desk when he needs stroking.) All this sitting is not good. In fact, it is so bad in terms of health, it alone could kill me before my time. Which is the reason that a couple of…

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  Artichoke Dreams

• My mind is racing

  allthatanda

  23 Apr 2012 | 5:46 pm

  and nothing is right. I’m going to write just to get it out of my system and hope that it’ll feel a little bit better after this, but it’s highly doubtful. There are clouds overhead, but all I see is the glare of florescent lights and the smell of my tea getting cold. I don’t [...]

• lucy and charlie {fiction}

  allthatanda

  12 Mar 2012 | 12:15 am

  She didn’t like her spot. Lucy liked her toys piled up next to it, her giraffe that she slept with every night, and the pile of soft blankets that made up her spot. But she did not like her spot. She could not help her size. Being a mutt, she did not know what her [...]

• Soon. {fictionish}

  allthatanda

  16 Feb 2012 | 2:01 am

  It was silent now, without the sound of the TV and the heater and phones buzzing and ringing. It was silent and there was nothing to do but sit and wait. It would happen soon. The world would end and everything would come crashing down. It was not that he did not want the child, [...]

• In bed on a sunny Saturday

  allthatanda

  11 Feb 2012 | 2:22 pm

  I could not want any more for this to be any different, for these states to disappear completely and leave me to what little happiness I’ve clung to for 28 years. But this is not the case and there is nothing to be done about it, but lay in bed, with the sun highlighting my keyboard and [...]

• talking about it without talking about it

  allthatanda

  22 Dec 2011 | 1:39 am

  I am entirely aware that I have not published any chapters for awhile. I need to take some time out and do some writing. I know. I have never entirely been sure how I feel about all of this. I am not the bearer of my own fate. And it could be that I am [...]

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  GirlsAskGuys.com - Recent Questions

• Dealing with self hate?

  16 May 2012 | 1:03 am

  For as long as I can remember I've always been sealing with self hatred. I've always had the worst self esteem, and I can't recall the last time I was happy with myself.Can anyone relate? How do you deal with it?

• Has GaG given you advice that has turned out to really work for you?

  16 May 2012 | 1:00 am

  Just a curiosity... I don't usually come here for advice as much as I do just to socialize a bit.HEY EVERYONE.

• Why do girls go out with so many guys?

  16 May 2012 | 12:52 am

  why do girls go out with so many guys? have sex with so many ... break up, then eventualy settle with one that she's been with or not been with ... why can't you be happy with one "decent" guyand don't say "well guys do it too" ya if they are playersim tired of girls saying or acting like "if guys can do it, girls can do it better" so help me out here. ... what gives?

• Alien technology allows you to teletransport from point A to point B

  16 May 2012 | 12:52 am

  An alien technology allows you to teletransport from a point A to a point B.It work like this: a perfect clone of yourself is built at point B and at the same time you immediately die at point A. Would you use it?(I was asked this on fb earlier and thought I'd ask the people of GAG)

• If someone gave you $200-$350 and told you you can only spend it on a hobby what would it be?

  16 May 2012 | 12:50 am

  if someone gave you $200-$350 and told you you can only spend it on a hobby what would it be?it can be a new hobby you've been wanting to try but never had the money to get it started or it could be a hobby you are alredy doing.please state what the hobby is and what you would need to buy.

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  A n n a r c h y

• ‘Content Rules’: Now in Paperback… With Pictures!

  Ann Handley

  14 May 2012 | 9:40 am

  Unpacking content goodness. It’s a cloudy Monday morning in Boston. But here at my house it’s all sunshine and happy-hour and puppy-dog tails, with the unboxing of the brand-spankin’-new, revised-and-updated paperback edition of Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (and More) That Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business! MmmmmMmmmmm… That new-book smell is now wafting throughout the place. If you don’t know the book, Content Rules is the how-to field guide to creating the kind of blogs, videos, FAQs, product pages (or…

• Just A Dog

  Ann Handley

  5 Jul 2011 | 11:41 am

  I’ve been in a tough place this week; like my skin is thin as tissue paper, and it bleeds raw at the slightest chafe. Yesterday the imbecile at the college financial aid office started arguing with me when I called to inquire about a billing issue. She thought I was complaining, the bitch, when clearly I was merely clarifying. By the time I ended the call, I was brimming with rage and frustration. I thought for a moment that maybe I was the one primed for a fight. But no, she really was unreasonable (the bitch – did I say that?). I was on a cell phone, and I pined momentarily for the…

• Same-Sex Discount

  Ann Handley

  23 Apr 2011 | 3:22 pm

  We are standing in line at Westminster Abbey, waiting to pay the admission fee. Up ahead, the cashier is housed behind glass in the entry vestibule, which is a small area with a cold, stone floor. It’s chilly and damp outside and much the same inside; when we finally slip past the door and inside, it’s like walking into a refrigerator made of rocks. It’s £16 for an adult admission for me and my friend Beccy, and another £6 for each of the three children with us. In total, that’s £32 + £18, or £50. But then I notice an alternative: The family rate for 2 adults and one child is…

• How to Feed a Fussy Little Dog: Chile’s List of Requirements

  Ann Handley

  2 Apr 2011 | 5:16 pm

  1. Preference to remain someplace safe — lurking in the shadows, under a bed — while the other dogs (“idiots”) chaotically dance around and drool at the ping of kibble hitting the bowl. Rationale: You can get stepped on, drooled on, or accidentally eaten when Maisy mistakes you for a bit of sausage (it could happen). 2. Include something special in the bowl — preferably on top of, not UNDERNEATH (!!) — the kibble. Sausage will do (see sausage comment, above), as will turkey, cheese, chicken, ham, or almost any kind of food preferred by the French. Foods to…

• What We Carry

  Ann Handley

  16 Jan 2011 | 11:17 am

  He’s freighted with two pairs of shoes, extra clothes that didn’t fit in the duffel, three sketchbooks, a camera, drawing pencils, a couple of books, a rent deposit for next fall, and film in a protective lead case. My arms are empty, but I’m carrying an uncontainable mix of baby boy joy; the sweet smells of childhood; and cruddy, exhausting, hilarious teenage agonies freshly capped with some annoyance from this morning, when he insisted he was ready to go when most of what’s now stuffed in those two bags was still roaming the house, itinerant. This he shouted over his…

• 

  Citizen of the Month

• The Gay Marriage Conversation

  Neil

  14 May 2012 | 12:18 am

  Jason called me this morning from New York wanting to talk about Obama’s public embrace of gay marriage. “Isn’t it great?” I asked. “Well, sure. It it terrific. But…” “Yeah, he should have spoke up earlier. But you know, politics as usual.” “It’s not that. It’s just that after Hiroshi heard the speech, he turned to me and asked me to get married.  He said it was our defining moment.” “Cool. Mazel tov.” “Shut up. I don’t know if I’m ready to get married.” “C’mon,…

• The Sweet Smell of Honeysuckle

  Neil

  6 May 2012 | 9:32 pm

  I’m a Grinch.  A Scrooge.  An Oscar the Grouch.   At least online I am.   I embrace sarcasm about the Internet out of self-protection.  You need to accept me as I am.  I am petty, passive aggressive, hoping to rip down the entire facade of our “community” and show you the emperor’s nakedness. I do not build up.  I destroy.  I don’t inspire others. I throw the wood into the flames.  If you hate drama, run.  If you think it is easy being a Grouch, it isn’t. There are always naive people trying to wear you down, as determined as Jehovah’s…

• Makes You Stronger

  Neil

  4 May 2012 | 3:23 pm

  The last time you heard from me I went face to face against a serial litterer outside a Starbucks, and won, inspired to action after hearing Kelly Clarkson’s popular hit, “What Doesn’t Kill You” on my car radio. The story does not end there. A day after my moral victory, I went to my friend’s house near Pasadena to hole up and focus on meeting a writing deadline.   To help me accomplish this, I deleted all twenty of my Twitter apps from my iPhone.   I worked and worked, my white beard growing each day.   I know understand the prevalence of beards on both…

• Upright

  Neil

  26 Apr 2012 | 7:52 pm

  “Stand upright like a monument Walk upright like a solider And be upright like a man.” – a made-up quote Share

• The Starbucks Napkin

  Neil

  25 Apr 2012 | 4:58 pm

  I was in the parking lot of an LA Starbucks, having just pulled in, but unwilling to leave the car until the song that was playing on the radio had finished, which is a personal ritual of sorts. It was Kelly Clarkson singing. “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger Stand a little taller Doesn’t mean I’m lonely when I’m alone What doesn’t kill you makes a fighter Footsteps even lighter Doesn’t mean I’m over cause you’re gone What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, stronger Just me, myself and I” In the side mirror, I saw a…

• 

  Simply Stated Blogs

• How to Freeze Cookie Dough for National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day!

  Simple Tip

  15 May 2012 | 12:30 pm

  Did you know that it’s National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day? Sounds like a good holiday to celebrate, but if you don’t want the temptation of having a whole batch of freshly baked cookies in [...]

• Sitting Pretty: A Hot New Workout That’s Deceptively Hard

  elizabethbkrieger

  15 May 2012 | 8:35 am

  You wouldn’t think that a workout involving a chair could be that hard. Think again. Two weeks ago, I tried out a “Cardio Chair” class at the new studio, Chaise 23, in Manhattan. The [...]

• Today’s Thought

  rsdailythought

  15 May 2012 | 6:30 am

  Photo credit: Monica Buck/Paper construction: Matthew Sporzynski Get the daily thought in your inbox. See more inspiring quotes on our Pinterest board. What’s Hot on RealSimple.com Easy Outdoor Decorating Ideas Five-Minute Beauty Tips How [...]

• Join Real Simple’s Reader Book Review Panel

  Maura Fritz

  14 May 2012 | 7:00 pm

  Hello, Bookies! I have a lot to share with you, starting with this big news: Our friends over on the print side of Real Simple are looking for readers to review books for them. [...]

• Pick Your Perfect Heel Height

  Simple Tip

  14 May 2012 | 4:55 pm

  If one of your struggles is finding heels in the perfect height, this site is for you. Chromatic Gallerie offers a range of heels (in both suede and leather), but you get to pick [...]

• 

  Are We Still Cool?

• Yelp Almost Got Me Beaten Up

  Cool Dad

  9 May 2012 | 11:48 am

  In the summer of 2011, I’m pretty sure that I made social media history. I got a marketing internship with Yelp, which must’ve made made me the oldest Internet intern EVER at the age of 34. In a field with CEOs in their 20s, I think that intern positions are most often given to middle schoolers, or at least college students like some of my fellow interns. As part of my internship, I got the snazzy I * NY shirt that you see at the right. The shirt’s just for Yelp employees, and we wore it when we worked at events. The asterisk-looking symbol is the Yelp Burst, a part of their…

• One Truth That’s Taught Me Patience with the Cool Bros

  Cool Dad

  4 May 2012 | 9:42 am

  Cool Boy reached his most rebellious stage a few months ago, but things have mellowed out here, thanks be to God. He still has his moments, and I’m not surprised. He turns 5 this month and is becoming more independent with every day that passes. We may have turned the corner on rebellion, though, and we just might be at the stage where I can entrust CB with my daily administrative affairs. That would be awesome. But I’m not in the clear yet. Cool Newbie’s about to turn 2, and dude is a spitfire. He’s not (too) destructive or (too) violent, but he has more of an…

• Could the Cool Bros Be Models? [photos]

  Cool Dad

  25 Apr 2012 | 9:14 am

  When Cool Boy was a baby, people gushed over how cute he was; some went as far as to say that he was one of the cutest babies they’d ever seen. That may have been a line that they used to get in our good graces, but I fell for it anyway. I wanted CB to model (a.k.a. start making the Cool Fam some money with his good looks). However, we lived in Gainesville, FL, and as far as I knew, modeling opportunities for kids were few. Once we moved to New York City, with its endless opportunities, we still didn’t try to get CB to model. It had something (or everything) to do with the early…

• Will the Real AWSC Please Stand Up?

  Cool Dad

  24 Apr 2012 | 10:04 am

  In my years of observation from an outside perspective, it seems that Cool People know about stuff. Like if you mention something, they don’t scratch their heads with a “HUH?” They know what you’re talking about and just nod coolly. And when Cool People talk to each other, they use cool things like nicknames and acronyms because they know what they’re talking about and don’t have to explain every little thing. I’ve long touted AWSC as an acronym for this blog, just like a Cool Person would. I doubted there would be any confusion; how many AWSCs could…

• Visiting Orlando, Part 3: Churches

  Cool Mum

  23 Apr 2012 | 6:10 am

  photo: Val Entertainment on Flickr I missed my home church in NYC, Trinity Grace Church, but had a great time visiting a different church every week in Orlando over Christmas break. It is fascinating to see how different congregations worship the same God in their services. Here are highlights from each of the visits: Christ Church Orlando I arrived late and left early, and it was their Christmas play, but really appreciated the short videos where members of the congregation shared personal stories of God’s power.  Discovery Church They have a luxurious “family room” where…

• 

  turnings :: daniel berlinger

• Better than an “email vacation”

  Daniel

  15 May 2012 | 7:27 am

  Better than an “email vacation”: Much like inbox bankruptcy, simply running away from email overload doesn’t solve the problem. What does work is to engage email as described in Bit Literacy (free Kindle ebook, free iBookstore ebook). To summarize: move your action items to a todo list, and archive or delete everything else. The inbox should be empty at least once a day. [Mark's been talking about this for as long as I've known him. Just do it already. You can thank me later. BTW, the email client I've been using for work has an setting that shows only unread mail. Very useful.]…

• Free samples

  Daniel

  15 May 2012 | 7:06 am

  Free samples: The scarce resources in the connection revolution are connection, attention and trust, not molecules, atoms or strawberries. [Amazing that this isn't "common knowledge" at this point.] Source: Seth’s Blog

• In war for talent, ‘brogrammers’ will be losers

  Daniel

  15 May 2012 | 7:00 am

  In war for talent, ‘brogrammers’ will be losers: The tech industry’s testosterone level can make the thickest-skinned women consider a different career. But the rise of the brogrammer joke and its ensuing backlash has some benefits: It helps talented women choose worthy employers, it gives a name and face to a problem that plagues the industry and it publicly shames some of the most sexist offenders. Gina Trapani In 1999, Google’s Marissa Mayer almost didn’t take the job at the all-male start-up because there were more women at another firm that made her an…

• You are standing on the thing you seek to criticize

  Daniel

  11 May 2012 | 6:38 am

  You are standing on the thing you seek to criticize: I personally criticize the social nature of science — where popular ideas get funded and unpopular ones get shunned, and sometimes it takes a generation dying to get closer to the truth. I hate the herd mentality and the activist scientist. I think they cause harm to science itself. But many take the human vulnerabilities of science to make a case that science is itself mostly worthless — that everything in the world is just a matter of belief. They say that believing in gravity is much the same as believing in divine…

• What Would the End of Football Look Like?

  Daniel

  3 May 2012 | 6:55 pm

  What Would the End of Football Look Like?: I think the only way the game survives, long-term, is if the rules change dramatically to something like flag football — to a sport that resembles basketball in terms of athleticism, pace of play, and violence. Me? I think I might enjoy watching such a football very much. But I don’t think most NFL fans would. Too many NFL fans are in it for the violent hits, not despite them. [I don't think this is true. I think a lot of folks don't care about the hard hits. In fact these days, I see them making more people quest than anything else. BTW, the…

• 

  37days.com - Home of Patti Digh

• in which I meet Carlos Fuentes.

  pattidigh

  15 May 2012 | 6:54 pm

  Oddly, I posted this photo as my Facebook profile shot yesterday. It was taken to commemorate my lunch date with Carlos Fuentes, the brilliant, charming, and beautiful Mexican novelist who gave us The Death of Artemio Cruz, Aura, The Good Conscience, The Hydra Head, and more. I was thinking about him, and posted it. He died today. (I feel fairly certain the two events are unrelated, though one never knows for sure, does one?) “For Patti, in the joy of meeting her,” he wrote in one of the books I shyly asked if he would sign. May you rest in peace, Carlos Fuentes, you and all those…

• one of those days we will remember

  pattidigh

  13 May 2012 | 5:28 pm

  It started late last night with a call from Emma. “She’s calling to wish you a Happy Mother’s Day,” John said as he handed me the phone. “But it’s only 11:57!” I joked. “Hi, honey,” I said. “Happy Mother’s Day!” she said. “How’s your new apartment?” I asked. We chatted for a moment, and then, suddenly, she appeared around the corner of the room. I dropped the phone and leapt up. She had driven the four hours from Raleigh to surprise me for Mother’s Day! I can’t remember ever being so…

• oh, daddy : thirty-two years ago today.

  pattidigh

  12 May 2012 | 9:28 am

  One Year When I got to his marker, I sat on it, like sitting on the edge of someone’s bed and I rubbed the smooth, speckled granite. I took some tears from my jaw and neck and started to wash a corner of his stone. Then a black and amber ant ran out onto the granite, and off it, and another ant hauled a dead ant onto the stone, leaving it, and not coming back. Ants ran down into the grooves of his name and dates, down into the oval track of the first name’s O, middle name’s O, the short O of his last name, and down into the hyphen between his birth and death–little…

• change your verbs, change the landscape of your life.

  pattidigh

  7 May 2012 | 10:43 am

  I was deeply honored to wear a Harry Potter robe on Saturday morning and march onto the gorgeous lawn of Guilford College to give the commencement address 30 years after I received my own diploma from there. Here are some photos from that special day, some 3x3x365 posts about it, and a link to my remarks, “The Geography of Verbs,” (excluding my preliminary remarks offering advice to any menopausal women in the audience who might be considering wearing a heavy robe and hood-thing to give a commencement speech in the sun, and my dedication of my remarks to my physics professor at…

• write like your hair is on fire.

  pattidigh

  30 Apr 2012 | 4:34 pm

  I never knew teaching an online writing class could be such a wholehearted, full-bodied experience. But it is. If you are drawn to knowing who you are, where your creativity resides inside you, and what stops you from expressing yourself like your hair is on fire, I hope you will join me for the next VerbTribe online writing class (starts May 16th).Go here for more info! It may change your life, not just your writing. Here’s what a few folks had to say about it: VerbTribe is pure magic. The real kind. The life-changing kind. Conjured from the brilliant mind and boundless heart of Patti…

• 

  Story Bleed Magazine

• Breadcrumbs

  Robin Pensieve

  14 May 2012 | 7:03 am

  {by Mary Lauren Weimer, My 3 Little Birds} I almost didn’t go. It was spitting Michigan sleet and I was tempted to change into sweatpants and curl up on my chair with dinner in my lap. Sometimes, if I turned the antenna in just the right way, I could pick up Canadian channels. To me that sounded almost exotic–watching foreign television. But I’d worn a dress and heels to work, and all that wardrobe effort would have been wasted on another evening alone in my apartment if I didn’t venture out. It was Ash Wednesday.  I needed Lent like detox. I’d spent a long time searching for…

• Our Lady of the Nighttime Park

  Mr Lady

  7 May 2012 | 10:01 am

  {Original posted at Alphabet Junkie} I am flying down the highway that Ralph and I used to travel, groggy with humidity and third-shift obligations, on our early ay emm returns from work. The sunroof is open, my window down, and my elbow is propped up on the door. My hand, fingers slightly splayed, is upright and barely cupped into the streaming wind. The air is moist and near-cold. I imagine it splintering through my palms and wrists, crucifying me. Crucifying me to this mountain. Sometimes I think the red clay taste of this place, the sting of fire ants on naked toes, will never leave me.

• Holding Hands

  Jen Playgroupie

  30 Apr 2012 | 7:53 am

  {by Varda of The Squashed Bologna} {photo credit} Today my mother was tired when I stopped in to visit, to take her downstairs to lunch. And while many a day I will coax and cajole, force her to rouse herself, to rise to the occasion, today I didn’t. I let her be. Do you know why? Because I was tired, too. So I didn’t make her make an effort, make her rise and dress, put in her teeth. I did hand her her hearing aid, however, to make conversation less about shouting and guessing. And then I laid down beside her on the big, now half-empty bed and held her hand. And we talked. About…

• Maps

  Jen Playgroupie

  10 Apr 2012 | 6:01 am

  {by Ann Imig} I just came from breakfast with my Fodder Father at his regular haunt—The Pancake House. We meet there often and each episode follows a similar script: I drive in the parking lot to see his car already stowed in one of his three usual spaces, park my VW station wagon alongside his Ford sedan (he’s a labor arbitrator, he buys American). Even when the waiting area is full, the proprietors wave me back “Your Dad’s waiting for you,” and I see him sitting with a cup of coffee, maybe working on the crossword with his reading glasses on, wearing a plaid flannel shirt or…

• Truth and Drumsticks

  Jen Playgroupie

  2 Apr 2012 | 8:00 am

  {By Pauline Campos} “It’s time to exercise, baby,” I call to Buttercup. “Did you want to play or workout with Mama?”‘ She’s in the playroom she has dubbed her “magical land,” but immediately joins me at my side and waits for the DVD to cue up. “Are we going to get healthy and strong?” I smile. “Exactly.” When I was a baby, my thighs were so chubby that one of my aunts used to eat them like drumsticks.It’s a story I heard often when I was growing up, usually told with the requisite giggles from my mother and a…

• 

  WordPress.com News

• Stay In The Conversation

  Beau Lebens

  15 May 2012 | 6:01 pm

  It’s now much easier for you and your commenters to keep track of the conversations you’re involved in across WordPress.com. Some recent tests have shown that by subscribing commenters to new comments by default, they are more likely to stay engaged and come back and comment more on your blog. With that knowledge, we’ve changed the default comment following behavior to help you get more conversations going on your blog. We made the initial changes last week and after great feedback from you we just launched an update. Here’s how it works: By default, posting a comment…

• Look at These Gorgeous Blogs

  Sheri

  15 May 2012 | 1:05 pm

  We’ve added a user showcase where you can view stunning customizations made by people just like you. From complete redesigns with CSS to adding pizzazz with Custom Fonts to clever use of options like background and header, this showcase will spark your imagination and inspire creativity. Discover details about what each showcase blog is doing with WordPress.com themes and customizations by clicking a thumbnail to see a colophon-style list of credits on the left. We’ve also updated footer links so blog owners can show off the types of customizations they’ve made and visitors can…

• Photo Blogging 101, Part 1

  Erica V.

  14 May 2012 | 10:00 am

  Spring is in the air. With the weather warming up, now is a great time to get started on a photo blog. Creating a photo blog is a wonderful introduction to blogging on WordPress.com or an opportunity to refresh your current site. Ready to get started? You can sign up for a new blog right over here. Getting started Photo blogs, sometimes called phlogs, use pictures instead of words. While many photo bloggers choose a type of photo that they want to focus on, such as portraits, others use their photo blog to document their life’s events. Photo blogs come in a variety of styles, including…

• New Themes: Just Desserts and Oxygen

  Michelle Langston

  10 May 2012 | 8:11 am

  Happy Thursday! We’ve added some exciting new themes to our ever-growing collection, and we’re happy to tell you all about them. First out of the oven is…Just Desserts. Yep, that’s a theme! Designed by Andy Rutledge, Just Desserts is a deliciously stylish premium theme that’s perfect for blogs centered on food. With its responsive, single-column layout and unique presentation of images and posts on the front page, Just Desserts gives you a delectable canvas on which your mouthwatering photos and text can really shine — even when viewed on smaller mobile devices…

• Find Friends Who Use WordPress

  Nick Momrik

  1 May 2012 | 2:32 pm

  Are you curious to see how your friends are using WordPress? Give the new and improved Friend Finder a try to connect with your Twitter, Facebook, and Google contacts who have WordPress sites! After authorizing WordPress.com to use your Twitter, Facebook, or Google account to find your friends (don’t worry — none of this account information is saved!) you’ll see a list of people you know who have WordPress sites. Click Follow and each time your friend publishes a new post it will show up in your Reader under Blogs I Follow. If you have multiple blogs, make sure to set the…

• 

  Brody Harper

• The Hurt & The Healer

  Brody

  23 Apr 2012 | 3:49 pm

  So check it out. This record is easily MercyMe’s best record. I’ve had a blast doing all sorts of different projects on it from filming the entire process, art directing the packaging, filming the photo shoot, designing merch, and now working on what’s possibly going to be a music video. These guys are some of my favorite out there, and it’s a blast working with them. Pre-Order this record now. Trust me. The Hurt & The Healer is a post from: Brody Harper

• A Streaming Debate

  Brody

  29 Mar 2012 | 12:18 pm

  Let me start by saying, I already know that several of you will disagree with me and that’s fine. This is my opinion on how I have decided to spend $10 a month and you can feel free to spend your $10 however you want. It took me a long time to jump on the subscription based music thing.  I’m honestly still trying to wrap my head around not “owning” music anymore, but that’s another thing.  For months now I have had the free versions of both Rdio and Spotify.  I played around on both of them this whole time and enjoyed playing ‘free’ music….

• Tree Rings Into Music

  Brody

  22 Jan 2012 | 10:17 am

  Ok, if this is legit, it’s pretty awesome. Check out the whole article here. Tree Rings Into Music is a post from: Brody Harper

• Experts Agree…

  Brody

  19 Jan 2012 | 9:05 am

  My friend Todd Tweeted this today and it got me thinking: I ran into a social media pro this weekend and he said I needed to tweet 15-20 times a day. Seems high to me. What do you think? Well first off, yes, that does seem high to me as well.  It’s high for me, because I don’t talk that much.  It’s not high for some friends of mine that talk quite a bit, or are more clever than myself, or have something more important to say….or…. You see where I’m going right. See there’s these ‘experts’ out there that are basing all of their belief and…

• The Hurt & The Healer

  Brody

  18 Jan 2012 | 2:08 pm

  Check it out.  This is officially the cover of the new MercyMe record called “The Hurt & The Healer”.  Thrilled to be working with the very talented Nate Farro on the packaging for this project.  It’s going to be a great record and I’m honored to be a part of it. The Hurt & The Healer is a post from: Brody Harper

• 

  Apartment Life

• Apartment Living: Planning an Inviting Patio

  Lashanna

  1 May 2012 | 4:03 pm

  Apartment living can sometimes seem a little cramped. Having a welcoming outdoor patio or balcony can add a lot of space to your apartment and let you enjoy the beautiful spring and summer weather from the comfort of your own home. Plan: First things first. Plan what you want to do with this part of your apartment. Living peacefully? Make a tranquil sanctuary for meditation. Want to make apartment living a little more social? Set up a great party space to grill out with your friends. Clean: Start by cleaning your patio or balcony by sweeping it and rinsing it off with plain water. Look for…

• Seattle Apartments Offer Access to Unparalleled Outdoor Activities

  admin

  24 Apr 2012 | 1:58 pm

  Dwellers in Seattle apartments know that their city is filled with an abundance of exciting outdoor activities. There are over 6,200 acres of parkland spread out across more than 400 parks and open spaces in Seattle. Apartments are nearby many of these beautiful outdoor spaces. Photographers and tourists alike delight in the views offered by popular Kerry Park. That’s because it offers incomparable overlooks of the city skyline, Elliot Bay, and even glimpses of Mount Rainier. Stop by to see the sunset then watch as the skyline and bay begin to glisten with evening lights. Nature lovers…

• Dallas Apartments Close to World-Class Outdoor Activities

  admin

  17 Apr 2012 | 1:16 pm

  Dallas apartments are close to many world-class outdoor activities. From hike and bike trails to outdoor arts, Dallas apartments put you right in the heart of it all. Many who live in Dallas apartments like to get out and explore the city’s scenic trails. Over 100 miles of hike and bike trails are located near to Dallas apartments. Those living in the multitude of Dallas apartments near Oak Lawn and Uptown love the 3.5 mile Katy Trail because of its wide path for walkers, skaters, and cyclists and its accompanying rubber trail for runners. The Katy Trail replaced former…

• Apartment Living: Space Saving Tips for College Students

  Lashanna

  12 Apr 2012 | 1:45 pm

  Apartment living  for college students comes with many benefits, but an abundance of storage space usually isn’t one of them. What can you do? If you’ve lived in a dorm room you probably already know a few tricks for saving space. Here are a few more for apartment living: Furniture: Your furniture can do double duty for you, making apartment living much more pleasant. Purchase trunks to hold winter clothes, blankets, or other bulky items and use these as coffee tables or benches at the end of your bed. A low bookshelf behind your sofa adds storage and extra counter space. Ottomans are…

• Austin Apartments Are Central to Outstanding Outdoor Activities

  Lashanna

  12 Apr 2012 | 12:07 pm

  Austin apartments, especially those centrally located, are great for anyone interested in taking advantage of all of the great outdoor activities in Austin. Apartments don’t have to make you feel stifled when there is so much to do right outside your front door. If you like to run or bike, central Austin apartments will get you close to all of the action. The Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail, generally called the Lady Bird Lake Trail or Town Lake Trail, is a 10-mile trail that wraps around the lake, through neighborhoods, the central business district, and several parks. The trail…

• 

  Dave Writes

• Choosing the Worst Schools

  Dave Atkins

  4 May 2012 | 8:00 am

  At our parents meeting on Monday night, we heard from one parent who must have drawn the worst lottery number–both this year and last. His child got nothing for K1 last year after ranking 14 schools, then after ranking 16 elementary schools this year, remains unassigned. They are wait listed at 3 schools, but at least 50 families are ahead. There is no requirement that Boston Public Schools enroll his child until January. And there just are not a lot of options for a child who is too old for preschool. Even if money were no object, the private schools fill up, have early deadlines, and…

• What’s a Quality School?

  Dave Atkins

  1 May 2012 | 5:00 pm

  I organized a meeting of Boston parents last night to discuss the school assignment process and heard many stories of frustration. We were joined by city councillor John Connolly who is, himself, experiencing the frustration of still having a child unassigned. We didn’t solve any problems, but I believe it was helpful to hear each others stories; all very different, but all the same in so many unnecessarily complex ways. After we shared our stories, the Councillor asked us to describe what we thought a quality school was. There are so many components to that, but at a very high level, I…

• Why Kids Vacation?

  Dave Atkins

  21 Apr 2012 | 11:30 am

  We wrapped up April vacation week today in Massachusetts, and it started me thinking about the coming summer vacation. I’m not talking about my vacation, of course, but rather the practice of closing the schools for a week in February, a week in April, two weeks in December, and all of July and August. Why do we do this? When both parents work, school vacation is time that childcare must be covered. It can be an opportunity for fun–our kids enjoyed an enriching week at the Boston Nature Center. When parents can coordinate schedules it can be a great time for a family trip. But not…

• An Unlucky Start to Weekend

  Dave Atkins

  17 Apr 2012 | 1:52 pm

  Sometimes, Friday the 13th is actually unlucky. This is not my car: It’s the scene in the parking lot from Friday evening as we grabbed an unhealthy dinner at the BK Steakhouse on Washington Street in Roslindale. This is my car: Around 3:30am Saturday (the 14th) morning, some clown in a white Chevy Impala (based on the fender he left behind) crossed our street and slammed into my car, driving it back about three feet and placing it neatly on the curb. We woke up and investigated in time to scare off the guy returning to claim his fender, but were unable to get a license plate number. I…

• Time for Solar in Massachusetts

  Dave Atkins

  12 Apr 2012 | 11:17 pm

  I’ve been fascinated by solar power since I was a kid and visited one of those model “homes of the future.” With the current financial incentives available, especially in Massachusetts, it not only makes sense to put a solar array on your roof, it might even be worth cutting down a tree to do it. I’d always assumed solar was too expensive and too “long-term,” requiring an investment of at least $40k and 15 years of payback as you save a few dollars a month. I recently learned about “solar leasing,” and quickly obtained a quote from Sungevity for…

• 

  Reality Me

• Deep Thoughts

  Doug McCaughan

  15 May 2012 | 11:23 am

  Too much happening in the head; too little happening through the fingers.

• To rue the day or not to rue the day

  Doug McCaughan

  14 May 2012 | 8:02 am

  This day shall not own me! For it is Monday And I am master of my calendar!

• Of Grasshoppers

  Doug McCaughan

  14 May 2012 | 7:02 am

  Student: Tell me it is going to be okay.Master: Do you already know the outcome?

• Of Grasshoppers

  Doug McCaughan

  11 May 2012 | 1:25 pm

  Student: The mind is tired. Master: The body is weak.

• Oral Happiness

  Doug McCaughan

  9 May 2012 | 1:18 pm

  Stuck it in the mouth And wiggled it about Thrust back and forth Then took it out The stuff left behind Was then spat out Felt so good Want to do it again Brushing teeth Leaves such a grin!

• 

  This Eclectic Life

• Denton Haunts Ghost Tour Is Not Dead

  Shelly Kneupper Tucker

  14 May 2012 | 3:40 pm

  Lately you might have noticed a red-headed woman wandering around in Denton muttering to herself. Don’t be alarmed; it’s only me practicing ghost stories. I promise I am not just answering the voices in my head. In fact, stop me and I might tell you one ghostly tale. Better yet, join me for a ghost tour of Denton on Memorial Day Weekend. I’ll be thrilled to tell you lots of stories. I told y’all back in October about the Denton Haunts Tour that “Doc T” offered. His tour was one of my favorite ever except perhaps The Ghost Tours of Galveston with Dash…

• Can We Please Re-name Senior Discounts?

  Shelly Kneupper Tucker

  9 May 2012 | 6:51 pm

  Apparently my grocery store has realized that I have “reached a certain age.” It seems that, simply by virtue of the fact that I didn’t die young and leave a good-looking corpse, I now qualify for the “Senior Discount.” They couldn’t just tell me that — no. They print it right there on the receipt and it shows up on the screen as I check out so that everybody and their dogs can see I am a little old lady! Now, don’t get me wrong: I love a discount, of any kind. I simply bristle at calling this a “Senior” discount, since I’m…

• Dead Giveaway

  Shelly Kneupper Tucker

  25 Apr 2012 | 8:45 pm

  You must have local roots if you want to be “planted” in the Old Alton Cemetery. With over 600 souls laid to rest there (though some folks say they aren’t all “resting”), this graveyard is just about full. Old Alton Cemetery is one of the earliest graveyards in Denton County, with graves dating from at least 1852. Alton, which no longer exists, was the second county seat before the city of Denton was established. Most of the people buried here are the earliest settlers of the county and their descendants. Today, one can’t just go and choose a plot here…

• I Think I’d Rather Dance

  Shelly Kneupper Tucker

  28 Feb 2012 | 8:35 am

  That blood-curdling scream coming from my shower was not Janet Leigh. It was me taking an icy cold shower to speed up my sluggish metabolism. That cold shower is excruciating! “It’s 42 degrees outside! Is she Psycho?” you might be asking. The question is open for debate, but actually you can blame that cold shower on Doctor Oz. No, he doesn’t affect me that way! He told me that this would speed my metabolism … or rather, a guest of his did. Supposedly a NASA scientist said that exposure to cold will boost your metabolism, so they recommended a five minute cold shower…

• The Yellow Cat Catastrophe

  Shelly Kneupper Tucker

  27 Feb 2012 | 9:54 am

  “A cat under stress,” the veterinarian solemnly told me, “will find a place to hide. It sometimes refuses to eat and will literally starve itself to death.” Seriously? A stressed out cat? Hey, I am looking at a pretty stressful veterinarian bill, and you don’t find me hiding under the bed refusing a hamburger. Evidently, however, my cat got upset and went off of her food until the situation became critical. At least, that’s what we hope happened — because if it isn’t that then she has a serious liver problem and we might not be able to save her.

• 

  sex and the beach

• Gus the Grouper, Part 2: So How Do You Tell a Good Fish Tale?

  Maria de los Angeles

  9 May 2012 | 9:37 pm

  Part 2 of a series on angling and conservation in Florida focused on the Goliath Grouper. Inspired by Jeremy Wade’s by-catch at Fort Pierce Inlet, which was broadcast on River Monsters, the series looks at many different ways of interpreting this fish and its relationship to human interests. Click here for all posts labeled “gus the grouper.”Photo courtesy of mrscuba.com via Creative Commons.  This isn't Gus, by the way.This is what I’ve recently caught at the end of my hook: a story about a famous extreme angler named Jeremy Wade and a 350 pound Goliath grouper…

• Gus the Grouper, Part 1: A Fishy Tale

  Maria de los Angeles

  7 May 2012 | 6:40 am

  Part 1 of a series on angling and conservation in Florida focused on the Goliath Grouper. Inspired by Jeremy Wade’s by-catch at Fort Pierce Inlet, which was broadcast on River Monsters, the series looks at many different ways of interpreting this fish and its relationship to human interests. Click here for all posts labeled “gus the grouper.”Photo courtesy of Tiswango's Flickr.My name is Gus. I’m a very big fish but I wasn’t always so big! When my parents met, they had traveled far from their homes to make babies on a reef. And once they made me, I was just a tiny little blob. I…

• Two Dudes Looking for True Love in South Beach

  Maria de los Angeles

  6 May 2012 | 8:36 am

  Yesterday, I was on my way to a blogger party at the Versace Mansion and these two charming comemierdas were hanging out on the sidewalk by Ocean Drive. When I walked by, one of them asked me: "I'm a little bit lost. Where can I find true love?"Now, as a former forum editor for Miami's premiere travel website, I've fielded many questions, and I suppose I wear the sign of "Miami ambassador" on my forehead because even on the street, dogs ask me where to find the nearest fire hydrant.A friend on Twitter told me in jest that these two guys were actually comedians he'd seen at…

• What if Edvard Munch Had Access to Xanax?

