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.
I’m writing this Tuesday night hoping hoping hoping that by the time this is published Wednesday morning I’ll be back home in Portland.
It’s been ridiculously hard just getting out of Tennessee and even making it to Atlanta launched another saga of complications.
But enough about my complicated life and on to the Items!
Item! Post No. 32 in a series whose existence continues to beat the odds even while I’m on the road, apparently.
Item! So beautiful!
I am madly in love with Elizabeth’s blog. It’s called Retinal Perspectives and it’s pictures. And words.
Gorgeous, gorgeous pictures. And words.
Her tagline is “finding beauty in the ordinary — and in the extraordinary” … and that pretty much sums it up.
These yellow flowers make me too happy.
Or this beautifulness from the Lake Oswego market. This to me is summer in Portland.
Item! Miliblogging.
I love this post because it reminds me of the never-more-than-five-line emails my friend David and I sent each other over the course of years and years and years.
Of course, I can’t blog like this because for me, anything under a thousand words is excruciatingly painful and takes twice as long to write.
But I love the concept. I love the freedom in it.
Or, really, the combination of freedom and structure, liberation and discipline. It’s very Shiva Nata, as a concept.
“What would you say if you had to keep your blog post/email/whatever less than five sentences long?
You’d have the same resources — including time — to write a shorter body of text that would give the same impact.
What are the benefits to the reader? What would you have to do differently?”
You can answer his question here.
And really, how can you not read a blog whose tagline is Flogging A Dead Horse… and other animals?
He’s @neonpaul on Twitter.
Item! I can’t stand having to write about myself.
Even though I have my wonderful First Mate to turn down almost all interview requests and the like, every once in a while I get roped into a thing.
A thing where I’m expected to write something. About me. And what I do. What?!
As if I have even the faintest idea about what that is. Ridiculous, I say!
Shouldn’t people already know who I am? And if not, can’t we just let them figure it out over time like everyone else?
If I can make a very good living not having any idea what I do, why can’t we all just go on with the not knowing?
Anyway. Enough whining. But my problem is that as soon as someone asks me to write about myself, I get all goofy.
Here are some of the little bio blurb-ey bits I’ve written but haven’t sent:
“Havi: pirate queen — Selma: dancing queen”
“Havi: silent partner of international drama queen diva Selma the Duck, who has appeared on German television and even had her picture in the New York Times and stuff. Twice.”
“Havi has an unfortunate disease which results in her not being able to talk about herself in the third person without giggling hysterically.”
“Havi’s Right People are kind enough to not really care what she does or why, so she’s going to keep being mysterious and not explain it, if that’s okay.”
Item! Wordnik!
This site! It’s called wordnik.
And really I should not have to say any more than that to get you to click through.
Marissa told me about it. She’s @marissabracke on Twitter.
Item! 200 women.
The brilliant and fabulous Sally Jacobs, ladies and gentleman.
She sent me this. Because she sends me things.
“Daily Zen –> 200 women clock in @ the westinghouse factory in 1904. I thought they all had the exact same hair, but not if you look close!”
She’s @sally_j on Twitter.
Item! This logo on YOUR website! How could you not want that?
This is super mean and I should know better.
But every once in a while I’ll be reading someone’s sales page and something will just hit me right in the funny bone.
So yeah, I’m not even close to being one of the Right People for this program. Which means that this page isn’t for me. It’s for other people.
But I read it anyway and then laughed for almost ten minutes. All because of this one question:
“How would this logo look on your website?”
I can’t think of an appropriate answer to that question (though I also can’t stop asking it and then collapsing in giggles) so I’m going to stop right here.
Item! Comments!
I loved the other week when I got to work on my practice of how I ask for stuff and you guys gave me the most amazing recommendations.
Here’s what I’m wishing for comment-wise:
- Things that make you laugh inappropriately.
- Things that are good about Wednesday (either in general or related to the particular Wednesday-ness of today.
My commitment.
I commit to giving time and thought to the things that people say, and to 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.
I love the way the “speaking coach’s” voice cracks as he tells you about the wonderful logo.
I may have to try it out on my site, just to see how it would look.
.-= Dick Carlson´s last post … Top 10 Reasons I Like Making Top 10 Lists =-.
Wednesday is the first day that I feel ready for, in any week. Monday comes up too quickly and I’m always stumbling through it. Tuesday I’m playing catch up for Monday. Wednesday I am in the groove AND if I don’t get enough done I have two more days to finish it. Wednesday is therefore happily a very comfy day for me.
.-= Lisa´s last post … =-.
Love Retinal Perspectives. And Wordnik! That’s genius! Things that make me laugh inappropriately – well, today I had a big laugh when I read an article about a couple of London street buskers “who plagued a suburb by repeating the same two songs” ….they’ve been BANNED from busking in all of England! The only two songs they played were “Wonderwall” and “Faith.” Oh my god. That’s the best.
(thanks to @brainkobayakawa for that one)
.-= Christine´s last post … I love David Byrne =-.
You’re cracking me up over here:
“If I can make a very good living *not having any idea what I do,* why can’t we all just go on with the not knowing?”
Precisely. I aspire to the same.
