It’s a handmade ceramic Salt & Pepper shaker, people! High-larious.

Ack! It’s time for another Freakin’ (Great Links) Friday already? Yes? OK, here you go:

• Theories by Lisa Hebden covers the Boos & Yays of being an artist. Make sure you visit Lisa’s Gallery & take a look at her work. I can lose myself in one of her Beach paintings all day.
• The Making of a Marine on Unscripted not only showcases a fellow NYU musical theater grad (one I don’t know), but offers the ultimate career switch – from performer to marine!
• If I had an office (no, the desk next to my bed does not constitute an office), it would be full of this stuff. Why do I love office supplies so much?
• We talked a great whole bunch about fear this month, so I have to include Zen Habits’ Guide to Beating The Fears That Are Holding You Back. Leo says it’s all wrapped up in the fear that you’re not good enough. This man should get a prize.
• Jeremie at Sunday Night Success talks about Time Frames for Goal Setting, with a week being the ideal. The more I think of this, & what’s worked for me in terms of reaching goals, the more I agree.
• Laura at More in You warns you of The Dreaded Either/Or. Are you seeing things in black & white? Or are you picking bleu mangoes?
• Last night I saw a live version of This American Life, but in a movie theater. Don’t ask. Or do, and find the answer here. Anyway, while I’ve done my best to listen to the podcasts, I usually fail – I can’t pay attention to a story on the radio in my house, and the subway noise is too damn loud to listen on my ipod when I’m commuting. After seeing the show last night, I want to get my hands on every radio & TV show. This is moving, inspiring, funny, touching stuff. The show I watched will be on the radio the week of May 1st (that’s next Friday!), so mark your calendars. It will not disappoint.
• If you didn’t see that my Blogthday (thanks to @indypin for the fun word!) is coming up, & I’m bribing all my readers in order to fill out a quick survey, then get on that. There’s booty to win!

Now listen to Jess Gonacha on Pecannoot & Go Outside & Play! In the 80s this weekend & I’m dreaming of iced coffee in the park….. (more…)

I think I’ve given up on having sausages represent links. We’re moved onto dashunds. These guys are wearing outfits! How silly!

Guess what, people? It’s FRI-DAY! And you know what that means, right? Fun & Friends & Freakin’ Great Links!

• Y’know how I’ve been freakin’ out & stuff this week? Instead of being a big scaredy cat, I’m going to Run Towards The Roar, thanks to Nicole on Unscripted. But along the way, I’ll listen to the winks that Laura from More in You pointed out to me. Thanks, guys.
• Let Carolyn from a beautiful ripple effect share some of her inspirational sparks. Caution: only click on this if you have an hour to go through the awesome sites she links through, and to have a think about where you find your inspiration.
• I know the entire freakin’ world has seen Susan Boyle sing “I Dreamed a Dream” on Britain’s Got Talent by now, but if you haven’t, you MUST watch it to experience the joy yourself. If you’ve seen it, just take the 7 minutes & watch it again. Think of the thing you have within you that you least expect, and then wonder if it’s time to unleash it on the world (HINT: The answer is YES!).
• Step away from the G-Rated family entertainment & head over to The Bloggess, whose first advice column is genius (I totally called it). If that doesn’t offend you enough, read Eve Ensler doesn’t want to hear about your vagina. Think about how unfunny you are you’re totally funny in a different way that many lots of people enjoy.
• If vaginas aren’t your thing, maybe tweenbots are. According to the website, they’re “human-dependent robots that navigate the city with the help of pedestrians they encounter. Rolling at a constant speed, in a straight line, Tweenbots have a destination displayed on a flag, and rely on people they meet to read this flag and to aim them in the right direction to reach their goal.” Originally designed to just roll around & die without getting to their destination, New Yorkers once again proved their awesomeness by taking care of the tweenbots and getting them “home” safely. New York, I have a crush on you.
• CCC’s charity auction is in full swing on ebay! I’m so thrilled/honored/ecstatic/ridiculously excited that my Growth Spurt package is up for auction alongside a slew of amazing artwork, jewelry, & an organizational guru! If you’ve been thinking of coaching with me, or if your house/ears are way ugly/unadorned, why not treat yourself and an amazing cause at once? Cautious it’s only a kinda OK cause & not an amazing one? Proceed with the smack-down: “100% of the proceeds will go directly to a college scholarship for a young adult cancer survivor who cannot afford tuition for many reasons: Because of the cost of treament, because their parents have spent their life savings on medical care, because they are too ill to keep a job, because they can’t get other scholarships because of declining grades during illness…” See? Amazing! Duh.
• I just signed up for Jamie Ridler’s June book club, The Next Chapter.  I’ve watched 2 awesome books be book clubbed (is that a verb?) by this virtual group, & I was thrilled that “Wreck This Journal” by Keri Smith is their next book, & it doesn’t start until June! No excuses this time – except to make a big fat mess!
• Lastly, Luke’s new episode of “The Golden Girls” will be repeated tonight at 11:30p at The Magnet Theater in midtown Manhattan! Please spread the word to all your NY friends – we’re afraid the time will drive the old people away! OK, I”m afraid because this old person is usually sleeping by then, but I’m in the freakin’ show so I’ll be there! Nut up, people, & get your cheesecake on!

