Well, Thank You Cassandra!

Cassandra Schmigotzki, of The Long and Winding Road to Wellness, has graced my blog with a Liebster Award! So, here's what you need to know about the award...

About the Liebster

The idea behind this award is to recognize new bloggers and help them get some buzz and promote their blogs. It's a sign of recognition and it can pretty much mean what you want it to mean.

If you've been nominated for the Liebster Award and accept it, you need to follow a few rules.

1.Write a blog post about the Liebster Award.
2.Thank the person that nominated you.
3.Post a link to their blog on your blog.
4.Display the award on your blog and including it in your post and/or displaying it using a widget.
5.Answer the 11 questions about yourself provided by the person who nominated you.
6.Give 11 random facts about yourself.
7.Nominate 5-11 blogs that you feel deserve the award, who have less than 1000 followers.
8.Create a new list of questions for the nominated bloggers to answer.
9.List the rules in your post.
10.Inform the bloggers who you've nominated for the Liebster Award - remember to give them a link to your post so that they can learn about it (they might not have ever heard of it!).

Note that you can nominate someone who has been given this award already, as long as they have less than 1000 followers/subscribers.

Cassandra's Questions For Me

1.What is something that you wish you learned how to do growing up? Make small talk.

2.What are five words your closest friends would use to describe you? Funny, smart, sensitive, empathetic, introverted

3.What is your favorite meal to make or eat? This isn't a whole meal, but I love roasted carrots. If I cook a pound of carrots you better get to 'em fast because otherwise they'll be gone.

4.What did you want to be when you grew up? An astronomer. Then I realized how much math I'd have to learn.

5.Can you speak another language? If so, what? (This would include sign language but not Pig Latin.) Only if by "speak another language" you mean "can curse people out in Spanish". I studied Spanish in high school & college, but you know how it is when you don't use a skill...

6.What is your guilty pleasure? I try not to have those. You like what you like when you like it, you know?

7.What are your favorite books or blogs? I could list books all day: Which Lie Did I Tell, Kushiel's Dart, Bird by Bird, How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, Woman Hollering Creek, If You Want to Write, Dicey's Song, A Solitary Blue, A Long Way From St. Louie, Black Ice...I should probably stop now!

8.What do you hope to accomplish by the end of the year? Finishing a screenplay.

9.What's your favorite quote or passage? “Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid”. ― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. It's hard to follow, but I love the idea of it. Plus, I do think it's true in many cases.

10.Do you still dress up for Halloween? I haven't done that since I was about 11.

11.Have you learned anything about yourself since you started blogging? If so, what? Black people have a saying: "Don't put your business in the street." This is how parents keep their kids from talking about personal stuff with people who don't happen to live with them. I have found, though, that I like putting my business in the street. It seems to be the only way to learn that your business isn't that unusual after all.

Random Facts

1. I say "library" & "birthday" wrong. They come out "lie-berry" & "birfday".
2. I didn't realize I said these words wrong until I met HUBS and he pointed it out to me.
3. I didn't drink any alcohol until I was 31.
4. I only drink lemon-lime sodas.
5. I hate tea in all its forms.
6. I wore braces on my legs and had to have special orthopedic shoes when I was a kid.
7. Because of my orthopedic issues, if I'm sitting with my legs straight out or straight behind me, my feet automatically turn ALL THE WAY IN with my toes pointing at each other.
8. Any pill larger than the tip of a pencil eraser will cause me to panic when I try to swallow it. Thank God for pill cutters!
9. When I went to New York on a college trip in 1997, I saw Al Lewis, who played Grandpa on The Munsters. He was in his 70s, but was wearing a leather biker jacket and an African print hat.
10. My nose has been itching all week and it's incredibly annoying.
11. Mushrooms disgust me. I know they're good for you, but they're a fungus and I can't get past it. I've never had one on purpose.

Nominees!

1. Miss Tracey Nolan
2. Rebecca Thompson, Take Charge Now
3. Jeri Walker-Bickett, What do I know?
4. Stephanie Bryant, Diary of a Mad Saleswoman
5. EvaSaidIt.com

My Nominee Questions!

