This Time, Ten Years Ago

Friends! Where were you doing this time ten years ago? Were you hunkered in a bunker, ferreting away bottled water? Having a fifth grade sleep over with your besties? Drinking champagne on a balcony?

When 1999 ticked over to 2000, I was a junior in college. I think I was still perming my hair (for a long time I was convinced that I had "a curly haired personality") and had a nose ring. I had not yet been entirely consumed by the travel bug, though I remember chewing over the idea of teaching abroad. I was midway through a five-year romance with a lovely guy who just wasn't right for me.

December 31st actually found me and my extended family in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, skiing joyfully (and very badly) with my cousins. There were sleigh rides and hot air balloons with champagne and many restaurants. I remember being super annoyed at myself for forgetting my cosmetic bag in Minnesota and thus appearing in every picture from the trip with glasses and no make up.

On New Years Eve, I passed out with ski-related exhaustion and was woken up by my 11 year old cousin announcing that it was nearly midnight and we were all going to watch fireworks explode over the mountains.

And I was absolutely not having it.

I was 100% committed to remaining in bed and sleeping through the millennium.

Thankfully, I was dragged out of bed and marched grumpily up the mountain to witness the dawn of 2000 surrounded by fireworks and family and lots of strangers in snowsuits.

What were you doing this time, ten years ago?

Things I Accomplished in 2009

As the year winds down, it can be a bit tempting to dwell on the things that the year didn't bring, can't it? I didn't make any more money than last year, I didn't run a 5k and I didn't upgrade from my deeply lame car. But let's focus on what went right, shall we? The things that we did do?

In 2009 I...

• Saw the sunrise over Machu Piccu
• Danced in the Carnivale parade in Bolivia
• Saw the floating islands of Lake Titicaca
• Ate salt straight off the Salt Flats in Bolivia
• Didn't die after hiking at 4,000 meters above sea level
• Volunteered with orphans in Peru and successfully avoided their questions about masturbation
• Furnished an apartment completely from scratch using only thrift stores and Craigslist
• Tried Miracle Fruit
• Rode the 80-mile Munger trail on my bike
• Helped a student bring her husband over from a Thai refugee camp
• Survived a really tough break up with my sanity, integritiy and friendships in tact
• Reunited with my cat Putin after five years apart
• Turned 30 without having a meltdown
• Printed and sold a calendar
• Grew the readership on Yes and Yes by, um, lots
• Met my blogger BFF in real life
• Bought my first, brand new, very own computer
• Braved the Scientology 'church'
• Fired a gun
• Learned and performed the Thriller dance
• Gave my BFF a Christmas present that's so awesome she cried
  
  Let's all pat ourselves on the back a bit! What have you accomplished this year?

New Year's Fashion, Worn Round The World

Oooh, we all love a good polyvore set don't we? Let's imagine how four lovelies would ring four different new years in four different cities.



Hong Kong, China
Cherry ducked into her grandmother's tiny kitchen and waded through the smells of cabbage and garlic to pinch a dumpling off of the wide serving platter. She smoothed down her dress and hoped that her jade earrings were traditional enough to bring her a bit of good luck - she'd had her eye on that cute guy two cubicles down for quite some time. She tried, unsuccessfully, to look surprised at the stack of HKDs tucked into the red envelope her father handed her. This money was already earmarked for a new pair of cute Jimmy Choos.



Changmai, Thailand
When Nora booked her backpacking trip through Thailand for mid-April, she had no idea that she'd be wandering the streets of Changmai during the Thai New Year. The first time a street vendor threw a bucket of water on her, she was livid - particularly because the dye in her new Thai fisherman pants seemed to be running down her legs. But as she watched a 10-year-old douse a policeman, she realized it wasn't personal and devotedly wished for her Supersoaker.



Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Fernanda had saved her pay from the padaria for months to fund this night out. A fantastic sparkly dress, shoes that would survive her 12:01 dash into the sea and the all important yellow underwear to bring her money in the new year. Last year, she'd worn red in hopes of salvaging her relationship with that good-for-nothing Alessandro, but this year? She was smarter than that. She sipped her caipirinha and watched the sun set over the favelas. In this light, they were almost beautiful.



Stillwater, Minnesota, USA
Nikki was bound and determined to dress the nines tonight. No matter that the extent of her plans were a house party at her friend's new condo and then on to The Mad Capper Saloon. If the stars aligned, she might run into that cute guy from the gym. She imagined sidling up next to him in the crowded bar and acting coy and surprised that here they were, standing next to each other when the new years kisses were going around.

What are you New Year's traditions? And, more importantly, what are you wearing?!

Reposted from 2008 because I'm too busy enjoying my two week vacation to write new content!

Just Another Reason To Love Beck

I love the combination of the everyday with the bizarre in this video. A bomb with 'nachos' written on the side? A masked gorilla sitting in a bathtub? people in black body stockings playing tennis? Awesomely weird.

What music videos are you loving these days?

Magic Cats

Despite his propensity for piloting private jets, my cat is patently un-magic. Unless you consider opening the closet and 10 pm ankle biting magical. Marcela Fae is either a) an amazing photographer or b) the owner of some very special cats.

Or maybe a little of both. Lovely, no?

Merry Christmas!

How are you guys ringing in the holidays? I've got two whole weeks (two whole weeks!) off from work so I have plans for snow shoeing, rock climbing, lots of coffee with friends, painting my office and working on various awesome Top Secret Projects

Five of my days will be devoted to family, shuttling between Minnesota and South Dakota. Christmas day will find me at my cousin's house, opening gifts with his darling blonde girls, my aunt and uncle, two cats and a dog. Lovely! I hope the holidays are good to you and your loved ones!

The Tale of A Very Special Christmas Ornament

Gather round friends, for I have a tale to tell of the weirdest Christmas tree ornament in the land.

