Gingero.us

I Make Lists: 5 of My Mediocre Superpowers

2012-11-19T06:00:00.000-05:00

I've never really had one talent at which I am supremely awesome. I was a passable soccer player, but I was never amazing. I'm a pretty decent artist, but not so good that I'd win any competitions. I can't sing, can't play an instrument and cannot do a cartwheel to save my life.

That said, I have acquired a few rather mediocre superpowers that make me proud...

I can stomp around in 4-inch heels all night. I had a job for awhile that required full-time business dress and gave me an excuse to splurge on some high-powered heels. I'm 5' 7" + change barefoot, so in my 4-inch stilettos I'm all but 6-feet tall and I kind of love it. Also, every time I hear "Wow, how can you walk in those?!" (which is pretty often, actually) I secretly give myself a little pat on the back.

Fix confusing internet things. What kind of internet things? Round up all the miscellaneous interweb tasks that the people you know can't seem to do and that's pretty much my skillset. Yes, I can figure out why your website is broken, your email won't send, or you can't locate that site you just had yesterday. I can tell you why your preferences are screwed up, your HTML or CSS isn't doing what it should, and how to filter out just those stupid chainmails that your Grandma keeps sending without losing anything important. The downside to being good at these sort of things is that people are always asking you to do them.

I am totally the Finder of Lost Things. If you have misplaced your keys, your wallet, your favorite sweater or your baby (kidding! who does that?) I will track that shit down.

An awesome Trivial Pursuit partner. While I specialize in geek trivia (go ahead, ask me anything about Battlestar Galactica.) I'm kind of a sponge and I remember a lot of little tidbits about a multitude of things. Chalk it up to years of watching Jeopardy with Grandma and obsessive internet reading. I am full of useless information.

I will move all of your furniture. Up a fire escape if necessary. Growing up, my family had a business, and part of that business involved used furniture. I spent a lot of time lifting and carrying big stuff. Couple that with a decade of friends and family moving into and out of various houses and apartments and I've gotten pretty good at lifting sofas over my head. Recently, while singlehandedly carrying The Thing That Requires Two People To Move up a narrow staircase, one of my girlfriends exclaimed completely seriously "YOU ARE THE STRONGEST PERSON I KNOW." That was probably an exaggeration, but I am pretty strong for such a tiny lady.

Those are mine. What are your mediocre superpowers?

Decoupage Star Wars heels available here.

Weekend Linkage: The Paradox of Death Stars and Pinto Beans

2012-11-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

Guys! Since I (deliberately) missed last week's Weekend Linkage as I was ~~drinking beer and watching Netflix~~ getting some much-needed R&R, you get twice as many links this week! You can thank me with this.

Go go go!

Does Norway every cease to be charming? Nope.

Consider why you're apologizing.

I can always get behind pizza for breakfast. So obviously breakfast pizza for breakfast is even better.

Teenager Rochelle Ballantyne is set to become the world's first African American female chess master.

Oh gosh. So sweet. Blub blub blub.

Absurdly amazing gourd carving. Yes, I said gourd carving.

Lesser-Known Paradoxes.

#Instacane: The story of Hurricane Sandy told through Instagram.

I think I linked this when Melissa first posted it, and I will continue to link it as many times as she reposts it. The Terrible Bargain We Have Regretfully Struck. Yes yes yes.

32 Mistakes We're All Going to Make. I have already done 26 of these :/

World travelling? It's not a cop-out to spring for the hotel. Why hostels aren't for everyone.

Amazing and haunting street art. Unfortunately, this sort of thing doesn't go over well in the U.S.

As if eating at an antique desk in a restaurant isn't quaint enough, it's full of handwritten notes!

16 strength exercises and stretches for runners.

Are you a poet? Looking for cheap meals for two weeks? You're in luck! Harcase Survival Pinto Bean Sludge.

Ladygamers rejoice! Xbox will now flex the banhammer for sexism on Xbox Live. About time.

My, that's a delicious Death Star.

Do you remember the Dark Crystal? Remember the landstriders? Did you kind of want one too? Well, you're gonna love this:

The flex mex will change your life. No joke:

Air New Zealand just wants to make sure you have a magical and safe flight to Middle Earth:

What's on your agenda this weekend?

New Tunes - BIGkids "Superhero"

2012-11-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

Can we talk, awkward, gangly, freckle-faced little girl full of piss and vinegar? I get you. I so, so get you. I even owned a pair of those horrible round glasses when I was your age. Good grief. Get out of my brain.

New Tunes - BIGkids "Superhero"

November: Goals and Things

2012-11-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

So we've gone over my To-Do List compulsion, yes? Yes. But I also like to set a few goals for the month at hand. Most of them have a vague deadline and are just sort of general self improvement tasks and reminders, like "Try to yell less" or "Cake is not a meal." I don't usually think these are very noteworthy, but I was inspired to make some of them public, because hey why not? I can write lists for days about things I need to do better!

1. Get back to drinking lots and lots of water.

I'm usually really good about the whole hydration thing. I don't drink soda, except for the occasional tonic or ginger ale in a mixed drink, and I typically put down way more than 8 glasses per day. However, one of my teeth has suddenly become ultra-sensitive to anything even slightly colder than room temperature, and to avoid the pain I've halved my water intake and doubled my coffee. I am very alert and very dehydrated. Solution: Use a straw you idiot.

2. Make a f'ing dentist appointment.

See #1. I have insurance. I have no excuse not to except ugh, dentists.