1. Boxers or briefs?
2. What one word do you hate the sound of?
3. Prince or Michael Jackson?
4. The world is ending, what do you say to your mom as last words?
5. McDonald's or Burger King?
6. You've just won $1,000 and have to spend it on something frivolous. What do you buy?
7. What are your two favorite TV shows of all time (up to now, obviously)?
8. Bugs Bunny or Daffy Duck?
9. If you could give your 12-year-old self one bit of advice, what would it be?
10. Dancing at a club or drinking at a bar?
11. What's one book you wish you had written and why?

Let the party begin, nominees!

Happy Friday: A Creative Realization

Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums

I had an interesting epiphany last night. I was tired and had drug myself to the shower after a long-ish day.

While I was in there my mind started to wander. I was thinking about creativity and what it takes to risk failure or embarrassment in the effort to have your voice heard, and something came to me. This might be something everyone else has known since the beginning of time, but it just occurred to me. And the thought is going a long way to quelling my creative fears.

No matter what you create, someone will hate it.

That's it. Do you see how freeing that is? Whatever creative thing you put into the world: novel, poem, painting, TV show, movie, dress design, textile pattern...SOMEONE WILL HATE IT.

Do you know what this means? It means we have no excuses. There's no point in worrying about how what you need to do (write, paint, design, etc.) will be received. You already know, upfront, that somebody is bound to hate it.

ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS CREATE, TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY, AND THINK ABOUT HOW TO LET THE PEOPLE WHO WILL CONNECT WITH OUR WORK FIND IT.

Because, just as sure that there will be people who'll hate what we do, there will also be people who love it, need it and want more of it.

That makes me feel good.

And slightly less scared to try.

Now that we're all relaxed, let's enjoy ourselves a little...

1) Photo buffs should check out the National Geographic tumblr. It's filled with rare pics, most of which have never been published. Much like The New York Times one from a few months ago.

2) Andy Dwyer. So dumb, and yet so awesome.

3) Some animals live a scary, freaky, long-ass time!

4) Want to grow your blog, business or brand without immersing yourself in a lot of expensive classes? Alt Summit can help for much less.

5) I've never read a Stephen King book, but I might read this one.

Enjoy your weekends, everyone!

Music Monday: Soul Laid Bare

You know what I'm happy about today? My ability to use this blog to talk about life in a real way.

For most of my life I've felt like a singularly fucked up individual. Logically I knew that other people must be feeling lonely, useless, stupid or ill-equipped for life, but there was no way to tell if I knew any of those people because folks don't talk about things like that.

I certainly don't believe we should discuss everything with everyone all the time, but I do think a little selfless experience sharing (especially when that experience was negative) can help the sharer and the sharee.

When people feel alone they do lots of dumb things to themselves and others out of desperation. I talk about my experiences with depression, anxiety, loneliness, guilt, procrastination and fear not just to work through my own issues and get them off my chest and out of my mind, but so that somebody who feels like they have to keep crawling out of the same hole can read about me doing the same thing. And, hopefully, feel less alone and hopeless because of it.

In a small way, I feel like it's a public service to all the loners and losers in the world. Now that I think about it, so is spreading some aural cheer. Shall we?









If your blog is essentially a diary, how do you decide how much sharing to do?

Happy Friday! Rest Is A Good Thing

Well, peeps, I'm wiped. I had a big project due Tuesday and it wore me out. I meant to take an hour nap today and ended up sleeping for three.

I'm also having car trouble. I can't get it to start without jumping it, and since the battery is new as of last month, the fear that something major is wrong with it is eating away at me a little. I don't know why...Yes, I do. Lila is the first car I ever bought and I own her outright. She's actually the only thing I fully own that's worth any kind of money. And, considering that she's 15 years old, that's not saying much.

Even though I've been without a car before (in college, for a year after college when neither my mom nor I had a vehicle), I already miss the freedom and being able to get up and go whenever I want.

Oh, well. Such is life, right? Now! Let's see what I found online this week.

1) Did you know that there's now an Oprah channel on Huff Post?

