Friday, January 27, 2012

Like a Boss...!

Courtesy A Cup of Jo

So I just finished Tina Fey's classic rendition of her life until now: Bossy Pants. As she predicted, I borrowed it from "a woman at work"... and I loved it!

I particularly love the way that she talks about the women she has worked with: everyone from YMCA ticket takers to Amy Poehler. She's totally respectful of their work and talks of their contributions with a sort of dignity that more people should use. And her bold assertion of how we need to not tear each other down all of the time made me want to vote for her.

Another awesome woman on the topic of "why we don't ask Donald Trump what it feels like to be the boss of all those people" (that's me, paraphrasing Tina Fey) is Nicki Minaj. Whose body of work I honestly don't know that well. But I like what she has to say about the difference in attitudes about what happens when a man tells it how it is... and when a woman does it. You can watch the interview here.

#Baws.

...Keeps the Doctor Away

All images courtesy {this is glamorous}

Notwithstanding the fact that I own (and am still learning to properly use) an iPhone... this article from Saturday's NYTimes gives me serious pause when I consider the incredible mark up. [Workers in China who build the fancy gadgetry we're gaga over earn $17 a day.]

But the folks at Apple do know a thing or six about design. I present to you the Apple store in Paris.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

GPOYW...

Mid-week rain break....

80 degrees and sunny brings out a slow, smug smile in everyone.

Forks Over Knives...


Have you seen this movie?! I totally plan to. If you're up for a movie night, holler at your girl.

Carrot sticks are the new popcorn?

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Lead On...!

Courtesy Melody Ehsani

Words and their definitions really fascinate and amuse me. And they lead my thoughts in new and sometimes unusual directions... which is always good because it's important to keep your mind nimble. So there you go.

Today's word of the day is more interesting for the root of its definition... more than for the definition itself. To wit:

educe [ih-DOOS], verb:
Related to educate, educe is derived from the Latin roots ex- meaning "out" and ducere meaning "to lead." Shakespeare was the first writer to use it in the sense of "to provide schooling" in Loves Labours Lost.

So if educate and educe are essentially "to lead out"... then what are leaders meant to do? And how are we to treat our educators? And what of curriculum? How can students be effectively "led out" if we insist on recycling lessons designed simply to lead them to a single test and a limited outcome?

Kind of interesting thoughts in this time of political maneuvering, no?

Arts and Crafts...

Courtesy Luckybeans

So now that I'm back in the States, one of my favorite things to do is to work with the children and youth in my area - learning cool things and making new friendships. Accordingly, I'm always on the lookout for cool arts and craft ideas or science experiments to try.

And one of the best sources I've found is Luckybeans.

You know... just paying it forward: one creative person to another!

P.S. Children's Class is totally making these stars this week: for my shining stars!

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

On A Moment of Silence...











What does a bill like PIPA/SOPA mean to our shareable world? At the TED offices, Clay Shirky delivers a proper manifesto -- a call to defend our freedom to create, discuss, link and share, rather than passively consume.

Freedom of speech is something that I sincerely hold dear... I don't sneak around whispering at home, and I won't sneak around whispering on the internet, either.

Also, for those of you not in the States: look alive. They're the world wide interwebs....

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Incognito...


For one of the youngest women I know: Happy Birthday, Nana!

Little By Little, Day By Day...


Some friends and I began studying a book in the Ruhi series this weekend. We're learning to elevate our levels of conversation with the aim of having an impact on the discourse of society. Excepting myself and 1 other, everyone studying this book is in high school. I have the highest faith in their talents and capacities to effect a paradigm shift in our culture.

One of the things we read last night really stuck with me.

"O wayfarer in the path of God! Take thou thy portion of the ocean of His grace, and deprive not thyself of the things that lie hidden in its depths. Be thou of them that have partaken of its treasures. A dewdrop out of this ocean would, if shed upon all that are in the heavens and on the earth, suffice to enrich them with the bounty of God, the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. With the hands of renunciation draw forth from its life-giving waters, and sprinkle therewith all created things, that they may be cleansed from all man-made limitations and may approach the mighty seat of God, this hallowed and resplendent Spot."

From the Writings of Baha'u'llah

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Bon Chance...!