Long ago and far away, Sarah Von grew up in the land of forested acreage, wild game hunting and jackpine savagery. The Family Von owned 80 acres of land. This land was used for many things, chief among those being the tracking and hunting of edible mammals. Being the eldest of the children Von, the responsibility fell to young Sarah to help her father in his pursuit of said animals.

Father Von had had a childhood of Dickensian proportions, in which food and more over, protein, was at a premium. He had fond memories of tramping through the woods with his father, shooting furry food sources and then skinning them happily whilst engaging in male bonding. Father Von looked forward to sharing these sorts of memories with his small blond daughter, whose interest in animals seemed limited to a) talking to them b) trying to hug them.

So at the tender age of six, Sarah found herself running around in the leaves, chasing squirrels from the back side of the trees on to the front so her father could better shoot them. The little gray fur balls tumbled out of the trees into the leaves at their feet, ready for skinning and eating. Now, skinning a squirrel is not unlike removing a fitted t-shirt, slick and easy when done correctly. However! A squirrel's tail rather throws a wrench into the logistics of skin removal and. To expedite things, Father Von would chop off the squirrel's tail, Sarah would grasp the wee paws and Father would peel off the skin in one smooth movement.

Not unlike peeling a banana. A gray, furry banana.

So after an afternoon of squirrel herding and peeling, the two hunters were left with a pile of squirrel tails, not unlike this. And what is one to do with a pile of limp squirrel tails? In an attempt to amuse his rather disgusted daughter, Father Von formed one of the tails into the shape of an S. As the Rigamortis set in, they were joyfully appalled to discover that this furry appendage held its shape.

Oh the possibilities! What weird and ridiculous things could they form out of squirrel tails? It was then that Father Von hit pay dirt. What with the holidays coming up, this was the perfect opportunity turn these tails into wee wreaths to top their Christmas tree!

And so it was. The Father and daughter drove home and horrified Mom Von with a tiny wreath fashioned out of a squirrel tail. Now, twenty years later, Father Von has long since given up squirrel hunting and Sarah is a veteran vegetarian, they can chortle over this most bizarre and disgusting of ornaments.

What's the weirdest ornament that graces your Christmas tree?

Reposted from 2008 because I thought we could all use another gross out. Click here to see me holding the actual squirrel tail wreath! Puke!

List Book Winner!

The winner of our list book giveaway is The Dangerous Liaison! Her favorite list to write? 101 Things in 1000 days:

"I wrote a 101 in 1001 list. It took me about two weeks to finish, but I put a lot of thought into it. It is a list that is helping me to accomplish goals in a little less than three years - things I have always wanted to do, things I should do, things I need to do. It's been a fun journey so far, landing me in places I never thought I would be, doing things I never thought I would do."

Congrats!

Give The Gift of Good Karma

Let's look past the heavy-handed religious bit of this video for a moment.

As y'all might know, I'm a big fan of non-traditional gift-giving. Non-stuff gifts, DIY gifts, I love them in equal measures. I also like making donations in someone's name. This, however, can be a tricky one. A donation to Planned Parenthood in the name of your Red State uncle can make for a pretty awkward Christmas Dinner. There are also plenty of stuff-lovers out there who will eye the charity thank-you card with skepticism and say "So, you pretty much got me nothing, huh? That's cool. I got you a Wii. But you know. Whatever. Cause you got me a card."

In my experience the trick here is to donate to a charity that's directly related to something your gift-recipient is into. And then give them something in the theme of the donation to satisfy the all-important stuff-quotient. And then glare at them if they insist on acting like a douche.

For your cyclist
Re-cycle collects unwanted bicycles and reconditions them to provide cheap, sustainable transportation in Africa. These bikes give children opportunities to attend schools that are miles from their homes and allow farmers to transport their crops for sale.

Token mini-gift: This cargo net will keep all that organic produce from falling out of their milk crate.

For your audiophile
The Current is the sister station of Minnesota Public Radio. It is an amazing station that supports independent and local artists without heaps of rubbish adds or djs named 'Boner Rob.' It has exposed me to, well, pretty much everything that I listen to now days and I don't leave my car feeling dumber for having listened to it.
Token mini-gift: If you donate $20 to The Current, they'll send you a thank you CD featuring the likes of Atmosphere, Mates of State and The Walkman.

For your outdoor enthusiast
Your outdoor fanatic loves white water rafting and rocking climbing and hiking. Surely they'd want to share the love with at-risk youth or people with physical disabilities! Outward Bound "inspires character development and self-discovery through wilderness exploration." It's probably a lot easier to stand up to that awful bully in your Geometry class after you've climbed a mountain.
Token mini gift: This! It's a carabiner! It's a thermometer! It's a compass!

For your animal lover
There are approximately a million animal-related charities out there, so if you want to make this gift extra special, find a charity that deals with your gift-recipient's favorite animal. Charity Navigator handily allows you to search charities by keyword. Would you like a box of adorable pandas? Or how's about adopting a cheeky little sea otter? Can I interest you a slick and shiny penguin? Yes, yes and a thousand times yes.
Token mini gift: These gourmet chocolates in animal shapes

For your writer
You surely know McSweeney's as a website rife with hilarious and insightful writing. But did you know that they also oversee 826 National? 826 is a non-profit that provides tutoring, writing and publishing opportunities for kids ages six to eighteen. The group produces amazing books, magazines and films every year. Oh, that I would have had access to this as a kid. The world would have been spared much bad poetry.
Token mini gift: The McSweeney's Book of Poets Picking Poets

For your fashionista
Your fashionista knows that dressing the part elevates one's confidence, garners respect and helps you land better jobs. Dress for Success helps disadvantaged women find work by providing professional attire, a network of support and career development tools. Fantastic!
Token mini gift: A pocket-sized edition of The Fashion Book. Truely a mini-gift, y'all.