2) Speaking of Oprah, many would consider a love of Oprah related things un-manly. If you need to get your masculine groove back on, The Art Of Manliness is here for you.

3) And, what's more manly than facial hair? The American Mustache Institute has a handy guide to mustache styles. While you're at it? Check out Beard Team USA 2012. Those dudes are no joke...

4) Looking for a new job? Here are 9 things you shouldn't say on your resume, along with a body language guide to tell you if you're tanking the interview.

5) If you're still looking for a way to help Hurricane Sandy relief, Techlicious has a full list of options.

That's all for me, folks. I'll be catching up on your blogs this weekend. Enjoy!

Happy Friday: Anniversaries & Such

HUBS and I went out for our anniversary this week. I won a gift card to a group of restaurants owned by a prominent foodie local, so we were able to try Sugo's Spaghetteria, which we hadn't been to before.

It was a really nice night. I'm generally pretty obsessed with photographing the food at new restaurants, but I didn't do that this time. I just wanted to live it, if that makes sense.

So, HUBS and I tried a new place, ate really good food and I drank booze and showed some cleavage. Good times, people. Good. Times.

Now, let's look around online and see what we can find, shall we?

1) Cracked has a list of some of the craziest old photos you'll ever see.

2) I'm on a photo kick this week. BuzzFeed has yearbook photos of media stars.

3) Want to see some currently famous people with bad '80s hair?

4) If you enjoy words and art, you'll want to see these obscure words described with cool graphics.

5) Finally, all my sci-fi geeks should check out Electric City, an animated web series from Tom Hanks.

That's all for now. Have great weekend times, my lovelies!

What have you found online lately that made you smile?

Happy Friday: Settling Into Summer

Heat wave and warm-weather storms aside, now that July 4 has come and gone you cannot deny that we are in the ferocious days of summer. Does anyone else feel like the outrageous temps are keeping them from enjoying things?

I know I do. HUBS and I have barely been able to move this week. St. Louisans are dealing with our second straight week of 100 degree or more (usually more) temperatures. While am I so, so grateful to have a home and working A/C, our house is still hot. Our air runs non-stop from about 9 a.m. to midnight, but we've been seeing 85 degrees inside the house daily.

The ceiling is hot (I don't believe we have adequate insulation up there at all.); trying to nap mid-day is a mostly lost cause because our bedroom is a hot box and the bed is hot when you get into it. This needs to end...SOON. When I think of all the people and animals who live outside. I simply cannot imagine how they make it through the long, sweltering days.

We have managed to do a few things other than sit at home and watch TV, though.

1) I met up with my buddies from Girlfriend Circles again on Saturday for tea. It's nice to have a reason to dress up and people to talk to. I like them, and we have a good amount of stuff in common, but I'm kinda anxious to get to the part where we're really friends instead of committed acquaintances.

2) On Tuesday HUBS and I had what would turn out to be our July 4 celebration. We drove over to Swansea, IL to eat at Big Mama's Barbeque. Then went on to Belleville, IL for dessert at The White Cottage. Expect reviews next week of the awesome foodstuffs we consumed!

3) Since we were already in town, we saw a double feature at what is the last drive-in theater in the area, The Skyview. We saw Spider-Man and Men in Black 3. I thought it had cooled off enough to sit with the windows down, but HUBS disagreed and we ended up running the air for most of each film. The movies themselves were meh and OK, but it was nice to do something different and get home past midnight for once!

That's it! On the 4th we stayed at home; I watered the garden right before it got dark and we watched various fireworks displays on TV from the darkness of our finally cooling off living room. I hope you all had fun and stayed cool this week, and that you've got more fun, cool-staying in store for the weekend. Now, here are some nice internet discoveries from this week.

1) Lifehacker has cool tips and tricks for all you cat people out there.

2) Fantasy/Sci-Fi readers or those interested in the genres should take a look at this list of The Greatest Female Sci-Fi/Fantasy Authors of All Time.

3) If you're feeling as though you look less than polished due to the heat, well maybe this will make you feel better. Some of these ladies are doing fine. Some of them, really are not.

4) Last, but not least, if you need a summer music playlist try this or this.

