Blogs on More

This is really neat: Cassie Boorn has made a call to women to write letters to their 20-something selves and share them with her (she herself is a mom in her 20s, and looking for some inspiration). If you have time to pop over and share I think that would be great - but I also think it would be great if you do, if you can share the link here too. Or just comment here and hopefully Cassie will see it.

I’m going to share mine here and then send her the link:

Dear 20-year-old Jenn:

1. You look much better than you think you do. That being said, skip the grunge phase. Also, don’t waste any money on Hypercolour t-shirts. Trends really do come and go, some faster than others.

2. Your friends right now are some of the best you’ll have. Years from now you will re-find them on Facebook and regret that you didn’t keep in touch. So keep in touch. Try this thing called…email. Don’t sweat the differences in your paths after graduation; later those won’t matter as much as they do now.

3. So far, you don’t have a credit card. It’s best to keep it that way for a good long time yet. But scrape together some money and buy shares in Microsoft. Also, when some friends-of-friends approach you to invest in their little card game called Magic: The Gathering, borrow money and do it. Ahem. If you look at something and say WOW, chances are good other people may be saying the same thing. This won’t be so true in your 30s.

4. Don’t put off that road trip across the U.S., or you’ll never do it. On that note: Travel more. Don’t be in such a rush to settle down. Once you’re settled it can be a bit hard to get unsettled. Actually, just don’t rush into most things, except love. That one turns out okay. (However, please don’t get the wedding dress with the massive bow on the butt, because The Bow will own the pictures for all time.)

5. Don’t be afraid to admit a mistake and change direction. Teaching seems like a really secure great idea with “time to be creative in the summers” right now, but be prepared that it may just not be a good fit. Also on that note: No matter what everyone says you probably won’t regret skipping the PhD (or MA, for that matter). And yes, you will be part of the “slacker generation” and no, you won’t be stuck working those minimum wage jobs forever, even if it feels that way. And the minimum-wage jobs will teach you some useful soft skills.

6. Do not drive your Ford Probe (which you will soon own) too fast on the ramp to Niagara-on-the-lake in the rain. Trust me on this one.

7. Floss. Use sunscreen.

Love, 39-year-old-Jenn

No, I don’t mean THAT kind of intimacy (but see Midlife sex: The new normal if that’s what you were hoping for!)

I mean the question of whether having instant messaging, Facebook, Twitter, etc. available at work and, in some cases, just about everywhere is actually creating more intimate relationships with our closest friends and family. You’ll find the YouTube video that got me thinking about it (courtesy of Laura over at 11D) below.

I attended a launch party for the new Sympatico.ca portal last night. (Congrats guys!) It was a very web-oriented crowd, of course, and that pretty firmly placed me in the camp of older attendees by… quite a bit.

I’d also had a lively discussion earlier in the day about the new Fame movie. More than any other remake lately, it’s made me feel a bit - nostalgic. I think it’s because when the first movie came out I was - well let’s say young enough that my parents wouldn’t let me see it, but I managed to do so anyway. (Sorry mom.)

So yes, I was feeling my age. A tiny little bit. Maybe.

That’s probably why Judith Warner’s column at the New York Times caught my attention this morning. She talks about a moment of realization — listening to the Fame soundtrack — that her 12 year old daughter has all that driving ambition ahead of her. I relate! But then I read the first comment: “Trust me: you get over this.” (From Rand Careaga) and I laughed.

It’s so true. All I have to do is take a look at some of the recent stories on the site — Canada’s war artist; Belinda (Stronach) unbound — to be reminded that even though there are these “Man, I may not be old, but I’m definitely not young” moments, who cares?

Seriously.

So here’s what happened after my moment going up to the bar: I ordered a gin and tonic, and someone (younger, better looking) next to me commented that she felt wimpy ordering a beer compared to my “real” drink. I had to confess I’d had just a moment when I wondered if mine was a dated choice. And then we laughed together and enjoyed the party.

It’s always nice to have one’s taste confirmed by others. For the longest time I’ve had Gwen Cooper’s “Night of the Hunter” bookmarked, but I was just a bit unsure about sharing a tale that is, in the end, about a cat. I think it’s a great story, but I’m partial to pets so my opinion is suspect.

But today Cooper’s book about the same, amazing, blind  cat, Homer’s Odyssey comes out in stores, so here’s both my excuse and my justification to share it today.

It’s also an excuse for you to share your tales of amazing pets in the comments!

Ah, summer. A time for languid days by the lake, a few novels, and just maybe - summer love. So here you go; Isabelle Allende on passion (and creativity, and 4 minutes of fame). Oh, and with a little feminism thrown in.

A beluga whale has rescued a diver in north-east China, according to The Sun (UK).

I’m just a little skeptical, but that’s me. And the unexpected - whether a rescue or an image - is often inspiring. On that note here’s a link to Smashing Apps’s 23 breathtaking moments.

I hope you get an unexpected pleasure today!

There’s something about taking the forlorn and turning it into interesting pictures that buoys my spirit. I love people who find beauty in unexpected places. So today’s site is Abandoned Planet - a gallery of pictures of abandoned places. And it’s even got Canadian places!

Today’s inspiration comes via Tulane University in New Orleans: Ellen DeGeneres’s commencement speech. I’m really starting to appreciate that YouTube makes it possible to virtually attend the good speeches, and ignore the rest. “Never follow someone else’s path — unless you’re lost in the woods and come across a path; then follow that.“

Today for your Tuesday inspiration I’ve got two links for you - both hauled up out of history, although they’re a good half-century apart.

First, from the Toronto Star: a Canadian researcher has discovered a medieval manuscript that seems to have been directed at wealthy women, and which shares tips about topics such as childbirth and how to lure a rabbit from a warren (we at More will get right on that one). Thanks to Tara Nolan for passing that one on!

Second, a much more recent find from Life’s vaults: unpublished, early pictures of Marilyn Monroe. You might want to bump Sir Elton John up your playlist before you click on that link.

So what does make us happy? Dr. Valiant has been a long time director of a Harvard research study that has examined this question for 72 years, following men who entered college in the late 1930s through war, career, marriage, divorce, parenthood, grandparenthood, and old age. Read the full article on Atlantic.com here, but a video of the director speaking about happiness is below. (Hat tip to Laura at 11D.)