Do Unto Others: Part One

This is going to be a long one so pull up a chair, grab a cup of whatever and buckle up.  I've divided this into two parts and will put the other up tomorrow.  It's not the usual post, so I appreciate your reading along. It was mid-morning on Monday when I finally decided to haul it up off the couch and go outside.  Opening the backdoor I shuffled to the left and let my back slide down the wall until my bottom landed on the wooden......

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Not So Great Expectations

If you had peeled by my place this weekend you would have found me wrapped in blanket, wearing my favorite things, spending time with my cats.  It donned on me Sunday afternoon that I was having a breakdown, subconsciously attempting to comfort myself by wearing, eating and doing things that made me feel safe.  This grand revelation occurred as I watched the ending of Planes, Trains and Automobiles where Neal is on the train on the last......

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Stilted Haiku

Pied marshland daintyLady in a tuxedostriding on pink sti......

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Bottoms Up!

Holy mother of Friday it's finally here....loooooooong weeeeeekend!! To say it's been a hell of a week is an understatement.  On top of mad work drama late yesterday afternoon I overheard the bbq'ing neighbor beller out, "Heroin is not a lifestyle!"  Well.  I'm glad we got that settled.  And you were moving out, when?To cap it off I came in moments ago (it's 1:30am Friday morn) after almost drowning in my car when the cap popped......

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Appalachia to Asia

I'm sitting in my home office today in the Appalachian foothills of southeastern Ohio (and will continue doing this over the coming holiday weekend) trying to write a compelling, readable account of an adventure I had back in March of 2009 in The Philippines.The subject of the article I'm writing is a trek I took with some birding pals (pictured above) to see the Philippine eagle on a mountain in Mindanao.This photo (above) of the thick mountain......

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$150 Perricone Giveaway: Sulforaphane and So Much More

I am super excited to offer this Perricone skin care giveaway to all of you - the winner will get to select one item of $150 or less.  Bring.it.on.  Ever since I started blogging last year I've entered these Perricone giveaways to no avail.  The irony in all of this is I literally, just today as I'm typing this up, learned I finally won one!!  So it's even more fun to see what one of you might choose when you win.  I've been......

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Wayuu Mochila Bag Winner

Winner of the fabulous and beautiful Wayuu Mochila Bag is Taylor from Curly in the CityCongrats Taylor - stay tuned for details.And thanks to everyone who entered!!*winner selected via random number generator*image via we heart......

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Do You Believe in Magic?

There I was:  all dressed up and nowhere to go aka on my way to get more Ben & Jerry's Boston Cream Pie ice cream groceries when I found myself in the most random of random neighborhoods.  You know, the one 10 blocks from my house that I've never ventured into because I work from home and barely leave the house except on weekends? Anyway suddenly I could barely contain the 70's fever of it all.  Shaun Cassidy and K.C. and the Sunshine......

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Birding the Inland Sea

There's something sort of magical about getting in an airplane in the flatlands and flying to a place where the mountains are capped with snow. This (above) was the view out my airplane window as we circled in for a landing at the Salt Lake City, Utah airport. I was way out west for the Great Salt Lake Bird Festival.The kind folks at the GSLBF knew that I was interested in doing some photography/digiscoping/videography and so they made arrangements,......

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Bright Bag Small City

Rarely does a weekend go by when the Chef and I aren't racing the clock trying to squeeze an outfit picture in. Truth is, without him there would be no outfit pictures (yes i'm having a moment).  I'm uncomfortable enough as it is and pretty much wither up at the thought of lugging around a tripod (which coincidentally I don't even own - go figure).  When I started blogging last spring time was a luxury because he was still searching......

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The Row Fall 2011 via Bergdorf Goodman

I just.  I love it.Visionary is the perfect word to describe it, too.  Head to Bergdorf's for this and so much more.Yes I realize we haven't even gotten to summer yet, but how could I not share?  Would you take a look at those boots.Yowsa~note to self:  wallet requires monetary infusi......

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Double Chocolate Crumble Bars

Here's a tale for you:  for three days I have been unable to get these dessert bars out of my mind.  At Christmas (yes it's been raining so every morning I wake up feeling like I should plug in the Christmas tree.  In May) these are amongst the first things I request from my mom.  The reason I ask her to make them rather than making on my own?  Taste them for yourself and realize how difficult it is to keep from devouring......

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How We Get Our Bird-friendly Coffee

A few months back, while we were kicking around some ideas in our marketing team meeting, a bunch of us at Bird Watcher's Digest came up with a concept for a video to help promote the sales of shade-grown coffee.The benefits to the birds, coffee growers and workers, and bird watchers of shade-grown, bird-friendly coffee have been discussed and explained many times over. We decided to ask some of BWD readers and friends to help us make a video that would be light-hearted but that would also demonstrate our enthusiasm for this kind of environmentally friendly product.The video above is the final......

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Shopbop Winner!

image via we heart itThe winner of the $100 Shopbop Gift Card is Summer from Athena in the MiddleCongrats Summer - the Shopbop giveaway person will be contacting you with your code!And thanks to everyone who entere......

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Fly Away Pants

Where to begin, where to begin.  I realize I spend an incredible amount of time waxing on about Free People, but I honestly just can't help it.  There is rarely a time when I glance at their online shop or visit a store and don't find something that is truly unique and a blast from the past.  If you get their catalogues then you know firsthand how well they capture a moment, an item, and your wallet.  Which is exactly what happened......

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Wayuu Mochila Bag Giveaway

As much as I love an expensive handbag, come the warmer months I am full swing embracing my inner hippie and searching for ways to express that to the fullest - especially in the accessory department.  Does it have fringe?  Is it made of burlap?  Any tassels on it?  Okay I'm in.  About a month ago I was in Barneys making mad attempts to avoid scoping out the the Isabel Marant selection when lo and behold I spotted the......

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Beach Stop

Living close to the water has to be my favorite thing about living in Southern California.  As much as I miss home on the prairies in Canada, there is something glorious about being able to walk onto warm sand and have salty ocean breezes tousle up your hair.  Truth is I somehow always knew, even as a kid, that I would end up in SoCal.  I realize that sounds crazy, but it's true.  As a result I never really settled anywhere after......

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The Big Question about the Chukar

How many cars could a chukar chuck if a chukar could chuck ca......

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