small blue globe

Got sucked into the most recent issue of Scientific American when I saw this article about different views of earth taken from outside our atmosphere. My favorite:


Seeing them reminded me how much fun I had taking astronomy during my last semester at college, and made me dig out my old textbook. This led me to the Hubble telescope chapter (the stuff I found most interesting, and was most able to understand) and then, through the magic of the internet, to the Hubble website and these unbelievable images.






Can somebody please help me figure out how to wear these images? I can't believe how beautiful the universe is. There's no way to improve on it, though I love these posters for the International Year of Astronomy that represent the universe in simple, bold graphics:


What a great concept. Instead of trying to recreate the complex and breathtaking images of Hubble, artist Simon Page simply alluded to all that with clean, crisp lines and bold, elemental colors. Ik vind dit leuk, as the Dutch would say.

best medicine, please!

Fell down the stairs yesterday evening... I'm fine (though I've bruised my bum quite alarmingly), if a bit stiff and sore, and think I need some funny to fix me:

homestyle

One of my favorite things is reading a book or seeing a film set in a town I know well. The best is when it's my hometowns, Berkeley and Oakland. I get such a covert thrill at recognizing the landmarks and feel like I'm a part of the story, too.

So it tickled me pink to see this, from Cool Hunting about Oakland, CA:

The recent revitalization of many parts of Oakland and reclamation of some of our regional pride is heartening, but I will note that just looking at the cool, hip places in Oakland is ignoring the crushing poverty and brutal violence of the area. So as awesome as this video is, it's not a real representation of the realities of Oakland. Nevertheless, it captures a lot of what I really love about my home and what I look for to remind me of it!

final thanks

To the New York Times for this gem:

Be thankful that, on at least one occasion, your mother did not fend off your father with a pair of nunchucks, but instead allowed enough contact to facilitate your happy conception. Be thankful that when you go to buy a pale, poultrylike entity, the grocery clerk will accept your credit card in good faith and even return it with a heroic garble of your last name. Be grateful for the empathetic employee working the United Airlines ticket counter the day after Thanksgiving, who understands why you must leave town today, this very minute, lest someone pull out the family nunchucks.

To Airborne, vitamin c, and my Mom's tea-tonic for kicking that cold.

For going to a restaurant on Thanksgiving and therefore not doing any dishes at all.

To the Black Holiday shoppers who (hopefully) will not trample me to death but will instead stimulate the economy and help me keep my job.

To Netflix, for allowing me to fall in love with Pushing Daisies (hello may I please steal your wardrobe please?).

And finally, to you all, for your awesome and inspiring additions to my daily rituals!

bedankt!*

* Dutch for "Thanks!"

Thank you, cute puppies of Portland,




bad-ass literary tattoos,






steaming cups of coffee,





and stacks and stacks of books left to read.




Thank you for making my life so nice!

cure for the common cold

Laughter...

...tea...

...cuteness...

...and revisiting an old favorite.

What I love best about this elegantly written, insightfully told story is how hard it is to describe the plot. After much thought, I think the best way I can summarize Foer's story is this: it is about the identities on either side of what he calls the "Jewish/Human fault line" and how they have been shaped by each other and by the opposition between those two sides for generations. But it's also just a story about families. And the stories families tell to remain alive and together. And what it means to keep those stories alive. And what can happen when we are illuminated. It's the kind of story that keeps you trapped inside even when you have to put it down, close the covers, and walk into the next room, if just to prove you can. The perfect way to forget a runny nose...

What's your best way to kick a nasty cold?

branching out

Maybe it's the amazing trees in my neighborhood but I am feeling super inspired by branches and trunks right now...

tree bookshelf spotted at you are my fave

manzanita candelabra at West Elm

Little Birch jewelry holder from Urban Outfitters

This last one, the jewelry stand from Urban, has me thinking: perhaps I can make that myself, with a carefully cleaned branch and some ingenious stand-making. I'll report back.