“The best way to predict your future is to create it”
― Peter F. Drucker

In between Monday and now I’ve helped put on two events, mostly completed newly revamped marketing strategies for two incredible development projects, received an amazing work opportunity to expand and grow in what I’ve been doing with the company, and spent 61 collective hours in high heels. Not for the faint of heart, but deeply rewarding. A busy week and now freelance calls over the weekend, plus finishing the first read of a friend’s new novel. And napping. I’m very much looking forward to it! Here are your links, short but interesting, and tell me what you’re getting up to in the comments!

I’ve been trying to repair the damages of the 90s to my eyebrows for years, so this is relevant to my interests.

A fascinating piece on poverty in America and what some people think we need to do to fix it. I find it compelling. Economist and like-minded minions weigh in.

From deep to shallow, words can’t express how much I long to own this Oscar de la Renta gown.

And back to deep with this interesting piece from Salon about writing, money, and partners. I may have to do a whole post on this myself. I don’t feel “sponsored” by my husband, in fact for the first five years of our marriage I was the primary wage earner and the work I’m currently doing means that I’m once again earning more than him in spite of his hefty two degrees and experience. But no question, there have been periods where if we relied on my income from writing alone, rather than his far more steady one, we’d have starved.

Settling somewhere nicely between medatative and glib, this piece from the Economist (of all places) on swearing.

There is now a gender imbalance in the world to the tune of 60 million more men than women, the cultural effects of which are fascinating (and often disturbing, especially in countries which have a history of preferring male children and practicing infanticide to achieve it). This map project tackles the issue, region by region, with tons of fascinating info. To quote a friend, what is UP with the Arabian Peninsula?

An interesting profile.

One of my friends and co-freelancers, Tara Zirker is woman on the rise. I’ve worked for and with her for two years now as she’s built her success with her freelance clients and helped me build my own on both sides of the pond. Simply put, the woman is good people. I’m beyond pleased she’s taking things to the next level and offering coaching, training, and workshops this year! Her first workshop of 2015 is happening tomorrow, and there’s a discount code for Small Dog Syndrome minions interested in participating: Cadence15.

“Be steady and well-ordered in your life so that you can be fierce and original in your work.”
― Gustave Flaubert

This week I edited a major property development sales brochure, organized a last minute PR and media strategy and launch, dealt with a breach of said strategy that appears to be a rather hamfisted attempt of an external team on the project to jump the gun, organized two major sales events taking place next week, developed project budgets that are several tens of times what I make in a year, and generally averaged about 16 work hours a day. So…let’s pretend it’s Friday and this is on time alright? Thanks, dears.

It’s been a rough first month of the year work-wise. Not in terms of the kind of work I’m doing–I consider myself the luckiest of lucky ducks to able to work on the projects I am and with the people that I do. Not only am I doing interesting and fun work, but it’s the kind I enjoy and want keep building experience in. But moving forward it’s clear I need to insist on balance and guard my free time and weekends much better than I currently do. I learned last year that it’s possible to literally work yourself sick and I have no desire to repeat that experience!

A history of the Lifetime Original Movie. Seriously.

I love every single thing about this story.

Interesting story about a great medical/cosmetic treatment that I never even thought of but, honestly, what a good idea!

Excellent and needed follow up to that 100 years of beauty vid that made the rounds late last year, here’s 100 year of Black beauty trends!

Yep. (Weeps silently to herself.)

Interested in reconstituted Babylonian song and poetry? Of course you are, ducklings!

These chairs. They distress me.

The captioned adventures of George Washington can move over, Napoleon has arrived.

“I am somewhat exhausted; I wonder how a battery feels when it pours electricity into a non-conductor?”
― Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventure of the Dying Detective

Another Friday, another week spent pulling 9-10 hour days in an office and 3-6 hours at home freelancing. I am WIPED, kittens. Here are your links, extra long to make up for my continued negligence. Forgive me?

T&C has some It Girls for you to rank. Agree with the list, disagree, have your own list? Share away!

Downton Abbey has come and gone here in the UK for another year, but my American friends are just getting to dive into season…5?  Golly, they’re blending together. Anyway, if you don’t already, you should be reading Tom and Lorenzo’s recaps, this one of the first episode stateside is even more hilarious than typical. Although language warning for pearl-clutchers. “Fold this,” might be my new favorite put down.

Women’s issues to be aware of, and Charlize Theron making a point.

Building my new 100 books in a year reading list…

There has been a lot of uproar about the TLC feature, My Husband’s Not Gay, featuring Mormon gay men who have chosen to marry women. I have acres of opinions about the underlying cultural and doctrinal issues, but the best and most thoughtful piece I’ve seen written on the subject comes from the Atlantic. It’s genuinely worth examining why people make lots of the cultural and religious choices they do. TLC specials are beyond not the way to do it.

Gorgeous photos of tribal markings from the Karo People.

“I want to go to there.”

Heavens, we’ve gotten lazy as a society…

My parents got me some drinking chocolate for Christmas, apparently based off an 18th century recipe. I haven’t sampled it yet just due to lack of time to sit down and whip up a cup (how sad does that sound), but I’m making it a priority after reading this piece.

Historical mis-attribution.

A fun London-y instagram feed for you to follow.

Answer: not terribly well. But likely much better than the 15th century, when I would probably have managed to get burned at the stake.

Well dressed male stars are, I’m convinced, doing the lord’s work when it comes to ramping up sartorial expectations. But I do live in London, the world capital of men’s tailoring, where the bar is much higher than the States. Follow your British brethren, boys.

What your LBD said about you, throughout history.