“There is but one Paris and however hard living may be here, and if it became worse and harder even—the French air clears up the brain and does good—a world of good.”
― Vincent van Gogh
Have I really been back from my fly-by-night vacation for a week? Time flies, kittens.
This week, while I’ve been regaling you with tales and photos from Paris, I’ve had a bit of a stressful schedule. I’m still finding the balance for my new temporary work reality (particularly in terms of late nights and lack of adequate sleep) but I think I’m figuring things out. I also welcomed a new freelancing client from a recommendation (huzzah!), submitted some pieces to the editor of a site I’m wild to write for, and spent yesterday coworking with the whipsmart and borderline intimidatingly savvy Alanna.
You may remember I met Alanna at the Levo League event from a couple of weeks ago. She’s a freelancer and social entrepreneurial consultant who has worked on some incredible campaigns, just chatting and hanging out with her was inspiring. It was probably the most focused and productive 6 straight hours of freelance work I’ve put in all week. Editors, entrepreneurs, and socially conscious citizens, take note of this woman.
It’s amazing the influence other people have on you when you work for yourself…I sense a blog post in the near future.
In any event, stay tuned for more tales from Paris this weekend, but in the meantime here are your links. Do add anything worthy of the minion coterie’s time and attention, plus tell me what you’re up to this Friday, in the comments!
I’ve only mentioned Paris about a gazillion times, haven’t I? I would say I’d shut up about it, but that would be a lie.
WANT.
An important, interesting question that’s not often considered: what makes something ugly? Form? Function? Intent? Exposure of inner bias? Bad taste? It’s actually a pretty complex process to declare something grotesque.
Nazis, a recluse, and over a thousand works of art. You’d think this was an Indiana Jones plot pitch, but it’s just glorious history.
Subtle shifts in perspective on major historical and cultural landmarks.
Speaking of perspective! Families posing with literally everything they own. As an accidental minimalist myself, this isn’t just fascinating, it’s also eye opening. How much junk and clutter and stuff do you think the average American family has?
My love for pineapples is well documented, so it should be no surprise that I’m flirting outrageously with the idea of adding this charmer to my desk.
Friend and friend of the blog Caitlin Kelly is back from her work with WaterAid in Nicaragua, the second poorest country in the West. Her post on some of her reflections is well worth a read.
Oh for the love of…people, really?
Gloria Steinem turned 80 this week. I love her sum up from this piece in the New York Times: “When asked whether she has any regrets, Steinem says: ‘Well, actually it’s not so much what I would have done differently. It’s that I would have done it much faster.’”
Words can’t express how much I want to see this (by the way, the This American Life live show from last year, which was wonderful and everyone should watch, is a great place to start learning about this enigmatic woman. It’s how I first heard about her).
Small Dog Syndrome 
You definitely need that pineapple in your life.
Thanks for the link!
Now how unlikely is it — i.e. mathematical odds — that you and I this week (!?) both worked closely and were deeply inspired by a woman named Alanna? Same spelling of a highly unusual name. Not the same person, either. Cue spooky music!
I agree completely about the importance of the people you work with when you work alone; great idea for a post.
The hardest element for me returning from Nica is suddenly (sigh) being all alone again after a week of inspiration, advice, insight, humor (not to mention food and transportation and lodging!) from a fantastic group of people — all of them complete strangers the day before we met. It is so energizing to be with people who are smart AND kind, wise and funny. When you work alone, you have to crank up your own engine all day every day. It’s tiring!
Luckily, I’ll have two days of colleagues at the ASJA conference in a month. That helps.
I never get tired of hearing about Paris!
I found “families pose with everything they own” fascinating. A few years ago there was a photographer who was doing a series on what people have in their refrigerators that was similarly interesting. You can read an interview with the photographer here: http://www.splendidtable.org/story/photographer-takes-voyeuristic-peek-inside-refrigerators