Just a reminder: Happy birthday to you!

Just a reminder: Happy birthday to you!

June 4, 2015 / No Comments

One of my favorite features of social media is the birthday reminder.

Whenever I receive these emails or spy a notice on a newsfeed, I do my best to take a moment and send good cheer. Generally I’m one of many to wish the happy, yet doing so feels good because no matter how difficult life can be, birthdays should be enthusiastically celebrated.

The downside of birthday reminders is… well, death. It always makes my heart ache when I receive one of these alerts for a friend or family member who’s died in the past year. Instead of being reminded of joy, I recall the loss of their passing. And it hurts to know they won’t have another birthday.

Yesterday, I thought about my high school sweetheart all day. Although he died a few years ago, June 3rd has long been a day I noticed because it was his birthday. So even though he’s gone, I can’t help but recall the times we shared and the years we did not. A few hours ago, I received a birthday email for a writer on Livejournal that I followed for more than a decade. He died last year and the loss of his voice has made reading that site just a little less required.
Friendly accomplishments, part II

November 10, 2013 / 1 Comment

Last month, I wrote a blog entry highlighting the latest projects of some of my many creative friends and colleagues. Here are several more:

Photographer Angus Bruce has a gift for capturing the beauty of Scotland. His photographs are stark, honest and breathtaking. I own several.

A.J. Jacobs, editor-at-large of Esquire Magazine, wrote a fantastic book about “his humble quest for bodily perfection.” “Drop Dead Healthy” prompted me to move more, drink at least 50 oz of liquids a day, improve my dinner options and track my food/sleep/steps.

Amanda Koster is an internationally acclaimed photographer who combines an anthropology background with media skills to create projects about human rights, cultural diversity and global equality. Click here to watch her inspiring TED talk.

John Platt is a voracious reader, prolific writer and my favorite environmental reporter. If you’re interested in learning more about endangered species from around the world — and how to save them — check out his blog on the Scientific American website, Extinction Countdown. John also covers environmental issues for Mother Nature Network.

Radio producer Kate Sweeney will publish her first book, “American Afterlife: Encounters in the Customs of Mourning” in Spring 2014. Pre-order your copy here.

I’ll be showcasing the work of more friends in the weeks to come. If you have a new project you’d like me to promote, send an e-mail with the subject like “FEATURE ME!”
Friendly accomplishments

October 28, 2013 / No Comments

I’m fortunate in many ways. I’m fairly healthy. I’m madly in love with my husband. I have a good job, a roof over my head, food in the larder and a heat source that I can turn on during chilly Autumn evenings.

I’m also blessed with many creative friends and colleagues who constantly amaze me with their talents. Allow me to share some of their current projects:

John Grant has just published “A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Film Noir.” At more than 800 pages, it is truly the essential reference guide for any fan of the genre.

Courtney Mroch has turned her interest in the supernatural into a fabulous project called Haunt Jaunts. Now she’s become a “paranormal travel advisor” whose blog will tell you the best places to find haunted hotels, hair-raising cruises and macabre walking tours.

Gardener/writer/photographer Carole Ottesen wrote the horticultural mystery “Dying for the Christmas Rose.” Be sure to pick it up before the holidays. She’s already hard at work on her next book.

Bob Sassone recently launched The Letter, a monthly newsletter sent via snail mail. Yes, Bob is single-handedly trying to save the USPS, an organization that reported a $5.2 billion loss for the third quarter. If you’d like to receive something other than catalogs and bills in the post, subscribe. I do.

Lastly, Beth Winegarner just self-published “The Columbine Effect.” This book challenges the oft-heard notions that video games, the goth culture, heavy metal, paganism and role-playing games create violent teens.

I’ll be showcasing the work of more friends in the weeks to come. If you have a new project you’d like me to promote, send an e-mail with the subject like “FEATURE ME!”