SWEET MOVIE

Really sweet video for some Valentine's inspiration...
 
via Design Mom

A SLOTH IS COMING TO MY HOUSE

Seriously one of the funniest things ever. Love it.

ONLINE MAGS?

Open publication - Free publishing

Are you into online magazines? I have to say I was a bit dubious. One of my favorite parts of the day is going to check the mail (without locking myself out - don't ask) and seeing one my magazines stuffed in the little box. Even though I'm a poor graduate student I have figured out a way through Coke Rewards to get some of the magazines that I love (I steal other peoples' points and use them - thanks, Mom, for collecting some of them for me!). I currently get Martha Stewart Living, House Beautiful, and Elle Decor for...well, for free!

Anyway, lately I have seen a lot of online mags popping up and have checked out a few of them. I just found one that I am absolutely in love with! It's called Matchbook and you can find it at www.matchbookmag.com.  So many awesome items, stories, interviews and pictures!

The best part about online magazines? You see something you like and just click on it to get to the actual website where it is being sold. Can we say DANGER?!? Okay, couple of friends who bother to look at my blog...do you have any other favorite mags I can look up? I also like Rue and have a couple others on my list to look up, but this one is my fave so far.

MY LOVE FOR TOMS

Did you know TOMS now sells sunglasses and flats??? Oh how I wish I had money. If I did, these babies would be on my list:

I pretty much love all of them. You can find more here. Enjoy!

THOUGHTS FROM AN ASPIRING DEVELOPMENT PRACTITIONER #2

So disturbed recently by this issue going on in Egypt. The fact that the new government raided NGO offices focused on governance and democracy is totally unacceptable. I don't know if they realized what an outcry the whole situation would cause, but they aren't doing themselves any favors. It's just so disturbing that they are now looking to charge these NGO workers with criminal activity. Doesn't it make you look suspicious when you target well-respected NGOs that are in your country to make sure your elections are free and fair? Hmmm...

A quote from the article:


"We've operated for 30 years, everywhere from (dictator Augusto) Pinochet's Chile to Nicaragua, to the Soviet Union when it was the Soviet Union, to Central Europe, to Indonesia under Suharto," he (IRI President Lorne Craner) said. "We work in China, Belarus. This has never, ever happened in the 30 years where we get out offices raided. And Egypt is supposed to be an American friend."


Just another testament to the fact that the life of a development practitioner is anything but predictable.

THOUGHTS FROM AN ASPIRING DEVELOPMENT PRACTITIONER #1

How do you know you are being immersed in development theory? When your first thought upon seeing students trying to raise money outside of a metro station so they can go to New Orleans and help build houses is "That money would be much better used to hire local people to build those houses. More effective than wasting it on flights and transaction costs for a short-term volunteer project. Would definitely be more helpful to the local community."

This is my world.

WATER BOTTLE LOVE

Just wanted to share my two favorite water bottles in the world:

and

I first bought the Sigg bottle (with a different design) years back when they were first becoming popular. Although mine is dented and scratched, it still does me well!

A while ago, my mom bought me one of the glass bottles below and I fell in love! It has a wide top so it feels like you are just drinking from a cup. Ah-mazing! And I love that it doesn't feel like you are drinking from a metal bottle. PLUS, you can just throw it in the dishwasher (which I love because I am all about low-maintenance).

Now that I'm not sitting a desk anymore, I'm back to my Sigg bottle because it's lighter to carry into the District with me, but when I have a desk again, that glass baby is going to be my go-to!

Bottles can be found here and here.

FRED FLARE

Okay, I was recently reminded about one of my favorite random shopping sites so I wanted to share it.

www.fredflare.com

This website is a mecca of random 80s items, vintage items, clothing, gifts, trinkets...you name it! You can seriously spend hours looking through some of their items. Here are a few of the things that I am loving right now:

Kate Spade 2012 Desk Calendar $24.99

Dollhouse Brush & Dustpan Set $15

Tulle Lace Laura Dress With Exposed Zipper $68

Art Deco Trudy Earrings $10

Kiel Mead Forget Me Knot Ring $58

Holly GoNightly Sleep Mask $15

Talking Mustache Keychain - literally says "Well, hello there." $6.50

There are soooooo many other cool things on this website but I didn't want to lose your interest by posting too many. I love when I rediscover things like this.

