As inevitable as a New Year's hangover, December is a time when every form of media; radio, television, print or Internet, feel the need to compile their list of the year's best, worst and most-something-or-other. But why bother with the Top Albums/Songs/Movies/News Stories/News Makers/Movies etc. when all you really have to do is simply point to this decade's most significant list of lists: Google Zeitgeist. And how can they create such a list? Let's just say, they "know when you're sleeping, they know when you're awake." thus it's a much more accurate list of lists than say what a group of editors might make. Which also makes it a little more depressing when you see the Jonas Bros. at or near the top. No one ever lost money "misunderestimating" the buying public.

Labels: Holidays, media

"Let us consider that the soul of man is immortal, able to endure every sort of good and every sort of evil. Thus may we live happily with one another and with God."

This was apparently John Cheever's favorite Thanksgiving toast, a paraphrase of Jowett's translation of Plato.

via Slate.com

Labels: Holidays

My perfect day: Breakfast in the garden on a spring morn; a morning of flipping through books and sketching; a quick swim before lunch; a nap; awaking to a mind full of ideas which are immediately realized. Integral to this scheme: the nap. When I work from home, I almost always have a nap. I don't care who knows. Some people go to the gym. I nap. Since I now work in an office I only wish there was a nap room or a napeteria or something. I'm not crazy. This does exist. Someone is making a business from napping. Metronaps is in the business of Fatigue Risk Management. I can't really tell if they are wholly serious or wholly joking but one thing they do take seriously is the power nap. My favorite advice from the site is under the heading, "How to Nap" - "Practice Makes Perfect". Don't mind if I do.

Labels: Health, Holidays

Here at the home office we like the Christmas season. Mostly we like avoiding shopping malls and staying at home catching up on arty movies that make us feel smarter than other people. This year though we stayed at home and created ornaments as part of the Give & Take Ornament Exchange at Made Design. The Ornament Exchange, a partnership with moimoi design, was created to sell tree ornaments by local designers and raise money for Interval House. The opening night was a rousing success and continues until December 23rd. Read more about it at Now Magazine.

Here are some samples of the ornaments we call "Rxmas"

Labels: Holidays