I love Memolane! It creates these great timelines of all your online activity. Here's my timeline for this week:
Be sure to scroll left and right using the arrows at the top.
Showing posts with label Things I think are cool. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Things I think are cool. Show all posts
20 May 2011
27 March 2009
Obessions
Part of Emily's "Your blog is fabulous" post included a list of her current obsessions. I didn't include my list with my Fabulous blogs post, but her list did get me thinking so now I present you with a list of obsessions -- some long-standing and some new:
1. Lipwear. I am on the constant lookout for the perfect color and texture lipwear. This includes the perfect lip balm (still the original Chapstick in my book), the perfect lip gloss, and the perfect lipstick. I own a ridiculous number of each. Any trip to Sephora or other cosmetics store includes the purchase of some kind of lip wear. Recent purchase include: Bobbi Brown Lip Gloss in Tangerine, Neutrogena LipSheer in Peach Sorbet, and Chapstick True Shimmer in Botanical Berry. I'm not a big lip liner fan though.
2. Twitter. To me Twitter is one of the most fun things to come out of the whole "social networking" web stuff. I love keeping up with my friends. I love keeping up with those who tweet informative stuff in the news and sites like makeuseof.com (MakeUseOf) -- they find the most interesting things on the web. And I love the fun stuff like the National History Museum Whale (NatHistoryWhale). I check Twitter frequently and I tweet frequently. If you want to follow me, I am marcyjill.
3. Mayfair Jelly Eggs. These are the cheap Easter jelly beans they sell at Stop & Shop. They are so bad they're good and I am sure they are the reason I am not losing weight like I would like to be despite trying.
4. My iPhone. When all the crazy stuff happened at work back in December my work-supplied Blackberry was taken away. I decided that having lived with a "Smart" phone for so long, I could no longer do without one and decided to replace it with an iPhone. A gadget I had long been coveting. I cannot go anywhere without it now. It is my everything device where I get email, text messages, twitter, internet, facebook, train schedules, , GPS, camera/photos, games, notes, calendar, to-do lists, shopping lists, ebooks, music, audiobooks, movies, TV show episodes, and, um, oh yeah, phone calls! In my book it is the perfect gadget.
5. Hotels.com Ever since I planned our trip to Dallas in the Fall I have been really into this website. I know the need for hotels doesn't come up that often, but even just fantasizing about getting away can be fun and this site makes it easy to explore hotel options just about anywhere. The ratings and reviews are generally on target and I have not been disappointed with any of the hotels I have found through the site.
6. Pandora This is the coolest music site out there. I am completely obsessed with fine-tuning my station which I have tried to make into my personalized version of the Sirius satellite radio station, The Spectrum. Which basically means just like The Spectrum, but no U2 or Bruce Springsteen. If you haven't tried out this site, you should. I can even share my station with you -- just let me know if you're interested.
I am sure there are other obsessions currently crowding my brain, but there you have my top 6.
1. Lipwear. I am on the constant lookout for the perfect color and texture lipwear. This includes the perfect lip balm (still the original Chapstick in my book), the perfect lip gloss, and the perfect lipstick. I own a ridiculous number of each. Any trip to Sephora or other cosmetics store includes the purchase of some kind of lip wear. Recent purchase include: Bobbi Brown Lip Gloss in Tangerine, Neutrogena LipSheer in Peach Sorbet, and Chapstick True Shimmer in Botanical Berry. I'm not a big lip liner fan though.
2. Twitter. To me Twitter is one of the most fun things to come out of the whole "social networking" web stuff. I love keeping up with my friends. I love keeping up with those who tweet informative stuff in the news and sites like makeuseof.com (MakeUseOf) -- they find the most interesting things on the web. And I love the fun stuff like the National History Museum Whale (NatHistoryWhale). I check Twitter frequently and I tweet frequently. If you want to follow me, I am marcyjill.