  Maria de los Angeles

  3 May 2012 | 5:09 pm

  Edvard Munch, The Scream, Circa 1900. Or, how some folks feel when driving in Miami.A pastel version of Edvard Munch's The Scream recently sold at a Sotheby's auction in London for a record $120 million to an anonymous bidder, according to BBC News.  That's a lot of clams for a painting that depicts the artist's moment of "trembling with anxiety" as he walked through a park.I wonder if we'd have this iconic work of art if he'd been on Xanax, avoiding the most famous panic attack of all time? In making us run from fear and doubt, do pharmaceuticals dumb us down and make drones out of…

• Behind the Scenes with Escape Routes - Everglades Style

  Maria de los Angeles

  22 Apr 2012 | 11:19 am

  Part two of a two-part series behind-the-scenes on the set of Ford Escape Routes.  Click here for Part One. Day two of my behind-the-scenes shenanigans with Ford's reality tv show Escape Routes was even better than the first, since we schlepped out to the Sawgrass Recreation Park just outside the gates to Alligator Alley in Weston. And you know I love me some Glades; I wear a silver crocodile ring, for pete's sake.For Everglades newbies, this is an ideal area to explore the River of Grass without getting too hardcore deep into the mucky wilderness. You can see the Panthers Stadium in the…

• 

  verbatim

• Mother's Day

  Karen

  13 May 2012 | 8:09 pm

  Mother's Day began with breakfast in bed, but I did not get to loll in bed for all that long because I was expecting company! We were planning a small brunch for the extended family, and the house was still fairly squalid after nearly a full day of cleaning on Saturday—the clutter situation around here has gotten completely out of control. Then there were bagels to slice, and fruit to cut up, and coffee to brew, and so on. But it was a warm and lovely party. My next chance to loll was kiboshed because Pete still doesn't have a suit for his Bar Mitzvah. (He and Andy had explicit…

• Bright Copper Kettles

  Karen

  11 May 2012 | 10:50 am

  This week's smorgasbord of favorite things: 1. This awesome ad from the Canadian Paralympic Committee quite literally gave me chills: It was filmed in one continuous shot without use of CGI. And check out the accompanying poster. 2. These mugshots from the 1920s are creepy and cool.  3. Have you tried Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Crisps? As far as I'm concerned, you can file them under "Servings Per Container: 1." They're Pringle-shaped dark chocolate wafers with little Rice Krispie-ish bits inside for crunch: 4. This Procter & Gamble ad for Mother's…

• Mini Me

  Karen

  8 May 2012 | 12:50 pm

  Is it Julie? Or is it me?

• Basta Pasta

  Karen

  7 May 2012 | 7:06 pm

  Every time I try to think of something interesting for Meatless Monday, I invariably come back to pasta. This week was no different, although at least this time I didn't fall back on a tomato-based sauce. It was delicious, although a bit of work—nothing technically difficult, but the kind of recipe that will use up every surface in your kitchen and leave you with plenty of washing up to be done. For the bechamel, you might want to consider borrowing a pan from Ned Flanders and just throwing it away afterward rather than bothering to scrub it. I will definitely make this again. (Oh, and…

• I'm Game

  Karen

  6 May 2012 | 5:01 pm

  Even when I'm burning the candle at both ends (as I seem to have been doing too often lately), I always find time to catch up on my games. When I'm at home I prefer to play on my iPad, but I rarely take that anywhere with me, so I play on my iPhone when I'm out and about. There's all this downtime in the car while I'm waiting for the kids to be done with their various activities, so I take advantage of the time to fit in a few rounds. I also play in bed when I have insomnia, looking very glamorous with my real glasses on (since I don't bother to put my contacts…

• 

  Geek Mom Mashup

• Mother’s Day?

  GeekMom

  13 May 2012 | 4:56 pm

  Geek Mom & Family Happy Mother’s Day to all of my fellow moms — especially those who are geeky, or who are raising geeky children. I know Mother’s Day marketers would like me to think I deserve “stuff” today. Gifts of jewelry, flowers, perfume, etc. And perhaps some mothers really DO want breakfast in bed and lots of extra togetherness with the children. I’m not there yet. Make no mistake — I do love my children. I’m glad to be a mother! They’re with me every day, every night, and extra on the weekends and during school vacations.

• Happy Star Wars Day! May the Fourth Be With You!

  GeekMom

  4 May 2012 | 12:03 pm

  Free Star Wars Rancor Booklet My kids have been playing their new Kinect Star Wars game, having lots of fun with light sabers and podracing and such. I got a nice Star Wars Day (May the fourth be with you…) message from the Xbox e-mail robot today. It included a free gift that you might enjoy, so I’ll share it here! It’s a booklet on the proper care and feeding of your pet Rancor, which could come in handy if you get a new pet Rancor for Star Wars Day. You can view and download the printable booklet here. Enjoy!

• Family Guy Online Game

  GeekMom

  2 May 2012 | 10:26 am

  If you’re a fan of the funny, ridiculously offensive, animated series Family Guy, you should check out the Family Guy online game. It’s being billed as “The World’s First MMO-LOL,” or massively-multiplayer-laugh-out-loud game. The game is currently in beta mode, but you can register for an invitation to get in early. It took just a day for my “Key to Quahog” to arrive. I haven’t played yet, but I expect the game to be weird, funny, and offensive, just like the show.

• Call of Duty Black Ops 2 Trailer

  GeekMom

  1 May 2012 | 10:34 pm

  Hey, gamer girls! You know I’m a fan of Call of Duty, and I’m looking forward to the next installment of Black Ops, due out on November 13, 2012. Today, the trailer for Black Ops 2 was released! It shows a conflict in the year 2025, with some future vehicles, weapons, and gadgets. The narrative alludes to a plot where our enemies have taken control of the technology and machines that were developed to keep us safe. That’s where the elite humans of Black Ops take over. Watch the trailer and let me know what you think!

• ChoreMonster.com aims to make chores more enjoyable for kids and parents

  hmsweaver

  17 Apr 2012 | 6:00 pm

  Getting my children to help with household chores can be a daily battle. It’s no fun, and everybody ends up feeling grumpy. Right? ChoreMonster.com is an online system of chore assignments and rewards. It lets parents assign chores for kids by choosing from the default list or adding customized tasks. Each chore can be customized by due date, frequency, and points awarded. Each child gets his own account, where the chores and rewards are presented in a colorful, easy-to-use interface. Kids can view assigned chores, check them off when they’re done, and see how many points they…

• 

  Magpie Musing

• My Mother In My Garden

  Magpie

  15 May 2012 | 10:30 am

  I spent a good chunk of time in the garden on Sunday. I had flowers to pot up for the front steps, and plants gotten at the garden club sale to put in the ground. There was a bleeding heart that was eating a corner of the perennial bed, a bleeding heart so big it had collapsed of its own sheer exuberance (abetted by a heavy rain). Even though it was still kind of in full bloom, I heartlessly dug it up and divided it in half. Here's hoping it survives. I impaled myself trying to prune the flowering quince, getting intractable thorns stuck in both hands. By the time I was done, I was filthy and…

• Yes.

  Magpie

  13 May 2012 | 9:20 pm

  Poetry for mother's day? Written by your very own child? Yes, I said, yes. (Though, upon reflection, I hope she's not comparing me to the one of our cats whose name is Rainbow...)

• Banking Shenanigans

  Magpie

  11 May 2012 | 11:09 am

  About six weeks ago, we decided it was time to refinance the mortgage. We’re 8 years into a 30 year loan, and current interest rates are more than two points less than we’ve been paying. Refinancing is going to knock about 15% off of the monthly payment, and two plus years off the remainder of the loan. I’ve been going back and forth with the loan officer, coming up with odd little bits of information and various bank statements. Sometimes it’s seemed like dealing with Mo, Larry and Curly – the process of trying to get my employment verification to the person who asked for it took a…

• Wordless Wednesday: Zip Art

  Magpie

  9 May 2012 | 1:28 pm

  [Flaming Cactus at Astor Place, NYC]

• Get Swabbed!

  Magpie

  7 May 2012 | 9:30 am

  A friend - an acquaintance really - has a son with acute lymphocytic leukemia, a relapse, actually. So I did the only rational thing that I could think to do, and signed up as a marrow donor. It was incredibly easy - you fill out the forms on-line, they send you a kit, you swab the inside of your cheeks, and mail the swabs back to them. If I'm a match, they'll either collect peripheral blood stem cells via a blood donation, or pull marrow out of the pelvic bone. If they call me because I'm a match, I'll tell you all about it. You too can register - go to getswabbed.org. It won't cost you…

• 

  Lisa Sabin-Wilson

• Vivid Yoga Studio in Menomonee Falls, WI

  Lisa Sabin-Wilson

  10 May 2012 | 5:55 pm

  I’ve become the owner of a business that is completely unrelated to WordPress – do you believe it? As a matter of fact – it’s completely unrelated to internet publishing or any type of web development or design work at all! Months back, I posted about how I found yoga (or maybe how yoga found me?) and SO much has happened since then! I met a good friend, Michelle Schultz, who has been a yoga instructor in this local area for the past 6-8 years. She’s a super teacher and I cannot say enough about her teaching style and classes. Michelle has been making her living…

• You made a difference in my life. I love you.

  Lisa Sabin-Wilson

  29 Apr 2012 | 12:00 pm

  On July 12 of 2011, my father died. He was the most important person in my life – I now (and will forevermore) define my life as “Before” and “After“. We had his service 5 days after his death, but we never buried him. He was cremated, per his wishes. His family burial plot is located in Blue Rapids, Kansas and everyone in the family wanted to go down together to hold a burial service to reunite Dad with his mother, father and sister – who are already there. It took some time to coordinate everyone’s schedule, and we finally have. This Saturday on May…

• Speaking at WordCamp Milwaukee on WordPress Multisite

  Lisa Sabin-Wilson

  29 Apr 2012 | 8:56 am

  I am excited to say that I will be speaking at WordCamp Milwaukee on June 2-3, 2012.  A WordCamp in my hometown – that’s something new!  All WordCamps I’ve ever attended have included flights (except Chicago – I drove), hotels, room service and sometimes car rentals.  THIS time, however, WordCamp Milwaukee is in my backyard and that is so cool!  WordCamp is a conference that focuses on everything WordPress. WordCamps are informal, community-organized events that are put together by WordPress users like you. Everyone from casual users to core developers take part,…

• Yoga Barn Web Site Launch

  Lisa Sabin-Wilson

  15 Feb 2012 | 1:50 pm

  Every once in awhile, I need to do a site project for fun and entertainment.  One that I am not working with a committee or answering to a board of multiple people, a site project that is fun and enjoyable.  Not that there is anything wrong with my professional projects, it just doesn’t hurt to do one for fun, ya know what I mean?  In August of last year, I started a regular Yoga practice for my own personal well-being.  I first started at my local YMCA, and quickly met a few folks who I now call friends.  One of those people was Leslie -  one of the yoga…

• Quayle For Congress on WordPress

  Lisa Sabin-Wilson

  8 Feb 2012 | 10:23 am

  Thrilled to see a site that I worked pretty hard on finally launched and live:  Quayle For Congress.    Ben Quayle is the son of former Vice-President, Dan Quayle; and he is running for Congress in the state of Arizona.  I completed this project in partnership with Red Yawp Digital – - they provided the PSDs and I developed the site using WordPress with custom post types and jQuery work.

• 

  Life Candy

• 5th Annual Top 5 List: Who's on your list?

  Nenette AM

  5 May 2012 | 8:17 pm

  It's the 5th day of the 5th month of the year!  You know what that means, right?!  Yup, it's time for me to review, renew, and republish my annual Top 5 List.  :) You know what I mean by "List", right?  No?  Okay, long story short, this is the list of 5 pretend boyfriends (or girlfriends, depending on which side your bread's buttered on) -- the folks I have permission to fool around with, assuming I can get them to fool around with me, of course. It's all in fun, of course, so you don't have to worry about me coming over and demanding that you have your little…

• how earth hour turned us into 10 year olds.

  Nenette AM

  12 Apr 2012 | 5:50 pm

  Illustration by Lam Earth Hour is a big deal in our eco-savvy treehugger home.  We've done it every year for the past four years. In the beginning, we did it to teach the kids...  - about climate change, - of the impact that one hour of turning our lights off would have, - what it's like to be a part of a world community event, - that the fate of our planet is in our hands, - and that if we all pull together, we can really make a difference. See?  We hug trees here. Okay, here Roomie's talking math, not trees or hugging said trees. In the years since then, we…

• monday after spring break surprise. an award. for me.

  Nenette AM

  4 Apr 2012 | 5:15 pm

  I miss my kids.  Or at least I did the first 10 minutes after they left for school with Roomie.  Then, for the first time in 9 days, I heard it.  Or rather I heard NOTHING.  Yes, folks... Silence.  Sweet, delicious silence. I could hear myself think.  I could finish a thought.  I could read my email without being interrupted, telling a child to keep it down, or stop an argument over which tv show should be watched. And OMG, I realized I was ALONE!  I could do naked cartwheels in my livingroom again!!!  Okay, I lied.  I can't do a single…

• happy st. patty's day!

  Nenette AM

  17 Mar 2012 | 1:13 pm

  Oh boy, oh boy... Written by Nenette AM, exclusively for lifecandy.net

• the hunger games. the brain version.

  Nenette AM

  15 Mar 2012 | 9:00 am

  Yesterday morning, one of my besties Myrtle and I met up for coffee-lunch, which is what you get when you  meet at Starbucks after dropping off your kids at school then talk for so long that you end up having lunch as well.  It happens a lot with us. During this latest edition of the ever-awesome coffee-lunch, we had our long awaited post-"Hunger Games Trilogy" recap and discussion.  Myrtle had already read the books.  As for me, from February 28 to March 6, I read all 3 books -- Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay -- unable to put them down to sleep, eat, or even…

• 

  Joshua Bryce Newman

• Glutted

  joshuanewman

  8 May 2012 | 10:52 am

  Recently, I’ve been playing around with a new approach to time management from the very sharp British productivity guru Mark Forster. I’ve been more on top of things with his approach than I have with any before. But, even so, I’m dropping balls, can’t fit everything in. This morning, I was talking with a smart angel investor about the difficulties of starting a company. In particular, the difficulty of prioritizing. It’s a bit like going to a restaurant: you can eat anything on the menu, but you can’t eat everything on the menu, at least without getting sick.

• Freakin’ Weekend

  joshuanewman

  6 May 2012 | 5:59 pm

  Saturday 08:00-14:00: Teaching classes at CrossFit NYC. 15:00-18:00: Presenting on a biohacking panel alongside the founder of Genspace. 20:00-0:00: Welcome party for Om at Matt’s place. 0:00-4:00 Late-night deal-structuring with Naval at the Experimental Cocktail Club. Sunday 10:00-6:00 Up to Connecticut to scout Greenwich and Westport pop-up-shop locations for Dobbin. 7:30-10:00 Rehearsal with new jazz quintet. I’ll rest when I’m dead, it seems.

• Heart Felt

  joshuanewman

  27 Apr 2012 | 11:26 am

  Perhaps due to my hacker roots, for more than a decade I’ve organized my life in a collection of text files. But when it comes to actually executing, I’ve discovered I’m far more productive working off a printed-out version of my Today.txt to-do list than I am with the same list on-screen. For notes in meetings, too, I find paper and pen works better for me than an iPad or laptop. Much as for solo business strategy and planning sessions, where I tend to do my best work when I’m scrawling page after semi-legible page of ideas, mind-maps, outlines and diagrams. (Jess…

• It’s Alive!

  joshuanewman

  26 Apr 2012 | 11:22 am

  After months of hard work, Jess and her partner Catherine officially launched Dobbin, their new clothing line, this morning. The site is live at www.dobbinclothing.com. The idea is simple: fashionable clothing that flatters real bodies. They’re using high-end Italian fabric and manufacturing here in NYC, yet have kept prices low by cutting out the retail middleman, selling only online. The clothing is also full of a slew of smart touches. A pair of their pants, say, is made from stretch canvas, has a hidden adjustable elastic waistband and is proportioned with a slightly higher rise and…

• Watch This

  joshuanewman

  21 Apr 2012 | 9:04 pm

  Just over a week ago, I backed a Kickstarter project called the Pebble E-Paper Watch. I meant to blog about it then, saying that I was calling it early as the next big thing. But, it appears, I’m already too late; in under a week, the Pebble shot past its $100,000 fundraising goal, to a current $5,839,829. I guess I’m not the only person to have noticed. Nonetheless, if you’re not one of the 40,000 people who hopped on to the project (essentially pre-ordering one), you should. By ingeniously using e-paper (the same stuff found in a Kindle screen) instead of an LCD, the…

• 

  The Art of Manliness

• Listen Up! Part III: Crafting Good Questions and Responses

  A Manly Guest Contributor

  15 May 2012 | 6:43 pm

  Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Tony Valdes. As this series on listening comes to a close (see part 1 and part 2), we should consider a few things in terms of the transition from listener to speaker.  When the time comes for the roles to shift, our responses to the messages of others will most often be one of the following: asking questions, agreeing, disagreeing, or qualifying.  It is the first and last items on that list that we will examine here. Asking Questions When we ask questions, we are not only showing that we are listening, but we are also helping the speaker to…

• DIY Weekend Project: How to Make a Slingshot

  Brett & Kate McKay

  14 May 2012 | 5:23 pm

  Imagine the idealized rough and tumble boy depicted in literature, movies, and TV shows. Go ahead. Do it. Done?  Whether you imagined Tom Sawyer, Dennis the Menace, or Bart Simpson, chances are you pictured him with a handmade slingshot dangling from his back pants pocket. The humble slingshot has been a fixture among boys across cultures and across generations.  The first modern-type slingshots probably didn’t make an appearance until vulcanized rubber was invented in 1839. 19th century boys used old rubber tire inner tubes as the bands to catapult their rocks and pellets at cans and…

• Want to Feel Like a Man? Then Act Like One

  Brett

  13 May 2012 | 9:52 pm

  Since starting The Art of Manliness nearly five years ago, I’ve interacted with thousands of men from all over the world. One thing that I’ve learned over the years is that many grown men out there simply don’t feel like men. I’m not talking about “feeling like a man” in the cartoonish, hyper-masculine sense. Rather, I’m talking about “feeling like a man” in the sense of that quiet confidence that comes from moving from boyhood into mature masculinity. Many of the guys I’ve talked to (particularly the ones in their 20s and 30s) have…

• 

  Hole In The Donut Cultural Travel

• PHOTO: Pretty Church and Central Park in the Otherwise Touristy Town of La Fortuna, Costa Rica

  Barbara Weibel

  15 May 2012 | 8:30 pm

• PHOTO: White-faced Capuchin Monkey in Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica

  Barbara Weibel

  14 May 2012 | 5:30 pm

• They Call Her Sagarmatha

  Barbara Weibel

  14 May 2012 | 8:46 am

  I’ve stood at the edge of molten lava flowing from the world’s largest volcanic crater (Mauna Loa, Hawaii), touched the Equator in the Amazon Jungles of Ecuador, descended to the bottom of the deepest canyon in North America (Copper Canyon, Mexico), and stood on the shores of the largest freshwater lake in the world (Superior). I’ve looked down upon the lost city of the Incas (Machu Picchu, Peru), marveled at the fearless animals in the Galapagos Islands, been pummeled by spray from the largest waterfall in the world (Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, more than a mile long), and climbed the…

• PHOTO: Jesus Christ Lizard in Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge, Costa Rica Can Actually Walk Across Water

  Barbara Weibel

  13 May 2012 | 4:45 pm

• PHOTO: Stunning Beach at Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica

  Barbara Weibel

  12 May 2012 | 5:45 pm

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• 

  DivineCaroline Home Page

• How a Spicy Kitchen Can Start a Fire in Your Love Life

  Cupid's Pulse

  15 May 2012 | 3:30 pm

  By Daniela Agurcia Some of the greatest pleasures in life come from fo...

• Oh Lord, What's in the Bag?

  NANCY ABBAZIO

  15 May 2012 | 1:45 pm

  My husband teases me frequently about being too sensitive, or too emo...

• ort

  Lien Ruslie

  15 May 2012 | 1:45 pm

  Going to Whistler has been on my top wish list since I live in Vancouv...

• My real dad

  Megan Wacker

  15 May 2012 | 1:45 pm

  In 2005 I was in 5th grade and my life seemed normal till one night...

• My First True Blue

  Lisa Leshaw

  15 May 2012 | 1:45 pm

  "My First True Blue" My Dad was the Earl Woods of fishing...

• 

  VirtualWayfarer

• Dinner and a Sunset in Assisi

  Alex Berger

  14 May 2012 | 3:20 am

  For the three days of the conference, I found myself periodically staring out the window of my room over a perfectly manicured vineyard at the unusual city and ancient structures that dominated the nearby hillside. I felt longing – while located a mere 15 minutes outside of Assisi, our schedule was busy and largely confined to day-trips to near by cities or events at the resort.  This meant that it wasn’t until the final day of the conference that I had an opportunity to join a small group of other travel bloggers for a free-form trip into Assisi.  Our goal was simple – to…

• Friday’s Weekly Travel Photo – The Colored Streets of Malmo

  Alex Berger

  11 May 2012 | 5:31 am

  One of my favorite things about Scandinavia is the brightly colored houses.  With fairly uniform front facades the Scandinavians have added rich flavor and color to their cities in the form of multi-hued buildings.  While these streets are fantastic in the golden summer shades of early morning and late afternoon, anyone who has spent (dare I say survived?) a winter in Scandinavia will attest to the smile color brings to your face in the midst of a cold, dark, gray winter.  Though it obviously wasn’t overly cold, or dark during my February visit to Malmo, Sweden I was still…

• A Visit To Picture Perfect Perugia With Ken Kaminesky

  Alex Berger

  10 May 2012 | 3:27 am

  Nestled atop a prominent hilltop in the heart of Umbria about two hours north of Rome, the medieval city of Perugia stands constant vigil over ancient trade routes.  The current capital of the region, Perugia has a long and storied past that pre-dates the Romans and stretches back to the Etruscan period.  With a population of just under 170,000 the city serves as home to a large university, and a plethora of wonderful festivals and events. My visit to Perugia occurred as part of an afternoon photo workshop and walking tour with Ken Kaminesky as part of the Travel Bloggers Unite Umbria…

• Most Beautiful Country – Ask Alex – Travel Question Wednesdays

  Alex Berger

  9 May 2012 | 11:40 am

  This post is part of the Ask Alex, Travel Question Wednesdays weekly series. To see previous questions click here. To submit your own; tweet it to @AlexBerger, ask it in a comment on this post or send it in by e-mail. This week’s travel question is from Sam who asks, Q. “What is the most beautiful country (overall) you’ve been to?” A. – Oh boy, this question always gives me a heck of a hard time. I’m going to assume that you’re talking natural beauty and not about the native population? So far I’ve spent time in some capacity in 38 countries…

• Assisi From Above – Viewing Umbria From A Helicopter

  Alex Berger

  7 May 2012 | 3:13 am

  Thwomp. Thwomp. Thwomp.  The roar of the wind echoed in my ears as the sound of carbon fiber slicing through the air at high speed nearly drowned out the low scream of the helicopter’s engine.  The pilot touched down briefly in a grassy field at the Valle di Assisi resort. Just long enough for myself and two other travel bloggers to trade places with the three passengers who had just finished their aerial tour of Assisi.  They were all smiles – grins from ear to ear – as they gave us the thumbs up and promised we were in for a real treat. In moments I was strapped into…

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  To Think Is To Create

• On being pickers

  Arianne

  4 May 2012 | 5:51 pm

  We needed a bed so we went with what would fit our two not small frames and heights with a baby in between and it was a king size bed. I lay on it and feel so luxurious I could cry happy tears every single night. Stretching out, feeling like I could really finally relax, I didn’t get all emo about it per usual because I knew it was a gift from God. Maybe that’s silly, but I thing God can be in the business of giving a new awesome bed when He wants. We also needed some other furniture and God provided some pretty epic things in the most random way. A sleepy estate sale we stumbled…

• Big news! Check out Simple Design

  Arianne

  26 Apr 2012 | 7:24 am

  I’ve been working behind the scenes on a BIG new project and I can finally spill the beans today - I’m the new editor of a brand new channel in the Simple Living Media family called Simple Design! It’s so pretty, so fun, so fantastic – I just KNOW you will love it! Come check it out today, will ya? Share and Enjoy:

• On Expecting Perfection and Finding Freedom Instead

  Arianne

  21 Apr 2012 | 11:19 am

  So many of you have had experiences in your mama-hood that were so out of nowhere, so not how you saw things being, that it rocked you to your core. You weren’t prepared. Was this the child I dreamed of? The new book Spirit-Led Parenting is going to be balm to your soul, mother. It’s written by two mothers just like you, who want to share some beautiful heart words with you today. A guest post of the ’salt of the Earth’ variety is below. I loved this book so much and stand behind it nodding and clapping and shedding a tear or forty. Please welcome Megan and Laura…

• Dear Mother

  Arianne

  17 Apr 2012 | 1:23 pm

  Dear Mother, We’re packing up the house to move across the country. I hear it’s to put down roots for once, but I’ve never done that more than a couple years worth, so I can’t be certain if this is what that is. The dust from the cardboard boxes seems permanently implanted in my lungs and the bare walls and echoing cavernous packed up bedrooms feel cold like a looney bin. My breathing echoes. The funny thing about all this change is that it’s been harder on me than these 4 little kids running ragged around the house. I like to think it’s because I’ve…

• In Real Life

  Arianne

  16 Apr 2012 | 10:08 am

  I turned 34 a few weeks ago. It was one of those surreal times because birthdays used to be magical and sortof epic and now they’re just there. A little wink from him and a few homemade cards and some pancakes, it’s all I need now. Then we spent a week in North Myrtle Beach with my whole immediate family – i.e. My parents, my siblings and all our spouses/kiddos. We all survived under one roof, all 18 of us. In a condo. It rained most of the trip and the majority of the house got sick. We still made amazing memories. We have been spending all our time since then running in…

• 

  CrazyAuntPurl

• Stuff we said that time

  15 May 2012 | 12:51 am

  "So has it improved or is it still weird?" Jen asked. "I can't tell," I said. "It's like being trapped inside a black and white farce movie where everything is -- oddly enough -- subtitled in porn Ukranian with typos." She paused for a moment. "I have no idea what that meant," she said, "and yet I know EXACTLY what that meant." "That's right, boys and girls. Misspelled porn Ukranian is a problem. Give to the Meow Mix Fund and eradicate this scourge. I am Bob T. Cat and I approve this message." < outtake > Did I do it right? Do I get Meow Mix? What is You Kranian? Can I stop posing like this…

• City of Studio keeps me rockin' knows how to party

  11 May 2012 | 9:12 am

  The leader of the free world came to Studio City yesterday for a dinner event at George Clooney's house. There were Secret Service people all over the Boulevard and surrounding side streets, police were everywhere, news and paparazzi helicopters began flying overhead at dawn and everything south of the boulevard was locked down after rush hour. All day there was Obama Traffic -- a Los Angeles situation that involves citywide gridlock, mass complaining (also, coincidentally, the only real bonding experience we have in this city: "Were you stuck in Obama traffic?" "Like, totally!") plus…

• Hey, baby, what's your sign?

  10 May 2012 | 12:07 am

  Do you come here often? What, can't a brother get some love?

• Some dawns wait

  9 May 2012 | 12:06 am

  If we are being honest and not-smartypants I did not think of that title. Probably it is a line from another Langston Hughes poem since that is all I am reading in the bathroom while being literary fancy with expensive tea in a Beverly Hills chair. But you know what? Some dawns wait. Not everything you want happens right now. Not every plan you make gets put into action today. Not every list you make gets checked off one by one today. You may not get it all done. You will never get it perfect. You do not have to finish life to get good at it. You may not get it today, but tomorrow is a whole…

• Monday morning, she's a cool cat

  7 May 2012 | 9:54 am

  Clearly Frankie T. Cat also appreciates The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes. Shis a hip cat, a cool order, a fluffy tail, of course she likes poetry from the 1930s. Her current fave: ADVICE Folks, I'm telling you, birthing is hard and dying is mean -- so get yourself a little loving in between. Bob agrees.

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  Confessions of a Pioneer Woman | Ree Drummond

• Finally Fishing

  Ree

  14 May 2012 | 10:44 am

  After living in the country their entire lives, my kids are only just now becoming interested in fishing. We’ve fished here and there over the past several years and they’ve always been like “Eh.” What kind of country kids have they been, anyway? Anyway, they’re officially obsessed now. They get up in the morning and race to the pond to see who can catch the first fish of the day.       Josh took them fishing at our pond a few days ago. This is part of what has ignited the fire. On another note, I almost entitled this post “Josh in…

• A Bright Golden Haze on the Meadow

  Ree

  10 May 2012 | 9:40 am

  Oh, what a beautiful morning…     Oh, what a beautiful day!     I’ve got a beautiful feeling…     That calf is going to stay. (Photos snapped by Marlboro Man from atop his trusty steed.) And finally, from my then three-year-old boy who’s now nine, and who will be eighteen tomorrow: Have a beautiful day, everyone! Love, PW

• Dodo Bird

  Ree

  9 May 2012 | 8:57 am

  Here’s what I’ve done since I got home Sunday: 1. Unpacked. 2. Completely rearranged the furniture. 3. Gave myself a hernia. 4. Cleaned out my desk and found three important things that are no longer important because back when they were important, I couldn’t find them. 5. Placed tomato cages onto some tomatoes I planted a couple of weeks ago. 6. Cleaned out Charlie’s ears. 7. Donated the contents of his ears to science. 8. Washed my hands. 9. Made pork chops. 10. Made pico de gallo. 11. Made cookies. 12. Didn’t exercise. Today I’m cleaning out the mud room…

• MM Q & A (OK? 10-4)

  Marlboro Man

  7 May 2012 | 10:58 am

  Note from Pioneer Woman: The above photo has nothing to do with this post. I just wanted to post it. After six weeks of off/on travel, I’m finally home to stay and probably won’t shower for a week. (Wait…what?) More regular posting will resume now that I’m permanently unpacked…but meanwhile, my beloved Marlboro Man has been picking up the slack for me, writing posts about agriculture. If you’re not the least bit interested in reading about the cattle market, cow-calf operations, bulls, land management, burning, and artificial insemination, I do apologize.

• History

  Ree

  3 May 2012 | 5:33 pm

  When I was six with bangs and missing teeth, and I was a kid and thought boys were grody, and my sister was a baby and I wouldn’t eat tomatoes, I had a Basset Hound.       When I was forty-three with a cowlick and love handles, and I had kids of my own and a husband I loved, and my sister had her own baby and I grew tomatoes in my garden, I had a Basset Hound.       The more things change, the more they stay the same. Amen. (And woof.) Love, P-Dub

• 

  larry borsato

• The Goldilocks Effect

  larry

  22 Apr 2012 | 3:12 pm

  In the silence of connection, people are comforted by being in touch with a lot of people — carefully kept at bay. We can’t get enough of one another if we can use technology to keep one another at distances we can control: not too close, not too far, just right. In today’s New York Times, Sherry Turkle of M.I.T. decries our substitution of “conversation by technology” for actual conversation. We prefer the controlled, editable, deletable world of texting and Facebook to the messy world of actually talking to others. She refers to it, describes in the paragraph above, as…

• Wait! It’s not a transit plan?

  larry

  8 Feb 2012 | 2:12 pm

  The Region of Waterloo, Canada, where I live, is planning to build a contentious light rail transit plan. Actually it isn’t so much a plan as a straight run that links two shopping malls and passes through the downtown core, where there really isn’t much business. They keep talking like that anyway, but it’s really all about downtown development and increasing property tax revenues. Even the local paper makes it clear: Council approved the controversial $818-million rail transit system last June. It’s a redevelopment plan to draw homes and jobs to central neighbourhoods.

• Why the secrecy? He already has the job.

  larry

  19 Jan 2012 | 9:24 am

  After being President of the United States for almost four years, President Obama still refuses to release his college transcripts (via I Hate The Media): Ed Henry, FOX News: “I don’t know how many years, maybe you do, George Romney released of his college transcripts, but Republicans like to complain that the President has not released his college transcripts. What is the stated reason for that?” Jay Carney, White House: “I would refer you to the campaign. The man already has the job. At this point, even if he was a C student, what is the harm in releasing the…

• Generating outrage.

  larry

  12 Jan 2012 | 7:17 pm

  What’s wrong with this paragraph in an editorial in The Record? Cures for addiction are seldom pretty. And the cure for a government addicted to overspending is surely so. Drummond appears poised to prescribe massive budget cuts in most provincial ministries — some as deep as 30 per cent — over the next five years. The reins of restraint will tug sharply on health and education spending, too. While McGuinty has planned to scale back the yearly increments in health care funding to three per cent, Drummond says that’s not good enough. He’s pushing for annual increases of just 2.5…

• Leaving well enough alone.

  larry

  4 Jan 2012 | 9:52 am

  This article in the National Post caught my attention today: People from well-educated families are almost twice as likely to suffer from some dangerous food allergies as others — possibly because their bodies’ natural defences have been lowered by rigorous hygiene and infection control, suggests a new Canadian study. I’m not a scientist at all but I have a theory, totally untested and unproven, that using all manner of antibacterial soap and sundries would lead to a lower tolerance for germs. Basically the same goes for avoiding all kinds of foods, such as peanuts, would lead to…

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  WordPress.com News

• Stay In The Conversation

  Beau Lebens

  15 May 2012 | 6:01 pm

  It’s now much easier for you and your commenters to keep track of the conversations you’re involved in across WordPress.com. Some recent tests have shown that by subscribing commenters to new comments by default, they are more likely to stay engaged and come back and comment more on your blog. With that knowledge, we’ve changed the default comment following behavior to help you get more conversations going on your blog. We made the initial changes last week and after great feedback from you we just launched an update. Here’s how it works: By default, posting a comment…

• Look at These Gorgeous Blogs

  Sheri

  15 May 2012 | 1:05 pm

  We’ve added a user showcase where you can view stunning customizations made by people just like you. From complete redesigns with CSS to adding pizzazz with Custom Fonts to clever use of options like background and header, this showcase will spark your imagination and inspire creativity. Discover details about what each showcase blog is doing with WordPress.com themes and customizations by clicking a thumbnail to see a colophon-style list of credits on the left. We’ve also updated footer links so blog owners can show off the types of customizations they’ve made and visitors can…

• Photo Blogging 101, Part 1

  Erica V.

  14 May 2012 | 10:00 am

  Spring is in the air. With the weather warming up, now is a great time to get started on a photo blog. Creating a photo blog is a wonderful introduction to blogging on WordPress.com or an opportunity to refresh your current site. Ready to get started? You can sign up for a new blog right over here. Getting started Photo blogs, sometimes called phlogs, use pictures instead of words. While many photo bloggers choose a type of photo that they want to focus on, such as portraits, others use their photo blog to document their life’s events. Photo blogs come in a variety of styles, including…

• New Themes: Just Desserts and Oxygen

  Michelle Langston

  10 May 2012 | 8:11 am

  Happy Thursday! We’ve added some exciting new themes to our ever-growing collection, and we’re happy to tell you all about them. First out of the oven is…Just Desserts. Yep, that’s a theme! Designed by Andy Rutledge, Just Desserts is a deliciously stylish premium theme that’s perfect for blogs centered on food. With its responsive, single-column layout and unique presentation of images and posts on the front page, Just Desserts gives you a delectable canvas on which your mouthwatering photos and text can really shine — even when viewed on smaller mobile devices…

• Find Friends Who Use WordPress

  Nick Momrik

  1 May 2012 | 2:32 pm

  Are you curious to see how your friends are using WordPress? Give the new and improved Friend Finder a try to connect with your Twitter, Facebook, and Google contacts who have WordPress sites! After authorizing WordPress.com to use your Twitter, Facebook, or Google account to find your friends (don’t worry — none of this account information is saved!) you’ll see a list of people you know who have WordPress sites. Click Follow and each time your friend publishes a new post it will show up in your Reader under Blogs I Follow. If you have multiple blogs, make sure to set the…

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  Marisa's Dandelion Patch

• Self-Improvement: Body, again

  Marisa

  8 May 2012 | 2:56 pm

  Way back in 1999, after I’d finished having babies and was ready for a new, healthy life, I studied and began a low-carb way of eating. Specifically, I followed Atkins. It worked. It took me about 9 months to lose just over 75 pounds. I felt great. I looked great. My skin didn’t sag where the weight came off even though I’d not exercised at all. I was amazed. I continued to follow a low-carb eating plan for several years. At one point I hired a personal trainer and learned proper form to lift weights. I felt good but really couldn’t afford the membership and the…

• Every Stage of Mothering

  Marisa

  7 May 2012 | 8:50 am

  The great thing about having a bunch of kids spread out over more than a decade is that the older ones help with the younger ones. It also lets you enjoy the older ones when you’re young and active while also letting you raise the younger ones when you’re more experienced and wiser. The bad thing about having a bunch of kids spread out over more than a decade is that you’re always in every stage of child development. I’ve had to deal with diapers and teenaged angst (and things in between) at the same time. I’m still dealing with diapers and kindergarten…

• A Headache In The Pelvis Helps Pelvic Pain Sufferers Find Relief

  Marisa

  13 Mar 2012 | 3:23 pm

  A Headache In The Pelvis Teaches Men And Women How To Effectively Treat Their Own Pelvic Pain Dr. David Wise and Dr. Rodney Anderson worked together for years at Stanford University to develop a treatment that is taught to patients with pelvic pain in a 6 day immersion clinic held in Northern California. Their results are outlined in their book, A Headache In The Pelvis and are documented in articles published in the Journal of Urology beginning in 2005. The latest publication in May, 2011 documents an improvement in 82% or patients utilizing the methods of this protocol. A Headache in the…

• Make a Fashion Statement With Your Eyeglasses

  Marisa

  6 Dec 2011 | 9:46 pm

  I have a vision dilemma. I’ve worn glasses for near-sightedness since about 4th grade. I’ve worn contact lenses off and on since high school. The problem with contacts has always been that I can’t read with them in. I have to wear cheater glasses to see my computer screen if I’m wearing my contacts. That kind of defeats the purpose of contacts, you know? On the plus side, I’m 53 years old and I still don’t wear bifocals. My reading vision is just fine (so far). Since I’ve resigned myself to wearing glasses, I decided to look into buying less expensive…

• No Black Friday For Me

  Marisa

  25 Nov 2011 | 6:06 am

  Is everyone out doing the Black Friday thing? Well, not me. I’m proud to say that I have never shopped on Black Friday. In fact, I’m not even tempted to walk into a store on Black Friday. I have to work today and that’s where I’d much rather be (if not in my own bed, of course.) I do shop locally but I also do much of my shopping online. I’ve got a layaway at one store, and I’m thinking about picking up a few other things at another local store. One year, I bought virtually every single gift online, with the exception being the Kids Bikes that I prefer to…

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  Boss Sanders

• Kale Chips – A recipe!

  bosssanders

  27 Apr 2012 | 1:19 pm

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Wash and dry Kale leaves – then, separate leaves from middle vein and tear leaves into 1-2 inch pieces.  Cover a pan with parchment paper or tin foil.  Spray with a little olive oil (we have some in a squirt bottle) and drizzle with about 1 tsp salt or to taste. Cook for 10 minutes. EAT. Note:  For those of you who like spice or more flavor, feel free to experiment with your favorite herbs and seasonings…and then come back here and let us know what you experimented with and how they turned out! This is a great recipe INSTEAD of potato chips!!