Good Karma Gifts loved by all

For $20, Green Dimes will rid your mailbox of junk mail and plant five trees in your name. Two birds! One stone! (This is what Mom Von got for Mother's Day and she is now very happily credit-card-offer free)

Remember that tear-jerking story about my refugee students being reunited with their friends thousand of miles away from their homes? The non-profit I work for needs new student computers, more desk and, um, a janitor.

These reusable nylon shopping bags are so much cuter than those awful plastic things you'll never go back

Karma Cleanse Elixir. When they're so bad, putting coal in their stocking isn't enough.

What good karma gifts are you giving this year?

reposted from 2008 because everybody still needs a little good karma under the tree.

The List That (Might) Solve All Your Problems

Do you guys want to know how I used one very involved list to get me through one of the hardest times in my life? Then do pop over to Smaggle Style for my post on that very topic!

Seriously, if this list can get me through

1) possible unemployment
2) unexpected singledom
3) a dwindling bank account
4) no apartment

it might work some magic for you, too!

Fashion Travel Tips - Hot Edition

This lovely guest post is brought us via the inimitable Lady Smaggle. Lady Smaggle is awesome for many reasons: her great style DIYs, her fantastic jewelry and the fact that she and I miiiiight just be nose twins. Stop by and check out her lovely blog Smaggle!

Even though some of us are knee-deep in snow at the moment, the entire southern hemisphere is basking in sunshine. Jerks! So if you're one of those lucky people or if you're planning to ring in Christmas on a beach somewhere, these tips will come in very, very handy.

Why don't you...?

* Make head scarves your new signature? Wrap them loosely around your head turban style and let your weathered locks fall in tendrils around your face? Wear tasseled scarves like a gypsy?
White cotton for summer days? Polka dot silk while in Paris?

* Leave ALL your jewels at home? Buy inexpensive baubles along the way? Stack woven bracelets and wooden bangles up your arms? Wear layers of hand painted Vietnamese beads around your neck? Jade from China? Handfuls of Indian gold?

* Ditch your heels? Buy a beautiful pair of pewter coloured sandals to wear with long skirts when you go somewhere special?

* Just take mascara and eyeliner? Leave your foundation at home? Be natural? Gorgeous? Sun kissed?

* Wear long skirts instead of shorts? Glamorously float around like Veronica Lake in a low slung sarong? A fitted wiggle skirt? A silk number shot through with glitter thread?

* Buy a neutral coloured backpack? A streamlined black number with chunky silver zips? A tan leather job with monogrammed pockets? A natural calico coloured drawstring bag?

* Take perfume oil instead of spray? Keep it in your bag? Dab it on your wrists to freshen up?

* Write? In a leather notebook? Write about your sinful fling in Prague? How to say 'coffee' in Arabic? Have your travel companions write messages to you?

What are your hot weather travel tips?
Got the travel bug?  Check out my ebooks and podcasts on making long-term travel a reality!  Only $15 forpetessake!

In Which We Help A Fellow Traveler

You guys may know that I'm something of a traveler - I love to spend months at a time poking around new places, sleeping in Andean barns and befriending cheeky Peruvian orphans. So when I got an email from Courtney, I could sense a kindred spirit.

Here's the deal: girlfriend's life-long dream is to road trip across the United States, meeting heaps of new people along the way, crashing on couches, meeting up for coffees, eating at the local diner and generally really getting to know the people and cities that she visiting.

But! Like most of us, Courtney doesn't have friends or family in every blessed city and state that she'd like to visit. And we all know that it's more fun to see a new place with a local, rather than wandering around with your map unfolded, going from museum to museum. So could any of you fellow Americans help Courtney out? Meet her for coffee and show her the sights? Offer up your inflatable mattress? Give her five days of dish-washing work and pay her under the table? Let's help out a fellow traveler!

If you're interested in learning more about Courtney's trip, her tumblr is here. Or you can email her directly at extracherrycoke (at) gmail (dot) com.

A Daily Plan

Calling All Christmas Orders From America!

Hi Guys!
If you are planning on ordering the 2010 'A Year in Yes' Calendar and having in your hands by Christmas, you should get your order in today. I'll run off the post office and send it off to you post haste, so you can wrap it up in time to give to your BFF/sister/cousin.

Thanks so much for supporting Yes and Yes!

Tis The Season to .... Decorate

This is a guest post from the lovely Anna of Much Love. Her blog is one of my daily haunts - heaps of pretty giveaways, beautiful photos and cute ideas. Do stop by!

One of the easiest ways to decorate a room for the festive season is with paper garlands. All you need is some paper and string, and you're good to go. There's no need to go out and buy anything fancy either, why not be kind to the environment and reuse what you already have?

Things like old magazine pages, wrapping paper, envelopes can become the loveliest decorations. Put them on your Christmas tree, in the living room, or just string them above your bed to add a dash of festivity any time of the year. Here are some of my favourite paper garlands, that may inspire you to make your own.

Ever thought of decorating your walls with paper doilies?

I sure didn't, until I saw this sweet photo.

Dreamy rows of butterflies and stars, made from

recycled pages of text and nature books. Available from Etsy

Recycled from the backs of security envelopes.

It's hard to go wrong with simple love heart shapes. Much love!

Adorable paper boats. Available here!

I love paper cranes, and even more so when there's

a whole long line of them. These are made

from newspaper and are available at Etsy

Vintage maps make charming crafts. Cut up some old maps
(NOT the ones you'll be needing for your next road trip!)

into cute shapes – like these traveling birdies.

Are you a fan of garlands?
How are you decorating for the holidays?

Settle the Eff Down (Or: How To Avoid Psyching Yourself Out)

Dear Sarah Von,
I'm a senior in college and an English major. Over the next two weeks I have over 85 pages worth of papers to write. How do I work hard and stay optimistic without totally psyching myself out?