3. Find a comfortable pair of shoes, regardless of cost.

Years of 4-inch heels and cheap $15 flats from Target have not been good for my tootsies. I desperately need for find a cute, supportive, well-fitting pair of ballets. However, I'm a total miser and I hyperventilate at the thought of paying more than $30 for shoes. Have to suck it up. I have nice feet and I'd like to keep them that way. These ones by Clarks are kind of adorable. Any recommendations?

4. Dedicate half an hour every weekday to bloggerly activities.
You may have noticed that I took all last week off. I spent last Friday to Sunday Halloweening it up on the tiny island of Put-in-Bay Ohio with friends, then all day Monday at Mama's helping her move all her stuff into the attic in case the nearby creek flooded (it did) and creeped up into her house (it didn't), Monday evening moving her and hubby into my house and then Monday night into Tuesday riding out the storm and then moving them back. I took a blog break for the rest of the week. It needed to happen, but it's time to get back on track.

5. Wake up at a reasonable hour/be less of a slug.
I'm working evenings at the moment, and working evenings has never agreed with me. My tendency is to sleep until noonish, wake up, guzzle coffee and drag my feet for two hours, get dressed, go to work. I come home at 12:30, which totally feels too late to do anything productive (it isn't) so instead I watch some Netflix and go to sleep. All of this is to say that I do absolutely nothing productive in my off hours. Dragging myself out of bed at 9 or 10ish would go a long way to remedy this, at least until I'm back to working daylight hours.

6. Get one more 5k in before winter.
Turkey Trot here I come!

What have you got cooking for November?

New Tunes - Mr Little Jeans "Runaway"

2012-10-23T08:00:00.000-04:00

This is my dancey-dance jam of the week.

Mr Little Jeans "Runaway"

Right, Ron Swanson?

Work It: Alli Works in Early Intervention

2012-10-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

This post is the first in what will be a semi-regular series featuring rad ladies who have chosen awesome and challenging careers. I'm happy to introduce Alli, who is an Early Intervention Case Manager. Take it away, Alli!

My name is Alli Yinger and I'm a native of York, Pennsylvania. I'm 38 years old and I have an 8 year old daughter. I am active in my community as a Board Member of the York Academy Regional Charter School, where my daughter attends 2nd grade and a contributor and supporter of Planned Parenthood. I presently work for the County of York in the Mental Health/Mental Retardation division of Early Intervention.

Tell us about your job!

Early Intervention is a free program that serves children ages 0-3 from York and Adams Counties who are at risk for developmental delay or who have a diagnosis which qualifies them for therapy services. Our therapy services range from Speech Therapy, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Nursing Services, Behavior Therapy, and Special Instruction.

My specific job title is Service Coordinator so I serve as a case manager for children and their families. I ensure that they get services and community supports they need, whether it be our services through in-home therapy or private therapy (which is not free but available) if they choose or WIC, Food Stamps, Medical Assistance, or Social Security. Our services are held in a child’s home so I spend a lot of time in my car. Sometimes I can drive up to 900 miles a month.

I have a special group that I service within Early Intervention which is very close to my heart. I work specifically with our families who have babies in the NICU (the York Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). My daughter, Sophia was born when I was 24 weeks pregnant weighing only 1lb 8oz and was 12 ½ inches long. We spent almost 5 months in the NICU. She received Early Intervention Services for 3 years until she graduated and then moved to LIU services because she is legally blind in one eye and has some other vision issues. I go to the NICU and talk with the families there about Early Intervention and what we can offer. This gets the family ready for bringing their baby home and what will happen next.

How did you come to this profession?

When Sophia was 2 years old I decided to go back to college. I had attended college right out of High School, but it wasn’t for me. I spent most of my 20’s working as a retail store manager. I went back and majored in Philosophy and Literature, which are two of my loves.

During that time in college I had a job where I worked in homes with people who had physical and or mental challenges and some behavioral challenges too. As a Philosophy and Lit major I received a terrific liberal arts education, with a strong ability to think critically and to write well. But, I loved working with people and social work as a whole was very attractive to me.

After graduation I got a job working as a parent educator for Catholic Charities. We worked with families who were trying to reunite with their children who were in foster care or with families who were at risk of losing their children. I loved this job and it was the hardest thing I have ever done and I did it well. After I was laid off due to downsizing, I spent the next year getting Sophia through Kindergarten and I took my Civil Service test so I could get a job as a caseworker with the county. I was called for an interview for an Early Intervention position that became available and I got the job. I have been here since 2010 and I love what I do each day.

What does your average workday look like?

I spend a few hours each week in the NICU speaking with families and I also do NICU rounds every third week to get an update on the babies and their families who are in the NICU. Aside from that, an average day could be me checking emails, scheduling appointments to do reviews (we monitor progress of our children every 3 months with our therapists), doing intake appointments, doing evaluation appointments to see if a child qualifies for services, and a lot of paperwork.

What are your clients like?

We see a mix of socioeconomic backgrounds and ethnicities and races. Having a baby in the NICU does not discriminate and so we have young families, moms and dads as young as 15 sometimes and no, not all of the young parents are from the city. We serve very poor families and very rich families and we serve those in between.

What are some common misconceptions that people have about your job?

I think that sometimes people think that the families we serve are not good parents and that is why their children are delayed in their development. Sometimes people think that the mom must have been using illegal drugs or drinking during her pregnancy and that is why their child is delayed developmentally. These are simply not true. Yes, we do have some babies who were exposed to drugs during their time in utero, but that is by no means who we see as a whole. Anyone can have a child or baby who is developmentally delayed.

