Shares: I Just Realized I Need a New Calendar...

Chrono Shredder

The Chrono-Shredder is a design that reminds us of the preciousness of our lifetime. It represents the passing of time by shredding the days of the year – printed on a paper roll – at a slow constant rate. To shred one day takes 24 hours. There is no “off”-button. As the seconds pass by, the tattered remains of the past pile up under the device.

Ingenious DIY chalkboard wall calendar project.

Section off a big area of your home office wall,  Start with a base coat of store-bought black chalkboard paint, and then mix in varying amounts of white chalkboard paint for lighter squares, fill in 6 weeks worth of squares in a checkerboard pattern. The result is a gorgeous, rewritable DIY home office calendar that's making me want to head over to the paint store right this very minute.

Calendar Tape

Say goodbye to crappy novelty calendars and hello to the ever lasting calendar tape from the designers at Suck UK. This calendar seriously rocks my world.

You can stick this stuff anywhere and just scrawl on it as you wish. Best of all, when you no longer need to know that the dog had to go to the vet’s on November 21 or that you had to pay the milk bill on the 23rd, you just tear it off and bin it.

That is my kind of calendar!

Fashion: Vegan Wrap Boots!? Say Wha'?!

I want These and These. and MOST Importantly---THESE.

If you don't know the story of TOMS SHOES here ya go:

TOMS Shoes was founded on a simple premise: With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. One for One. Using the purchasing power of individuals to benefit the greater good is what we're all about.

Our Story

In 2006 an American traveler, Blake Mycoskie, befriended children in Argentina and found they had no shoes to protect their feet. Wanting to help, he created TOMS Shoes, a company that would match every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need. One for One. Blake returned to Argentina with a group of family, friends and staff later that year with 10,000 pairs of shoes made possible by caring TOMS customers.

Since our beginning, TOMS has given over 150,000* pairs of shoes to children in need through the One for One model. Because of your support, TOMS plans to give over 300,000 pairs of shoes to children in need around the world in 2009.

Our ongoing community events and Shoe Drop Tours allow TOMS supporters and enthusiasts to be part of our One for One movement. Join us.

Why Shoes?

Most children in developing countries grow up barefoot. Whether at play, doing chores or just getting around, these children are at risk.

Walking is often the primary mode of transportation in developing countries. Children can walk for miles to get food, water, shelter and medical help. Wearing shoes literally enables them to walk distances that aren't possible barefoot.

Wearing shoes prevents feet from getting cuts and sores on unsafe roads and from contaminated soil. Not only are these injuries painful, they also are dangerous when wounds become infected. The leading cause of disease in developing countries is soil-transmitted parasites which penetrate the skin through open sores. Wearing shoes can prevent this and the risk of amputation.

Many times children can't attend school barefoot because shoes are a required part of their uniform. If they don't have shoes, they don't go to school. If they don't receive an education, they don't have the opportunity to realize their potential.

There is one simple solution...SHOES.

Of the planet's six billion people, four billion live in conditions inconceivable to many. Lets take a step towards a better tomorrow.

Fashion: Sometimes it is Art...

...Sometimes it is a Bunch of Teenage Posers.

And I get to decide when and where the distinction is. Isn't freedom great? haha....

I love fashion as much as the next person, But as I looked at this website all I could think, as I countinually scanned down the page was 'These girls haven't gotten their 'grown-up' bodies yet."

...and I really am not bitter. They really (for the most part) haven't. Let them try dressing then. Maybe they wont try so hard.

Shares: A little Christmas Joy

First, an Evolution, If you will:

My favorite Christmas Skit of all time:

And what Is Christmas, without the Muppets?:

It just so happens Jimmy Fallon is in a lot of these...oops?

Shares: Why Do I have Such a Morbid Sense of Humor?

Shares: Just a Few Tidbits I Read and Liked Today...

The Sarcasm in this story was just Pitch Perfect.

Meredith Chamberlain writes a great piece for This Recording Right here... speaking on growing up.

Ramblings: A Date.

So, I am really happy right now. I want to start with that. Work has been at a good pace, and is only going to get a TON busier the last 3 months I am doing AmeriCorps. I already have a job lined up for after my year of service. I am paying off debt. Christmas is about here. I have great friends. I am learning new things a lot. I am finding new passions. I am eating right and working out 4 times a week. Life, it seems is pretty good.

So, as I sit here this morning, I realize: I want to go on a date. Now, I don't want to go on a date in the ' life would be even more perfect with a male!' kind of way. But I really would like to meet someone new and fun. Or/also I would like to go on a real date. Like, pick me up. Let's get to know each other. Let's do something fun. Then how bout you drop me off, and give mea hug or maybe a small kiss?

Yeah, I like traditional little things, and that sounds just so...quant (sp?) right now. Thought I would share. Especially if you know anyone with glasses, facial hair, and a penchant for argyle or flannel. :D

Or if you personally know Dermont.

Personal: My Heart Grows 3x Its Size.

True Story.

Fashion: Recent Discovery!

I recently came across the blog 'What I Wore' and have started to love it.

My favorite outfits so far ( she takes a picture everyday kids...)