Oh, friend. I have been there so hard. There was a three-month period in 2007 in which I attended graduate school full time, held two part time jobs, attempted to go vegan and lived with three other people in a two bedroom cottage. What? Yes. How ridiculous am I? And when it came time to write my papers, my coping technique involved staring the computer into submission, crying and then eating several candy bars.

However! That awful three-month foray into insanity taught me a bit about how to chill the eff out in the face of pressure and not completely psych myself out. A few things I learned:

Try your hardest. No, really. Your actual hardest.
I don't know about you, but often times I confuse "not being totally lazy" with "trying hard." If I look back on high school, I realize that what I thought was "trying hard" was actually about 50% of what I was capable of. College required about 70% of my best effort and graduate school called for about 90% (with the occasional bit of 95% in that damn grammar class!)

And I think we all know what trying our hardest feels like, in anything that we're attempting:

* doing all of the readings (before class!), attending the study session and meeting with your prof if you have questions

* networking with people in the field you want to get into, learning the applicable software, attending workshops and volunteering for big, hard projects that nobody wants to do

* asking your friends if they know anybody they can set you up with, giving internet dating a try, talking to cute strangers and going out with the perfectly nice guy you're not sure about

I find that when I know that I've tried my hardest, that I've done absolutely everything within my power to be successful at a given project, whether or not I succeed becomes almost secondary. You can't do anything else, you've given it all you've got. There's nothing to get psyched out about.

Also - when you've realllly tried your hardest? You're pretty likely to succeed, right?

Consult your co-hearts.
If you're losing your mind over your millions of term papers, your fruitless job hunt, your never-ending singledom or your frequently rejected manuscript, it's easy to feel like you're the only one going through this. But, shockingly enough, you're not. Other people in the world are stressed out, unemployed, unhappily single or unpublished. While I wouldn't necessarily recommend hunkering down for a three hour bitch-fest with your equally frustrated peers, it feels good to know you're not alone.

Allot yourself a bit of time to winge about this predicament and then see if these friends are trying anything you haven't thought of. Maybe they're friends with a physics whiz or a publishing agent or a single cutie. Maybe they've got some academic references you can use. Combine and use your powers for good!

Take a (wee, little) breather.
If you've been going all out, trying your absolute hardest for the last two weeks, you're probably in need of a breather. Energy and creativity need to be replenished, and really? The library has to close at some point. So take some time (two hours, a day, a week) and completely distance yourself from the project. Shower, change clothes, grab lunch somewhere new with someone who's not studying the same thing as you. Take a weekend away and read things that have absolutely nothing to do with what you're working on. Watch a fun, mindless movie. Go dancing and drink a little bit too much. Get a massage. Go rollerskating.

Realize that the world will not end.
During graduate school I was having a winge to my fantastic friend Jess, lamenting the possibility of getting a C (shock and horror!) on a paper. She leveled her eyes at me and said "And you know what will happen if you get a C? The world will keep doing this (insert rotating hand motion here)"

And girlfriend was right. I know that these papers, this job search, this grad school application seem like the end-all-be-all right now. But they're not. Really. They're not. I didn't get my driver's license till I was nearly 17. I went through a terrible break up at age 29. I didn't get into the first graduate school I applied to. And you know what? Not dead.

Remember your other strengths.
In the event that you really try your hardest on these papers (or apartment hunt. or your gallery submission) and things don't work out, remember that you are not defined by this one small thing. You are not just a student or a writer or an ex-girlfriend. You are a great friend, a sibling, a maker of great sandwiches and the owner of some gorgeous legs.

And the grade on your term papers isn't going to change those things.

How do you deal with deadlines and pressure?

I Secretly Enjoy Life

A True Story:
Earlier this year I was at a bachelorette party, peopled largely by ladies that I didn't know. We engaging in some ubiquitous small talk - what do you do? how do you know the bride? isn't it great that Pam and Jim got together? - and I asked one of the ladies if she liked her job. The response was a snort and a head toss and "Not really, but who actually likes their job?!"

Um, you guys? I do. I kind of love it.

And I made the (possibly) bad decision to announce that I, in fact, loved my job. And in an effort to engender even moooore eye rolls, I felt moved to say that nobody needs to hate their job and that I thought it was possible to actually pay the bills by doing something that we liked.

So I rapidly became the least popular girl at the party and had to win my way back into their hearts with my awesome dance stylings to 'Billy Jean.'

Why does this happen? Why is it more socially acceptable to complain about our jobs/partners/thigh-size than to talk about how much we adore our girlfriends, how great the new career path is and how pumped we are that all that yoga is finally paying off?

Of course, there is a notable difference between telling your best friend that you just bought new jeans in a smaller size and asking all of your co-workers to feel your newly defined gluts. Modesty, people. And you probably shouldn't tell your newly-single friend that your partner? Is awesome to the Nth degree.

Be that as it may, I sometimes feel pressured to down-play my accomplishments or excitement so as not to rock the boat. And I occasionally feel that I have to keep all that Lust for Life tucked away, only to be let out in appropriate circumstances. But the self-censoring, in an effort to placate the dis-affected? I'm going to curb it a bit. Because I *love* my job. I have great friends. I have big plans that I'm excited about.

I shouldn't be keeping The Happy a secret.

Do you ever feel pressured to downplay your accomplishments or happiness? How do you deal with it?

Much Love Monday

If your Monday is grey and overcast and filled with holiday party hangover, perhaps you should pop over to Much Love! It's one of my favorite blogs - all full of gorgeous photos, good ideas and lovely giveaways. And Anna was kind enough to let me write up a Much Love Monday guestpost. Do stop by and say hello and see five things that are currently floating my proverbial boat!

Calling All Christmas Orders From Outside the U.S.!