3. Mayfair Jelly Eggs. These are the cheap Easter jelly beans they sell at Stop & Shop. They are so bad they're good and I am sure they are the reason I am not losing weight like I would like to be despite trying.
4. My iPhone. When all the crazy stuff happened at work back in December my work-supplied Blackberry was taken away. I decided that having lived with a "Smart" phone for so long, I could no longer do without one and decided to replace it with an iPhone. A gadget I had long been coveting. I cannot go anywhere without it now. It is my everything device where I get email, text messages, twitter, internet, facebook, train schedules, , GPS, camera/photos, games, notes, calendar, to-do lists, shopping lists, ebooks, music, audiobooks, movies, TV show episodes, and, um, oh yeah, phone calls! In my book it is the perfect gadget.
5. Hotels.com Ever since I planned our trip to Dallas in the Fall I have been really into this website. I know the need for hotels doesn't come up that often, but even just fantasizing about getting away can be fun and this site makes it easy to explore hotel options just about anywhere. The ratings and reviews are generally on target and I have not been disappointed with any of the hotels I have found through the site.
6. Pandora This is the coolest music site out there. I am completely obsessed with fine-tuning my station which I have tried to make into my personalized version of the Sirius satellite radio station, The Spectrum. Which basically means just like The Spectrum, but no U2 or Bruce Springsteen. If you haven't tried out this site, you should. I can even share my station with you -- just let me know if you're interested.
I am sure there are other obsessions currently crowding my brain, but there you have my top 6.
15 March 2009
Butterflies are free
We had a family field trip to the Museum of Natural History this weekend. My favorite exhibit is usually the Hall of Ocean Life where my friend NatHistoryWhale hangs out, but we managed to catch the butterfly exhibit this time (something I always seem to miss) and I have to say it was pretty darn cool.
05 February 2009
LibraryThing meets Twitter
I might be late coming to the party on this, but this is news to me: LibraryThing is now offering integration with Twitter. It lets you add titles with tags to your LibraryThing library. That is great for wishlist creation or purchases. And best of all the site reports that coming soon you'll be able to let your Twitter friends know when you add or review a book. Fun stuff!
Here's a link to all the details.
Here's a link to all the details.
12 September 2008
Temptations -- Fall '08
Couldn't sleep so I ended up doing some online browsing (no purchasing). Lots of nice things to look at! Some of my favorites...
30 April 2008
Big night at the Carlyle
This past Saturday night was the big party for my mother's 65th birthday. After my wonderful preview I had no doubt that the Cafe Carlyle would be a great place to celebrate and it did not disappoint -- not one little bit. The entire night was fun-filled from start to finish.
As a last minute impulse we decided to rent a limo for a bunch of us who were planning to caravan into NYC so the evening started off in style with a ride in a somewhat gaudy, but still comfortable for 9 white, stretch limo.
Here's a view from inside the limo:
(That's my Mom with the big smile and gorgeous sparkly dress. More pictures here.)
And because no one had to drive we had a little pre-party at home with champagne and presents for the birthday girl.
We were 18 in all at the Cafe. The service was impeccable and the cheesecake was truly divine. After all the toasting and talking and stuffing ourselves we were all happy to shut up and listen to Christopher Cross perform. He was really good! The set was a nice mix of the old hits and some new songs. I did bring my camera this time so I took some grainy video of him performing. Here's a montage of some of the old hits.
Incidentally, Christopher Cross did not look like what I thought he looked like. I think because I first heard of him back in the early 80s when I was a General Hospital fan and they used his song "Think of Laura" as part of the Luke and Laura storyline. (OMG, yes, there is wikipedia entry just for Luke and Laura!) I think my mental image of Christopher Cross got morphed with Tony Geary (Luke). For the record Christopher Cross looks absolutely nothing like Tony Geary and never did.
Speaking of looking good --
Mom, like I said, I hope 65 years looks so good on me.