• Dirty Dozen and Clean 15!

  bosssanders

  27 Apr 2012 | 1:11 pm

  DIRTY DOZEN: 1 Apples 2 Celery 3 Strawberries 4 Peaches 5 Spinach 6 Nectarines – imported 7 Grapes – imported 8 Sweet bell peppers 9 Potatoes 10 Blueberries – domestic 11 Lettuce 12 Kale/collard greens CLEAN 15: Lowest in Pesticide 1 Onions 2 Sweet Corn 3 Pineapples 4 Avocado 5 Asparagus 6 Sweet peas 7 Mangoes 8 Eggplant 9 Cantaloupe - domestic 10 Kiwi 11 Cabbage 12 Watermelon 13 Sweet potatoes 14 Grapefruit 15 Mushrooms

• Just A Journey

  bosssanders

  27 Apr 2012 | 1:08 pm

  We’re on our way to healthier eating.  It’s a journey… I know better than to jump in at full force ALL. AT. ONCE. Some of you have been keeping up with the ongoing conversation over HERE.  (For those of you who haven’t been to my site’s FB page yet, go!  Lots of great extras that I don’t put up on here!) I love that it’s not just me wanting to do better!  So, many of us have chosen to accept the MISSION of more wholesome eating. Here’s what we have covered so far: MISSION #4: Choose 100% WHOLE WHEAT products (with no high fructose corn…

• Dear You

  bosssanders

  21 Apr 2012 | 7:51 am

  (This post is geared at NO-ONE in particular, and yet to EVERYONE whom it applies.) Dear You in the corner with your snide remarks about my parenting philosophies… You, who balked when you found out I don’t vaccinate my children and mouthed off words like “pack immunity” and “putting her children in danger…” You, who made fun of me when I was insistent that there be no smoking around myself or my children… You, who laughed when I said no chocolate/soda, and tried to give it to them anyways… You, who think I’m ridiculous for trying to…

• Top 10 Reasons to Avoid Sugar and Refined Grains

  bosssanders

  15 Apr 2012 | 3:54 pm

  1.  Sugar is the primary dietary cause of the obesity epidemic. Fat doesn’t make you fat.  But sugar that turns into fat will. 2.  Sugar causes hormonal and metabolic imbalance. Swinging insulin and cortisol levels in the body, which decrease then increase blood sugar, not only cause your system to crash but set up a cascade of abnormal hormone functions that lead to premature aging and illness. 3.  Sugar is your fast track to diabetes. On the Standard North American Diet, it is only a matter of time before insulin receptors burn out, unable to handle the onslaught of sugar. 4. …

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  the slack daily

• Happy Halfoween!

  the slackmistress

  27 Apr 2012 | 7:41 pm

  This SATURDAY, APRIL 28 is HALFOWEEN on Nickelodeon. ...which INCLUDES a little episode called "How to Rock Halloween" written by a not so little me! Yeah, there might be vampires.  And werewolves. And a giant dance number.  And Kirk Fox looking a little Frankensteiny.  Check it out this Saturday at 8:30pm on Nickelodeon!

• It's All How They're Raised...

  the slackmistress

  26 Apr 2012 | 1:24 pm

  BAD RAP Blog: Vick dogs: Five years post-seizure. Has the cruelty ended? For every person who says that you can judge a pit bull's temperment on "how they're raised" (meaning dogs raised in good environments, or from a puppy = good and all other dogs = bad) read this. If you can't be bothered to click through, I'll give you the highlights: The Vick dogs were fighting dogs.  They were horrifically abused not only in the fighting ring, but at the hands of their owners.  When Vick was busted, the dogs who were still alive were taken into custody.  For six months, those dogs had little…

• Gettin' Dirty.

  the slackmistress

  15 Apr 2012 | 8:24 pm

  As some of you know, I've been dabbling with this running thing.  I don't love running, but races are fun and I'm really good at doing things that I'm not really good at. The one thing I've wanted to do since I began was a mud run.  The Daddy of all mud runs is the Tough Mudder.  I didn't think I was ready the last time it was in town, and I didn't have a team.  Not that you need to, but the one thing all of these races have in common is that it's fun to do them with someone else. That said, I signed up for the Merrell Down & Dirty 10k alone.  Will said he'd be there to cheer me on,…

• Games Couples Play

  the slackmistress

  29 Mar 2012 | 4:23 pm

  Will and I have a little game we play called "making shit up." And by "making shit up" I mean "getting the other person to believe something that is ludicrously untrue."  And by "we play" I mean "me." Will also calls this game "you're a damned lying liar." This is usually after I get him to believe something. It all started when he asked (rhetorically) after seeing a game of tug-of-war on TV, "what has tug-of-war ever solved?"  I immediately countered that tug-of-war was created to settle land disputes in Colonial America. (Will also calls this game "Nina being an asshole.") (I…

• Bric-a-Brac

  the slackmistress

  22 Mar 2012 | 3:10 pm

  I don't know how old I am in Netherlands years. Things from around the Internetz: Shane Nickerson on marathoning and much more. Will wants to take Billy Joel on a breakup lunch.

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  She Just Walks Around With It

• My Son Accidentally Turned One When I Wasn't Looking

  7 May 2012 | 1:39 pm

  When Eve was born, and I was experimenting with the idea of being a "Stay At Home Mom," the first few months of her life seemed to last forever -- for better and worse. I was terrified (OMG I'M GOING TO BREAK THE BABY) and exhausted and confused and stressed and happy and hormonal and also bored, in the way only parents of infants can understand "bored."I went back to work when she was about eight months old, and eased into it, and dealt with separation and still do.Townsend is a different story.He was born, I took leave, but it was totally unlike my experience with Eve. I wasn't quite as…

• For All The Blog Detectives

  16 Apr 2012 | 12:48 pm

  Not long ago, I deleted a rude comment from an anonymous someone for maybe the second time since starting this blog. The comment stuck with me anyway, as they tend to do.The gist was about how I'm not a real blogger anymore.Which, okay. I suppose that's true. And it's not like it takes a BLOG DETECTIVE to note that I hardly post anymore, and that when I do it's mostly to post photos or pictures and write captions, not meaty, important things like about how I took the wrong bus or don't understand the refrigeration rules for mayonnaise. (Yah. I wrote about both of those things at one point in…

• "sunglasses"

  16 Mar 2012 | 7:18 pm

  "sunglasses"#MarchPhotoOfTheDaySo before I got married (the first time), my BFF put together a lovely scrapbook featuring photos from our years of being friends which was all of them. Literally. Our parents were friends before we were born, and we've been friends since before we can remember. Someday I will post the entire scrapbook here because it is a colorful homage to friendship and fashion, where by "fashion" I mean "I can't believe I left the house dressed like that from ages 11–20." If those aren't the worst sunglasses ON BOTH OF US, well. I DARE you to find me a picture of…

• "car"

  16 Mar 2012 | 7:09 pm

  #MarchPhotoOfTheDay"car"Those stupid fake flowers in the background of this and the "loud" photo are hilarious to me. I bought them as an "impulse purchase" from Pottery Barn about 13 years ago. I stuck them in a little metal pot in the den of my first house with my first husband. I liked the way they looked then, and I still do. They have come a long way.Just thought I'd point that out.Oh, also? My son looks exactly like me.

• March Photos of the Day: Days 9-14

  16 Mar 2012 | 1:20 pm

  I am just going to have to cram all kinds of pictures into this post, because I haven't been keeping up with blogging even though I have been taking my monthly photos diligently!Given that I once tried to participate in National Blog Posting Month and failed after like 4 days, I think I should get a prize.Here are some pictures from my life, completely out of order.Day 13 - A SignProbably people got really creative and artistic and inspirational with this one and instead I took one because the "THICK & ROUGH" made me giggle. The store was out of my regular oatmeal, and, well, I don't…

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  Indexed

• Something seems a bit off.

  Jessica Hagy

  15 May 2012 | 2:39 pm

  Share and Enjoy:

• Shanks so much.

  Jessica Hagy

  14 May 2012 | 10:34 am

  Share and Enjoy:

• Speak up or miss out.

  Jessica Hagy

  11 May 2012 | 10:47 am

  Share and Enjoy:

• What would you grab if the house was on fire?

  Jessica Hagy

  10 May 2012 | 10:47 am

  Share and Enjoy:

• Two annoying problems.

  Jessica Hagy

  9 May 2012 | 11:21 am

  Share and Enjoy:

• 

  Sparks and Butterflies

• Being Green According to My Dad

  Michele

  11 May 2012 | 9:02 am

  This was sent to me as an (yet another) email forward from my 77 year old dad. Something to think about Being Green Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the older woman, that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren’t good for the environment. The woman apologized and explained, “We didn’t have this green thing back in my earlier days.” The young clerk responded, “That’s our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations.” She was right — our…

• An All Around Update

  Michele

  10 May 2012 | 5:22 pm

  I haven’t been updating and writing here for one good reason. A lot of my “downtime” or “me-time” has been spent in spiritual pursuits. I’ve been digging in on a lot of issues, and I’m just not comfortable writing about them on a public forum, so I’ve been paper-journaling. It’s a good thing – just not exactly good for my blogging. So, here’s an all-around update: Joseph just turned 12. He’s doing great in school. School’s starting to wind down (Yay!) and then he informed me that he wants to attend summer school.

• Life Well Lived: Looking Your Best

  Michele

  24 Apr 2012 | 6:27 pm

  As part of BlogHer’s Life Well Lived series, they asked me: How do you incorporate color into your look? For me, over the years, I’ve realized whatever the color is… All that matters is that I LOVE IT! Yes, there are certain colors that look good on me. Green looks best on me as it brings out my eyes. But really? If you love the color, you’ll feel great wearing it, and THAT’S what makes someone look good. Their attitude makes all the difference! I hate yellow. So I wouldn’t wear something yellow – even though it might look good with my skin tone…

• Awesomesauce

  Michele

  4 Apr 2012 | 9:45 pm

  see more Failbook

• 37

  Michele

  29 Mar 2012 | 12:22 pm

  Today, at 7:03am, I turned 37 years old. While I do have regrets in my life, I also believe that all actions lead you to where you are. While, at 37, I’m not where I thought I would be in terms of financial success/security, I do have a blessed life full of love – folks I love, and folks who love me in all my neuroses. Am I aging? Ohhhh yes. The wrinkles are a little more pronounced. My hair is going silver. My joints creak. I’ve got a bad back, bad knees, among other things. Do I mind? No. I’ve earned every wrinkle. Every gray hair. Every creak and groan. I hope, and…

• 

  Skimbaco Lifestyle by Katja Presnal: Lifestyle | Travel | Home Decorating | Food | Fashion | Family

• Bucket List to Do: Visit Monte Carlo, Monaco

  Katja Presnal

  15 May 2012 | 8:30 am

  During our two week trip touring from Venice to Tuscany to French Riviera and we stopped for a day in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Visiting this luxurious destination for über-rich with your family is a MUST DO for anyone’s bucket list. Monaco is the second smallest country in the world (right after Vatican) and has 0% unemployment and 0% income tax for its residents, but there is nothing else small about Monaco. This income tax free heaven on earth is nested in French Riviera, with over 4 miles coastline on Mediterranean Sea, between Nice, France and Italian border. The country is for rich…

• Fashion News: Anna Sui for Hush Puppies

  Katja Presnal

  15 May 2012 | 7:30 am

  Our mission here at Skimbaco Lifestyle is to bring you ideas to live life to the fullest every day. Sometimes happiness requires big life changes, but sometimes making your day better starts with as simple thing as wearing the right shoes. And if you ask Cinderella – having the shoes fit you can be life changing. When it comes to shoe fitting well and comfort, and yet the shoes looking fun and fashionable, we often draw a blank (we did find Earthies and love them!). Sometimes in fashion it’s difficult to combine it all. Hush Puppies has been there for as long as we all can…

• Video of the Week: LMFAO’s ‘Sexy and I Know It’ Blues Cover by Noah

  Katja Presnal

  14 May 2012 | 2:00 pm

  If you are not one of the close to million people who have already seen this cover-song-gone-viral video, watch this cover of LMFAO’s ‘Sexy and I Know It’ by Noah. Honestly I’m not into cover songs on YouTube, unless it’s my friends singing. But this cover of ‘Sexy and I Know It’ is amazing, a blues version, performed by Noah, an 18-year old YouTuber from South Carolina.

• Live a Little: Give a Little

  Katja Presnal

  14 May 2012 | 2:29 am

  Give a Little So often we live our everyday lives thinking how we can get things, and get more of it all. If you are a mother, maybe you are even thinking right now what you got – or didn’t get – for Mother’s Day, and even comparing what you got with other moms. I admit, I want things, experiences, emotions, and I want more of it all to feel I am living life to the fullest. My thirst for wanting more will probably never be fully satisfied. And that’s OK. It’s OK to want and get more in life, but balance it with GIVING. And I don’t talk about the…

• New feature: Swe-DISHES with Skimbaco, Nordic Food Series Coming Soon

  Katja Presnal

  13 May 2012 | 7:30 am

  I’m busy cooking something new. Literally. I’m so happy to be out of our New York apartment and have a larger kitchen and a space to take food photography, and I can’t wait to start sharing more some of our family’s favorite recipes, and new recipes I am inspired to try now when living back in Scandinavia. I was talking about this with a few friends, and Dawn of Party Bluprints said “you should name it Swe-DISHES!” And so here we are… Stay tuned, the first Swe-DISHES with Skimbaco post is coming soon. When you think of Nordic food – what comes…

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  In Pursuit of Happiness

• How to Write a Mission Statement (and Why I Bothered)

  Miss Britt

  16 May 2012 | 12:01 am

  I had considered learning how to write a mission statement for years. Or at least, I’d come across the idea of a mission statement in numerous self help books and productivity seminars and thought, “yeah, that sounds like a good idea, I guess.” But mostly I’d left it in the realm of ‘stuff that sounds good in theory but was probably useless in day-to-day life’, like writing down your goals or going through those stupid exercises on the quitting smoking web site. Of course, I eventually did start writing down my goals and doing those stupid exercises on the…

• Happiness Highlights: The Little Things

  Miss Britt

  14 May 2012 | 12:01 am

  Every Monday, I start my week by highlighting what made me happy from the previous week, because I believe we multiply what we focus on, and that gratitude is the first step in learning how to be happier. Sometimes, happiness bursts into our lives with much fanfare and hoopla. We achieve goals, realize dreams, or make monumental changes that make us happier. But usually, happiness seeps in quietly among the day-to-day business of getting by. Most often, happiness is found in the little things. This was a week of beautiful little things. We helped my mother-in-law get the patio furniture…

• We’re Moving to…

  Miss Britt

  11 May 2012 | 12:01 am

  Pittsburgh! Yep, after driving around the country and visiting dozens of cities, we have decided that the one we’re going to call home is in western Pennsylvania. Even though the only reason we visited Pittsburgh in the first place was because our friend Becky insisted on it, we fell in love with the place instantly. We realized just how much after we left, when we found ourselves comparing everywhere else to the old Steel City. By the end of our trip, we were certain Pittsburgh was where we would make our next home. And then we went back to Florida and realized how hard it was going to…

• The Cost of Progress is Comfort

  Miss Britt

  9 May 2012 | 12:01 am

  Moving forward, getting something new–it always requires a sacrifice. No pain, no gain. Usually, we think we will have to give up our time or money. We are prepared to meet these demands. These are trinkets compared to the real price of change: Comfort Security A sense of belonging Confidence Relationships This is the real cost. This is what you will be asked to give up, to lose, at least temporarily. Looking back over the last several years of my life, I realize that every significant step forward has come at the expense of the comfort of where I was. It seems to be a law of nature.

• Happiness Highlights: Decisions Made, Dreams Realized

  Miss Britt

  7 May 2012 | 12:01 am

  Every Monday, I start my week by highlighting what made me happy from the previous week, because I believe we multiply what we focus on, and that gratitude is the first step in learning how to be happier. This week I was very productive. I plowed through my to-do list every day, tackling both the scary tasks and the simple ones that I tend to put off – like going to the doctor. I saw an NP this week (the one who encouraged my mom to go back to school!), and she helped me adjust my anti-depressants and added Vitamin D to my daily pill intake. I laughed when she told me there was not near…

• 

  Domestic Psychology

• He vs She – patience

  cathy

  15 May 2012 | 2:38 pm

  She: “How did you get so many wonderfully curated Pandora stations? I wasted an entire day pushing songs up and down and I still can’t get an hour of good music.” He: “Only a day?”

• That’s not my name

  cathy

  11 May 2012 | 11:46 am

  The 6-y-o is angry with me because he doesn’t have a nickname. “Lots of people don’t have nicknames. I don’t have a nickname.” “Yes you do! Your nickname is Cathy.” “What do you think my real name is?” “Mommy.”

• Avengers x 2

  cathy

  7 May 2012 | 6:19 pm

  I love movies. My first job was at a Memphis movie theater because, I wanted to see more movies. The spending money was nice, but it was the movies that motivated me to work while still in high school. It turned out to be the perfect job. The staff of teenagers working for less than minimum wage ignored the manager turning off the counters on the arcade machines while the manager allowed the underage employees to run amuck. On days when new reels of film were delivered, the last paid customer would be quickly shooed out of the building and we would be the first in town to screen every…

• Bumpy Day

  cathy

  26 Apr 2012 | 11:17 am

  Hump Day. Wednesdays are the middle of the work/school week. It’s the day that sends us sliding down the hill toward the weekend. Wednesday is a metaphorical bump in the road. Sometimes, Wednesday is less of a playground equipment ladder to climb and more of an obstacle course. It began with a ringing phone, except that it was a melody instead of a ring, but everyone already knows that part of the story. The caller ID on the phone shined brightly. “Nurse Mary” Sweet, wonderful Nurse Mary spoke in her soothing voice as she explained the thirty minute nosebleed, broken…

• Cold feet

  cathy

  21 Apr 2012 | 6:12 pm

  My feet are perpetually cold. While it’s not a new development that would warrant sudden concern about my circulation, my uncomfortably icy feet have gotten progressively more noticeable as the clock spins faster. Frozen feet are at their most annoying when I am trying to sleep. I toss and turn to get comfortable enough to fall asleep only to be awakened repeatedly in the night by my frosty toes. Your significant other might claim that they will always allow you to rub your cold feet against their warm skin. Don’t be fooled. There will come a day when the slightest touch of your…

• 

  kerrianne.org

• Merry Mélange

  Kerri Anne

  4 May 2012 | 4:36 pm

  It was here, while waiting for my brother, that I started this story, although, of course, at the time I did not know that stories of life are often more like rivers than books. But I knew a story had begun, perhaps long ago near the sound of water. And I sensed that ahead I would meet something that would never erode so there would be a sharp turn, deep circles, a deposit, and quietness. -from A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean There are so many stories to tell she isn’t quite sure where to begin. Lately she’s been waffling about where and how and when to best tell her…

• Back Diving

  Kerri Anne

  22 Feb 2012 | 4:07 pm

  I posted a picture of him for a silly Instagram-related game and found him waiting for me in my dreams, something which occurs so rarely it still explodes solidly-constructed dams inside me each time I see his face, mustached and smiling at mine just the way he always did, just the way I always remember him. As usual he didn’t say much, not anything I could hear or remember, but he was there and I knew it, and when I traded dreamscape for a bedroom ceiling speckled with hues of pre-dawn blue my left hand was curled as if his right were still clasped around it, once-distant memories made…

• Hiking Into Green Valleys

  Kerri Anne

  7 Feb 2012 | 11:09 pm

  I have words washed out to sea. Words ushered quietly from my lips to my fingertips, waiting patiently for the right tide, for the moon to bring my stories alive. I have words being reviewed, words accepted and words rejected, and I’m clinging to my favorite lines, fighting for them, and it feels strange and new and exhilaratingly infuriating, this tug-of-war of wills and how the slightest bit of caving can make me feel like I’m flirting with abandoning the sanctity of a story. As it turns out, I’m protective of my phrases, perhaps too much so, and so I’m learning when…

• Rivers And Roads

  Kerri Anne

  31 Dec 2011 | 4:00 pm

  [Alternately titled: Story, The Second: The Girl Who Moved To Washington State] It began simply. A direct message on Twitter first, followed by texts; those texts, in turn, begat plans. With those plans came anxiety and apprehension – I didn’t know you, not your face or your voice or anything else, and I wasn’t sure I was ready to – but also something exciting, a strange and unexpected hope hovering quietly on the horizon. And then we met, conversed and laughed oh so easily, and hours bled across hours. (Evaporating time would become a recurring phenomenon for us.)…

• Story, The First: The Pug Who Moved To California

  Kerri Anne

  29 Dec 2011 | 4:22 pm

  Stories I said I had. Tangential stories and life-changing ones. Until today I haven’t known where, exactly, to begin. And so quiet this space has mostly been because some beginnings are tricky. Sometimes it’s quite impossible to denote where something ended and something else entirely began. I’m not going to be able to tell you everything, but then the best stories never really do, do they? (That’s not a trick question. I promise they don’t.) (Unless the story was penned by Henry James, in which case he probably really IS going to tell you everything. And…

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  SIMPLY STORK

• on with the day…

  Simply Stork

  15 May 2012 | 8:49 am

      I have been crazy busy the last couple of days… I do not see that changing.   Not this week? I will be spending most of my time in the car…which I usually do, but this week is even more so???   So…onward and upward friends. Get out there and enjoy life…no matter what window your view is from :o) ~simply~     I

• For Mom

  Simply Stork

  13 May 2012 | 6:56 am

          Happy Mother’s Day, Mom I Love you. ~simply~

• the waters edge…

  Simply Stork

  30 Apr 2012 | 3:44 pm

      I had a chance to spend some time at the waters edge this weekend. I went alone.  It’s a much different place when one goes with no children along.  I sat  at the edge of the water…listening to the waves slapping onto the rocks…and remembering why they are so smooth.   I sat, noticing the trees that have not yet gotten their leaves…even though I know green is coming, the branches seem so bare…naked. I sat and listened to the wind.  I noticed that there is still a chill in the air, which matched my mood.   I just took the time to sit,…

• how to’s…

  Simply Stork

  25 Apr 2012 | 9:04 am

  My friend keeps asking me how I do “the bun” do?  I told hershe could do it too…My hair is so fine that when i put it into a bunit is usually a teeny tiny thing…ugh!Then I watched this video “how to” by Wendy, and ta-da! :o)Give it a try :o)~simply~

• flowers and such

  Simply Stork

  23 Apr 2012 | 10:35 am

      It has been a rainy spring. With the rain…come many spring flowers. My yard is in full bloom…but sometimes along with flowers…other things grow… like the moss that has attached itself to my roof! **sigh** beautiful , but not a good sign. Time to get to work…hmmmmmmm, now how are we gonna take care of this beautiful, but annoying problem…only one way I can think of… elbow grease.   ~simply~

• 

  iambossy.com

• Two Minutes In The Life Of A Teenage Girl

  BOSSY

  13 May 2012 | 3:56 pm

  In honor of Mother’s Day, join Bossy as she spends two minutes listening to her teenage daughter.

• Ten-Word Tuesday. The For Sale Version

  BOSSY

  17 Apr 2012 | 6:08 am

  Bossy doesn’t just own cars. She marries them. The first car Bossy ever owned was a car inherited from a neighbor. It was a Chevy Impala or something along those lines, where those lines equals lines drawn in the shape of a rectangle: Bossy tried to love this car. She sat in its front seat once, trying to connect with the lingering smell of sitting water, crumbling foam, and tarnished metal. But she just couldn’t. Which is why it was so lucky the car wouldn’t start! So when that car was mercifully towed away, Bossy entered the market for what would become her real first car, and…

• Oklahoma And The Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Years

  BOSSY

  15 Apr 2012 | 7:34 pm

  Bossy recently finished a book about the Great American Dust Bowl, and the worst, hard time created by those events. Which is something of a coincidence since the book is titled The Worst Hard Time. Maybe because The Best Easy Time was already taken. Here’s what happened. Located in the gut of America is a swath of terrain known as the High Plains. The High Plains, which are a part of the Great Plains, encompass western Nebraska, eastern Colorado, western Kansas, eastern New Mexico, western Oklahoma, northwestern Texas, southeastern Wyoming, southwestern South Dakota, and sister mercy…

• Bossy’s Favorite Things

  BOSSY

  15 Apr 2012 | 7:30 pm

  This sensible collection of prom shoes. Sweet.

• Yet Another Little Known Fact

  BOSSY

  15 Apr 2012 | 7:28 pm

  Bossy’s daughter, center, recently attended a Freshman & Sophomore dance.

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  WordPress.com News

• Stay In The Conversation

  Beau Lebens

  15 May 2012 | 6:01 pm

  It’s now much easier for you and your commenters to keep track of the conversations you’re involved in across WordPress.com. Some recent tests have shown that by subscribing commenters to new comments by default, they are more likely to stay engaged and come back and comment more on your blog. With that knowledge, we’ve changed the default comment following behavior to help you get more conversations going on your blog. We made the initial changes last week and after great feedback from you we just launched an update. Here’s how it works: By default, posting a comment…

• Look at These Gorgeous Blogs

  Sheri

  15 May 2012 | 1:05 pm

  We’ve added a user showcase where you can view stunning customizations made by people just like you. From complete redesigns with CSS to adding pizzazz with Custom Fonts to clever use of options like background and header, this showcase will spark your imagination and inspire creativity. Discover details about what each showcase blog is doing with WordPress.com themes and customizations by clicking a thumbnail to see a colophon-style list of credits on the left. We’ve also updated footer links so blog owners can show off the types of customizations they’ve made and visitors can…

• Photo Blogging 101, Part 1

  Erica V.

  14 May 2012 | 10:00 am

  Spring is in the air. With the weather warming up, now is a great time to get started on a photo blog. Creating a photo blog is a wonderful introduction to blogging on WordPress.com or an opportunity to refresh your current site. Ready to get started? You can sign up for a new blog right over here. Getting started Photo blogs, sometimes called phlogs, use pictures instead of words. While many photo bloggers choose a type of photo that they want to focus on, such as portraits, others use their photo blog to document their life’s events. Photo blogs come in a variety of styles, including…

• New Themes: Just Desserts and Oxygen

  Michelle Langston

  10 May 2012 | 8:11 am

  Happy Thursday! We’ve added some exciting new themes to our ever-growing collection, and we’re happy to tell you all about them. First out of the oven is…Just Desserts. Yep, that’s a theme! Designed by Andy Rutledge, Just Desserts is a deliciously stylish premium theme that’s perfect for blogs centered on food. With its responsive, single-column layout and unique presentation of images and posts on the front page, Just Desserts gives you a delectable canvas on which your mouthwatering photos and text can really shine — even when viewed on smaller mobile devices…

• Find Friends Who Use WordPress

  Nick Momrik

  1 May 2012 | 2:32 pm

  Are you curious to see how your friends are using WordPress? Give the new and improved Friend Finder a try to connect with your Twitter, Facebook, and Google contacts who have WordPress sites! After authorizing WordPress.com to use your Twitter, Facebook, or Google account to find your friends (don’t worry — none of this account information is saved!) you’ll see a list of people you know who have WordPress sites. Click Follow and each time your friend publishes a new post it will show up in your Reader under Blogs I Follow. If you have multiple blogs, make sure to set the…

• 

  Family on Bikes

• Please vote for Best Personal Story on CNN IReport

  Nancy

  15 May 2012 | 11:57 am

  Holy freakin’ Batman and Robin! We’ve been nominated for Best Personal Story on CNN IReport! Out of the hundreds of thousands of ireports filed every year, ours is one of six finalists in the Best Personal Story category! VOTE HERE! Although their judges will choose the winner is each of six categories, there is also a Community Choice Awards based on public choice. Would you please vote for us everyday between now and June 11? It’s a quick and easy process of clicking on the button, but would mean so very much to us! How else can you help? Tweet it, share it on Facebook,…

• Happy Mother’s Day!

  Nancy

  13 May 2012 | 12:54 pm

  Memories of the time I spent with my mother are some of the most special memories I have. Make the most of every moment you have with your mom – her days are limited. Unfortunately, I don’t have any photos scanned of me and Mom, but here are a few of my mom with my kids. Enjoy this Post? Join 30,000+ Monthly Readers Don't miss the inspiration! Subscribe to our RSS feed Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Happy Mother’s Day! is a post from: Family on Bikes. Sign up for our monthly newsletter to receive your free e-book: Bicycle Touring with Children; A Guide to Getting…

• I’m a cell phone holdout and proud of it

  Nancy

  13 May 2012 | 1:27 am

  “Nancy, face it. You blew it – you shoulda had a cell phone.” I got it again today. The ol’ a-cell-phone-in-your-pocket-will-save-your-life-and-make-all-your-worries-go-away stuff. You know the drill – if you have a cell phone nothing bad will ever happen and you should never, ever leave your house without it. And frankly, I don’t buy it. When John and Daryl got in an accident in Albuquerque, the response was, “You shoulda had a cell phone.” When we got separated down in Argentina, the response was, “You shoulda had a cell phone.” And today, when I screwed up on my…

• What kind of travel insurance do I need?

  Nancy

  8 May 2012 | 12:25 pm

  “What should I do about travel insurance?” That’s a question we get asked on a fairly regular basis and, frankly, I have a hard time answering. It’s because… well, what is travel insurance? Some people are looking for medical insurance while traveling abroad, others are looking to insure their belongings in case of theft, and still others are looking for trip cancellation insurance in case your trip gets cancelled for some reason. All of the above could be considered “travel insurance.” Wikipedia defines Travel insurance as insurance that is intended to cover medical expenses,…

• How to protect your website from hackers

  Nancy

  7 May 2012 | 12:29 am

  A while ago my wife sat quietly at her computer, responding to comments on our blog. “John,” she frantically shouted, “something’s wrong with our website. Nothing is coming up.” I raced to where our files were stored and my heart sank as I sat staring at the directory on our host provider. We had been hacked. Everything had been deleted and replaced with a single file enticing people to enter their Chase Bank username and password. Dozens of thoughts raced through my mind as I slumped in my chair. “When was the last time I did a backup?” “How am I going to fix this?”…

• 

  The Imperfect Parent

• Attachment Parenting: New Time magazine cover controversy

  IP staff

  10 May 2012 | 12:27 pm

  Okay, so is this beautiful or disgusting? Great or offensive? Controversial or socially prudent? Also, that kid is only three?? Child lead weaning must create super-giganto kids. Is it just us, or does that kid look like a line backer in the 3rd grade? Lastly, why do mothers think they have to go to "extremes" to be "mom enough", ie; good enough?

• Dear Play Date Parent

  Meredith Bland

  5 May 2012 | 12:00 am

  Dear Play Date Parent, Good evening. If my watch is correct, by now you should be shin-deep in vomit and explosive diarrhea. Expect this to continue for another 8-12 hours before your child slips into a damp, angry, sticky stupor. If you are slightly suspicious of my ability to foreshadow your next 24 hours, you have good reason. Yes, my kid was way, way sick today during our play date. Cooper is patient 0. I know, I know. Total parenting foul. I'm sorry. But, hear me out. So... remember all that rain we had last week? And how chilly it was? Just cold and wet and YUCK, am I right?! Right.

• Consequences of cheating in school

  Jessica

  30 Apr 2012 | 5:40 pm

  Recently, a high school student in Redwood City, California was caught cheating on a homework assignment in one of his sophomore classes. The behavior lead to a disciplinary action his father believes could cost him his future. Along with three other students the unidentified teen was demoted and placed in a lower level English class after it was determined that he and four other students shared their homework and copied off each other. Now the teen's father is suing the Sequoia Union High School District, claiming the school district violated his son's due process. Furthermore, the father…

• Homemaker vs. working mom debate resurrected

  Jessica

  16 Apr 2012 | 6:30 pm

  The latest round of the current stay-at-home-mom vs. working mother debate has been refueled. The latest mom choice scrutiny can be attributed to Hilary Rosen, a Democratic political analyst at CNN. Last week, Rosen said that Mitt Romney's wife, Ann Romney, has "never worked a day in her life." The comment left pundits on the right side of the aisle reeling and some on the left side a little embarrassed. Fox News has been beating the drum of the under-appreciated and persecuted stay-at-home-moms as a way to sway the public towards their ideological divide, claiming the comment was hurtful,…

• A Frog Named French Fry

  Kelly Miller

  11 Apr 2012 | 12:00 am

  With boys, it is inevitable that on any given day, your house will become a museum for the many life forms that have been captured. I have tried to implement the rule that unless pre-approved, no creature is allowed into the sanctuary of our house. Of course, I unfortunately left the loophole that outside the house was fine. With that being said and knowing the inner workings of a boy’s mind -- which revolve around gaming systems, taking things apart, and the ever important, can we create a trap to capture something -- one fine summer day we received a new addition to our family. As the…

• 

  David J. Hinson's Logorrhea

• Burning the Ships

  davidjhinson

  24 Apr 2012 | 8:13 am

  Cortez, during the Spanish Conquest of the Americas, was said to have burned his ships, so that there was no returning to the Old World – and ensured that his men were 100% invested in the success of their endeavor. Daily, we read about the latest out-of-this-world valuation on some startup, from someone who isn’t a programmer, or has no formal business training, or has only a partial working brain in their head. Rarely do you hear of the level of commitment that those people have invested in to obtain their “overnight” successes. Being an entrepreneur isn’t…

• Take Only Memories. Leave Only Footprints.

  davidjhinson

  20 Apr 2012 | 8:10 am

  As our lives are being lived ever increasingly digitally, I often think about the electronic footprint I’m leaving behind for posterity. In times past, loved ones passed on years of correspondence – old love letters, journal entries, notes in the margins of calendars – from which those left behind could construct the simulacrum of a life lived. What are we leaving behind today? Arguably, a richer set of media in the form photos posted to Facebook or Instagram, high definition videos of every waking moment, blog posts strewn across the interwebs. It is a paradoxically…

• Creating Calendar Events – Using WebView – in Android

  davidjhinson

  13 Apr 2012 | 2:20 pm

  Hey – it’s been a while. No time like the present to write a post about Android coding. Specifically: “how do I create a calendar event from within a WebView in Android?” First, let’s talk game plan. I am going to construct an url “scheme” that will indicate to a handler that I want to create a calendar event, and not navigate to a web page; then, I need to call an Intent that will allow the event to be created. Easy Peasy. So, for my dates that I wish to portray on a web view, I do something like the following: <a href='date:beginmonth, beginday,…

• You Have to Show Up

  davidjhinson

  14 Feb 2012 | 11:09 am

  I had a friend some twenty years ago – I’ll call him Bill – who opened a small music store in Nashville, on Second Avenue (that was just becoming a revitalized tourist area at the time). What should have been a glowing success (a music store, in the heart of Music City, USA) was instead a complete failure. Within a year, he was out of business. How did this happen? Well, his business plan had two fatal flaws. He sold only music he liked, and He didn’t keep regular, predictable business hours. It sounds simple enough, but simply, consistently, being available, every…

• Geek Breakfast Article in the River Valley Edition of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

  davidjhinson

  13 Feb 2012 | 8:30 am

  Very nice article by Dan Marsh of the Dem-Gaz. Crossing my fingers for a good turnout… and that Bob’s Grill will withstand the onslaught of Conway Geekdom. The Breakfast will be held from 7 until 8 February 23rd at Bob’s Grill in Conway, AR. More event detail may be found here.

• 

  Simple Marriage

• 4 Important Characteristics About Love

  guest

  14 May 2012 | 8:28 am

  Guest post written by Mariana Ashley of online colleges. In the 1950s, social psychologist and philosopher Erich Fromm wrote a groundbreaking book, The Art of Loving: An Enquiry into the Nature of Love. This book presents a refreshingly non-Disney theory about this thing we call love. Unlike most self-help books, The Art of Loving does not presume to have any straightforward answers about your own relationships. Instead, it discusses love philosophically such that you can take from the book what you find most helpful. Here are a few ideas from this work that changed the way I relate to other…

• So, what’s around the corner?

