The Monday Mashup is an experiment, designed to get my creative juices flowing. I get a random word and a random number, and I write a list based on that mashup.

This week’s mashup: Six Fares

This photo is here not because it relates to fares but because I think it’s lovely.

1. Farmgirl Fare

A fun side-effect of doing the Monday Mashups is discovering new sites or people. Perusing the interwebs’ myriad options for “fare” brought me to Farmgirl Fare, a blog that captured me with its daily “doses of cute” via photos of the animals that inhabit the farmland with the blog’s author. And then I read the author’s bio blurb, and was even more fascinated. Here’s what she says:

When I was 26, I sold my little bakery cafe, packed up 200 boxes of books & antiques, & waved goodbye to my native California. Armed with a very basic knowledge of gardening, an overenthusiastic sense of adventure, & lots of naivete, I ended up on a 280-acre, 140-year-old farm in the middle of nowhere. I became cook, gardener, shepherd, farmhand, vet, surrogate mom, wildlife expert, sheep midwife & animal undertaker. My prep school education & graphic design background were useless.

I love a good tale of self-reinvention. Visit the site if for no other reason than the lambs are completely adorable.

2. FareStart

Taglined “Great Food. Better Lives”, the Seattle organization known as FareStart is helping people through food. It offers culinary training alongside life skills training and employment assistance for homeless and disadvantaged individuals. Plus, FareStart supplies meals to homeless shelters and childcare centers in the Seattle area 365 days a year. Food as a catalyst for change. I like it.

3. Farewell

“Let’s not unman each other – part at once; / All farewells should be sudden, when forever, / Else they make an eternity of moments, / And clog the last sad sands of life with tears.” –Lord Byron (achingly true and beautiful)

4. The How Are You Faring Project

Since asking “How do you fare?” is synonymous with “How are you doing,” I thought this entry fit. The How Are You Doing Project, part audio art project and part fascination with other people’s lives (from the mundane to the funny to the heartwrenching), provides a toll-free number to call and answer that one question: How are you doing? The responses are recorded and displayed anonymously on the website, creating an audio mosaic of experiences and thoughts. The last update was Thanksgiving weekend; I hope this project continues.

5. Because where else online are seafarers going to hang out?

Did you know that there is a social networking site specifically for Seafarers? Yeah, there totally is. It’s called MyShip. It even has its own “Shipspedia.” I love the internet.

6. Busfare

I like looking up words in the Urban Dictionary. It’s like a wikipedia of slang. Turns out that someone uses “busfare” as a synonym for “Oh, that sucks,” or “Bummer.” The busfare entry says, “Used to describe sumthing that is really shady or bad… made up by abran one nite when he kept saying that he needed busfare for his ride home[.]” So if I said, “Damnit, my mouse button isn’t working and it’s taking twice as long to get this post published because of it,” an appropriate response could be, “Dude. Busfare.” I’m highly amused by this, and plan to use this newfound phrase liberally in conversation.

The fact that no one except for a couple of Urban Dictionary users will understand what I mean? Busfare, man.

Your turn!

How do you fare today? What fares come to mind for you?

If you liked this post, you might also dig:

• Monday Mashup #6: Ten Kings

The Monday Mashup is an experiment, designed to get my creative juices flowing. I get a random word and a random number, and I write a list based on that mashup. I’m not going to require myself to make the list perfect or expert–just requiring myself to do it consistently. At least for now.

This week’s mashup: Ten Kings

1. Kings of Leon: I know Sex on Fire was overplayed–but I love it madly anyway. It helps that I discovered it after it peaked in popularity. The Kings of Leon album, Only By The Night, is a frequent while-I’m-working listen.

2. Drink!: If you’re in college, or just looking for a clever way to binge drink with your friends, you might try Kings. I recommend it only in larger groups, lest you cross that fine line between “yay fun drinking games” and “getting far too close and personal with whatever toilet happens to be nearby.”

3. What’s in room 237? The Shining is a really scary movie. I’m told that it is also a really scary book, though I have to take others’ word on that, having not read it myself. But I do know that without Stephen King, we would have no iconic image of Jack Nicholson busting through the door in a murderous craze and announcing, “Heeeeere’s Johnny!” So thank you for that, Mr. King. And for scaring the bejeezus out of me via circus clown.

4. Ben E. King: One of those “Hey, I know that song!” artists, Ben E. King’s voice is front and center on many recognizable songs of yesteryear, such as Stand By Me and This Magic Moment.

