ll of a sudden, here we are: Christmas is upon us. It has seemed especially sneeky this year, creeping up and surprising most everyone I know. Is it that we've all been so busy, or that the local weather seems to deny December, or some other factor I haven't yet considered? Who knows. But on this Christmas Eve Eve, here are a few things I've been collecting around the interwebs that are particular to this time of year.
Just this weekend the "must watch Christmas movies" mood struck. This post about life lessons from "Elf" made me smile... (part of a separate post about life lessons from other Christmas movies, but truthfully my favorite of their list is "Elf." I'm a big "Elf" fan.). I think my favorite "Elf" lesson is Do What You Love:
"First we'll make snow angels for a two hours, then we'll go ice skating, then we'll eat a whole roll of Tollhouse cookie dough as fast as we can, and then we'll snuggle."
Also from Positively Present, a collection of links I thought I'd pass along, all Christmasy, of course. And a Christmas playlist, because you can't ever have too much Christmas music, in my humble opinion. Kind of sad to say goodbye to it for another eleven-ish months.
A number of my favorite bloggers have written posts around the holidays. They are not necessarily full of joy, or cheer. But they are real, and represent the dichotomy of this season, the light and the dark, the sadness and the joy, that I think most people relate to. Holiday Hugs for Holidays Winter Solstice
And, because there's got to be a way to build "Downton Abbey" into just about everything (am I right or am I right?), here's a little gingerbread magic for your viewing pleasure. Fun to watch the construction. Gives me hope that one day I will conquer that Fallingwater gingerbread house that's on my bucket list...
If you read my post a couple of Friday nights ago, you know that Mary Did You Know? is my favorite Christmas song. I happened to read a devotional about how the song came to be (click link above) a week or so ago.
And if you're in need of a reminder of the real reason for the season (as I am, often enough), these little kids from New Zealand do a pretty sweet job.
Merry, merry, all. Wishing you peace this week, more than anything else.
hat to do with a Thursday, but share links of things I've found recently that piqued my interest...
1. So I finally fell head over heels into Instagram not all that long ago, and now there are all kinds of things to do WITH Instagram. And of course, Mashable put together a list of photo editing apps... so I've obviously got some work to do. And if you like Instagram, of course you're an expert. Of course. Or so this blogger says.
2. Letters of Note always delivers, and this letter from F. Scott Fitzgerald to an aspiring writer has some golden nuggets.
3. This article on friendship in the NYT has all the earmarks of that Newsweek piece from the '90s about a single woman over 40 having the same shot at marriage as getting hit by terrorists, or some such statistic; remember that piece? Broad, generalized statements, lumping everyone into the same bucket. The Newsweek piece was debunked, more or less, over the years since, but it was still controversial and thus, able to garner readers. Likewise, I've seen this friendship piece shared fairly widely. I can appreciate that making friends can be a challenge as we get older, but it felt very sweeping, very general and (in my experience) false. Friendships from high school and college have some really strong ties and catching up can often happily take place in shorthand. But I also know that friends I've made in my 30s and 40s (especially) know me in a whole other way, as the person I've become in the past couple of decades, and the connections are no less strong and true. But, that's just me.
I can't help but share a couple of the statements that set off my bells, putting all mid-life individuals in the same pool: "...people have an internal alarm clock that goes off at big life events,
like turning 30. It reminds them that time horizons are shrinking, so it
is a point to pull back on exploration and concentrate on the here and
now." At 30? Seriously? Whose time horizon is shrinking at fricking 30? Yes, best hunker down and get ready for your golden years, you old person, you 30-year-old...
And for those of you who've made good friends in the workplace? Nah, not really: "Work friendships often take on a transactional feel; it is difficult to say where networking ends and real friendship begins." Say, what? I disagree with that sentence, pretty much full stop. Maybe it's a part of the small-town working life, but I can't say I've seen a lot of network going on in the workplace. How about just getting work done, and enjoying the people you do it with? Sounds a lot more real. And less sensational.
4. Speaking of controversial, a blogger wrote a post recently about how every social media manager should be 25--no older. Ha ha ha. Check out the comments for the pile-on. Yowza. But, if it was reader attention she was after...
And because I always appreciate Six Pixel's take on an issue, I had to see how they weighed in on it. This topic might make a few more flops around the deck before it passes (that's my fish committing suicide by jumping out of the lake and onto your boat analogy. Get it? I know, a bit of a stretch).
5. Anyone remember Bob Ross? I used to make fun of him (the hair), but this video actually brought back some fond-ish, affectionate memories. And, the guy could paint. Might not be your (or my) style, but he can paint.
6. Oswald Patton's two-part speech at a comedy conference (is that what a gathering of comedians would be called?) has gotten some good press. Interesting how pretty much every industry and every job has been changed by technology.