  Corey

  10 May 2012 | 4:47 pm

  [Note: This post is a follow up to my last post. Where I announced some small shifts coming down the road.] First, I want to thank everyone who left encouraging comments in the previous post. Once again, the comments and emails I get from loyal Simple Marriage readers are payments in and of themselves. Anyway, last time ended with a cliffhanger. Two in fact. So, let’s cover the second one. Perhaps you already know about Blow Up My Marriage. But in case you haven’t heard, it’s a 16 week class that has impacted hundreds of people already in deep and lasting ways. The way this…

• Getting personal … Time for a shift

  Corey

  8 May 2012 | 1:08 pm

  [Note: I'm embarking on something new and I want you to hear the story behind it.] In January 2008, Simple Marriage began as a place to spread a “be all marriage can be” message. At that time I was writing a weekly column for a small town newspaper about marriage and family life and began posting the articles online as well. After only posting a few articles, people began finding them and reading, and more excitingly, commenting. I was hooked. I stopped writing for the paper and thanks to the medium of this blog, I was able to interact with people from all over the world and was…

• Growing in your current relationship

  Corey

  7 May 2012 | 9:31 am

  Post written by Dr. Corey Allan. Last week’s post, You’re already in the right relationship, generated some great comments and emails. Apparently the ideas presented resonated with many of you. I received several requests for a follow up that contains some concrete next steps or tips for taking the growing up process in marriage to the next level. Unfortunately, there are no concrete steps that work for everyone, because as you know, marriage is not a one size fits all thing. However, there are some principles and some dynamics already at play in every marriage that can be…

• Lighter Side: Take it to the next level

  Jerry

  3 May 2012 | 8:22 pm

  Lighter Side: Take it to the next level is a post from: Simple Marriage Click the post title to leave a comment.

• 

  Daring to Live Fully

• Time Investment: Invest Your Time Instead of Spending It

  Marelisa

  12 May 2012 | 12:06 am

  Piggy Savings Bank There’s a huge difference between spending time and investing it. The word “spending” means that you’re using something up or exhausting it. When you spend time, you’re not really looking to get anything back.  When you invest in something you expend resources, but you do so with an expectation of getting a good return on your investment (ROI). Investing your time means that you engage in activities which are calculated to bring you meaningful rewards. “Investing” and “ROI” are terms which, up until now, you’ve probably heard only when it comes to…

• Finding the Work You Love: The Intersection of Passion, Talent, and Opportunity

  Marelisa

  11 May 2012 | 1:58 am

  Cupcakes from Buttercup Bake Shop In the early 1990’s, Robert Tuchman was working at Lehman Brothers in New York City.  At the time, he dreaded Sunday nights because he knew that the next day he had to get up and show up at a job he hated.  Robert came to the realization that life was too short to stick around in a job that wasn’t for him.  He wanted to follow his passion: sports. Here’s what Robert has to say about following your passion: “I feel it’s essential that you are able to marry your work and what you love. This passion will ignite the minds of your potential clients…

• Six Videos to Inspire Your Bucket List

  Marelisa

  8 May 2012 | 4:25 pm

  One Giant Leap for Matt! If you’ve been thinking of creating a bucket list, but you just haven’t gotten around to it, it may be that all you need is a little inspiration. Here are six videos which will inspire you to get started writing down everything you want to be, do, and have in life. (If you’re reading this by email, you may have to click over to the blog to watch the videos.) Poet Gabrielle Bouliane Poet Gabrielle Bouliane gave a brilliant performance at the Austin Poetry Slam after being told by her doctor that she was dying of cancer. She passed away shortly after giving said…

• The Other 8 Hours: Use Your Free Time to Create Wealth

  Marelisa

  6 May 2012 | 5:31 pm

  If you’re like most people, you have a job that takes up about eight hours of your day, and you sleep for eight hours a day. That leaves you with eight hours a day of free time (or, better stated, time that is your own). What are you doing with your free time? Are you making good use of that time? Those are the questions that Robert Pagliarini asks in his book, The Other 8 Hours: Maximize Your Free Time to Create New Wealth & Purpose. The premise of “The Other 8 Hours” is simple: Anyone can improve their life, if they find some free time in which to do so. In addition, you can…

• How to Start Your Day the Right Way

  Marelisa

  1 May 2012 | 1:40 am

  Golden Light On the Duckpond In her bestselling book “Eat, Pray, Love”, Elizabeth Gilbert writes the following: “You need to learn how to select your thoughts just the same way you select your clothes every day.” If you’re looking for a great way to improve your life, take Gilbert’s advice: start your day the right way by selecting your thoughts for the day. In this post I’m going to discuss two methods for doing this. The first of these methods is from the book “Today We Are Rich: Harnessing the Power of Total Confidence”, and the second is from a YouTube video titled…

• 

  Handy Man Fix Home Repair

• Thermostats 101

  keira

  16 May 2012 | 8:47 am

  On occasion, you should test your thermostat with a thermometer to verify that it is giving accurate readings. Place your thermometer next to your thermostat for around ten minutes, and then compare the readings of each. As long as they read within 5 degrees of each other, then your thermostat is functioning properly. If the readings are greater than 5 degrees from each other, then it needs to be replaced (if electronic) or recalibrated (if Mercury switch based). Many people make the simple mistake of lowering the thermostat by too much in the evening. If the thermostat change is greater than…

• How to Update the Bathroom for Two

  keira

  15 May 2012 | 8:40 pm

  If there are two of you sharing a bathroom, it can be frustrating if you are both dealing with the same sink. One of the easiest ways to update a bathroom for two is to add another sink. But you want to do it in a way that is attractive -- and that doesn't take up too much room. Updating the bathroom for two requires some planning. Make Sure You Have Enough Room The first thing you need to do is to have enough room in your bathroom. Before you start looking at bathroom vanities, it is a good idea to know how much room you have. Use your tape measure, and get some graphing paper. Use the graph…

• Taking Care of Stained Wooden Floors

  keira

  15 May 2012 | 8:37 am

  Whether you live in an old house that has original wooden floors, or if you have a pet problem with staining, taking care of stained wooden floors doesn’t have to be difficult. Before you think about replacing expensive wooden floors, there are a few options that you can try that are much more cost effective. These simple solutions may help you save quite a bit of money. The first step to take is to determine what the stain is, if at all possible. If you are dealing with pet stains, then the cause should be obvious. This can be a problem, especially if urine or feces have soaked through the…

• Choosing Beginning Woodworking Projects

  keira

  14 May 2012 | 8:34 pm

  When you are thinking about beginning woodworking projects as part of a new woodworking hobby, there are a variety of different ways that you can get the help, the information and the resources that you need. Many people are originally introduced to the art of beginning woodworking in school, and so they already have a fairly basic idea of the basics behind beginning woodworking. Pursuing this hobby further is something that can be extremely rewarding, especially because it will allow you to create items that are functional as well as decorative. These items are surely going to be appreciated…

• Easy Ways to Increase The Value of Your Home

  keira

  14 May 2012 | 8:26 am

  As the housing market continues to struggle, many homeowners are looking into ways to increase the value of their homes. However, a common issue that keeps these homeowners from making improvement is the lack of availability on home improvement loans, and a lack of available funding. Luckily, there are many small fixes that can be done to increase the value of your home and many of them cost less than $500, and in some cases, less than $50. The first step is to determine where you want to start in your home. Changes made to the exterior are usually considered to be more valuable from an…

• 

  Lyved

• Kickstarter deadline ended but the dream and journey continues

  Andrew Galasetti

  26 Apr 2012 | 8:46 pm

  Hi Everyone, As you may have noticed, my Kickstarter campaign for To Breathe Free has ended without reaching its goal of $3,500. Thank you to all of those who pledged and spread the word about the project. I’m very happy with the accomplishments we’ve achieved. This is in no way the end. The dream and journey “to breathe free” continues! Please stay tuned as I’ll be reflecting further about not giving up on dreams in a post that will appear early in May. I will also share in this post what the next step for To Breathe Free is. Thank you again for all that you’ve given me! I’m…

• 2 days left of To Breathe Free’s Kickstarter project!

  Andrew Galasetti

  23 Apr 2012 | 8:43 pm

  Just two days left for To Breathe Free‘s Kickstarter project! Thank you to all those who have helped and read these updates. I greatly appreciate your time and generosity. We could still use some more help though. A pledge of even just $1 is a huge help. $4 will allow you to receive a copy of To Breathe Free when it is ready for publication. And $8 will buy you two copies of To Breathe Free. If you can’t pledge anything, a tweet, like on Facebook, or share anywhere else is another amazing way to help! For full details on To Breathe Free, to share, or to make a pledge, please visit…

• 7 days left for To Breathe Free’s Kickstarter

  Andrew Galasetti

  19 Apr 2012 | 9:11 am

  Just 7 days left for To Breathe Free‘s Kickstarter campaign. To learn more and to make pledge ($4 secures you a copy of To Breathe Free), please visit here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tobreathefree/to-breathe-free-a-novel Thank you! Andrew

• To Breathe Free mentioned on popular news site International Business Times

  Andrew Galasetti

  13 Apr 2012 | 5:32 pm

  Hi again Lyved readers, Thank you so much for reading these updates on my novel project To Breathe Free. The Kickstarter deadline of April 26th is fast approaching and I’m continuing to work hard to get the word out. To Breathe Free just received a mention on the popular news site International Business Times in an article titled “Why Some Authors Are Turning To Self-Publishing.” If you have a moment, I invite you to please read the article here: http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/328029/20120413/ebooks-self-publishing-breathe-free.htm and please consider tweeting it, liking it on…

• Update 2 on my novel To Breathe Free

  Andrew Galasetti

  9 Apr 2012 | 5:03 pm

  Hi Lyved readers, Andrew again for my latest Kickstarter update. This weekend saw a nice boost for my novel To Breathe Free’s Kickstarter campaign. 5% of my goal has been achieved with just about 2 weeks left. The momentum is starting to build and once it does, my goal of $3,500 will be achieved very quickly. I also wanted to share an article that I wrote titled “Fight like hell for your literary dreams!” I know that all the writers out there will really enjoy it. Please click here to read it and please do share it on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, or anywhere else. Stay tuned…

• 

  Sparkplugging Blog Network

• Plant Life for Kids

  15 May 2012 | 10:51 am

  A while back, I created a great set of worksheets and printables for teaching kids about the plant life cycle. It also included a mini-book! Here are two more multiple choice worksheets that are great for older children and a good compliment to the first set of class materials. Parts of Plants Worksheet Plant Life Worksheet Plant Life Cycle Sequence Plant Life Mini Book You might also like these printable worm alphabet letters or these easy tissue paper flowers, too!

• Easy Kid’s Biology Experiment: Sprouting Food

  14 May 2012 | 12:31 pm

  Teach Your Kids Where Their Food Comes From When I started writing for Classroom Jr., I asked some of my teacher and homeschooler friends what types of things would be most useful for them.  One of the responses I got was that because budgets are so tight, it’s pretty hard to find science experiments that are both accessible and affordable.  That’s exactly why one of my very first posts was Six Inexpensive Science Experiments for Kids (And Where to Find More). So, now wherever I travel around the web, I always keep my eyes open for new ideas that fit in with this need.  While surfing…

• Toddler Friendly Gardening

  10 May 2012 | 9:57 am

  Toddler Friendly Gardening 3 years ago, I never would have believed that I would have a child and that BABY would have her own garden.  Parenting is eye opening in so many ways and this Spring, I learned that my 2.5 year old can handle her own garden! Related Pages: Make Garden Markers, Bird Feeder Craft, Kids Stick Crafts Whether you have 10 acres or only a back patio, you easily create a TODDLER GARDEN. My top choice for a toddler’s first crop:  POTATOES!   Potato Plant in Our Garden   Potatoes are hardy, plentiful and practically foolproof!  They grow quickly and can be…

• Brave Set to Release on June 22

  9 May 2012 | 9:24 am

  Disney / Pixar's Brave Coming Soon in June 2012 I have yet to take my four-year-old to a movie in a theatre, but this may very well be the one that makes it happen.  Disney/Pixar is releasing Brave at the end of June, and it looks like it’s going to be a good one.  Just the visuals alone have been enough to suck me in, and I’m pretty much smitten with the red-haired heroine of this female-centered story.  I hear it’s supposed to be a bit dark—more in line with old-school fairy tales, though—so I’ll probably have to see it first to determine if it’s suitable for my little…

• Preschool Science Lesson: Nature Observation Baskets

  8 May 2012 | 9:30 am

  A beach theme is just one approach to take with your nature observation basket. I loved this nature basket idea from Pink and Green Mama so much that not only did we set one up at our house, but we even expounded on it.  This is a great way to bring some nature into the classroom, as well as to practice those observation skills that are so important for science fundamentals. Related Pages: Kids Beach Crafts, Fall Leaf Crafts, Stick Crafts The basic idea is to have a specific basket into which you put a variety of nature-related items, along with a magnifying glass.  There’s pretty…

• 

  Eternal Ramblings of a Confused Mind

• Going Home?

  2 May 2012 | 4:00 am

  In just over a week, I will be on my way to the US for an extended visit. I am both dreading and looking forward to it. Looking forward because I will get to see friends that are very dear to me and spend time with my family and mom. I am also dreading it, as I will spend time with my family and mom. It’s my catch-22. Don’t get me wrong, I love my mom and family in my own sort of way, but for

• Everything Is Going To Be OK

  24 Apr 2012 | 7:15 am

  I have thought about writing this post for a long time, but always chose not to. I am afraid it will make me sound like an ungrateful jerk, but as I hear similar things from various people, I have decided to just put it out there. Before I get to the topic at hand, I want to say that all the support everyone has shown for me is humbling and amazing. It has reconnected me with a lot of people

• 124 Days

  23 Apr 2012 | 5:03 am

  <!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal.dotm 0 0 1 626 3572 Advaia 29 7 4386 12.0 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal";

• Changes

  20 Apr 2012 | 2:27 am

  <!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal.dotm 0 0 1 251 1435 Advaia 11 2 1762 12.0 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal";

• Identity

  11 Apr 2012 | 3:03 am

  I haven’t written in awhile. I wish I could say because it was due to being busy with cool projects and lots of fun stuff. But, the truth is, I am not in a good place at all and not really sure what it all means or how it will all work out. If it will work out. After the stroke, I quickly became aware of the challenges I was facing, such as the inability to walk and learning to function

• 

  But You Dont Look Sick? support for those with invisible illness or chronic illness

• Who knew a simple thing like a phone could make life so much easier? Vtech phone system LS6475-3

  Christine

  11 May 2012 | 12:19 pm

  I recently received a new phone system and I am in love. Who knew such a simple thing as a phone could make your life so much easier, and any mom knows that she needs to make her life easier.The VTech phone system, model LS6475-3 is a cordless hands free phone, with two handsets. I [...]

• Product Review: KIND Bars Snacks – Yummy, Healthy, Easy and Gluten-Free!

  Christine

  26 Apr 2012 | 9:34 am

  It can be tricky when you are on a special diet, like gluten-free or are simply trying to eat healthier. Seems like the most nutritious foods aren’t very appealing, and the most yummy goodies are nothing more than empty calories that derail you from your goals. And what about convenience? You want something you can tuck into [...]

• Hellllllooooooo Monday!

  Christine

  16 Apr 2012 | 11:38 am

  Monday came earlier than I expected if you know what I mean. I Wasn’t ready for the morning as the sun peaked in my window. I wanted to curl up under my covers and pretend I had “just one more hour”. But I know I would be asking for just one more hour of rest [...]

• Christine Miserandino featured in Johnson & Johnson’s first Lupus video on their dedicated YouTube health channel!

  Christine

  3 Apr 2012 | 8:58 pm

  I am honored to say I was chosen to be featured in Johnson & Johnson Network’s first Lupus video. They already have a huge catalog of informative, non branded videos on their health dedicated youtube channel… but now we can finally add Lupus to the list of health, disease and medical topics! Learn a little bit about [...]

• The “spoonie” Small Print

  Christine

  2 Apr 2012 | 12:11 pm

  Batteries not included. Shipping and handling extra. Minimum purchase required. Small print is everywhere and on just about everything. I come with a Spoonie version of small print: if I feel up to it. Whenever I make plans, I always have to add “if I feel up to it.” I never know how I will [...]

• 

  quoteflections

• Time to Move On

  25 Apr 2012 | 11:00 pm

  Dear Readers, It's been a good run. I have decided to move on to other pursuits and interests. This online journal has been a stimulating hobby for me over the last few years and I have appreciated your readership very much. Best wishes to all who may have gleaned some enrichment from this site. Paul What we call the beginning is often the end And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.~ T. S. Eliot

• Success and Value

  24 Apr 2012 | 11:00 pm

  To burn always with a hard, gem like flame, that's success in life. ~ Robert W. Marks  Success is that old ABC - ability, breaks, and courage. ~ Charles Luckman   Try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become one of value. ~Albert Einstein

• Treasures of the Morning

  23 Apr 2012 | 11:00 pm

  Expect problems and eat them for breakfast. ~ Alfred A. Montapert  Hope is a good breakfast but a bad supper. ~ Francis Bacon  I used to love night best but the older I get the more treasures and hope and joy I find in morning. ~ Terri Guillemets

• Expect Nothing

  22 Apr 2012 | 11:01 pm

  The best thing to do with the best things in life is to give them up.  ~Ambrose BierceBlessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.  ~Jonathan Swift The best things in life are not things.  ~ Art Buchwald

• #238 Lucid Intervals

  20 Apr 2012 | 11:01 pm

  Lucid intervals and happy pauses. ~Francis Bacon Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop. ~ Ovid Reverie is when ideas float in our mind without reflection or regard of the understanding. ~ John Locke

• 

  Heather A Goodman

• On Reading

  heather

  15 May 2012 | 12:06 pm

  I’ve always loved books. I fell in love with books before I could read, when my parents would read story after story to me, and I’d memorize the stories, and my mom would tell her friends that I could read before I could because I not only knew the books word-for-word, but I knew when to turn the pages and where to look at which words. (Don’t worry–she always revealed her joke before they called the nightly news.) Year after year, I handed my parents my Christmas list–a list of books. Then I’d spend Christmas day and the rest of the week finishing those…

• Belonging: Finding a Home in Church

  heather

  10 May 2012 | 11:07 am

  Ed Cyzewski has been doing a series on Belonging (I highly recommend following both that series as well as his Women in Ministry series). Inspired by his words (as I often am), I decided to give you a snippet of my story and how I’ve learned that I can belong in a church that hurt me. A few years ago, our church canceled the service my husband and I attended. A word about this service: it was more than a place that played the kind of music with which we connected, that worshiped the way we wanted to worship, that included people who looked and thought and felt like we do. It was a place…

• Going Small

  heather

  2 May 2012 | 11:11 am

  There’s that commercial that begins with a montage of people, in corporate meetings, on the news, on stage, on talk shows: “big, big, big, big” when one guy says, “small.” I feel like that one guy. We like things big: bigger houses, bigger ideas, bigger audience, congregation, or reach. The smallest coffee we can buy is “tall.” We shop at Costco to buy big quantities and swear to big resolutions for big weight-loss. We want the biggest opportunity, biggest impact, biggest legacy. God works in the big: mass exodus from Egypt, the 3000 added to the 150…

• The Road Trips and the Book Crates

  heather

  26 Apr 2012 | 3:33 pm

  The unspoken rules of packing for the car trip: one suitcase max per person. Unlimited books allowed. We packed the minivan with cooler and blue and red crates of books, removed the middle seats and spread out the sleeping bags (this was before all the crazy seat-belt and car-seat laws–anyone else feel nostalgic for those days?), cued the tapes (nobody knew his secret ambition), and settled in for 26 hours of reading. Of course, after the 26-hour marathon, we had several weeks ahead of us–time spent at grandparents’ homes, time spent in Ocean City, time spent at family…

• Magic and Craft: Calvin Festival of Faith and Writing 2012

  heather

  24 Apr 2012 | 11:46 am

  Chimamanda Adichie said fiction is magic and craft. This sums up not only fiction (and indeed all of art) but also the Festival of Faith and Writing. I attended because I think Jonathan Safran Foer takes risks with the form of fiction that few take and because I’m slightly in love with Chimamanda Adichie. I couldn’t wait to hear them speak about their writing and, specifically, their writing process. I was not disappointed. They challenged me and encouraged me to play, experiment, take risks, and yes, fail. Art reflects life, and since life changes, so should art. We have freedom…

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  Carrie and Danielle

• Top 7 US travel destinations

  BB

  14 May 2012 | 3:21 pm

  The United States is easily one of the most popular countries to visit in the world and so it is not a surprise that people continue to try and get their ESTA US Visas as soon as possible so that they can visit the country. All you really need [...] No related posts.

• Do-It-Yourself Catering vs. Calling the Pros: Four Rules of Thumb to Consider

  Danielle

  9 May 2012 | 1:12 pm

  Most of us would hire a caterer for every meal if we had the money, but cost isn’t the only factor that should affect this decision. Despite the natural variation personal preference will provoke in the DIY vs. pro catering debate, there are several rules of thumb that can [...] No related posts.

• 5 Tips To Have A Healthier Office

  Danielle

  19 Apr 2012 | 4:57 pm

  Keeping your office healthy can be approached in a number of ways. Creating a healthy office environment isn’t limited to just how clean the work surfaces are, but also the overall health of co-workers, employees, and other staff members. Consider these tips when enacting healthy initiatives in your office: Better vending [...] No related posts.

• Power tool safety

  Danielle

  17 Apr 2012 | 4:16 pm

  Power tools offer a wide range of conveniences and have become everyday machines for a number of people. All sorts of power tools include modern safety features that help keep you safe from harm. Although everything from drills to table saws are commonplace in the average home, you must [...] No related posts.

• Does Audio Yoga Really Work?

  BB

  16 Apr 2012 | 9:39 am

  A yoga class in audio format is the perfect solution for home or self practice.   So many times I have tried to follow a Yoga DVD only to find that I am unable to commit to the practice because my eyes are always being drawn towards the TV to find out what [...] No related posts.

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  Steve's Free

• Letting Go and Being There

  Steve Woodruff

  13 May 2012 | 6:30 am

  It was an unwritten understanding in the home where I was raised – growing up meant learning independence. Parents weren’t hovercrafts, and kids weren’t treated as helpless babies. To this day, in our home, we have imported one of the famous sayings from my parents’ house: “Get it yourself!” During my college years, I was going through quite a bit of personal and worldview turbulence. Not uncommon at that age. My Mom was always there, supportive, ready to help, even if some of my thought processes were perplexing. Mom and Dad had let go, but they were still…

• Heading to Haiti (join us?)

  Steve Woodruff

  29 Apr 2012 | 1:51 pm

  When I went to Haiti on a construction mission earlier this year, I was more than a little surprised by the amount of interest shown by people across a whole spectrum of my network. It was very encouraging to feel like I was there representing a lot of concerned and caring people. Some of you indicated you’d like to find a way to help. Well, here’s your chance! I’m going back (with our medical team this time) in June. But, even better, a bunch of kids from our church youth group are heading to Haiti to work with the kids in a very poor neighborhood in Cap Haitian. My son Ben…

• Isaiah’s Keyboard

  Steve Woodruff

  29 Apr 2012 | 7:58 am

  Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. (Isaiah 55:6-7 ESV) With open arms and abundant forgiving grace, God invites every one of us – any one of us – to return to Him. That for which you hit the Delete key in repentance (which is part of the turning/returning) is worthless compared to lifelong fellowship with the God who made you. Subscribe to Steve’s Free via e-mail or…

• Jesus at the Beach

  Steve Woodruff

  22 Apr 2012 | 6:43 am

  Earlier this month, Sandy and I spent a couple of relaxing days at Cape May (NJ), where the houses are Victorian, the breezes are fresh, and the beaches are wide. The only downer was the vicious cold I developed just in time for our little getaway. But even that couldn’t take away the loveliness of our stay. Actually, I used to be much more of a “downer” person. My tendency is to be introspective, perfectionistic, even negative – and when looking within my own soul, I could catalog ten thousand reasons why I didn’t measure up. I would stare within and find an…

• And He Began to Walk…

  Steve Woodruff

  8 Apr 2012 | 8:03 am

  One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of…

• 

  Caffeinated Thoughts

• Christian Rhetoric and Engagement in “Culture Wars”

  Shane Vander Hart

  15 May 2012 | 7:30 pm

  Personally I hate the term “culture wars,”  I’m not at war with those whom I disagree.  I am not battling with those with opposing yard signs or who vote differently than I do.  I can resonate to a point with younger evangelicals’ tiredness of such rhetoric even if I don’t agree with their response.  I have said, numerous times, that culture won’t be changed through politics.  There is nothing that Washington, DC can do to reverse a moral decline.  Revival won’t start in Congress and it is unlikely that our President will lead us, as a nation, to…

• Obama’s Name Dropping

  Shane Vander Hart

  15 May 2012 | 4:15 pm

  Usually people when they name drop they drop another person’s name into a conversation.  Not so with our President.  President Obama’s staff has dropped his name into former Presidents’ official biographies at Whitehouse.gov.  The Obama administration has added bullet points to every President’s biography since Calvin Coolidge with the exception of the late President Jimmy Carter Gerald Ford (brain lapse, my apologies to the Carter family). Some examples via Commentary Magazine: On Feb. 22, 1924 Calvin Coolidge became the first president to make a public radio address to the…

• The FAMiLY LEADER Endorses Pro-Family Candidates for Iowa Republican Primary

  Caffeinated Thoughts

  15 May 2012 | 2:00 pm

  Pleasant Hill, Iowa. – The FAMiLY LEADER announces their endorsements of nine pro-family, pro-constitutional candidates for the June 5th Iowa Republican primary. The following new candidates have secured the endorsement of The FAMiLY LEADER because of their proven ability to lead and stand firm for constitutional, conservative pro-family principles. Joan Acela:  House District 25 Dennis Guth:  Senate District 4 Jane Jech:  Senate District 36 Jeff Mullen:  Senate District 22 The following incumbent candidates have shown bold conservative leadership and have represented…

• Charlotte Lozier Institute Unveils New Website

  Caffeinated Thoughts

  15 May 2012 | 12:00 pm

  Washington, D.C. – Today the Charlotte Lozier Institute, the education and research arm of Susan B. Anthony List, unveiled its new web site at www.lozierinstitute.org.  The web site will be a hub for research and public policy analysis on some of the most pressing issues facing the United States and nations around the world. The site features commentaries, reviews and blog posts by an array of policy experts and scholars whose work covers statistics, medicine, bioethics, health care and law. “We envision lozierinstitute.org as a crossroads for both new information and fresh analysis of…

• Politicians Play “Heads I Win, Tails You Lose”

  Tom Hill

  15 May 2012 | 10:45 am

  No one likes to lose, even at Tic-Tac-Toe or flipping a coin. The phrase, “Heads I win, tails you lose,” describes those who attempt to use trickery to prevent losing to their opponents. It also illustrates the politicians’ current attempts to frame issues to assure that their positions will win. Presently, debate rages over wealth redistribution, taking from the wealthy to give to the poor. For many months, politicians have disputed the pros and cons of this issue. Primarily, the subject concentrates upon increased taxes upon the rich (without defining them). They think that increased…

• 

  Blogs Are Stupid

• Out of the Mouths Of Babes

  21 Apr 2012 | 9:52 am

  I'm bringing this one back because the baby in this picture is SEVENTEEN years old today. I could say all kinds of stuff about how time flies and what an amazing young man he's growing into. It does and he is, but I've said it all on birthdays past. I'm just going to think about those days...because I can I remember it with PERFECT clarity...and how much I enjoyed that time of our lives. I got

• Powerful

  15 Apr 2012 | 2:44 pm

  On Thursday, I attended a 3 day leadership conference for Weight Watchers. I don't mind divulging that I was scared out of my mind. See, I'm a comfort zone kind of gal. Which is to say, I really prefer to stay in it. I like things familiar, comfortable, routine. But during the course of my...hmm. What word describes the changes I've experienced both body and soul over the last couple of years?

• Pretty Is As Pretty Does

  11 Apr 2012 | 1:02 pm

  The other day at Starbuck's, I was waited upon by a devastatingly handsome young man. He was the kind of handsome that would have intimidated me when I was a younger woman. I would have considered him "out of my league". But he was very friendly and unassuming despite his looks. I wondered, briefly, if that was simply his nature or if his parents had gone to great lengths to keep him grounded and

• Hopeful

  27 Feb 2012 | 4:48 pm

  Hope. Someone just told me (indirectly) that I have no hope because I don't have God in my life. Let me tell all of you something... 2009 and 2010 and parts of 2011 have been the hardest years of my life. I lost my Mom, I suffered a devastating and frightening illness, my husband lost his job TWICE and my youngest son was diagnosed with Asperger's. But I did not lose hope. Did I

• Judge Not, Lest Ye Also Be Judged

  17 Feb 2012 | 12:11 pm

  When my oldest son was three I enrolled him in a Mommy's morning out program. I had searched high and low for a program not affiliated with a church or religious group, to no avail. With two small children; one just an infant, and no family support to speak of, I was absolutely desperate for some down time. So against my misgivings, I signed him up. Since the baby's nap coincided nicely with

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  Dominick Evans

• FACESPACE – First Official Trailer

  Dominick

  21 Apr 2012 | 1:31 am

  Well – boys and girls, mommies and daddies, here it is! The first official trailer from FACESPACE – the web series about crazy people interacting online and off! I directed, co-wrote, edited and starred in FACESPACE. So, this is my baby. It’s all of ours. I have a GREAT cast and crew to thank for making it so wonderful. Without further ado, check out FACESPACE. Don’t forget to like the video if you think it’s awesome and leave comments with your thoughts! Also, check out our teaser trailer and promo at the same YouTube Channel. Technorati Tags: web series,…

• Update on My LIfe

  Dominick

  21 Apr 2012 | 1:22 am

  Well, things are a bit calmer. I took a mental health day, to cool down, let things blow over and really contemplate what’s going on in my life, school wise. It is really important I finish school. I owe debt, so I think I need to get something out of the money I’ve wasted. I also don’t think its a good lesson to teach the kid. I don’t want him to think we can just drop out and quit things when the going gets tough. At the same time, I feel it is important he knows that if you are in an unhealthy situation, you need to get out of it. So, as of now, my path is…

• The Wright State Film Department – Cripples Need Not Apply

  Dominick

  18 Apr 2012 | 12:58 am

  I have endured too much. People do not even recognize the pervasive oppressiveness they give to people with disabilities. I know talking about it means that people who don’t understand oppression for those with disabilities will think it is my imagination. Ash stopped coming to class with me because she could not bear to watch the way I was being treated. I could keep my mouth shut and suck it up. Heck, I even made excuses. Maybe I was being sensitive. Maybe I just didn’t give my peers a chance. Maybe I just was too old for them to want to bother – then came this quarter. My…

• Able-Bodied People of the World – Tomorrow It Could Be You

  Dominick

  17 Apr 2012 | 1:49 am

  Imagine this: tomorrow you go to get out of bed and you cannot sit up without help. You need assistance to dress yourself, use the bathroom, and even get into a wheelchair. You require help eating because you cannot lift your hand to your mouth. You cannot hop in a car and drive off to work or school. You must find other ways to get around. You might require a ventilator to help you breathe or rely on multiple medications to handle the pain you endure just to sit up in your wheelchair every day. You require assistance with activities of daily living but your mind is still as sharp as a tack.

• Raising Money for my Short Film, Forbidden Fate

  Dominick

  24 Mar 2012 | 11:18 pm

  I am raising money for my short film, Forbidden Fate. My goal is to raise enough money for post-production work such as hiring someone to develop a score for it. This is essential because the film is silent. The music will provide another level of emotion to an already emotional piece. I also plan to pay for the digitization of the film. Right now, it is on an old-fashioned film reel. By digitizing it, I can do a few editing touchups in Final Cut Pro (truthfully, most of the editing is already done). It also allows for me to submit my work to various film festivals. I am particularly…

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  Yellaphant

• When I ride my beach cruiser through town

  Bridget Horne

  15 May 2012 | 4:13 pm

  (via Shlooby Kitten) Hooray for beach cruiser season! Because beers are just so much more delicious when you pedal to them.

• Wednesday's Song of the Week

  Bridget Horne

  9 May 2012 | 9:33 am

  Last night B and I watched Drive and wow. I mean seriously. Wow. Ryan Gosling. Wow. This movie is incredible. Besides the breathtaking plot and stunning cinematography, the accompanying soundtrack is so perfect it's hard for me to think of another movie that has used music so seamlessly and powerfully. Garden State this is not. See this movie immediately.  

• Messages I could leave my nurse

  Bridget Horne

  3 May 2012 | 1:27 pm

  When you spend a long stretch of time in the hospital, little pleasantries of life can quickly become the very big things. A nap, a good movie on TV, a visit from friends, permission to suck on some ice, a cup of apple juice, THE ABILITY TO EAT SOLID FOOD, and -- perhaps most of all -- a good nurse. I had a lot of good nurses during my time in the hospital this year, but there was one in particular who was a nursing all-star. She was kind, incredibly considerate, uber attentive, and -- most importantly -- she was totally irreverent and she made me laugh on the daily basis. Since leaving the…

• Wednesday's Song of the Week

  Bridget Horne

  2 May 2012 | 9:30 am

  My fellow music loving co-worker and I have been swapping discs recently and there are few things in this world that get me as excited as being handed some fresh new music. I told you already about a new love, First Aid Kit, and then came the new Jack White album, Blunderbuss (HOLY MOLY, YA'LL), but then yesterday I slid the new Dr. John album into my car stereo and WOAH. Dr. John provides the perfect soundtrack for almost any time of day, but there are two points in particular when his funk really gets my heart racing, head nodding, and foot tapping: day drinking time and that point in the…

• Happy Friday

  Bridget Horne

  27 Apr 2012 | 2:54 pm

  How psyched are you that Friday's here? I can some my emotions up in one word. (via Shlooby Kitten)

• 

  JordonCooper.com

• Cymric United Church

  Jordon Cooper

  11 May 2012 | 8:30 am

  Tweet

• Better days

  Jordon Cooper

  9 May 2012 | 10:07 am

  Tweet

• Bring it on

  Jordon Cooper

  8 May 2012 | 10:00 am

  Tweet

• Out for a walk

  Jordon Cooper

  7 May 2012 | 10:15 am

  Tweet

• Monday

  Jordon Cooper

  7 May 2012 | 7:26 am

  TweetThe weekend that was: On Friday night I dropped by the Rook and Raven to celebrate Sean Shaw’s birthday.  On Saturday morning we took Oliver up to the cabin for a night of rest and relaxation.  It was so relaxing that other than filling the bird feeder, I got nothing else I want done accomplished which was okay.  I did manage to get in a long nap, an extended game of fetch in the lake with Maggi, and a good night’s sleep. I also realized that the last time I spent some time at the cabin, I came home and quit my job the next day.   A lot has happened since I…

• 

  It's my life...

• Magic and learning at Disney World

  14 May 2012 | 3:03 pm

  28 years ago, give or take a few months, I went to Disney World for the first time. Until two weeks ago, it also happened to be the last time. So, there I was, packing for a very short trip to Disney World, not sure what to bring, even less sure what to expect. Only one thing was certain, with less than 48 hours to spend in Florida and many of those being taken up by sleep and conference sessions, I didn't really think I'd have time to explore the parks. I thought for sure I'd be able to avoid the ride that had caused me sheer terror as a 7 year-old. Here's a helpful hint: Don't tell your…

• Off to camp we go... this summer

  12 May 2012 | 4:43 pm

  OK, so that last post about camp? Where I said I was signing up the girls? Yeah, I got sidetracked and I didn't. Then the weather turned nasty and I completely forgot that summer was just around the corner.Guess what?Summer is just around the corner.I think I've decided that we're going to take a whole lot of down-time this summer. Instead of a summer filled with plans, activities, and things to do, I want the girls to have a summer filled with bug catching, digging in dirt, and letting their imagination roam free.How lucky for me that my procrastination is going to help them get lots of…

• Deep thoughts on the color pink

  11 May 2012 | 12:56 pm

  At first it was just a whim. A whim that struck me months and months ago, probably inspired by the awe I have for the fearlessness of two awesome bloggers I admire. The whim stuck with me for a while, surviving the original disappointment when my stylist was out of the necessary product. I even went out and bought a temporary solution to this whim, but the desire to have the real thing stuck with me. That's how, over eight months after the original whim struck, I found myself in my stylist's chair asking her to dye a lock of my hair pink. Hot, bright, pink. She didn't bat an eye because she's…

• Wordless (Wednesday) Magic

  1 May 2012 | 11:54 pm

  On Thursday morning I flew to the other side of the country to hang out with my friends at Disney World. One of the speakers at the conference entreated up to spend more time "capturing the moments." I took his message to heart and for once my camera spent a little time out of my purse. Apparently, however, I was so dazzled by the whole event that apparently I was unable to take more than a handful of clear photos and most of those were of food.This one? Is my favorite. Yes, even though it's fuzzy.Grace Duffy and Kelly Whalen. Last lunch at the Brown Derby!OK, to be fair I'm partial to this…

• A Memorable Mother's Day (With a giveaway!)

