bird by bird

(via seasilked)

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 23:06:19 -0500

i know he’s apparently really douche-y now but i would...

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:38:00 -0500

i know he’s apparently really douche-y now but i would marry john mayer anytime, anywhere. just an FYI.

the church of what's happening now.

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:34:00 -0500

made two kiinda BIG mistakes recently. trying not to beat myself up for them (as that is my personality), these thoughts help me to realize the silver lining in almost any situation.

_____

navigating quicksand as a metaphor for living life*; what’s gone is gone and you need to make decisions based on what remains. the value of a mistake resides in your ability to learn from it and use it as a catalyst for positive change.

what if mistakes are the tipping point between who you are and who you want to be?

Photo

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:00:07 -0500

"The first step toward change is acceptance. Once you accept yourself, you open the door to change...."

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:56:44 -0500

“The first step toward change is acceptance. Once you accept yourself, you open the door to change. That’s all you have to do. Change is not something you do, it’s something you allow.”

- Will Garcia

whileibreatheihope: In our course we teach that “no thought lives in your head rent-free.” Each...

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 19:12:26 -0500

whileibreatheihope:

In our course we teach that “no thought lives in your head rent-free.” Each thought you have will either be an investment or a cost. It will either move you toward happiness and success or away from it. It will either empower you or disempower you. That’s why it is imperative you choose your thoughts and beliefs wisely.

T. Harv Eker.

Photo

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 19:08:59 -0500

"Yesterday, our president mused about the inevitability of war, war’s instrumentality in the pursuit..."

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 18:59:52 -0500

“Yesterday, our president mused about the inevitability of war, war’s instrumentality in the pursuit of peace and just wars. It is important for us to reflect on his words, because once we believe in the inevitability of war, war becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Once we are committed to war’s instrumentality in pursuit of peace, we begin the Orwellian journey to the semantic netherworld where War IS Peace, where the momentum of war overwhelms hopes for peace. And once we wrap doctrines perpetuating war in the arms of justice, we can easily legitimate the wholesale slaughter of innocents. The war against Iraq was based on lies. Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan are based on flawed doctrines of counter-insurgency. War is often not just; sometimes it is just war. And our ability to rethink the terms of our existence, to explore the possibility of peace without war, may well determine whether we end war, or war ends us.””

- Congressman Kucinich’s Response to President Obama’s “Just War” Doctrine via morningbell

alcohol-induced acrobatics, take mcxvii

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 18:51:51 -0500

Her: Dear god, what did you do to me last night? I have bruises all over my body.
Him: Not sure but they are proooooobably from when you decided to do a pirouette on the rooftop last night.
Her: Oh, right. The heel of my stiletto got caught between the wood panels and I bit it. Hard.
Him: ..And then the DJ played Tiny Dancer.
Her: Typical night.

"President Obama — fighting wars in two countries — will arrive in Norway on Thursday to..."

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 23:02:00 -0500

“President Obama — fighting wars in two countries — will arrive in Norway on Thursday to accept the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009.”

- CNN.com … snarky! (but seeeriously)

Easy Holiday Gifts Under $10

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 22:51:33 -0500

Last night I needed to buy a white elephant gift for our holiday team party. Although the limit was cheap ($10), and I don’t know who the recipient will be, I wanted to get something practical rather than just a gag gift.

I ended up getting four v-shaped cocktail glasses ($1.95/ea) from crate & barrel. Aside from price, these are great because they are really versatile, have a good weight to them, are dishwasher safe, seem somewhat unisex, and are easily ~~regiftable~~ transferable. I got 4 and had them boxed at the register with a gift receipt. In the box I also included some neutral stones + 4 tealights that I had leftover from an old centerpiece, and printouts of recipes for my favorite holiday cocktail + an easy chocolate mousse to underscore the versatility of the glasses. The stemless wine glasses were also an option ($2.50/ea).

Other practical gift ideas that briefly crossed my mind during downtime at work included:

Magazine Subscription (fill out form and include check in a stamped envelope and just have recipient fill in shipping address and stick in mail) - Amazon has some for $5/yr right now
SomeEcard Merch
Box of holiday cards + stamps
2010 Calendar
Gift Certs
Non-perishable ingredients for homemade cookies layered in a large mason jar with recipe (e.g., white chocolate oatmeal cranberry cookies - lots of mixins! or a basic sugar plus a festive cookie cutter)
Cheap frame or album with credit for holiday photo processing

mount rainier

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 22:51:00 -0500

mount rainier

some days the world feels like my oyster; some days the world...

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 22:22:00 -0500

some days the world feels like my oyster; some days the world feels like i’m at the mercy of a mischievous older sibling*… (dear life, stop shitting on me this week. please and thanks.)

*though the age differential appears to be similar, and though i once colored my baby sister’s scalp with a green crayon as i french braided her hair and then told her she was secretly an alien - this is a random picture.

"Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies."

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 22:18:21 -0500

“Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.”

- Nelson Mandela

love love love. (via gatekeeper and francesca lia block’s...

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 23:07:18 -0500

love love love.

(via gatekeeper and francesca lia block’s echo)

Cancer Horoscope, Week of December 3, 2009

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:57:54 -0500

Lately you remind me of the person Robert Hass describes in his poem “Time and Materials”: “someone falling down and getting up and running and falling and getting up.” I’m sending you my compassion for the times you fall down, and my admiration for the times you get up, and my excitement for the times you run. It has probably become clear to you by now that the falling down isn’t a shameful thing to be cursed, but rather is an instrumental part of the learning process that is teaching you marvelous secrets about getting back up and running.

(via freewill)

slantback: an average of the flags of the 200-plus countries of...

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:06:29 -0500

slantback:

an average of the flags of the 200-plus countries of the Old World (2009), weighted by population, levels-adjusted to improve contrast and reduce the preponderance of red: (via The Flag Of Pure Bliss « Weather Sealed)

livin’ on a prayer aka the help me feather my mullet...

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 23:56:40 -0500

livin’ on a prayer aka the help me feather my mullet song (bon jovi cover) — matt nathanson

[aaand how obvious is it that i need the weekend to be here. yesterday.]

holiday color wheel (i might have changed the alignment of some...

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 23:53:19 -0500

holiday color wheel

(i might have changed the alignment of some of the text for readability’s sake, but this version kinda looks like it’s mid-spin on wheel of fortune. no?)

highlight of "the career," to date

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 23:37:22 -0500

“hi (name), this is (name) from (cabinet-level government agency). remember that analysis you did for us a couple weeks ago? yeah, (depsec of said agency) thinks it looks good but i just wanted to verify that you feel confident in it. cause it just got fire-drilled to a white house roundtable about the recovery act, and we don’t have time to review it in detail.”

HOLLER. and yes i felt confident in it- staying two hours later than the feds to check through things and gather my thoughts.