This Week in Church: How we renew

Welcome to the series wherein I share my take-aways from church. The things that, I think, are beneficial to all of us to know or think about, whether or not we believe in any church-related things.

I think that church can teach things that are beneficial to everyone, whether or not we believe in church-related things.

This week in church we talked about what we do.

Church this week was different. They called it "Renewal Sunday" and had people from the congregation get up to speak about the work they do in their lives (either professionally or as a volunteer) that contributes to renewal in the world. It was really kind of beautiful. 

I love it because it demonstrated tangibly how everyone is (or can be) doing something to help make the world a better place, without necessarily volunteering in soup kitchens or working at an environmental agency. We can all contribute in a variety of ways, through a variety of roles, and it's all part of a better picture.


The Receptionist Delivers!
Sign up for my email newsletter for a weekly digest and BONUS CONTENT!

Women and their cats: a collection of paintings

My recent post about a cat whose fur betrayed the crimes of her owner opened me up to a whole new world: old paintings of women with cats.

There are so many! I love them all! If I lived on my own I would immediately get prints and create a gallery wall, but I do not, so instead I will be satisfied to share them with you on the internet.

Woman holding cat by B. Grigoriev. CC.

Woman with a cat by Bacchiacca. CC.

Young woman holding a cat by Gwen John. CC.

Peasant woman with cat by David Rijckaert III. CC.

Portrait of Cleophea Krieg von Bellikon. CC.

In the boudoir by L. Rossi Roma. CC.

Portrait of a woman by Ilhe. CC.

Woman with cat by Auguste Renoir. CC.

Woman with cat by Lilla Cabot Perry. CC.

Portrait of a young woman with cat and bird by Nattier. CC.

Ballerina with a black cat by Carrier Belles Pierre. CC.


The Receptionist Delivers!
Sign up for my email newsletter for a weekly digest and BONUS CONTENT!

Inspiration! Roundup: Prisoner art, catching landscapes in a jar, the heart behind sharia law, and more!

This Week's "I want to go to there": I want to travel to a new city and look at it from on high.

Prisoner Art

First, some outrage: the US has decided that prisoners in Guantanamo do not own the art they create - it's owned by the Pentagon. BAH! I guess I have to give them credit, that is a great way to dehumanize someone. I am also quite taken with a lot of the art created, which can be viewed on this Hyperallergic post.

Catch a Landscape in a Jar

Artist Christoffer Relander has captured Finnish landscapes and put them in jars. It's beautiful!

A post shared by Christoffer Relander (@christofferrelander) on

What's Behind Sharia Law?

Yassmin Abdel-Magied is an inspiration! I love hearing her talk about her faith in this video.


The Best Selfies

Kimiko Nishimoto is an 89 year-old woman who discovered her passion for photography in her 70s and has been taking hilarious self-portraits since. Her style is silly and fun and makes me want to bring more play into my life.

Un Gif Dans ta Gueule

Artist Nicholas Monterrat has made some pretty incredible and enchanting gifs.

Image by Nicholas Monterrat.



The Receptionist Delivers!
Sign up for my email newsletter for a weekly digest and BONUS CONTENT!
SaveSave

Staring into the unknown, day one

Photo by Jordan Sanchez via Unsplash.

A year ago, I tried something new: I started taking antidepressants. They made an almost immediate difference for me in my mood and energy levels.

Today is the day that I try another new thing. Today I stop taking them.

The time is right. The circumstances that caused me to need them in the first place have all changed and I have gotten better at taking care of myself. I was never supposed to stay on the pills indefinitely.

I'm kind of nervous. Nobody really knows what I should expect. My doctor and my counsellor both said the same thing: physical symptoms can have a huge range, and nobody knows how my body will react until it does. I just need to give myself the space to experience some things and see how it goes.

Because people are bizarre creatures, I have been sent many articles about the horrors of withdrawal from antidepressants, as well as permanent brain damage some people have experienced, so I am fully aware of the worst end of the spectrum. (Why people think it's necessary to send a friend who is already on antidepressants articles about how going off them will ruin their life, I don't know.) My hope is that since I experienced very few symptoms going on the drugs, I won't experience many going off.