Do you have any advice for someone who wants to work in Early Intervention?

It's a demanding career and it can be exhausting and sometimes we bring our work home, both literally and figuratively. You have to take your civil service test first and you must have some previous caseworker/social work background. Talk with families who have been involved with Early Intervention and talk with some caseworkers themselves.

What's the worst aspect of your job?

Families who just don’t care for or nurture their children. Families who let their babies sit in a swing all day or in their bouncy seat. Families who don’t love their children.

What's the most amazing part of your job?

It's so rewarding to watch a child who is developmentally delayed “catch up” and do what they should be doing in their development. It's amazing to do an intake with a family and see a child who is very much delayed and then to see them in 3 months and watch what they can do… it's really moving and emotional. Babies in their first year of life have to do so much and they have to work really hard developmentally.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

I feel lucky each day to get to come to work and to see my families and to meet new ones. I get to share part of my life with them and they share their lives with me. I believe in what I do with all that I am and I give all of myself to my families.

If you're local to the York/Adams area, you can reach Early Intervention at (717) 771-9893. If you'd like to learn more about the program, you can visit the York/Adams Mental Health - Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities page on the Early Intervention program.

Another great resource is Zero To Three, which is a nonprofit dedicated to promoting the health and development of infants and toddlers.

Thank you so much for sharing, Alli! If you have any questions for Alli, please feel free to ask in the comments.

Have you ever considered social work?

Weekend Linkage: The Truth About Historical Pandas

2012-10-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

Hellooooooo Friday! It's been a long one! This week, we did the pumpkin keg thing (success! it works great!), took it to the last friend campfire of the season (sadface) and started planning our Halloween trip to Put-in-Bay Ohio. We're roadtripping it, and there are costumes and car rentals and ferries involved. How was your week?

Stella Ehrhart, raddest 8-year-old that I've ever wanted to be BFFs with, dresses as a different historical figure every day.

Bill Murray crashes someone's kickball game. Because of course he does.

So can we finally stop blaming every feeling a woman has on PMS? Please and thank you.

A fascinating post about the life and death of historical liar and douchebag Sir James Tillie.

~~Geordi La Forge~~ Levar Burton on why defunding PBS is a stupid idea. High five!

Letters of Note has become one of my favorite blogs on the intertubes. Exhibits: the charming Eudora Welty and the reclusive Harper Lee.

Simultaneously the best/worst site I've read all week: HeTexted (via Cheeky Cheeky)

Are you vegan? Do you cook for a vegan? Ever wonder how to replace an egg in a recipe? Behold! How to make a Flax Egg. I had no idea this was a thing but I'm going to try it.

Hone Your Chops: The Chef's Guide to Knives. Useful!

This is where I bombard you with videos.
If you hate videos, I'm sorry. If you love videos, you're welcome!

I don't want to give away too much of the plot, but Wastelander Panda is obviously the most amazing thing you're going to see all year:

Bodyform Responds: The Truth About Periods. Hilarity:

Remember when I posted about Bic pens "For Her"? Ellen weighs in!

Ermahgerd! Werkend!

How to Write a Realistic Non-Soul-Crushing To-Do List

2012-10-18T08:00:00.000-04:00

Part of my plan for not deteriorating into a shiftless sad sack this winter involves being super nice to myself, setting only realistic, attainable goals and not being too hard on myself if I slip up and don’t accomplish everything I intended. Those sound like pretty simple marching orders, but as an obsessive To-Do List writer and master of self-flagellation, it actually requires quite a lot of discipline not to overschedule myself and then brood over every little failure.

You too? These are some things that you should put into practice if your To-Do List has become a source of soul-crushing misery.

Get a notebook.

I know, we’re all digital, storing things on our smartphones and in the cloud, blah blah blah. I’m with you, I get it. But it has helped me immensely to have a physical, paper notebook to carry around. It makes me feel more in control somehow, and I like the freedom of being able to cross things out, scribble in the margins and draw myself little diagrams. If you’ve tried digital organization and still feel overwhelmed, try going back to paper for awhile and see if it helps.

Write the mother of all To-Do Lists.

Open up a blank page and start writing. Don’t worry about priority or grouping tasks in any way. Just spend 15-20 minutes brainstorming everything on your agenda for the next month or two, from tiny things like “buy bread” to big things like “redecorate living room” or “write thesis”. Fill as many pages as you need. One of the things I find most overwhelming is the feeling that I have so many things to do that I’ve forgotten some of them. It helps to get everything out of your brain and onto paper.

Take your big tasks and break them down into smaller steps.

Put a star next to any task that’s going to involve multiple steps or take more than an hour. On a new page, break those things down into smaller bites. For example, you might take “redesign blog”, which is potentially a huge job, and break it down into 1) pick new color scheme, 2) create new logo, 3) pick social media icons, etc.

Every week, start a new page in your notebook.

Write out each day of the week, separated by 3 blank lines.

Monday
1.
2.
3.

Tuesday
1.
2.
3... And so on.

Every morning, pick 3 things from your Big To-Do list and add them to your list for that day.

You only get to pick 3, no matter how much you want to do more. If you knock those three things off the list and still really want to do more, pick one additional thing from the big list. However, if you get your 3 things done and you don’t want to do anything else, you don’t have to! 3 things is totally good. Have a beer! Watch some Star Trek! Take a nap! You earned it.

