A somewhat goofy mini-collection of stuff I’ve been reading, stuff I’ve been thinking about and oh, some completely random crap.
Basically the stuff that never gets mentioned here because I’m not the kind of person who can just make some teeny little point. Not into the whole brevity thing, as the Dude would say.
Actually, I’m under the strict compulsion to write ten pages about anything on my mind. So this is me. Practicing brevity.
Ha. It really is Wednesday this time. Not even faking it.
Though I do find it extremely reassuring that I can channel the essence of Wednesday pretty much whenever I want, just by Itemizing.
Item! Post No. 42 in a series that might possibly be tangentially related to … life, the universe and everything. We’ll see. 42!
Item! Paint your walls with ideas.
Mark turned me on to this.
I want.
I mean, look at it.
He’s @MarkHeartOfBiz on Twitter.
Item! People horrified to say what they actually do.
Speaking as someone who dreads being asked what she does*, it was just wonderful to read this perfect, perfect Onion piece about that very thing happening to someone who does something way more depressing than what I do.
Except when it’s way worse funnier when it what people do is incredibly depressing and somehow they’ve never realized that.
“Increasingly Horrified Man Listens To Self Explain What He Does For A Living”
It’s incredibly sad and hysterically funny.
* Oof. Why does it matter what I do? I make a very good living doing it and it involves a duck. I refuse to say anymore!
Item! This is a classy About page.
It’s hard not to like someone whose surname is Lightheart.
Andrew is great.
And his new about page? Even better. Also he wrote a post about chipmunks thinking he’s fat.
“I’m not an expert. I do however have a deep interest in conflict and crisis and how we deal with it, and how we can not be controlled by our biology and our programming and stuff.
I’m just some guy in a t-shirt with a cat who spends his days teaching presentation skills (in a suit, without the cat) but who hopefully will come up with some useful stuff as things go on.”
Love. It.
He’s @alightheart on Twitter. Of course he is!
Item! A Gladwellian moment of fabulousness.
Huge Malcolm Gladwell fan, obviously.
This Vanity Fair parody piece is the best thing in the entire world.
“On every accepted level, Santa Claus is a total loser.
Yet this is a man who heads up a brand that commands 98 percent global recognition. Furthermore, he is universally adored.”
Thank you, Twitter. I wish I remember who pointed me here.
Item! Wonderful things to say (or not) at Thanksgiving.
A sweet, pretty post from Lydia at the Clueless Crafter blog with excellent quotes from Elsa Maxwell on the Art of Lively Entertaining.
“I make enemies deliberately. They are the sauce piquante to my dish of life.”
Also, Lydia wishes you a supreme gustatory gathering. If that doesn’t make you happy, I don’t know what will.
She’s @cluelesscrafter on Twitter.
Item! The world’s first live mashup rock band!
Just look at them.
That picture makes me way too happy.
So yes. The world’s first live mashup rock band.
Of course, I’m dying to say … it’s just one guy. But yeah, not true. So I’ll wait until Friday to say that.
Heard about this from one of my hugest Twitter-crushes who is the ever-fabulous @sfslim.
Item! So you’re probably wondering who my Twitter addictions are.
That’s why I made a list.
There’s lots of people I follow. Lots of people I madly adore. These are the ones I’d have to take with me to the desert island, if you could bring Twitter to a desert island. Please say that’s possible.
Come on in, boys and girls. The water is fine. I’m @havi and I’ll buy you a drink. Made out of a kazoo.
Item! Writers deserve to get paid, people.
Ever since hearing Barbara Sher‘s excellent rant about how your message is really anything that makes you raise your voice, I have been paying attention.
And this bit from Harlan Ellison is a Message with a Capital-M. That’s some quality upset-ness. And quality conviction.
It’s a controversial topic. And he’s not even slightly apologetic about where he stands on it.
And I think that is marvelous.
Go take three glorious minutes to watch it and cheer. Because that is a man who believes in something and needs you to know about it.
Found this via the excellent (but extremely private) @harlemwriter on Twitter. Tell him I said he’s cool.
Item! Are you in San Francisco and do you have a thing?
Robert Friedman teaches occasional classes at the SBA on “branding”.
This is something I thought was really, really gross until I took one of his classes, about three years ago.
Okay, I still think the word is gross, but I got a lot of good stuff. And perspective.
More specifically, I went in there thinking ew ew ew, and came out thinking that my business can be fabulous and sexy. Big turning point.