Dear International Friends,

If you are keen to get your copy of the 2010 'A Year in Yes' Calendar under the tree before Christmas, you should get your order in today! I'll hustle off your package to the post office and if all goes according to the 7-10 day rule, you'll have it in your hands before Santa slides down the chimney.

Thanks for supporting our first little venture!

The Pop Culture Theme Song

Oh my. I *love* this! Whoever editted this together deserves a wheel of guoda. In the event that you want to sing along, here are the lyrics:

1,2,1,2,3,4
We accept her, one of us, we accept her, one of us!
Gooble gobble gooble gobble!
We accept her, we accept her!
We accept her, one of us, we accept her, one of us!
Gooble gobble gooble gobble!
We accept her, we accept her!

(We-we) we came, we saw, we kicked it's ass,
I was testing you - and you passed,
Dental plan! Lisa needs braces,
Be required to fart on a regular basis,
I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse,
Channel 13 - Eyewitness news!
Robocop, who is he?
Dead or alive you're coming with me.

In a hurry to be fed, beady eyes and big blue head.

I'm telling the truth Doc, you gotta believe me,
Why does everything I whip leave me?
My beautiful chocolate! Candy is dandy,
Fava beans and a nice Chianti,
You can count on Slippery Pete,
Suicide will be nice and neat!
I didn't build the Panama canal,
Open the pod bay doors please, HAL,

These aren't the droids you're looking for,
These aren't the droids we're looking for,
I am not a number I am a free man!
Rosebud.
To The Idiotmobile!
Right away Michael,
I-I-I-I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered.

We came, we saw, we kicked it's ass,
You don't understand I coulda had class,
Round and tasty on a bun,
Ooh Zippy look what you've done!
Finally! Cast off those lines!
No, I've been nervous lots of times,
Red Rum! What's the matter honey?
Just robbed Boss Hogg all of his money!

We came, saw, we kicked it's ass,
Writing checks your body can't cash,
I was elected to lead, not read,
I feel the need - the need for speed,
Watch out for snakes, a good man's loafer,
HQ - my hat looks like a muffin - over,
My god it's full of stars,
There was no driver in the car..

In the car (repeat)

Well you see I'm in hot pursuit!

There are only two things I love in this world - everybody and television!
#The Simpsons
#Run With Us!
Ugh - you must be shrooming,
Wait for me Moomin!
Cross live to meet the host of that show, Meat Boy,
I want to go to there.

We came, we saw, we kicked it's ass,
An oil tycoon - like a.. moustache,
Nice beaver! I just had it stuffed,
I don't give a shit, close enough,
Where's me washboard? I'll get me coat,
Y-y-y-you're gonna need a bigger boat,
What'd she say? I think she bought it,
Suck it monkeys! I'm goin' corporate!
C'mon let's take a drive! A drive?
Number 5 is alive!
It's only a laugh, no harm done,
Pickles, french fries, yum yum yum,
Bueller, Bueller, Bueller,
It's 2 degrees cooler,
The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long,
Six words in the whole song.

We-we-we accept her, one of us, we accept her, one of us!
Gooble gobble gooble gobble!
We accept her, we accept her!
You are number 6 5 4 3 2
I am not a number, I am a free man

We came, we saw, we kicked it's ass,
Give me my 20,000 in cash,
We came, we saw, we kicked it's ass,
I think you woke up the dead with that blast
We came, we saw, we kicked it's ass,
I think fast, I talk fast,
We came, we saw, we kicked it's ass,
Lois, this is not my Batman glass.

How many of these references did you get? I'm at about 60%.

Who is happier?

In Which I Pretend We're All At a Great Dinner Party Together

Friends! I'm hatching a plan. No, it doesn't involve world domination by way of cheese (though how awesome would that be?!) And I need your input.

Now, because I'm a blogging nerd who constantly checks her google analytics account, I know that there quite a few lovely people out there who stop by Yes and Yes every day. And I also know that about 2% of said lovely people leave comments here. Which is totally okay! Before I started my own blog I never, ever commented on blogs, regardless of how often I read them. Leaving comments can feel a bit public, especially if it's a more sensitive topic - break-ups, body image, career success - it can be a bit unnerving to announce to all and sundry that you're feeling fat and your boyfriend dumped you last week.

But I also know (based on some of our get-t0-know you posts and some of the more heavy-duty posts) that y'all are a smart, sassy, funny opinionated bunch. And I'd love to hear more about what you think on some of the topics that we delve into. I like to imagine Yes and Yes as a dinner party full of all the coolest kids I know - making witty jokes, trading travel tips, complementing each other's boots and confessing that we're all a little bit in love with Shakira. And in an effort to make this more of a dinner party for all of us and less of a one-woman show, how would you guys feel about a Yes and Yes message board?

It would give us a space to expand on some of the blog posts and topics that really interest us, ask each other for advice (instead of just me blathering on) and talk about stuff in a less public place. I could start topic threads and so could any of you charming people!

What are your thoughts? Or are you happy commenting away or lurking as you see fit? Really, if this is something you're not into, please do tell me so! I'd hate to be the only one at the message board party!

How To Survive Holiday Travel

In addition to fruitcakes and crowded shopping malls, holiday travel is one of the low points of the holiday season, no? Unless you're actually into standing in check-in lines behind a crying baby with a full diaper. If that's your pleasure, you're a stronger person than I. How do you survive hours in the car, delayed flights and nights spent on pull-out couches without losing your mind?

Be Prepared
I have a friend whose life motto is 'always pack a snack.' Like, she applies this to her personal and professional life! And chances are, your holiday travel will be exponentially more awesome if you're sustained by some smoked almonds and dark chocolate. And you know what else you should bring? Some an inflatable neck pillow, ear plugs, slippers, moisturizer, hand sanitizer, gum and the phone numbers of your host/hotel/airline. Even if your flight gets delayed, you hit a traffic jam or you find yourself sleeping on a cot in the hall, you can (probably) emerge from the ordeal looking and smelling good.