5. I have a dream! Martin Luther King, Jr. No further explanation needed, yeah?

6. The Kings of Pop and Rock: Say what you will about their personal lives, but anyone who can make a choreographed boogie with the undead into a worldwide, enduring phenomenon or turn a bell-bottomed jumpsuit-with-cape ensemble into a symbol of Cool has some legendary prowess backing their eccentricity.

7. The Prince of Wales: Technically not a king yet, the heir to Great Britain’s throne, Prince Charles of Wales, nonetheless comes to mind when I think of “kings.”

8. Not my Big Wheel: I had a Big Wheel bike called a King Cobra when I was a child, and I thought it was awesome. But the actual King Cobra is pretty awesome as well. Did you know they grow to be 13 feet long and live for a couple of decades? Wowza.

9. Checkmate. Wikipedia refers to the king as the most important piece in a game of chess. I always referred to it as “the piece with the little cross thing on its head.” My title is significantly less regal.

10. Simba: Leave it to Disney to render the King of the Jungle a big ball of animated cuteness accompanied by the lilting melodies of an Elton John smash hit. I present The Lion King. Hakuna Matata!

If you liked this post, you might also dig:

• Monday Mashup #7: Six Fares

The Monday Mashup is an experiment, designed to get my creative juices flowing. I get a random word and a random number, and I write a list based on that mashup. I’m not going to require myself to make the list perfect or expert–just requiring myself to do it consistently. At least for now.

This week’s mashup: Three Choices (that I make each day)

1. PC or Mac?

I grew up on Atari and then on PCs. We never had an Apple computer in our household, and I avoided using them in school because PCs were my comfort zone. I got to know Apple during undergrad when the folks I worked for during the summers (and after graduation) used Macs exclusively. But I still favored PCs.

But then I got a Dell Inspiron 1720 that was equal parts pink bubble gum beauty and spawn of Satan. I designed it to be my dream computer and it mocked me with its pretty exterior and clusterbumble of Vista issues inside. I spent more time fixing it than I spent using it. And around the same time, Apple came out with the “Hi, I’m a Mac” commercial series… oh, Apple. You had me at “I’m a Mac.”

I got my first iMac early this year, and it was passionate love at first type. For all of the PC folks who say, “Tell me why Macs are better than PCs, and give me a reason other than ‘It just works,’” I say, “How sad you’ve forgotten what life can be like when you have a computer that just works.” I could not run my business if I had to deal with the headaches of Windows. So I still own my beautiful pink PC… I just use it as a backup, a Hulu/Netflix display, and as an in-case machine, should I wind up with a client who needs something generated via PC. But I choose my iMac as my main machine–enthusiastically.

And I love those Mac commercials so much I want to re-convert all over again when I see them. Marketing genius.

2. Coffee or Tea?

Both! But in the morning, it’s decidedly coffee. I have only one mug of coffee each day, but I cannot start my day without it. Not because of the caffeine, but because of the ritual around it. I pour the water into the coffee pot as my dogs eat their morning meal. The aroma of dark roast coffee wafts out to greet me as it starts to brew. The pot finishes its brew cycle as I let my dogs outside after they’re done eating and just as my morning toast pops up from the toaster.

I doctor up my coffee in a particular way, too. Since I can no longer afford the (exorbitant) luxury of Starbucks fancy coffees every day, I make my own version. I use three Tablespoons of hot cocoa, one packet of Stevia powder, and two Tablespoons of Peppermint creamer in my mug of coffee, and stir it all up. It is heaven in the morning.

Throughout the rest of the day, I have a variety of teas, often using my Libre because I like to watch the tea brew and change color and swirl. But in the morning, I choose that one mug of coffee that makes the world all right.

3. Early riser or night owl?

Whether this is a choice is debatable. I think there’s a strong built-in urge to be one or the other, and I think you can tailor that urge, but you never really get rid of it. I’m a night owl. Always have been. My body does not know the rhythm of getting tired as night draws. I tend to get burst of productive energy that hits around 10pm and lasts until around 2am Eastern.

I really like the early morning hours, though. There is something magic about the hours when the earth around me is just waking from its slumber, when the birds sing to a quiet neighborhood, as if they always get the Time To Wake Up memo an hour before anyone else. But it’s nigh impossible for me to get up at that time and stay awake all day. If I sleep for 8 hours and wake around 10am, I’m golden. If I wake before 9ish, no matter how long I’ve slept, I’m exhausted within a couple of hours, and throughout the day.

So I’m a night owl. I’m experimenting with trying to be a morning person, but so far, nothing has been as effective for making my waking hours, well, actually wakeful as being a night owl.

Your turn!