Oh, Wordnik is fun! Oxymoron was looked up by 341 other people, and is used in the same context as hanky-panky and saber-rattling. Yes. Love it.
I’m an Item! And kind words about my blog! Best Wednesday ever.
I agree with Lisa. Wednesday is comfy. There are only two more days until the weekend so it’s almost here yet there’s still time to get stuff done. I give myself free license to talk about my dog on my blog. Today, the sun is out and I now have Abba’s Dancing Queen stuck in my head. All good.
Here’s hoping you are back home now!
.-= elizabeth´s last post … like cats and dogs =-.
Love Retinal Perspectives. Love it!
And I am really happy that Atlas achieved his goal of making a real kitty friend!
Things that make me laugh inappropriately…
A few years ago, I sat next to an old German woman on a plane. She talked, at length, about the amazing cucumbers in her garden. She wish she had brought some on the plane to share with us. She was very cute. Then, when I asked her the variety of cucumbers, she said that they were “schlongs”. I had to excuse myself and go to the bathroom to laugh, because I didn’t want to have to explain it to her. I am sure that everybody heard me busting a gut in the airplane bathroom.
.-= Bridget´s last post … On Hiatus =-.
Oh please don’t bash my friend Craig Valentine and his World Class Speaking Program.
He is a great speaker and a wonderful person that has worked extremely hard to gain a level of success that many of you strive to achieve.
You wouldn’t want people making fun of your videos or sales pages . . . would you?
.-= Chris Elliott´s last post … Your Greatest Competitor Should be Yourself =-.
Those hairdos? Fab! Can’t decide between the pompadour and the Pysche knot–but I think the girl who pompadour’d the front and braided the back was making a mistake. Also, I want to start wearing a belt, just so I can hang an ornate back from it. Much, much better than one of those cellie holsters.
Does this logo make my website look fat?
M.
.-= Melynda´s last post … Project Project Gutenberg: The Devil’s Paw =-.
Hey guys!
@Melynda – right? I want all of those hairstyles right this second! So so so great.
@Chris – oh, I wouldn’t malign the program. I’m sure it’s full of good things. I know that Mitch has very solid material and I’m sure Craig knows his stuff too. It was just the question about imagining the badge on my site that tickled my funny-bone. Because I *was* imagining it and it was funny.
My mental images and trains of thought are probably not nearly as funny when I stop to explain them though…
@elizabeth – sorry for putting dancing queen in your head! I love love love your site!
You know that episode of Mary Tyler Moore show when Chuckles the Clown dies? And Mary can’t stop laughing? And then when she’s at the funeral and everyone else is laughing she finally starts to cry? Well, the funeral home we used for my grandfather’s funeral had two bowls in the lobby, one held keychains and the other those rubber coin holders, both printed with their information.
I took one of the coin holders and sidled up to my mom when we were at the viewing and said “Look, free gift with purchase”.
Yeah, she smacked my arm. But she laughed too.
I’m not sure that’s truly inappropriate laughing but it’s as close as I can get off the top of my head.
Happy Wednesday!
.-= Andi´s last post … You’re My Inspiration =-.
@Lisa
I totally understand the stumbling through the week thing until Wednesday rolls around. This week I have been sidelined by so many projects that I seem to have lost focus. Until I realized that I could honor what I have done as worthy of admiration and just move through the rest of my list tomorrow and Friday as if nothing went wrong.
Suppose that was a Havi way of looking at things;-)
Today I just had to laugh at the way my dog sits in the elevator. He kind of crouches on all fours with his legs slightly bent, glancing from side to side, like he’s riding a scooter. It’s the funniest thing ever.
No offense meant to Selma, but ducks (of the non-rubber variety) always make me laugh. It’s the waddle and the disproportionally serious looks on their face and the webbed feet. And I can’t forget the quack.
And then they take off into the sky all feathers and grace. And I have to laugh then too, but this time for joy not humor.
guffaw guffaw… and a whole lot more!
tee hee hee… oops, gotta pee!
hah hah hah… Havi you’re a star!
I find your thought trains very funny.
Also, checked out the miliblogging and am very intrigued – couldn’t comment though (will mine be longer than 5 sentences?) so hope @neonpaul is reading this.
Thanks for the tummy-tickling giggle!
.-= Marilyn´s last post … Turning ONE is FUN! =-.
@havi – Oh! My comment was not directed at you so much as it was a plea to others not to use what you found funny as a platform to bash a product that is aimed more at the blue shirt and suit crowd more than the Shiva Nata crowd. Sometimes when comparing marketing for wimps to direct sales letters, sometime can be lost in translation.
.-= Chris Elliott´s last post … Your Greatest Competitor Should be Yourself =-.
Wordnik! Wordnik Wordnik Wordnik! 🙂
Wednesdays are Knit Night for me, ‘nuf said.
Laughing inappropriately? Frequently, but of course I can’t think of a single instance right now. There is my tendency to say out loud what I should probably keep in my head … like the time my seamstress friend, who was feeling very overwhelmed by the amount of work she had, said “… and I’ve got sew-on rings out the yin-yang!” and I said, straight-faced, “That makes a very interesting mental picture.” (She didn’t smack me, she laughed).
.-= Anna-Liza´s last post … Pollyanna Sews Again (Well, She Thinks About It) =-.