As a last minute impulse we decided to rent a limo for a bunch of us who were planning to caravan into NYC so the evening started off in style with a ride in a somewhat gaudy, but still comfortable for 9 white, stretch limo.
Here's a view from inside the limo:
(That's my Mom with the big smile and gorgeous sparkly dress. More pictures here.)
And because no one had to drive we had a little pre-party at home with champagne and presents for the birthday girl.
We were 18 in all at the Cafe. The service was impeccable and the cheesecake was truly divine. After all the toasting and talking and stuffing ourselves we were all happy to shut up and listen to Christopher Cross perform. He was really good! The set was a nice mix of the old hits and some new songs. I did bring my camera this time so I took some grainy video of him performing. Here's a montage of some of the old hits.
Incidentally, Christopher Cross did not look like what I thought he looked like. I think because I first heard of him back in the early 80s when I was a General Hospital fan and they used his song "Think of Laura" as part of the Luke and Laura storyline. (OMG, yes, there is wikipedia entry just for Luke and Laura!) I think my mental image of Christopher Cross got morphed with Tony Geary (Luke). For the record Christopher Cross looks absolutely nothing like Tony Geary and never did.
Speaking of looking good --
Mom, like I said, I hope 65 years looks so good on me.
04 March 2008
Star Wars -- What could have been
Of course I loved Star Wars when I was a kid, but nowadays I think I might prefer the version of that opens like this:
(Thanks to YesButNoButYes for the link.)
(Thanks to YesButNoButYes for the link.)
12 February 2008
Frozen Grand Central
Having just spent 2 days commuting in and out of NYC, I think it is interesting that my good friend Heather emailed me this today. I really wish I could have seen this in person, but the video is pretty great. Check it out...
Complete story here.
Complete story here.
19 December 2007
The new member of my household
I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of my household:
He's a Sony Bravia 40" LCD TV. Merry Christmas to us!
Yes, I wanted one of these cool flat panel TVs, but only because I think they're cool and appeal to my gadget-loving side. I mean this is kind of an uber-gadget, but a gadget none-the-less because we already had a TV, right? Wrong. It is a whole new world of TV watching in my house. It is kind of like having a little movie screen in the house. I really didn't expect to love it as much as I do, but I am completely smitten with this thing. And so is everyone else in my house. Yay for big, cool, nice looking TVs!
If you happen to be in the market for one of these babies, but have no idea the differences between plasma, LCD, or rear projection and want some knowledge before dealing with a salesperson, I highly recommend this article I found on cnet.com. It should be called "Big TVs for Dummies." For the average shopper this has everything you need to know. Seriously. I even surprised the sales guy with my knowledge.
He's a Sony Bravia 40" LCD TV. Merry Christmas to us!
Yes, I wanted one of these cool flat panel TVs, but only because I think they're cool and appeal to my gadget-loving side. I mean this is kind of an uber-gadget, but a gadget none-the-less because we already had a TV, right? Wrong. It is a whole new world of TV watching in my house. It is kind of like having a little movie screen in the house. I really didn't expect to love it as much as I do, but I am completely smitten with this thing. And so is everyone else in my house. Yay for big, cool, nice looking TVs!
If you happen to be in the market for one of these babies, but have no idea the differences between plasma, LCD, or rear projection and want some knowledge before dealing with a salesperson, I highly recommend this article I found on cnet.com. It should be called "Big TVs for Dummies." For the average shopper this has everything you need to know. Seriously. I even surprised the sales guy with my knowledge.
19 September 2007
The Cosmetics Counter: LUSH
I suspect I am a little late to the table on this one, but I have a new love and it is called LUSH. I must, first of all, thank Becky for the introduction to the world of LUSH.
My experience started with the wonderful, fresh smell of the store. It is hard to tell from their website just how delicious the store smells so I highly recommend going to an actual B&M location if you can find one near you. Then the lovely sales assistant helped Becky and I to a hand treatment that left the skin on my hands smoother than Zoë's baby you-know-what. After that I got a tour of the store and learned that all their products are hand made and never tested on animals. They use all natural ingredients and most of the products even come stamped with a best if used by date.
