tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79044466074938643402025-10-04T00:09:22.383-07:00Kara Kzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01696979666785815615noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7904446607493864340.post-40622461027058450342014-06-03T18:34:00.002-07:002014-06-03T18:34:31.651-07:00

This passage is from an essay called "The Temporary Universe" by Alan Lightman which can be found in his wonderful book The Accidental Universe: The World You Thought You Knew. "...In my continual cravings for eternal youth and constancy, I am being sentimental. Perhaps with the proper training of my unruly mind and emotions, I could refrain from wanting things that cannot be. Perhaps I

Kara Kzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01696979666785815615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7904446607493864340.post-35620293423383819072014-04-06T00:45:00.001-07:002014-04-06T00:45:33.405-07:00

In the Foreward of Picked-Up Pieces, John Updike shares an answer he once gave to the question, "What Is Creativity?" I loved his response so much, that I wanted to share it here. "For one thing, creativity is merely a plus name for regular activity; the ditchdigger, dentist, and artist go about their tasks in much the same way, and any activity becomes creative when the doer cares about

Kara Kzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01696979666785815615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7904446607493864340.post-22695760913692216552014-03-04T08:27:00.000-08:002014-03-04T08:27:32.830-08:00

I must confess that I was a little disappointed that Before Midnight didn't win the Oscar for Best Adapted Screen Play on Sunday, although I don't doubt that 12 Years a Slave was deserving of it. I haven't seen that film yet so I can't really compare. Anyway, I thought I'd share a clip of Before Midnight, and ask all of you that haven't seen it yet, "What are you

Kara Kzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01696979666785815615noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7904446607493864340.post-17194849381268935412014-03-04T07:33:00.000-08:002014-03-04T08:06:29.352-08:00

Have you heard of the book 59 Seconds: Think a Little, Change a Lot? Written by psychologist Richard Wiseman, it offers a variety tips & tricks to improve your life based on fascinating scientific research. Here are 9 of my favorite tips from the book, along with snippets from 59 Seconds: Think a Little, Change a Lot about why they may work. Some of these may surprise

Kara Kzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01696979666785815615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7904446607493864340.post-45297480197900362882014-02-24T18:22:00.003-08:002014-02-24T18:22:41.141-08:00

I could watch timelapse films for hours! If done well, they can be absolutely mesmerizing. Here are a few of my favorites! Also, if you love watching short films check out http://mustseeshorts.blogspot.com/. 1) Check out this awesome time lapse film of Times Square on New Year's Eve! This film was created by The Timelapse Group and is set to the song "Kings" by Ryan Taubert.

Kara Kzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01696979666785815615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7904446607493864340.post-48491981070825509542014-02-23T10:59:00.000-08:002014-02-23T21:07:07.391-08:00

I just finished reading the book, The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking by Oliver Burkeman. In general, I found this book to be very insightful, and would definitely recommend it, especially for those who love the philosophy/psychology genre of literature as much as I do. I agree with author Daniel H. Pink who said, "The Antidote is a gem. Countering

Kara Kzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01696979666785815615noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7904446607493864340.post-9984554918905105872014-01-30T10:54:00.000-08:002014-02-05T07:27:04.380-08:00

The U.S. spends billions and billions of dollars each year to incarcerate a higher share of its population than any country in the world. Non-violent offenders make up over 60% of prison and jail populations. Does this make sense? Check out this powerful short film, "Natural Life", on this important topic. Natural Life from Variable on Vimeo.

Kara Kzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01696979666785815615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7904446607493864340.post-12714735403734016192013-12-15T21:59:00.000-08:002014-02-05T07:27:36.299-08:00

As the year comes to an end, I always love reflecting on all my favorite things:) Here are my five favorite albums of 2013! What are yours?! 1) Native - One Republic 2) Red - Taylor Swift 3) Magnetic - Goo Goo Dolls 4) Golden - Lady Antebellum 5) Moon Landing - James Blunt

Kara Kzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01696979666785815615noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7904446607493864340.post-13340166933006595962013-10-21T17:01:00.001-07:002014-02-05T07:27:58.545-08:00

I recently discovered the beauty and magic of Aimee Bender's short stories. In my opinion, she is a very talented writer, and I would definitely recommend reading some of her work if you haven't already. Once I pick up one of her books, I find it really hard to set down! She wrote a bestselling novel called The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, which I enjoyed, but I think I like her short

Kara Kzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01696979666785815615noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7904446607493864340.post-31085270715209276692013-10-09T10:50:00.000-07:002013-10-09T10:50:02.442-07:00

Follow my blog with Bloglovin Bloglovin lets you keep all your favorite blogs in one place. Add the blogs you want to follow and you'll get all of their new posts in a feed on Bloglovin! And yes, you can add any blog.

Kara Kzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01696979666785815615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7904446607493864340.post-73737243889102649952013-05-13T18:09:00.001-07:002014-01-29T06:57:53.335-08:00

You don't have to be a recent graduate to be inspired by the best of the best commencement speeches. Here are five that are definitely worth listening to if you haven't already! 1. Neil Gaiman at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia in 2012               2. Steve Jobs at Stanford in 2005             &

Kara Kzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01696979666785815615noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7904446607493864340.post-32897783650386882732013-03-18T12:04:00.002-07:002013-10-19T08:38:02.250-07:00

I recently finished reading the book Quirkology: How We Discover The Big Truth In Small Things by psychologist Richard Wiseman.                                             This book discusses numerous studies about often peculiar human behavior and certainly provides a lot of

Kara Kzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01696979666785815615noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7904446607493864340.post-65187051029760720002013-02-05T23:19:00.000-08:002014-02-05T07:28:52.148-08:00

I just had to share this beautiful passage from Rainer Maria Rilke's book, The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Bridge. It almost made me cry. "Ah! but verses amount to so little when one writes them young. One ought to wait and gather sense and sweetness a whole life long, and a long life if possible, and then, quite at the end, one might perhaps be able to write ten lines that were good.