  25 Apr 2012 | 11:29 pm

  Every year the Mother's Day questions loom. What do I want? What should we do?It used to be so easy. Mother's Day used to be dictated by the larger family's schedule - brunch at "the Club" followed by an afternoon of hanging out at the pool. But last year, and now this year, the extended family has scattered to the four corners of the country over Mother's Day weekend and we four are left to our own resources.It's ideal really. There's nothing I want more than to just be with the little girls who made me a mom and the man who shares the road with me on this day that's all about celebrating…

• 

  Ibn Ibn Battuta

• Vieques Vacation

  Andrew Farrand

  29 Apr 2012 | 7:52 pm

  A view along the malecón boardwalk in "downtown" Esperanza, Vieques. Last month the lady friend and I needed a break from work, and took a few days off for a long weekend in Puerto Rico. After a night in San Juan (where we discovered the excellent vegetarian spot Verde Mesa—highly recommended) we took a small prop plane from the capital to the island of Vieques. We found Vieques to be a peculiar sort of paradise. For decades, the US military used the island for target practice, and its eastern half still remains off-limits thanks to the presence of unexploded ordnance. The nine thousand…

• Steps Forward, Steps Backward

  Andrew Farrand

  25 Feb 2012 | 2:54 am

  At Tenadi, several hours' drive from the Mauritanian capital, two colleagues pause for the view atop a sand dune. In the Middle East and North Africa, 2011 began with a bang that never let up. A transformational revolution in Tunisia sparked uprisings across the Arab world that, in one way or another, touched every country in the region. The sudden explosion of the Arab Spring—which saw once dormant populations shock their rulers by gathering in the streets to demand a new political order—is a tremendously positive development for a part of the world that for so long seemed by turns stuck…

• Back to Berberland

  Andrew Farrand

  30 Oct 2011 | 7:50 pm

  Bab Rouah, along the walls that ring the royal palace in Rabat. From Mauritania, my work trip continued to Morocco. It was my first time back in nearly two years, since leaving in December 2009. Before I left home, friends had asked me if I was excited to be heading back. "Morocco and I have a long and troubled history," I would respond with a smile. In Rabat, returning to my old haunts—the neighborhood of Agdal—was surreal. Every cafe, hardware shop, kitchenware store, grocer's, and flower shop dredged up weighty memories from the depths of my subconscious. The sign on a laundromat,…

• Nouakchott, City of Sand

  Andrew Farrand

  17 Oct 2011 | 8:20 pm

  Traditionally, Mauritanian men and women both cover up from head to toe outside the home. After a minute in the country's blinding midday sun, it's easy to see why. The night before I left Nouakchott—the desolate capital of the even more desolate northwest African country of Mauritania—a sales email managed to slip through my spam blocker. It began, "Unless you've been living under a rock somewhere in the desert, you MUST have heard of Viagra..." Funny you should say so. As a matter of fact, I do feel as if I'm living under a rock in the desert. * * * Thanks to a long-anticipated transfer…

• 9/11 and the Tenth Parallel

  Andrew Farrand

  11 Sep 2011 | 10:30 pm

  Twin towers of a different kind, Damascus Among my many emotions on this somber anniversary, the greatest is frustration. Here's why, and what I think we can do to fix it. In response to a series of events ten years ago today that an arrogant and naive America could not anticipate (much less comprehend), our nation launched two wasteful and devastating wars, dismantled protections of civil liberties, sanctioned torture and illegal detention, built walls—both physical and bureaucratic—around our borders, shamefully failed the selfless volunteers who sacrificed to protect us, and…

• 

  yes and yes

• The Post-College Survival Kit! Now For Sale!

  15 May 2012 | 6:00 am

  Just in time for graduation and pre-summer, post-college life!The Post-College Survival Kit!  For $45 you get:* 8 weeks of useful, engaging, helpful tips, info, and advice* 30 worksheets that will help you whip your post-college life into shape* Interviews with awesome, successful professionals who landed the jobs - and lives - they wanted* 70% less post-graduation stress (okay, I made that up)A few of the things we're covering!* Internships: How To Get Over Being Relieved And Figure Out If It's Right* Volunteering To Your Advantage* Taming The Student Loan Beast: Loan Forgiveness…

• True Story: I Have Turner's Syndrome

  14 May 2012 | 6:00 am

  This is one of many True Story interviews in which we talk to people who have experienced interesting, challenging, amazing things.  This is the story of Laurel and her Turner's Syndrome diagnosis.Tell us a bit about yourself! I'm 25 years old and newly married. I am a writer and a wannabe crafter. I am a bookworm and a proud nerd! I am currently trying to finish my degree in International Studies and Journalism - I may also end up doing something in social work. I have a blog that I enjoy writing for and I am always looking for new readers. I'm adventurous and obsessed with traveling!

• Web Time Wasters

  13 May 2012 | 6:00 am

  How was your week, guys?  I watched some live music, spent an early Mother's Day in my tiny home town, and helped throw The World's Most Low-Key Baby Shower.  I made a cheese ball that looked like a hedgehog!Links!  For you!I've been fussing and painting and nesting like crazy.  I'm in the process of painting the inside of my walk-in closet magenta (!) and I'd love to hang this in there.  How awesomely over the top would that be?  Very.I do not belong to the cult of Apple, so I loved this post on great photo apps for Android phones.It can be comforting to know…

• Soothing Wanderlust! Tiny Dancers! Mixtapes!

  12 May 2012 | 6:00 am

  Overcast Saturday?  Amuse yourself with funny/smart/adorable links from this month's sponsors!Fave posts:How to aggressively tackle your own passive-aggression //  How to do 'The Hunger Games' style // What to watch to soothe wanderlustLet's be friends!twitter // pinterest // instragramFave stuff:The Genny // Neat // The SamiraLet's be friends!facebook // twitter // pinterest // youtubeFave posts:Dream pretty dream // What would the gypsy in me do? //Realizing wonder in your lifeLet's be friends!facebookFave posts:Tiny dancer // And more confessions // My friend WrenLet's be…

• Mini Travel Guide: Denmark

  11 May 2012 | 6:00 am

  This one of many Mini Travel Guides, in which we dip our toes into international travel via the best-ofs a given country. This guide comes to us via Alexandra!I first flew to Denmark when I was sixteen. I knew nothing about the country or the language (other than how to say “I have to pee” – “Jeg skal tisse”). Regardless, I would spend the next year living in their second largest city, Aarhus as an exchange student. Between the gorgeous architecture and rolling scenery, the cities overflowing with bicyclists, the quaint traditions, and the funny, sweet, impeccably dressed Danes…

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  ColorMePink!

• Easiest Recipe Ever! Marinated Mozzarella and Tomato Salad

  Christine

  11 May 2012 | 12:57 pm

  Yesterday was a really nice day.  My cousin and her son, whom I haven’t seen in years, came for a visit.  It was really lovely and we reminisced and laughed and maybe even cried a little together. It’s funny how life works and how you come full circle sometimes, but I digress.  I wanted to have a simple yet tasty menu that didn’t cause anyone stress, yet still be fabulous.  I bought my favorite spreads (hummus, tzatziki), some chips to dip, Jim grilled cheeseburgers with lots of ‘fixins’, and I made Greek Pasta Salad, and this. Measurements are really…

• Finding Your Voice In Social Media

  Christine

  7 May 2012 | 11:14 am

  I think at this point, there isn’t anyone left who would argue against the importance of social media. More and more brands, charities, celebrities, performing artists, small business owners and individuals are trying to harness the power of social media outlets and the sheer volume of choices and ideas can be really overwhelming. This isn’t going to be a post about which outlets, third party tools, and so called rules I follow. There are plenty of articles about those issues; rather, it’s about your “voice”. I see so many tweets and updates that are poorly…

• Eggplant, Steak and Pea Stir Fry

  Christine

  3 May 2012 | 3:30 am

  I got some beautiful “ichiban” eggplant this week – but as usual, I ordered so much of it that I didn’t know what to do.  Also, I ordered what I thought were snow peas and then realized they were peas – the tough outer shell gave it away. I know they look like they might be sugar snaps, but the shell was way too tough to consider eating. So, we shelled them. I had some local, fresh, grass fed skirt steak and I thought a stir fry would be interesting.  It was. 3 tablespoons Tamari (soy sauce) 3 tablespoons Rice Vinegar 1 tablespoon Hoisin Sauce 1 tablespoon…

• Opus Domini Mobile Pro for iPad and iPhone

  Christine

  1 May 2012 | 12:19 pm

  I have spent so much money and so much time downloading goal and time planning apps.  You don’t even want to know how much. So, the other day when I saw this article, by the lovely Britt, that mentioned Opus Domini Mobile Pro and how close it came to the Franklin Covey planning system, I knew I had to try it.  You see, I love Franklin Covey.  The system literally changed my life. I purchased my first FC yearly planner in, I think, 2000.  I worked through all the exercises and I completely fell in love with that way of planning.  It just made sense.  Something clicked and I was…

• Wordless Wednesday

  Christine

  25 Apr 2012 | 4:30 pm

  Been a while, I know. I’ll be back soon!

• 

  Where's My Damn Answer

• Easy Cioppino Recipe!

  Cathy

  25 Apr 2012 | 12:35 pm

  I found this incredible seafood mixture at Costco a couple weeks ago that was screaming make me into a killer Cioppino! After searching for and taking information from about 5 different recipes here is my finished product.  I knew this was a hit when hubby asked when I would be making it again…     2  – 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 2 cups chopped onion 4 garlic cloves, sliced 2 cup dry white wine 1 Jar Clam Juice 1 cup organic vegetable broth 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1…

• Just in time for summer …

  Kristy Nuttall

  12 Apr 2012 | 3:22 am

  Tired of cracked and dry heels? … I know of something that works like nothing else I’ve found.  Sandal Essence is something I swear by and it’s truly one of my favorite products.  My friend Kristen at Dine and Dish is hosting a give-away today for it.  I’m shouting it from the roof-tops because I know just how good it is. Seriously … you NEED to win this product.  You will LOVE it as much as me after one week of use. It’s easy to win too … they are all things you will do in about a min.  CHECK IT OUT! You will thank me later! You can check out…

• 15 Things to Make you Happier

  Cathy

  5 Apr 2012 | 1:51 pm

  My girlfriend sent this to me and I cannot tell you how so many of these struck a very deep cord! WOW when I read through them I felt like I was being smacked upside the head and well truthfully I needed these “in your face” reminders.  Hope they help you as much as they helped me Here is a list of 15 things which, if you give up on them, will make your life a lot easier and much, much happier. We hold on to so many things that cause us a great deal of pain, stress and suffering – and instead of letting them all go, instead of allowing ourselves to be stress free and happy –…

• Spinach Artichoke Florentine Dip

  Cathy

  5 Mar 2012 | 3:51 pm

  This incredible and easy Dip comes was inspired by a wonderful chef Rosie! She made her version for a group gathering and I swear I turned my back for 10 minutes and it was gone! I recently found her recipe tucked away in a very safe place and thought it was time to resurrect. I made it this past Friday night for Girls Poker night and while my cards were very cold this dip was HOT!! Hope you enjoy~ Spinach Artichoke Florentine Dip   2-8oz pkg     cream cheese- softened 1/2 c              mayonnaise 2-3Tbsp            Fresh lemon juice…

• 2012 Practical Financial Tips

  Cathy

  22 Feb 2012 | 11:47 am

  2012 arrived with a bang!! I for one am glad that it is here as 2011 for myself as for many was an OK year but still far from the financial glory days of years past.  Granted there were some wonderful things that happened I still had a heavy heart last year because so many of us were struggling. Luckily from a very young age my Dad taught me a few things about finances and I believe that if it were not for those lessons I too would have been caught up in the credit / financial crisis that so many people are in. Here are a few things that I learned very early and many things that he taught me…

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  Anja Merret

• So, what’s your price

  Anja Merret

  10 May 2012 | 12:13 pm

  What is your price? At what stage will you put aside your principles and take the money? Have you ever thought of that? It’s almost a daily question nowadays. Brad Pitt is the latest question. He has been appointed to flog women’s perfume. Must be costing Channel a few dollars. It’s always the biggest question for me when it’s somebody who is already making a fair ton of money to see them do something strange such as promote women’s perfume. Is he going to stand behind counters at Harrods to be photographed with sales personnel? One wonders. Or perhaps, as Der…

• World Down Syndrome Day on March 21

  Anja Merret

  21 Mar 2012 | 5:28 am

  Down Syndrome girl at Hold the Future, Hanoi Wednesday March 21 2012 marks World Down Syndrome Day. And it made me remember my year in Hanoi, Vietnam working at Hold the Future as a VSO volunteer. We had many Down Syndrome young people living and working at the Center. They were the most loving and wonderful people and provided me with many fond memories. Hold the Future offers vocational training and handicraft production work. Most of the time there are between 30 to 50 young people working there. It’s not great pay because the products are sold quite cheaply to remain competitive…

• Sometimes it’s not the sexy designs that do it

  Anja Merret

  19 Mar 2012 | 2:00 pm

  The Mophie The winner for modern technology gadgets can be anything else but another cool designer gadget. It can be something that makes life easier, rather than funkier. Something that extends the battery life of your favourite gadget such as your smart phone for instance. The wondrous problem of the iPhone or equivalent is that it can do so much that its battery dies very quickly. So the sexiest design thingie will be a battery extender/charger. Thinking of that is true genius. Because rather than rushing after the technology innovation train, here is something that makes perfect sense.

• Apple pushes all the buttons again

  Anja Merret

  8 Mar 2012 | 12:47 pm

  New iPad The new iPad got launched today. And it has some mighty nice bells and whistles. But that’s not what I want to mention here. There is something much more surprising happening in the back rooms of business. It’s called trashing the PC, those beige desktops, and hello to the iPad. Some time ago I wrote an article about the demise of the PC as we know it. I didn’t really have any idea what would replace that cumbersome bit of box with umbilical cables monstrosity. I just felt that its time was nigh. And something had to be developed to get rid of it. I got a lot of…

• Celebrating International Women’s Day

  Anja Merret

  6 Mar 2012 | 12:51 pm

  Video of Join Me on the Bridge movement. Watch. Link in the blog post.Thursday March 8, 2012 marks International Women’s Day. It’s not something I’ve celebrated in the past. In fact I was seriously surprised when I received flowers working as a volunteer in Vietnam. Although of course it was Vietnam’s women’s day later in the year. Still. It’s well celebrated there. But today I got a link to a video which showcased the “Join Me on the Bridge” global event. And it really touched me, this video. And it probably will you as well. So watch it here.

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  abatewebsite.net

• Car Insurance: Choosing A Company Doesn’t Need To Be Difficult

  admin

  10 May 2012 | 6:09 pm

  It is not that easy for young people to have auto insurance which has low premiums. If a person has just received their driver’s license, the insurance companies are not really ready to offer steep discounts. Exactly what techniques are there for the younger drivers to get better rates? To begin with, it may be [...]

• Improve Your Business By Making Use Of Skilled Telemarketing Services

  admin

  8 May 2012 | 4:05 pm

  You can’t overlook the benefits of leads generation if you wish to be successful in your business. Among the best ways to get the potential clients and leads will be if you use a specialist telemarketing service. Why don’t we take a look the reason why these kinds of telemarketing services are excellent for leads [...]

• Useful Tips For Locating The Right Used Furnishings

  admin

  3 May 2012 | 5:49 pm

  You will find several reasons why consumers would want to consider used furniture. The first reason would likely be that you would save lots of money should you get used furniture rather than brand-new furniture. You could find used furniture in Phoenix that looks brand spanking new at great discounts. Any experienced shopper may walk [...]

• Why You Need Steel Toed Shoes

  admin

  2 May 2012 | 1:30 pm

  In certain types of jobs, there are special safety measures that must be put into practice. This is especially true if we take a look at jobs such as warehouse work or jobs in production along with manufacturing. Steel shoes or boots are usually mandatory with these kinds of jobs. They can certainly reduce the [...]

• The Reason Why Ignoring Your Home’s Roof Costs You

  admin

  30 Apr 2012 | 10:01 pm

  It is best to never overlook it if you have problems with your roof. If you wait to have your roof repaired, the harm will probably be worse. Many make the error in judgment of believing that they save cash by disregarding the problem. Having said that, when you ignore the problem the damage spreads [...]

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  Dateline: Oblivion

• Erwin's Law: The "hidden" story. Waiting for Godot or just Amazon.com?

  23 Apr 2012 | 1:10 pm

  A paperback version of my detective novel Erwin's Law was published recently. But the book's story description still hasn't shown up on Amazon.com. About all you are told is that it's "An Erwin Tennyson Mystery," has 262 pages, measures 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches, and weighs 12.3 ounces. Oh, and the list price is $10.99. So, for those who have asked what it's about, here's the summary: Erwin Tennyson is an unemployed newspaper writer who made his living reviewing detective novels until he lost his job in the Great Recession. When he stumbles over a woman's body…

• Are you guility of 'Criminal Conversations'?

  22 Apr 2012 | 11:57 am

  "Criminal Conversations," one of my newest screenplays, has attracted a wide range of interest over time. It has been optioned twice, had interest from well-known actors, attracted a commitment from a distributor, and briefly got some media attention and Internet buzz. It also became the subject of an IndieGoGo fundraising campaign that fell embarrassingly short of its too-lofty goal a couple of years ago. And its team of producers eventually broke up and moved on to other projects. The script now is back in my hands, and I am doing what I can to get it back into…

• Warning: Consuming too much information can make you fat, clueless -- and dead

  27 Jan 2012 | 1:44 pm

  The Information Diet: A Case for Conscious Consumption By Clay A. Johnson(O’Reilly, hardback, list price $22.99; Kindle edition, list price $19.99) Book Review We are sitting down too often and too long while we consume information. It pours into our heads from the Web, from TV, from smart phones, from books, and as blather from our car radios while we drive around. Much of the information we consume is drivel and crap – the digital equivalent of high-fat junk food and raw sugar. And some of us are driving ourselves to destructive…

• Need to do a big presentation? There’s a book for that: slide:ology #bookreview

  24 Jan 2012 | 4:50 pm

  slide:ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great PresentationsBy Nancy Duarte(O’Reilly, paperback, list price $34.99; Kindle edition, list price $27.99) Bet you were thinking I was about to say: "Need to do a big presentation? There's an app for that!" There probably is, or soon will be. Meanwhile, consider this book. Wouldn’t it be great if you could just phone in your PowerPoint slides and audio and stay comfortably ensconced at a Starbucks in Waterloo, Iowa, while 50 managers and executives in Boston huddled in a poorly ventilated conference room and sweated while they marveled at…

• Starting (or revamping) a small business? Three good books

  12 Jan 2012 | 9:21 am

  I have operated a small (very small) business for more than 30 years. I am now in the process of revamping some of what I do and sell. The three books listed below are proving very helpful to my ongoing efforts. If you are starting or restructing a small business, you may find them useful, too. Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinmeir Hansson - A refreshingly snarky alternative to those how-to biz books that have you start out with market studies, mission statements, business plans and rounds of meetings. The New Rules of Marketing & PR by David Meerman Scott - The recently…

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  Celebrate Love

• Plan a Fabulous Gay Wedding

  Renee Michaels

  15 May 2012 | 5:45 pm

  This is a guest post by a fellow blogger, Adam Reimer, who made me aware about the unique issues LGBT couples face when planning their wedding. Here are some gay wedding planning tips from him to make sure your wedding … Continue reading... Read more...

• Celebrating Mom

  Renee Michaels

  2 May 2012 | 3:43 pm

  Place yourself in this picture—as the child, lovingly holding your Mom’s hand as she guides you through a wonderful sunny garden, sharing laughs and hugs, running after butterflies and bugs. How good do you feel? No better feeling in the... Read more...

• Celebrate Everyone’s Love! | Gay Marriage

  Renee Michaels

  24 Apr 2012 | 11:24 am

  Ahhh, the joys of publicly declaring your love! And to celebrate your wedding anniversary through the years. Who would disagree with that? But plenty have an opinion about who adults should be allowed to marry. The legalization of gay marriage... Read more...

• Will Living Apart Keep Marriages Together?

  Renee Michaels

  22 Apr 2012 | 11:56 am

  Lovebirds happily sharing a cage has been a familiar wedding theme for decades, although some couples experience the cage as a prison, not the ultimate love nest of their dreams. Once upon a time, marriage & family were characterized practically... Read more...

• Valentine’s Day—Add A WOW Factor To Your Gift

  Renee Michaels

  14 Feb 2012 | 3:48 pm

  Shower the people you love with love, show them you really care. — James Taylor Three easy ways to add a last-minute WOW factor to your Valentine’s Day gift from SweetLoveGifts. Download our free, printable: • Love Coupons • Love …... Read more...

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  WebSnacker - Automat For The Web Wanderer - Free Morsels to Read, See, Hear & Experience!

• Draize Test for Homo Sapiens!

  Web Snacker

  26 Apr 2012 | 2:07 pm

  If this is scary, imagine the poor plight of lab animals who still routinely suffer across cosmetic and pharma labs across the world! Websnacker

• Destination Moonbase Alpha (1978)

  Web Snacker

  20 Apr 2012 | 2:30 pm

  Cheesy Lunar Thrills from the 70s ! Destination Moonbase - Alpha was the pilot for Space: 1999 and a Gerry Anderson (Thunderbirds) production - perhaps the cheesiest sci-fi TV series that ever was. And I watched them all last week on a DVD induced trip to 70s-80s Sci-fi nostalgia. Anyway, we all know the premise, right? A celestial catastrophe knocks the moon out of orbit and Moonbase Alpha’s 311 crew are cast drifting in the "dark galaxy of the universe" for four or five seasons. The first episode already dangles a frustrated hope of salvage for the rundown moondwellers - a…

• Fighting Internet Paralysis

  Web Snacker

  19 Apr 2012 | 2:54 am

  Getting Back Online!All right, so, erm, here I am, back again. This feels exceeding weird after such a long absence and I'm not quite sure I remember all the things to do...I had a lot of travel to do – mostly work, very little leisure besides a very complex functional portal re-design for a client that was all ready to go up, but as usual, I'm not as satisfied with it as I was nearly three months ago. And I need to bring all the other things at office into line.... Sheesh, so much to do. With almost all my Music uploads now dead and all the SOPA talk, I was also planning on moving the…

• Dirty Minds!

  Web Snacker

  1 Apr 2012 | 2:31 pm

  If You've Got One, You'll See It!!! Websnacker

• Life is Short - Live Your Dream!!

  Web Snacker

  28 Mar 2012 | 1:02 pm

  Websnacker

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  The Art of Non-Conformity » 3×5

• The Lesson of Skill Transformation (Also known as “You’re Good at Many Things”)

  Chris Guillebeau

  14 May 2012 | 7:05 am

  One week down, many weeks to go. I’ve met 700 people on the $100 Startup tour so far, and looking forward to seeing many more. This week: Chapel Hill, Atlanta, Miami, Houston, and Denver. Tour dates and cities here. And have I mentioned… THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT! I’m extremely grateful. Continuing the theme of lessons learned, today let’s talk about skills. In short, no matter what you think, you have them. Not only do you have general skills, you have skills that are marketable. You are good at something that can be parlayed into a business model. The thing is, these…

• The Lesson of Convergence (Also known as “How to Change the World”)

  Chris Guillebeau

  10 May 2012 | 7:00 am

  The book is out, and I’m on the road! The launch party in New York was extremely fun. Last night I was in Boston at the Harvard Coop, and tonight I’m heading down to Washington, DC. We’re hitting a new city almost every day for the next four weeks. Tour dates here. And by the way… THANKS FOR YOUR HELP! It’s going very well so far, and we hope to keep it going for a long time. Order Here on Amazon Order Here on BN.com Order from Your Local Bookstore Over the next month, I’ll be sharing some of the lessons I learned in spending time with all the “unexpected…

• The $100 Startup Is Live!

  Chris Guillebeau

  8 May 2012 | 6:20 am

  Greetings from midtown Manhattan, where a large amount of coffee is about to be consumed in a corner room at the Doubletree hotel. Today is the day. After three years of research and writing, it’s finally here. The $100 Startup is going out to the world! Hundreds of people from all over the world have helped in the making of this book. It’s their story of freedom and your blueprint for change. The central message of the book is: If you want to create more freedom and security for yourself through a “very small” business, the skills and the money you have are all you…

• Beginnings, Process, and the Calm Before the Storm

  Chris Guillebeau

  7 May 2012 | 7:00 am

  Greetings from East 42nd Street in New York City. I’m here to begin a new journey as The $100 Startup goes out to the world tomorrow. Here are a few notes on the early beginnings. It all started back in 2009. I had established the blog and began a new way of life: writing for a living. Or mostly, writing because it was what I wanted to do more than anything else. I was traveling a lot, working my way through the middle part of going everywhere. I wrote posts and created products, adapting as I went along. Not everything I wrote was amazing; not everything I published was a mega-hit. I…

• Professional Listening

  Chris Guillebeau

  3 May 2012 | 12:04 pm

  If you’re trying to figure out what you’re good at, or trying to start a business for the first time, there’s a simple strategy that will help. Start by listening. Pay attention to what people ask you about. Chances are, there’s something you’re good at that other people want to learn. Gary Leff, profiled in my upcoming book, never knew that people would pay money for him to manage their Frequent Flyer accounts… but at least once a day, he books an award for someone and earns a $250 fee. Brett Kelly, also in the book, wasn’t sure that people would pay…

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  Shiny Bits of Life

• Governmental regulation can be good

  Paul

  15 May 2012 | 3:01 am

  Back in the 1970s, air pollution was really bad. The average car back then put out literally 20 times the amount of harmful emissions than today’s average car. If the government had not stepped in and made laws that forced car manufacturers to clean up what was coming out of tailpipes, I am sure we’d have dirtier air today. I haven’t been to China, but I understand the air in Beijing is a lot worse than the air in any American city. Why? A lack of governmental regulation. I fully understand that not all governmental interventions in life and public policy are beneficial. But some are. I…

• Amazing cameras

  Paul

  8 May 2012 | 8:09 am

  The cell phone has replaced the point-and-shoot camera. If you have an older phone, its camera is probably not very good, but if you’ve bought a recent smart phone, you now know how good a cell phone’s camera can be. I’ve always been a proponent of small digital cameras. (My second, in about 2002, was a tiny Sony that was incredibly simple to use. I still love Sony cameras — my current non-cell-phone camera is a Sony.) The easier a camera is to use, the more often you’ll take photos. And if it’s small and light enough, you will carry it in your pocket, thus increasing your…

• Duplicate sets of cars

  Paul

  2 May 2012 | 3:01 am

  So there’s a boxer. His name is Floyd Mayweather, Jr. He has two identical sets of cars — a white set in Las Vegas and a black set in Miami. Each set includes a Bentley, a Mercedes Benz SLS AMG, a Ferrari and an unknown fourth car. My guess on the total value (and there may be more than four cars) is about $2 million. Somehow it’s not the money spent that bothers me. It’s the identical-but-different-color aspect. Of course I’m thinking of how one man has all those opulent and amazing cars, and how the money could have been spent on a slightly better education for kids in either…

• Fun for your Friday, number 19

  Paul

  27 Apr 2012 | 3:01 am

  This house — or temple — is in the remote town of Antonito, Colorado. We passed through there in March and I thankfully saw it from Highway 285, even though it’s maybe half a mile from the main road. I was amused at the arch across the entrance: “ALCOHOL+TOBACCO IS KILLS” and “MARY JANE IS HEALING.” The creator of this western Graceland is or was quite prolific. Every surface of both spires is ironically covered with the ends of beer cans. Thanks to Wikipedia, I discovered that this is “Cano’s Castle,” built by Donald “Cano” Espinoza.

• Badge inflation

  Paul

  24 Apr 2012 | 3:01 am

  Mercedes and BMW are both guilty of padding their numbers. Not in a financial sense but rather in making their products appear larger than what they really are. This reflects an accurate understanding of how Americans value bigger things. The forth-coming Mercedes SL550 has a 4.7 liter engine. It used to be that Mercedes would badge such a model as the SL470. No longer. BMW does the same thing with their 328i ... the latest model has a 2.0 liter engine. In Europe, this inflation is slightly less. The SL550 is badged as the SL500. Engine sizes are going down, as vehicle manufacturers are…

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  mental_floss

• Morning Cup of Links: Lucas’ Spite House

  Miss Cellania

  16 May 2012 | 4:04 am

  How the Professor Who Fooled Wikipedia Got Caught by Reddit. You can’t fool all the people all of the time. * A new trailer for the Ridley Scott prequel Prometheus is out, and it shows aliens! A short clip from the film has also been released. * One Of These Things Is Not Like The Others… See if you can figure the odd one out (answers are provided, but not necessarily right answers). * George Lucas lost the battle with his neighbors to build a large studio in Marin County. But he still got the last laugh, by turning the property into low-income housing instead. * Sarah Cooper…

• The Late Movies: Best of Live Aid

  Erica Palan

  15 May 2012 | 9:30 pm

  In my life off the Internet, I live in Philadelphia, where I was born and raised. My city’s got a lot of history: the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the site of the first department store and the first post office in the U.S., the birthplace of awesome things like Bill Cosby, Kevin Bacon and the American flag. In 1985, it was also one of the sites of Live Aid. Yesterday, Jay-Z came to Philly to announce Made in America, a big Labor Day music festival that supposedly will rival Live Aid in the caliber of artists coming to my fine city. So, naturally, I spent the day watching…

• The Missing Links: Enter the Anger Room

  Colin Perkins

  15 May 2012 | 5:34 pm

  That Nuclear Disaster Could Have Been A Real Kodak Moment The bankrupted camera company apparently had a whole bunch of dangerous material – and barely anyone knew it. Whether You Love This Idea or Hate This Idea, It’ll Work Perfectly For You This brilliant idea is like that printer smashing scene from Office Space times a million. This Guy Had Better Have Gotten One Hell of A Free Buffet This statement is incredible: “In 2007, Harrah’s made 5.6 percent of its total Las Vegas revenue off of a single person.” The story of that man is just one part of this crazy roundup of gambling…

• 12 Really Forced Portmanteaux That Didn’t Catch On

  Caity Weaver

  15 May 2012 | 2:43 pm

  There are times when one big word can more effectively do the job of two words. These are not those times. 1. Balloonatic (balloon + lunatic)
 A person who is balloon-mad; a balloonist, spec. (Mil. slang) a member of a balloon corps or balloon squadron in the First World War (1914–18).
 When the first manned hot air balloon took flight in France in 1783, it ushered in an age of utter balloonacy. While so-called “observation” balloons were used to monitor opponents’ movements as far back as the French Revolutionary Wars of the late eighteenth century, World War I gave the term…

• And Now, a Little Public Radio Humor

  Chris Higgins

  15 May 2012 | 10:45 am

  Last Thursday, This American Life LIVE played in movie theaters around the US, Canada, and Australia, beamed live via satellite from a stage performance in New York City. For public radio nerds, this is pure gold: two hours of This American Life performed onstage, and you watch it in a theater crammed with likeminded nerds who actually know what “Car Talk” and “Fresh Air” are. The show is running again tonight (pre-recorded from Thursday’s performance) in some locations. If you’re a public radio nerd like me, you don’t want to miss this —…

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  Everyday Goddess

• May Play, Day 1: And then I caught a cold.

  lizriz

  1 May 2012 | 5:18 pm

  Seriously. Yesterday I wanted to get a jump on May by biking to work. I hadn't biked to work before, so this was a mix of wise choices and poor choices. Wise: I pegged my jeans, remembered my water, and used my inhaler. Poor: I buried my tissues in my backpack. So when my nose started to run, it was sniffle, sniffle, sniffle all the way to work. Stop and dig them out, you're thinking? Pish! I got to work, blew my nose, and proceeded to triumphantly get on with my day. Except... I couldn't seem to shake off the sniffles. And my face was still red a few hours into the day. My skin around my…

• May Play! May Play!

  lizriz

  30 Apr 2012 | 3:46 pm

  Resolved for May: May Play! I'm committing to more playing, physically and mentally. Physically speaking, I'm committing to at least 30 minutes of exercise every day in May. I've been tracking my food occasionally with My Fitness Pal, and one thing that's jumped out at me is the difference just a small amount of exercise in a day makes. A light workout doesn't make me eat more, but suddenly my normal amount of calorie consumption moves below my calorie goal (since I've "earned" extra calories for the day). Basically, I can eat the way I want (read: drink yummy whole milk and butter) if I just…

• A Good Year

  lizriz

  22 Apr 2012 | 10:52 pm

  I'm a big proponent of giving yourself time.Our world and our minds move so quick these days, but still there are things that take more time than you'd like. Healing after a loss is a big one, for example, be it a death or heartbreak. People rarely want to give themselves the time these things often take. 2009. 2010. 2011. These were very challenging years for me. Romantically. Careerwise. Financially. When I got my current job in October - after one hell of a summer - I decided that the holidays would be the holidays, and 2012 - ALL of 2012 - would be my recovery year. I would get through…

• Sure, there's zombies, but have you heard of XOMBIE???

  lizriz

  16 Apr 2012 | 10:19 am

  I have a confession to make. I'm not a big zombie aficionado. Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland, Bite Me, that's really as far as my live-action zombie knowledge and experience goes. My best friends and business partners, on the other hand, are into zombies. Like *really* into zombies. (See Bite Me, listed above.) Luckily, there's a supercool place where our passion for the undead comes together. It's kick-ass, it's animated, it's XOMBIE. The Xombie universe features an animated webseries, online comic, comic books, a novel, and a whole lot of Xombie goodness spinning around this guy, DIRGE:…

• 146

  lizriz

  5 Apr 2012 | 10:11 am

  I'm trying very hard not to panic. I started this post on March 2. As in, I typed in the title and a different first line and then I saved a draft. At the time, "146" was the number on the scale. The weight that bumps me into an "overweight" BMI. The weight at which I really start to see it and feel it. Long past the weight at which my cute winter clothes from LAST YEAR stopped fitting. The cute clothes I didn't get to wear this year after my late summer/fall eat-through-the-stress-a-thon. This week the scale says 147.5. I knew there was a problem, and I gained a pound and a half. And I know…

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  Bath & Body

• Refillable Pump

  admin

  16 May 2012 | 5:08 am

  Refillable Pump

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  Juan Carlos Hernandez - Life Photographer

• Black sheep and UDC/SVP. Racism and Populism in Switzerland (originally published the 11/29/2009)

  Juan Carlos Hernandez

  9 May 2012 | 10:46 pm

  I published this text originally the 29th of November 2009 : "I photographied in 2009  these black sheep in Fribourg, Switzerland. Like this view first but then watching it, I realized that I shot a political photo not only something I believed as very beautiful. I explain me .. history . in 2007 Swiss People’s Party (UDC / SVP, an extreme right political party) has caused debate with the design of a propaganda poster. The infamous “black sheep” poster (you can here this creepy poster http://img.timeinc.net/time/daily/2007/0709/postcard_pomy_0921.jpg depicted three white sheep…

• #photo "But Not For Me" + Chet Baker #jazz song

  Juan Carlos Hernandez

  27 Apr 2012 | 1:39 pm

  Discover the playlist but not for me with Chet BakerDon't forget to visit my other blog "Juan Carlos Hernandez - Stage and Jazz Photographer"

• Lorsqu'une orthophoniste rencontre un photographe - #photo #ArtTherapy

  Juan Carlos Hernandez

  29 Mar 2012 | 7:23 pm

  For non french speakers, please use google translator ( http://translate.google.com/# ) Bonjour,En février 2010, à travers Twitter, une ortophoniste (praticien paramédical, thérapeute des troubles de la communication liés à la voix, à la parole et au langage oral et écrit = logopédiste en Suisse et en Belgique) m'a contacté afin de me demander l'autorisation d'utiliser certaines de mes photographies avec ses patients. Elle pensait, en effet, que celles-ci pouvaient avoir des vertus thérapeutiques.J'ai accepté avec grand plaisir.Dernièrement, elle m'a envoyé un email témoignant…

• #photo of the Famous Water Fountain of #Geneva #Switzerland + The Jellowjackets song

  Juan Carlos Hernandez

  26 Mar 2012 | 1:27 am

  The Water Fountain of GenevaDon't forget to visit my other blog "Juan Carlos Hernandez - Stage and Jazz Photographer"

• Hypocrisy about illegal strangers in Switzerland + Manu Chao song #photo

  Juan Carlos Hernandez

  10 Mar 2012 | 2:34 pm

  I'm born and live in Geneva, Switzerland. Switzerland is a very rich country but not full of rich people. Lot of us are common people with common incomes, like me and more are working poor (15% of the population)I took this photograph on the 2009 summer during a the Peru National Holiday in my hometown Geneva.The occasion for thousands of latino-americans from Geneva to have some good time.This people work hard during the week and most of the time being "clandestinos" .. illegal strangers, living in the fear to be caught by the police.So, with this simple image, I wish to pay tribute to this…

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  Fat to Fit by Stefan Pinto

• The “C” in “C Diet” does not stand for “Cinco de Mayo”

  Stefan Pinto

  5 May 2012 | 2:30 pm

  Did you know, the “C” in the “C Diet” stands for “choice”? Since the Facebook C Diet was created in January, people have learned to make mindful food choices simply by taking a picture and describing what they see. Sometimes, what they see makes them happy, sometimes it makes them not so happy, regardless if they choose to admit it or not. You see, the whole point of the C Diet is realizing that the choices we make surrounding the food we eat are really our own. It is not up to a restaurant, nor is it up to your spouse, your bff, or the party host — or even your children.

• The Facebook C Diet vs. “Meal Plans”

  Stefan Pinto

  22 Apr 2012 | 5:11 pm

  One person who signed up for my Facebook C Diet — and paid — sent no photos on the first day of “class.” They mistakingly thought I would be sending everyone individualized, daily meal plans. Actual Participant on my new Facebook C Diet Here’s why I don’t send meal plans: What happens if you’re on an airplane, during a long flight — or any flight? Or, say… God forbid, you’re visiting someone at the hospital. Or, you get invited to your sister’s / brother’s / daughter’s / son’s / best friend’s wedding? Would you kiss the bride with Lean Cuisine?