The hand treatment products were amazing, but I knew I would never go through all those steps on a regular basis. The bath soaps were incredibly tempting, but I hated the idea of such a great soap wasting away in the shower and getting all used up by Rob. Ultimately I settled on a set of 3 products to make up a new facial cleansing routine. The names of the products alone are quite alluring:
"Angels on Bare Skin" is the name of my new cleanser/exfoliator.
"Breath of Fresh Air" is my new toner.
"Imperialis" is my new moisturizer.
Yes, the products are on the expensive side, but so far they are really fabulous.
My experience started with the wonderful, fresh smell of the store. It is hard to tell from their website just how delicious the store smells so I highly recommend going to an actual B&M location if you can find one near you. Then the lovely sales assistant helped Becky and I to a hand treatment that left the skin on my hands smoother than Zoë's baby you-know-what. After that I got a tour of the store and learned that all their products are hand made and never tested on animals. They use all natural ingredients and most of the products even come stamped with a best if used by date.
The hand treatment products were amazing, but I knew I would never go through all those steps on a regular basis. The bath soaps were incredibly tempting, but I hated the idea of such a great soap wasting away in the shower and getting all used up by Rob. Ultimately I settled on a set of 3 products to make up a new facial cleansing routine. The names of the products alone are quite alluring:
"Angels on Bare Skin" is the name of my new cleanser/exfoliator.
"Breath of Fresh Air" is my new toner.
"Imperialis" is my new moisturizer.
Yes, the products are on the expensive side, but so far they are really fabulous.
05 July 2007
Website of the Week: BookSwim
OK I know it isn't really right for me to call it "Website of the Week" since it has been months since I've posted one, but I still like the alliteration.
Anyway, the site is BookSwim.com
They are self-described as Netflix for readers.
It sounds like an interesting ideas. Especially for those books you read fast and then look to give away because you don't want them to take up precious shelf space. (Think chick-lit or airport reads.) The site is in beta right now and I am hopeful that there will be two improvements:
1. More options in pricing plans like Netflix has. Right now the options are limited and the price is a little high for more books than I could read in a month. I would like to see something more like $5.00 a month for 2 books like the lowest level Netflix plan.
2. More new titles. The selection looked current, but not up to the minute.
Anyway, the site is BookSwim.com
They are self-described as Netflix for readers.
BookSwim is the first online BOOK RENTAL LIBRARY CLUB lending you paperbacks and hardcovers direct to your house WITHOUT THE NEED TO PURCHASE! Whether it's New Releases, Bestsellers, or Classics, we've got 80,000 titles to choose from, with FREE SHIPPING BOTH WAYS! Read your books as long as you want -- no late fees! Even choose to purchase and keep the titles you love!
It sounds like an interesting ideas. Especially for those books you read fast and then look to give away because you don't want them to take up precious shelf space. (Think chick-lit or airport reads.) The site is in beta right now and I am hopeful that there will be two improvements:
1. More options in pricing plans like Netflix has. Right now the options are limited and the price is a little high for more books than I could read in a month. I would like to see something more like $5.00 a month for 2 books like the lowest level Netflix plan.
2. More new titles. The selection looked current, but not up to the minute.
17 April 2007
Website of the Week (or there abouts): True Mom Confessions
True Mom Confessions
It's like a real life version of taxi-cab confessions. Some of them are hilarious, some of them I can click the "me too" button for and some are kind of sad, but they're all interesting to read.
What's your confession?
It's like a real life version of taxi-cab confessions. Some of them are hilarious, some of them I can click the "me too" button for and some are kind of sad, but they're all interesting to read.
What's your confession?
15 March 2007
Does it suck?