This weekend is supposed to be gorgeous in NYC, & I’ll be armed with Brooklyn Open Houses & a new fall jacket. (Yes, I needed it for spring. Don’t ask questions.) Try to keep up! (more…)

The Daschund Easter Bunny can be yours from SharonFoster Art.

I’m stuffed with matzoh, brisket & turkey (Luke wanted to know how the Jews managed to get out of Egypt so fast, since the foods that we eat are so heavy!) from a wonderful Passover with my family and some time spent (not enough!) with my BFF & her two incredible little girls. Happiness.

Here are this week’s freakin’ great links:

• I’d take some of the lines from Jen Lemen’s The Meaning of Hope & make them into affirmations. If I was someone into affirmations.
• The Bloggess quit her job! If you’re someone clawing at your cubicle walls, make sure to leave yourself some room to be still before reading this post. Then, ask her how she did it because she’s going to be The Best Advice Columnist Ever.
  
• Danielle at White Hot Truth not only gives you a guide to How To Be Depressed this week, but comes up with her own tough question when she asks, “What’s It Going To Take?”
• I had to add this to show why visiting NY/being a NYer is awesome.
• Wondering what a life coach does? Let Oprah show you!
• Ask IttyBiz, “What do I do with my life?” and you can guarantee a pretty sarcastically awesome, kick-in-the-pants answer.
• Learning to Let Go by a beautiful ripple effect describes the release you need to have when something is beyond your control. Hear me, fellow perfectionists?
  

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“Mmmm…Sunday Morning Breakfast” can’t be eaten, but can be purchased from ChristinaChristina & played with.

Hi ladies & gents! Even though it’s dark & gloomy & rainy & cold (I can’t remember what the heck my summer wardrobe even looks like at this point), I’m a happy camper today with a short workweek & a fun weekend ahead of me!

Enjoy your Freakin’ Great Links!:

• Most Time Management Is Rubbish by The Simple Dollar gets your time management down to basics.
• Danielle of White Hot Truth is starting a Compliment Revolution! Leave one for my in the comment section & I’ll give one back to ya. Actually, I’ll start right now: “You have good hygiene.” This is a compliment that my dentist gave Luke & he was very touched. I’m a lucky, lucky lady.
• Sunday Night Success is a new blog, but one worth bookmarking for sure. As an optimistic pessimist/pessimistic optimist (I still can’t decide), I loved the Pessimist/Optimist Table, & Energy Bucket helps me decide if I’m having a optimist day or a pessimist day when I’m just not sure.
  
• I think that 9 Methods to Use When Returning to Normal by a beautiful ripple effect is going to be my guidebook when I’m done with school. 11 more days to go!
• How do you plan to feel this week? You can decide, you know. Danielle of White Hot Truth says so, & that lady’s always right. (Please note unsarcasm)
  
• Unscripted has gotten a whole new slew of bloggers lately, and they’re hitting close to home. Whether or not you’re an actor, I implore you (as a creative person) to read How to Build an Acting Career (or not) in 4 Steps, Friends Helping Friends & You Have My Permission.
• I’ve been thinking of how I’m commenting on let it all go on pecannoot. I want to answer the question of what I’m trying to let go of & what I want to replace it with, without being false or contrived. It’s tougher than it looks.
• What Keeps Me Steady on Old Soul Ink (scroll down – it’s currently the 2nd post on the page, after my smiling face!) is tied in to Positivity Week, but I missed it the last time around. It’s not too late to keep the Positivity going!

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If a breakfast fairy is not the epitomy of positivity, I don’t know what is. Bring one to your home via waterbears’ etsy shop.

Yes, I’m eschewing the traditional form of Freakin’ (Great Links) Friday in honor of Positivity Week.

