Share Something Sweet, Win Chocolate
Valentine’s Day may be over, but loving the people in your life and loving chocolate can fit in every day of the year. This may seem like it’s coming a bit late, but Ferrero Rocher asked me to share a delicious and soul-nourishing initiative that you can be part of.
Chocolate experts Ferrero Rocher and Share Our Strength teamed up this month to help end child hunger. By visiting this link, sending a message to your loved ones, Ferrero will make a donation to Share Our Strength on your behalf. I think that’s pretty sweet.
But wait! There’s more. I have two heart-shaped boxes of Ferrero Rocher chocolates to give away to you. And yes, I’ve tried them–yum. If you’d like to receive a box, leave a comment about your love of chocolate, and I’ll send a box to the authors of my two favorite responses.
So get to it. Spread the love and win some noms.
Housewife or Rocker? You Decide. [Celeb Twins]
I wonder if Real Housewives of Orange County slim jim Lynne Curtin and Aerosmith rock god Steven Tyler have one of those secret twin languages. Based on the photos below, I’m guessing yes.
See it?
Quick! Five Questions [Totally Random Edition]
Haven’t done this in a while, but let’s bring back the quickie questions. Leave your answers in the comments, buddies. Ready, set, go!
1. If you could only wear one color for a whole year, what would it be?
2. What’s your drink of choice?
3. What’s your favorite dinner?
4. Would you rather watch Titanic or The Notebook? (Pretend that neither is not an option.)
5. What celebrity do you look like?
The Official Color of 2009: Mimosa Yellow!
I think it’s safe to say that January’s been off to a somewhat rocky start for a lot of people. Knowing that everyone may need some reassurance and hope that this year will turn out just dandy, Pantone, the global authority on color, has selected the official shade of 2009 as a warm, bright yellow called Mimosa.
Why not red or green or fuschia? Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, explains:
“The color yellow exemplifies the warmth and nurturing quality of the sun, properties we as humans are naturally drawn to for reassurance. Mimosa also speaks to enlightenment, as it is a hue that sparks imagination and innovation.”
Hear that? 2009 is all about focusing on optimism, imagination and innovation. Sounds about right to me. Good choice, Pantone.
[via Luxaholics]
It’s a Beautiful Day for a Neighbor with RentWiki.com
I came to Boston in September 2004 as a freshman at Boston University. Since that time, I’ve lived in three different dorm rooms and four different apartment buildings, with a total of eight different roommates and spanning three distinct neighborhoods. Still, I’m hardly a special case–this is just how life is for the thousands of college students and young professionals in Boston and in cities around the country.
For me, moving has always seemed like a bit of a crapshoot. You MIGHT like the neighborhood, you MIGHT like the building, you MIGHT not hate your neighbors, but you’re really jumping into a new living situation blindly. And that’s the problem RentWiki.com hopes to solve.
RentWiki.com recently announced the official launch of its site, which serves to help apartment hunters learn more about rental properties and the culture of different neighborhoods through a social networking community. While the site still lacks a deep level of content for most cities, RentWiki.com has the potential to be a great resource for anyone looking to rent property in a new neighborhood.
The site aims to offer a look at daily life at the neighborhood level in a wiki format via locally contributed content, neighborhood reviews, pros and cons, and renter recommendations. As the site and its content grow, RentWiki.com has promise to become a tool that will help people find an apartment, condo or neighborhood to fit their personal style, taste and financial needs through seeing what people who actually live there have to say about the area.
Time will tell if people jump on this idea and contribute their thoughts to the site–I’m certainly interested to see how the Boston content develops. Would you utilize a resource like this?
Adaptation
Millennials–those kids who were raised thinking everyone’s a winner, that you get a trophy just for showing up, and whose parents and teachers taught them that they can rule the world–are, as a cohort, growing up a little bit more. We Millennials joined the workforce with smiles, confidence and optimism, and we knew that our smarts and savvy would serve us well in our budding careers. Sure, we’re a special breed of junior staff, but I’d like to think (surprise, surprise) that we’re adding something special to the mix.
Last week, SHIFT Communications made the hard decision to conduct layoffs, and those let go were mostly junior staffers. The same goes for lots of other public relations firms across the country. And this is not exclusive to PR. Small tech startups to behemoth management companies are joining the fray as well. Dark days.
So what? This is the first time the all-smiles, reach-for-the-stars generation has experienced life and work in a major downturn. Gen-Xers and Boomers know the drill–they’ve been through this sort of thing before. This recession, these hard times–it’s a first for us, and these days will inarguably force Millennials to change the way we think about the world around us. Gone are the days of expecting gold stars for doing our best. Make no mistake, we get it.
It will be interesting to see how the hits we take today will affect the Millennial generation’s outlook and experiences in the future. I wonder too, if perceptions of our generation will change as we work hard to adapt and navigate these hard times. Will the kids who were told they could do anything change their tune after going through a major recession?
Photo by terren in Virginia
Today’s Honey: January 7, 2009
I really miss taking and teaching dance classes. It was always such an important thing in my life, but fell by the wayside when work and general adulthood took over. I love this dance because the song is quirky and dark, and these girls are IN the music. It’s intense and beautiful and raw and gooey and wonderful.
Choreography: Dana Metz
Music: Werewolf by Cocorosie
Millennials Keep It Optimistic for 2009
Economy in the crapper? Unpredictable job market? Everything’s going to be just fine, that is, if you ask someone born in the 1980s. With 2009 finally here, my Millennial cohorts (and I) are looking to the new year with positivity. Hey, someone has to, right?
According to an omnibus survey conducted by StrategyOne on behalf of Pepsi, four out of five Millennials are hopeful about the future as the New Year approaches, and nearly all surveyed (95%) agree that it is important for them to maintain a positive outlook on life.
Millennials are most optimistic about their overall well-being (84%) and their relationships with family and friends (81%), and are significantly more likely than their older counterparts to be optimistic about their careers (77%, vs. 66% of Gen Xers, 59% of Baby Boomers and 22% of Post-War Americans).
Other findings include:
- 74% of Millennials find that supporting causes make them feel more optimistic
- 77% of Millennials report having a strong sense of optimism about their careers
- 95% of Millennials make positive associations when they think of the word “change,” associating it with “progress” (78%), “hope” (77%) and “excitement” (72%)
- 67% of Millennials say that the election of Barack Obama is making them feel optimistic about the future of the country
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: 2009 will be exciting. And it’s good to know I’m not alone in thinking that this year holds promise. Happy New Year!
[via Mediapost Research Briefs]
Wearing Christmas Cheer on Your Sleeve? Check Out My Holiday Sweater
From the jolly folks who brought us Elf Yourself last winter, this season we have My Holiday Sweater. But let’s be clear. With all the fashion-help TV shows out there, funny-ugly sweater photos, as well as friends and mirrors, there is just no reason to be caught dead actually wearing one of these super-festive, overly bedazzled sweaters. It’s just inexcusable.
However, to celebrate this absurd seasonal fashion faux pas, OfficeMax brings us My Holiday Sweater, where you can create your very own googly-eyed, snowflaked, reindeer-embroidered sweater and send it to family and friends. What a thoughtful gift! Thankfully, it’s only digital. Go nuts, kids.
[via geeksugar.]
Five Minutes of 2008
It’s been quite a year. Looking back, I feel blessed to have had so many moments of laughing, hugging, dancing, smiling, learning, sharing, celebrating, and loving this year. As the song says, these photos are all evidence of my life…
