mellowbeing - crafty, geeky and a new yorker.
Why does Merlin Mann absolutely rock? Because he does. Not to mention, he writes amazingly profound bits of advice such as the one above. It is concise, motivating while not being preachy, douchebaggy "motivational speak", funny and Twitter friendly - under 140 characters!
I feel like just the first and last bits "Find Your Obsession / Get better" are the perfect pair to apply to life in general. I'm currently working on being more efficient, getting my priorities straight and having things set to prepare myself for a good future and an enjoyable today that allows for the madness that everyday life brings.
Watch the entire talk he gives on
"How to Blog". The man is quite the genius when it comes to getting things done.
More crafty programming coming after the break.
Labels: appreciation, random
A few months ago, I decided to test Urban Dictionary and see if I could get "mellowbeing" added as a word to their database. The approval process takes longer than a couple of days so it sort of dropped from my immediate attention span. While doing a Google search today, I found out that the entry had been added! Talk about a double whammy on one day :)
mellowbeing on Urban Dictionary.
P.S. Hope all you New Yorkers out there are staying dry this weekend. It's a bit misty out there.
Labels: nyc, random
Atheists now have a logo to represent themselves - sweet!
UPDATE: Logo is the official version that was voted on recently.
Read more here.
Labels: artwork, holiday, random
"This is a story all about how I started drinking."Another reason why I say I *must* meet Randall Munroe at some point. He just reads my mind.
Labels: appreciation, artwork, random
This is the closest to a photo of myself with my new haircut.
Make your own.
Labels: artwork, random
And in today's episode of the MellowBeing show, we're here to talk about books and the joys of reading. Yep, this post is non-craft, non-NYC and non-geek related. Oh, the surprises I have for you guys sometimes..
(please forgive the obvious over-Photoshopping on this image.. I had a bit too much fun with it)
The reading streak started when my coworkers and I rediscovered
GoodReads and started to obsessively add all the books we've ever read to the list. I mentioned to
EchantedDroppings that I'd be hitting the triple digits of books read by year's end. So far, so good.
A few weeks after declaring this, I was reading on
BoingBoing an
article about how Art Garfunkel has read over 1000 books since 1968. I looked at the
detailed list he has listed on his site.. pretty impressive, I must say. I then stumbled onto the list of
"1001 books you must read before you die" and quickly found a
group on GoodReads which is dedicated to accomplishing just this.
I wanted to end the post by showing a photograph of the amazing bookmark that Jessica from
LostButtonStudios had made me during a bookmark swap but I recently lost it :( I feel pretty awful about it - I lost it in the most ridiculous way and it was such a one-of-a-kind item customized for myself. Sigh.. I will be posting later on the gorgeous earrings she included in her package as a separate entry.
Well, that is all in this episode. Stay tuned for more!
Labels: random
I mentioned in an earlier post that I'd do a quick podcast review. This ties into "spending less time online".
Really, what does it come down to? Being efficient.
And nothing's more efficient than a podcast that will catch you up with the latest industry news in a few minutes to an hour.
The podcasts mentioned below are my current favorites. They range from general news to tech news to randomness to craftiness
(listed counterclockwise):
Sticks & Stringsa knitting podcast by an Australian bloke
You Look Nice TodayJournal of Emotional Hygiene with Merlin Mann as one of the 3 main guests
Knitters UncensoredHilarious trio based in Germany. Definitely uncensored.
This American LifeThere's a theme to each episode, and a variety of stories on that theme. It's mostly true stories of everyday people, though not always.
Craft.Rock.Live.Vickie Howell's podcast which lasted for one season. She has an interview with Greenday's lead singer's wife as well as other crafty divas.
NYTimes PodcastNews on the go: Front page news, NYT Tech Talk, Political Points: On The Presidential Campaign, Science Times, Only in New York
This Week in Tech: TWiTJoin Leo Laporte, Patrick Norton, John C. Dvorak, and other tech luminaries in a roundtable discussion of the latest trends in high tech
That is all folks! Check out these podcasts when you have a chance. Let me know if you've converted to any of them :)
Labels: crafty, geekery, lecture, random
This is going to be a really quick post. I just discovered these and they are some amazing guitar/instrumental songs...
Django Reinhardt - Dark EyesSe Ela Perguntar (valsa)Django Reinhardt - Minor SwingChanson d' hiverEnjoy!
Happy Thursday everyone :)
Labels: music, random
A couple of months ago, I downloaded the
PHPList installation files. A few weeks ago, I noticed I still had the folder with said files on my desktop. I had been avoiding installing the mailing list software for no particular reason. I kept telling myself it was just procrastination but in fact - fear. Do you ever not do something because you're afraid of screwing it up? But then you think to yourself, really - what's the worst that can happen? In this case, sure I could screw up a database and mess up the installation but would that bring down the Internet? Would the tubes be compromised?! No.. I just needed to dedicate an hour or two to reading the instructions, following through and if it did go terribly wrong..well, I could just delete the mailing list directory and start all over.
