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My health is uppermost on my mind of late. All the time, actually. Three links I'm looking at today:

Heart-healthy Foods

Go Red for Women

Heart Healthy Women

(photograph by Beata Rydén - check out her Flickr sets, she's terrific)

A Free Internet

PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

Hi everyone. A petit rant via Giulia Geranium

If you do not understand why certain sites are not available to you today, please watch the video. If you think you do understand what SOPA/PIPPA is & think, "but people should be paid for their content, it's a good idea," please watch the video. Every seemingly good idea is not implemented properly & it can cause wreckage. Please make your voice heard by following the links to the online protest. If you aren't in the States, believe me, this affects you just as much me. (Thank you to Swissmiss for the video link)

Cheers!

(image via Comically Vintage)

Cold War Games

I'm being spammed to within less than an inch of my patience. I am exceedingly patient (I've worked on it, believe me), so this is saying a lot. While I try to get many ducks in a row, a new photograph. This is how I feel (except I'm not as cheerful as Audrey). Back soon but I'm turning off comments. I hope all are well.

Primrose

I'm pushing primroses because I bought one for $1.67 + tax. (I tweeted the photo but it's not worth posting here.) You cannot beat that with a stick. It will make you feel better, I promise. For some other ideas, here's my "do not toss out all holiday decorations" exhortation on GG. I'm sitting here looking at fluffy pink poinsettia flowers in a ceramic mustard jar. A stylist would charge many monies for that, I am certain. Cost to me: $3.99 6 weeks ago for the local poinsettia & I don't know how much for the jar. But the mustard was excellent.

I'm always looking for inspiration so if you have any, please let me know. I'm enjoying the IKEA blog, btw. (You can translate it if you like.) The photograph is by Teresa at Meadowbrook Farm, another new-to-me blog I'm enjoying.

Happy New Year

Hi peeps. Happy new year, fresh start, do over, whatever you want to call it. However. My tree is up until next week. I do not understand the fuss to "get it over with." There are people wildly shoving decorations into storage bins & boxes, crazed vacuuming, etc in order to have things "back to normal." (I'm quoting real people.)

Is everyone's average day so fabulous that they simply cannot stand 24 more hours of twinkly lights, lovely holiday food? If it's about to spontaneously combust, then by all means chuck out the tree. But for heaven's sake, leave some decorations up. Or make a winter wreath or put some holly in a jam jar. Or something.

The complaining portion of New Year's Day is now over (here, anyway:) Carry on!

(photograph by Sharon Montrose. Though I rarely make resolutions to buy things: I resolve in 2012 to finally have either a Sharon Montrose print or her new book)

New Year's Eve Day

Oops. Best laid plans, etc. Dashing out on errands & now a last-minute babysitting request (for the afternoon). Happy to help but that pushes some things off my list right now. I may be back before midnight, maybe not. I will most certainly be on Twitter. Happy New Year already to Julie & Simon & others I don't know. For those without televisions, there's a live webcast from NYC's Time Square beginning at 6pm EST. Join in!

Irish Coffee Break

Off for Irish coffee & then to see the ZooLights. It's been a mild winter here, so far (keep it up, weather gods) & the outdoor holiday walks have been superb. A friend & I had a funny run-in last week with the most hideous looking Irish coffee. It was not a good sign that the child waitpersonne had no idea what that was (seriously). At least she was good-humored. She took away the offending oily black liquid dumped unceremoniously into clear glasses & brought us seasonal beers. Which were quite good.

But...I've been craving an Irish coffee ever since. So off to the local pub, a good one. However, I look forward to having a house whiskey again. Never leave your good liquor out for bums to drink up. (That's a whole 'nother story.)

I hope everyone is having a good holiday. I realize that not everyone has a block of time off. But you can do little things like walk past pretty (& free) holiday lights, city department store windows, have a drink with a friend to make up for it. Also, primrose alert: they're in the stores & about $3/4.00. It will cheer you immensely. I promise. Back tomorrow...

PS: Turning off comments; it appears to have become burdensome.

(photograph via Martha Stewart)

Winter Reading

If you can steal some moments away to read but have finished a book & are flipping through the same 3 magazines, or are at home & can't get out to the library or bookstore, I have a few links. I remember being on more than one trip & in the same situation & not even close to an inadequate newsstand.

Lori of automatism has a good label, magazines + newspapers (& she always has beautiful photographs to share). Poets & Writers magazine's annual Inspiration issue arrived yesterday. I've not had a moment to open it, but it usually lives up to its title. The New Yorker always has good features accessible to non-subscribers, though it's not the same if you don't subscribe. The Guardian has an excellent book site, including links for children & teens, suggestions for seasonal reading.

If you enjoy poetry, The Poetry Foundation's website is excellent with many searchable features. Here's The New York Review of Books (I am only 3 issues behind, ahem). To round off the New York pubs, here's New York magazine which is always amusing. And if you miss Frank Rich in the Times, remember, he moved to NY magazine. Here's his latest column: The Molotov Party. Even if you don't live in the States, you should read it. Make that, especially if you don't live here, you should read it.

I need to finish reading a manuscript but picking it up just before I go to sleep has not been a good idea (& it is a good story). So off to read today. If you've something to recommend, please do. I love having lists to take to the library, bookstore, & newsstand & not just the end-of-the year lists by The New York Times (though theirs is always good).

I'll be back for New Year's Eve. Cheers everyone!

(Woman Reading by Gabriel Ferrier via Art Inconnu)