CHIRO HUMOR

So, at my chiropractor visit this morning I semi-jokingly told him that the neck cracking always makes me a bit nervous, but at least I figured it hasn't killed me yet so I was ok. This then led to a conversation about how movies show people breaking other peoples' necks as a pretty quick and easy way to kill someone, but how that's really not accurate because if you did that to someone you would basically cut their arteries and they would bleed out and it would be really gross and painful. I think he actually mentioned something specific about blood coming out of the person's mouth.

Interesting conversation to have right after he was holding my helpless neck in his hands and cracking it.

Good thing I trust the guy. :)

IKEA FREAK

So, since my back is having issues and I have been spending the week on my bed, I've had some extra time on my hands. I'm at the point where I'm caught up on my email, Google reader, facebook, and if I post one more thing on Pinterest, my friends might kill me. So...I decided to check out the Ikea website and see if they had any new and interesting items. Look at these great things I would buy if I had money (and was mobile)! Come to think of it, it might be a good thing that I'm not mobile right now.

The famous (and cheap) Lack table now in glossy grey - loving it! And only $12!

This cozy looking throw blanket. 

This Benzy Land pillow. Loving the new fabric as well. I'm on an old-style nautical kick right now (read: NOT beachy with shells, definitely not my style).

This Storsele chair. Seriously! I've been obsessed with chairs lately since we, well, don't have any in our apartment. And since they aren't the cheapest things in the world, it's pretty much going to stay that way.

Anyway, my love for all things Ikea is once again affirmed.

FALLING WHISTLES

Have you heard about the Falling Whistles campaign? The situation in the DRC is just so horrible with no real solution in sight. I know that this is one of my specific areas of interest, but thought that you might be interested as well. Most of the electronics that we have use materials from the DRC that are mined illegally and under horrible conditions, and it also contributes to the ongoing violence. I'm not saying that we need to eschew all of our electronic devices, but people need to know where they are coming from, and it could help to support organizations that call for transparency about the source of materials being used.

I'm not saying that you need to buy a whistle, but it's definitely something people should be aware of.

Visit www.fallingwhistles.com for more information about this campaign.

TOP 10 FOR 2011

So, I haven't made any resolutions yet. They usually come in the next couple of weeks. I have given up trying to make them during the holidays because things are too crazy and I find that they are really not that thoughtful. Usually my resolutions turn out to be those that start mid-January. :)

That said, I wanted to create a Top 10 list for myself for 2011. I thought it would be fun to think back on some of the great things for the year. Here they are, NOT in any order.

1. Starting my MA at GWU - so exciting and fulfilling!
2. Meeting my two new nieces for the first time - Jeri and London
3. Visiting Boston for the first time (thanks, Jen and Nigel!)
4. Road trip across the country with Erik (and the fact that we both survived without killing each other)
5. Moving to Virginia - Alexandria is a wonderful place to live! So beautiful and historical!
6. All things DC (museums, restaurants, coffee shops, diversity, beautiful parts of town, the bustle - this includes all of the amazing new friends I have made both in my program and at church)
7. Finally getting to buy my fist Mac!
8. Getting the Kindle Fire for Christmas!
9. Following Whitney's pregnancy and the birth of her first baby. :)
10. Spending the holidays with the whole huge family - such wonderful chaos.

A NEW FAVORITE - BERTRAND SALLE

JUST A LITTLE SOMETHING

Christmas 2011 from toprojekt on Vimeo.

STUDY BREAK

Had to share this great commercial that was banned in South Africa. These are the kinds of things that I watch when I need a study break. :) Back to work!

On a side note, a great Camerounian proverb I just read in an article: 

"Until lions have historians, tales of the hunt will always be told by the hunter."