Plus that was where I met my friend Lisa, which, as I keep telling you guys, is the best reason to go to retreats and take classes and stuff.*
*Not because you’ll meet my friend Lisa, but because you will make life-changingly great connections.
Anyway, Robert is teaching his Build a Strong Consulting Brand class on December 1st at the San Francisco SBA and it doesn’t cost anything.
If you’re doing anything small-business-ey or vaguely entrepreneurial in the Bay Area, do it. Go!
Item! Update from the land of the Peculiar & Hilarious Shivanauts!
The “peculiar and hilarious” thing comes from Melynda’s sweet bit about Butterfly Wishes.
Why you can totally dislike Dance of Shiva and still be one of my Right People.
Item! Comments! Here’s what I want this time:
- Things you’re thinking about.
- Something fun to do while not doing Thanksgiving tomorrow.
My commitment.
I am committed to giving time and thought to the things that people say, and I will interact with their ideas and with my own stuff as compassionately and honestly as is possible for me.
Even though asking for what I want still feels awkward for me, I’m just going to remind myself that this is a thing I’m practicing.
That is all.
Happy reading.
And happy Blustery Windsday. See you tomorrow. It’s American Thanksgiving, so Selma and I will be doing our (now annual) List Of Things That Don’t Completely Suck. Good times.
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I must confess, at this point I am mostly thinking about food. And how much of it I’m going to cook tomorrow, and how delicious it will (hopefully) be.
I’m thinking about how grateful I am to live surrounded by small farmers who produce a variety of beautiful foods. I’m lucky to be able to swing by the local co-op or the farmer’s market and pick up fresh local cheeses, eggs, milk, fruits, vegetables, and even a turkey. And I’m lucky to have a whole day tomorrow to craft these ingredients into a delicious meal to nourish my family. I’m also really excited about the idea of maple cream pie: http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/11/nutmeg-maple-cream-pie/ Just the fact that it exists makes me happy.
As for things to do tomorrow, how about a long walk to collect beautiful leaves, talk to trees, & take pictures of nature in all its glory? Or visit places that are usually crowded & hectic, but that you’ll be free to enjoy in spacious solitude tomorrow. Like parks & little kids’ playgrounds and any museums, skating rinks, movie theaters, or restaurants that happen to be open. Or stay home and meditate on the changing seasons. Or create art. Make it a day about being silly & having fun. Finger painting optional, but encouraged.
.-= Serendipity´s last post … Scarves for the Gallery =-.
I’m going to stop lurking just to contribute an idea for non-Thanksgiving, because I’m not celebrating it either! I’ve got some experience in this (people don’t even know what a cranberry is where I live) and not being in on whatever holiday fun can be a little painful, so I’ve come up with my own method for re-doing holidays. Hope you enjoy it.
Pretend that everything in your area (shops, restaurants, movie theaters, airports) is going to be closed for an entire week.
Make a list of all the things you’d do during your week without including work. The list should have things that can be done in both good and bad weather, and things you can do alone or with a friend. So for example, some of mine would be:
1. Make homemade pizza
2. Paint a wall or two (best if done with friends)
3. Completely reorganize my closets and workspace
4. Have a picnic, even indoors
5. Host a themed film festival with homemade popcorn, of the hot buttered variety naturally
etc.
This is a list of fun things you’ve been putting off because you can do them anytime, which is not a great reason to put them off!
Then you pick the ones that most thrill you, enough to fill a day. If they require supplies, be sure to get them before everything closes!
Next: do your chosen things instead of doing the holiday. You’ll probably be enjoying yourself so much that you won’t even notice it’s a national holiday.
But if that happens, stop to savor the feeling of doing something fun instead of being stuck in an airport. Ahhh.
P.S. In case you’re wondering, you list stuff for a whole week so that the hidden fun ideas come out – if you stop at just a day, you risk coming up with “mend socks” and other things you feel obligated to do when you have a sudden day off, and that is to be avoided. Unless you like mending socks, of course.
Item!ed by Havi.
I can die happy.
.-= Andrew Lightheart @alightheart´s last post … Shut Up and Listen =-.
Havi,
Warning. Haven’t read a recent update from Mark but in the first days of painting he said it was very toxic. Enough so that I think they had to leave the house a bit, and then I think he stuffed cloths under the door so the fumes were confined to the one room.
That’s why I went with…
wait for it…
Giant post-it notes.
@Andrew – it gives me some perverse pleasure that your sweet name is @alightheart and your most recent post is “Shut up and listen”
I definitely need some happy around not doing Thanksgiving. Still having hard time getting over disappointment of not being able to go on planned / adored meditation retreat. Was going to be returning from said retreat on Thanksgiving day.Maybe for T-giving I will be able to unwrap my clinging little mind from what I wanted and see how nice “just here” is.