As I have proclaimed before, I love clothing. I think it is art. I recently decided I need to start doing more about that...but it is hard now that I am living out of 3 suitcases and most my wordrobe is in storage.

BUT, I decided, my first resolution I suppose, is to give all my clothing a second life, before thrift storing it.

Example. I have a sweater that I would wear here and there, and just decided finally, it is not flattering. It just isnt. So I was going to send it away to the thrift store pile.

Then I decided, well...why not try to snaze it up first? So I gave it a go and made it a cardigan instead.

I began this process last night. It has left me realizing three things: A) I need to do this to all my clothes for sure. I feel like I have a new piece of clothing, and that is too fun. B) even if I grow to not like this new piece, It has gotten a second run for at least two or three more wears... and C) I need to own a sewing machine, for faster and CLEANER appareal. As for this cardigan, I like it, it doesnt need to look well stiched/clean b/c it already had a busy pattern, and it adds to the appeal. But in the future, and simply to get more wear our of my clothing in general (mending things, fixing hems, etc) I should own a sewing machine. Fact.

Shares: Future Me

I am a sucker for things like this, but I stumbled upon this and think it is great!

Check out 'Future Me' and write a letter to your future self. You can pick the date it is sent...a year to 50 years in the future. Why not, eh?

Ramblings: Can we go back to this, eh?

Just for a bit? Please. Just a few days, really, is all I ask. I want to bask again as I am doing in this picture. (So maybe the winter is getting to me just a TEENY bit...)

Funnies: A classic. I just wish I could find the video...

Dina Dexter(Pink): What's up, chickenheads! First of all, I want to give a shout-out to all the girls I work with outside the 8th Ave. entrance to the Port Authority Bus Terminal! I love you all! Except for Nisha - I know you ate my fish sandwich, bitch! And when I find you, I'm gonna cut you up! [ exits ]

Funnies: Two people I love, a lot.

Adventures: Runaway....Runaway....

It is just so much easier to runaway. Can't I once again just do that? I mean...I COULD stay in Alaska...I have a good number of reasons ( great people, offers of jobs, Krista moving here, the beauty, I genuinely like it...) OR, come March can't I simply...

...Work at the Secret Garden until I simply don't feel like it anymore? I would have a place to stay, and be learning the language. Win-Win, yes?

...Or work as a barista for 3 months and then go back to Camp Chateaugay for the summer (once again, simply putting off whatever may be next...)

...Work at any other fun sounding Hostel, for that matter...

Shares: FREE FOOD.

Seriously. Check out Feed it Forward 2009.

Here is a little Huffington Post blurb about it!

...remember to send me some gift cards while your at it!

Shares: I mean, it is almost Christmas...

Sooo, who's gonna buy this for me? Eh, eh?

Shares: I Need to Watch More Classics.

I decided to mark down movie I think everyone should see. This are my all time favorite movies. What conclusion did I reach after making this list? I either a) am not impressed by, or need to watch more, classics. 21 of the movies were made since 2000, and only 1 being made before 1990. yeah...

I had a nice little explanation for why I loved each movie, plus a favorite moment or quote...but then I figured, how but you just watch them and form your own opinions.

A Love Song for Bobby Long (2004)

American Beauty (1999)

Benny and Joon (1993)
Chasing Amy (1997)

Cidade de Deus [City Of God] (2002) 
Closer (2004)

Crash (2004)
Dangerous lives of Altar Boys (2002)

Death Becomes Her (1992)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Fargo (1996)
Garden State (2004)

Gattaca (1997)
Good Will Hunting (1997)

Half Nelson (2006)
 Hard Candy (2005)

Igby Goes Down (2002)
Into the Wild (2007)

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
Lars and the Real Girl (2007)

Diarios de Motocicleta (Motorcycle Diaries) (2004)
My Girl (1991)

My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997)
Newsies (1992)

Once (2006)
Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

Slackers (2002)
The Fountain (2006)

The Last King of Scotland (2006)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

The Way We Were (1973)
 Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)

Waiting for Guffman (1996)
Wet Hot American Summer (2001)

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape  (1993)

Ramblings: Go *cough* Yourself

Man, it never ends, the love I have for Jon Stewart. In this clip he talks about what it really is that gets under his skin about Palin. And it isn't what every corespondent on Fox News may think.

Funnies: How I Start And End My Day.

Every Day.

(I do want to clarify, the Turk section of the video...just sayin')

Shares: I actually have a few, very unrelated videos, I want to post...

Bon Iver - For Emma, For Ever Ago - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

Shares: A Glimpse. Hurt My Heart.

You should actually just go and buy this, since it is hard to read this way. Go, buy. Now.

Ramblings: Deal Breakers (The Good Kind...)

I can be a quirky girl, and there are certain little things that I have gathered in my life, that have become deal breakers. When I say 'Deal Breakers' I simply mean that these are things that if you are aware of, there is an exponentially larger chance I will look at you as becoming my BFF, or asking for your hand in marriage immediately. Adversely, if you are NOT aware of these things, I will not look down upon you...I have another list for that. :D

With that stated, I will say most of these things are simply things, or ideas, I love. I tend to romanticize life, and I think that also plays a large part in this whole endeavor. Bear with me.