Ladies and Gentlemen... I got myself Coachella tickets today! I am so excited that I'm having a super tough time focusing on other tasks at hand... I keep having this day dream where Justin Vernon asks for my phone number (what? that could totally happen!) or where Thom Yorke and DJ Shadow let me in on their pre-show coffee and jazz pow-wow... or maybe where Zach Condon casually winks at me from stage. And I haven't even gotten to the part where Dre & Snoop give me a shout out!

So yeah, I am clearly having a productive Friday afternoon.

In related news, now I get to scour Pinterest for mid-desert 3 day festival concert outfit options. Because I'm totally getting Justin Vernon's phone number!

Friday, January 13, 2012

Work It...


So I know that this album dropped roughly a year ago... but I've been loving the Stromae station on Pandora. And how rad is this song and video for a little "let's get active this new year?!"

Prefer to teach your couch who's the boss? Well, then this can be a little "let's all learn a new language" inspiration!

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Big Love...


Random sharing out loud moment.... I have a major crush on super silly romantic gestures.

Will you be my valentine?

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

The Joy of Books...!


What do your books do when you're asleep? The owners at Type [a bookstore in Toronto: 883 Queen Street West, +1.416.366.8973] hid cameras in their shop over night to figure just his thing out!

Okay. I jest. This is a really excellent exercise in stop motion film, though.
Enjoy! ...courtesy, as per of course, Tralalere!

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Would You Ever...


Waldseilgarten campground (camp... air?) in Bavaria, Germany
Courtesy Double Takes

So I love camping... but a rock under your hip leaves something to be desired. With strategic whimsy, this Bavarian campsite seems to have covered everything! Except maybe what to do in any mid-night child sized bladder emergencies.

What do you think? Are you all in?

On Fashion Cues...

Courtesy Lili & Mae
Me.

So I was poking around the interwebs today and spotted an ode to my favorite color (orange!) on Lili & Mae and I was quite tickled to learn that I was so fashion forward in my dress today.

But here's where I'm really going with this. Ladies, do you ever take fashion ques from men? On the street, in your life, at the office? There are a quite a few men's fashion blogs out there that I think, while definitely geared towards men, address a pretty universal aesthetic. Naturally, The Sartorialist is at the top of this list... but check out what James Nord is doing, or the ever dapper curators of Street Etiquette. Watch for things like incorporating color, accessories, and textures.

You can thank me later.

Growing Up Modern...


This little girl is getting it done! There are parts of this (cranberry juice, anyone?!) where I feel like I'm watching a really well executed parody of my life!

I wonder what her mom does.... In my kindergarten book (an avant garde collection of drawings, stories, and an homage to my favorite animal - the Unicorn) exists an illustrated picture of how I saw myself as a grown-up woman, smartly dressed and pounding away on a "typerator". Okay, well I was at least color coordinated.

Thanks to Tralalere! for taking me back!

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Bon Jour, Mes Amis...

Courtesy the perennially lovely Garonce Dore.

So I'm looking at studying a new foreign language this year... and it's a toss between French and Italian. I know. My house is an hour from Mexico - why not Spanish? Or why not solidify the tenuous grasp I have of German, Persian or Hebrew? All excellent questions.

I'm in the process of learning Spanish with a friend, so this frees me up for a concentration in either French or Italian.

It sounds a little zany, even to me (my iPhone doesn't hold regular conversations with me, afterall - yet?), but I think my google.reader has a pretty strong opinion on the language I learn. Because I look at so many blogs [definitely not because I'm lazy], I like everything in one place. One of my favorite fashion blogs is Garance Dore - who, despite currently living in NYC, just so happens to be French. Long story short, I accepted google.reader's offer of translation.

Except it now tries to translate everything else I look at into English.

I know, you may be wondering how many French language blogs I read. Just the one. And yes, that means that my reader sees the English on the page as French and translates it to... English. At first I thought that everyone had gone off their rocker - it is, to a line, idiomatically and grammatically incorrect. But now the fun game is to figure out what the writers were meaning to write when they wrote what they wrote.

Quirky brainteasers aside... any plans for 2012?

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Time Lapse Magic...


This video, A Day in California, by Ryan and Sheri Killackey is truly excellent - but I'm always blown away by time lapse videos (magic?). I wonder how many still photos went in to the making of this little masterpiece?

Head's up courtesy Honestly...WTF - and in this case, I think it meets the holy goodness (!!!) category perfectly.

Also? Happy 2012!
 
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