But now all I can do is stare into the great unknown and wait for it to hit me. Theoretically, I have the strength to deal with it.

I'll let you know how it goes.


The Receptionist Delivers!
Sign up for my email newsletter for a weekly digest and BONUS CONTENT!

Cat ladies BEWARE! Your cat may betray your crimes!

Bacchiacca - Portrait of a young lady holding a cat

Here's a headline:

Cat Hair Leads FBI to Woman Who Allegedly Sent a Bomb to Obama.

First of all, how did I only just realize that Obama has the word "bomb" in his name? (I mean aurally, obviously it's not spelled the same.) I hope he had a lot of fun in university making jokes about how he's "the-BOMB-a!" or dropping mics because he just dropped an "O-BOMB-a" truth in their lives.

Second, this is an important lesson to all my fellow cat ladies out there: if you want to commit a crime, your cat might give you away. I know, I know. Your cat would never betray you like that. Except that this lady's DID! We may have gotten used to having cat hair on everything, but this is a good reminder that other people aren't, and that said cat hair may be evidence against us.



The Receptionist Delivers!
Sign up for my email newsletter for a weekly digest and BONUS CONTENT!

Cute! Roundup: Baby hippo farts, escape artists, baby arctic fox, and more!

Sometimes Gertie and I are sitting together and then she just reaches up and grabs onto me. Obviously, it's her way of telling me that she loves me and needs me and appreciates me and can't live without me, right?



OTHER CUTENESS:

Baby hippo farts! Even cuter than expected!

Sometimes escape looks different than one might expect.

This rescued baby arctic fox is SO EXCITED about its new toy!

Mama love caught in the wild.

A mini appaloosa horse! I didn't know these existed and now I'm in love!

Door stop games.


The Receptionist Delivers!
Sign up for my email newsletter for a weekly digest and BONUS CONTENT!

Singalong! When You're Gone by Bryan Adams ft. Mel C.

I barely remembered that this song existed, but now I love it all over again. Remember when Mel C. was the only Spice Girl who actually knew how to sing?


WHEN YOU'RE GONE
by Bryan Adams ft. Mel C.

I've been wanderin' around the house all night
Wondering what the hell to do
Yeah, I'm trying to concentrate but all I can think of is you

Well the phone don't ring 'cause my friends ain't home
I'm tired of being all alone
Got the TV on 'cause the radio's playing songs that remind me of you

Baby when you're gone I realize I'm in love
Days go on and on and the nights just seem so long
Even food don't taste that good, drink ain't doing what it should
Things just feel so wrong baby when you're gone

Yeah, I've been driving up and down these streets
Trying to find somewhere to go
Ya I'm lookin' for a familiar face but there's no one I know

Ah this is torture, this is pain
It feels like I'm gonna go insane
I hope you're coming back real soon 'cause I don't know what to do

Baby when you're gone I realize I'm in love
Days go on and on and the nights just seem so long
Even food don't taste that good, drink ain't doing what it should
Things just feel so wrong, baby when you're gone

Baby when you're gone, yeah
Baby when you're gone



The Receptionist Delivers!
Sign up for my email newsletter for a weekly digest and BONUS CONTENT!

Learning! Roundup: Art at work, day vs. night injuries, killer robots save lives, and more!


Art at Work

Want to be more creative in the office? Look at some art. It is, apparently, as simple as that. Exposure to art, in the case of this study, both Vincent Van Gogh paintings and Bob Dylan lyrics, increased peoples' creative thinking on work-related problems.

Day vs. Night Injuries

You wouldn't think that what time of day you got injured matters, but apparently daytime injuries heal faster than nighttime injuries. Like, twice as fast. Weird.

Killer Robots Save Lives

If you want to write a dystopian future, starting with autonomous killer robots created by humans seems like a good beginning. However, just like driverless cars will have less accidents than human-driven vehicles, robots that identify and eliminate targets without human intervention will, apparently, make less mistakes and save lives. I still don't like it, but then, I am a pacifist who thinks we should all just stop killing each other, so what do I know?

Shark Eggs

Shark eggs are translucent. Look at this beauty.

Posted by ChazeDoge on Reddit.

How Much Do You Think You Exercise?