Are you a PC or a Mac? Do you favor coffee or tea? Do you share my night owl tendencies or rise with the early birds? What other daily choices to you make?

If you liked this post, you might also dig:

• Monday Mashup #7: Six Fares
• Gratitude Sundae | Day 14 of 30thanks

The Monday Mashup is an experiment, designed to get my creative juices flowing. I get a random word and a random number, and I write a list based on that mashup. I’m not going to require myself to make the list perfect or expert–just requiring myself to do it consistently. At least for now.

This week’s mashup: Eight Tabs (that are often open in my browser)

1. Gmail

I live out of my Gmail inbox. Gmail makes storing, sorting, searching and using the emails I receive so easy that it makes more sense to use it as a hub than to try and extricate all of that information and put it into other places. I use many of the Gmail features, including color-coded labels, filters, and canned responses, all of which make my life as an online businessperson significantly easier.

2. Google Reader

There are a couple hundred million blogs out there, and in my obsessively extensive websurfing, I’ve seen an awful lot of them. Not all of them, but probably more than what can possibly be considered normal. The ones that click with me–the ones where I can lose a couple of hours reading the archives and wind up penning a fangurl-esque email to the author proclaiming my adoration for their writing–get put into Google Reader, where I can check in on them on a daily basis.

3. Google Calendar

Google Calendar (also known as “Gcal”) is my favorite online calendar–and I’ve tried several. I prefer it to iCal too.

4. Basecamp

I love Basecamp, both for working with my clients and for keeping my own stuff in some semblance of order. Havi (and via Havi, Cairene‘s systems magic) have helped me learn how to turn Basecamp from “somewhat useful tool” into “powerful way to get things done, keep in touch, manage an entire business and discrete projects, and never lose a piece of information ever again.” I use it, I recommend it, and I’ve used other similar products only to come running back to Basecamp every time.

5. Freckle

Freckle is a time-tracking application that makes tracking your time easy, intuitive, and–yep, I’m going to say it–kind of fun. (I know. That blew your mind right there, didn’t it?) Since the Freckle team added a timer that you can access via a bookmarklet, it went from “great” to “how are people not using this?!” Even the interface is actually colorful and fun to use. This is the time-tracking software that all other time-tracking software lays in meadows daydreaming of becoming.

6. Twitter

Okay, you got me, you wildly astute reader, you. This one’s a cheat. I don’t “often” have Twitter open in a tab. I use Tweetdeck.

But this list seemed wholly incomplete without the inclusion of the one social media tool that, if some social media-obsessed lunatic ever put an iPhone to my head and insisted I become monogamous with only one social media tool, I would opt for without much hesitation. (Other than the expected hesitation of wondering why the hell someone is forcing me to make hasty decisions about social media communication with threat of blunt iPhone trauma. Of course.)

And if your first thought when I say “Twitter” is “But I just don’t get Twitter,” I can discern a few things about you:

• One: you feel overwhelmed by the amount of conversation and information being exchanged online and see Twitter as more noise.
• Two: you envision the entire populace of Twitter sharing what they had for breakfast and what their dog is doing, and you can’t fathom why anyone would care.
• Three: you haven’t given Twitter a fair shot (at least one month of 10-minutes-a-day usage) to prove to you that neither of the first two are accurate, even though some people do share their breakfast preferences and their dog’s activities, and you’d probably be surprised at how much really good conversation gets started around seemingly stale topics like that. By the way, I had pancakes, and my dogs are napping.

7. Hulu

I spend the vast majority of my waking hours at or near the computer. When I’m at home, I am very rarely near a television. But there are programs (Psych, House, The Office, Community, Greek… to name a few) that I enjoy too much to give up. Enter Hulu. Hulu is [insert deity of choice]‘s way of saying, “Fear not, precious internet citizen, for though you may flee the land of high cable bills and programming that runs on someone else’s schedule and pummels you with too many commercials, you need not be without your entertainment.” Thank you, [deity of choice]. (Oh, and [deity of choice]? Thanks for apple crisp, inflatable moonwalk bounce houses and poster putty, too.)

8. Facebook

Equal parts social hangout and wanton timesuck, Facebook has two primary hooks for me:

First, it’s the only social media outpost one of my brothers and my sister-in-law use, despite my persistent attempts at Twonverting them. (Converting them to Twitter. You got that, right?)

Second, it’s the only place where I can simultaneously learn what my elementary school boyfriend’s children are dressing up as for Halloween, RSVP for a teleworkshop a colleague is presenting, discover what 80s teen flick character my college volleyball teammate would be, and brush up on my Uno skills with players from Indonesia, Ireland, and Australia (wassup, Alai, Mark, and Lelei!).

