Friday, May 3, 2013

Best of the Week #102


Ok I have some truths for you runner-readers. I have been a bit secretive about my running recently, because I haven’t been running. Womp womp, that dirt biking crash and the ensuing foot situation was waaaay worse than I thought(/why is it not better yet?/I have no patience) and it is making me sad. So I will not be running a trail race this Sunday. And I will not be running a 5K on May 15. But I will be biking. And pooling. And that, my friends is that.

But the good news is it’s FRIDAY! Let’s celebrate with some Best of the Week. And I have a major back-up of links to share with you, so GET PSYCHED.

And this little guy makes me feel better about everything.



CookieHound, like Tastespotting, but just for cookies! Aka I'm there.


This is funny, but also interesting. “With Martha Stewart on Match.com, time to rethink online dating?
  • We are accustomed to saying, “Okay, Martha.” She is certainly the most prominent, if not the only, ex-convict telling us how to make tasteful seasonal decorations.
  • Now she’s trying online dating. She has a Match.com profile — yes, that’s really Martha Stewart — where she explains what she’s looking for in a man...
  • When confronted with millions of potential matches, it’s hard to convince yourself that this Perfectly All Right And Not At All Cabbagey-Looking Fellow with whom you are about to go on your third date is, as P.G. Wodehouse would say, your specific dream rabbit. There are so many rabbits.
THIS MOVIE guys. Seriously. Was Motocrossed a part of your life?


Good read of the week comes from Bitchslap: A Column about Women and Fighting, “Column 44: Invisible Jeffry” On taking compliments and your own awesomeness (“Jeffry”) and other general bad-assery.
  • If he’d caught me in mid-stride I’d have been doomed, but my right foot landed just as I saw the front wheel of the stroller swing straight at me like the boom of a jibing yacht. My eyes locked on to the wickedly flashing chrome spokes, and somehow—this still impresses me—I managed to leap up and forward, pulling both my feet high enough to clear the wheel, the stroller frame, and the bemused baby within. I landed with a heavy crunch in the trail’s caliche, but I stayed on my feet. I kept running, wanting to avoid a tedious “You almost knocked me down/You almost ran over my baby” discussion, when behind me I heard the man yell, “That was awesome!”
  • “Thank you!” I called back over my shoulder, because it was. For one of the few times in my life, I honestly felt I deserved some applause.
Love this/agreed!



"Kareem: 20 Things I Wish I’d Known When I Was 30"
  • 7. Be patient. Impatience is the official language of youth. When you’re young, you want to rush to the next thing before you even know where you are. I always think of the joke in Colors that the wiser and older cop (Robert Duvall) tells his impatient rookie partner (Sean Penn). I’m paraphrasing, but it goes something like: “There's two bulls standing on top of a mountain. The younger one says to the older one: ‘Hey pop, let's say we run down there and screw one of them cows.’ The older one says: ‘No son. Let’s walk down and screw 'em all.’” Now, to counter the profane with the profound, one of my favorite quotes is from the philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer: “Talent hits the target no one else can hit; genius hits the target no one else can see.” I think the key to seeing the target no one else can see is in being patient, waiting for it to appear so you can do the right thing, not just the expedient thing. Learning to wait is one of my greatest accomplishments as I’ve gotten older.
  • 8. Listen more than talk. And that’s all I’m going to say about that.
I didn’t know this! (from "Mount Everest Fight Raises Questions About Sherpas")

  • Although the term "Sherpa" has long been a part of the popular lexicon, outsiders generally know little about the role they play in Himalayan climbing.
  • The Sherpas are a small ethnic group that share many cultural, racial, and linguistic features with Tibetans, who live to their immediate north. 
  • By comparison, Sherpas share a rather straightforward motivation: Mountaineering is their livelihood, and they do it to support their families. It's tough, seasonal work—similar to the role of commercial fishing in Alaska for enterprising college students. They approach the task with good cheer, and the pay is exceptional by Nepal's standards (high-altitude Sherpas earn several times the prime minister's monthly salary).
I would like to read this book and see this documentary: "Dirty Wars." Not my usual jam, but a friend I trust recommended them.


Hmm undecided about how I feel about one-pieces…maybe cute?


And speaking of clothing...I did a little stress-shopping this week. Don't judge me, it was all on sale!

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Take the Social Intelligence Test! My score was 32 out of 36. The average result for adult population is 26 out of 36.
  • Test how well you can read emotions of others just by looking at their eyes.
  • The ability to read the emotions of others is linked to "social intelligence" which, in turn, is linked to performance on team-based problem solving tasks.


Must listen! "Evolution of Music" by Pentatonix.

I wrote a thesis paper partially on this EXACT subject, way back in 2009. Some things never change? “In tiny Lesotho, Chinese immigrants set up shop.”
  • But as in many other countries across the continent, the presence and success of Chinese traders has been a double-edged sword. Some Basotho – the local ethnic group – hail the availability of cheap goods from the Chinese, while others decry the squeezing out of local businesses and accuse the Chinese of shoddy practices. And like many observers, most also wonder how they have managed to become so successful.
This has more real life application than it should. (Or maybe that’s just MY real life?) “How to Talk to a Dictator.”
  • Remember, when you’re dealing with a dictator, you can get a quicker, more favorable decision than you can in a democracy. It’s important when you negotiate with a dictator that you connect personally. You don’t negotiate by sending e-mails or letters. It’s person-to-person diplomacy. Often the key is to find out what they really need rather than what they say they want. You have to learn what their current moods are, who they’re having an affair with, who they are threatened by, and what you think they want out of the negotiation with you. Don’t get emotional.
Omgggg remember #4? Butterfly clips!! Sister1 was soooo good at it when she was in Junior High and elementary school me was so jealous. SO JEALOUS. "The 19 Most Important Women's Hairstyles Of The '90s."


Pretty funny (this is satire...in case you can't tell): "A Field Guide To Flirting For The Socially Awkward."
  • Have an opening line ready. Something that will connect you on a deep level. Such as “do you sleep?” or “do you eat?” (If the answer is “I’m on a liquid diet” — abort, there’s nothing here for you).
  • Not to harp on the eyes, but they are such a big deal. Consider making your eyes go rapidly from side to side occasionally. It shows you have brain activity, which is desirable in a mate.
Whether or not you agree, this is a pretty powerful add campaign: “Choose One” — Little Red Riding Hood or an Assault Weapon?



HILARIOUS! "How Attractive Are You To The Opposite Sex? Esquire’s 1949 Questionnaire"

  • From Esquire’s Handbook for Hosts: A Time-Honored Guide to the Perfect Party (public library), originally published in 1949 and brimming with the era’s most flagrantly preposterous gender stereotypes, comes a set of questionnaires designed to help the ladies and bachelors make themselves more attractive to each other. 
  • Examples for women: Do you wear clothes that make you a little more up-to-the-minute than the other women in your set? Good — provided your taste is reliable and that the clothes suit you. Men may rant about the “crazy hat” but they swell with pride when their lady companions arouse admiring stares.
  • If you are asked to get another girl for a foursome, do you pick one obviously less attractive than you are? You are unwise to do so. Get the most glamorous girl you know, and both men will be pleased.
  • Examples for men: Do you tell a woman she’s beautiful, even if she isn’t? This habit hurts nobody and makes a lot of girls happier.Do you try to arouse a girl’s interest by boasting of your success with other women? Don’t ever do this!
And finally, life rule:


Have a good weekend!