Happy Friday: The Days Are Longer, The Sun Is Hot

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In my effort to get some grocery shopping done, I was finally able to wrest myself from the comfort of A/C and shade this morning. HUBS and I have been eating out all week, but tonight I have a nice array of dinner options to choose from which won't require me leaving the house again or talking on the phone to a teenager eager to grow up, move out and get a better job.

And now, you know what? I don't feel anything like cooking. But, I suppose we can deal with that later.

Actually, the only real cooking I've done on the hot days of this week involved a giant chocolate chip cookie that filled an 11 inch cast iron skillet. You'll have to click the link to get a gander at it. I meant to photograph my cookie (*giggle*), but I've been too busy eating each time I come near it to bother.

That's enough of that! Let's get on with the internet!

1) If you're vacationless this summer like lots of us looking to save money, get your travel kicks courtesy of Sonia's Travels. This chick travels A LOT. I'm jealous.

2) Still wondering how much sunscreen you need to apply and how often, already? David McCandless and friends provide a handy infographic for you. Just scroll about 1/4 of the way down the page.

3) Getting things done isn't always easy, even when it's something we know we need to do. Take a look at this list of 10 Steps to Infuse Your Goals with Momentum Inspiring Passion.

4) If you're looking to do some reading this weekend, check out Click. It's a book about how people forge fast bonds with one another and how we can use those things to our advantage when getting to know others. As someone who's always looking to break past my shyness barrier, I really appreciated the knowledge. It's a helpful, interesting and quick read.

5) Want to sit at home and do some shopping? eShakti offers all their styles up to size 26 and you can customize many of the items. This gorgeous number will be mine in about a week, thanks to a contest from Eat The Damn Cake.

That's all from me, lovelies. Enjoy!

What are you looking forward to this weekend?

Twitter Is Making Me Needy

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Remember almost a month ago when I joined Twitter? I cannot lie to you, I've found it much more addictive than I ever thought possible. But there's a problem.

It's making me really, super needy.

See, it feels like this direct line to your favorite people. Whether they be actors, writers, singers, comedians, scientists, what-have-you. And watching them respond to what appear to be regular old folk opened up this possibility that they'd respond to me, too. And while it's possible that someone will at some point, for a week or two there it was driving me slightly batty that I was being ignored.

Not just by the famous people, but, seemingly, by everyone.

Part of this is my natural tendency toward shyness and how I've always wished it were easier for me to just jump right in and communicate with others. Really, how upset can you get about going unnoticed when you don't do much to get noticed?

I am happy to report, though, that I've mostly gotten over it. I've been tweeting my twitters in a vacuum. Posting, re-tweeting, reading and mostly not replying to anyone at all. I figure I'll keep that up until I can get over my shy-girl-in-the-corner-at-the-party feeling enough to engage other twits (Is that what we're called? Well, it should be.) without holding on to a desired outcome.

And now that I've added another major social media thing to my repertoire, I also feel slightly overwhelmed by all the information coming at me.

For instance, when I realized you could favorite tweets you like, I started starring things like crazy. I'm using it mostly as a bookmarking system for tweets that link to articles I want to go back and read.

What this means, though, is that now I've got things starred in Twitter and my Google Reader. Bookmarks in Explorer and Firefox. Favorites on YouTube. Favorites in my Yahoo and Netscape email accounts. Notes written down in notebooks and on scraps of paper. And tons of stuff pinned to my Pinterest boards.

I frequently find myself saying, Hey, I should tell people about X! Only to realize I have no idea where the fuck I stashed the info.

I suppose it wouldn't be technology if it didn't simultaneously make our lives easier and more difficult at the same time, would it?

How do you consolidate all your favorite internet info?

Music Monday: It's An Oven Out There

I did something I never usually do this weekend: I wandered around in the elements on two consecutive hot as hell days. I know! We met HUBS' family in Hermann at a winery for lunch on Saturday and ended up hanging out in town a little, visiting the house his maternal grandparents used to live in and stopping by their graves at the cemetery.

Sunday we went to a breakfast buffet at a Greek place called Ari's. It came highly recommended by St. Louis Magazine, and while it was cheap ($6.95 a person!) it was also not quite as good as IHOP. The food was pretty basic and got cold quickly, which was ironic, since the restaurant was as hot and stuffy as hell on fire. The problem? They had an omelet bar set up in the tiny bar along with the buffet with all the chafing dishes. Sorry, Greeks, that's too much fire in a small space that's also crowded with people on a boiling hot day!

Frequently, you really do get what you pay for. We won't be going back.

Sunday wasn't all so-so. We also got some much needed shopping done and finally got to see Chronicle*, a sleeper hit that came out earlier this year. It's relatively short and absolutely worth your time; it's a stunningly original take on something we've seen a lot of in the past dozen or so years.

Well, what did you do this weekend? Were you able to stay cool and relaxed? I ended up with a heat rash and certainly hope you were able to avoid that!

Now! Music!







*p.s. I disagree with the review I linked to that the ending was overkill. I loved the whole movie. Wish I had written it.