i like this book

Six days ago I finished reading The Fault in Our Stars, and it is still resonating in my mind. Without sharing too many details, it was just a good story. It was smart, sweet, touching, and set in Indianapolis. John Green, who wrote this book, signed every book in the entire first edition. You may still be able to find one - the book just came out last month. He and his brother make great vlogs (vlog is a word that sounds so ridiculous, right?) - here is a favorite from several years ago:



His fans call themselves Nerdfighters, and I like everything they're about, including their mantra: DFTBA. Don't Forget To Be Awesome.

Back to the book - it is a quick read, about a teenage girl with cancer who meets a teenage boy in cancer support group, and their relationship as it deepens and becomes complicated by the disease. If I say anything more, it will give away all of the surprises. And I just don't want to do that.

i like this show

i am about halfway through watching "freaks and geeks", which i haven't seen in ten years, although for most of those years, the dvd set has been sitting in my amazon cart.

the internet is full of raves about how awesome this show is, how unlike even the most poignant and dramatic shows set in a high school, it is the most real, the characters have acne and it isn't even a plot point, the writing is brilliant, the attention to detail using props from several eras rather than just a canned, disco-era 1980 set, the way the characters do "normal" things, and on, and on. what struck me this time around, besides forgetting most of the individual plots of the episodes, was that i'd forgotten who the actors were. i recognized over half of them from current movies and tv: james franco - seth rogen - jason segel? i just hadn't put all of that together.

(um, spoiler for a twelve year old show here): there is an episode where the freak kids get fake ids, just to see a local band that they're really excited about. they get to the bar and cheer for the band and then realize the lead singer is their guidance counselor. after the first song plays, the counselor gets on the mic and gives the kids a shout out and asks for the house to deliver them a free round of their finest pop. the facial expressions and the general mood of that scene were hilarious!

i kind of want to watch the rest now. eight episodes left, i think?

if you haven't seen it ever, or in a while, put it on your to do list. or, you can start here.

i like clouds

sunset at symphony on the prairie, 8-6-11

i am pretty much enamored with clouds and sunsets - not in a scientific way - i can barely remember which are cirrus and cumulus, and i don't even really think about them that way. i like how they're always changing. i like that when i drive home from work, they put on a little evening-time show that feels a lot like driving through a kaleidoscope, always becoming different colors and shapes. i've been driving home right as the sun sets, and it's such a nice way to transition from hectic workday to quiet calm. i love to capture them with my camera. i do remember to keep my eyes on the road, though. rest assured.

i like this song

this is such a lovely song. if you don't already know it, take a moment to listen to it. i hope you will find it as beautiful as i do.

(there is nothing to see here, just something to hear.)

i like going on vacation

After the U2 concert, I will dwell in this pretty picture-postcard place for a while, with limited internet, and a lot of quiet and calm.
I'll be taking photos, reading, writing, painting, visiting, exploring, sleeping, and relaxing. I'll schedule a few posts while I'm away, and I'll share all the highlights when I return.

i like cory monteith

Not Finn, but Cory. (For many reasons.)

But this weekend, for presenting the details of his past, in a hopeful way. Cory went through a lot of the things that the kids I work with are going through right now. He was estranged from family, addicted, and even homeless, yet he was intelligent (with a fourth grade reading level as a five year old - I didn't know that before), and he had latent talent. He was challenged, and then found a way to focus his energy into creativity, which became his career. I know that stories about celebrities don't necessarily reveal every facet of a person, but he does seem very grounded and genuine. Cory is now working on behalf or organizations that acknowledge and support teenagers who are going through the same kinds of issues he went through. I think that's so cool, because acknowledging and supporting kids and teens in tough situations is my career, and they don't have enough champions.

The interview begins here.

i like the non-team

(this treasury challenge was inspired by that cute whale t-shirt and, in a way, sesame street)

because of my impending vacation, i'm on a temporary hiatus from participating in the non-team treasury challenge. when i post recent treasuries (to store them somewhere they'll stay indefinitely), most of those treasuries are non-team challenges. i think the non-team is one of the best parts of etsy, so if you are an etsy seller and haven't heard about it, here's what you should know:

the non-team *is* actually an etsy team. it didn't start out that way, but around the time etsy began to limit what subjects could be discussed on the forums, and forced all other conversations to take place in a team setting (different subject entirely), the non-team became a team. unlike most treasury teams, though, it does not require that you make treasuries with a certain number of other team members items, or that you make a treasury around a particular theme. there is nearly complete freedom over your treasury, except...

one item is featured in all treasuries each week. the seller of that item judges all of the treasuries and chooses a favorite. there is some incredible diversity in the themes based on the featured item, and it's fun to think of a theme, title, and arrangement that is like no one else's. the creator of the winning treasury gets to choose one of their items that is featured in the next treasury, and the cycle begins again, every week.

it's a good fit for me, because:
1. i like making treasuries. this gives treasury making more of a purpose, and more reason to be seen.
2. creative freedom with just enough structure. i don't want to be limited to certain sellers when making a treasury.
3. i am not really a joiner, and the non-team doesn't demand a certain level of commitment. you can just join this team today if you want. you don't have to be approved by anyone. if you stop participating for a while, it doesn't matter.
4. there is a three day window to make the treasury. it's good for busy people.
5. i like a good contest.
6. it's good company - there are some talented treasury makers who take part, and their ideas are fantastic.

i didn't miss any of these challenges at all until last week, and after six months, it seems weird to skip out. i won't be online much so i can't really participate in the off chance that i would win. it would be great to win someday - i've had three honorable mentions in the past several weeks, so i'm still hopeful, even though there are over a thousand people participating now.

and as the non-team grows, it just gets better.