While I’ve compiled a list of blogs I love right here, I wanted to point out the dozen or so that I visit every day. Whether it’s their beautiful artwork, inspiring words, brilliant ideas or overall hilarity, I love visiting with these gals:

• Small Notebook
• White Hot Truth
• a beautiful ripple effect
• Old Soul Ink
• Starshyne Productions
• The Bloggess
• Kelly Rae Roberts
• decor 8
• pecannoot
• design is mine
• Magnificent Marvelous Women
• wish jar
• Things We Forget
• LifeRemix

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Why I Love Etsy, Reason #592: Use “sausage” as a search term & get 11 PAGES of hits. One of them was this awesome Breakfast Necklace from chinachichi (see the sausage? like a link? for “freakin’ (great links) friday”? I’m hilarious)

Is it me, or has this been the longest week ever recorded in the history of the world? It seems like it should be next Wednesday already! Looking forward to a weekend full of sleep, coaching, running, Dave & Busters-ing, diva-watching, & friend-catching-uping.

Here are yo links!:

• If this post from White Hot Truth wasn’t so freakin’ good, I would have stolen this question for Tough (Question) Tuesday: What failures are you grateful for?
• Here’s another great freakin’ question, this time from Small Notebook: How do you start the day? And yes, for those of you that read my answer to last week’s Tough (Question) Tuesday, I’m going to start it with 15 minutes of yoga on Monday. Send good get-outta-bed thoughts!
• Striving to be imperfect? a beautiful ripple effect gives you An Imperfect 10.
• “…when we walk around in the world pretending to be confident and creative and strong, then a funny thing happens. we become confident and creative and strong.” Read more from the genius of Kelly Rae Roberts in pretending until we’re not pretending anymore.
• As you know, I love anything having to do with uniquity. Mashable wrote about The 5 People Who Broke the Rules of Social Media and Succeeded, which showcases uniquity in spades. I especially love #4.
• Awake @ the Wheel confirms that The Problem IS You. But in a nice way.
• Escape from Cubicle Nation will soon be in book form! You can download the 1st chapter of the book (for free!) here & pre-order the book here.

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We’re a week behind people, so this is going to be long and short. If that’s possible. Long list, short explanations, a la good ol’ Installment 12. Those were the days, where there were enough pictures of sausage links to go around…..

Creativity &/or Careers

• Crap Makes Things Grow on Unscripted
• Let the wild rumpus start! on Escape from Cubicle Nation
• Giveaway from Print Pattern Paper on decor 8 (The giveaway is over, but the 600+ comments on what to do with $20 and a beautiful day remains)
• The entire blog of Things We Forget, which I just discovered. This can go in the group below too, but I think it should live here for some reason.
• Creative Series: Just Do It! {7} on decor 8 can also be grouped below, but Holly’s so damn creative I want it to live here.

Great Projects/Personal Development/Coaching Related Randomness (more…)

So many juicy links this week!

• I think that Laura of More In You has gotten into my head w/a post on perfection & making time for you. And yes, I think I’m gonna wake up 20 minutes early next week. Gulp.
• I can’t remember the last time I people watched without having a magazine, a book, or a notebook (or a BlackBerry!) with me. Can you? Leo of Zen Habits encourages you to Stop & Let the World Pass You By.
• Every creative person should read the second to last paragraph of So, I Watched an Awards Show. Every. Single. One.
• What Motivates You: Pleasure or Pain? by Danielle of White Hot Truth is for the people pleasers (formerly guilty as charged) out there.
• My parents called it The Uh-Oh Feeling when I was little. Now it’s called The Gift of Fear. Everyone should read this, but women should especially take note. And pass it around.
• Twitter Addicts who want to curb their enthusiasm (ahem) should read Tim Ferris’ How to Use Twitter Without Twitter Owning You and Measuring What Really Works on Twitter.
• Is your trust-o-meter working? This is a good one for all the single ladies (all the single ladies. All the single ladies! All the single ladies. All the single ladies! All the single ladies. All the single ladies! Now put your hands up! Oh-oh-o- sorry, it’s just so catchy!).

While I do like a good post on the weekend, I gotta reign back a lil’ bit as my graduation day is nearing! I have 7 weeks to finish my classes, a written exam, and a self assessment.  But no worries – I’m writing my big mid-week posts in advance so that there’s no hiatus. Except for the weekend posts. OK, so there’s a little hiatus but not so you’d notice.