All in all, I can say my site is still well and alive as you can tell :) And if you haven't noticed already, there's a link on the left hand column so you can join my mailing list. If you want to stay up to date and would like to find out when I'll be reopening the shop, sign up. I'll probably send out an introductory coupon of sorts for the new shop so it won't hurt.
And the moral of the story kids is - don't be afraid of screwing up. You can't get anywhere if you don't start and try. You just need to DO IT.
Labels: geekery, random, shop
I hadn't thought this day would come so soon. I just checked the Google Analytics account I have set up for this website and learned that I have visitors from 13 countries! What took me by an even bigger surprise is that I have readership from over half of the U.S. states! I also have 4 GoogleReader subscribers.. Now I'm *really* curious who these lurkers are. So come out, come out, will ya?
I did wonder how updating the blog more often had created a larger conversation with more readers. I just had *no* idea it was this many more. I'm shocked and very flattered :) So thank you for reading!
I now have just that much more motivation to get inspired and write some meaningful and hopefully interesting content. I'm hoping to get my SXSW notes typed up before the weekend is over..
Labels: random
"
While Dudeism in its official form has been organized as a religion only recently, it has existed down through the ages in one form or another. Probably the earliest form of Dudeism was the original form of Chinese Taoism, before it went all weird with magic tricks and body fluids. The originator of Taoism, Lao Tzu, basically said "smoke 'em if you got 'em" and "mellow out, man" although he said this in ancient Chinese so something may have been lost in the translation."
I was recently named the "Very cute dudette" on the 'official' Dudeism group on Facebook.
And I've just been awarded (read: filled out a quick web form) a Certificate of Ordination as seen below:
Oh, it's a mellow day indeed :)
Labels: random
I hope someone is still reading as I haven't updated in quite a while. The summer has come and gone and with it there were several hurdles to overcome. I managed to take an entire year of classes - 2 in the Fall, 2 in the Spring and 2 in the Summer all with about about 4 days to a few weeks in between. All the while maintaining a full time job and of course, the crafty bit with the small business and now blog. It's really quite a bit for one person to handle and it's very overwhelming to the point where it becomes a question of sleeping or spending time with friends because you haven't done either in a while. And as usual, hanging out with friends is always a pleasure so that has taken a toll on my sleeping schedule and several other things.
Now the Fall semester is upon me - it is starting up tomorrow. It's my last year of grad school and as much as I'd like to say that I've taken grad school seriously these past two years, I really haven't given it my all. It seems that it's always easier to take the simpler route and kind of skim the surface on things. This being the last year of my academic studies for a while, I figure I should completely put all my effort into it and not do it half-assed, pardon my French ;) I think that perhaps sometime down the road, I will either get another Masters or a PhD but I know I definitely need a break before I start up another degree.
My biggest concern is that once the year is over, I will be graduating and as much as I should know by now, I don't actually have a clear idea of what I'd like to do the next several years after graduation. As much as I love crafting, it's not my true calling and I don't intend to do it as a side business for much longer. Trust me, you will see *plenty* of new items popping up in the shop in the next few months. I've created quite a bit this summer in times of stress and I always look forward to a few hours of mindless knitting after having a hard day and having too many other thoughts that I'm trying to clear. I've had quite a bit of fun coming up with cool color combinations, finding cute buttons to match things and meeting the nicest people along the way :) You've no idea how your friendship has helped me get through some difficult times this past year and even though I won't go into details, I want to say Thanks to everyone who's been reading and been so wonderful.
I also want to take up reading again - funny to say that. I used to be a huge bookworm as a kid and all throughout my undergraduate years but now with reading the newspaper in the morning and taking up the rest of the time to knit, I feel like I've lost my way. I used to imagine being able to walk in Barnes & Noble and saying I've read an entire bookshelf but with the way it's going, it'll be surprising if I have read as much as one set of books in the entire store. I have this massive "History of the World" book I bought a long time ago and I haven't cracked the cover. Isn't that sad? I don't like having abandoned books.
Anywho, I will be finishing up mellowbeing.com in the upcoming weeks and set everything up to make a more official store front. I always dreamed of creating my own crafty business when I was a child and I can now say that I've really done that and it's something more to check off my "what to do before 30" list. I can see this year being the height of that and I will try my best to pull off providing good service and maybe even some new items. There are also several personal projects I want to work on such as the infamous laptop sleeve I keep talking about but am only a third way done. So much to do, so little time! And there are still ideas brewing up in my head such as new brooches for shop. Hah.. but I need to stop before driving myself to complete madness.
This feels like a long letter somehow but I suppose that's what a blog entry is, a personal message from writer to reader. I just thought I'd throw out there how things are going and perhaps why I've taken a bit of an absence from the blogging. If you're still reading up to this point, you're very brave :)
Oh btw, I'm will be at the Artists & Fleas today from 12pm to 8pm. If youre in the Williamsburg area, stop by. Not sure when/if I'll do another show so yeah, come on by!
Labels: random, shows
Considering I'd be at work a lot this week (read: about 10 hours every day.) I figured with all that typing, my nails should look ready to do the job. I'm not a huge fan of red nail polish on myself although a nice subdued shade on others looks great. I'm more of a dark fuchsia girl myself. So I ventured out to Ricky's and Duane Reade searching for Essie nail polish in that shade and although I had my pedicure in the color, it wasn't possible to find it in regular commercial stores. I was getting a bit antsy and settled on a Maybelline shade which surprisingly enough was only $3 a bottle!
