Remabulous

Don't Divorce 18,000 Gay California Couples!

This video was made as part of the Courage Campaign, in an effort to stop Ken Starr in his attempts to divorce the 18,000 gay couples who were married for the window when gay marriage was legal before Prop 8 was passed. As the child of a gay parent, this issue is very close to me.

While I am recovering from surgery, I've had more time to catch up on online reading and video posts. This is a beautiful video giving faces to all the couples who would be affected by such a barbaric ruling. Please watch and, if you are moved to, sign the petition to preserve these marriages. I look forward to the day when the rights of gay couples to marry are taken for granted. We're not there yet, but I hope we will be soon.

"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.

Becoming a Superhero in your own life.

This past June, my friend Erin and I attended a lecture at machine project in Echo Park in Los Angeles. It very well may have been the best lecture I have ever attended. Journalist Joshua Bearman spoke about a project he was working on about real life superheroes for Rolling Stone.

The article is out now. It is called "The Legend of Master Legend." It is fantastic. For anyone who has ever thought about really committing to a vision fully, there is still something to learn about commitment and dedication to a vision from real life superhero Master Legend. He perseveres despite obstacles and really dares to dream.

One of the most delightful and human stories I have read in a long time. Even if you're not looking to don tights and a cape, it's still a real treat. I know we're all trying to do less this holiday, so I'll just leave you with that treat rather than a longer post.

Enjoy, enjoy!

image: Rolling Stone

Onward and Upward: I'm an example of authenticity on Carrie and Danielle!

Everyone, please check me out as an example of authenticity on www.carrieanddanielle.com. I am really excited to be featured because I so admire their work, which has helped me focus and refine my vision for both my business and my life. I had a Statement Session with them last year and it has been a huge source of support since. I highly recommend both their philosophy and their work. Check out their beautiful new book as well as their inspiring website.

Why can't women be angry in the media?

After searching through pages of creative commons licensed images on flickr for "angry woman," I was surprised to find that the most convicing image didn't even show the woman's face. I searched "angry man" as well, and after a few pages of neutral stuff, I found a glut of images of men that looked, well, actually angry.

Since the NYT article came out about BlogHer 08, there have been quite a few angry people getting on the mike, some in uplifting and powerful ways both as posts and comments, and others, both men and women, have been just plain snipey.

Why is it such an explosion for everyone to be angry and riled up about a women's technology conference? I think the question for me is broader: why is it so rare to see a woman get angry these days in broad daylight (or screenlight) and what does that mean for those of us who have issues we feel angry about?

image:dearbarbie via flickr

Further commentary on BlogHer 08 from Salon: Thoughts on the NYT article

Yet further grist for the mill on BlogHer 08. The New York Times article in the Styles section has exploded into a lot of critiques via blogs, like Catherine Connors' post at Mama Pop. Weighing in on the issue now is Salon.com, with a response piece to the whole controversy by Rebecca Traister.

Enjoy- I'll add my thoughts on this later today as I'm off to teach a class...

to those of you on facebook... this may amuse.

Not really an article, but still. A friend found and posted this little ditty and as a recent facebook member it both made me laugh and highlighted the more freaky elements of this method of communication.

remember notetaking? here's a resource to make yours better

gina trapani has been popping up a lot lately in my world. last year, at blogher, i was lucky enough to see her on a panel since her blog, lifehacker.com, had been picked up and made into a book of the same name with wiley publishers. i purchased the book, and do read her blog, but hadn't really been able to dig into the book until now. i was reminded of her in a funny and fabulous interview she did on susie brights audible show, in bed. trapani popped back into mind, and i sprung into action to order her second book, upgrade your life. i figured i couldn't very well upgrade until i had hacked, so figured i had better get down to it and read book number one pronto.

i have already been transformed. from the simple tasks- putting reminders into google or yahoo calendar and having reminders sent to your e-mail or phone (one i could not live without i tell you) to using a camera phone with email capacity to send pics of your wish list shopping items to flickr, she's got ideas that will make a difference.

as someone who takes a lot of notes when on the phone with clients, i was delighted to see a link to an article on the lost art of notetaking by michael hyatt. i was already sold by the title of the blog: working smart, the alternaitve to working hard. so let's see what he says about taking notes.

thanks gina, for the great find!

how work can save your life. sometimes.

debra condren is the author of amBITCHous, a book about why ambition is not a dirty word for women.  she is a proponent of women not apologizing their drive to succeed. her book is a great pick-me-up if you're feeling slumpy and less than motivated.

in an article in the huffington post, condren talks about women's struggles to hold onto themselves and their drive in the face of life's challenges. this is a point i can more than relate to personally- when something is awry in one's personal life and one works at home, it is extremely difficult to buckle down and work anyway. this article was a pretty profound reminder of why that is the right thing to do.

looks like condren puts her money where her mouth is. and how.

"nice work if you can get it" on npr

today, driving back from a lovely day of exploring the canals in venice, a friend staying with me from out of town and i caught the tail end of an apropos episode of "this american life." it featured people who had somehow gotten what we think would be dream jobs, but with a catch. excellent listening. enjoy hearing about television acting, the lottery business, and what it means to go to college if you are an illegal us resident. perhaps a good inspiration to be grateful for the work we have, or reason to change it, if these are obstacles we don't have to worry about facing.

how to be happy

this seems to be a question that most of us consider frequently, whether we are wondering why we get to be so happy (when we are), or why it is that happiness is so elusive (when we aren't).

martin selgiman's book, authentic happiness, does what few have been able to nail down before: it provides a kind of formula for happiness. the formula as he puts it is: find your strengths and use them often. seems simple enough. seligman has also developed a new coaching process for authentic happiness.

brian johnson, philosopher-at-large and founder of zaadz, wrote this summary about his experience in the very first authentic happiness training. interesting stuff... enjoy! and i hope this will bring more ways to be happy into your life.

i plan to jump on just that question as soon as i am back from europe in a few days. i am sure that i will be very eager to start writing posts live again. i'll speak with you about my trip on the 12th- please excuse any weirdness the jet lag may have induced!