1) Anyone who has known me a considerable amount of time, knows this one: If I was ever presented with a FULL-SIZED sunflower (none of this potted shit. I want a single stalk that is almost as tall as me, with a flower on the end comparable to my head size, I don't care how abnormal), If presented,  would marry said person on the spot. Or think of them as the best person in the world, ever. That being said, it is also my dream marriage proposal. Way to take the spontaneity out of that one, eh?

2) I have just 'purchased' (I say this loosely, b/c really my mom has purchased for me for christmas, but I picked it out, engraved it, and sent it her way to simply buy) an iPod. I am finally entering the 2000s it seems. Anyway, I have had this iPod engraved on the back with one of my favorite lines from one of my favorite authors, JD Salinger. Upon meeting me, and then seeing/reading this quote on my iPod, they will be able to tell me immediately what it is from, and what character it is by. The quote reads: "John Keats/John Keats/John/ Please put your scarf on."

3) There are certiain things you grow up with that only you find cool. This is, by all means, one of them. I know every word to the song 'Paradise by the Dashboard Light' by Meatloaf. It is a duet, actually...though the female voice is...? That being said, if was sitting in a car, and someone knew this song (specifically the male portion, but either part really) and started singing it with me, duet style, I would definitely be more apt to consider their friendship. I have actually had this happen once before, and true to my word, I did look upon them with more reverence after the fact. But, I soon learned, no one, even Meatloaf duet singers, are perfect.

4) This is a specific male quality. If you call me up out of the blue/ask me over for some reason/come to my house with intent to/ sing and play 'Everlong' (the Acoustic version) by the Foo Fighters, I will mostly likely swoon on the spot, and let you do unseemly things to me the rest of the evening. I have had this also done to me once before (the singing...), but alas was in high school at the time, therefore super awkward, and still yet to have kissed anyone, let along have them do shameful things with me. Now, you might say, doesn't that ruin it, the sweetness, etc, that someone has already done this once for me? No I answer. It was done very crassly (meaning, hurriedly) and was followed up (this was over the phone) by such a ridiculous conversation by such a slack ass (and I knew him to be one at the time, not one of those 'later he reveled himself to be a slack ass') that though my heart grew 3 times it size, the action is outright considered null and void.

..I am sure there are more lurking in my brain. When they appear, I shall note them. And without realizing it, I definately ranked these in order of importance and value related to the awe you shall inspire within me.

Ramblings: So I Love Pizza.

Pear & Gorgonzola

Caramelized pears, Gorgonzola, Fontina and Mozzarella cheeses, caramelized sweet onions and chopped hazelnuts. Topped with field greens tossed in our Gorgonzola ranch dressing.

THIS SOUNDS AWESOME. FACT.

Ramblings: Some of My All Time Favorites

Soo Sitting here, Listening to some tunes...and, I just get all wrapped up in it. I love it. When you hear those songs, the ones that you could play on repeat, but restrain yourself (most of the time) from doing so with..., sometimes life doesn't get better. I don't even need to be DOING anything when I listen to these. I literally, most the time, sit down and zone out. Yes, sometimes I will be multi-tasking in the form of doing a crossword at the same time, or mending some clothing, maybe journaling.

Most times though, I literally sit down with the intention to do one of these things, and I just sit there. The minute I let my body rest, I am gone. I am now zoned out in the music. I forget anything I was supposed to be doing. I just close my eyes. I just sit there. I sing with it. I sometimes get up and dance, not aiming to be doing anything. I find most times it revolves around my head being thrown back and me trying my damnedest to sing along with it (thank god others don't have to suffer through this experience with me....usually)

So, being a person who wants to impose all the things I like on others, I am going to list a few of the songs that garner this reaction in me. Listen. Enjoy. Repeat.

(The highlight tracks are links to sites to listen, not downloadable content, FYI)

Jeff Buckley- Lover, You Should Have Come Over

Fiona Apple- I Know

George Harrison- My Sweet Lord

Paul Simon - Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes

Dave Matthews Band - Say Goodbye (Most any version EXCLUDING the actual 'Crash' CD Version)

Chris Thile- How To Grow A Woman From The Ground

Brand New- Me vs. Maradona vs. Elvis

Jump, Little Children- Cathedrals

Ben Harper- Glory and Consequence, The Drugs Don't Work, and Woman In You (All Live From Mars Versions)

Bonnie Raitt - Angel From Montgomery

The Beatles- The Melody + Her Majesty on Abbey Road (Specifically: Golden Slumbers-->Carry That Weight-->The End)

Led Zeppelin - Dyer Maker

The Decemberists- O Valencia!

Radiohead – Myxomatosis

And, not really going with these songs, but you will NEVER find me NOT enjoying this song:

Bel Biv Devoe- Poison

There are so many More I am sure. Then there is the whole category of CD's that put you in a trance, from start to finish, and sometimes, i find, that those CD's may not even hold ONE track that I would, on its own, put in my favorites list, but cohesively the CD is amazing.

(Example: Elton John- Honkey Chateau Just makes me happy, start to finish, over and over again.)