What does your fridge say about you

February 2, 2011
What does your fridge say about you

San Antonio photographer Mark Menjivar has a collection called “You Are What You Eat,” in which each piece is a photograph of someone’s refrigerator or freezer and a tiny bit of information about them. It is a very interesting subject. I’ve wondered often about what is in people’s refrigerators and what that says about them. I never thought to make it into an art collection. That is why I am not a professional artist! His website features 20 of the photos, though there are more. Some of them, like the nearly empty one in No. 4, are heartbreaking. Some,...

Read more »

When do kids start to remember current events?

January 31, 2011
When do kids start to remember current events?

The 25th anniversary of the Challenger explosion had me thinking how it is my first memory of being aware of the news or things going on in the world. Other than “Sesame Street” or “3-2-1 Contact,” it’s also my first memory of watching TV. It got me wondering when other people began to be aware of current events. So I asked about it on Twitter and Facebook. Some others within two years of my age also first remember the Challenger: Amanda was in first grade. Everyone was crying and her teacher was so upset. Val was in second grade...

Read more »

Hot read for a cold day: Firefly Summer by Maeve Binchy

January 21, 2011
Hot read for a cold day: Firefly Summer by Maeve Binchy

If you’re lucky enough to be able to spend this sub-frigid day in bed and are looking for a good read, I recommend “Firefly Summer” by Maeve Binchy. And yes, it’s available for Kindle, so you don’t even need to venture to the library! I’ve ready about 10 of Binchy’s 15 novels and this is among my favorites (along with “Scarlet Feather,” “Light a Penny Candle” and “Circle of Friends”). Most of her novels, including this one, are set in Ireland in the mid-20th century and have a slew of well developed characters. “Firefly Summer” spans four years in...

Read more »

Do I set impossible goals or just aim high?

January 18, 2011
Do I set impossible goals or just aim high?

After I posted my goals for the year, my best friend said “How did you come up with the book goal and why did you pick 26? I’ll let you respond before I beat you.” I explained that I borrowed the idea from someone else and that the 26 (his number, not mine) was one book every two weeks. I couldn’t figure out why she was going to beat me over this. She said it was because I always set ridiculous goals for myself that mean nothing to anyone but me and are impossible to meet and then I...

Read more »

What jacket not to wear: the answers

January 14, 2011
What jacket not to wear: the answers

I wrote Wednesday about my mini consultation with Sasha Westin of Fabuliss. After learning how to dress for my body type and coloring, I showed her several jackets I have picked up from thrift shops and clearance racks but haven’t figured out what to wear them with. Here they are. She told me to ditch all but two of them. Can you guess which ones and why? The middle two are the keepers, although the top middle one could use a bit more shoulder structure. The two on the left are too small, so they don’t create enough vertical...

Read more »

What jacket not to wear

January 12, 2011
What jacket not to wear

I recently had a mini consultation with Sasha Westin of Fabuliss, and she truly is fabulous. I think dressing well helps my overall mood, but I struggle with knowing what to buy and what to wear. I learned some things from Sasha that will help when I’m shopping at thrift stores. First I got some basic tips from her about how to dress for my body type (which is a rectangle) and my coloring. She told me to look for structured shoulders and waistlines because my shoulders are small and sloped down and my waistline is not well defined...

Read more »

26 Books In 52 Weeks

January 10, 2011
26 Books In 52 Weeks

These are the books I have in mind so far to read for my goal of reading 26 books this year. I’m open to suggestions for more but want to also leave room to read as the spirit moves me. Many on the list have been on my list for quite some time and came recommended but I can no longer remember by whom. The first three are already in progress. I’m reading “Wicked” on my breaks at work, as many of you suggested it in my 20 questions post. It was not at all what I expected at...

Read more »