Entertain Yourself
Obviously, most of your traveling will consist of sitting - at the gate, on the plane, in the car. And sitting, not surprisingly, in not terribly fun. But good lord! Surely you're clever enough to entertain yourself right?! You can always read something light and fun, do some sudoku, listen to podcasts (I love This American Life) or play one of a million games on your iphone. But how about some oldschool people watching? Or a game of Would You Rather? If you're in the car, play license plate bingo or annoy everybody by singing 100 bottles of beer on the wall.

Or you could do always do kegels.

Channel Some Travel Zen
We all know that getting wound up by the snow-delayed flight or the heavy traffic is pointless. It's also worth remembering that in travel, and often in life, things will take twice as long as you expect and cost a good bit more. So give your budget and your schedule a bit of wiggle room and you'll be a lot happier. It's also worth remembering that the annoying guy in front of you who's causing a scene at the baggage claim? He's not trying to be malacious, he's just stressed out and tired, like everybody else. And the baby that's howling behind you? She's not on a personal mission to give you a migraine. Take a few deep breaths, imagine yourself tucking into some mashed potatoes alongside your favorite aunt and try to remember that getting there at 5:45 instead of 4:30 is not going to be the end of the world as we know it.

Use Your Travel Time Wisely
If you can't stomach the idea of sitting idly on a plane for three hours, you can certainly use your time to read A Very Important Book you've been meaning to get to, plot your plans for 2010, write your Christmas cards or work on your novel. One of my favorite things to do on any return flight is compile a list of my 100 favorite memories from the trip while they're all fresh in my mind. It's sliiightly more rewarding than watching that screening of Old Dogs that the airline is showing.

Are you traveling far this holiday season?  How do you survive holiday travel?
Got the travel bug?  Check out my ebooks and podcasts on making long-term travel a reality!  Only $15 forpetessake!

A List Book! For You!

You guys know I looooove lists - I am a founding member of The Secret Society of List Addicts after all! So I was completely thrilled to find this little gem of a book tucked in with all the hipster-lit in the Urban Outfitter's book section. So lovely! So accessible!

Listography: Your Life In Lists is kind of like a "Write Your Autobiography" adventure, but without any of those pesky sentences. So instead of wrestling with pages of prose discussing your first job at Dairy Queen, you can just fill out the "Jobs I've Had" list. Genius, no?

There are heaps of great lists here, each coupled with cute, hand-drawn illustrations. A list of my favorite lists in this book?

1. Things You're Glad You Did

2. The Ways You've Changed Since Your Teens

3. The Bad Things You Did As A Kid

4. Your Best Purchases

5. Your Past Lovers

What fun, no? If you'd like to win a copy of this charming book, please leave a comment below answering the difficult question "What is your favorite list to write?" (I love to write to-do lists on my chalk-board door or lists of favorite songs)

Good luck!

10 Truths I Wish I'd Known Sooner

(This is an excerpt from an article in my favorite yuppie, middle-aged woman magazine Real Simple. You guys? It's so good. And this article? It bears repeating. By Amy Bloom)

1. Events reveal people’s characters; they don’t determine them.
Not everyone with divorced parents has terrible relationships. If two people are hit by a bus and crippled for life, one will become a bitter shut-in; the other, the kind of warm, outgoing person (cheerful despite everything) whom everyone loves to be with. It’s not about the bus, and a dreadful childhood is no excuse. You have the chance to be the person you wish to be, until you die.

2. Lying, by omission or commission, is a bad idea.
I cannot shake my dependency on the white lie, because I was brought up to be nice. And I’ve never figured out the nice way to say, “I’d rather stick a fork in my eye than come to your house for dinner.” But the meaningful lie, the kind that involves being untruthful or deceitful about important stuff to those you love, is like poison. Telling the truth hurts, but it doesn’t kill. Lying kills love.

3. Sex always give you an answer, although not necessarily the one you want.
It’s possible to have very good sex, a few times, with a person who shouldn’t be in your life at all. Have fun, and hide your wallet and your BlackBerry. On the other hand, it’s unlikely that a grown man, however nice, will become much, much better in bed than he was the first five times you slept with him. And if you sleep with a man who is unkind to you, there will be more of that; long after the sex is humdrum, the cruelty will be vivid.

4. Most talents are transferable.
If you can raise toddlers and teenagers with relative calm, you can be a CEO. If you’re a good driver, you can probably steer a cab, fly a plane, captain a boat. My years as a waitress―serving food to demanding people in a high-stress environment without losing my temper―served me equally well as a mother, a wife, and a short-order cook for my family. And if you have the teaching gene, you can teach anything. (I mean it. All you have to do is be one lesson ahead of your students. Sole meunière, Latin and Greek, algebra―you can teach it!)

5. Fashion fades; style is eternal.
Not only do you not have to wear torn jeans, a barely-there tank top, and a fedora, but you probably shouldn’t. The point of fashion is to indulge briefly in something fun. The point of style is to have one―whether that’s a sheath and spike heels or slouchy jeans and your husband’s T-shirt―and it should last you a lifetime. All you have to do is think you deserve to look and feel your best and spend some time figuring out how to do it. Don’t know? Find a woman whose style you admire and ask for a little advice.

6. You can’t fake love.
Staying in a love relationship when love is not what you feel isn’t likely to end well. If you know that what you crave is security/disposable income/child care and not the person next to you in bed, do the right thing. It’s true that one can learn to love someone over time and often through difficult circumstances. But unless the two of you agree to wait until you’re old and all the storms have passed, in the hope that love will kick in, it’s better to bail sooner rather than later.

7. Mean doesn’t go away.
Some people get better looking with age; some don’t. Some people soften; some toughen up. Mean streaks tend not to disappear. A person who demeans and belittles you and speaks of you with contempt to others is probably going to be that way for years. The first time it happens, take note. The second time, take your coat and go.