Fun things can (and should!) totally be on your list.

Take your dog to the dog park! Schedule a friend date! Buy a bottle of your favorite wine! Have a fancy-pants dinner with your significant otherperson! Take a bubble bath! Make sure that your list is not all miserable, menial tasks and pencil some fun shenanigans in there too. At least one per week. Get comfortable with the idea that these are equally important and not a waste of time, because they're integral to your sanity.

If you don’t hit your goals for the day, they just roll over to the next day.

There is no punishment, no sulking, no feeling like a failure. Sometimes shit happens. Add those undone items to your list for tomorrow. This is not an “extra” or “overdue” task - it just becomes #1 for tomorrow, and tomorrow you pick only 2 more tasks. Or maybe you don’t do anything today and just roll over all 3 to tomorrow. It’s ok! The world will not spin off of its axis because you did not return a book to the library or paint your closet.

Forgive yourself when you mess up.

Maybe you’ve been a straight up slacker and haven’t hit your 3 tasks for a whole week. I know I’ve had some weeks where I’d rather gorge myself on Mexican food and live in front of Netflix than do anything useful. There have been times when I’ve come home from work on Friday, put on pajamas and not taken them off again until it was time for work on Monday. These things happen when you’re human.

In fact, they don’t just happen, you’re entitled to them. Don't beat yourself up. Just chalk it up to "Me Time" and, when you're ready, pick up where you left off.

Do you ever set unrealistic expectations for yourself?

Have you found a good way to keep them in check?

Unbelievably cute monster notebook available here.

New Tunes - Kimbra "Come Into My Head"

2012-10-17T08:00:00.000-04:00

Love this girl. She's just so stinkin' cute.

Kimbra - "Come Into My Head"

Weekend Linkage: I also do not mess with McCoys.

2012-10-12T11:50:00.001-04:00

Do you listen to the Nerdist podcast? If not, you're missing out. Recently, host Chris Hardwick (Yes, that Chris Hardwick) endeavored to convince Tom Hanks, apparent typewriter collector, to appear on the show by bribing him with a vintage 1934 Smith Corona typewriter. It worked, and here's the response.

I've been doing this wrong for years: The Proper Way to Use Your Refrigerator Humidity Drawers.

Book-banners are invariably idiots.

Women Holding Guns Made of Vegetables. Oh, Asia, you so crazy.

Pumpkin Keg! Fill it with pumpkin beer!

Sarah tells us why it's important for bloggers to post consistently. I'm trying. Really, I am.

I totally identify with compulsively try to solve other people's problems. But sometimes all you can say is "I'm sorry, dude. That's sucks."

The Conversation You’re Not Having, But Should Probably Start. Hint: it's about money.

I love Kale, but I only know, like, two things to do with it. 10 Delicious Ways to Eat More Kale.

I luuuurve this teal kitchen with orange accents. Also this and this.

Weekend project: Tiered hanging flower pots.

Enjoy your weekend!

Vintage Smith Corona typewriter available here.

I Make Lists: 10 Things I Don't Completely Hate About Fall

2012-10-11T08:00:00.000-04:00

As I have mentioned previously, I am not even slightly a fan of the fall and winter months. If you told me you had a pill that would let me hibernate through the whole cold, dreary mess, give fall and winter the slip entirely and awake fresh as a daisy in the spring, I would hurl my wallet at your face. Shut up and take my money.

So I'm trying to be proactive about the whole thing to save my sanity. I am stocking up on vitamins, ordered a new workout DVD (motivation! so I don't crawl into bed and never come out!) and boyfriend is already brainstorming cold weather activities so we have plenty of fun weekends. A playlist of Super Happy Fun Music™ is in the works. And I'm trying to remind myself about the nice things that come with cold weather. Most of them are food. Did you think they wouldn't be food? You're so weird.

10 Things I Don't Completely Hate About Fall

1. Butternut Squash Everything. Yo, pumpkin people, I'm really happy for you. Imma let you finish, but butternut squash is the best squash of all time. Evidence: this, this, this, this and this.

2. Leggings. I scored some cute fleece lined leggings at JC Penny last year for $7 a pair and never got to wear them. Truly a tragedy, but I will right this wrong soon.

3. Hot Chocolate. Probably with marshmallows. Definitely with Kahlua.

4. Boots. With the aforementioned leggings, obviously. I have my eye on these cuties. Hint hint. Size eight and a half, please.

5. Slouchy Hats. I love me some slouchy hats. I have way more hair than I used to, so hat head is sort of a factor, but I've determined that the key is just to commit to the hat. When you put that sucker on, realize that it's not coming off again for the rest of the day, itchy head be damned.

6. Not Shaving Till Spring. Haha just kidding. Mostly.

7. Woodsmoke. I think I mentioned before that this is one of my favorite smells. I love driving around, greedily snarfling up the smell of burning wood wafting from people's chimneys. Mmm.

8. Hoodies. I have this grey BOSTON hoodie that I picked up a few years ago. In Boston! Can you imagine! It is warm and comfortable and wonderful, like wearing pajamas in public. But more socially acceptable.

9. Pizza, wine and movie nights. One of the best days of my life was when I discovered that my bread machine makes pizza dough. A nice homemade pie, a box of Franzia because we're classy and a date with Netflix under a pile of cozy blankets.

10. Making my dog wear sweaters. For obvious reasons.

What do you love (or at least not hate) about fall?

Pretty fall photograph available here.

In lieu of content, please accept this dog.