7. Some pretty cool pictures from a blogger lucky enough to be at the London Olympic Opening Ceremonies. Me, not so crowd-loving, but I do appreciate that others will go, and take pictures!
8. A blog post about divorce and grief caught my attention. Very good to be so long past that particular event, but I can empathize with those going through the grit of just-come-apart-at-the-seams. The sentence that resonated for me: "Divorce has changed me, matured me, perhaps more than marriage did." In my case, I would eliminate the "perhaps."
9. I haven't checked the veracity of this information (famous last words on the internet, eh?), but take a peek at this statistic from Disqus: "The most important contributors to online communities are those using pseudonyms. These account for 61% of total comments." Yikes. I see that in the more public arenas--comments on news stories, YouTube, popular blogs--but I will chose to believe that YOU, dear reader, are real.
10. Missing Downton Abbey just a bit? I am... I keep hearing little bits and bobs about the upcoming season and Shirley MacLaine as Cora's mum, etc.... all well and good, but sure wish we got to see the next season at the same time as the UK... The thing to do now, is to avoid spoilers, so stopping myself from searching YouTube will be critical during the fall. I enjoyed this interview with Anna (Joanna Froggatt) in Vanity Fair. Lots of Emmy nominations for the show, hope a number of them win!
11. I don't have any weddings to go to this year (that I know of right now!)... but, I found this post quite amusing (it links to this wedding website). To me, the whole wedding industry is somewhere between annoying and amusing most days (much as I may adore certain individuals who make their living by way of this tradition). Looking at the number of sites and blogs and pins on Pinterest related to weddings (and I don't even follow wedding people or boards), it's a crazy-making venture.
13. Last, and probably should be least, I read this piece aloud to a couple of girlfriends on a girl getaway/eat great food/lay in the sun. Because deep issues such as the incredible swiftness of the whole Holmes-Cruise undoing need to be dissected, am I right? Hmmm. But some good writing here, and I love a theory that puts Holmes in the less-golden role, just because. Cruise, weird though he may be... well, I'll just leave it there. No doubt he's an odd duck. But did he deserve that public trouncing? No real winners here, especially Suri... Good thing she's got a lifetime of Scientology audits ahead of her. Who me, judge?
I hope there's a link or two there to entertain you! Happy Thursday.
Hard to believe today is Thursday, around here. I kept thinking last night that today really must be Monday, right? Having Wednesday off of work/reality is wonderful, but kind of messes with my brain...
So these links that I had been tucking away for an after-weekend "link love" post, well... it's after the weekend, right? Just a long time after...
1. The Supreme Court health care ruling, explained. Now to actually read it. (Can you give me the Cliff Notes on it, Brent? Oh wait, you kind of did...)
3. I'm a podcast fan, though I've slacked off lately, what with more work and less time in the yard. This post about podcasting and how the new move to a podcast app in iTunes caught my eye, though I've yet to follow through and explore. And then there's some additional perspective on the move, too. (Both links are from Neiman Labs, an email digest I receive daily.)
4. This saga about Instagram reminds me of the hullabaloo re: Pinterest a few months back. When will people learn to respect others' creations? (Short answer: never.)
5. I've felt this way about the whole "I'm SO busy, really, SO busy," thing at times; glad someone put words to it.
6. But of course, maybe we wouldn't be SO busy if we had better ways of managing our time, a la this post. Some good thoughts, no matter where in the employment-retirement cycle you may be.
7. Not necessarily revolutionary, but great reminders that ideas arrive more readily in certain environments, with a targeted encouragement.
8. This piece on Julia Child's marriage made me want to watch Julie & Julia again, just to see Meryl and Stanley (and Jane Lynch too!). I really enjoyed that part of the movie--the Julie part, not as much.
9. Walking On My Hands is one of my favorite blogs, and this recent post struck a chord, especially the last paragraph--but read the whole thing to get to that wisdom, really. It's worth your five minutes.
10. I have been a little Union Jack nutty lately, what with the London Olympics coming up... I found a shop online with bunches of fun items emblazoned with the flag.
11. Which works best for you, incentive-wise, a carrot or a stick? I read this post recently and it resonated with me. I used to think I was way over on the carrot end of the spectrum (and I *do* love me some gold stars), but I have come to realize that I do actually respond better to the threat of failure/defeat.
12. I saw this post on cooking pasta and had to laugh. I've been under-watering my pasta for years, and often wondered what the big deal is about having a BIG pot, with boiling water... I love how detailed and descriptive this explanation is, though! Check it out and prepare to have your previous assumptions (about cooking pasta) blown out of the water.