Here's another one from the "power of the mind" series: people who think they exercise less than their peers will die earlier, regardless of how much they actually do exercise. That's right. The benefits of exercise on your health can be eclipsed by how much you believe you are exercising.

Too Smart to Lead?

Intelligence helps you become a better leader, up until a point. Once you get too smart, then your brains actually hinder your ability to be a good leader.

Feeling Stressed?

It's been a stressful year. I think I read somewhere (although this is completely unsubstantiated) that this year everyone, regardless of political affiliation, is feeling higher anxiety than normal. No surprise there. Here's advice from 11 therapists on how to deal with all that stress.

Organic Disasters

As much as it might sound like a good idea, if people started eating only organic, the environment would be in trouble thanks to the increase in land use required to farm organically.


The Receptionist Delivers!
Sign up for my email newsletter for a weekly digest and BONUS CONTENT!

Inspiration! Roundup: Progress, Amber Ma's illustrations, cyborg Jesus, and more!

This Week's "I want to go to there": I've been sick for the past two days, and the idea of
having enough energy to jump with enthusiasm is... exhausting. But I want it!

The Secret Life of Pencils

Who would have thought that in "today's world" (in quotations because, what the heck does that mean?), the pencil would still have relevance? And yet! A new art book titled The Secret Life of Pencils is a portrait series for the pencils of creatives around the world. I love the concept, even if the book might become slightly dull to flip through. (Just like a pencil! Ha! I made a pun.) What everyday thing deserves a little extra attention?

Progress

“No one is going to stand up and hand you a plate of progress in life. You must make progress by your own sheer will, discipline, and efforts every day.”
– Brendon Burchard

I like this because you might get handed a plate of opportunity, but if you're going to progress, you've got to actually try a little bit.

Storybook Illustrations

I am so taken with Amber Ma's fantastical illustrations!

A post shared by Amber Ma (@amberwonderland) on

Small Victories

I recently subscribed to the Small Victories newsletter, and it's wonderful! Every week, a roundup of (you guessed it) small victories against the Trump Administration. There are so many of them!

Cyborg Jesus

This image was used in an article about the "Problems and Possibilities of Cybernetics", but something about a cyborg Jesus gets my imagination humming. (Image from Giphy.)


A Better Re-enactment 

You know how some people like to re-enact the Civil War and other battles, basically reliving the fight to hold onto slavery? Yeah. It's weird. Well, artist Dread Scott is doing a different kind of re-enactment: he has raised the funds to re-enact the 1811 German Coast Revolt, also known as the largest slave revolt in North American history.


The Receptionist Delivers!
Sign up for my email newsletter for a weekly digest and BONUS CONTENT!

Cute! Roundup: Protective pups, claw machine kittens, corgi swarms, and more!

Have you ever been so sick that you forgot all the things you were supposed to do? That was my day yesterday! Luckily, I have my sweet girl to nurse me back to health. In the meantime, here's yesterday's cuteness roundup.


OTHER CUTENESS:

Protect the little guy.

These blinkers will get your attention.

The best prize in the claw machine.

Maybe some day I'll be as excited about snow as this guy.

Incoming swarm of corgis.

A baby gets glasses for the first time!

Family bonding inspo.


The Receptionist Delivers!
Sign up for my email newsletter for a weekly digest and BONUS CONTENT!

Singalong! River Deep, Mountain High by Tina Turner

My friend has been sending me videos from his trip to Vegas to see Celine Dion, including several clips of her singing River Deep Mountain High. Now, I LOVE Celine, and I love her cover of this song because she really gives in and goes crazy every time she performs it. HOWEVER, nothing beats Tina's original performance of the song. Listening to this made me realize I need to listen to some more early Tina Turner.