2012-10-10T08:00:00.000-04:00

As a general rule, I do not pay for iPhone apps. Despite being willing to pay for the iPhone itself because I just like it so damn much, I am absurdly cheap and rarely find an app that I think is worth a whole dollar. (Or more! Are you nuts?!)

However, I recently sprung for Camera+ and I cannot recommend it enough. It does better in low light than the native iPhone camera app and I like the filters and options much better than the ones that come with Instagram. It is well worth the $0.99 pricetag.

Isn't she the sweetest thing ever? If only there were an app that would make this little booger stop farting in her sleep. I would give them ALL OF MY MONIES.

New Tunes - Princess Chelsea "The Cigarette Duet"

2012-10-09T08:00:00.000-04:00

Show of hands if you've had this conversation before. Yeah, me too.

Princess Chelsea "The Cigarette Duet"

Weekend Linkage: Princess Vader and Bully Cats

2012-10-05T10:30:00.002-04:00

Hello internet! Did you have a good week? Mine wasn't so hot. Yesterday I watched my beloved car be taken away on a rollback. It was sort of like seeing someone you love in a hospital bed. It looked all wrong and made me sad. Hopefully I'll get it back soon, because borrowing other people's wheels is terribly inconvenient. If you're noticing a um... theme in the links this week, it's because I've been in kind of a funk. I promise you only happy, shiny, ultra-positive things next week!

We're attending our friends' wedding on Saturday and I have some fun new Etsy things brewing in the lab, so it's not all bad news. And now you're up to speed. Onward!

D'awwww. Star Wars baddies holding bunnies!

Dear fellow sci-fi nerds/space enthusiasts: Here, have some geek porn. You're welcome.

Have you ever heard of adrenal fatigue? Me neither. Elyse talks about five steps to recovery. Interesting!

Bullying, Body Shaming, and the Unbearable Powerlessness of Douchbaggery.

This little girl wore her Princess Darth Vader costume to Disneyland and yes, it is every bit as adorable as it sounds.

On Falling Apart: "The week after my 30th birthday, my best friend had me committed to a psych ward. Two days later, I had emerged with a life-changing diagnosis. The hard part hadn't even started yet."

This Might Not End Well: Tomb of Mayan warrior queen uncovered by band of hapless archaeologists.

Am I too ugly to date?

Kate on Being Earnest in a Snarky World.

Ginger Mandy on the importance of prioritizing the environment over other things. You know, other things that won't kill us.

New Favorite: Hard Truths From Soft Cats.

Enjoy your weekend!

What happens when the bullies grow up?

2012-10-04T08:00:00.000-04:00

October is National Bullying Prevention Month. Teachers will talk to their students about bullying, why it's bad and what to do about it, specials will aire on television, billboards will go up, PSAs with celebrities will abound. Hopefully, kids will get lots of opportunities to unpack, discuss and dissect this issue. Hopefully it will make a difference for some of them.

I don't have any kids, but I like to envision that my theoretical future offspring will be righteous champions of the underdog. They'll know, because I'll tell them, what oppression is and what it looks like, however subtle. They'll know that they're no better or worse than anyone else. They'll know that individuals are as unique as snowflakes. They'll know that there are people who treat other as Less Than. They'll know that there are people who want them to believe one narrow, mostly unattainable ideal of what is beautiful and socially acceptable in order to more efficiently sell them things they don't need.

They'll know because I'll tell them. I will tell them that shit. Every. Single. Day. I'll tell them until I'm blue in the face.

I think most parents would want their kid to be the one who stands up for the kid being bullied on the playground. They'd want their kid to defend people who are treated unfairly.

Because here's the thing about bullies. They grow up.

If we're all lucky, they grow out of being nasty little monsters and mature into kind, compassionate adults.

But some of them will just become adult bullies.

Some of them will be obvious, like people who terrorize women on transit, relentlessly stalk and belligerently harass people on the internet or make rape jokes and then doubledown to defend them. Some of them will be more subtle, like people who silence people who don't agree with them, throw handicapped kids off planes or deny care to fat patients. They're different, but they're all bullies.

You may have seen this video of new anchor Jennifer Livingston addressing a bully:

Internet high fives all around. Everything about this video is awesome except, obviously, the douchecanoe who wrote such a hurtful letter.

Here's the part that I think is really, really important:

"Now I am a grown women and luckily for me I have a very thick skin—literally, as that email pointed out—and otherwise. And that man's words mean nothing to me. But what really angers me is there are children who don't know better. Who get emails, as critical as the one I received or in many cases even worse, each and every day. The internet has become a weapon. Our schools have become a battleground. And this behavior is learned. It is passed down from people like the man who wrote me that email."

"If you are at home and you are talking about the fat newslady—guess what? Your children are probably going to go to school and call someone fat. We need to teach our children to be kind, not critical, and we need to do that by example. So many of you have come to my defense over the past four days I am literally overwhelmed by your words."

I have not always been the person who stands up to a bully. Sometimes I've been quiet. I've tried not to be the bully, but I know that there are times when I've been insensitive or careless with my words. I want to be that kid – the kid that stands up for people. And I'm going to work on that. I'm going to work on judging people less and speaking up more. Because my kids will learn from me.

Grand Central Station print available here.

New Tunes - No Doubt "Push And Shove"

2012-10-02T08:00:00.000-04:00

I'm kind of giddy about the return of No Doubt. Haters, I will hear none of your trolly whinings. My love for Ms. Stefani and Co. burns with the fire of a thousand suns.