Wondering if that new cell phone you're thinking about is cool or not? Thinking about going to a movie, but aren't sure if its any good? Well, then this new site is for you! It is sucks/rocks.
When you enter a search term, sucks/rocks searches the web for several positive and negative phrases using that term. The score is the fraction of positive results to the sum of positive and negative results, normalized to 10. You can stack up results next to each other so if you wanted to decide what movie to see you can enter the titles of 4 or 5 movies and see which one got more positive ratings.
I'm not sure how scientific it really is, but it is cool none-the-less.
When you enter a search term, sucks/rocks searches the web for several positive and negative phrases using that term. The score is the fraction of positive results to the sum of positive and negative results, normalized to 10. You can stack up results next to each other so if you wanted to decide what movie to see you can enter the titles of 4 or 5 movies and see which one got more positive ratings.
I'm not sure how scientific it really is, but it is cool none-the-less.
05 February 2007
Website of the Week: LibraryThing
Do you like to read? Are you slightly OCD? Yes? Then boy do I have a site for you...LibraryThing!
LibraryThing lets you create a library type catalog of your books. There is the ubiquitous tagging, connecting with other users through the many, many groups and recommendations. Recommendations are based on several different criteria so you can pick the one that works for you. The service even includes a blog widget which you will see I have started using if you look to the right ----->
I am thinking of starting a separate account for Zoë. The kids' lists are not nearly as expansive as the adult lists, but it might be fun anyway and it might help drive expansion in that area. I am always looking for new kids' books for Zoë and to give as gifts.
LibraryThing lets you create a library type catalog of your books. There is the ubiquitous tagging, connecting with other users through the many, many groups and recommendations. Recommendations are based on several different criteria so you can pick the one that works for you. The service even includes a blog widget which you will see I have started using if you look to the right ----->
I am thinking of starting a separate account for Zoë. The kids' lists are not nearly as expansive as the adult lists, but it might be fun anyway and it might help drive expansion in that area. I am always looking for new kids' books for Zoë and to give as gifts.
07 December 2006
Website of the Week: Enlighten Holiday Party Excuse Generator
'Tis the Season for all kinds of festivities. Anyone who knows anyone has no doubt been invited to at least a party or two. But some parties are more appealing than others, right? So, Enlighten Holiday Party Excuse Generator is here to help! All you have to do is answer a few simple questions about the upcoming event and the perfect little excuse note is generated for you.
You've just got to try it for yourself!
You've just got to try it for yourself!
01 December 2006
Website of the Week: Pacific Whale
Can I still call this "Website of the Week" even if I don't update it exactly weekly? Well, it is my blog so I guess I can! Besides, I like the alliteration.
OK, now on to the website. Pacific Whale (pacificwhale.org) is a site dedicated to protecting the whales and dolphins of the Pacific Ocean. They have all kinds of educational information including kids' camps and ocean cruises and other eco-tours (of course, you have to be in Australia, Hawaii, or California to participate).
Plus, if you are looking for a holiday gift for the person in your life who is somewhat ecologically minded or even a child who is into sea life, you can adopt a whale or a dolphin. Adoption packages start at $35 and you get an adoption certificate for a named whale or dolphin.
OK, now on to the website. Pacific Whale (pacificwhale.org) is a site dedicated to protecting the whales and dolphins of the Pacific Ocean. They have all kinds of educational information including kids' camps and ocean cruises and other eco-tours (of course, you have to be in Australia, Hawaii, or California to participate).
Plus, if you are looking for a holiday gift for the person in your life who is somewhat ecologically minded or even a child who is into sea life, you can adopt a whale or a dolphin. Adoption packages start at $35 and you get an adoption certificate for a named whale or dolphin.
20 November 2006
Website of the Week: Go Fug Yourself
Go Fug Yourself. I've actually been a fan of this site for quite some time. It's one of my favorites for the morning or afternoon coffee break. If you enjoy fashion and especially the worst-dressed list, this site is for you. To be fair, they do give credit where credit is due.