.-= Mahala Mazerov´s last post … Army of Love and Compassion =-.
@Havi – You made a Twitter list! *Clasps hands together and spins around!* Thank you! I’m going to be using some of my travel time to and from Thanksgiving to think about a Twitter ID.
Okaaaay. Things to do when not celebrating Thanksgiving…
Let’s see:
*Cartwheels. Do lots of cartwheels outside.
*Roll down a hill. Laugh hysterically. Pick leaves out of each other’s hair. Repeat.
*Make flower wreaths while watching a Lord of the Rings marathon.
*Create a new “Awkward Line” of Thanksgiving greeting cards. “For the times when you just don’t know what to say…”
*Oooh! Go check out my friend’s site: http://turkeytracker.com
There’s turkey cooker coverage, graphs, recipes, pictures, a blog, and an opportunity to give to the Oregon Food Bank. (The webcam goes live tomorrow.)
*Send the rest of us courage, patience, and safe travel. (Thank you.)
As I am neither American nor live in a country that celebrates Thanksgiving I will cherish memories of a Thanksgiving spent in the States with dear friends and all their family.
So no turkey, no pie, no yummy food awaits me tomorrow but a talk with my boss who said that we will need to talk about some ifs and buts regarding the prolongation of my contract. I have a hunch what it could be about so I will do some Shiva Nata and meditation tomorrow before work and then see if maybe I will feel like jumping / gliding or stepping safely into yet unknown waters. So I am thinking about how the tomorrow may evolve.
@Mahala – Yes! PostIt notes and index cards with tape are my current mindmapping tools of choice. My project ideas just get so big and bulky that it’s impossible to visualize them in a notebook or on an online mindmapping tool. Too many hairy details. But PostIts on a wall, where all my glorious noodling is laid out in perfect visual splendor? Too awesome for words.
@Havi – Hi there! I’m a short-time lurker, first-time commenter here. Found you through Naomi at IttyBiz. Lurrrve your stuff. It incites warm gushy feelings inside.
@Everyone Else – Hello to you all as well! Now that I’ve worked up the courage to comment and have overcome the fear of sounding like a ninny, I will henceforth follow my impulse to join in on all the comment goodyness around here.
Henceforth! Whee! That college class on medieval literature wasn’t a complete waste of time afterall.
I am doing Thanksgiving in my own way tomorrow, which means, I suppose, that I am not doing it. 🙂 I have ingredients for two new recipes – a Sengelese peanut soup and a gingerbread apple upside-down-cake. I have happy movies (clearly I need popcorn). I have a comfy bed for naps. If the weather is nice, I will take the pup for a very long walk somewhere that I wouldn’t ordinarily go during a week-day (like the East Bank Esplanade, the Arboretum ..). Really, my way of not doing Thanksgiving is my idea of a perfect day.
@Sarah: I love that! I am going to remember your suggestion and try it sometime. So good.
.-= elizabeth´s last post … giving thanks =-.
A gentle reminder for those who may walk in the woods tomorrow, wear bright orange in case it is some kind of hunting season where you live (I think it is bow and arrow here, though it may be musket or maybe squirrel season). I was thinking about going out and following the path around Dow Lake myself, so will definitely have my orange on if I do. 🙂
Collaging in a journal can be fun. I have been collecting various magazines from the free pile at the library.
Staying up late with a movie and letting everyone else stay up late too was fun last Christmas Eve (we don’t celebrate Christmas, so no pressure to wake up early for services or family gathering) could be fun tonight.
Tomorrow night, go out for a drive or walk and look at the holiday decorations. Tonight too.
An art picnic would be fun. When my oldest daughter was home, we would have journal-fests in the studio, painting, drawing, writing, collaging.
My favorite line from the tv show Buffy, comes from their Thanksgiving episode. “It’s a ritual sacrifice. With pie.”
.-= Andi´s last post … Wishcasting Wednesday =-.
Ah, if only we could remember the question. Does everyone have their towel?
So yeah, like others I am thinking of food. Actually, I love to cook, so I think about food a lot. Went on a pumpkin quest this morning. (It was a bad season, so everyone’s out, and we already ate the ones we grew.) Found some. Made a nice Lebanese salad for lunch and am going to let it chill a while, then toast some pita and have a nosh. Then this afternoon making my killer Pecan Pie, a lighter Pumpkin Cheesecake for my father-in-law (he’s diabetic) and my Famous-Among-People-Who-Like-That-Kind-of-Thing Cranberry Relish. If I were smart, I’d have saved beans from the garden so I wouldn’t be subjected to canned tomorrow, but alas, they don’t last long around here. We already ate them all. (Note to self: Grow at least three times as many beans next year.)
