Friday, July 30, 2010

Various and sundry

As July Snarkfest 2010 slinks to a close, I apparently have run out of spleen to vent. Or whatever it is one vents when one vents one's spleen. In other words, other people say things so much better than I do, why should I bother? Oh, was that snarky? Maybe there's life!

At any rate, here are a few things that I found (or was sent) this week that were all very interesting but to which I had nothing to add. Read them as your fancy strikes you.

Molly D. sent me this great article on the Bay Area graves of famous people. I'm going to have to hie me to Colma one of these days to go visit Joe DiMaggio and Wyatt Earp. (I also need to rent Colma: The Musical.)

I stumbled across an article in the NY Times about microfinance lending in the United States. Sounds like a good idea to me. I'm glad to see microlending is not just for "those poor people over there."

The fabulous ladies at Dirty Sexy Ministry have a list of things they wish weren't true. I think my favorite is

8. We cannot run other people's lives. The most pervasive acts of violence are unsolicited advice. Most of the time, when people tell you their troubles, they simply want you to listen, not to tell them how to fix what's hurting them. Trust that if people want advice, they will ask. Otherwise, just listen, hold hands, or give them tissues when they cry.

That's probably because I'm still in denial about chocolate ice cream having calories (#1 on their list).

Finally, I loved this essay by a music industry insider called How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Technology.

Every creative field, maybe even every field, has been shaken by technology in recent history. Technology can be cruel. With one hand it gives and with the other it takes. It doesn't do it because it hates you. It just really doesn't care about you. It doesn't even know you exist. You are Molly Ringwald in the first act of every '80s movie she was in and technology is the boy she's crushing on.

I know, I know, it hurts. Take it from me though, that huge wave of technological progress sweeping over [insert your career field here] doesn't have to mean the end. At least, not the end of your career. Your life will definitely change. Your field will too. If you want to survive, I'll help you.

I read this [inserting Church here] and found it incredibly helpful. But I'm hardly in a position to use my new-found illumination, so I hope some people who do will read this and pass it along.

That should keep you busy for a bit! Have a terrific weekend.

4 comments:

Lorin said...

That (that being Colma: The Musical) reminds me. Have you read Alive in Necropolis by Doug Dorst? Its on my TBR list, even though I have read such mixed reviews, because I am so intrigued by the idea of a book set in Colma. And YA at that!

Unknown said...

Learning that bit about advice has been one of the most rewarding (if difficult) exercises I've undertaken the last seven years or so.

LKT said...

Lorin: that book sounds great! Or at least like something that I need to read.

Joseph: oh so true.

songs of a soul journey said...

I am glad someone sent you that article. I meant to, but the week was too crazy. I love both the Chapel of the Chimes, Oakland and the Columbarium--both are beautiful places just chock full of relatives.