RIVER DEEP, MOUNTAIN HIGH
Tina Turner

When I was a little girl
I had a rag doll
Only doll I've ever owned
Now I love you just the way I loved that rag doll
But only now my love has grown

And it gets stronger, in every way
And it gets deeper, let me say
And it gets higher, day by day

And do I love you my oh my
Yeah river deep mountain high
If I lost you would I cry
Oh how I love you baby, baby, baby, baby

When you were a young boy
Did you have a puppy
That always followed you around
Well I'm gonna be as faithful as that puppy
No I'll never let you down

Cause it grows stronger, like a river flows
And it gets bigger baby, and heaven knows
And it gets sweeter baby, as it grows

And do I love you my oh my
Yeah river deep, mountain high
If I lost you would I cry
Oh how I love you baby, baby, baby, baby

I love you baby like a flower loves the spring
And I love you baby just like Robin loves to sing
And I love you baby like a school boy loves his pet
And I love you baby, river deep mountain high

Do I love you my oh my, oh baby
River deep, mountain high
If I lost you would I cry
Oh how I love you baby, baby, baby, baby

Image by Heinrich Klaffs. CC.



The Receptionist Delivers!
Sign up for my email newsletter for a weekly digest and BONUS CONTENT!

Learning! Roundup: The deactivation effect, uterus implants, 100 years for equality, and more!


The Deactivation Effect

It looks like 15 minutes of solitude, without any devices to distract us, is really good for our emotional health. How pleasant that it only takes an easy-to-swallow 15 minutes! Just enough time for a nice, chilled beverage.

Uterus Implants

The time has come! Thanks to new uterus transplant technology, transgendered women can get a uterus and have their own BABY! Listen, I don't want to belittle this awesomeness for transgendered women, I just also can't help but think of Arnold Schwarzenneger.

Equality in 100 Years

New research shows that women won't have equality for 100 more years. Cool cool, coolcoolcool. Cool. Yep. That's fine. Oh, and issues like the wage gap have gotten WORSE in the past 10 years. Grrrreeeeaaaat.

Bias at Work

Speaking of equality, a new study had male and female workers wear sensors and tracked their actions. It found that the women acted the same as the men (networked, reached out to higher-ranking managers, etc.), but that they were treated differently. Coolcoolcool.

Social Dominance and the Environment

There is a host of research on social dominance and the relationship between people's beliefs in social dominance and their -isms (racism, sexism, etc.). Now research is coming out to examine social dominance and the environment as well. It turns out that socially dominant people are less likely to support environmental behaviour, unless it's framed through their own interests.

White People Rapping

Ta-Nehisi Coates is always brilliant. If you are a white person and curious about whether or not you can or should say the n-word when rapping along with rappers that use it, he has the best answer for you. (The one word answer is no, but if you want more than that, watch the video below or here.)



The Receptionist Delivers!
Sign up for my email newsletter for a weekly digest and BONUS CONTENT!

Notes on the sweetness of free time


Over the past several years I have been trying to become a person who has more down time in their life. In the past year I have made actual headway in this regard, and have experienced whole evenings where I go home and have NOTHING planned or on my to do list. It is amazing!

If you have never experienced the freedom of leaving work without a million other projects on your mind that need attention and action, then I highly recommend giving it a try.

Here are some of the things I now do instead of working all the time:

Read books! I have time to read books way more often now. Reading books is wonderful.

Have conversations with my partner and cuddle with him, not out of desperate need to recharge my depleted soul, but because it's nice.

Read more.

Write. My writing is no longer crammed into the little writing times I carved out in my days. I get to write sometimes just because I feel like it.

Go for walks. Anywhere!

Walk to the library to get books to read.

Tidy my home at a leisurely, non-frantic pace.

Be spontaneous.

Do yoga and stretch.

Make tea.

Lie on the ground and breathe.

Sit outside and read.

Go to sleep and get something resembling "enough" sleep.

Play board games.

Think about life and goals and big picture junk, giving them the actual time and space to form into something interesting.

Make things just because I feel like it.

What do you do in your "I don't work all the time" time? What would you do if you had this time in your life?


The Receptionist Delivers!
Sign up for my email newsletter for a weekly digest and BONUS CONTENT!

Inspiration! Roundup: Crazy in love with E.E. Cummings, messages in a pocket, Patrick Rothfuss, Black Girl in a Big Dress, and more!

This Week's "I want to go to there":
At the foot of a mountain.

Crazy in Love

Need some love inspo? Try E.E. Cummings

(I CARRY YOUR HEART WITH ME)
by E.E. Cummings

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)


Celui Qui Tombe

This choreography by Yoann Bourgeois is STUNNING! Also, it reminds me of theatre school exercises where you have to imagine your ensemble is standing on a teeter totter or something and be "balanced" and nobody quite knows what to do. Except this one is real and beautiful.


