Lettuce Feeling

In my younger days, I experienced a strange phenomenon. When shopping at the grocery store, I would get a strange feeling when I looked at the lettuces piled up in the produce section. Kind of an internal shiver. It was worse with the darker leaf varieties - romaine, red and green leaf - but still happened when I gazed at even the iceberg or butter heads.

I call it "Lettuce Feeling."

My research has yielded few clues to the cause of this strange malady, and I believe I've only ever met another sufferer once. I wonder if there is a proper moniker for this condition.

New Year Resolutions for 2012

The title of this post is misleading. You'd think you would be seeing a list of things I plan to do in 2012, but it's not. Instead I'm going to write about what I am *not* going to do this year.

First, I'm going to stop worrying about "being someone." I already am someone--me! I don't need to worry if famous person A or famous person B knows who I am. I found out the hard way that even when they do know who you are, they usually don't give a shit. So fuck 'em. I am me and that's all that I need.

Second, and related, I'm not going to worry about my title. I always thought that a fancy title meant validation of my effort. But it doesn't. There is some correlation, to be sure, when a title / promotion is given to a hard working employee. Honestly, though, there are plenty of ways to get promoted without being awesome...so maybe when I really think about it, there is no innate value to a fancy title. If I earn one, great. But no more chasing a title for validation. I will keep doing a good job regardless of what my role is called, and be okay with that.

Third, and finally, I'm going to use the knowledge I've gained from my time off to keep improving. I've learned that I can relax and the world won't fall apart. I can take a break and I'll still have energy and drive when I start again. That may be the best gift I've received in a long time, and I'm not going to forget it.

I look forward to a prosperous and fulfilling 2012!

Necessity

I saw this on Facebook, and shared it there. But it's too important to stop at the 500M FB users so I'm sharing here, too, with credit to Jennifer Cornelison Harper.

Bazaar Bizarre San Francisco Dec 3, 2011

We braved the sunny weather today to attend the Bazaar Bizarre (San Francisco edition) at the Concourse Exhibition Center East. Here are the vendors/artists we liked the most:

• Kelso Doesn't Dance - Kelso repurposes old books, playing cards, and maps into notebooks. She has an Etsy shop where you can find items online, but they are more fun to browse in person.
• Sweet Meats - Lauren Venell creates cute pork chop, steak, and bacon pillows out of 100% recycled PET bottles. Super cute!
• Double Parlour - Sculpture and illustrations both simple and sublime. Double Parlour also has an Etsy shop.
• Bird Mafia - Gorgeous cut paper designs layered to produce a 3-D shadow box effect. View designs and info on the site, and shop on their Etsy page.
• Feral Artery (Etsy shop) - Mutants and monsters abound! A chihuahua body with a lemur head and bloody fangs? A white yeti with glowing purple eyes? Sounds good to us.
• Studio M.M.E. Illustrations - Can a design be at once both cute and mysterious? Megan Eckman has proven it so! Visit to view her illustrations, embroidery patterns, jewelry, notebooks, and other hand-made items.
• Maggie Hurley - Portraits, illustrations, and plush toys are charming but not simple. I really liked the small, square bird and animal paintings, though you can see a high level of quality in all of her work.

Horoscope November 27, 2011

Thank you, horoscope, for telling me what I needed to hear:

You may be emerging from a tough phase, yet you're still able to rationalize what you want. However, many delicious feelings are bubbling up from your subconscious now and tempting you to set aside your objectivity. Hold on steady and keep your eyes on the current opportunities, for this wave should ultimately bring a positive transformation. 

Will do!