I have an official crush on this lady now. Took long enough! (Related: we should all buy some of this wine. Unless, of course, we’re under the legal drinking age.)

OMG MICHAEL COLEMAN! SQUEEE!

“A mysterious band of hacker-artists is prowling the network of tunnels below Paris, secretly refurbishing the city’s neglected treasures.” I know you’re going to read this.

All the cool kids are talking about networking this week:
-What The Pros Know About Networking That You Don’t
-Network Like a Rockstar

Baby Got Book (I promise this will make your day.)

Make “quilts” with your photos – this is pretty cool.

Need to buy something for your Valentine? Here’s a sweet book-themed print, and here are a ton of amazingly cute cards.

FOODS THAT MAKE YOU LOOK GOOD! Or so they claim.

Can someone loan me their garage?

1. I can happily report that my first resolution, to sew something with sleeves, is nearly complete! I’ve been tracking the progress with instagram photos, which has reminded me how many tedious steps there are to sewing and also how many times I tend to rip out a zipper before I’m satisfied with its placement. (Inevitably, I will rip it out once more after finishing the garment and hand-stitch it.)

2. I’ve managed to refine the process of tracking my books, so that it’s somewhat less random and hopefully more accessible. I’ve also created a tumblr so that you can see all the books at once – most of them (or at least all of the new ones) link back to this blog. (I’m also morphing into one of those people who wants to create a tumblr for every passing thought. So far, I’ve managed to resist.) Psst. Check out the archive view to see them sorted by month.

3. On a semi-strategic whim, I applied for the Neighborhood Leadership Institute this year. (I heard about it only a few days before the deadline.) So one of my resolutions, in light of this commitment, is to increase my knowledge of and investment in this delightful city.

4. Last night, on another semi-strategic whim, I proposed Time Banking as an NLI group project idea, and the response was that exactly the people I’d been hoping to work with volunteered to be on my team. So, this crazy concept that I discovered over a year ago is continuing to grow, and my hope is that we can craft a plan to fully launch it in all segments of our community (with proper media exposure and government support) by the end of the year.

There are others, but I prefer to keep them top-secret for now. I definitely believe I’m susceptible to the concept that sharing your plans before they’re reality – and being affirmed for your intentions, results or no results – can keep you from working toward your goals. I’d rather be praised for having accomplished something than for coming up with ideas.

Why are you reading this book?
It’s the first book for the IAM Readers Guild this year.

What is the first line?
The sun was faithful again that morning, rising above the farm with a shine so fresh it tasted like gazpacho.

Describe the book in haiku form:
creepy short stories
science fiction, fantasy
all sorts of awesome

What will you do with it now?
keep for reference
x keep and loan out to friends x
keep to read again & again & again
post to paperbackswap.com
throw it away

Anything else you’d like to say?
I’ve already loaned the book out to a friend, and recommend that you get your hands on a copy as well.

Here are some interesting links for your Friday:

All the Single Ladies – I think I’ve posted this before, but it came to mind again. The most poignant line, for me: “What my mother could envision was a future in which I made my own choices. I don’t think either of us could have predicted what happens when you multiply that sense of agency by an entire generation.”

How’s your friendship with your spouse? – I can’t actually answer this yet, but I love this model of marriage.

“Men are like trucks: they drive straighter with a weighted load.” – Why men need marriage.

America Has a Dysfunctional Relationship with Work – omg MIKE ROWE! This is thought-provoking. How do we restore the honor of hard work?

Beyond the Borders of Postage Stamps – You must look at this.

That’s all I have! Enjoy your weekend. I hope to do some sewing, some cooking, and some lounging.

Have you heard the Two Man Gentlemen Band? Well, I haven’t either. But I read their blog, because it’s hilarious. Here’s a handy chart they made to describe their music.

Confessions of Serial Entrepreneurs – “To entrepreneurs, the world isn’t a big threatening place. They tend to understand by education or experience what is really going on.” (I’ve been observing these types, wondering if they’re playing by a different set of rules than the rest of us.)

I LOVE this wedding from local photographer, Sarah Cramer Shields. Everyone is so expressive, and their smiles are HUGE! And the books! LOOK AT ALL THE BOOKS!

Garment Maintenaince for Guys – what a delightfully non-threatening name for a sewing class!

Hey guys, while I have your attention, go buy a bowtie and order yourself some custom dress shirts. The women in your life will thank me later.

The Greatest Paper Map of the United States You’ll Ever See – I know you’re curious. Buy it here. (HT Rachel)

“You might laugh, but the sort of immaculate movement control required of a vaudevillian is the same sort of control necessary for intricate flirtation. This is why football players are such bad flirts and ballet dancers and unicyclists, however weird, are such good ones.” – Scandals of Classic Hollywood: Cary Grant’s Intimate Bromance

The Morgan Freeman EP by Yellow Ostrich – “Inspired by Morgan Freeman’s wikipedia page.”

A friend and I had a conversation this week which reminded me of this blog. – We Like Nice Boys – It’s such a sweet concept.

And let’s end with some recommendations! Holly from NothingButBonfires gives a great summary of what she read in 2011 (I particularly love this because most of these books are new to me) and my friend Moose shares his top 10 movies.

One addition to the book list that will happen whenever the mood strikes (or perhaps whenever someone requests it) – I’ll take a snapshot of the books I’m currently reading and give a short status report.