No Doubt - "Push And Shove" ft. Busy Signal, Major Lazer

30 Before 30: Monster Truck Rally

2012-10-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

I know, I know. How is it possible that I've lived in farm country my entire life and have never been to a monster truck rally? Ridiculous!

On Saturday night boyfriend and I headed into neighboring Lancaster County to Buck Motorsports Park in Quarryville, Pennsylvania. It was the last event of the season, and the schedule said we were attending the "Mud Bog Series Finales" which would feature "Pro-Street, Super Street and Street Legal Classes plus Top Dog Showdown, Street Legal Shootout and Tuff Truck Challenge Finals."

I had absolutely no idea what any of that meant. So I was a little disappointed when I realized that this event did not feature any actual monster trucks. So sad! But as it included massive (if not monstrous) trucks with absurdly powerful engines plowing through several feet of mud and tuned up cars smashing into things, including monster truck tires, I'm still totally counting this one as complete.

I snapped some photos, but they didn't truly capture the intensity of this particular backwoods pastime. Fortunately, boyfriend had the good sense to record a quick video.

So that's what that looks like.

Some observations on this experience:

There are a lot of people at these things. I don't know why, but I didn't expect such a large crowd.
The most camouflage I've ever seen in one place.
The rivalry between Chevy people and Ford people is serious business.
I get stupidly excited about powerful vehicles going really fast.

"Bests" of the night:

Best Family Moment: Driver of one of the huge Tuff Trucks, after having the mud hosed off, putting the baby seat into his truck to drive his wife and baby home.
Best male-bonding: Dude missing half his middle finger flipping double-birds to pose for a photo with his buddies.
Best out-of-context comment: "I really blew that tranny out!" Ahem.

The Verdict: I would totally do this again. I expected that it would be a mildly amusing way to spend an evening but I actually really enjoyed the whole thing in a completely genuine, non-ironic way. It was fun! Buy some greasy french fries, turn your brain off and watch overpowered trucks do loud, messy things for a few hours. I wouldn't do it every weekend, but once or twice a summer this is $12 well spent.

Have you ever been to one of these things? Liked it or hated it?

(30 Before 30 is a list of 30 new things that I want to do before my 30th birthday.)

Weekend Linkage: Napoleon's Butternut Claptrap

2012-09-28T08:00:00.000-04:00

TGIF minions! You may have noticed that posting was a little light this week. That's because last week was a bit of a trainwreck and I spent most of this week just trying to recover, relax and do nothing (which I suck at, apparently) and playing Borderlands 2 for hours and hours while drinking wine and eating All The Things. Because I'm an adult! We will resume our regularly scheduled awesome next week, promise!

I wish I knew some way to say this that doesn't sound psychotic, but I've got nothing so whatever. Guys, my cat has his own website.

I love it when my favorite ladies get together to hang out and be awesome. Amy Poehler tells Ellen about raising boys who pee all over the place and how sometimes you just have to straight up yell at your kids. #Realtalk

Useful! Acrassy's Online Marketing Glossary.

With all the scary, horrible stories about women being harassed and assaulted on public transit, this story about a bunch of homeless guys rescuing a teenage girl from a sex offender makes me want to just high five the shit out of everyone.

You can obviously buy me all of these posters of women who changed science.

The Strange Journey of Napoleon's Penis (via Courtney)

Aww.

Loooooove these completely ridiculous father/daughter portraits.

Go Kaleo explains how to find your ideal weight. Spoiler: It's probably higher than you think.

Cute! Here's your feelgood story of the week: How to Remake a House.

I know everyone gets all psyched about pumpkin pie flavored everything this time of year, but for me, fall is all about butternut squash. Here are five amazing butternut squash recipes.

For the rest of you: Make your own Pumpkin Pie Spice!

Advertisers, take note! This is how you film a commercial with cats:

One Day at a Time print available here.

In which I question the fashion sense of the good people of St. Jude Children's Hospital

2012-09-25T08:00:00.000-04:00

Perhaps you'll remember that, back in June, boyfriend and I participated in the Warrior Dash and had a romping good time. Perhaps you'll also remember that we signed up to become St. Jude's Warriors and raise money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in the process.

Now, I love St. Jude's. I think the work they do is amazing and you should all send them all of your money immediately. This is in no way a criticism of them or their work. Rather, it's a gentle suggestion that maybe... Well, you'll see.

A few days ago, boyfriend and I each received one of these in the mail as a thank you for our participation.

It's a cylidrical piece of stretchy fabric. Across the bottom of the mailer, they've included helpful suggestions as to what you might use it for.

Sidenote: If you've ever wanted to know what I look like unshowered, with no makeup and wearing yoga pants, you're in luck! Jackpot!

SCARF. Hm. Ok, that's not so terrible.

HEADBAND. Uh. Alright.

MASK. I... guess.

HOOD. Really?

Wait a minute... what's this?

TUBE TOP. Now wait just a minute...

Good grief, you've got to be kidding. No no no.

Friends, I am by no means a large person, and to strap myself into this thing I had to climb in feet first, hold my breath and make the kind of gyrations usually reserved for trying to escape a man eating snake. As you can see, that poor little praying child is stretched within an inch of his life. Immediately after this picture was taken, I had to lay down and cut myself out of this thing because I'd lost feeling in my legs.

If I had to guess, I'd say this top is probably not projecting the image that such a charitable institution is going for. Because if I even try to stand up straight in this thing it turns into a belt. Yikes.