Enjoy the last day of February & the first day of March! (more…)

Alright, so I have to admit I couldn’t keep the sausage pictures going. There’s just not that many free stock photos of sausage links! We’re moving on to chain links, people. Just go with it.

Happy Friday! The sun is shining here in NY, it’s been a short work week, and I have a super-fun weekend ahead of me full of funniness, family time, and culture. What could be bad? Answer: nothing!

Here are your links (or my links, but I’m not too territorial with ‘em):

• Gotta start with a shout-out to Carolyn of A Beautiful Ripple Effect for mentioning moi in her Monday Inspiration post! I also loved the other links she listed, so this isn’t total self-promotion here – only partial.
• 10 Tips for the Creative Entrepreneur made me realize that I was a musepreneur. Are you?
• Pecannoot might be my new favorite blog, focusing solely on art that represents “abundance.” I almost wanted to keep this secret since I have a feeling that a lot of future Motivation Mondays will come from this site – but I’m both a sharer and a carer, so enjoy it!
• Jamie of Starshyne Productions strikes gold again with Secret #6: Conquering Saboteurs. Click on it to see what you need to do beyond “just showing up” so you can really set yourself up for success.
• Kelly Rae Roberts is also here again, this time with taking time. I’d love to be able to both be more in tune to what my body is telling me as well as really pushing myself throuh the uncomfortable feelings. It’s just so nice and cozy staying in The Comfort Zone, it’s tough to force your way out of it.
• Awake at the Wheel ’s Recession Proof Jobs, Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny is a great article to read again and again when you’re just too scared to make the leap to be an entrepreneur – but you know that you should.
• Achieve Your Dreams Despite Pressures of Work and Family by Zen Habits is a great time management article as well as a great kick in the pants.
• The funniest link of the week has to go to www.thefuckingweather.com. Just trust me. And yes, it’s rated PG13 for language.
• OK, here’s where the real, true self-promotion comes in. If you’re in NYC or know peeps that are, help me get a rockin’ audience for Luke’s show, To Be Continued, at the Magnet Theater on Sunday, March 8th at 8p. All I need to say is this: staged reading of a NEW episode of The Golden Girls. I sing the theme song and Guest Star, but that’s the least of it. My husband is a 32-year-old straight man stuck in the body of a Golden Girls scriptwriter. The show is dead-on and dead awesome. I don’t know what “dead awesome” means, but it’s more than awesome.
• Last but not least in the self-promotion series is to direct your attention to The Interview Game (please play!), the permanent page that links to all of the amazing people who answered random/inspiring/weird/thought-provoking/soul-searching questions that I gave them. I think we’re up to 16 now, and it’ll be constantly growing. If you want to get in on the fun, comment here and I’ll throw some random/inspiring/weird/thought-provoking/soul-searching  questions your way, too.

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This week is actually light on the posts, and heavy on the quotes! I was going to put the quotes here, but this ain’t Freakin’ (Great Quotes) Friday, so I put ‘em here instead. The most recent ones are on the bottom.

• White Hot Truth had a great series, starting with Sorry? Only Say It If You Mean It followed by How to Apologize. I just went through a personal scuffle where I demanded an apology from the other person, and I told him I’d accept it unconditionally. So when he apologized for all the wrong reasons, I wasn’t allowed to be upset or brush it off. Lesson learned.
• The Believer is an INC. article that shows how positive thinking, focus, & hard work allowed a broke 21-year old to grow into a $6M man. It’ll also make you really think about how much your gym sucks.
• As a Law of Attraction skeptic myself, I enjoyed this story in the ICA newsletter.
• “I’m only behind if I think normal should be perfect”, says Rachel of Small Notebook. I think I should write that on my palms and my forehead. In permanent ink.
• Recession Proof Jobs, Santa Claus & The Easter Bunny on Awake @ the Wheel delve into the myth that working for someone else is the “safe” think to do.
• Creativity: Just Do It (5) on decor8 asks for you to list 10 things that you want to learn more about. All the cool kids are doing it. From there I found this fab post – perfect for your creatives out there that don’t know what they wanna be when they grow up – from the What to Do When Your Don’t Know What To Do series. I’m psyched to read through all these archives on a rainy day. Or today.
• OldJewsTellingJokes.com is the reason why the Internet was invented. Barack Obama is tired of your motherfucking shit is the 2nd reason (and yes, they are both rated PG13 for language).

I’m spoiling you all with another special Saturday post, this one about love and marriage (but not a baby carriage, so don’t ask!). It’ll be up bright & early tomorrow morning! (more…)