13. Aaron Sorkin's new show, Newsroom, has been on HBO for just a couple of weeks and I've only made it half-way through the pilot. I've been busy, OK? I have an interest, from a couple of angles--I like (generally) Sorkin's writing style, even as he can be preachy and heavy-handed, and Sports Night was one of my favorite shows, back in the day. (I've come to believe that has more to do with Josh Charles and Peter Krause than Aaron Sorkin, but whatever.) Anyway... Sorkin has taken heat in a number of reviews on the tone of Newsroom relative to women, so now I'll just HAVE to watch it and see if I agree.
All that is to say, check out this clip of various "Sorkinsims," and you'll see the guy recycles a bunch of his phrases and clever sayings. I'm sure all writers do this to some degree, but mashed together like this, it's rather humorous.
Hope your 4th of July was lovely--even those of you who *didn't* get the day off and have fireworks--and that the slide into the weekend goes all easy-like.
oo long, much too long, since I've posted links from my wanderings around the web... I've been tucking them away, but it would overwhelm you (trust me) if I were to haul them all out at once, so here's a manageable--hopefully!--sampling. It's a long weekend, after all, and I'm positively giddy with the 48 hours stretched out ahead, still, full of possibility and yard work!
Happy reading!
I recently stumbled onto this post-Mother's Day story about how the founder of Mother's Day thought it became too commercial... I had the hardest time reading this story without laughing the whole time. It struck me as absurd--and then toward the end it just became sad, but I still fought the giggles. I know, not very nice of me...
What do people in the midst of the information storm do about filtering through all of it? This great article was a little overwhelming to me, to be honest, but I did pick up a few tips and new-to-me ideas: Path and ifft. Also, she encouraged me to think about Twitter again. It's been a long time since I've used the site with any degree of consistency.
I have pointed toward this woman's courageous writing before, and this post is no exception on the courage scale.
Another thoughtful read from one of my favorite bloggers: "It occurs to me then that it is hypocritical of me to believe I am a
spiritual person when everything is going my way, and then to shake my
fist at the sky when things get scary. I wonder if maybe the reason I am sitting in a bathtub trying to breathe has less to do with living on a Marine base and more to do with the fact that I am now having to face the part of myself I have avoided since becoming a Navy Wife."
The questions you ask yourself on a daily basis determine your focus, and your focus determines your results. These are some great questions. I should probably print these out and put them above my desk for frequent reminding, easily distracted as I am...
Well, that's it for this installment. It's windy out, and cool, but that grass won't mow itself! Off to enjoy some of this glorious extra time! Hope you're able to do the same.
hat does one do while enjoying spring break with the family? Read, sleep, eat, laugh, watch Hulu+/Netflix, read, eat, nap, go for walks, see movies (The Hunger Games, finally) and chuckle some more (a 15-year-old boy reading strange Cracked.com posts has that effect). (The Hunger Games sidebar: anyone else have trouble getting "May the odds be ever in your favor" out of your brain? And the mockingjay four-note tune? I think I might be going crazy. But then, I also had this song from Smash going through my head today, so it could just be par for my course...)
And, what's a little time off without some wandering online? You know me, I love to share!
I've been thinking about this idea for a while, now (say, since poetry writing class in college), so was interested in reading about writing as therapy.
Dear husband sent this link my way, and I was reminded of a statement some silly fool (um, me) made about five, maybe six years ago. I think it went something like this: "I just want a phone. I don't want it to DO other things. I have a camera, I don't need a camera on my phone." (Cue laughter. Waves and waves of laughter.) Yes, I really did say that. I don't think you know, until you've tipped over to the smartphone land... and you can't ever go back! Of the photo apps in the article, I already had four, and proceeded to quickly download the panorama one and the frame one. Can't wait to play with panoramas!
Also a good thing to do while away from work? Figure out something you've been wanting to master for eons. For me, it's the fishtail french braid. I have watched a number of videos, read about it, tried it a few times (on poor sister-in-law, Kim, mostly), and finally! Finally! I watched the video below and it all came clear.
Here's my first attempt, for reals. It kinda went downhill after that, but I will keep practicing! (Need to build up my triceps for this one! Hurty elbows.)
If you know my family (well, OK, son), you know that he's a grilled cheese connoisseur. He knows the good stuff, the melty/gooey and the crisp bread. So of course, this story on grilled cheese ice cream for April Fool's Day caught my eye! What a hoot. It sounds kind of good to me... I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
This wind map has been making the rounds all over the web. If you haven't seen it, do check it out! Very beautiful.
And of course, there are Pinterest moments... No spare time is complete without a little pinning, am I right or am I right? (No comments from the peanut gallery, Shelby!) This recipe says pure SUMMER to me, and I can't wait until I can walk 50 steps out my back door to the garden and pick tomatoes to my heart's delight.
