All about the way you think

Today's Note from the Universe slapped me upside the head. In a good way.

It's the way you think. That's your purpose. It's never been about what work you choose, what gifts you develop, or what niche you fill - let these be for your pleasure.

Think as only you can think, which will lead to feelings that only you can feel, from which connections will be made, lives will be changed, and worlds will come tumbling into existence.

Thanks,
    The Universe

This is why you're here.

Full-Service Dental

From Your Logo Makes Me Barf

I’ve gotta get to Village Family Dental Spa. There is no waiter at my dentist’s office. There are no suits at my dentist’s office, they all wear SCRUBS. How low brow.

Also, as Mina points out, what do they do, serve your rotten tooth to you after they pull it out? For your dining pleasure? Yum. I’m booking my appointment as we speak.

Graphs! And sandwiches!

GraphJam submissions give me no end of delight.



see more Funny Graphs

A tournament worth following

Finally a tournament -- other than the World Cup -- worth following.  Complete with brackets!

The Morning News Tournament of Books - Presented by Field Notes

Pop culture for people in cubicles

GraphJam's daily e-mails are a fabulous way to start the day. (Tagline: Pop culture for people in cubicles.)

The graphs aren't math or census-like, or about things that are 'important.' They are about things like the ratio of people who eat oreos by scraping the white part off the cookie with their teeth vs. those who lick the center. Or, the process to get this party started.

Valentine's Day and spelling

Cake Wrecks = pure delight.

The Hardest Three Words To Say: "Guys, I've been wanting to say this for a while now, but...[deep breath]...well, it's just never felt like the right time, you know? And now here we are, just the two of us and the Internet, and I think...no, I KNOW...that we're finally ready to take that next step.

Ok. Here goes:

Wait. That came out wrong. I mean...

Um, that is, what I'm trying to say is...

Hang on; I've almost got it...

Yeah. Something like that.

And also:

So if you see Al, be sure to let him down easy.

Of course, declarations of love are par for the course today. Not to mention stuff like this:

And this:

And even this:

Still, when it comes to love, I think Cupid says it best:

Yeah. That's like, 'whoah.'

Thanks to Jared, Norma W., Christine, Sarah M., Lizzie S., Franco P., Howard P., & Michael C., who actually have no idea what Cupid said because they can't stop staring at his diaper.

Or is that just me?

"

Mardi Gras, dogs and art

Matt Rinard is out with his annual Crewe of Barkus poster for Mardi Gras. His art absolutely delights me.

Donuts with sprinkles. Or else.

If you are despairing at the state of your fellow humans, this is not the video to watch. I am a big fan of the sprinkles. I have a jar of emergency sprinkles in my desk.This, however, falls into a whole other type of fannage.

Customer Gets Enraged Over Lack Of Sprinkles - News Story - WHIO Dayton
DAYTON, Ohio -- Police in Dayton were called to the Tim Horton's restaurant on Patterson Road Thursday morning after a customer reportedly assaulted an employee over the lack of sprinkle doughnuts.

Taking "the other" to lunch

TED talks are mind and spirit candy. In this talk, Elizabeth Messer talks about the increasing polarity in our culture. Those of different religions, opinions, parties, etc. aren't just different, they're evil or stupid or wrong. We reduce the worth of those who think other than we do.

This isn't any big revelation. But Messer's suggested antidote is. Take someone who doesn't share your viewpoints or religion or party or affiliation to lunch. Go and listen. And be listened to. It's a small step but it's a step. And that's something.

It starts a bit slow but be patient. It's worth it!

Charty goodness

Yipes! What happened to January?

This map made me giggle. I'd like to see a chart of how Midwesterners see the rest of the U.S. Probably quite similar. Except, the east and west coasts are all uppity and they virtually ignore us. 

Passion + Skill = The Element

I'm reading Sir Ken Robinson's fabulous book "The Element." He defines The Element as the place where your passion and what you're good at meet. That's where we thrive.

His argument: we need to move education from an industrial model to an agricultural one. Like agriculture, education at its best sets up the conditions for flourishing. He also emphasizes that we are all creative. It takes many forms but there isn't a person on this planet who isn't creative in some way.

He is quite funny. In the video below he mentions a policy statement he read which said college begins in Kindergarten. "No it doesn't... Kindergarten begins in Kindergarten."

Here he is at TED.





I love this quote, "If you're not prepared to be wrong, you will never come up with anything original."

More videos on his web site.

Words viral and epic consigned to college trash | Reuters

Around my workplace, banned words include: computing in the cloud and web 2.0.

Words "viral" and "epic" consigned to college trash
(Reuters) - This story might be epic, and could even go viral, but not if Lake Superior State University has anything to do with it. Just sayin.'

The small college in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, released on Friday its annual list of "banished words" -- terms so overused, misused and hackneyed they deserve to be sent to a permanent linguistic trash can in the year ahead. More.

Nicer New Year?

Andy Borowitz was on NPR yesterday lamenting, with the host, on the nastiness run amok during 2010. Congressional intransigence, name calling and the best of the worst, Pat Robertson blaming Haitians for the earthquake.

Andy is hilarious and his stories in the Borowitz Report are fiction. They're biting but, he doesn't demonize and doesn't scream. Or sound like a crazy person. At least in print.

The host highlighted a recent Borowitz Report, a reflection on the east coast snowstorm: "Pat Robertson: Snow is God's way of punishing Americans who were planning to drive to do something gay." Borowitz said, "it's disturbing how many thought it was a true story."

My wish for 2011: widespread adoption and demonstration of manners.

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