• charity

    Social media only works when we view it as a community and not as a competition

    February 17, 2016 / No Comments

    Articles about online etiquette generally offer sound advice:

    * Do share stories/articles about topics that interest you.

    * Don’t post unflattering pictures — of anyone.

    * Do engage with your readers in the comments.

    * Don’t give away too many personal details.

    * Don’t make nasty comments about your boss, ex, the dead, etc.

    Inevitably, however, these well-meaning stories will also include a suggestion that I find utterly baffling: Don’t post lovey-dovey comments about your mate.

    The thinking behind such advice is simple. Publicly sharing thoughts of love and romance can cause the folks who read your Facebook or Twitter feed to roll their eyes in disgust. Or worse, such caring comments will make readers feel bad about their own love lives.

    This is ridiculous.

    The world is so full of meanness. Snarky posts, trolling comments and outright insults are the norm on social media. What is wrong with countering all that cruelty with a bit of kindness?

    Romantic messages aren’t meant to make people feel bad; instead, the very opposite is true. Public declarations of passion may be aimed at one person but they’re revealed to all because when you’re in love, you want to share that wonderfulness with the whole world. You want to spread that love around.

    Such articles also advise against posting images or statuses that focus on vacations or babies or weddings, as if sharing such milestones means you’re bragging (or part of a massive conspiracy to bring down the spirits of the people who lack these things). Pah!

    The people who write these statuses are simply explaining what’s happening in their world and inviting others to enjoy the fun. Rather than opting for jealousy, I say choose to be happy for them. And when you fall in love, take a trip, wed, graduate, land a new job, buy a house, have a baby, get a great haircut, bake the perfect pie or win the lottery, shout it from the rooftops.

    We’ll all be happy for you, too.

    –Photo by Devonyu

  • Strange Calvin dreams

    February 7, 2016 / No Comments

    Last night, I had bizarre dreams, the kind I generally describe as “Calvin dreams.” The description comes from an old “Calvin and Hobbes” comic strip that offered a reasonable explanation for how strange dreams form.

    strange calvin dreamsClick image to enlarge.

    I’m convinced those same dream creators exist in my mind as well.

    I can’t remember all the details of my dreams, of course. That is the curse of traveling to Morpheus’ realm; you can visit any time, but just before waking you must consume a forgetting potion. If you’re lucky, it won’t take effect right away and you can remember a few snippets from your dreams. However, if you slowly ease back into consciousness, the adventures are erased like algebraic equations written in chalk on a blackboard.

    I awoke abruptly today, and what I remember from the dream is this: I was going to lunch with my grandmother, mother, one of my brothers and a stranger. The timing of the dream was recent and I was my current age and position in life, yet the lunch was still scheduled to occur despite the fact that my grandmother is dead and I haven’t had much contact with the rest of my family in years.

    We were planning to eat together at a bar, and just before I crossed the establishment’s threshold, I became distracted by the store next door. It was called Snowmen’s Warehouse, and it contained all types of snow men, women, children and fantastical creatures.

    I left my group, walked into the store and looked around for a while. Then, a saleswoman asked if I wanted a haircut. I said yes, and she led me to the salon area. I sat in the chair, stared into the mirror and watched as the saleswoman, who was now a stylist, cut my hair. She was made of snow, and refused to use a blow dryer or curling iron.

    Me thinks the dream creators mixed up the film strips in my brain again.

    –Comic by Bill Watterson. As always, thanks for the entertainment and inspiration.

  • Popcorn

    10 reasons why popcorn is the funnest of foods

    February 3, 2016 / No Comments

    1. SIMPLICITY: In its purest form, popcorn contains only four ingredients: oil, corn, butter and salt. It cooks fast — under 10 minutes on the stove, under 2 in the microwave — and requires few tools. Plus, it’s served in a bowl or bag so you don’t even need to use silverware.

    2: VISUALLY STUNNING: Exploding kernels are a wondrous sight.

    3. POP! PING PING! POP: Popping corn is edible music.

    4. YUM: The smell, my goodness, is divine. And the taste has an addictive quality. You simply can’t eat just one.

    5: PORTABILITY: Eat it at home, in a hotel, in the car, at your desk or just out in the world.

    6. CUSTOMIZABLE: You can dress it up with everything from bacon to spices to cheese to chocolate, but honestly, homemade popcorn is fine on its own.

    7. FESTIVE: You can string it on thread and use it as a Christmas decoration. Alternative, you can pour some popcorn into a tin and give it as a present.

    8. NUTRITIOUS: Popcorn is healthy! It has one of the highest levels of polyphenols of any plant food, contains quite a bit of fiber and antioxidants, and according to Joe Vinson, a chemistry professor at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania, “It’s the only snack that is 100 percent whole grain.”

    9: UNIFIER: Anyone who smells popcorn will want to be your friend.

    10. MEMORIES: Popcorn is one of those foods that instantly transports you to a different place: a movie theater, a circus, a carnival, a street fair.

    To be fair, popcorn does have two notable — and lamentable — down sides. One, it gets stuck in your teeth, no matter how how you try to avoid it. And two, once it’s removed from the pot, the remaining shells look like burned ladybug corpses. But other than that… popcorn is the best.

    –Photo by Linnell Esler

  • Walking

    Musical discoveries and walkabouts

    January 31, 2016 / No Comments

    As mentioned in a previous entry, my resolution for 2016 was to engage in a series of 30-day experiments. In January, I listened to a new song every day, a feat that was only occasionally interrupted by news.

    Here’s what I discovered:

    For February, my goal is to walk at least 20 mins every day. Since I work from home, my commute is minimal (quite literally from one room to another) and so I don’t get nearly enough exercise. However, I own a treadmill, decent shoes and a Fitbit, which means there’s really no reason I can’t complete this challenge. I’ll just have to muster up some willpower. Anyone have a bit extra they’d like to spare?

    –Photo by LBrakovic