Message in a Pocket

Unpaid labourers for Zara have slipped pleas help into the pockets of the clothes they are making. Obviously (I hope obviously) I am in NO WAY inspired by the use of unpaid labour, nor anything to do with this situation. Partially I was just looking for an excuse to make sure word spread about this so more people can make informed decisions about buying things from Zara. But also, let's admire the courage of those workers for putting the notes in the clothes.

Millie Bobby Brown Raps

Actress Millie Bobby Brown, who plays Eleven in Stranger Things, raps a recap of season one.


Patrick Rothfuss

“It’s like everyone tells a story about themselves inside their own head. Always. All the time. That story makes you what you are. We build ourselves out of that story.”
-Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind

Read more Pat quotes here.

Black Girl in a Big Dress

Have you SEEN Black Girl in a Big Dress? It's FUNNY!


No Race

"Are there places you feel like you're falling behind where there's actually no race?"
-Seth Godin, Winning a Yoga Race


The Receptionist Delivers!
Sign up for my email newsletter for a weekly digest and BONUS CONTENT!

A belated All Saint's Day reflection

Photo by Jialiang Gao. CC.

A friend of mine posted this on All Saint's Day:

Remembering and honoring the saints today. What saint(s) do you carry with you close to your heart? A parent? A spouse? A mentor? A beloved hero? An activist?

Today my heart seems to be moved to remember and honor my grandpa, Jim Henson, Fred Rogers, Sojourner Truth, Bartolomé de las Casas, Miriam, Origen, Malcom X, Queen Elizabeth I, Iqbal Masih, and Teresa of Avila.

I will be honest. It had never occurred to me that we could think of saints in this way. Saints are dead people who the Catholic Church has decided are extra-holy for a variety of reasons and are dedicated to certain causes that you can pray to for help. (It has never been clear to me if you pray to the saints to get them to help you directly, or because they'll be able to bug God on your behalf, but that's the kind of confusion that happens when you grow up in as a not-Catholic.)

My friend changed the saints into anyone whose life and work holds meaning for you.

Thinking of the saints in this way is quite lovely, don't you think? Imagine asking Malcolm X for courage in the face of injustice or Prince for inspiration and perseverance to be your true self? We could ask Marie Curie for the focus and dedication to keep working a problem and Amelia Earhart for passion and courage.

Do they have to be dead? Let's say they have to be dead. Unless you really want a living person to be one of your saints. Then you do you! And hey, bonus! That means you have a saint you can ask for help in real life instead of just in your mind.

This month is one of reflection and potential transformation. It's one where I need to listen to my heart and have some measure of courage about what I find. So... I'm going to pick myself a patron saint for the month, and I'm going to go with Frida Kahlo. She faced herself with creativity and courage and honesty. She is my saint this month.

Homenaje a Frida Kahlo
Image by GEMDIAZ. CC.


The Receptionist Delivers!
Sign up for my email newsletter for a weekly digest and BONUS CONTENT!

Cute! Roundup: Cuteness in the wild, floppy heads, and cuteness pile-ons!

I find Gertie's little paws to be overwhelmingly cute when they're all curled up like this.


OTHER CUTENESS:

This lion cub is trying SO HARD to roar!

Shake that floppy head out!

A little girl volunteers at a shelter and gets attacked with cuteness.

Have you even SEEN a baby moose? THIS IS A BABY MOOSE!

Puppy vs. lemon - he keeps coming back for more, though.


The Receptionist Delivers!
Sign up for my email newsletter for a weekly digest and BONUS CONTENT!

Singalong! Head Over Feet by Alanis Morissette

I have always loved the beautiful simplicity of this song.