From top to bottom:
-Straw House, Wood House, Brick House, Blow – I need to finish this by next Wednesday, for a book club, and I will most likely finish it in another day or two. It’s engaging to the point that I am afraid to pick it up unless I have an hour to read.
-From the Library of C. S. Lewis – Filled with little snippets of literature and devotional texts, I read a few pages before bed most nights. This will probably be on the pile most of the year. An intentional slow read.
-Middlemarch – This would be the book I pick up when I’m having trouble sleeping, because it’s so dull it puts me to sleep. I’ve been reading the first quarter of this book for…months it seems. At some point – hopefully the halfway point – the plot will thicken and I’ll pick up the pace, but when I’m reading “classics” for the first time, I don’t necessarily assume it’ll become any easier.
-Bonhoeffer – At one time, this was the book I read on the bus so that I looked smart. Also, I was reading it for a discussion group that I’m unable to attend on a regular basis anymore. This snapshot reminds me to pick it up again, in measured doses. I found it interesting even though it’s not my usual reading choice.
-Swann’s Way – This is the most embarrassing in the pile. I started reading it in France, on the train, made it perhaps a third of the way through, and haven’t managed to pick it up again. Proust requires attention – and I knew this before starting the book, but I didn’t realize how consuming it would be. In order to pick this up again, I’m going to need a very specific setting which doesn’t currently exist in my life.

Three dense books that are somewhat painful to pick up is more than usual. How about you help me decide which one to tackle and finish first?

Why are you reading this book?
This was a gag gift from a friend, given shortly after my debut as a rockstar. It was so short, and I was so curious/mortified by the cover promises (Intro by Eric Stefani of “No Doubt”) that I pretended I was back in high school (it was published in 1999) and hoped to learn something.

What is the first line?
A hush comes over the noisy crowd as the stage lights go down.

Describe the book in haiku form:
Angsty teenager!
You wanna be a rock star?
Don’t quit your day job.

What will you do with it now?
keep for reference
keep and loan out to friends
keep to read again & again & again
post to paperbackswap.com
x throw it away x

Anything else you’d like to say?
Not about the book. But in this photo, I am wearing a Where The Wild Things Are t-shirt, and I intentionally made my hair as unruly as it was back in high school!

Why are you reading this book?
I chose this book to fulfill a professional development requirement for my day job. Every fall, I set a growth goal that’s terrifying and barely attainable, because I’m such an optimist. It took me much longer to start this book than I’d care to admit.

What is the first line?
Probably you have already failed.

Describe the book in haiku form:
pick yourself up and
dust yourself off and then start
all over again

What will you do with it now?
x keep for reference x
keep and loan out to friends
keep to read again & again & again
post to paperbackswap.com
throw it away

Anything else you’d like to say?
Though it was difficult to start, and parts of the book were painful to read, it was encouraging overall. Their first goal was to normalize failure, to point out that most everyone has failed at one point or another, and the problem is not the failing itself but that nobody ever talks about it. There was a long section about the ways career failure can affect your personal life, and also a review of the stages of grief. And then they set out to redefine and reframe failure, encouraging you to see it as a teachable moment or an opportunity to branch out in new directions.

(Don’t tell anyone else, but I also make these lists so that I can keep track of themes that catch my attention from week to week. One day, we’ll all look back on these through the haze of fond recollection, and laugh at how naive I was.)

NEW YEAR LINKS:

Hey, hobo man! Hey, dapper Dan! You’ve both got your style, but baby, you’re never fully dressed without a SMILE! (I couldn’t resist. The article has nothing to do with Annie and everything to do with smiling.)

Ten (or more) questions to ask at the start of a New Year. If you’re into that sort of thing. (Confession: I haven’t even read the whole list.)

Moose’s 10 Favorite Albums of 2011 – I went to college with Moose (not his real name) and though I will watch any movie he recommends without pause, I had no idea our music tastes were also so closely aligned. Solid reviews/recommendations.

It’s Not About You “The purpose in life is not to find yourself. It’s to lose yourself.” This is a few months old, and I’m guessing you’ve already seen it, but this advice bears repeating.

Personal MBA: Recommended Reading List I’ve been toying with the idea of reading through this list for a while now. He’s recently updated the list, making a few cuts and additions, and I’m going to slowly start reading.

Birdy This is beautiful. Give it a listen. (HT Wes)

Fred Armisen Explains Why There’s No Such Thing As Hipsters (HT Rachel – she’s basically my source for all things hipster, but she does live in Portland, so I wouldn’t expect anything less.)

I Can’t Get Married – Hilariousness from the archives of the Curator.

4 Steps to Your Best Business Year – Wisdom that can be applied to other areas of life as well.

This guy was profiled in Fortune. Here’s his response. I can’t quit his blog, even though his bravado is sometimes a bit too strong and he’s always trying to sell something. The content – even the free content – is too good to ignore. (Be sure to read the Fortune article as well.)

Why are you reading this book?
My group of friends who introduce each other to beloved children’s books have finally chosen something that I already know and love! This is my third or fourth time through this book. We’ll be discussing it sometime this month.

What is the first line?
In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.

Describe the book in haiku form:
Bilbo’s big mistakes:
following adventure, and
finding a gold ring.

What will you do with it now?
keep for reference
keep and loan out to friends
x keep to read again & again & again x
post to paperbackswap.com
throw it away

Anything else you’d like to say?
I love this story – and the other hobbit adventures – because it’s about the accidental hero, someone who doesn’t actually believe he’s up for these challenges and yet who continues to surprise himself with wisdom and courage and strength.