Also wondering how easy it will be to escape extremely large gathering for a while to regroup so I don’t become overly honest. Because sometimes that’s not a good thing.
Something fun to do that’s not related to all of the above? Dr. Who marathon anyone?
.-= Emily´s last post … Legitimacy – Why Can’t I Give Myself the Respect I Deserve? =-.
@Andi – thank you for the buffy quote. That is perfect. LOVE.
@Elizabeth – oh thank you! that is the best best best way to think about it. I like that. A day for me. Instead of “argh that day when everyone wants me to do stuff with them and I don’t want to”.
@Mahala – I want giant post-its! Send pictures!
@Jennifer – hi! Henceforth! Hi! *waves enthusiastically*
@Leocadia – good luck tomorrow, sweetie.
Eeek! I’ve been “Haviographied.” C’mon, I had to say it now – sounds far too similar to hagiography;-)
@Emily I know the fear of opening up too much. I’ve decided that if I get rowdy, snappy or too spiritual, I’m just going to think about what Havi may be doing and roll off into la la land with a turkey thigh in my hand.
.-= Lydia, Clueless Crafter´s last post … Zippy, Pithy Elsa Maxwell Quotes for Thanksgiving =-.
I am so looking forward to my “not Thanksgiving” tomorrow. One of the best things is a morning group workout in a park by my house, a great way to start. Then a bath for my pooch which will make both of us happy. Then it’s time to clean the house so that I can enjoy it’s shiny-happiness all long-weekend long. And of course, snuggle time in the evening with said pooch (OK, maybe hubby too) with some movies I’ve wanted to see. “Not-Thanksgiving” is looking like a great holiday 🙂
No Thanksgiving this year at our house.
Between my hubby working a half-day tomorrow, and me being sick (still – sheesh!), there won’t be much of anything happening around here. Not even our usual un-tradition of Thai food take-out.
Although I suppose I could wake up feeling much better tomorrow than I do today. In which case I might venture to a friend-of-my-sister’s open house. Keep your fingers crossed for me!
.-= Victoria Brouhard´s last post … Quitting the Man: 20 Days Since Freedom =-.
Things to do while not celebrating Thanksgiving…
– Put the Muppet Show on DVD on the TV and clean house to the sounds of laughter and merriment. Feel guiltless when you pause to watch a skit or two.
– Doodle stick figure “portraits” of your friends and family.
– Sleep like a cat, in many naps and with much relish.
.-= Amy Crook´s last post … Antemortem Arts is ALIVE! =-.
Amy and I must be on a similar wavelength because my suggestion is to watch the new web Muppet videos.
So much silly excellence, like the Muppets doing Bohemian Rhapsody:
http://www.youtube.com/muppetsStudio#p/c/C9E4DEEA577A3A79/0/tgbNymZ7vqY
You’re also completely welcome to drop by my blog and contribute an entirely unrelated-to-Thanksgiving haiku if you’d like. No pressure though. Writing haikus has become a bit of a tradition for me this time of year and often they don’t have much to do with T-day although food is sometimes prominent. Looking at past years, I like seeing the sensations, moments, or atmospheric conditions of a particular day captured.
Also, white board paint? So many cool possibilities. I’d use it to sketch on my walls. 🙂
.-= claire´s last post … Thanksgiving haiku: Back to the Future =-.
@Emily “Does everyone have their towel?”
Thank you for the one laugh I’ve had today. My towel is a black “bath sheet” (which, sadly, contains no antidepressentants nor vitamin B). But I really know where my towel is at all times. I think that makes me a Hoopy Frood.
I embody the Grinch, except for when he turns all squishy. I’ve hated that since I was a kid. He’s the effin’ Grinch for christsakes, he doesn’t get NICE. Even in “Halloween is Grinch Night” he turns all squishy. BAH.
And I hate x-mess music forced into my head by the grocery stores. I need food – but have to deal with that BS, too? Luckily the hippie husband 1) listened to my negative spiel about being all poopy because of the day-before-annual gluttony day and 2) returned with a cocktail. Ahhh, he knows me too well.
Happy upcoming Thursday everyone! May it be filled with whatever you want. And if it’s not? Poke it in the eye and run away to do what you want/need. We can’t get any more human than that.