8. No one’s perfect.
I knew that I wasn’t perfect; I just didn’t realize that this also applied to the people I fell in love with. The object of your affection will always turn out to have huge and varied faults. The smart thing is not to look for someone flawless (which is why Elizabeth Taylor married eight times), but to look for someone whose mix of strengths and liabilities appeals to you (which is why she married Richard Burton twice).

9. Ask for help.
It’s possible you’ll get turned down. It’s even more likely that you’ll feel vulnerable and exposed. Do it anyway, especially if you are the helpful sort yourself. Those of us who like to offer assistance and hate to take any are depriving other people of the opportunity to be generous and kind; we are also blinding ourselves to the reality of mutual dependence. You wouldn’t wear pink hot pants and pretend they were flattering. Don’t pretend you don’t need help.

10. Keep your eye on the prize and your hand on the plow.
It’s easy to lose sight of what you want, especially if you haven’t gotten it. I know it’s less work to put the wish away, to pretend that the wish itself has disappeared. But it’s important to know what your prize is, because that is part of who you are. Whether it’s financial stability, two children, a collection of poetry, or a happy marriage, take Winston Churchill’s advice and never give in. Never give in. Never give in.

What truth do you wish you'd known?

The Optimist Song Book

One of my favorite ways to work my way out of a funk (or let's be honest, spend a Wednesday evening) is dancing around my apartment to my very, very diverse music collection. Music can get me out of foul mood, push me through that tough spot in my workout and generally convince me that I'm capable of superhuman feats. I mean, who hasn't imagined themselves engaging in a dance-off whenever they hear Madonna's Hung Up? No? Anybody?

In addition to encouraging rampant ass-shaking, some of my favorite tunes are down right uplifting. May I present you with The Optimist Songbook?

The Fixer - Pearl Jam
sample lyrics:
When somethings dark, let me shed a little light on it
When somethings cold, let me put a little fire on it
If somethings old, I wanna put a bit of shine on it
When somethings gone, I wanna fight to get it back again

Fresh Air - Brother Ali
sample lyrics:
love the life I live, my laughter and my tears
I don't know where it's goin but I like it like it is
I'm surrounded by greatness, my loved ones are amazin
Sometimes I look in their faces and just think of the lives they're changin

Give It Up To Me - Shakira
sample lyrics:
You can have it all
Anything you want you can make it yours
Anything you want in the world
What you get is exactly what you give
Never really know until you try

If You Want to Sing Out - Cat Stevens
sample lyrics:
You can do what you want
The opportunity's on
And if you find a new way
You can do it today
You can make it all true
And you can make it undo
you see? its easy

You Get What You Give - New Radicals
sample lyrics:
But when the night is falling
And you cannot find a friend
You feel your tree is breaking
Just then
You've got the music in you
Don't let go
You've got the music in you
One dance left
This world is gonna pull through
Don't give up

Do You Realize - the Flaming Lips
sample lyrics:
And instead of saying all of your goodbyes -
let them know you realize that life goes fast
It's hard to make the good things last

Unwritten - Natasha Beddingfield
sample lyrics:
no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten

The Middle - Jimmy Eat World
sample lyrics:
So don't buy in.
Live right now.
Yeah, just be yourself.
It doesn't matter if it's good enough
For someone else.

What's your favorite feel-good song?

Fort Fantastic

As a child I was obsessed (obsessed!) with fort making. Why I felt that hanging out under a tree by the road or in my dad's old fishhouse was superior to my large bedroom that I shared with no one, I'm not sure. But I'd still probably rather drink Koolaid out of tiny plastic cups under a pine tree next to a ditch than in a living room. Let's coo over some of these great forts, shall we?

Recipe for The Perfect Fort:

• 1 overcast Sunday afternoon
• 1 sibling/neighbor/cousin/friend
• 5-6 blankets and pillows to building a 'napping nest'
• 2-3 different kinds of snacks (preferably tiny)
• 1 thermos full of a delicious drink (Koolaid, tea, whiskey)
• 2-4 tiny cups
• 1 flashlight for reading
• 5-6 comic books, magazines or books of your choice
• 1 set of Madlibs

Were you a fort builder?

Blogroll!

Daily Reads

* Gala Darling * Mighty Girl * The Glamorous Grad Student * Already Pretty * Daddy Likey * Cupcakes and Mace * The Fierce Beagle * Little Reminders of Love * Oh, Mishka *



Friends
* A Fine Weave of Joy and Woe * Word Gardening * Scribbles * Drop It Like a Trig Class * A Quirky Delight * According To Julie * Eating a Tangerine * Basically I'm On My Way to Australia * Everything In Slow Motion * Glynis * Stef Metal * Goaty Goat * Lizzy Punch * Improbable Fiction* Breaking Curfew * Whirlwind * My Little Corner of The World * Summer Moon Chronicles * The Chocolate And The Cheese * Hopscotch and Grace * Chicken Soup for The Dorky Soul *



Funny

* The Would Be Writer's Guild * Kosher Pork Chops * Agent Lover * Chelsea Talks Smack * Redacted *




Inspiration
* Further Ado * Lemon Lu * ABC Adventures * Sparkle and Glitter * Morning, Gorgeous! * Venusian Glow * Frock and Roll *


Style
* Hi Fashion * Style Symetry * * Wicked Whimsy * * Pony and Pink * Clandestine Chic *

Apricot Sass

Like we needed another reason to love dried apricots?!

A Ven Diagram for Success

credit

The Art of Gift Giving

In addition to championship level cheese-eating and Thriller-dancing, I like to think that I'm a pretty good gift giver. I am totally the friend who makes note of the salt and pepper shakers you liked so much at that restaurant, finds a pair and then gives them to you for your birthday three years later. (And devotedly hopes that you remember that you liked them and aren't kind of creeped out by my insane memory) How does one go about becoming a good gift giver?