Facebook is way less streamlined than Twitter (what with its bajillion applications and quizzes and ways to annoy people), way less useful than most of the internet marketing types desperately try to make it out to be, and yet… there’s a reason oodles of us keep checking in and hanging out each day. With all of its flaws and mishaps and timesuck qualities, it’s social, it’s fun, and it feeds that most basic of online-human traits: curiosity about everybody else.

Your Turn!

What tabs are often open in your browser? Do share! I’m always looking to add to my tab collection.

If you liked this post, you might also dig:

• Monday Mashup #7: Six Fares
• Monday Mashup #6: Ten Kings

The Monday Mashup is an experiment, designed to get my creative juices flowing. I get a random word and a random number, and I write a list based on that mashup. I’m not going to require myself to make the list perfect or expert–just requiring myself to do it consistently. At least for now.

This week’s mashup: Ten Expressions

The first five expressions are ones that bug me.

1. To be honest with you… When someone says this, my immediate thought is, “Were you not being honest with me before?”

2. Not to be rude, but… Does this phrase ever preface a comment that isn’t rude? It would be more honest to say, “Get ready for the rude!” At least then I wouldn’t think you were full of it.

3. If you want my opinion… If I’ve asked for your opinion, there’s no need to say this. And if I haven’t asked for your opinion and you’re genuinely uncertain whether it’s wanted, wouldn’t it be better to ask, “Do you want my opinion?” Phrasing it like this basically says, “I’m pretending to care about whether you want to hear my opinion, but really, I’m givin’ it to you no matter what.”

4. It’s hotter than a witch’s _ _ _! Ugh. First, this is a disgusting phrase on multiple levels. Second, saying this makes you immediately seem less intelligent than you did before you uttered it. Third, what on earth does that even mean? Have you felt various parts of a witch’s anatomy and come to some conclusion about their temperature relative to the outdoor climate? Just… ugh. But every single summer, I hear this at least once. And I am appropriately perturbed every time.

5. Very truly yours… When I worked as an attorney, this was a common closing phrase on letters, and it never seemed very truly appropriate. It seemed either patronizing or silly. (“Oh, you’re truly mine? Not just truly, but very truly? Well, isn’t that sweet. Thank you so much… random person with whom I have no relationship.”)

The next five expressions are ones I dig.

6. Bob’s your uncle… This British phrase is a favorite. I have no real reason why, other than it delights me when someone uses it in their speech as if it’s just the most natural thing in the world to say. “I saw them at the Cafe, and Bob’s your uncle, we were having coffee and laughing like old friends!” Love it.

7. Mad as a wet hen. I’ve never actually seen a wet hen. I can only assume that hens, when wet, are mad. But I have a clear visual in my head of an infuriated, soaked clucker running around, flapping and squawking, and juxtaposing that visual with the person toward whom the phrase is being applied always makes me giggle.

8. How do you like them apples? (see also How ’bout them apples). This phrase got a resurgence in pop culture lingo after the movie Good Will Hunting featured a main character using it to great effect. But ever since I was a little girl, I found this phrase as crisp and delectable as the fruit it references. A little nonsensical? Sure. A little old-fashioned? Maybe. A satisfying way to sum up an unexpected happening? Absolutely.

9. Thank you. We say this reflexively in a lot of situations because it’s socially expected. And that’s fine. But when someone says “Thank you” and means it in a way that goes beyond social expectations or reflexive response, those two words always nestle into a soft, cozy spot in my day and leave me feeling glowingly appreciated.

10. Go big or go gnome! I saw this one on a T-shirt made by the folks at Television Without Pity, referencing the Travelocity gnome used in The Amazing Race. I loved it immediately, first because I have an odd fascination with and adoration of gnomes, and second because it’s simultaneously zany and just a little pep-inspiring. It’s a win-win pep phrase. You either Go Big (huzzah! biggifying!) or you Go Gnome (possibly even better).

Your turn!

What expressions make you madder than a wet hen? What phrases do you love and use, even if they make no sense to anyone but you?

If you liked this post, you might also dig:

• Monday Mashup #6: Ten Kings
• Monday Mashup #7: Six Fares

The Monday Mashup is an experiment, designed to get my creative juices flowing. I get a random word and a random number, and I write a list based on that mashup. I’m not going to require myself to make the list perfect or expert–just requiring myself to do it consistently. At least for now.

This week’s mashup: Six Witnesses

1. The movie. Let’s get the obvious one out of the way: Harrison Ford + Kelly McGillis + Lukas Haas = Witness, a 1985 film about a young Amish boy (Haas) who witnesses a murder, and a cop (Harrison)’s undercover adventure trying to protect the boy and the boy’s mother (McGillis).

