There’s a lot of stuff I share on the Internet every day. Here’s a round up of the things I most enjoyed last week by category.

Inspiration

• Russian mother takes magical pictures of her two kids with animals on her Farm. That kid standing on the edge of the dock. Be still my heart.
• Advice column courtesy of Amanda Palmer. “All that said, sometimes you need to just shut the computer and stop fiddling with your phone. The voices on the internet can be like the voices in your head – relentless and impossible to ignore, and nonproductive. So as tempting as it may be to stay connected to the battle and drama online, talking with your actual friends and hanging out in the real-life spaces of the world is the best antidote.”
• Why you make bad decision when you’re attracted to someone. ” When you can’t seem to get someone out of your head, serotonin is usually to blame. Or, more accurately, a lack of serotonin. This same drop in serotonin creation is present in people with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. In other words, being infatuated with someone causes a similar chemical state to a condition that would otherwise be treated in a professional setting.” Furthermore, there are things  (like alcohol) that suppress serotonin production. Seems like a perfect storm, huh?

Nifty

• Signs you’re in a relationship with hummus. “I really like hummus. I like it so much that you could say I’m a hummusexual.”
• A couple is letting the Internet name their daughter. And you can vote! I’m hoping for Amelia All-Spark.
• What artists eat. This isn’t fancy or complicated, but it’s neat to read about several of my interests combined. People, art and food in a short paragraph. A window peek.
• Royals but for people in their 30’s. “Written by a kid I probably used to babysit / Killing it by puberty while I can barely stay fit.” Really funny and painfully true.

Music

• Why? (The King of Love Is Dead) by Nina Simone.
• Rise to Me by The Decemberists. The steel guitar in this song intoxicates me. Don’t know why…but it’s just perfect.
• SXSW ’14 – The 188 bands you need to hear. I’m going to SXSW this year and my friend Geoff tweeted this link in preparation of his own SXSW adventure. I’m about 1/2 way thru the list and added about 20 so far that I’d like to check out. 

There’s a lot of stuff I share on the Internet every day. Here’s a round up of the things I most enjoyed last week by category.

Inspiration

• 20 things that mentally strong people don’t do. So, so, so good. I’m not practicing 100% on this list but I aim to. Everyone, please read this and save yourself a decade of suffering. 
• Why I bought a house in Detroit for $500. “All but two of the houses on the block behind Forestdale are gone. Instead of letting it slowly fill up with trash and despair, Paul planted an orchard. In the summer peaches and pears and apples and plums grow on the trees, and vegetables of every make and model grow in the soil. Neighbors care for bees and collect honey in autumn. In the winter, Paul floods it to make a backyard ice rink. He’s still tinkering with a homemade way to groom the ice, and recently I found him back there on his knees with a clothing iron plugged into an extension cord, trying to iron the ice smooth. That didn’t work. He’ll figure something out eventually.”
• 4 things I learned from the worst online dating profile ever. “I could follow my first instinct as these messages began to roll in, which was to invest in a high-quality chastity belt and start collecting cats.”
• 10 creative rituals you should steal. Golden, golden, golden advice that I needed to read. I’ve accidentally discovered some of these things (like quarterly vacations…not that *ever* take whole weeks each quarter) but hadn’t realized the importance of others (like daily writing). And, yeah, reading this really extra a whole lot makes me want to attend the 99U conference. ::sigh:: 

Nifty

• Awesome portraits of iconic San Francisco houses. Colorful paintings of houses in my favorite city, labeled with the presumed snack being served inside. Brilliant.
  
• Ladies Against Humanity I hadn’t ever thought about this, but Cards Against Humanity is written by men. So, so funny…but here’s a Tumblr of proposed cards written by women. These need to be added as an expansion pack NOW.
• Ventriloquist picking up girls on the subway.

There’s a lot of stuff I share on the Internet every day. Here’s a round up of the things I most enjoyed last week by category.

Inspiration

• 20 difficult truths about love and relationships from a life coach. This is some of the most solid, succinct wisdom I’ve read in a while. One of my favorites was, “19. A period of time spent alone will be the best gift you can give to yourself. If you resist medicating yourself with alco-, worko-, or Bravo Channel-holism, you will learn to trust yourself deeper, hear the voice of your inner guide clearer, and in the absence of another person telling you how beautiful/smart/clever you are, will learn to generate this for yourself. Your future self and your future healthy relationship will thank you.”

Nifty

• HOLY LORD, MATT NATHANSON FAVORITED MY TWEET. True story. I was there. It totally happened. Later that evening one of my girlfriends texted me and said, “If you start dating Matt Nathanson I’m going to be so jealous.” I replied, “Yeah, so will his wife.” But one can dream… 

Music

• Born in the USA by Bruce Springsteen Not the version you’re thinking of. Instead, a captivating acoustic demo. 
  
• Nebraska by Bruce Springsteen (Live) This links to a whole album on YouTube. You are welcome.
• Kill My Sorrow by Joy Kills Sorrow If you really dig Punch Brothers, I think you’ll at least like these folks. 
• Was it You by Joy Kills Sorrow Her voice and that harmony at 1:35. I need to lie down now.
• Ok…one more. JKS’s great cover of Such Great Heights. 
• The Way We Move by Langhorn Slim I just started listening to him and instead of picking one or three songs, I went through all of his albums on Spotify. But this album is a good starting point. The title track, Coffee Cups and Two Crooked Hearts seem to be favorites thus far.