In closing, the moral of this story is... never wear free tubetops that you got in the mail, I guess? I'm really not sure.

What's the most questionable freebie you've ever received?

Weekend Linkage: Space Bears and Warp Drive

2012-09-21T08:00:00.000-04:00

WWDBDISP? (What Would David Bowie Do In Space?) Answer: smoke. Duh. But where is his lighter? Annnnyway friends, I hope you enjoyed my tutorials on how to give and receive compliments like a champ. I had a rather stressful week, so I rewarded myself with cat videos and wine, and then I spent a solid five minutes laughing about this review. Because wine. You?

[click to embiggen]

Not content to hold the record for longest space flight by a female astronaut, most spacewalks and most spacewalk time, Sunita Williams completes a triathlon in space. Of course she does. Like a BOSS.

Yes, please: I think we should have a collective response to strangers who tell us to smile.

My new favorite fitness blog, Go Kaleo talks body composition and "Problem Areas." There is so much bad information out on ye olde information super highway about this. Her advice is solid.

Just try not to cry, I dare you: A Love Story in 22 Pictures.

Scientists make headway into inventing actual, real-life warp drive. Shut up and take my money.

A Guide to Cooking with Whole Grains and Baking with Whole Grain Flours.

Bare: The completely, ridiculously adorable story of a bear with obsessive compulsive disorder.

Um... Why did no one tell me that living in a lighthouse was an option?

Vegans! Every wonder how to replace an egg in a recipe? Here's a great tutorial on how to make a flax egg.

Well, I've got my next vacation planned. (via RowdyKittens)

Oh Mae West, you're a peach.

OMG FINALLY. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey:

Proof that Cats are Better Than Dogs:

Bowie in Space available here.

Have a fantastic weekend!

Top 5 Fictional Ladies I'd Want As My BFF

2012-09-20T12:29:00.000-04:00

Every so often, in literature, on television or in movies, there's a character that I really identify with. Like, I'd want to drink whiskey and shoot the breeze about life with this person. We could braid each others' hair and discuss the finer points of intergalactic warp travel, you know? Of course you do. So here are my top five picks for ultimate fictional BFF in no particular order.

1. Elizabeth Bennet — Pride and Prejudice

Lizzy is your best winglady for any social function. She’s smart as a whip, funny and able to spot a villain a mile away. She’s headstrong and independent, she tolerates shenanigans from no one and she’ll always encourage you to make the decision that's in your own best interests, even if it's not necessarily the proper course of action.

2. Kara Thrace ("Starbuck") — Battlestar Galactica

Everyone needs that one person they can call late at night when the bars close and there’s a lot of drinking and cussing left to do. Kara Thrace may be a hot head and she may not be the most rational of friends, but she is fiercely loyal and up for adventure at a moment’s notice. Also, she would totally punch a dude out for you if you asked.

3. Leslie Knope — Parks and Recreation

Leslie is the truest friend a person could wish for. She genuinely loves each and one of her eclectic group of friends and colleagues and actively roots for them to do well and be awesome. She’s everyone’s cheerleader, even while she’s chasing down her own dream to be the best possible public servant to her hometown of Pawnee. She bumbles a lot of things, but with the best possible intentions. She’s the lady to call when you need someone to pep talk you out of a funk. Vote Knope!

4. Katniss Everdeen — The Hunger Games

This girl can hunt, fish, gather, barter, climb and strategize like a boss. She also bends over backwards to look out for her family and anyone else she cares about. She’s the friend you want by your side in a crisis, whether it’s a fight to the death or maybe just a camping trip with a chance of bear attacks. While her family obviously comes first, she tries to do right by her friends and has a moral compass as straight as an arrow.

5. Jadzia Dax — Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

The scorchingly brilliant and strong willed Science Officer of DS9 has a lot of things going for her that would make her an awesome BFF, but the characteristic that stands out most is her completely rational objectivity. Again and again, she demonstrates an ability to look at things from a dispassionate perspective and see all sides of a situation. And it makes sense - the symbiont creature that she’s joined with has inhabited a politician, scientist, musician, gymnast, a criminal, been a man, a woman and both mother and father several times over. So yeah, she’s got a lot of viewpoints to call on. When you need someone to give you honest advice, she’s your girl.

Who would be in your Top Five?

Thanks to Mams's Losin' It for the prompt.

New Tunes - MS MR "Hurricane"

2012-09-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

MS MR's new EP is available on iTunes as of yesterday. I preordered it on iTunes like two weeks ago, even though it's only four songs, because as soon as I heard this song I knew it was exactly what I needed right now. I can't give you any better description than that. Because reasons. I can't words.

Ms MR - "Hurricane":

I think New Tunes is a feature that's here to stay, because I get to listen to a lot of great, fresh music and call it working. For you YouTube junkies, I've made a playlist to keep all of my new tunes in one place. Maybe you'd like to subscribe?

How to (Graciously!) Accept a Compliment

2012-09-18T08:22:00.000-04:00

I have a guest post over on Yes and Yes today on How to Give a Great Compliment. This is a little something on how to properly receive a compliment, which I find infinitely more scary.

Wanna know a secret, internet? While I may appear incredibly smooth, composed, hip and unbelievably likeable on the internet (humor me, people) the truth is that I am a hopelessly awkward weirdo. I can hold polite conversation well enough, but when I have to speak at length to people I don’t know well I get a little uneasy, I sweat, I blush and I have to remind myself to make eye contact and smile. I ramble, talking too fast. Sometimes I say things a little too bluntly and they come out sounding vaguely insulting. It’s a hot mess, but I try to be conscious of all of it and remember that my social graces are, and may always be, a work in progress.