That's all folks!

How will you have fun and stay cool this weekend?

Happy Friday: That's How This Goes

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I don't know how many of you might be in the Midwest, but Mother Nature is no joke right now. Yesterday it got up to 108 degrees. Right now? It's 103 and looks like it'll get up to 106 before the sun goes down. Glory! I guess it's summer now, huh?

HUBS will be on vacation next week, and I am actually really glad we don't have a trip planned. I'm at the beginnings of trying to make some changes, and if we were going away next week it would be even harder to get a grip on some of my crap.

Well, that's all for now. Let's look around online and see what we can find, shall we?

1) Anyone dealing with depression or anxiety knows that it can be hard to talk yourself down in the midst of a bad spell. Here's some simple advice that might help if you're blue or mired in panic.

2) If I were the type to spend $95 on wall art, these '60s style James Bond inspired prints would fill my home.

3) I find string theory fascinating. Writer Rob Bryanton tries to explain a world of more than three and a 1/2 dimensions with some intriguing YouTube videos and a very well written blog. I got lost in them, even though I by no means understood all of it. It's nice to stretch your brain, isn't it?

4) Still getting used to Twitter, like me? You might find this Twitter Cheat Sheet helpful.

5) Chuck Wendig has the best list of 25 Things You Should Know About Writing Fantasy. Whether you write the stuff or read it you'll appreciate his thoughts.

That's all for me, lovelies! Peace out!

What cool things have you found online lately?

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?

Happy Friday: Is It Time For A Nap, Yet?

Hello, lovelies! I hope you've all had a well-worked day in prep for a weekend of lounging by the pool, reading trashy novels on the deck while burgers sizzle on the grill, partying or whatever else you may have planned.

HUBS and I have some Father's Day festivities, but other than that, our weekend is an open book. Since we have temps in the 90s in St. Louis, I can assure you that I will be spending as much time as possible under the roar of any available AC.

Now, let's take a look at some interesting internet things, shall we?

1) I'm not sure what to make of this. Vagina funnel, anyone?

2) I can't be the only one who wonders if the beauty products I pick up really do what they claim to. If you shop at BeautySage, you'll know they work and are worth the dough.

3) I'm majorly intrigued by True & Co., an online bra club where all bras cost $45.

4) Music and photography lovers will enjoy this look at some iconic jazz greats from the 1930s and '40s.

5) If you're planning to be out and about this weekend, you might want to get some help from the Oh Ranger! Park Finder app and the UV Detector app. I wish the UV Detector was available on Android but it doesn't appear to be. Oh, well. I just got another excuse to stay indoors!

That's all for this week, friends. Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there. And everyone else? Enjoy your weekend!

Happy Friday!

Things have cooled off considerably in St. Louis the past couple of days, which figures since I just wrote a post on how to keep your ass from sweating off when it's outrageously hot. HUBS and I will be holed up inside tomorrow in honor of our neighborhood's annual raucous homecoming. I'm really looking forward to catching up on Downton Abbey and just chillin' (Do people still say that? No? Ahh, well, such is life.)

Here's some cool stuff I found online this week.

1) All the TV addicts out there will like this wrap up of the 2011-2012 season.

2) Do any of you ladies read sci fi/fantasy lady fiction? I've only read two books in the genre and I still enjoyed the Vaginal Fantasy Hangout.

3) Going outside can make you happier, more creative and more focused. Also, letting your mind wander might not be such a bad thing.

4) The White Girl Problems twitter feed. Go. Now!

5) Maybe you and your boss don't get along, but things likely won't get as heated as the contentious relationships these actors had with their directors.

There. If the weather's nice go sit outside and get more creative this weekend as your mind wanders.

Happy Friday! Today Feels Pretty Good

It's a warm day at the end of a slightly stressful week where I got a nice amount of stuff accomplished. Plus? We might finally be done with our refinancing. Hopefully we can wrap everything up early next week - after a month and a half of dealing with numbers, paperwork and screw-ups that were not our fault. Phew! Let's get on to some interesting internet things...

1) I don't know much about this program yet, but the creator of Sessions says he just wants to help you exercise more. NanoWorkout might be good, too.