In case you're not sure what "Fug" mean, be sure to check out their FAQ page.
In case you're not sure what "Fug" mean, be sure to check out their FAQ page.
08 October 2006
Website of the Week: Picasa
At home I am a Mac user, but at work I am forced to use a PC. So, here's one for all you PC users who don't have iPhoto...Picasa!
Picasa (brought to you by Google, of course) is software that helps you instantly find, edit and share all the pictures on your PC. Every time you open Picasa, it automatically locates all your pictures (even ones you forgot you had) and sorts them into visual albums organized by date with folder names you will recognize. Picasa also makes advanced editing simple by putting one-click fixes and powerful effects at your fingertips.
Picasa also makes it a snap to share your pictures – you can email, print photos at home, and make gift CDs. And with the new Web Albums feature, you can upload your photos to the web very easily. It syncs amazingly well with popular web albums like Kodak's (formerly Ofoto). And it even lets you publish directly to popular blog sites like the one I use. The photo of Zoë in the previous post was published through Picasa in about 10 seconds.
It really is incredibly easy to use and is almost as good as having iPhoto on a PC.
Picasa (brought to you by Google, of course) is software that helps you instantly find, edit and share all the pictures on your PC. Every time you open Picasa, it automatically locates all your pictures (even ones you forgot you had) and sorts them into visual albums organized by date with folder names you will recognize. Picasa also makes advanced editing simple by putting one-click fixes and powerful effects at your fingertips.
Picasa also makes it a snap to share your pictures – you can email, print photos at home, and make gift CDs. And with the new Web Albums feature, you can upload your photos to the web very easily. It syncs amazingly well with popular web albums like Kodak's (formerly Ofoto). And it even lets you publish directly to popular blog sites like the one I use. The photo of Zoë in the previous post was published through Picasa in about 10 seconds.
It really is incredibly easy to use and is almost as good as having iPhoto on a PC.
10 September 2006
Website of the Week: NameVoyager
This week's site is a cool tool that is part of babynamewizard.com. It is the NameVoyager. Very useful for soon-to-be-parents, but the site is fun for everyone. See how popular your own name is. NameVoyager presents the info in a cool, fun-to-use graphical interface.
For the record the name "Zoe" hit an all time high as the 54th most popular name. In 2005 it was down to 59th. The name "Emily" was the most popular in 2002, the year my Zoe was born, but that was recently usurped by the name "Emma."
For the record the name "Zoe" hit an all time high as the 54th most popular name. In 2005 it was down to 59th. The name "Emily" was the most popular in 2002, the year my Zoe was born, but that was recently usurped by the name "Emma."
27 August 2006
Website of the Week: labelitorloseit
Someone I used to work with turned me on to this website when I was complaining about having to constantly write Zoë's name on all her sippy cups and tupperware for lunch and snacks at daycare.
The good people at labelitorloseit.com make waterproof stick-on labels. You can have your child's name or anything else you want printed on them plus you can pick a little icon to add some pizazz. They are essentially an amazing sticker. The best part about these labels is they survive many, many trips through the dishwasher and the microwave, but when you want to remove the label, they come off easily and don't leave any sticky mess behind. You get a set of 60 labels for $13.95. 60 labels could last you for years so it is definitely money well spent.
I haven't tried the iron-on labels yet, but if they are half as good as the stick-on kind, I am sure they are excellent.
The good people at labelitorloseit.com make waterproof stick-on labels. You can have your child's name or anything else you want printed on them plus you can pick a little icon to add some pizazz. They are essentially an amazing sticker. The best part about these labels is they survive many, many trips through the dishwasher and the microwave, but when you want to remove the label, they come off easily and don't leave any sticky mess behind. You get a set of 60 labels for $13.95. 60 labels could last you for years so it is definitely money well spent.
I haven't tried the iron-on labels yet, but if they are half as good as the stick-on kind, I am sure they are excellent.
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