And in other Pinterest news, I now have 65 boards. How did that happen? Well, one way is that I gathered too many pins in some pretty general boards, so I needed to gradually move pins to more specific boards (Sweet and its many variations, for instance). I have a bit more to do--all my various holiday pins are on one board, and need to be broken out by Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc. All in good time. This Pinterest business could be a full time job. Ha. I have a feeling a few people have gotten that idea too... Did you see this story about a guy who claims he's earning upwards of $1,000 a week spamming Pinterest? Crazy.
We went shoe shopping today for Seth. Take a look: he's the black shoe at the bottom. THIRTEEN. 13. Big feet, that boy has. Now the biggest in the house. Boo-yah! (He's pretty sure this will translate into height, or he'll join the circus. I'm hoping for height.)
Hope your week is going well, spring break for you or not! Reality will resume around here soon enough, but for now, I'm off to watch Dimitri Martin with Seth. Yes, we're high brow, but you already knew that, didn't you?
irst off: this is not an opinion piece. How you use or have used Pinterest (if you do) and how you feel about copyright issues isn't my business--until you take a photo of mine or a recipe of mine and claim it as your own. Then we'll talk!
But with the general vibe on the interwebs the past month or so, and the posts getting pinned around Pinterest as well, I felt like I needed to do a bit of investigation. (Work tends to get in the way of daytime pinning, go figure, and evenings I've been trying to disconnect a bit more, so I definitely feel a little late to this whole conversation.)
Second, the whole thing seems a bit anticlimactic now, anyway (see #11). Maybe. We'll see if the developments in recent days really do to protect the copyright of those who want it protected, in the way they want it protected.
However, what with my overt proselytizing of the gospel of Pinterest, I felt that I should, at the very least, share some of what I found.
This past weekend I finally read and researched the latest in regards to Pinterest's Terms of Use and how various artists are handling the issues that have come to light most recently, namely:
2. Which led me to: How Pinterest removed all my pinned images in minutes (#1) (There is a follow-up #2 post you can link to from #1). I understand this artist's perspective that she doesn't want her stuff pinned, and was hopeful when I read it that Pinterest would GET that and assist her and other artists.
3. And then there are a few people who disagree about how big a deal this whole copyright conversation is, as this TechDirt article details.
8. My favorite sentence of this post, The genius of Pinterest's copyright dodge: "...the most likely outcome of this saga is not a Grooveshark-like end to Pinterest, but an admission by many publishers that they simply don't care what anyone does with their images, as long as it helps drive users back to their sites."
10. Visual inspiration from Pinterest. This post doesn't address specific copyright issues, but I learned a bit about how to better use Pinterest, and by the time I got to this piece, I was tired of even thinking about these issues! (Specifically: Skitch, and I second her ideas about private boards--can I get a holla, Corinne?--and RSS feeds.) (My gifted florist friend Corinne has competitors follow her and glean ideas from the places SHE gleans ideas from, and so there's this feeling like she's doing all the work, and others are benefiting. Private boards would be great!)
11. Finally, after weeks of controversy and not really meeting the issue head on, Pinterest addresses issues with a copyright infrigement legality statement. And another piece on the same topic, but from CNET here. We'll see if the artists that don't want their work on Pinterest will be pleased with this outcome. And I'm curious to see how big the clean-up is to the past pins... will our boards be depleted? Probably not mine, as I rarely post to my Pretty Pictures board. Most of the bloggers/sites I pin from are asking you to pin and spread the word on their craft, recipe, etc.
Which leaves me with two more items to fulfill my Thursday 13, and I'm sick to death of this topic. What to do?
Oh, I know! How about two images from Pinterest that I found recently, and adore... seems only fitting. Both are crocheted items, and made me smile.
That's all from this peanut gallery today! I hope you're having a lovely Thursday, and if you're not a Pinterest fan/freak, I doubt you've made it this far. But if you are, I hope it's been at least a little bit helpful. What with the last post, Pinterest's statement and resolution to the issue, it might all be moot. But still, the more you know, right?
ll of a sudden, here we are: Christmas is upon us. It has seemed especially sneeky this year, creeping up and surprising most everyone I know. Is it that we've all been so busy, or that the local weather seems to deny December, or some other factor I haven't yet considered? Who knows. But on this Christmas Eve Eve, here are a few things I've been collecting around the interwebs that are particular to this time of year.
hat to do with a Thursday, but share links of things I've found recently that piqued my interest...
oo long, much too long, since I've posted links from my wanderings around the web... I've been tucking them away, but it would overwhelm you (trust me) if I were to haul them all out at once, so here's a manageable--hopefully!--sampling. It's a long weekend, after all, and I'm positively giddy with the 48 hours stretched out ahead, still, full of possibility and yard work!
hat does one do while enjoying spring break with the family? Read, sleep, eat, laugh, watch Hulu+/Netflix, read, eat, nap, go for walks, see movies (The Hunger Games, finally) and chuckle some more (a 15-year-old boy reading strange 
irst off: this is not an opinion piece. How you use or have used 
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