2) Make believe movie posters are all the rage. The creativity never ceases to amaze.

3) If you're a writer who constantly gets distracted by the internet, Ommwriter could be exactly what you need.

4) Are you tired of getting inundated with email updates from all your social media accounts, but don't have time to change all your preferences? Ding!

5) Forget all about that bad day and laugh a little at other people's discomfort!

Ah...Now, get off the computer and do something fun this weekend...Really, go!

Happy Friday: Light As A Feather

You know that feeling where the fog lifts, the clouds part and everything seems bright and hopeful again? I'm having that in spades today, and a lot of it has to do with not filling out mortgage refinance applications or talking to bankers or doing math. That stuff took up so much time this week that by yesterday this time I felt I was losing my complete and total mind.

I don't know what we're going to do for the extended weekend, but I foresee some low-cost fun. Oh yes, I do. On to the internet!

1) Lifehacker lists 50 Free Apps they adore.

2) This simple site looks like nothing much at first. But, type an Amazon.com product into the box, hit GO and get a dizzying array of like-minded items in return. It's kinda fun!

3) I haven't seen this HBO documentary yet, but I'm intrigued.

4) For job seekers: more opinions on how to get hiring managers to pay attention to you.

5) I like the looks of Greatist, yet another health and wellness website.

Happy Friday: Something "Not So Nice"

Welcome to the end of the week, everybody! I heard something odd this Tuesday that I'd like to discuss with you.

I'd taken HUBS to work and spent the day with him at his job. He needed to get his car looked over, and it was just easier to hang out with him than do a lot of coming and going between his place of business and our house (which is about 20 minutes away).

Near the end of the rather long day, I went to the bathroom. HUBS works at an elementary school, and because there are children everywhere the bathrooms can sometimes be iffy. On this particular jaunt to the lavatory, I found a turd on the floor.

I told HUBS about it when I got back to his office, just so he'd be able to avoid it if he went in later. He decided to tell one of the custodians. After she cleaned the bathroom she stopped by his office. That's when she said this: Yeah, you were right. That's what that was. I also found something NOT SO NICE in the trash can, so I just replaced the whole bag.

HUBS thanked her, and when she walked away I told him what her "Not so nice" item had to have been: my maxi pad, which I'd wrapped up and put in the trash since there was no feminine product disposal unit around.

I'm confused. What's wrong with putting a pad in the trash? Was there some Menstruating Ladies Only restroom I should have used? I've been to HUBS' job many times, and no one has ever told me about it. What does this building filled with women do when they have their periods? Bury the pads and tampons in the field out back? Put them back in their purses? Eat the Goddammed things?

Look, I know the place is covered in kids and no one wants to discuss periods with an eight year old boy, but I was slightly offended. Is this not a natural part of life? More natural than say, finding turds on the floor? Come on, janitor lady, I know you're kinda old, but get with it. What do you think? Would you have been offended by what she said?

On to some internet things!

1) How drunk is your city?

2) Gay people should watch the Superbowl, too!

3) Spiders! Ants! Centipedes! Phantom itching explained!

4) Paste Magazine has a list for your every entertainment occasion.

5) OK, Octavia! I'm glad to have that cleared up, because I was worried for a minute that all you thought about was your weight!

That's all for me friends. Enjoy the Superbowl!

Happy Friday: Unseasonably Warm Temperatures Scare Me A Bit!

I don't know where you live, but in St. Louis right now? It's crazy outside. Today it's supposed to get up to 65 degrees! In January! In the Midwest! While I'm glad that (sadly) stray animals and (sadly) homeless people will have a nicely mild day outside, whenever it's this warm in what should be deep winter I start to think about tornadoes. We had so freakin' many of those last year, that I'd really like for that to not happen again.

I'm borrowing trouble by thinking about this, aren't I?

OK, then! On to some cool webby things for your weekend...

1) If you're looking to CONNECT more in the new year like me, Lifehacker might be able to help.

2) Entertainment Weekly rates SNL's best and worst sketches from 2011.

3) Wanna hear some new rock music that'll likely be completely ignored by traditional radio? Try Third Rock Radio.