2. Jehovah’s Witnesses. Did you know that Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that the earth will never be destroyed or depopulated? I’m fascinated by religious beliefs and practices (hence why one of my BAs is in Religious Studies), and I’m curious about how this belief syncs up with (or doesn’t sync up with) the current push for greener practices. Do Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that push is unnecessary, because the earth will withstand whatever we thrust upon it, or do they see it as a means to ensuring that the earth won’t be destroyed? Fascinating.

3. Human rights. Peter Gabriel (yep, that one) launched Witness.org, a group using video and online technologies to “open the eyes of the world to human rights violations.” Throw that one into your arsenal of examples for the next time someone says the time we spend on the internet has no redeeming value.

4. You can’t handle the truth! Being a witness in a courtroom is rarely similar to the dramatic portrayals we see in the movies. But that’s usually the only background people have when they actually have to go to court and be a witness. So if it’s not like what you’ve seen on TV, what is it like? The Iowa State Bar Association has a nice guide on what to expect as a witness. Some of the tips given (stick to the facts, ask for clarification rather than guessing what someone just asked you, admit what you don’t know) are good for conversing in general, not just being on the witness stand.

5. Earth Witness Mudra. The “earth witness mudra” is depicted in this photo by the Buddha’s right hand, extended and pressing the earth. It symbolizes the moment when the Buddha attained enlightenment, and called upon the earth goddess to bear witness of his enlightenment. The left hand is in the mudra of meditation, which symbolizes method and wisdom joining together. Also, I like the pink and light blue in this photo–more whimsical colors than you typically see in religious artwork, no?

6. Cyndi Lauper. Her “Time After Time” is an instantly recognizable classic, and even her cheeky “She Bop” (the meaning of which was lost on me until only about three years ago when a friend became appalled that I called myself a fan but didn’t know) gets the occasional nod in the 80s flashback clubs. But one of the lesser-played but great tracks on her album fits with this week’s mashup, and therefore, I present her song “Witness.”

If you liked this post, you might also dig:

• Monday Mashup #7: Six Fares
• Monday Mashup #6: Ten Kings

The Monday Mashup is an experiment, designed to get my creative juices flowing. I get a random word and a random number, and I write a list based on that mashup. I’m not going to require myself to make the list perfect or expert–just requiring myself to do it consistently. At least for now.

This week’s mashup: Eight Remedies

1. Planning. I’m currently in a process of reassessing and refocusing. I started to feel a bit… uncertain about my direction. And while my first instinct is to just plow ahead with more fervor, the real remedy is to take a step back and give myself time and space to get a new perspective, and a new plan. And then plow ahead with more fervor.

2. Vinegar. From pet odors to streaky windows, sore throats to clogged showerheads, classic white vinegar is your remedy. Who knew?

3. Jason Mraz. “The remedy is the experience.”

4. Black Crowes. “Can I have some remedy?”

5. Milk Rice. Whenever I got sick, Mums would make milk rice for me. So, to this day, milk rice is a cure all for me. Whether I have a tummy ache or just a bad day, Mums’ milk rice makes it all better. Here’s a recipe for milk rice–I have no idea what Mums’ recipe is. This isn’t her recipe; it’s just a recipe.

6. Ginger. Speaking of tummy aches, ginger is great for achy stomachs and indigestion. I like to take just a little nub of fresh ginger and put it in a mug of hot water. Wait a few minutes, and then sip the water. It’s tasty (assuming you like the taste of ginger, that is!), and it eases stomach upset.

7. Copylicious. Kelly Parkinson, the Writer-in-Chief at Copylicious, is the remedy for what you think copywriting might be–dry, corporatized, robotic. Her Twitter bio declares that she fights robot invasions, and when it comes to copy, she does. She’s got the mind of a top-notch strategist coupled with a real-person vernacular and a sense of humor to boot. (Not in the market for any copy at the moment? Check out Kelly’s blog for tips on everything from email subject lines to using LinkedIn.)

8. Windex. I have no personal experience with this one, outside of being amused while watching Michael Constantine advise its use for remedying all physical ailments–including a wedding day pimple–in the delightful movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Even if the Windex isn’t the cure-all that Gus Portokalos believed it to be, the movie is a sure-fire remedy for a down day.

Your turn

What remedies do use, love, find amusing, or listen to?

If you liked this post, you might also dig:

• Monday Mashup #6: Ten Kings
• Monday Mashup #7: Six Fares