Listen
The truly awesome gift does not come off of Christmas Wish List. It's the thing that your friend mentioned in passing several times or that you always see them fawning over when you're out shopping. It's the sort of thing that they mention liking but can't justify purchasing when there are bills to be paid and cars that need repairs. It's the sort of thing that you know will bring them joy.

Shop Year Round
But I'm sure you already know this, right? Riiiiight? Waiting to shop until it's holiday season is wicked stressful. Wading through seas of women in cat sweatshirts? Not how I want to spend my winter weekends. So if gift giving inspiration strikes you in August, buy the gift then, for Pete's sake! If you're on a summer road trip and your friend is coveting some turquoise in New Mexico, buy the necklace and stash it till Christmas. Aren't you the clever one?

Think Personal
Now, I'm not one to sneeze in the face of pillar candles or a basket of scented bath things, buuuuut I also wouldn't shriek "Wow! You know me so well!" to the giver of these gifts. Give the people in your life something that shows them you know who they are and what they're about - an aerial map of a city where they used to live or an artist's sketch of their childhood home. Or what about one of those custom-made photo albums that have the photos printed on the page? Or Indian cooking classes for your friend who spent a year in Mumbai? Or tickets to a reading with their favorite author?

Don't Give Them Gifts That You'd Like
I know it's incredibly tempting to give your lovely but fashion-challenged cousin a gift card to Forever 21. Or give your technologically backwards grandma a digital camera. But gift giving isn't about you and the life you think these people are missing. It's about giving them something that they want, something that will make them happy. So you best not be buying me a GHD or a rolling suitcase because they will gather dust and lead me to question our friendship.

Don't Dismiss The Small Gift
For her 30th birthday, I gave my BFF a novelty eraser and $5. And she loved it! Really! But before you decide that you don't ever want to be my friend, you should know that the eraser looked like a delete button (we're both Internet obsessed) and the five dollars was
a) brand new from the bank
b) featured a home-made sticker
c) was a payoff on a long held bet/inside joke.
And I'm pretty sure that the BFF was more touched by my $6 worth of presents than the various picture frames/gift cards/novelty socks that she got.

At least that's what I'm telling myself.

Consider The Gift of Non-Stuff
If you are attempting to give a gift to someone over the age of 26 who has a 'real job,' there's a pretty good chance that if they want something? They just buy it. And really, who needs another decorative bowl/set of cuff links/DVD? Non-stuff is more memorable and it doesn't need dusting. Good non-stuff gifts include airplane tickets, gift certificates for spa services, a night at a Bed and Breakfast, classes or lessons, tickets to a sporting event or concert or donating to a cause that's important to them. Added bonus: easy to wrap!

Do you consider yourself a good gift giver?
What gift giving tips do you have?

A Christmas Miracle (or 'Ready The Kleenex, Again')

Would you promise not to hate me if I told you that I have The Best Job in The Land? Maybe The Best Job Ever? True, I earn approximately $2, work in a dicey neighborhood and occasionally open my desk drawer to find cockroaches. But you guys? The currency I get paid in is 'Faith in Humanity.'

And that plus a dollar will buy you a bag of chips, but its exchange rate is even better than the pound.

I teach ESL (English as a Second Language) to Southeast Asian refugees, most of whom are KaRen. The KaRen are the largest ethnic minority in Burma (Myanmar) who have unsuccessfully tried to lead insurgencies against Burma's junta. You may remember the junta as those charmers who wouldn't let the U.N. in to provide aide after the cyclone in 2008? The junta have been engaged in systematic genocide for the last 25 years, forcing the KaRen to flea to Thai refugee camps along the border.

The refugee camps are no-man's-land shantytowns, now in their second decade of existence despite being designed to last six months. The KaRen who inhabit them aren't considered citizens of any country - neither Burma nor Thailand will claim them.

So my students were understandably happy to put this life behind them and start over in St. Paul, Minnesota - even if it meant navigating five connecting flights while 7 months pregnant, with a toddler in tow, as one of my students did. The non-profit I work for found her an apartment, a pre-school and placed her in my class where we immediately bonded over a shared love of Pictionary and Want Want rice crackers.

Sometime this summer, my student announced (with a laugh and a shout) that she was sad and that she wanted to die. Her husband, it seems, was stuck in Thailand. Because people that aren't citizens of any country? Their marriage liscences aren't recognized by the American government. So while my student lived the life of a single mother in America, her husband was living out his life in a thatched hut, wondering about the daughter he'd never met.

So we introduced my student to an immigration lawyer and set to work building a case that this very amaturish-looking marriage certificate (which appeared to be from a MicroSoft Word certificate template) was, in fact, legit. Photos and letters were scanned, awkward questions answered and a few tears were shed.

She sent it off with a whisper and a prayer (literally) and proceeded to hear nothing. Followed by some more nothing. And then a phone call from the lawyer saying that they hadn't heard anything.

But today, at 8 a.m. she burst into my office to joyfully shove in my face one very official document. There were exactly three sentences typed on it, the last one stating that her marriage certificate had been deemed legal and binding, and that her husband could begin the process of applying for an American visa.

I had to busy myself with my desk drawer so she couldn't see me stifling the weepiness when she crowed "Maybe Christmas next year, my whole family will be together!"

P.S. If you're looking for a charity to donate to this holiday season, may I be so bold as to suggest the non-profit I work for? We do some pretty cool stuff.

Little Love

You guys know I have a soft spot for all things tiny: tiny spaces, tiny letters, Shakira. So why don't you head over to Little Reminders of Love for my guest post on tiny things? I can promise you a picture of a mouse holding a tiny teddy bear and a few tips to tiny-fy your life!