• Can You Lose Weight with a Camera Phone?

  Stefan Pinto

  13 Feb 2012 | 11:54 am

  Can your camera phone help you to lose weight? The Facebook C Diet is a social media experiment in mindful eating using a cell phone camera and Facebook. It was created to see if food craving compulsions could be controlled through community-based, online coaching.Over 100 people sent requests to sign up; twenty were selected in the beta round. Participants wanted to find out if their food choices were based on convenience, calories, cost or a combination of all three. [See their remarkable transformations on Facebook] Unlike a written food journal, the act of imminently photographing what…

• Is Spandex Keeping you Fat?!

  Stefan Pinto

  1 Feb 2012 | 1:27 pm

  When I was fat, I was convinced that all dry cleaners were shrinking my clothes. Mei (May in American), my newest dry cleaner would cheerfully promise “no possible no shrink” as she quickly shook her head and took my bundle.Yet, suddenly it seemed, my suit pants made my butt look big, my dress shirts were too constrictive and wearing a tie made breathing impossible. “Years ago, when we made a suit or a coat, it was built like a battleship. Today, it’s beautiful clothes but high comfort level,” said George Simonton, professor at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology…

• Transformation isn’t something that you get around to doing

  Stefan Pinto

  8 Jan 2012 | 4:58 pm

  To all of the unique people who want(ed) their transformation to begin on January 1st because everyone else is doing it, remember: if you go with the flow, you might miss the boat. A transformation isn’t something that happens when you find the time. It isn’t something you can add to your calendar; begin my amazing transformation – and then drag to a new day because there’s a scheduling conflict. Because the calendar says it is time, will not bring about a transformation, because time is not a factor that will change your life. Time is simply a measure of existence and…

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  Razor Branding Blog

• Brand Buzz: Changing Media Habits

  Jaci Russo

  14 May 2012 | 8:46 am

  KPEL 96.5 and The Russo Group team up every Monday at 5:15pm to present Brand Buzz.  Each week, we share tools you can use to build your brand and grow your business.  Be sure to subscribe to receive the weekly ebook and daily tips via email.  Download the ebook on Media Management and learn more about how to adapt to the changing media landscape. There are three elements to building a brand: Focus defines that one differentiating and powerfully compelling quality that makes your brand razor sharp, cutting through the clutter while making your brand known and remembered.

• American Airlines Attacks Brand

  Jaci Russo

  9 May 2012 | 8:53 am

  In the early 1980's, with rising interest rates and a need to raise capital, someone in the American Airlines marketing department decided to launch a campaign raise a few million dollars quickly.  For $250,000, travelers could buy an unlimited first class ticket and for $150,000 more they could add a companion ticket.  So, for just $400,000, you and a friend could fly anywhere, anytime for free for the rest of your life.  As the Los Angeles Times reports, The Frequent Fliers Who Flew Too Much,  the airline decided the AAirpass tickets that they sold were actually being…

• Brand Buzz: Social Media for Customer Service

  Jaci Russo

  7 May 2012 | 8:46 am

  Tune in to KPEL 96.5 at 5:15pm every Monday for Brand Buzz.  Each week we discuss what it takes to build a brand, why it's important, and how to use social media to your advantage.  This week we will be discussing the most important connection you can make online, Customer Service.  Download the ebook, How to Use Social Media to Improve Customer Service, to learn more. Social Media provides powerful tools to connect with your consumers.  One of the strengths is listening to how consumers talk about you and your competition.  Knowing what they think will provide the…

• Brandom Thoughts: Lady Gaga And Her Brand

  Jaci Russo

  3 May 2012 | 7:52 am

    One of the best Brandom Thoughts videos of all time.  In Ashley's absence, Andy interviews Lady Gaga to talk about her brand.  And, of course, hilarity ensues.  

• What is Your Brand Plan?

  Jaci Russo

  2 May 2012 | 8:09 am

  "What’s the difference between a mission and a vision? How’s a purpose different from a goal? Does the corporate mission last forever, or does it change over time? If you’re confused about any or all of these, it’s not your fault. For two decades, business leaders have tossed these terms around with reckless abandon, while experts have defined them in ways that seem to contradict one other."  by Marty Neumeier Does your company have stated goals? What is your Mission?  What is your Vision? Ultimately, what is your company's Purpose? Your success won't be…

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  Journey Mama

• My mother....

  Rae

  13 May 2012 | 10:15 am

  ...reads my blog and comments. Always with love. ...supports me even though I live far away, which is hard for her (and for me). ...is generous and loving. ...is a wonderful grandma. The other day, Leafy found a frangipani flower. It was a large white one, very fragrant, and it captivated him. "This reminds me of Grandma and Grandpa," he said. "Yeah, because there are flowers near Grandma and Grandpa's house!" YaYa said. "No, not of their house. It reminds me of Grandma and Grandpa. Because it's so nice." They are very high on the list of favorite flowers for me, and I thought it was so…

• Tomato Sorting Day

  Rae

  8 May 2012 | 10:16 pm

  Yesterday was a tomato sorting day. Our landlord is the middle man between farmers in the mountains and sellers in Bangkok. So a couple of farmers came down from the mountains and brought their tomato harvest with them. The garage door beside our kitchen was rolled up and the courtyard and this little room were filled with tomatoes. That's our landlord in the pink shirt. He's a very kind person. The tomato farmers were a couple. They looked very, very young and they brought this little delight. So I had fun photographing him and trying to make him smile. He was very serious with me, but he…

• Light

  Rae

  3 May 2012 | 1:10 am

  This is that window I was telling you about. This is what the light looks like, around 4:00, when the house is still really hot, and maybe I sit under the fan for awhile, and then I think, I should get to the market to see about vegetables for dinner. But I don't want to stop looking at the light, and those trees beyond the window. The market waits for a few more minutes. Thai food is fast and easy to cook, anyways. I'm not so into the lace curtains, and I'll probably make some new ones. But they do make me nostalgic for something... I can't tell what. Maybe it's just that all beautiful…

• Seeing and watching and seeing again.

  Rae

  30 Apr 2012 | 3:45 am

  This evening I was cooking while our landlord sorted a big tomato shipment with his wife and a couple of employees. He's really the friendliest guy. We're all just a big family now, talking about tomatoes hither and thither. And a guy I met on the street came wandering by. I heard, "Rachel," and I looked up from my wok. Who knows my name well enough to say it like that? It was this guy who stopped to ask me about an organic farm he'd heard about and was looking for. We started chatting, and then this evening he was cycling by again. It turned out he knew my landlord, who gave him a kilo of…

• Our house is a very brown house.

  Rae

  27 Apr 2012 | 7:01 pm

  Do you ever wish you were different? Sometimes I wish I was a different girl. I imagine to myself that things would be easier if I were a super practical, cheerful, go-getter of a girl. I would go through my days without psyching myself out. I wouldn't get sensory overload and have to go listen to music in a dark room. I wouldn't question everything, all the time, everything under heaven. I wouldn't put myself through moral gymnastics  while buying toilet paper or trying to decide what to cook for dinner. There's my little wish for fish for the morning. But here I am. I'm Rae. Getting…

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  Chai Life

• Scout Walker vs. Scott Walker

  Evan

  14 May 2012 | 9:37 am

  Source: Scout Walker vs. Scott Walker

• Must-Have Free iPhone Apps in 2012

  Evan

  10 May 2012 | 3:38 pm

  It’s been a few years now since I last compiled a list of must-have iPhone apps and a lot has changed. The OS itself has hugely evolved and the app market has grown exponentially along with it. As such, my old must-have apps lists has become a bit outdated. Unlike the last time I did this, when apps were split up in to different posts, I will be covering everything right here, split up in to the following categories: News & Social Media, Reference, Audio/Video, and Utilities. You may notice that the ever-popular category of “Games” is missing. There’s just too…

• Happy Star Wars Day 2012!

  Evan

  4 May 2012 | 8:15 am

  Source: Happy Star Wars Day 2012!

• SloPig: My Evening of Trayf

  Evan

  23 Apr 2012 | 9:46 pm

  In what was, with out a doubt, the most unkosher thing that I have ever done, I had the opportunity to spend this past Sunday evening at SloPig Milwaukee along with my lovely wife, Jessie, and our good friend Mandi Lindner. Having only heard of it a week ago, I can honestly say that I had no idea what to expect other than lots and lots of pig, along with alcohol of some sorts. I’ve never been one to stay strict to the laws of keeping kosher, but I’ve also never actively sought out and eaten pork beyond the standards: bacon, deli ham, and various forms of sausage, so I wasn’t…

• Never Forget.

  Evan

  19 Apr 2012 | 10:02 am

  Source: Never Forget.

• 

  deCOMPOSE

• Win a Signed Copy of “The Telling”

  Mike Duran

  15 May 2012 | 7:42 am

  Yep, The Telling officially releases today! Crazy, huh? Our local Barnes and Noble, where I’ll be signing copies this weekend, has set up this cool display in the front of the store. How’s that for PR? (Although, I was a little embarrassed when I was caught taking pictures of my own book. Oh, well.) My publisher informed me that the ebook version should be live by the end of this month. Anyway, in celebration of its release, I’ll be giving away three signed copies of my novel. The only “requirement” for entry is that you promise to post a brief review of the book…

• Whirlwind Week!

  Mike Duran

  14 May 2012 | 8:13 am

  Not only is the grass NOT greener on the other side of the publishing fence, there IS no grass. It’s just a long arid plain with occasional watering holes. This week, for me, is a few of those watering holes. Sorta. First off, The Telling is now available! This is my second novel and you can find a synopsis HERE. Technically it releases tomorrow, Tuesday the 15th. But it appears books are now in stock. I’m unsure when the novel will be released in ebook, that’s the publisher’s decision. (Later this year, I’m planning to release an anthology of short stories in…

• Do Readers Really Care About Craft?

  Mike Duran

  11 May 2012 | 10:02 am

  Over at Pub Rants, Agent Kristin posed this dilemma. In Why 50 Shades of Grey Makes Agent Lives Harder, she writes: We agents go to conferences and really drive home the fact that writers need to master their craft. Wow us with masterfully written opening pages. Stop butchering the English language. Then a work comes along and blows that advice out of the water. Readers have called 50 Shades of Grey any number of things: campy, fun, spirited, hilarious, worth the money, a fast read. But well written has not been one of them. So what do we say when a novel inexplicably becomes wildly popular,…

• How Fiction Shapes Worldview

  Mike Duran

  10 May 2012 | 11:42 am

  In my last post, I argued that competing in the marketplace of ideas sometimes requires that Christians use “non-religious” arguments. Rather than citing Scripture, it can be advantageous to cite medical, historical, scientific, or sociological evidence, even evoke more primal, existential yearnings. If “All truth is God’s truth,” then using “general truth” is not only valid, it can be a springboard to moving a person toward “specific truth.” This same principle applies to fiction. In the article Why Fiction is Good for You, Jonathan Gottschall writes: It’s an ancient…

• Marketplace Evangelism and “Non-Religious” Persuasion

  Mike Duran

  9 May 2012 | 7:46 am

  How do you know there’s a God? Simple question. Everyone’s grappled with it in some form. But can you answer it without a religious argument, without using religious lingo? Apparently, a lot of believers can’t. How many times have you heard (or even used) these lines of reasoning: SKEPTIC: How do you know there’s a God? BELIEVER: Because the Bible says so. OR SKEPTIC: How do you know there’s a God? BELIEVER: Because he’s changed my life. Of course, believers aren’t always this simplistic. But it’s rather amazing how commonplace such knee-jerk…

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  WordPress.com News

• Stay In The Conversation

  Beau Lebens

  15 May 2012 | 6:01 pm

  It’s now much easier for you and your commenters to keep track of the conversations you’re involved in across WordPress.com. Some recent tests have shown that by subscribing commenters to new comments by default, they are more likely to stay engaged and come back and comment more on your blog. With that knowledge, we’ve changed the default comment following behavior to help you get more conversations going on your blog. We made the initial changes last week and after great feedback from you we just launched an update. Here’s how it works: By default, posting a comment…

• Look at These Gorgeous Blogs

  Sheri

  15 May 2012 | 1:05 pm

  We’ve added a user showcase where you can view stunning customizations made by people just like you. From complete redesigns with CSS to adding pizzazz with Custom Fonts to clever use of options like background and header, this showcase will spark your imagination and inspire creativity. Discover details about what each showcase blog is doing with WordPress.com themes and customizations by clicking a thumbnail to see a colophon-style list of credits on the left. We’ve also updated footer links so blog owners can show off the types of customizations they’ve made and visitors can…

• Photo Blogging 101, Part 1

  Erica V.

  14 May 2012 | 10:00 am

  Spring is in the air. With the weather warming up, now is a great time to get started on a photo blog. Creating a photo blog is a wonderful introduction to blogging on WordPress.com or an opportunity to refresh your current site. Ready to get started? You can sign up for a new blog right over here. Getting started Photo blogs, sometimes called phlogs, use pictures instead of words. While many photo bloggers choose a type of photo that they want to focus on, such as portraits, others use their photo blog to document their life’s events. Photo blogs come in a variety of styles, including…

• New Themes: Just Desserts and Oxygen

  Michelle Langston

  10 May 2012 | 8:11 am

  Happy Thursday! We’ve added some exciting new themes to our ever-growing collection, and we’re happy to tell you all about them. First out of the oven is…Just Desserts. Yep, that’s a theme! Designed by Andy Rutledge, Just Desserts is a deliciously stylish premium theme that’s perfect for blogs centered on food. With its responsive, single-column layout and unique presentation of images and posts on the front page, Just Desserts gives you a delectable canvas on which your mouthwatering photos and text can really shine — even when viewed on smaller mobile devices…

• Find Friends Who Use WordPress

  Nick Momrik

  1 May 2012 | 2:32 pm

  Are you curious to see how your friends are using WordPress? Give the new and improved Friend Finder a try to connect with your Twitter, Facebook, and Google contacts who have WordPress sites! After authorizing WordPress.com to use your Twitter, Facebook, or Google account to find your friends (don’t worry — none of this account information is saved!) you’ll see a list of people you know who have WordPress sites. Click Follow and each time your friend publishes a new post it will show up in your Reader under Blogs I Follow. If you have multiple blogs, make sure to set the…

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  Leftos - Lessons for the Opposite Sex

• 5 days?

  15 May 2012 | 10:26 pm

  New Answer - I'm a pretty modern girl--way too modern, if you ask some--but honestly, I'm traditional enough to think if I have a date with a man, I *certainly* expect a callback/textback within 2 days at the very most. Five days? He's just not in to you. Bummer for you, but hanging on is just hopeful dismay for you. Delete his number and move on. B.

• I may have cucked up......

  15 May 2012 | 4:26 pm

  New Question - Okay I cheated on my Bf that I well say I told him but he forgave me like it was noting as for him I know he never cheated on me but why did he forgave me so eaysly? (I was drunk that night yes and was lonely I was stupid why I wanted to die after what I did but he my Bf told me to carey on my life but why? I em stupid and no drink much but I was vary lonely trying to drink it away)

• 15 and 20 sadly no one well answer in time -__-

  15 May 2012 | 4:13 pm

  New Question - Okay inrewlly like a girl she is just 15 and I do not know if that's right to date her I'm welling to drupe anyone I am seeing for her I want only her in my life I fill for her at first site and I was told the age is to far she is vary well let's say she is not the best looking she is sorter then me I'm 6 foot 1 and a half and she is about 5 foot 4 but you see I really like her even go as far to say "love" but I already made up my mind if I was to date her I'd not have sex whit her tell she is in age I can tho try to at lest please her some other ways but I want to…

• Stand your ground!

  15 May 2012 | 6:47 am

  New Answer - He said he'd call and he didn't, you even tried calling him and you still haven't heard from him. LEAVE IT at that! If he doesn't get in touch with you again then it's his loss, not yours. Don't mope about thinking about this guy, just get on with your life. Keep busy, go out with friends and try to put him out of your mind. The most important person in your life is YOU so be good to you. Get him and the reasons he didn't get back to you out of your head as these thoughts will predominently be negative ones. "Am I not good enough for him?" "Does he just not fancy me?" "Does he…

• Is it true love?

  15 May 2012 | 6:37 am

  New Answer - You too had a kind of crush on this guy. You approached him, you liked him, he made you feel good by saying romantic things to you. In turn you let your guard down and had sex with him and now that that's happened the novelty has worn off and as you say, you have no more feelings for him. Is that true love? I would one hundred per cent say NO, definitely not! ~Eve~

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  LIFE AS A HUMAN

• India Patents Yoga Poses

  Nathan Thompson

  15 May 2012 | 8:00 am

  Last year, I wrote a post about the lawsuits of hot yoga businessman Bikram against other yoga teachers using similar poses/sequences to the ones his studios offer. In that post, I wrote the following: I find lawsuits of this nature, involving attempts to control the spread of religious/spiritual practices and teachings, quite troubling. Finding the line between an individual or organization’s new and original work, and the historical underpinnings of that work is rarely an easy task. In addition, the whole infusion of monetary settlements, patent rights, and proprietary controls, while…

• EBooks Brown Wrapper Revolution

  Guest Author

  14 May 2012 | 9:00 am

  Unless you’ve been living in a yurt overseas you’re probably aware that ebooks are flying off whatever the digital equivalent of shelves are. I bet even people in yurts are aware of this fact. What you may not know is that there is a revolution inside this digital revolution and it has a naughty side. Much the same way personal stereos made it easier to listen to music without judgement, people have figured out that ebook readers are like brown paper wrappers for books — no one need know what you are reading. The result? As most of the major ebook sellers will tell you,…

• 100 Simple Things You Can Do To Prevent Alzheimer’s

  Guest Author

  14 May 2012 | 8:00 am

  My Mother is 78 and very anxious about the possibility of getting Alzheimer’s. Fortunately, touch wood, my mother is very spritely, intelligent and healthy. In my mind I perceive her as being aged in her 50s or 60s, not approaching 80, and I have to remind myself of the reality. Due to her anxiety she began to read the book by Jean Carper, “100 Simple Things You Can Do To Prevent Alzheimer’s And Age – Related Memory Loss.” I’m in my 40s and I tell you there are times when I feel like I’m having Alzheimer moment myself rather than my mother. I’ll be having a discussion with…

• Truffles for Angels

  Moira Nordholt

  13 May 2012 | 8:30 am

  Dark chocolate has been shown in studies to help prevent heart disease and some cancers, and is known to enhance moods by boosting the brain chemical serotonin, much in the way that modern anti-depressant drugs work. Ancient Aztec Indians believed that eating the fruit from the cacao tree brought wisdom and power. The legend, still alive today, if you ask any chocolate lover, was that cacao seeds had been brought from Paradise. Revered the world over for its sweet taste and creamy texture, chocolate is also considered by many to be an aphrodisiac – and a perfect dessert or gift for loved…

• Escape

  Guest Author

  13 May 2012 | 8:00 am

  Anyone who knows me knows that I comfortably watch no less than two hours of Grey’s Anatomy daily. Not everyone completely understands my obsession; but there are the few and far in between who completely understand and would do the same if given the chance. Prior to taking a gap year, I never really had much time to follow TV shows but this didn’t matter as I was never a television lover. However, I now have an insane amount of free time and I happily spend a large part of it in my room watching this amazing show that never ceases to amaze me. No, this is not an article dedicated to my…

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  Modestly Yours

• Modern Day Tribute to Modesty

  Nurit Weizman

  29 Apr 2012 | 9:46 am

  A sweet and refreshing take on modesty and formal dating, is it not? Share your thoughts! 

• Colorado Teen Fights to Have Racy Senior Picture Published in Yearbook

  Melissa May

  8 Jan 2012 | 8:17 am

  I came across this article the other day and thought it would make for an interesting discussion her on Modestly Yours. Recently a Colorado teenager named Sydney Spies was told that her choice for her senior picture would not be published in her school's yearbook because the picture was too racy. In the picture Spies is wearing a short yellow skirt and a black shawl tied about her chest in place of a shirt, leaving her shoulders and midriff bare. Spies was told by the book's editors that the picture did not follow the school's dress code and could not be used as her senior…

• Why My Kids Aren't Going to Date

  Cady Driver

  30 Dec 2011 | 2:32 pm

  I wrote a blog a bit ago on my site about kids and dating, raising teens, etc.  There have been a few books that I have been reading lately on the subject.  I just finished The Hurried Child:  Growing Up Too Fast Too Soon by David Elkind, Ph.D.  I HIGHLY recommend this book.  It was extremely illuminating. After much thought and consideration my husband and I have made the decision to help our kids wait to date until they are much older....old enough to consider marriage.   This position is obviously going to come under attack, but I don't see the harm…

• Babies Bring Out the Best

  AlexandraFoley

  24 Dec 2011 | 1:21 pm

  I recently read a charming little post, the reflections of a new mom (new mom to her 9th child!!) on what a baby can do! I particularly liked this paragraph: I’m walking down the aisle in Walmart, and here comes a wave of teenage girls, with hard mouths and stick thin legs, ironed hair, nasty, razor-slashed clothing, eyes blackened with enough eyeliner to make a raccoon gasp in shame. They strut forward in a loud and arrogant swarm. Once they’re close enough to glimpse the top of my newborn baby’s feathery little head, and they all . . . collapse. They absolutely collapse and turn to…

• Living Plain

  Lisa Nash

  25 Oct 2011 | 6:53 pm

  I have been on a spiritual odyssey lately and part of my wanderings led me to a website by Isabel, also known as "Quaker Jane." In a particularly stirring account of being led to Plain Dress almost in spite of herself, she writes about how she began her shift to plain dress through "a particular style of bonnet": After several months of Googling thousands of pages deep for the word "bonnet," I found what I was looking for on a website about "prayer coverings." This discovery was quite disturbing to my feminist mind. And yet, I would wake up in the…

• 

  Then Life Happens

• The Courage To Fight Breast Cancer #effCancer

  Angela Schaefers

  8 May 2012 | 3:00 am

  A dear friend of mine, Darlene, has had the courage to fight breast cancer for some years. Having used both traditional and non-traditional healing methods, she has beat the odds against her prognosis. Darlene has set up a non-profit to help educate and support both patients and family members who are facing breast cancer. She has done public speaking to help share her story and bring about awareness too. Her most important goal has been to educate others about their treatment options and to help them to use their voice when dealing with doctors, practitioners and insurance matters.

• Who Do You Think You Are?

  Angela Schaefers

  1 May 2012 | 5:00 am

  Sometimes we don’t question who we are, much less who we ‘think’ we are. Let me explain. When was the last time someone asked you “who are you?” instead people usually ask “what do you do?”. We don’t usually walk around sharing who we are or ask ourselves who we think we are. Life just happens. We become who we are by all the factors surrounding us. Our family of origin, our job, our partner and perhaps based on where we live too. Sometimes we live our lives for years before we ask ourself that very important question… Who are we? And if we don’t ask, we often live…

• Remain Vulnerable and Stay Alive

  Geoff Talbot

  28 Apr 2012 | 5:00 am

  As an artist and a dreamer our greatest weapon is our emotional sensitivity; for it enables us to dream, to imagine, to empathize and to feel. But this great weapon sometimes feels like a heavy curse… especially when rejection and criticism rain on down. As creative souls our sensitivity makes us vulnerable to great wounding; and deep wounds if left un-medicated have the ability to paralyze us. But there in ends the bad news, for wounds once healed increase your ability to dream, to understand to feel. There is strength and power to be found in our scars. For scars tell stories of battles…

• You Have The Answer

  Angela Schaefers

  24 Apr 2012 | 8:42 am

  My last post was about others giving advice to us, well meaning or not, that perhaps we should not take and instead seek our own answers. Someone messaged me and said if they didn’t act on advice from others, they struggled finding their own answers. I realize many people feel the same and in the past I did too. For me personally, I felt a lot less confident in myself and that was a big reason I would seek advice and direction from others and not go with what may be a better choice for me. The other reason in listening to others instead of making my own choices was that I didn’t know how…

• Don’t Listen To What They Say

  Angela Schaefers

  19 Apr 2012 | 1:45 am

  Have you ever thought about all the advice along the way that others have given you? Things like what you should do or not do, if you do this something bad will happen, or if you try this you will fail? What about when someone tells you their own experience and says ‘don’t try it, I did and it doesn’t work!’. Or sometimes people tell us all the reasons why we should do something. They say we should; take that new job, get a divorce, leave our partner, marry our partner, move to another country and so on. And don’t forget all the little things; dye your hair red, wear that…

• 

  The Homesteading Housewife

• Summer Fun in Texas!!

  Dana Clover

  1 May 2012 | 12:00 pm

  As you already know, my family has a lot of kids -- five of our own and always at least one additional kid who is staying with us for one reason or another. Having at least five kids in our home often makes it hard to go to many "cool" vacation spots. I mean, more kids = more $$ spent, and I am way too frugal to be able to enjoy myself if I know it's breaking the bank! (I know I need to work on this!) Anyway, last year three of the six kids living with us graduated high school and flew the coop! This meant that (for now) we only have THREE kids at home! I know! I KNOW! You are asking yourself…

• the Evolution of a Mother through my kids eyes

  Dana Clover

  19 Apr 2012 | 7:26 am

  It goes something like this....  When your children are-  0-6yrs old = "My mommy is the prettiest and smartest person in the World!  7-11yrs old = "My mom knows a LOT... but my friends know a lot too."  12-15yrs old = "My mom doesn't know nearly as much as my friends do!"  16-18yrs old = "My mom is so stupid! I really don't understand how she hasn't forgotten to breathe and dropped dead yet!"  19-21yrs old = "My mom is SOOOO out-dated! I wish she would just shut up and let me live my life! I know what I'm doing.. SHE doesn't have a clue!  22-29yrs old = "I'm…

• Letter to my children...

  Dana Clover

  31 Mar 2012 | 8:48 pm

  You are right. It is not fair. As a matter of fact, I never promised you that your life would be fair. You really should get used to it now.. Life is NOT fair. The sooner you learn to accept this fact, the better off you'll be. Now that you know this you can refrain from informing me ten-thousand times a day that It's not fair. Guess what??!? I KNOW!!! Oh and by the way... I really don't care if you were sitting there first. Seriously, does it really matter? Each of the cushions on the couch face the same place, what does it matter which one you sit on? Is this really something worth fighting…

• Three Emotions (A follow-Up/Resolution post)

  Dana Clover

  29 Mar 2012 | 8:53 pm

  This is an update to my "Open Letter To Jack" post. If you missed all the drama, you might want to read it first to get caught up.  HERE The "Resolution" to this very emotion-filled incident has left me with three very distinct emotions. Pride - Disappointment - Disgust Let's start with the  Pride - I had a meeting today with the Area Franchise Owner/Group that operate this particular Jack in the Box location. I was prepared for excuses. I was prepared for stuffiness. I was prepared for intimidation. I was NOT prepared for the three men I met. Now... keep in mind I do a…

• What Have "They" Done? (An open letter to "Mr. Jack-In-The-Box"

  Dana Clover

  27 Mar 2012 | 4:58 pm

  NEW UPDATE/RESOLUTION added at the bottom of this post! WARNING- If you are opposed to angry and/or ranting posts, you might wanna read about one of my great recipes instead of this post.  This is an open letter to Jack. www.JackInTheBox.com Dear Jack, Today has been a difficult day for me. Today I dropped my son off at the airport. After being home for two weeks of R&R, he had to go back to Afghanistan, where he is a soldier in the United States ARMY. He will be stationed in Afghanistan for at least 9 more months before he gets to come back home. I am…

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  aloftyexistence

• Open Question: Do You Believe in Karma?

  Alee

  6 May 2012 | 8:52 am

  Karma is every moralist’s favorite belief — the idea that whatever you do, good or bad, comes back to you; sometimes manifold. Karma becomes a way for people to understand what happens to them, positive or negative. You get what you’ve given, you get what you deserve. But does karma actually play out in our daily lives and how does it work? It seems that whether you consciously or unconsciously acknowledge the law of karma largely depends on how strongly you believe in kindness and justice. That is, if you believe that the world should be fair and that people should treat…

• Life and Times of the Love Junkie

  Alee

  29 Apr 2012 | 7:00 am

  Are you addicted to love? The love junkie is quite simply, hooked on love and romance. Whereas some people fall in love with individuals and the experience of being with them, love junkies are primarily in love with love. The love junkie’s life revolves around love, romance, and relationships and even when not in a relationship, relationships and love remain their priority and primary mental focus. The truth is, the love junkie does not feel truly complete without love and romance, although they may not recognize this fact. Many believe that a full life can’t be lived without a…

• Jessica Simpson Weight Gain — One Look at Anti-Fat Prejudice

  Alee

  14 Apr 2012 | 11:30 am

  Singer and actress Jessica Simpson’s weight has been the subject of discussion for some time now, with her size increasing and decreasing dramatically over the years. But Jessica’s recent pregnancy weight gain has even those who weren’t talking about adding their views. From medical professionals to politicians, many are offering their view on her size and the topic of unhealthy weight gain. Called an “absolute porker” by Dr.  Tara Solomon, Jessica has never publicly responded to her critics. Instead she shrugged off the weight gain, saying she is pregnant and…

• Online Relationship Intrusion: Don’t Be a Victim

  Alee

  10 Apr 2012 | 8:47 am

  Online relationship intrusion: The act of internet-based relationships affecting a person’s offline. Often causing frustration, negative thoughts, and unreasonable fixation. Ah, the internet. Information, entertainment, and people, at a few clicks of a mouse. Such a great resource, and one some people have come to rely on, possibly to an extreme degree. Who ever would have suspected that what makes the internet so enjoyable could also cause it to be the reason some people end their internet sessions not feeling refreshed, but upset and let down. Many people who are or have been…

• Your Partner is a Jerk and Why You Should Care

  Alee

  28 Mar 2012 | 9:30 am

  Your partner is a jerk. They yell at service people, are quick to engage in an argument or fight, and make sure to put anyone who crosses them back “in their place.” When they come around, people who are familiar with them are wary. To put it bluntly: your partner is a rude, unbearable torture. So what do you do? If you’re like most people I’ve known: nothing. You ignore it. After all, your partner is sweet as pie to you, and is only rude sometimes. You just know deep down that they are truly a kind, humane, and civil individual. But you laugh at their jokes at the…

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  ColorMePink!

• Easiest Recipe Ever! Marinated Mozzarella and Tomato Salad

  Christine

  11 May 2012 | 12:57 pm

  Yesterday was a really nice day.  My cousin and her son, whom I haven’t seen in years, came for a visit.  It was really lovely and we reminisced and laughed and maybe even cried a little together. It’s funny how life works and how you come full circle sometimes, but I digress.  I wanted to have a simple yet tasty menu that didn’t cause anyone stress, yet still be fabulous.  I bought my favorite spreads (hummus, tzatziki), some chips to dip, Jim grilled cheeseburgers with lots of ‘fixins’, and I made Greek Pasta Salad, and this. Measurements are really…

• Finding Your Voice In Social Media

  Christine

  7 May 2012 | 11:14 am

  I think at this point, there isn’t anyone left who would argue against the importance of social media. More and more brands, charities, celebrities, performing artists, small business owners and individuals are trying to harness the power of social media outlets and the sheer volume of choices and ideas can be really overwhelming. This isn’t going to be a post about which outlets, third party tools, and so called rules I follow. There are plenty of articles about those issues; rather, it’s about your “voice”. I see so many tweets and updates that are poorly…

• Eggplant, Steak and Pea Stir Fry

  Christine

  3 May 2012 | 3:30 am

  I got some beautiful “ichiban” eggplant this week – but as usual, I ordered so much of it that I didn’t know what to do.  Also, I ordered what I thought were snow peas and then realized they were peas – the tough outer shell gave it away. I know they look like they might be sugar snaps, but the shell was way too tough to consider eating. So, we shelled them. I had some local, fresh, grass fed skirt steak and I thought a stir fry would be interesting.  It was. 3 tablespoons Tamari (soy sauce) 3 tablespoons Rice Vinegar 1 tablespoon Hoisin Sauce 1 tablespoon…

• Opus Domini Mobile Pro for iPad and iPhone

  Christine

  1 May 2012 | 12:19 pm

  I have spent so much money and so much time downloading goal and time planning apps.  You don’t even want to know how much. So, the other day when I saw this article, by the lovely Britt, that mentioned Opus Domini Mobile Pro and how close it came to the Franklin Covey planning system, I knew I had to try it.  You see, I love Franklin Covey.  The system literally changed my life. I purchased my first FC yearly planner in, I think, 2000.  I worked through all the exercises and I completely fell in love with that way of planning.  It just made sense.  Something clicked and I was…

• Wordless Wednesday

  Christine

  25 Apr 2012 | 4:30 pm

  Been a while, I know. I’ll be back soon!

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  Pleasure Notes

• Blooming Mondays: Painter’s Delight

  emmajames

  14 May 2012 | 7:00 am

  Blooming Monday has always been about fresh cut flowers in the home because I feel so strongly that everyone should surround themselves with bouquets of pleasure. However, I cannot ignore the abundance of blooms over which I keep stumbling on various saunters around various towns lately so I’ve decided to celebrate blooming gardens for the summer months. Blooming Mondays: Painter's Delight (iris, 05.14.12) Van Gogh would be in seventh heaven, don’t you think?

• Happy Mother’s Day

  emmajames

  13 May 2012 | 12:09 pm

  Celebrate Mother's Day Well! I’m celebrating mine with a stunning raspberry pastry from Bottega Louie and a steaming cup of Earl Grey tea in my favorite tea cup. How are you celebrating yours?

• Wall Art

  emmajames

  30 Apr 2012 | 3:15 pm

  There’s a lot that one can bitch about when living in a sprawling urban metropolis – the traffic, the noise, the chaos… But then there are the little, fabulous flashes of beauty that can only be created in a city of spirits vying for attention. Downtown Los Angeles Look up. Look down. Look around. What do you see?

• Blooming Mondays: Explosions of Color

  emmajames

  30 Apr 2012 | 7:00 am

  Blooming Mondays: Explosions of Color (gerber daisies, 04.30.12) It’s spring. Really, is there anything to do but laugh and spin?

• Pearls Of Wisdom

  emmajames

  26 Apr 2012 | 7:00 am

  pearls of wisdom Many times in my life, I have navigated situations with the grace of an elephant in a candy store. I have felt the need to prove myself with all the subtlety of a brass band in a library, afraid to be silent or still long enough to learn from others. I have shrunk from the risk of failure rather than embrace its power as a catalyst for change, and have then found myself shrunken. Recently, however, I’ve found myself breathing a bit more deeply, giving myself a bit more space and looking for something other than all the answers or the magic pill or an authoritative nod…

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  The Chronicles of R

• Collusion - Track Your Online Footprint with Firefox

  5 May 2012 | 10:49 pm

  Ever wanted to know who is tracking you online in real-time? Wanted to be able to choose who should be able to track your online footprints and who should not be able to stalk you? Mozilla and Ford Foundation has come up with a new add-on for their Firefox browser which would do just the same - Collusion. Collusion is an experimental add-on for Firefox and allows you to see all the third

• Tips on Improving Computer Performance

  2 May 2012 | 4:10 pm

  After a certain amount of time, your computer may start to lag and not perform as it once did. When this happens to your computer, you don't simply have to accept the fact that your computer is slowing down. You also don't have to go out and buy a new computer to get the performance back. Instead, there are a number of tips that you can use to improve the performance of your computer. You may

• The Avengers (2012)

  2 May 2012 | 12:40 am

  I was so waiting for this moment that I thought I would die before it came. I was waiting for the Avengers to assemble! So all of you who were wondering about the existence of Nick Fury in all those Avenger movies like Iron Man, The Hulk, Thor et al, Director Joss Whedon has come to your rescue and repay you for waiting so patiently for the answer. He gave you The Avengers! So Nick Fury from

• Watch Netflix and Hulu from Outside US

  19 Apr 2012 | 9:58 pm

  For all those who wanted to watch Netflix or Hulu but didn't get a chance because they don't live in the United States of A, or probably you lived in the United States of A and so didn't get to watch BBC iPlayer or 4OD, here's a simple and affordable solution. Get UnoTelly! UnoTelly DirectDNS is a DNS-based system that utilizes the properitory DirectDNS technology to give you access to blocked

• Legal DVDs vs Pirated DVDs

  13 Apr 2012 | 2:12 am

  I guess this picture says it all. So if you are planning to buy pirated DVDs, be prepared to start watching the movie from the word go. No time to get the bucket of pop-corn. Too bad huh! And you should always avoid sites like Pirate Bay and Torrent Freak else you might end up spending thousands in downloading free illegal movies and music et al from these sites. It would also start crowding

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  Tolstoy is my Cat

• 'The Politics of Book Purchasing' Guestpost on 12 Books, 12 Months

  Lyndsay Wheble

  14 May 2012 | 5:31 am

  A short series of posts by me over on 12 Books 12 Months concludes today with my guestpost 'The Politics of Book Buying', in which I describe the complex overthinking that goes into each of my book purchasing escapades. I've actually already read Margaret Atwood's 'Surfacing' (read my review here) and Murakami's 'South Of The Border, West Of The Sun' (review here), whilst the other two books mentioned are nearing the top of my TBR pile.  Rest assured, I've also bought many more books since then.  Thanks again to Ali at 12 Books, 12 Months for allowing me air time on her…

• The Book Blogger File - about Me!

  Lyndsay Wheble

  9 May 2012 | 10:27 am

  [via] Hello all, Quite excitingly, Ali over at 12 Books 12 Months has interviewed yours truly, about writing, books and my WIP.    Amongst many things, she asks about my reading habits, my life outside blogging, and also the slightly awkward question of why 'Dickens from the Start' has, shall we say, floundered :) You can read the interview here.

