Summer, summer, summer-time...

:)

http://isiticedcoffeeweather.com/

"Is how we have been really how we want to be?"

Ailing economy a chance to teach kids something they'll have forever

I will definitely want to be reminded of this article when I am doing Christmas shopping for my own future children.

Our New First Lady

I'm not sure I have ever in my life been more excited for the next four years. Is it okay that I adore everything about the Obamas? Or am I just setting myself up to be disappointed?

I ♥ this article - hopefully every member of the news media will read it. Well done, Vanity Fair.

Welcome to the White House, Mrs. Obama!

Given all the other things Mrs. Obama stands for, do we really need to critique every dress, hairstyle, and daily make up job as if she were some teenage contestant on America’s Next Top Model? She is smart, hard-working, dignified, well-intentioned—and human.
. . .
Let’s let our new First Lady be a fully dimensional grown-up woman, with strengths and weaknesses and idiosyncrasies and unconventional quirks and adult sexuality and cranky moods and even—oh, the horror!—opinions that sometimes diverge from those of her husband. We accept all those things in the women we know in everyday life, but it’s still a radical idea to stop imposing absurdly hypocritical, quasi-Victorian standards on our First Lady.

Sarah Palin Makes Me Want to Vomit/I Adore Tina Fey

That's a bit harsh, I guess. Sarah Palin doesn't make me want to vomit. The idea of Sarah Palin as VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES makes me want to vomit. I mean, really. What is going on??

8 More Shocking Revelations About Sarah Palin

RNC Protests

There's a whole lot to read about the protests during the RNC and the unwarranted violence and force used by police - not to mention the many, many illegal arrests. Feel free to check any number of alternative media sites.
http://twincities.indymedia.org/
http://www.minnesotaindependent.com/

But I'm glad to see that even the mainstream media is acknowledging the injustice - the video below is from the Pioneer Press. I'm guessing it's only because so many of their journalists were arrested but that's okay, as long as it's acknowledged.

It all makes me a little sick, really. I understand there's a fine balance between security and honoring the first amendment (and basic human rights, for that matter) but I'd argue that we definitely missed it this past week. I'm disappointed in you, St. Paul.

I'm a large medium roast with soy milk and splenda.

Number of possible choices available to a customer at the average Starbucks:

189,520

"Starbucks is one of the most prominent cultural examples of providing people with an opportunity to create their identity by providing practically unlimited choice."

Starbucks, the New Coffee Culture, and Why it Reflects Our Changing World

Consumption

An American Self-Portrait

Find out if you are living a sustainable life

Shopping for Vacations that Aren't Being Taken

I've been doing a lot of vacation planning lately. At one point in time I was planning because I actually intended to take a vacation. But then I found out that my preferred vacation partner prefers to spend his time remodeling kitchens instead of traveling with me (that's not totally true - it's just that he will be remodeling for the next four billion months, it seems). I thought about traveling alone but I did that for 3 months last year and it wasn't really my favorite thing in the world. So now I'm just planning vacations that I won't ever take.

In the process I've come across some great travel resources:

beachdestinations.com
I don't know that I'd actually make a purchase through this site, but there's a great option (under Deals) to search multiple destinations and multiple dates. Just choose a departure city and month - it will tell you the least expensive places and dates to travel.

zuji.com
Zuji is based outside of the US and it will, therefore, allow you to do a 'flexible date' search for international flights (US-based sites aren't allowed to do this because of some fuel surcharge issue that I don't really understand).

mobissimo.com
Mobissimo searches flights from a whole slew of travel websites all at once. It's absolute brilliance. (And as a rational economic agent, it's probably the closest I'll ever get to the intangible ideal of a perfectly competitive market equilibrium based on perfect information - which makes me a happy girl.)