But there’s one thing that is the bane of my social existence, that makes me recoil and squirm, eyes darting around frantically, looking for an exit. My kryptonite.

Compliments.

And I get them from time to time, because I’m smart and kind of fun to hang out with and not too terribly hard to look at. And I absolutely can’t handle them. Having a spotlight shone on me that way makes me want to curl up in the fetal position.

But I’m working on it, and although I’m not yet comfortable with compliments, I am getting better at not responding to them like a shifty sociopath. So here are some things that I’ve learned.

First of all, accept that they're sincere. While surely you’ll encounter a few backhanded compliments in your travels, most grown-ass people mean it when they give compliments. Assume good faith and take their compliments at face value. If they didn’t mean it, they wouldn’t say it. Knowing that...

Resist all urges to:

Belittle the feature or thing being complimented.

“Oh, this dress is like 8 years old! And I got it at Goodwill! On sale! Look, there’s a hole in it!” No no no.

Deflect the compliment.

“Oh, but really, Megan did all the work. I barely helped!” You can give your girl Megan credit and still keep some for yourself. There’s plenty to go around.

Claim it was luck.

“Oh really, I was just at the right place at the right time. It could have been anybody!” Sure. But it wasn’t. It was you.

Deny it so they feel they have to argue with you.

“Oh no, my act was terrible. I’m surprised I wasn’t booed offstage.” Shut uuuuuuuup.

So those are all the wrong reactions to a compliment. Stop doing them. It sounds simple, but that part is the absolutely hardest. The good news is, the right thing to say is much simpler.

Here it is. Are you ready for this?

“Thank you.”

Seriously. Throw all those excuses out the window and concentrate on perfecting the Thank You and Smile. Thank You and Smile. You are not a psycho if you actually need to do this in front of a mirror. For we socially awkward birds, this is not nearly as easy as it sounds. Practice it. Thank You and Smiiiiiiiiile.

Acceptable variations:

“Thank you, that’s so nice of you to say.”

“Thank you, I’m so glad you enjoyed it.”

“Thank you, I really appreciate that.”

“Thank you, Megan helped too. Wasn’t she great?”
(bonus points for paying it forward!)

Your homebase is the Thank You. You may embellish the Thank You, but do not stray from the Thank You.

It is not required, nor expected of you, in any social situation that you should want to involve yourself in, to make excuses for your own wonderfulness or shirk responsibility for your own amazing accomplishments. Get ok with politely acknowledging that yes, you are awesome. Thank you.

Cute Thank You tags available here.

Weekend Linkage: Hangry Feminist Cats

2012-09-14T08:00:00.000-04:00

Fall is upon us friends. I took a nap after work today and when I woke up it was dark. At 7:30. Ugh. Let's just click some pretty links, shall we?

Finally, there is a word to describe my default state of hungry anger: Hangry!

The Only Black Chick in the Mosh Pit.

The Brits have changed the law so that Will and Kate's firstborn child – not son – becomes the royal successor to the throne, clearing the way for their first little nugget to become Queen if they have a girl.

A photo has been found that is believed to be of the reclusive feminist hero, poet Emily Dickinson. This would be only the second photo of her known to exist, and features her as an adult with a second woman, purported to be her lover. I love a juicy historical mystery.

I'm a green smoothie addict. Here are 5 easy ways to get even more from your smoothie.

Will banning giant sodas really help fight obesity? Spoiler: No.

I fail at lots of lady things. Applying fake eyelashes happens to be one of the many lady things I cannot do. You too? Here's a handy tutorial that spells out the best process.

OMG Yes. Nerdy ceramics for everyday living.

The hipster in me wants to roll my eyes, but the fangirl in me wants to run right out and buy them all. Andy Warhol Limited Edition Campbell's Soup Cans.

They just don't make cartoons like this for kids anymore, which makes me crazy sad. In this episode of Disneyland, Walt Disney shows us how domestic cats came to be... domestic. And it's fantastic.

Oh Amy Poehler, you never fail me. Ask Amy addresses body issues:

Things I never picked up on: Stanley Kubrick's use of one-point perspective:

Gorgeous pinecone pendant available here.

Mister Spock's Poetry Corner: On a Soft Sunday Afternoon

2012-09-13T08:00:00.000-04:00

Wait no longer! The next installment of Mister Spock's Poetry Corner is here!

In case you missed the first installment of Mister Spock's Poetry Corner, I am reading to you from "A Lifetime of Love — Poems on the Passages of Life" by Leonard Nimoy, every so often, until I finish the book or get bored of googling Spock pictures. Enjoy.

On a Soft Sunday Afternoon

by Leonard Nimoy

On a soft Sunday afternoon

We drifted into

The concert hall, small

The audience sparse

Hushed and waiting

Why? How did we come

To be here? I don't recall

Perhaps a tiny notice, a newspaper

A flier, a poster on a bookstore wall

The houselights dimmed

And thev arrived, two artists

Asian women, I recall

A cello and a violin, and they began

And we in tandem reached

And found each other's hand

And held and were loving

And something in the music

What did they play?

It touched our love and stroked it

And filled our hearts so full

That it spilled into our eyes

And in the dark we both reached

To touch away the wet of love

On each other's cheeks

And it was a soft, soft

Sunday

A soft Sunday afternoon