Anywho, here's an upclose. The dark brown really makes the color pop, eh? Now I have pretty typing fingertips.
And before he bites my head off, I'd like to officially thank Boris for inspiring this post :)
Labels: random
of the Mellowbeing Emergency broadcast/rss system.
Something's up with my blog ever since I reverted it to classic template and now have it land on http://mellowbeing.com/blog. Technorati doesn't update as well and the RSS feed didn't seem to pick up my last post. Anyone experienced this?
So this is just a test.
Labels: random
Today's post is a quick one and a very recent discovery ( I just learned about it this morning. Edit: Thanks to my friend
Boris for telling me about this! :) ).
There's a new up and coming knitting & crochet social community website called
Ravelry.com. According to their site:
"Ravelry is a place for knitters, crocheters, designers, spinners, and dyers to keep track of their yarn, tools and pattern information, and look to others for ideas and inspiration...
...So what can you personally do on Ravelry? You can talk about your own projects, integrate that information into your personal website and contribute to someone else's project a world away."
Apparently it's incredibly popular already even though it's in seemingly alpha/beta mode. Who knew there was such a huge demand for a site only about knitting & crochet? I sent in my request for an invite to the site this morning and when I went to check around lunchtime what my status was on their list, these were the results:
* You are #16981 on the list.
* 11050 people are ahead of you in line.
* 204 people are behind you in line.
There are indeed yarn nerds other than myself but that's a lot of them! If you're already a user on the site, let me know what it's like - if it lives up to the hype, etc.
[Okay, I have several topics to write about that have been in the queue for at least a month and I will be getting through them soon!]
Labels: crafty, knitting, random
(Thank you
Eggman Studios for tagging me!)
I haven't forgotten to write about this. I've actually been postponing it due to thinking of what to write here since there are many things I could mention but hopefully nothing too embarrassing ;)
1. I have a big sweet tooth. My favorite pastry is strawberry shortcake and I believe Viniero's (11th Street & 1st Ave. in NYC) is one of the best places to get sweets in the city. Hands down. I've been known to go on a "cake run" at midnight - my friend and I refer to this as the "Cake Story".
2. Even though it's very geeky, I'll admit to it. I do collect state coins. I even have a webpage setup so I can keep track of which are available, which I have and which I'm on the search for.
3. My favorite fruit is the kiwi. It's sour, sweet and fuzzy. One of the strangest fruits and usually pricey but it's SO good.
4. I was born with grayish bluish eyes which have turned into regular brown eyes. Although when I'm in the sun, they turn medium brown (whoo hoo).
5. As a kid, I wanted to become a nun. Probably because I was surrounded by nuns (started going to Catholic school at the young age of 3 1/2 til freshman year of high school). By the time I was in the 5th grade, I was on my way to be a pediatrician or obstetrician. Early high school, I was going to be an architect. By college, I started off as a Computer Engineer. Graduated as a Computer Scientist. It's a long way from being a nun to a computer geek. hah.
6. I met Mother Theresa. No, really. While I was in the 8th grade, she was invited to visit my school (St. Patrick's Old Cathedral in downtown Manhattan). She gave us all her blessing and I was literally a foot away from her as she walked out of the auditorium towards the end of the service. I didn't want to be creepy like the rest of the people and refused to reach out and touch her shoulder.
7. I really like the song "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" by Rod Stewart. I will have to sing it in karaoke again. :)
Seven bloggers I'm tagging (do it!):
Cat BishopCrafty DaisiesFuture GirlHaasomeJared KSN-oy-UTiger GirlYour instructions:
1. List seven random facts/habits about yourself
2. Choose another seven bloggers to tag and list their names in your blog
3. Leave your seven tagged bloggers comments to notify them of their tagging and to direct them to your blog for tag instructions.
Labels: random
I caught this on tv last night which was surprising considering it's an independent film that isn't even very well known in the cult movie culture, or least I haven't heard anyone talk about it. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend you watching it.
The story is primarily about a girl, who up til her senior year of college, believed everything in the world should be beautiful and perfect. She had the most "perfect" life - most appreciated sorority sister, jock boyfriend and socialite parents. It's all very surreal and it has a strange sense of 50s superficiality. There's no time frame for the movie either since the clothing and hair are very much retro but the references are from the last few years so it's a nice mix of timelines. So, all in all, her life changes when she meets the boy she's paired up with to train for a challenged sports event. I haven't figured out what disease he had but that's not the point. It's far from cheesy, I hate anything that's even slightly predictable or corny and yes, this movie has a bit of those elements but it's so sincere that I couldn't help but overlook those things.
And yes, it's a love story. Aren't they all? Just watch it. :)
Labels: random
Why does Merlin Mann absolutely rock? Because he does. Not to mention, he writes amazingly profound bits of advice such as the one above. It is concise, motivating while not being preachy, douchebaggy "motivational speak", funny and Twitter friendly - under 140 characters!