• Review: 'Surfacing' by Margaret Atwood

  Lyndsay Wheble

  4 May 2012 | 5:46 am

  [via] 'Surfacing' is the first Atwood book I've read since 'The Handmaid's Tale' fully freaked me out at uni, and after a friend of mine perceptively commented the other day about the contraceptive-insurance-hoohaa moving the US towards a reality not dissimilar to the'The Handmaid's Tale', I thought the time was ripe to read some more.  This is one of Atwood's first, published in 1972, after the publication of 'The Edible Woman' and six volumes of poetry, and concerns a young woman returning to the remotest wilds of northern Quebec with her friends and lover to try and find out what…

• Review: 'South of the Border, West of the Sun' by Haruki Murakami

  Lyndsay Wheble

  28 Apr 2012 | 9:56 am

  This is the latest in a vague, meandering odyssey through Haruki Murakami's books that I've been making over the last few years, and I'd estimate I'm now about halfway through. I picked it up in Waterstones the other day as I fancied something new to read and I'm totally attracted to slim volumes at the moment after my epic Dickens tomes, the complete reading of which has turned into a total non-starter, not that I'm too sorry about that. 'South of the Border, West of the Sun' is the story of Hajime, the narrator and central character, who we follow from early…

• 'Ashenden' by W. Somerset Maugham

  Lyndsay Wheble

  20 Apr 2012 | 8:05 am

  'I'll tell you an incident that occurred only the other day and I can vouch for its truth. I thought at the time it would make a damn good story. One of the French ministers went down to Nice to recover from a cold and he had some very important documents with him that he kept in a dispatch-case. They were very important indeed. Well, a day or two after he arrived he picked up a yellow-haired lady at some restaurant or other where there was dancing, and he got very friendly with her. To cut a long story short, he took her back to his hotel - of course it was a very imprudent thing to…

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  Nothing But Random

• 7 tips to make WordPress blog faster

  ZXT

  11 May 2012 | 11:55 am

  Users of the internet have very little time span attention and if a web page does not open up quick enough, they will just look for something else. If you are a WordPress blog user you might have made your pages very heavy which make it difficult for you to load particularly on slow servers. [...]

• Top 8 fuel saving tips

  ZXT

  25 Mar 2012 | 2:24 pm

  This year (2012) fuel prices in the Philippines is up by 12 percent already and the first quarter isn’t done yet. I bet this goes on most countries too as gas prices in the US is at $4 per gallon. As cost of gas continues to rise and there’s no end in sight, I decided [...]

• Hotel Safety Tips

  ZXT

  8 Mar 2012 | 8:29 am

  We know, we know — when you’re on vacation, the last thing you want to worry about is hotel security. But returning from a day of exploring Mayan ruins or sampling French wines to find that your hotel room has been ransacked is a surefire way to put a damper on an otherwise amazing trip. [...]

• 9 ways to gain more Twitter followers

  ZXT

  23 Feb 2012 | 9:05 am

  Okay as we all know, Twitter is up there fighting popularity with Facebook. Facebook and Twitter have both PageRank 9, Google ways of ranking which webpage is worthy. While checking on Alexa Ranking, Facebook got a little edge having the no. 2 spot (Google is number 1) while Twitter is not far away at 9th [...]

• Formula 1 season

  ZXT

  28 Nov 2011 | 7:20 am

  The longest season in Formula 1 comes to an end with Mark Webber winning the last race in Brazil albeit due to Sebastian Vettel’s gear box problem. Nonetheless a win is a win and seeing Vettel lifting his index finger again and again gets pretty tiring after awhile. Red Bull dominance for the last 2 [...]

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  Amy Mac

• Words I Live (or, My iPhone Auto-correct Epiphany)

  9 May 2012 | 10:24 am

  Mark Twain once said "The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug." So true. It's why I keep a list of Words I Love on my iPhone. It includes words like Cornucopia and Apoplectic and Transcendent. Maybe I'll write a story about a Martha Stewart-like woman who became apoplectic when the centerpiece cornucopia on her Thanksgiving table did not transcend the fabulous sweet potato casserole of her kind but homely neighbor. Something like that. But bless the auto-correct function on iPhone's little heart, it changed Words…

• When to Use Acronyms on Resumes and in Business Writings

  4 May 2012 | 9:20 am

  I'm often asked when it's okay to use acronyms when writing business letters, websites, in presentations, and on resumes and the like. The quick answer: almost never on the first reference. Acronyms (a new word formed with the first letter of a group of words) are wonderful for communicating with a specific group you know is familiar with the acronym. It's when you're reaching a broader audience and you assume they know an acronym that you'll fail to connect with your audience ... or worse, lose the reader altogether because combining all those bold, capital letters that mean nothing to them…

• Working at Starbucks

  27 Apr 2012 | 9:52 am

  I love working from home. I don't have to deal with traffic, can pound out work without interruption, and can remain in my pink flowery pajamas and sporting Stephen Tyler hair until noon and only my dogs know the difference. And as long as I don't get between them and a good bone, they don't care what I look like. But every now and then I feel the pull to get out of the office. Sometimes I just need a change of scenery, other times I'm avoiding the impending avalanche of laundry. Occasionally I'm just avoiding a spider that's made its way into my house against all measures and launching an…

• The Summitt

  20 Apr 2012 | 8:40 pm

  The Tennessee Lady Vols head basketball coach, Pat Summitt, retired this week. She holds the title of all-time winningest NCAA basketball coach (men or women). During her tenure, the Lady Vols:  won eight NCAA titles won 32 Southeastern Conference tournaments and regular season championships Made an unprecedented 31 consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament Produced 12 Olympians and 77 All-SEC performers Here's the most impressive statistic: Along with the success on the court, Summitt's student-athletes have tremendous productivity in the classroom. Coach Summitt has a 100…

• Five Reasons to Avoid Music on Websites (With All Due Respect to Elvis)

  17 Apr 2012 | 3:03 pm

  For many businesses, a snazzy website is their announcement to the world they have arrived. They've got their act together: their website is well-written with on-target messaging, has beautifully designed graphics and professional photography, and is easy to navigate. You are tickled pink to arrive at a website that puts you at ease with their organization and general awesomeness. (You can find the definition here.) Then they go and muck it up by playing music. I know, I know ... some of you have music on your website right now and you LOVE it. I mean, it sounds spiffy, it seems…

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  JohnRWallace.com

• Rhythm Of Grace…

  John Wallace

  15 May 2012 | 9:34 am

  “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28-30 MSG I love this version of this verse. If you are weary, tired, and burned out…rest in Christ. He will take and lift your cares and your worries. He will give you peace. The more you rest…

• I Dare You To Give…

  John Wallace

  11 May 2012 | 9:20 am

  “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.” Malachi 3:10  I love this verse. It comes with a mighty promise and if there is one thing that is certain about Christ, it’s that He keeps His promises. Money definitely has a big hold on our hearts and God definitely knows this. Especially as Americans, it seems doubly harder to be generous and to trust…

• No More Losing Sleep…

  John Wallace

  10 May 2012 | 6:00 am

  “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—for he grants sleep tothose he loves.” Psalm 127:1-2 Have you ever had sleepless nights? Have you ever been restless because of too much worry on your mind? Has the stress of life, bills and your career left you feeling exhausted in the morning? Well there is relief! God grants those he loves with sleep! The truth is, we need to trust him. Look at verse one of the verse…

• You Need Only To Be Still…

  John Wallace

  7 May 2012 | 9:16 am

  “The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14 This is a cornerstone verse for me. Whenever life becomes overwhelming or difficult, I often turn to this verse. Moses is the one who said this verse, and at the time, the Israelites had fled Egypt and were being pursued by the Egyptian army; and they were now trapped with the Red Sea in front of them and the Egyptian army behind them. They started to panic. They lost their calm and became scared, confused, and fearful. This is when Moses said, The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still. This is the…

• Made In God’s Image…

  John Wallace

  3 May 2012 | 8:03 am

  “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:27 Today if you are battling self-doubt, feeling like you are not good enough in some way, or don’t have what it takes… let me encourage you: You do. You are made in the image of Christ. He made no mistake. Don’t compare yourself by the world’s standards, making you act and feel a certain way. But instead, know who you are in Christ and let that be the basis for your whole outlook on life. You are a child of God. You are redeemed…

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  DScottAngle.com

• 3 Steps to Increase Your Business – by Increasing Word-of-Mouth

  D. Scott Angle

  15 May 2012 | 8:34 am

  In the days before social media and the Internet, it wasn’t as easy to listen in on your customers’ conversations about your company. Nor could you easily encourage people to spread the good word about your business through word-of-mouth.When you connect with your customers online, you stop speaking to them and start talking with them. And wonderful things begin to happen. Those golden word-of-mouth moments that happen naturally offline at parties or networking events suddenly begin happening online right in front of your eyes on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and review sites.On social…

• Menu Mondays: Baked Cod with Tomatoes & Home-made Chips

  D. Scott Angle

  14 May 2012 | 4:30 am

  The baked cod with tomatoes was a surprise winner last week. It’s quick to prepare, fairly simple and tasty. However, I couldn’t have been more wrong about the potato, cauliflower and chickpea korma. That was definitely not what we use to introduce curry to the kids. It was absolutely foul and we will never be having it again. In fact it has been stricken from the menu/recipe records, never to be seen again… Long live the cod! On to this week: The Nasi Goreng, Tuesday’s meal, is a long-time family favourite. It’s basically a rice dish, but with a lovely…

• Sometimes it’s better to ease into the weekend [video]

  D. Scott Angle

  11 May 2012 | 12:14 pm

  Be TouchedBe InspiredBe Confident, Optimistic, and love what you’ve gotBut most of all, have a great weekend!!!

• 5 Tactics for Tackling Nutrition Labels

  D. Scott Angle

  9 May 2012 | 10:16 am

  It’s estimated that around 60% of food shoppers now read the nutrition facts table on packaging. Unfortunately, they don’t make it very easy to use that information effectively. Here are five helpful tips to help you cut through the mumbo-jumbo and make the healthiest choices for you and your family.Pay attention to the SERVING SIZE:Most displayed nutrition information is based on the single serving size. Unfortunately, we quite often pick up something, considering it to be one portion, but the manufacturers have it labelled as two or three. Basically, check the serving size…

• Men and Women can be Friends, but Should They? Study Looks at Opposite Sex Friendships

  D. Scott Angle

  8 May 2012 | 7:32 am

  It’s long been established that men and women can be friends. But a new study suggests the more compelling question is: Should they?In two studies, researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire plumbed the opposite-sex relationships of more than 400 adults, ranging in age from 18 to 52, and found attraction was both common and potentially costly.It would appear that the true danger arises because at least one friend is ‘almost’ always attracted to another.Attraction in friendship is happening, and it’s persistent.” – lead author April Bleske-Rechek, associate professor…

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  Bucket List Journey

• 12 Tips for Navigating the London Underground

  Annette | Bucket List Journey

  14 May 2012 | 12:36 pm

  I was having severe anxiety about using the London Underground. I seriously spent hours studying the tube map, trying to make sense of all the colorful lines. I had nightmares of flying ten hours to England and then not being able to navigate my way to the hotel or, even worse, to a good pub for mushy peas. Yes. I have some issues. 1. Buy an Oyster Card After much debate between the Travelcard or Oyster Card I opted for the later. Typically, purchasing either is much cheaper then just buying single tickets to each of your destinations. For 4 1/2 days of…

• Eating Picturesque Bone Marrow at St. JOHN Restaurant

  Annette | Bucket List Journey

  11 May 2012 | 9:00 am

  Prior to arriving in London, I watched the Anthony Bourdain London episode of The Layover…six times. Though I mostly like to find my own hidden eatery treasures, after seeing the show, I absolutely wanted to go to St. John Hotel for blood sausages. But, what ended up happening was me going to St. John Bar & Restaurant for Bone Marrow. Close enough. Either way, I would still be having a meal at one of the restaurants owned by the famous nose to tail chef, Fergus Henderson. There are 3 establishments in Hendersons repertoire, St. John Hotel, St. John Bar & Restaurant and…

• What to Wear in London (& What I Wore)

  Annette | Bucket List Journey

  9 May 2012 | 9:00 am

  Even though I would never let my attire hinder having an extraordinary travel experience, for me proper planning does include a Google search for the latest fashion trends of wherever I am going to visit. Mostly, to avoid having "Tourist" stamped across my forehead. As if having a camera hanging around my neck wasn't a convincing enough sign. For my trip to London I spent an extensive amount of time hunting for the perfect boots. But, what I should have been focusing on was skirts, stockings and skinnys. London is full of…

• Piroshkys & a Cappuccino in Seattle

  Annette | Bucket List Journey

  7 May 2012 | 10:45 am

  When I first announced my travel plans to Seattle, John over at Travel Rinse Repeat offered up a gift card to Piroshky Piroshky. Not only was I grateful that someone I never met would be so kind, but I was also stoked because I had heard that this food establishment was a master in their craft. Piroshky Piroshky, located at Pike Place Market, specializes in Russian Piroshkys, buns that are fried or baked and stuffed with a variety of fillings. After snacking on the thinnest slices of beef tongue, I was in need of a calorie-infested indulgence. Piroshky Piroshky is one of the…

• A Spin on the London Eye

  Annette | Bucket List Journey

  2 May 2012 | 10:23 am

  Upon arriving to a new city, one of the first things I like to do is take a bus or boat ride, or hustle to the highest point in the city to get a grasp on my surroundings. London was no different. The London Eye is a giant ferris wheel that towers 443 feet in the air and I wanted to see what that heck was way up there. As I approached the impressive structure I was having flashbacks of my last ferris wheel ride. It was not pretty. You can spin me upside down twenty times on the Zipper, but the simplest ferris wheel ride made me revisit my prior meal of corndogs and pink…

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  The Good Life? | dancePROOF

• i know not the words

  Arsene Hodali

  19 Apr 2012 | 12:13 pm

  who what when where why is I? who what when where why is Love? who what when where why is You? how can the heaven’s permit us to say I Love You without knowing the words?

• What Your Real Job Is

  Arsene Hodali

  17 Apr 2012 | 10:13 am

  I don’t care what profession you’re in, what title you hold, or what degrees you’re using and/or neglecting; If you care about the work you do, the impact you make, and somehow got it into your head that you’ll leave things better than you found them, you only have one job: Your job is to struggle.

• The Warmth of the Mind, the Coldness of Reality, and the Drastic Temperature Change.

  Arsene Hodali

  7 Apr 2012 | 2:12 pm

  Every night I sleep in heat as if I’ve gone back into the womb. Nothing hurts, and everything feels good. But every day, I am born again, and I exit the womb crying, feeling the coldness and the pain that comes with it; the pain of life, the pain of reality. And yet I know I must feel this pain. For I must live. For staying in the womb is not life, it’s avoidance. Staying in the womb for want of not being hurt, of not losing joy, or of not growing up hard, without laughter, and without love, is very tempting. And yet every day, despite all that, I leave, for the gelid reality. And…

• flood myth

  Arsene Hodali

  29 Feb 2012 | 2:33 pm

  some of us live holding our breath. blood roaring in our ears, lungs stretched to bursting, counting the seconds with our heartbeats for day, months, years, before we’re forced to exhale. before the harsh waters of life come rushing into our lungs, drowning us. some of us build scuba-gear. smiling at our ingenuity consciously, really smiling at our self-delusion made reality subconsciously. the self-delusion being that the ocean is tameable, handleable, graspable.. by Man’s hands. and that the waters of life really aren’t that harsh afterall. too late do we realize that…

• her love was a tin cup.

  Arsene Hodali

  23 Feb 2012 | 9:24 pm

  her love was a tin cup. she held it out to her sleeves. farther even! she shook and rattled it. look at it! look at it! her love was a tin cup. a beggar’s kind of love. demanding attention. demanding affection. demanding charity. her love was a tin cup. and I found out that my pockets were empty.

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  12 Most

• 12 Most Beautiful and Useful Social Media Infographics By Anita Hovey

  Anita Hovey

  15 May 2012 | 10:00 am

  By Anita Hovey One of the most useful trends of the past year is the growth of the infograph: a graphic visual representation of information, data or knowledge (Wikipedia). A well planned infograph can pack a whollop of information into an easily digestible format. The best ones are not only informative, but creative works of [...]

• 12 Most Must-Have Free Online Productivity Tools for Small Business By Doug Rice

  Doug Rice

  15 May 2012 | 9:00 am

  By Doug Rice The world of web 2.0 has opened up the floodgates of resources for small business people. The playing field has truly been leveled. It used to be that larger businesses had the upper hand, because they could afford to shell out money for expensive customer relations, project management, knowledge development, and data [...]

• 12 Most Aspiring A Words for Bloggers By Susan Silver

  Susan Silver

  15 May 2012 | 8:00 am

  By Susan Silver Did you participate in the A to Z challenge in April? Many writers put their skills to the test in the challenge. The premise was to write 26 posts — one for each letter of the alphabet. I was too cowardly to compete but I was jealous of my friends like Amberr [...]

• 12 Most Stimulating Small Business Blog Ideas By Sharyn Sheldon

  Sharyn Sheldon

  14 May 2012 | 10:00 am

  By Sharyn Sheldon Having trouble thinking up topics to write about on your small business blog? Ideas can come at all hours of the day or night, but rarely can you summon them on demand. Making regular deposits in an idea bank can help, and you should always have a notebook on hand to capture [...]

• 12 Most Certain Ways You Will Turn Off a Website Visitor By Amy Tobin

  Amy Tobin

  14 May 2012 | 9:00 am

  By Amy Tobin Websites are the foundation of a good marketing platform and I spend hours of my life discussing & contemplating them. Too often, we become enamored with what is possible and lose sight of what is important. There are so many shiny gimmicks we could employ that it is essential we S-T-O-P and [...]

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  DC Dana

• Morocco part trois

  DC Dana

  15 May 2012 | 10:00 am

  Day 3: Son is wearing Iron Maiden today. Precious Peter asks Angie: "Do you know where Alexandria is?"then, at some point later asks me "Did you know Abraham Lincoln's parents are from Wales?"..... Today we looked around the Imperial city Fes. Fes, like a lot of other Moroccan cities, has two parts: the modern part that looks like most European big cities complete with designer shopping and cafes, and the Medina - aka the Old City - which is walled in and feels like you step back into medieval times.Fes' Medina is incredible because it's the most confusing, labrynth-like place I've ever been…

• Morocco Part Deux: Snakes, Seniors, Socks and Sandals

  DC Dana

  14 May 2012 | 9:00 am

  I mentioned before that there are a lot of different languages flying around that country. And because of my "ethnic ambiguousness" it quickly became hilarious letting the salesmen in the souks (markets) guess where I might be from as I walked by: "Bonjour!...Hola!...Merhaba?....Buongiorno?...Hello!?...."(At one point I also got "Konichiwa!" but that was just because I accidentally got mixed in with a crowd of Japanese tourists which completely confused the poor locals...)I realize most of these salesmen just know one word in several languages, but a lot of people in Morocco do speak several…

• Morocco Part Un

  DC Dana

  12 May 2012 | 11:19 am

  Hello Internet, I'm back from my latest African adventure! I figure this will take a few posts so we'll just start with Un (they speak French there...or Arabic...or Spanish ...or Italian....we'll get to that later but we'll go with French for now). So, for anyone who does not know, Morocco is here:                                                www.worldatlas.comAnd…

• Gone To Lunch...

  DC Dana

  24 Apr 2012 | 10:35 pm

  ....in MOROCCO!I keep meaning to post something here, like about the awesome weapons/driving course I just completed (where I accidentally shot a hostage), or about boys (like my latest BUB aka Break Up Blocker), or just random incidents (like when that stranger came across the room at that birthday event tonight to tell me she'd been staring at my butt and had to know where I bought my pants - yep, that just happened.),BUTI haven't been able to sit down and write about any of those things because:A. I have the attention span of a humming bird on crack cocaineB. I'm trying to…

• Insight Into My Mother's Obliviously Happy World

  DC Dana

  9 Apr 2012 | 10:51 am

  Conversation with my parents while looking at a bird in a nest this weekend:Mom: Oh look at its little head! It looks like a kitten!Me/My dad: Kittens aren't in nests.Mom, ignoring us: Look at its markings! It looks like a Panda!Us: We guarantee it is not a Panda ...in a nest.Mom, still ignoring us: Just look at its little head though! It looks like a monkey!Us: I think its time to teach you which animals build nests.....

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  Look who Found the Marbles

• Food is Not a Privilege

  Jessica

  14 May 2012 | 7:46 pm

  Over 192,000 people have taken the pledge.  A year ago I took the pledge.  Have you?  Have you pledged to add your voice to the national movement of people committed to ending childhood hunger in America? No child in America should go hungry.  Food should be a right, not a privilege.  I have written about this issue before.  Yet one in five children in this country does not have enough to eat and soon that number could get even larger. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (known as SNAP) is formerly the food stamp program.  Contrary to the old myths about people on food…

• In the NICU Daze

  Jessica

  14 May 2012 | 12:24 pm

  Notorious for having lousy birthdays, it was beginning to look like this one would be no different than the last few.  There were just nine weeks to go in my first pregnancy.  Well, not exactly my first, but my first that had made it this far along.  That morning of my birthday, I woke up with a sudden jolt.  My water had broken. They kept me in the hospital on bed rest for four long weeks.  At 35 weeks my son was born and we got to bring him home with us two days later.  With baby number two, I wasn’t as lucky.  That time my water broke at 26 weeks and we lived in fear with each day…

• On Being Mom Enough

  Jessica

  13 May 2012 | 7:03 am

  On the heels of this week’s hoopla about the now infamous Time magazine article, there has been a lot of talk about the various choices women make as mothers.  Motherhood is not about whether we co-parent or not, whether we breastfeed or not, whether we work full time or not.  Motherhood is about giving it our all and loving with all of our hearts.  Motherhood is about being there while: …. an embryo becomes a fetus, growing inside your womb until it is ready to see the world. …. a fetus becomes a newborn; with sleepless nights, poopie diapers and late night phone calls to the…

• #VlogMom: The Today Show, Please!

  Jessica

  10 May 2012 | 12:41 pm

  What show would you like to be guest on?  The question this week comes from Jennifer at MommyBKnowsBest.com.  As for me, I have two answers.  What’s yours?  Leave it in the comments below.  I can’t wait to hear them! Check out the responses from the other #VlogMoms too: Technorati Tags: ESPN, The Today Show, Today's Professionals, vlogmom

• Thoughtful Thursday Blog Hop: Way to go, Facebook!

  Jessica

  9 May 2012 | 3:39 pm

  Facebook has over 845 million active monthly users and it’s users either “like” or “comment” on the site a whopping 2.7 billion times per day.  In the United States alone there over 161 million Facebook users.  With numbers like that, it is fabulous to see that Facebook is taking it’s social responsibility seriously. In case you were unaware, Facebook recently added organ donor status to its Timeline.  Considering the numbers of people around the world in need of an organ transplant, and how many will die waiting for a donation. this change could have an…

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  thevoiceofjobseekers.com

• Is Social Media Keeping You From Getting A Job?

  MarkADyson

  14 May 2012 | 6:32 am

  Editors note: Sandra Tedford (@WeTalkToday), CEO of WeTalkToday.com and her guest post aligns with my belief that job seeker’s discretion using social media is essential to the job search. Have you ever posted to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, only to discover afterwards you had typos, misspelled words and used more words than necessary? Then you think better change that, because all my old classmates who thought I was so smart in the tenth grade will see this. Gotta protect the rep, right? Effective communication, in business and as a job seeker can either make or break your chances at…

• 4 More Ways of Basic Salary and Employment Negotiation

  MarkADyson

  9 May 2012 | 7:00 am

  A friend recently negotiated a $10,000 bump in a salary offer because he used reasoning with a company that came after him. The current company paid $16,000 for his master’s degree, and asked the approaching company to invest part of what he would have to pay back. The company was impressedand agreed to work with him. Note that he only requested a portion and notthe whole. Negotiation is an critical discussion in closing the deal. The ideal approach sets the tone for a prosperous career. Remember, reasonable. Read on! 1. Patient negotiation earns respect from employers If you are tactful…

• Basic Salary and Employment Negotiation (Part 1)

  MarkADyson

  7 May 2012 | 6:30 am

  Many job seekers ask about negotiating salary, yet never get in leveraging position. It is a passing thought or just too passive to strategize. There are also times when a job seeker doesn’tmake enough money is understandable. It is also misunderstood knowing what it is and how it is an important part of accepting a job. Iam not a negotiationexpert, butcoached others on negotiating. There are some basics that could change the approach to employment. I have learned throughout several situations that negotiations are like an oscillating fan that it can blow everything off the table that…

• Best Interview Question Ever

  MarkADyson

  2 May 2012 | 7:00 am

    Editor’s note: Jason Sanders is Vice President of Executive Search at Ivy Exec, a web-based recruiting company that combines next generation technology with human power to deliver customized hiring solutions targeting high caliber professionals to help place them in executive jobs. This article is reprinted with Ivy Exec’s permission. As Ivy Exec’s Vice President of Executive Search I spend a lot of time interviewing high quality candidates, as you might imagine. Candidates talk with me about their executive job search, career progression, skills, experiences and…

• 5 Ways Your Competitors Are Killing The Job Game Right Now

  MarkADyson

  30 Apr 2012 | 6:30 am

  Do you know what your job competitors are doing to win over employers? If not, ask while networking with friends, foe, and everyone you meet. Find out how people are getting hired, or noticed by interviewers and employers. Your competition is standing out ’implementing these strategies : 1. Boldly offering their social media profiles as professional proof His or her social Media profiles are an enriched with creative and contagious updates while yours looks the same as it did in 2010. Even their photos, taglines, and comments have purpose and remain current. Are your social media profiles…

• 

  Success & Prosperity Blog

• The Victim Whisperer

  Randy Gage

  16 May 2012 | 2:49 am

  If you’re like me, you like peace and harmony in your life.  And that means having peace and harmony with the people in your life.  But I discovered something quite ironic… Some people aren’t happy unless they’re unhappy.  Some people are so invested in being a victim, they reject anything that could be a good thing for them.  And they often ridicule, belittle, or even attack people who are striving to do, have and become more in life. By all means, try to make peace with them.  Just know that some people who attack you don’t ever want peace with you.  No matter what you do or…

• Soul Gardening

  Randy Gage

  15 May 2012 | 4:30 am

  In As A Man Thinketh, James Allen tells us that our minds are like a garden, which can be intelligently cultivated, or allowed to run wild.  In either event, it will bring forth. If you plant and tend your garden, it will produce flowers or fruits, the things you cultivate.  If you don’t plant specific seeds, then animals, wind and other elements will cause random things to fall into it, producing an abundance of weeds and wild vegetation, likely to choke out useful plants.  One thing is certain – something will grow in your garden. Just as a gardener must tend his or her plot, keeping…

• Move Fast and Break Things

  Randy Gage

  14 May 2012 | 5:31 am

  That title above was the daily mantra for Mark Zuckerberg and the Facebook clan, as they grew their site from a modest networking site for college kids to the largest social media juggernaut in the world. Breaking things may be risky, but in today’s economy, not taking risks pretty much guarantees you will fail… Today down is up, and up is down.  The advances in technology, the accelerating speed of change, and other factors have redefined both what success is, and how you get there today.  If you watched my Safe is the New Risky video, then you know all the rules have changed. So how…

• Be Awesome

  Randy Gage

  11 May 2012 | 11:30 pm

  So what does it take for you to make a change?  Do you change because it’s the best thing to do?  Or do you procrastinate, and only change when you’re forced to? Making a change is often like having to fire someone, end a relationship, or pulling a tooth:  Better to get it over with. This is a very relevant topic for me because I’ve recently come to grips with a situation in my own life… I like to think I embrace change.  I never procrastinate; I just get things done.  When I see how changing something will improve my life, I do it.  I seek challenges and tackle them readily.

• True Mastery

  Randy Gage

  9 May 2012 | 11:12 pm

  There are a lot of things you can work toward mastery of in this lifetime.  And achieving mastery in almost anything usually produces a profound level of satisfaction and fulfillment.  But there is one area that trumps them all… Self-mastery. Now I don’t know if you ever get completely there.  I know I sure haven’t.  But it sure is worth the effort! - RG

• 

  Amusing Planet

• 10 Most Incredible Flower Festivals Around the World

  Kaushik

  16 May 2012 | 12:39 am

  Flower festivals are celebrated all over the world and almost around the year. Even as I write this one such festival is taking place in India, the Malabar Flower Festival, and another scheduled to start later this month. The Kegworth Flower Festival is underway in Derby, England, and a dozen other places are preparing for theirs in the coming weeks. Here we present 10 most fascinating display of flowers in different parts of the world. Bloemencorso The Bloemencorso, a Dutch word which means "flower parade", are held in many towns in the Netherlands and Belgium. In a parade of this…

• Celebrity Pin Art Portraits by Philip Karlberg

  Kaushik

  14 May 2012 | 1:03 pm

  Photographer Philip Karlberg has just created a unique shoot for Plaza Magazine, sculpting famous faces by simply using clever lighting and carefully arranged wooden pins. The wooden pin are sparingly used yet the faces he created are instantly recognizable. A couple of months ago I came up with an idea I have had in mind for years. I just did not know what I could use it for. But then I did a test with sunglasses, and it really turned out great. So I sent an image with the test to Plaza Magazine, and a week later I started shooting. It was a real challenge to ‘sculpt’ the faces of some…

• Poo Machine by Wim Delvoye

  Kaushik

  14 May 2012 | 10:57 am

  Wim Delvoye is a Belgian artist known for his inventive and often shocking and repulsive projects. Cloaca, also known as the "poo-machine", is probably Wim Delvoye's most famous art installation. In 2000, he put together a complex machinery at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Antwerp, Belgium, that mimics the action of the human digestive system and converts food in feces. Real food is dropped down a funnel into a meat grinder (simulating the teeth) twice a day. Then, viewers can follow the food as it makes its way through a series of glass containers containing human digestive…

• Amazingly Realistic Cakes by Debbie Goard

  Kaushik

  14 May 2012 | 10:54 am

  Debbie Goard is a cake designer who runs “Debbie Does Cakes”, a single-woman cake company based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Debbie has been crafting incredibly realistic looking cakes over the last two decades. Debbie enjoyed her work but didn’t initially believe that cake design was her calling, viewing it as a job versus a career. But after countless instances where her cakes were mistaken for real objects – most notably a life-sized chihuahua cake that compelled restaurant patrons to exclaim “Why is there a dog on a table?!” – she began to realize that maybe she had been…

• Bryce Canyon National Park

  Kaushik

  11 May 2012 | 6:38 am

  Bryce Canyon National Park is located in southwestern Utah in the United States. Bryce Canyon which, despite its name, is not a canyon but a giant natural amphitheater created by erosion along the eastern side of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. Bryce is distinctive due to geological structures called hoodoos, formed by wind, water, and ice erosion of the river and lake bed sedimentary rocks. Some of these hoodoos are up to 200 feet high. The red, orange, and white colors of the rocks provide spectacular views for park visitors. For millions of years water has carved Bryce's rugged landscape.

• 

  annieinfinite.com

• Nowhere to hide because – I See You

  AnnieInfinite

  14 May 2012 | 2:57 pm

  I was chatting to my daughter yesterday and the subject came up of being able to hide life’s pain behind a smile, a laugh and a joke and how others are able to accept this play acting without looking deeper. The subject was in relation to someone we both know well and I said to [...]

• Seeking, Yearning and Wanting

  AnnieInfinite

  13 Apr 2012 | 8:48 pm

  I sit in the silence and look back and see clearly the theme of my life… the yearning, wanting, trying and sheer tiredness that comes with such a life What have I been yearning for all this time I wonder? I don’t know. I know only that I have been searching in the eyes of [...]

• The Care and Feeding of Wolves

  AnnieInfinite

  5 Apr 2012 | 6:44 pm

  I was meditating the other morning and almost immediately afterwards I was on my computer working on social media (after making coffee with cinnamon YUM). Right there in front of me was a story that does the rounds regularly the Cherokee story of the Two Wolves, and just in case you haven’t heard it before [...]

• Saving Lives And Acting Like a Hero

  AnnieInfinite

  24 Mar 2012 | 3:28 pm

  I just want to ask you a question… if you saw a small child in a burning building would you do what ever it took to get that child out? Or would you do what needed to be done to help a child stuck in the middle of a busy highway would you stop traffic [...]

• Some Days You Just Need A Lightsabre

  AnnieInfinite

  16 Mar 2012 | 5:45 pm

  When my son was much younger he was afraid to sleep alone in his own room, apparently his room was chock full of monsters once the lights were turned out. His Lightsabre was the one thing that could make everything all right, even though he had only ever seen one of the Star Wars movies [...]

• 

  Life with Boys

• Selling the Memories

  15 May 2012 | 10:31 am

  It’s that time of year again.  I do a yard sale about once a year, whatever doesnt’ sell...

• 30 Best Things YOU can Do for Your Kids

  14 May 2012 | 10:50 am

  Courtney Cox is Monica Geller.  We all know who she is, ok most of us do, ok a lot of us know who...

• Roy and the two younger boys took me to see this yesterday and...

  14 May 2012 | 10:34 am

  Roy and the two younger boys took me to see this yesterday and yeah, I can see why it’s breaking all kinds of Box Office Records.  I haven’t enjoyed a movie like this in a long time-pure entertainment, pure fun and just a crazy ride.   THIS is what summer movies are all about!

• I know I’m young but if I had to chose her or the...

  14 May 2012 | 10:29 am

  I know I’m young but if I had to chose her or the sun I’d be one nocturnal son of a gun LOVE that lyric!

• 30 Best Things YOU can Do for Your Kids

  10 May 2012 | 9:47 am

  Maya Angelou is an acclaimed poet and author, though perhaps that is putting it mildly.  She has...

• 

  Chic Galleria

• Tuesday Entree: Normandy Chicken

  Editor

  15 May 2012 | 6:55 am

  Poultry, including white meat chicken and turkey, are naturally lower in saturated fat than beef, but are akin to pork loin.  Poultry may be easier to digest for some individuals who are sensitive to all fats.  The saturated fat content for 3 ounces is only .9mg. Poultry is high in Tryptophan, an amino acid that is the precursor to Serotonin, a neurotransmitter (brain chemical), that affects mood and appetite. Niacin, a B vitamin that is important for energy production and a healthy cardiovascular system is abundant in poultry, 57% DV. Again, grass fed and antibiotic-hormone free poultry…

• EmerginC – Multi-Fruit Cleanser

  Rithanie Gonzales

  15 May 2012 | 6:51 am

  I received this in the mail and absolutely love EmerginC‘s Multi-Fruit Cleanser. If you have sensitive skin like me, you’ll love this product. I am always hesitant to try new face products because I don’t want a red face the next day. So first, try a little of the product right below your ear by your jaw line on your face. It’s one place that isn’t quite noticeable if you get some redness. Well, I tried the product first on that area and viola, no rash! So I used the rest of the cleanser on my face and loved it! It took off all my makeup and left my face feeling…

• Trendy Tuesday: 1 Dress, 2 Blazers to choose from

  Rithanie Gonzales

  15 May 2012 | 6:25 am

  Your best buy this Spring would be to get a dress that you can wear with everything else you already have in your closet. A dress in nude or any neutral color will go well with any color blazer, cardigan and heel. Just like how our jeans have great value and can be paired with anything, let’s make sure some of our dresses do the same. Here are two different outfit ideas that share the same dress and the same necklace. You could even take this idea a little further and turn this dress from day to night with the right change of accessories. Happy shopping and enjoy! Dress: ShopBop…

• Exclusive Interview with Eloise Lapidus of BoBo House

  Haley Mathisen

  15 May 2012 | 6:10 am

  Eloise Lapidus, daughter of famous French fashion designer Ted Lapidus, has now introduced her own line of beautiful, simple and chic apparel known as BoBo House. Her alluring collection is now available in LA’s in-vogue boutique Satine. Eloise integrates LA and Parisian styles, a very unique and fresh combination. In her interview, Eloise describes her roots, her inspiration and what’s next for this talented designer. Where does the word BoBo come from? “BoBo” stands for bourgeois-bohème in French. It is also a very common expression in France and especially in Paris. The term is…

• Beauty Industry Giants with Homegrown Organic Skin Care Line

  Rithanie Gonzales

  15 May 2012 | 6:08 am

  Drive down main street and you quickly get the feeling that this town might very well be the one that time forgot. The decaying storefronts are mostly boarded up, the outlying factories have long since closed their doors. ‘Welcome to Andrews… home of Chubby Checker’ the rusted green sign welcomes the few that drive through… yes it’s the most unlikely place to find the next luxury skin care company. But in the eyes of mompreneur, Corene Hejl-Edgeworth, Andrews is the perfect place to find the uncommon life she’s pursuing. Somewhere between dance lessons, art projects and homemade…

• 

  The Accidental Olympian

• OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW

  Ashley, The Accidental Olympian

  14 May 2012 | 2:22 pm

  My little sister is moving back to California after five years of living in Oregon. She graduated from the University of Oregon last summer and has decided after a year of working to return to school, this time to a culinary program.  Her decision to return coincided perfectly with the fact that my parents' renters were moving out.  Emmaly will move back into the house where her and I met. The little two bedroom house in Santa Barbara where my parents lived first as a married couple, and then as new parents, and then four years later as young parents to two children.  While painting the…

• MAY!