HEAD OVER FEET
by Alanis Morissette

I had no choice but to hear you
You stated your case time and again
I thought about it

You treat me like I'm a princess
I'm not used to liking that
You ask how my day was

You've already won me over in spite of me
And don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet
And don't be surprised if I love you for all that you are
I couldn't help it
It's all your fault

Your love is thick and it swallowed me whole
You're so much braver than I gave you credit for
That's not lip service

You've already won me over in spite of me
And don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet
And don't be surprised if I love you for all that you are
I couldn't help it
It's all your fault

You are the bearer of unconditional things
You held your breath and the door for me
Thanks for your patience

You're the best listener that I've ever met
You're my best friend
Best friend with benefits
What took me so long

I've never felt this healthy before
I've never wanted something rational
I am aware now
I am aware now

You've already won me over in spite of me
And don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet
And don't be surprised if I love you for all that you are
I couldn't help it
It's all your fault

Photo by Justin Higuchi. CC.



The Receptionist Delivers!
Sign up for my email newsletter for a weekly digest and BONUS CONTENT!

Learning! Roundup: Racial stereotypes in medicine, floating food, dino death, and more!

Photo by Piron Guillaume.

Racial Stereotypes in Medicine

Medical students and doctors often still believe racial stereotypes, for example, that black people don't feel pain as acutely as white people. Turns out there is even a nursing textbook that lays out the different pain experiences by race. Yikes.

Floating Food

Researchers are on their way to creating a world where restaurants float your food from the kitchen to your mouth. Okay, that's a huge overstatement. They ARE, however, able to use sound waves to transport flavours into people's mouths. Weird!

Dino Death

How did the dinosaurs die? An asteroid, right? Except that nobody knew exactly what that asteroid did to kill the dinosaurs. Did it create a giant tsunami? Was it the force of the blast? Geophysicists have come forward with pretty strong evidence to say that the asteroid raised particle gases that created a global winter and killed everything.

Orangutan Cousins

There has been a member of the orangutan family that slipped under the radar for years. Somehow, we never figured out that there is a third species of orangutans until just now. They live in a forest in Sumatra, and there are only 800 of them left.

Malaria Mosquitoes

Here's some great news: if a mosquito has the malaria parasite, it will be even more likely to bite you than if it doesn't. Thanks a lot, malaria.

The Healing Effects of Oxygen

Breathing pure oxygen may help heal a concussion, even years after the injury.


The Receptionist Delivers!
Sign up for my email newsletter for a weekly digest and BONUS CONTENT!

The secret magic of tattoos

Recently I got my first-ever tattoos. Aren't they fun?


I have just started to get used to having them there and not getting distracted every time I see them, which is fun but also a little bit sad to have this exciting thing blend into normalcy.

It made me wonder: what if tattoos had powers? What if they unleashed spirits hidden within us or connected us to spirit powers?

There are a variety of ways this could work:

We all have multiple spirits inside of us, say, the spirit of the river or the spirit of a 16th century farmer who died after getting kicked in the head by a horse. When we get tattoos, whatever we get pictures of connects to a particular spirit and sets it free. Yay! It's grateful.

OR

We all have multiple spirits inside of us, say, the spirit of the river or the spirit of a 16th century farmer who died after getting kicked in the head by a horse. When we get tattoos, whatever we get pictures of connects to a particular spirit and unleashes it on the world. This could be good or bad depending on the spirit.

OR

We all have multiple spirits inside of us, and when we get the corresponding tattoo, the spirits get a little window outside into the world and maybe can communicate with us through it, but they are still inside of us.

OR

We don't all have actual spirits inside of us, but it's more that we are all tapped into some universal spirit world and the tattoos we get connect us directly to the powers of that spirit world. What powers we connect to (and thus can use) depend on what kind of tattoo we get.

OR

Getting a particular tattoo draws a spirit or power into us from the universe.

This would probably alter a lot of peoples' tattoo-related choices.


The Receptionist Delivers!
Sign up for my email newsletter for a weekly digest and BONUS CONTENT!

This Really Gets My Goat: The high school edition

A high school in Florida has segregated its eating privileges by scholastic achievement.

Students who get a GPA of over 2.0 get a WRISTBAND and that wristband gives them access to the privilege of going outside for lunch.

Can we just NOT with the segregation? Let's all use this as an inspiration of what not to do.

I think I'm just going to leave this here and if you don't recognize why this is a terrible idea on your own, let me know and I'll rant at you.




The Receptionist Delivers!
Sign up for my email newsletter for a weekly digest and BONUS CONTENT!