4) There's nothing like a cute dog who appreciates a good tune.

5) Visit this fascinating peek at the lists of famous folk from decades past. Marilyn Monroe's is especially telling.

Ahhh...Now, get out and do some stuff! Have a great weekend, lovelies!

5 Blogs That Rock My World

Photo

We can all already agree that the internet is awesome. Pretty much everything that doesn't involve actual human contact (and some things that do) can be done online.

With such awesomeness comes a host of favorites. My blog bookmarks alone number in the hundreds (I know!), but that doesn't mean I don't have a few sites I need to visit on a regular basis. Here's my list of recent blog discoveries that make being online a lot more fun.

5 Blogs That Rock My World

1) Eat the Damn Cake: Kate talks about her life and times in the best way possible. She's funny, frank, inquisitive, clearly a good listener and a great writer. Kate's also not afraid to talk about embarrassing stuff and body image issues in ways that make her seem like your smart best friend. Anybody who's ever cried over the size of their thighs will like her a lot.

2) Pink of Perfection: Lordy, I love this blog! I find it so...soothing. Sarah writes about a lot of things (cooking, entertaining, lovely products to try...), but mostly she writes about trying to create a wonderful life filled with more of what enriches you and less of what drains you. Honestly, if you need to feel at peace, reading this cozy confection will set you straight.

3) Pop Candy: By now you should all know that I'm addicted to pop culture. Music, movies, TV, books, magazines and celebrity morsels are my life source. I love this blog so much that it's in my Google Reader, on this blog's sidebar and on my phone via the Pop Candy app. If you want all the top info on any media worth consuming, you need Whitney and her blog in your life. Need, people. Need!

4) Stylish Thought: At first glance Fajr's site looks like your standard fashion/style blog, but it's more than that. Her tag line (rethink style, rethink life) really exemplifies what Stylish Thought is about. Lifestyle and career advice, fashion inspiration and classic quotes to keep you moving through the trials of life...It's all here folks, and wrapped up with a pretty pin-up bow.

5) Vintage Black Glamour: Alright, I'm cheating a bit on this one, since it's not so much a blog as it is a tumblr. But! It's place on this list is merited, friends. I can't tell you how much it means as an African American woman to have so many inspiring images of (often) accomplished black folks in one spot. As a bonus, the photos are usually accompanied by brief histories on those shown. Learning and gloriously fashionable black people? I'll take it!

What blogs started rocking your world this year?

Happy Friday!

It always amazes me when I wake up one day and suddenly the whole work week is gone. Remember when we were kids and it seemed like it took forEVER to get to the weekend, or Spring Break or your birthday, or whatever other day you were looking forward to? Now shit passes by without any effort at-the-fuck-all.

I finally busted through my procrastinatory streak Wednesday by putting together a folder of favorite photos I've taken on my portable hard drive and then starting a portfolio on my Facebook page, two things I've been meaning to do for a few weeks now. Of course, I'm still not doing a ton of things. But, first things first, people! Small progress is still...drum roll please...PROGRESS!

Now, for a bit of good Happy Friday vibes, enjoy the above clip from Jessie J. I just heard this song yesterday and can best describe her as a cross between Lily Allen and Katy Perry. I like what she's throwin' down. Yes sir.

Go, my people. Have an awesome weekend!

Recent Obsessions: Pinterest

Websites start up all the time, and I usually roundly ignore them. I mean really, how many faux-social sites do I need in my life? Facebook, flickr, You Tube, Blogger, MySpace, Friendster (Does anyone pay attention to that one anymore?), Kaboodle...

I generally believe enough is enough when it comes to this stuff. But...last week I was reading one of my blog faves and she wrote about Pinterest. It works much the way I suspect tumblr does; you put a thingie (I know, real technical) in your Internet favorites bar, and then every time you come across a pic of something you like online you can Pin It, save it to a Pin Board you create and keep it forever and always.

I joined up a couple days ago because I frequently save web pages to my favorites when all I want is one image. Really? I'm quite enjoying having all my web faves in one spot. Give it a shot, you might find you like it.