visiting ‘one of the nicest places on the internet’

(Video link.)  We recommend checking out “One of the Nicest Places on the Internet”, a website doling out virtual hugs. It’s mission: “turn the sad into happy and the happy into celebration.” We find it brilliant, curiously heartwarming, beautiful, strange, sweet, healing, sometimes a bit creepy, effective, and finally, if we stay too-long, overwhelming.  But what’s amazing…

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how to do more in less time: pulse and rest

  As a chronically overcommitted, over-scheduled multi-tasker, I regularly push myself to max capacity. Working long hours, offering up my time for others’ projects, sacrificing sleep for productivity, and running home only to leave again five minutes later have become common practice. I can see the flaws in this system, but it’s helpful to have…

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we mashup attenborough’s ‘what a wonderful world’

(Video link here.) This video features the great natural history documentarian, Sir David Attenborough, reading lines from the Louis Armstrong song “What a Wonderful World” as stunning scenes from Attenborough’s documentaries fill the screen. While we watched, we were both delighted and a bit stymied. The video was both beautiful and perspective-broadening, while bordering on being precious and slightly…

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‘christmas is about remembering’

Our friend Lisa Morphew recently sent us a photo of Rabah Belamri, an extraordinary Algerian poet we met many years ago in the south of France. Accompanying the photo were these words: “It feels like this Christmas is about remembering the people that somehow changed my life.” Rabah was blind; he lost his sight when he…

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gifts for the wine curious: metro wine maps

When I saw ‘the improvised life’s recent post about christopher niemann’s fab color-tiled bathrooms, I immediately thought of the Metro Wine Map of France, created by architectural historian and wine buff Dr. David Gissen, which was introduced this past summer by De Long, a favorite resource of mine for beautiful wine region maps and clever…

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‘replace fear of the unknown with curiosity’

A perfect sign, after our own hearts, via Imaginary Foundation.  Replacing fear of the unknown with curiosity is something to PRACTICE. It reminds us of Eleanor Roosevelt’s great admonition: “Do one thing every day that scares you.” Related posts: gandhi: ‘our beliefs become our…destiny’ using your car to speak your heart reminder: it’s not what you…

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smoky, bacon-infused spirits for holiday cocktails

(Video link here –sorry about the commercial). We long been a fan of working subtle smoky-pig flavors into our cooking by using a good wood-smoked bacon – even using it to perfume chocolate cakelets. And we’ve always LOVED Maialino‘s margarita made with guanciale-and-sage-infused reposado tequila. Recently, we came across a recipe we’d bookmarked from New…

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