  Ashley, The Accidental Olympian

  10 May 2012 | 12:03 pm

  May. It's finally May.  I've been twiddling my thumbs waiting for May to arrive since last October when the first snowflakes began to fall.  May is the one year anniversary of our move to Alaska. May is the first time I get to use the vacation time I've been hoarding  since last September (!!!). May means another trip to Seattle. May in Seattle means seeing friends, gardens in full bloom, warm days downtown, dinner with friends, meeting with coworkers. May means playing co-ed softball. Stepping on the field again for the first time since I was 16. May is the arrival of my parents in Alaska…

• ONE YEAR IN ALASKA -- FROM NEWBIE TO "SOURDOUGH"

  Ashley, The Accidental Olympian

  4 May 2012 | 1:06 pm

  One year. I have lived in the wild and weird state of Alaska for one year as of today.  A year ago today I'd spent days upon days in a dirty car filled with way more things than we EVER should have road tripped with and FINALLY arrived in Anchorage, AK. We'd been traveling with two dogs, two people, more jerky than is probably healthy, and two fancy goldfish in a 5 gallon bucket. There are quite a few people in my life that still give me shit for that whole road tripping for 5+ days with two goldfish thing. To them I say, SUCK IT.  Goldfish not pictured. People frown on bringing them…

• TULIP THURSDAY

  Ashley, The Accidental Olympian

  3 May 2012 | 9:00 am

  It took me nearly ten years but I finally made it to the Skagit Tulip Festival. If you're ever in the Seattle area in the month of April head north to Mount Vernon to walk among an insane amount of tulips. Bring your camera, wear rain boots, and stay for the funnel cakes. 

• STANDBY

  Ashley, The Accidental Olympian

  1 May 2012 | 2:10 pm

  When I heard about people flying standby it sounded sort of romantic to me. At the mercy of the airlines, flying off here and there, all without a care in the world because your tickets were free! When a friend of mine offered me two standby tickets to fly anywhere Alaska Airlines travels of course I said yes and then hugged her over and over and over. Flying in and out of Alaska is more expensive than I could have ever dreamed, and here someone was just offering me a chance to wave the worst part of traveling. The cost. What I didn't know about flying standby is that there are rankings and…

• 

  Transforming Seminarian

• Badges of Honor

  Mark Baker-Wright

  14 May 2012 | 2:00 pm

  When I was in elementary school, I had a teacher who was fond of calling certain students "rednecks." Often, he would tell the student that they should "rub the back of (their) neck to get some of that red off!" Notwithstanding the fact that such an action could only serve to make a neck more red, rather than less, it seemed pretty clear to me, even at that time, that this teacher considered "redneck" to be a bad thing. In retrospect, I find myself amazed that he never seemed to get into trouble for these insults."Redneck" is not a term I'm…

• Video Game 30th Anniversary of the Month - Donkey Kong, Jr.

  Mark Baker-Wright

  11 May 2012 | 12:00 pm

  The most famous videogame character of all time is (with apologies to Pac-Man) Mario. I would therefore be amiss not to feature one of Mario's earliest adventures. Of course, I've already missed the 30th anniversary of the very first Mario game, Donkey Kong, which premiered in 1981. However, when that game first came out, the protagonist did not yet have the name "Mario" (he is referred to as "Jumpman" on the cabinet). The first video game in which Mario is referred to by name is our subject for this month: Donkey Kong, Jr.Read more »

• The Writing of Romans

  Mark Baker-Wright

  9 May 2012 | 5:45 pm

  I'm finally back from attending my grandfather's funeral. Still pretty tired from two back-to-back weekends of traveling, but I'll get back to my regular posting schedule soon. In the meantime, here is an old piece that was originally printed in the edition of Logos that I edited for my college roughly 17 years ago. I ironically haven't had a copy of my own for most of that time, but Grandma kindly let me keep the one I gave her all those years ago:Read more »

• Saying Goodbye

  Mark Baker-Wright

  30 Apr 2012 | 12:00 pm

  Arguably, my favorite installment of the classic Muppet movies is 1984’s The Muppets Take Manhattan. In this movie, Kermit and the gang are portrayed as recent college graduates who have finished a successful run of their college play (“Manhattan Melodies”). Upon the suggestion of an audience member, they attempt to take this play to Broadway. After a series of doors slammed in their faces (despite considerably more effort than displayed in the original The Muppet Movie, where a single incident of allergy-inducing animal strong-arming got Kermit and his friends past secretary Cloris…

• Transformers Feature: Transformers Collectors' Club Runamuck and Over-Run (aka Runabout)

  Mark Baker-Wright

  25 Apr 2012 | 2:00 pm

  I just got Runamuck, the 2012 Transformers Collectors' Club membership incentive figure (and, according to the Tech Specs card, the 100th Fun Publications-created figure), in the mail yesterday. I got Over-Run/Runabout about a month and a half ago. My usual rule for Transformers blog features is to portray toys in the units in which they were originally sold. That is to say, groups are generally featured together only if you could actually buy the toys as a packaged group. But Runabout and Runamuck were never very good about following rules, were they?Read more »

• 

  Dejavu

• How to Romance Like Jim Morrison?

  Pallav Gogoi

  15 May 2012 | 11:16 am

  Jim Morrison was an eccentric person, he did things that people considered vulgar. He did all notorious stuff, all his stage performances were erratic, he slept with his fans, he was bad, he was exceptionally rude at times still Jim Morrison is alive in our hearts, in our soul, in our existence. Still we recite his poetry, still we listen to his songs, still we talk about his eternal romance. Apart from all his notorious deeds and uncanny moves, Jim was the greatest lover of all time. He was chased by girls after his performances; he was young, energetic, and brutally addictive.  He is…

• You Are No New York Times Bestselling Author Still You Rock!

  Pallav Gogoi

  14 May 2012 | 11:45 am

  You have no idea about writing, you have no grammar sense, you have no past experience, you are no writer. You may not know anything about writing still your words can be echoed all around the galaxy, still you will be heard and your stories will be narrated in days to come. You can’t write about fashion, you are no technology geek, you write fluff, you have no logic, you just keep blabbering whatever comes to your mind. Your words don’t have to be too complicated that people should keep a dictionary whenever you write something. You don’t have to be a research scholar for creating an…

• Imagine a Day without Women

  Pallav Gogoi

  9 May 2012 | 11:19 am

  Mr. Jonathan likes watching women from his balcony, Smith often spends his day chatting with his girl friends, Phillip plays guitar to impress his college mates. Imagine a day without women. Don’t you think life will lose its meaning? There will be no motivation, no excitement left in this world. People keep shouting slogans about saving trees, protecting rare animals but nobody ever talks about saving women. Don’t you see a decline in the women population in our country? Don’t you feel the world will end eventually if there are no women?  All men will drink, smoke and talk about…

• Age Twenty Nine – The Time of Confusion, Boredom and Contradictions

  Pallav Gogoi

  8 Apr 2012 | 11:26 am

  Things start falling apart, confusions in plenty, hazy road and many more. You are caught between the silent dusts, you are attracted by the laws of The Secret, you try new things, you try it so hard. It’s not you, it’s the age that plays the cunning game with you. A perfect life is a myth and everybody hoping to get the best possible things within a short span is just a fiction. Things don’t come easily however miracles do happen in life. The words written above reflect the confusion of age 29.  There are many things in life that attracts you for example you want love, money and…

• Why Girls Love Short Haired Man?

  Pallav Gogoi

  6 Apr 2012 | 12:27 pm

  Why girls hate long haired man although most of the Rockstars have long curls to flaunt? This question always troubled me. I am continuously in search of a definite answer. I am severely forced to crop my Jim Morrison curls. I felt like a prisoner living in a world full of sensible people. I looked utterly non professional, scruffy and ridiculously different although I felt like a Rockstar from within. The mirror in my living room was the last thing that appreciated my looks. I was traumatised when people around me forced me to crop my hard earned locks. One fine day, I decided to do it their…

• 

  Spy Travelogue

• Anatomy of an Open Call — Your Name Here!

  charlie grosso

  15 May 2012 | 1:47 pm

  After all the excitement following Baang + Burne Contemporary’s 2011 exhibition season, we’ve decided, once again, to do something a bit unconventional.  We are launching an international open call to artists. Just to be clear, we are not doing an open call for a juried group exhibition; we’re looking to sign new artists to our gallery for inclusion in exhibitions, projects, and events for the 2012-2014 seasons. We’re offering the chance to be represented by the gallery. We want to find artists whose work we admire, and help to promote and sell their work for the next two…

• 75 Days Until Kick Off for The Mongol Rally

  charlie grosso

  10 May 2012 | 1:28 pm

  It is time to start my visa application process. What is a visa and why do you need it? I thought you just need a passport to travel outside the country? How do you get a visa? A visa (from the Latin charta visa, lit. “paper that has been seen”) is a document showing that a person is authorized to enter the territory for which it was issued, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry. Think of it as a matter of respect. You are politely knocking on your neighbor’s door to see if it is ok for you to come in the house. Its good manners and…

• Today is Graduation Day

  charlie grosso

  7 May 2012 | 10:26 am

  My ex-husband is getting married today. Our paths diverged from each other three years ago. The lives we wanted to live were no longer complementary to each other and we would have caused more harm than good had we stayed together. With pain and lots of tears we went our separate ways. What an interesting, exciting, glorious, adventurous, gut-wrenching, creative, diverse, expanding, growth filled, three years it has been. In these past three years I learned about faith, about letting go, trusting my tears and allowing vulnerability a place at the table. We are able transform the ruins of our…

• Hey! You Rock My World!

  charlie grosso

  4 May 2012 | 1:53 pm

  Sometimes blogging can be a lonely practice. You sit alone and you write. You login, cut, paste, center images, change aspect ratio, spell check, SEO, and hit post. There are comments, feedbacks and you obsess over your Google analytics to see what your stats are and there is comfort in those numbers. But what do those numbers really mean and is it really making a dent in the Universe? Everyone is talking about great content. Producing great, outstanding content is what will set you apart from all the other blogs writing on the similar topic and your community is your real asset. Your tribe…

• What Made Me Say YES to 10,000 miles of Insanity?!

  charlie grosso

  25 Apr 2012 | 10:31 am

  What made you want to do The Mongol Rally? On a not very special evening back in Nov, 2010, I was in Taipei visiting family, I had just finished dinner with my mom and am attempting to fight off the onset of food coma by poking around on the internet to see what kind of mischief all my globe trotting friends are getting into. I stumble across Sherry Ott’s post about something called The Mongol Rally. What is that? I clicked over to give it quick read and the first thing I see is this:  “10 000 miles of bad roads, no roads, bandits, deserts, mountains and other adventuresome stuff…”…

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  I Really Lived!

• Buy Now and Save 25% on My Book!

  9 May 2012 | 9:23 am

  Hi Friends!  Just wanted to let you know that you can get a 25% discount on my book if you order before May 31.  Use discount code CONTENDER (all caps) when you purchase and you'll save 25%. Check it out! I Really Lived! By Angie Webb Book Preview

• My REBOOT has begun

  6 May 2012 | 9:31 pm

  Hey friends.  For the past few months I have been drinking one to two green smoothies a day.  I've never been good about getting all of my veggies in each day, but with the help of my smoothies I've been able to do it.  Recently, I watched the documentary FAT, SICK and NEARLY DEAD (you can watch it for free on Hulu).  The movie is about a man from Australia that decides to get on a 60 day juice fast.  He came to America to do it and drove all over the country to share his story.  In the 60 days of drinking juice that he made each day in his juicer, he lost like…

• My Book Is Done!

  3 May 2012 | 11:43 pm

  #27 on my list of things to accomplish this year is to WRITE A BOOK THAT PEOPLE WILL ACTUALLY READ.  Well folks, my book is done and I love it! On the day that I turned 29 years old I decided that my motto for that next year would be "I REALLY LIVED!" I set out on a journey to live life to the fullest and become more of the woman I know I am meant to be. It has been a fantastic journey and one that will continue for the rest of my life. This book contains my story, along with stories from many people that have inspired me in my life. It is about how all of us have had moments in our…

• Trampled by an Elephant...

  24 Apr 2012 | 11:49 pm

  I have not been good at updating my blog. In fact, I am pretty dang mad that I have gone so long without posting all of the things going on in my life.  So here is my excuse: I'VE BEEN TRAMPLED BY AN ELEPHANT!  Okay, so maybe that's not the complete truth.  Here's what's been going on.  As I turned thirty and worked so hard on finishing everything on my list and got busy with work and with school I totally got overwhelmed. I was trying to eat the entire elephant all at once and instead, the elephant jumped off the plate, knocked me down and trampled me until I lay deflated…

• The Key To Inner Peace Is...

  9 Apr 2012 | 8:52 am

  I am still here! I feel like my birthday came and went and I have been so busy running around that I haven't had a chance to update my blog.  And guess what...I'm not going to update it right now!  My family is all in town for my brother's wedding.  All 8 of my siblings are together in the same place for the first time in more than three years.  So I have been spending a lot of time at home and its been great! But I do want to say that I am going to keep on blogging and I am going to finish each of my goals.  One of my favorite quotes is: THE KEY TO INNER PEACE IS TO…

• 

  E-stranged

• Mother’s Day: Letting Go

  Fiona

  12 May 2012 | 9:25 pm

  During the years before we had children, the one thing we heard over and over again – I guess you’d say, as the ultimate persuasion for us to have them was, ” Yes children are a huge responsibility, but its all worth it when you know the rewards of having raised healthy, happy, successful children to adulthood.” No mention was ever made of how you might feel if it didn’t turn out that way. - A Californian mother, Mother’s Day is Over, Shirley Rogers Radl Last year about this time, I wrote a post called Mother’s Day is Over, which was directed to the…

• Theme of the Week: Letting Go

  Fiona

  9 May 2012 | 6:45 pm

  “Let everything happen to you. Beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final”  ― Rainer Maria Rilke Of all the lessons that family estrangement has taught me, the need and ability to “let go” is one of the most important and the one I have struggled with in many areas of my life, not only with my family. There’s a quote by Michael Peake,  “Everything I’ve ever let go of has claw marks on it…”that one speaks to me. Mea culpa! I have a great deal of respect for sticktoitiveness … that is to say, I value people who have the…

• Thank You

  Fiona

  9 May 2012 | 6:20 am

  “In the end, though, maybe we must all give up trying to pay back the people in this world who sustain our lives. In the end, maybe it’s wiser to surrender before the miraculous scope of human generosity and to just keep saying thank you, forever and sincerely, for as long as we have voices.”  ― Elizabeth Gilbert Dear lovely readers, I am pleased to say that I am back and there will be posts and business as usual! I want to thank each of you, my loyal readers for sticking with me and for continuing to support each other (and me!) in my absence. Also many thank you’s are…

• Standing Up

  Fiona

  16 Apr 2012 | 11:57 pm

  “Fall down seven times, stand up eight.” - Japanese proverb I don’t often write about my personal life on this blog, but I am going to make a bit of a departure here today. In part because I have been away for over a week which is unlike me – and I have been receiving your “where the heck are you?” emails (thank you very much for those). Also in part because I think it is really important to speak about healing as a journey – perhaps a life long journey; certainly it has been and continues to be for me. So we work on our stuff, we heal from our…

• Knowing The Enemy

  Fiona

  27 Mar 2012 | 9:27 pm

  “A doubtful friend is worse than a certain enemy. Let a man be one thing or the other, and we then know how to meet him.”  ― Aesop I begin this post by saying that I genuinely believe that we don’t do ourselves a lot of favours when we devote time and energy to trying to figure out why bullies bully. Why is a question that for me misses the mark — what, who, when or how are more powerful questions. What is happening, what can we observe, who is involved, who is hurting us, when does this happen, how do we feel, how do we know something is not right, how do we protect…

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  Christina Rosalie

• From Instagram, with love.

  Christina

  13 May 2012 | 9:35 pm

  Hi. It’s been a busy handful of days. There has been catching tadpoles, and picking apple blossoms; meeting my twin nephews and watching my boys play with their cousins; birthday cake and deadlines; air turbulence and taxi rides; an end of the week business trip to NYC; then riding the train up to CT to the wedding of one of my oldest friends. There’s more to that last story for another day. So much more. But for tonight there are a handful of photos from what I’ve been up to since graduating. (Thank you for all your awesome comments and appreciation for the big work of my…

• Making your mark

  Christina

  5 May 2012 | 9:39 pm

  I graduated! Epic. Grateful. Done. The show afterwards at SEABA was really fun. It was so good to finally just be able to laugh, and celebrate, and drink wine, and eat cheese, and talk with some of my dear friends and favorite professors who made such an impact on my life over the past two years; and also to hear good stuff from people getting a glimpse at my work: 40 odd pages of research and interviews about the meaning and value of creativity and technology in this current era of personal brands. I know many of you have asked what I was working on for my thesis… And I was always in…

• Target practice: A reminder

  Christina

  1 May 2012 | 9:46 pm

  It’s like throwing darts. The best part is letting the dart fly: a quick flick of the wrist, and then that satisfying thud of it finding its target. The part that is less thrilling is pulling the darts back out of the board and wait to throw them again. Yet this is the truth: every significant thing that we do involves this process of taking aim, and gathering intention; of drawing ack an arm, and then releasing with a quick flick of the wrist. And our lives mostly a tapestry of these moments stitched together: the practice of this action again and again. It isn’t about hitting the…

• The way it feels in the end

  Christina

  30 Apr 2012 | 9:18 pm

  I’ve fallen out of practice: noticing the little things, the blue pebbles amongst the brown ones, seeing the sunshine when it happens. I’ve forgotten what it feels like to run hard: every day, with some conviction and speed, or do pull-ups, five in a row. This year my biceps and belly have grown soft. Since turning my thesis in and finishing the last class, I’ve been wavering a bit. My heart feels like a giant squid, startling at the smallest hitch, at the slightest trepidation, to fill my thoughts with an unexpected blur of ink. I’ve lost the tempo of doing things with my hands:…

• On Finishing, Persistance, & the reason for everything

  Christina

  24 Apr 2012 | 9:41 pm

  I had no idea what my capacity for self discipline was when I began. No idea that two years and a book later, I’d sink to the grass on the Friday after turning in my thesis and cry tears of gratitude that it was all over. But that is what I did. I lay with my arms akimbo; the grass pressing up into my palms and the clouds moving above me, a symphony of cirrus, and hungrily felt the weight of my body being tugged by gravity close to the barely wakening surface of the earth. How I’ve been longing for that: to feel my body next to the earth. To feel like I am of it, not just…

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  Jude; The diary of a baby and a stroke

• Happy Mothers Day!

  12 May 2012 | 10:24 pm

  Happy Mothers day to my mom who is in heaven. I am sure she is doing a large amount of crafts to make everything beautiful there. She is probably setting tables with pressed wildflowers and I am sure she has bird feeders set up everywhere. She is probably reading stories to those that will listen and playing Led Zeppelin in between chapters. To my grandmother who raised me from 14 on who is also in heaven entertaining my mom. She is probably still arguing about things that do not matter and still caring for those who matter most to her. I am also sure she has a small white jar of jelly beans…

• What a heart is meant to do

  10 May 2012 | 10:08 pm

  I watched the following video the other day and I quickly processed it, but I held off posting anything. I have seen several video's now with people flipping through there emotional lives on paper with writing. It's a profound way to speak to others, but it's getting to the point it's been "done". However, this mother's message was.....of course.....personal to me. http://www.godvine.com/Mother-s-Inspiring-Video-About-her-Blind-Baby-Boy-1484.htmlI watched her talk about how excited she and her husband were to have a baby. How excited they were to learn it was a boy, and how sad…

• The ARD, a video, and dreams

  10 May 2012 | 10:31 am

  Jude's ARD meeting went well. Everyone was very attentive and I got to hear more of what Jude is accomplishing. I did find out that he is a bit more responsive at home on certain subjects than at school. I also got a video of Jude working with the physical therapist at the school. http://sharing.theflip.com/session/895caa0400679bb394d54c415f711c19/video/143172121Jude is allotted a certain amount of minutes per month by the district, but I am told they always spend a lot more time with him. They are also very caring about Jude's seizures and try to refrain from loud noises and bells when he is…

• An ARD meeting

  9 May 2012 | 2:50 pm

  Today is Jude's ARD meeting. I have to be there by 3:30pm. What is an ARD?"The purpose of an Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) meeting is to give parents a voice in determining their child's Individual Educational Plan (IEP)."This is the meeting that always leaves me feeling happy and sad all at the same time. I get to hear about Jude's progress, but at the same time I hear about his weaknesses. I know it's in Jude's best interest so I will be there with bells on. I will sit in the room with all the therapists, teachers, and school representatives to hear what route will be best for…

• Water for Dogs

  7 May 2012 | 1:55 pm

  So I fought a migraine all weekend and it wasn't pleasant. Well last night the headache had gone away for a bit and I decided to take Jude out on a walk. I honestly cannot believe I am sharing this story, but I think it's worth it. So I loaded Jude up and off we go down the block. I get about to my half way point I suddenly stop because I am paralyzed with a violently sick stomach. "Omg" I thought to myself. "Jude.........mommy doesn't feel well at all!!" I sayJude just looked at me and smiled"It's not funny Juders.........oh mind over matter mind over matter"Suddenly I break out into a sweat…

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  Mojito Mother

• Daily Photo: Lorikeet feeding at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary Gold Coast

  Caz

  16 May 2012 | 5:05 am

  Want to travel to the Gold Coast with your family? Here’s my list of 29 things you can do with your family on the Gold Coast. Daily Photo: Lorikeet feeding at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary Gold Coast Thanks so much for subscribing! Don't forget to join our fan page community and subscribe to my podcast

• Sometimes it sucks being a Libran

  Caz

  15 May 2012 | 9:06 pm

  Finding the balance I’m a believer in star signs. I really do believe the stars have an influence on our personalities, just like I believe the moon does on our moods. Ever been in a school when it is a full moon? Spend long enough there and you’ll soon start to see the patterns. You’ll see the teachers in the staff room pulling out their hair and asking, “Is it a full moon? The kids are just crazy today.” Sure enough there will be heads nodding in sympathy and the answer is returned with a resounding YES! There can’t be all that gravitational pull going on…

• Gratitude and Happiness this week

  Caz

  13 May 2012 | 6:39 am

  My weekly Things I am loving  post disappeared under all my workload. I am resurfacing and want to bring it back. This time though with the title Gratitude and Happiness. We need far more of it in our world. Mother’s Day Mother’s Day fills me with so much love and graitude that I have been chosen to be the mother of two beautiful little girls and the child of a wonderful mother. I wouldn’t trade them in for anything. Breakfast with my big girl and my little girl Blogging friends launching their own courses. I’m so pleased and proud that two of my online friends and…

• Daily Photo: Kalyra enjoying the food on the Carnival Spirit

  Caz

  11 May 2012 | 7:10 pm

  This food is good   Kalyra enjoying the food on the Carnival Spirit, Carnival Cruise’s new ship coming to Australia. Daily Photo: Kalyra enjoying the food on the Carnival Spirit Thanks so much for subscribing! Don't forget to join our fan page community and subscribe to my podcast

• Dear Mr President: Be the Change you Wish to see

  Caz

  10 May 2012 | 11:38 pm

  Be the change I remember the day that Bush was elected into his second term. I pretty much knew result after attending an election party the night before. Strange that parties are held for such thing in the States, in Australia no one cares much. One idiot usually follows another. I had my heart invested in this one, because I believe that the President and America had the power to change the direction of our world. I mean weren’t they the ones that got us into this mess with the War on Terror? I sat at the traffic light on the way to work and heard the official announcement on the radio.

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  Like a Bump on a Blog

• Blogging Basics: Kickass Ways to Structure Your Blog Posts

  Amberr Meadows

  16 May 2012 | 12:00 am

  Welcome back for part 11 of the Blogging Basics Series! If you haven’t yet subscribed to my blog to keep up with this series, you should definitely do so. Above my smiling mug to the right are fabulous ways to connect with me, or you can hit the follow button for email to the top left on my homepage or to [...]

• 

  John Falchetto

• Why your business fails to grow

  John Falchetto

  14 May 2012 | 4:37 am

  Is your business failing to grow? A client recently had to share his frustration with his staff, he was sick and tired of losing clients because of small glitches. The bigger picture is that this business owner wants to move towards a premium offering. He’s grown his operation from a one man show to a small team but in the past year feels he has hit a glass ceiling for growth. The top reason your business isn’t growing has nothing to do with the economy. [tweet this]. You need to face reality and take a deep look at several aspects of your business. 1. Lack of standards and…

• How to succeed and be happy

  John Falchetto

  7 May 2012 | 3:38 am

  Business success doesn’t bring happiness. There are too many very successful business owners who are deeply unhappy with their lives. The reasons can be reduced to four important pillars of success and happiness. 1. Define exactly what success means to you A lot of time the ideas you have about success aren’t really yours. They have made their way into your mind through your education, the media and your circle of friends. Hanging out with the wrong group of people can easily lead you to believe in what THEY think is success. The wrong community can really hurt you. A strong and…

• Do you need a tribe to grow your online business?

  John Falchetto

  30 Apr 2012 | 4:18 am

  Can a tribe help you grow your business online? I’m preparing notes for my sessions at Blog World New York on the 6th June and one the recurrent questions I get from clients, is simply how can a tribe help my business? The dogma of online markers these days is to repeat a two step process. - Build a tribe - Sell to them Except, what I often see is the opposite. Smart people build a large tribe and never sell to them while others sell without having a huge online tribe. Do I need a tribe? When you start off in business, and even when you have been in business for a while, you notice…

• How to get people to buy from you

  John Falchetto

  23 Apr 2012 | 2:58 am

  Do you know why people buy from you? I recently listened to a webinar where the host got caught up in a payment-plan discussion on air. Needless to say when someone is arguing about the price of your services or products, you have a problem. This means you have not demonstrated a clear value for what you are trying to sell. There are three reasons why a lead will become a client. Your pricing is right If you are pricing yourself wrong, you will attract the wrong people. In the case of the Webinar I mention, the marketer started to offer a payment plan when people complained about the cost.

• Who should I trust online?

  John Falchetto

  16 Apr 2012 | 3:38 am

  Who should I Trust online? If you are looking to run a business online, there is more advice out there than you actually have time to read. The amount of data available is overwhelming and if you try to keep up with it, it will simply destroy you and your business. In order to make sense of it I use a simple filter which allows me to make sense of the noise. Who is the person saying it? Credibility is a major factor for me. There are too many people talking about what they would like to do in the future. Nothing wrong with that but before you give advice to others, you need to have tried it…

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  JamesClark365

• R.E.M

  James Clark

  19 Apr 2012 | 3:03 pm

  Despite the huge amount of negligence I have shown to my self and to my blog over the past few weeks, I was, today, shocked that people around the world are still finding themselves on my blog through no encouragement at all.  According the 'Stats', alot of people are finding this through Google, which is strange I find.  My negligence was originally down to experiencing new things and travelling, but now that I am more settled in the High Bar, I can only put it down to lack of inspiration and laziness. Despite thinking that I have nothing to write about before a blog, I always…

• Catch Up

  James Clark

  16 Apr 2012 | 6:32 am

  I'm not sure that I can still type at this point, I have, as I thought completely neglected my blog and Facebook accounts to a certain degree, but I'm not complaining because I have done so with the best intentions and have some of the best experiences of my life here in Thailand.  It was almost 3 weeks ago since I last blogged, when I was in Bangkok and thinking back at that point my mind was in a transitional period, and only now that I have the chance to relax, slow down, gather some thoughts is that I can start to piece the 3 week party together to complete the journey so…

• One Night In Bangkok

  James Clark

  21 Mar 2012 | 12:44 pm

  Sawadee Cap! It is my second night here in Bangkok and wow, what a day it has been.  It started by being awoken by a couple of Thai girls who we had met yesterday, much to our surprise and to be honest, pissed us both off a little as we had managed to end the night on Koh San Road at around 4am.  After around 24-30 hours of no to very little sleep of traveling then heavy drinking, the last thing we wanted this morning - feeling slight delicate - was to be woken up after just 5 hours pf kip. So that was it, we were awake again and the day was to start, so we mooched downstairs walked…

• Floppy Nipples

  James Clark

  20 Mar 2012 | 12:05 pm

  So..... I am finally in Bangkok. After weeks and weeks of wondering what my new life and adventures would be like when I was in Thailand.  I guess today, is my first insight to that.  Obviously, Bangkok is just a stop gap until myself and Gaz reach 'The Islands', and my 'long term' future is going to be unlike what I am and will be experiencing in the next couple of days. We arrived in Thailand today around 12.30pm, where we met a nice young girl ( a student from England somewhere - down south I think), who just so happened to be going to the same place we were going.  The…

• Today's The Day

  James Clark

  19 Mar 2012 | 4:59 am

  So today is the day. All of the feelings, worries, sadness, happiness I have felt over the past few weeks and months comes to today, and in the end means nothing right now.  I am glad I have gone through what I have had to endure recently,  I feel stronger in myself, and stronger as a person to know a little more about love and life for my next 'real' relationship.  These things are sent to test us, and just as Kelly Clarkson says - what doesn't kill us, makes us stronger.  Have a ganders at the video. G'wan Clarkson! This feeling seems to happen to me all time when I make…

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  A.M.H.'s Blog

• NFL and Safety (Concussions): My Thoughts

  Anthony

  9 May 2012 | 1:58 pm

  It seems that almost every article and radio comment about the NFL nowadays deals with some type of safety issue, ie. concussions, bounties, the intentional injuring of opposing players, etc.  However, it appears to me that most of these discussions, while interesting, only focus on a narrow topic, ie. are bounty systems ethical, should Kurt Warner have criticized the game that made him a star (courtesy of several discussions on ESPN radio), etc.  None of the ones that I have looked at focus on the larger topic of "The concussion issue aside, do football players have better/worse…

• 5 Famous Moms of NFL Players

  Anthony

  7 May 2012 | 8:06 pm

  An article I wrote for Yahoo Contributor Network that you might find interesting:  5 Famous Moms of NFL Players

• Fantasy Football: Cam Newton and Ben Roethlisberger Are Moving Up My Draft List

  Anthony

  5 May 2012 | 7:19 pm

  I know it is early summer (or maybe it's still technically spring) and NFL football is months away.  Maybe I'm having football withdrawals ;-).  Anyway, I still try to keep tabs on players and ponder draft strategies.  Anyway, as I was searching the Web for fantasy football related material, I noticed this article by Nader Ktait: Carolina Interest in Other Receivers is Not Surprising.  After reading the article, I thought a bit about which quarterbacks I would try to nab if my fantasy (snake) draft occurred today.  I decided that Cam Newton would be the 2nd QB on my…

• Thoughts for the Day

  Anthony

  2 May 2012 | 3:36 pm

  A First: 200 visitors in one day (yesterday).   Sad note: Sorry to hear about Junior Seau's passing. Of Interest: A new article I have written, Goodell's Suspensions of Four Players Will Hurt Several Teams

• eLife--A Paradigm Shift in Scholarly Publishing?

  Anthony

  2 May 2012 | 9:41 am

  I was reviewing recent emails from Kurzweil.net, and one of them pointed me to this blog post on Nature.com: ‘eLife’ Journal Takes Another Step Forward.  I think the project is commendable.  In short, a number of large, well-funded research foundations, including "the US Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the UK Wellcome Trust and Germany’s Max Planck Society," have teamed up with (at least 175) scientists to publish an open-source journal.  This appears to be a serious endeavor given the players involved and the apparent time and effort everyone is putting into this…

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  Navigating Cyberloss: a place to share your grief

• The significance of special occasions after cyberloss

  Casey B

  14 May 2012 | 6:57 am

  "For those of us who have formed strong friendships online, it is often the case that those online friends play a significant part in special occasions in our lives. It's been six years now since I was in regular contact with Chris, but I continue to cherish memories of conversations we had about birthdays...." Continue reading →

• Five benefits of sharing your cyberloss story

  Casey B

  12 May 2012 | 7:23 am

  Hi, friends. Sorry it’s been quiet around here, but I’ve been busy with university work and having started the book. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again…I’m learning through writing the book that there’s a lot to be … Continue reading →

• Preparing to share my cyberloss experience in a new way…

  Casey B

  8 May 2012 | 2:31 pm

  …or in the old-fashioned way, depending on how you look at it. Today was a very productive day, as I began to outline the book I will write in the future. Loving your subject    obviously makes time fly by. … Continue reading →

• Participation in online communities after cyberloss

  Casey B

  5 May 2012 | 5:52 pm

  Hello, friends. I'd like to ask you a question- really just to see whether I'm the only person who's noticed this. That question is: has your level of participation in online communities dropped since your loss? Personally, I don't feel drawn to the community in the same way any more. Continue reading →

• Cyberloss and the fear of forgetting

  Casey B

  3 May 2012 | 4:33 pm

  Right now, content for this blog is coming from what I would have liked to know about/read about when first trying to come to terms with Chris’ death- so if there’s anything you would like to read about or contribute … Continue reading →

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  The Life (and Bullsh*t) of an Actress

• Does an Actor’s Social Media Klout Matter?

  5 May 2012 | 8:00 pm

  Talent may not be the only indicator of whether someone will succeed in the entertainment business. TV and movie producers value guaranteed eyeballs so that their shows/ movies are profitable. I mentioned this concept in my previous blog “Are Webisodes the New Minor League for Up-and-Coming Actors?”. Now this concept of being “known” goes one step further with social media. This is exemplified by the fact that Sports Illustrated chose cover model Kate Upton based on the number of hits on her YouTube video. Photo credit by Walter Iooss.Therefore, there is no doubt in my…

• It's Cool to be Cool!

  3 May 2012 | 1:20 pm

  I read this CNN article recently and it got me thinking about my own childhood...It was hard at times growing up of mixed race. My mother was German and my father was Saudi Arabian and Egyptian. I grew up in San Jose, California and the small town of Ingram, Texas. It was especially hard to be from a background that many didn’t understand. I definitely had my share of teasing. My looks didn’t fit in with the local standards of “pretty”, especially in Texas. The girls that always won beauty contests were always blonde or light brown hair with blue eyes……

• What Goes Around....

  24 Apr 2012 | 4:57 pm

  Several people sent me comments on last week’s post. First of all, thank you! The blog seemed to resonate with several of you, which pleases me very much. I always want to know your thoughts. I wanted to add a couple of thoughts/ ideas of my own that cam to me based on these comments I received. Please click play below to see the video. If you are seeing this via email or RSS, you will be unable to see the video, so please click here to view it.Thank you again to those that commented, and to those that didn’t please don’t be shy. If you have a comment on this blog or would…

• I Am Not a Pariah…

  19 Apr 2012 | 3:30 pm

  It really irks me when people find out I’m an actor and have an immediate opinion or reaction. I’m treated like I don’t know anything. Often when I’m in a networking situation where there are actors and other people in the entertainment industry, the actors are the lowest on the totem pole. I’m not really sure why that it is, but it’s true. Even people that have very cursory dealings with the industry feel that they are above actors. Here are a couple of scenarios that I have found myself in:Scenario 1My Friend: “Hello so-and-so, this is my friend…

• The Bait and Switch

  12 Apr 2012 | 11:33 am

  I had a request from a reader to talk more about the dark side of the entertainment industry, so this blog should be right up his alley…I recently submitted to a casting on a reputable casting website, i.e. not craigslist, remember my post What’s With the Strange Auditions? The casting notice stated, “For pilot, this part has no lines, but they will play an important role in the show. Will be casting from headshots and reels.” It was an unpaid part, but the wording would lead someone to believe that if the pilot was picked up they would get a speaking role right?

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  All About Living With Life

• Why You should be building a Part-Time Business Now

  Charles Chua C K

  16 May 2012 | 2:00 am

  If you are thinking of a business of your own, it is time to think seriously about it. The economic situation is getting worse. You can work hard and smart but there is no guarantee that you will be able to keep you job.  1.       Jobs are no longer secured: What do you hear every day about businesses? Downsizing, retrenchment, restructuring. Those who suffer are people like you and me. You may be a valued employee but that is no certainty that you will be able to work in the company as long as you wish. Take a smart and wise move, think of an idea and…

• 10 Things to Know About Personal Finance

  Charles Chua C K

  15 May 2012 | 2:00 am

  The aim of personal financial management is about financial independence. To be able to enjoy financial freedom you will need to know the 10 topics and act wisely: 1.      Savings: Savings is a good habit to build a solid financial foundation from young. However, you can start at anytime time to save as long as you have regular income; the most important thing is to avoid procrastination. Do you know how long it takes you to double your money? Use the magic number of 72 divides by the rate of return. If the interest rate is 6% your original $1000 will double in…

• 7 Things to Consider Before You Start a Business of Your Own

  Charles Chua C K

  14 May 2012 | 2:00 am

  Operating your own business is a great way to earn a living.  You are the boss and you can do it your way. There are a few things to look into in order to do it successfully:       1.       Business sense and plan: You have to come up with an idea and convert it into products or services.  You need a business plan to market your products or services. It has to be better than others to survive in this competitive world. Is your business viable? Will there be a demand for your goods or services?  Do things you are good at and…

• Quote

  Charles Chua C K

  13 May 2012 | 2:00 am

  Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.  Franklin Roosevelt  Blogger of the Year Contest: I need your vote, please vote for me at   http://goo.gl/1qLp5.  Thank for your support. 

• Writing Engaging Articles

  Charles Chua C K

  12 May 2012 | 2:00 am

  According to Oxford Advanced Learner’s dictionary, to engage is to succeed in attracting and keeping somebody’s attention and interest. I can think of the following ways to engage readers to be interested in your articles.         Relevant  subjects: Write on topics  that  your audience wants , solve their problems, show them to do the right things, get them to work smarter , be more positive and  productive, develop healthy habits, promote better relationships and  make more money.   …