Kara Kzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01696979666785815615noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7904446607493864340.post-39462781042040678122013-02-05T01:44:00.002-08:002014-02-05T07:29:13.767-08:00

                                                                       “Have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart. Try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books

Kara Kzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01696979666785815615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7904446607493864340.post-35193083568734231002013-02-01T01:38:00.003-08:002014-02-05T07:29:33.022-08:00

Today's food for thought is an excerpt from "Joseph Campbell - The Power of Myth with Bill Moyers" I love reading Joseph Campbell's work, and although I don't entirely agree with all of his viewpoints, it always gives me something to think about. This excerpt is from a PBS series (see following link below for more details) that featured a series of conversations between Campbell and journalist

Kara Kzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01696979666785815615noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7904446607493864340.post-55238937762555174172013-01-21T12:23:00.001-08:002014-02-05T07:26:41.275-08:00

I recently stumbled upon a commencement speech by Marc S. Lewis given in 2000. I found it to be very inspiring and thought provoking and would encourage you to read the entire speech which can be found here: http://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/homepage/admin/Grad/lewis.html. Below are three excerpts from the speech that I especially loved. "There are times when you are going to do well, and times

Kara Kzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01696979666785815615noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7904446607493864340.post-66174301249756447972013-01-20T23:56:00.001-08:002014-02-05T07:25:45.443-08:00

1. “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” 2. “Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude.” 3. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” 4. “Faith is taking the first step even when you can't

Kara Kzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01696979666785815615noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7904446607493864340.post-88922461248448107232013-01-13T01:36:00.003-08:002014-02-05T07:25:15.633-08:00

I already shared this short animated film by Ryan Woodward on my short films blog (Must See Shorts) but I wanted to share it here as well. It's just so beautiful, and mesmerizing, and I've always loved the song! The meaning is vague which I think just makes it more interesting. Let me know what you think!

Kara Kzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01696979666785815615noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7904446607493864340.post-89531343724899764752013-01-05T21:10:00.001-08:002014-02-05T07:24:12.140-08:00

I recently picked up a book by Karl Ove Knausgaard called "My Struggle." I started reading it, although once it started boring me I stopped, so unfortunately, I cannot recommend it, although some readers will undoubtedly find it to be magnificent. However, there were a couple lines in the beginning that really made me think. Knausgaard says, "As your perspective of the world increases not only

Kara Kzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01696979666785815615noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7904446607493864340.post-11828715960982464402013-01-04T11:40:00.001-08:002013-05-15T15:08:06.446-07:00

The "Make Good Art" commencement speech given by Neil Gaiman in 2012 has been made into a book! Find it on Amazon here. I think that is very cool! I absolutely loved the speech the first time I watched it online and will occasionally watch parts of it again for inspiration. If you haven't seen the speech, here's the video from youtube. I'd say it's a must watch video for aspiring artists!

Kara Kzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01696979666785815615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7904446607493864340.post-1202907739479092262012-12-19T00:25:00.004-08:002014-02-05T07:23:36.318-08:00

             1) I want to try to be less judgmental. I want to better resist the temptation to label, categorize, and attempt to define those around me. Jon Ronson, a writer and filmmaker who has spent a lot of time studying psychopathic behavior, once said, “You shouldn’t define people by their maddest edges.” That quote has stuck in my mind and I think he’s

Kara Kzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01696979666785815615noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7904446607493864340.post-22302596494850370222012-12-05T23:34:00.001-08:002014-02-05T07:22:58.818-08:00

1. Sitting by a warm fire 2. Picking out the perfect Christmas tree 3. Watching favorite Christmas shows 4. The smell of fresh pine 5. Baking holiday treats 6. Kissing someone under the mistletoe 7. The first snowfall of the year 8. Sipping hot chocolate 9. Listening to favorite Christmas music 10. Lighting candles 11. Christmas lights 12. Seeing family and friends you miss 13. Watching children

Kara Kzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01696979666785815615noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7904446607493864340.post-92214652517237595522012-12-03T23:13:00.000-08:002014-02-05T07:22:33.242-08:00

With lots of help, I've put together the list of 10 great holiday movie scenes. Thanks to everyone who offered suggestions! It was very hard to decide on 10 but this list contains my personal favorites. I hope you enjoy remembering some these as much as I do! 1) From "When Harry Met Sally" the final scene where they realize their love for each other... 2) From "Love Actually" the scene

Kara Kzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01696979666785815615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7904446607493864340.post-5713269090275771532012-12-02T06:42:00.000-08:002014-03-23T19:08:46.562-07:00

Last week, Flavorwire published a list of New York's 100 most important living writers (Find article here: http://www.flavorwire.com/350137/new-yorks-100-most-important-living-writers). Being a self-admitted quotation junkie, I decided to make a list of 100 quotations that I personally like selected from the work of a few of these writers. I must site one of my favorite websites,

Kara Kzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01696979666785815615noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7904446607493864340.post-39284236787333834662012-11-29T23:38:00.000-08:002014-02-05T07:18:09.767-08:00

When I think about nostalgia I am reminded of the Milan Kundera quotation that reads: "The Greek word for "return" is nostos. Algos means "suffering." So nostalgia is the suffering caused by an unappeased yearning to return." I think that describes it very well. Here are the links to three articles on the topic that examine it a little deeper. 1) Nostalgia: On the Wistful Presence of

Kara Kzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01696979666785815615noreply@blogger.com6