Inspiration! Roundup: DIY painting, political lamps, Duy Huynh art, and more!

This Week's "I want to go to there":
I wish this was a building I could live in.
Photo by Jason Leung

DIY Painting

I love that artist Chuck Boyce learned to paint by just doing it, and taught himself as he went. Makes me feel like I can keep trying new things.

Political Lamp

This is both brilliant and terrifying. A lamp that reacts in real time to tweets from Donald Trump, and other political events on Twitter. I don't know if it's good for our mental health to get an instant look at the state of the world, but it's pretty incredible that it's possible.


Old Book Porn

As any book nerd will tell you, there is little more evocative to look at, hold, or smell, than an old book. Old books! They are ALL magical in one way or another. This is why Kerry Mansfield's series Expired is so glorious to behold. She lovingly photographs library books that have been withdrawn from circulation because they were loved to death.

Jane Goodall

There's a new documentary out about Jane Goodall and her early work. She is incredible. Here is an article talking to her about the documentary, her work, and her mission to save the world.

Duy Huynh Art

I have fallen thoroughly in love with Duy Huyn's artwork. Want to be in love together? Look at it! Look!


Find Your Mission

Speaking of missions to save the world, I love this video about finding your own mission.



The Receptionist Delivers!
Sign up for my email newsletter for a weekly digest and BONUS CONTENT!

Awesome Award: The Miss Peru contestants who made a STATEMENT!

Beauty contests are already... well, they're a thing. A thing that happens and that maybe shouldn't happen, but also for some people it may be their only opportunity to access certain resources. Also, I used to watch them alllll the time. I admit it!

Anyways, the Miss Peru contestants win the AWESOME AWARD!


Names: Camila Canicoba, Melina Machuca, Juana Acevedo, Almendra Marroquín, Luciana Fernández, Bélgica Guerra, Romina Lozano,

Award Title: For Demonstrating Bravery and Integrity in Using Their Platform to Highlight a Social Issue While Giving the Middle Finger to Sexist Traditions

Contestants in the Miss Peru competition (and maybe others, I don't know), are required to give out their body measurements when they introduce themselves. This time they gave statistics regarding violence against women in their own country instead.

It looks like the contest organizers were even in on it. During the swimsuit competition, they projected news stories on the back wall regarding high profile domestic violence and abuse cases. The question period asked women what laws they would change to make women safer in their country.

This is AWESOME. A high five and a hug to all these women, as well as the contest organizers.

Screen Shot: Youtube/Buzzfeed (via Elle Magazine)

The Receptionist Delivers!
Sign up for my email newsletter for a weekly digest and BONUS CONTENT!

Random body parts I have obsessed over

Public Domain.

The skin around my eyes. (I have always had dark circles under my eyes, and then started worrying about aging very young. I have been gently patting cream, and now skin oil, around my eyes since I was 12.)

My left pinky toe. (It is swollen because it got stomped on in a mosh pit in high school and probably broke but I never did anything about it. Also it always has a massive hangnail and no matter how middling my efforts to fix it, I just can't.)

My right knee. (It has a large lump on it thanks to osgood-schlatter's.)

My hands. (I think that the tendons and veins in my hands stick out too much. Since I was young I thought I had scary old lady hands.)

My hair. (Is that really a body part? I have curly hair and it gets frizzy so easily and I have a routine that was carved in stone and blessed with blood to keep it at bay, but I have to be SO CAREFUL, especially if it's raining. Also, every once in a while I wonder if I should dye it magenta or if I'd look like a deranged clown.)

My finger nails. (They get all pitted very easily, but if I dutifully rub a nice oil into them every day they stay relatively smooth and nice and also break less easily.)

My upper lip. (I have "peach fuzz" up there that needs to get bleached every once in a while. Honestly, I should obsess over this area more. What actually happens is that one day I look in the mirror and suddenly have a Tom Selleck and of course that's a day that I'm out all day and can't do anything about it for hours, and then I forget by the time I get home, which probably means it wasn't QUITE so prominent as a Tom Selleck, but it's still there.)

Where do you zero in on your body?


The Receptionist Delivers!
Sign up for my email newsletter for a weekly digest and BONUS CONTENT!

Cute! Roundup: Mostly leftover Halloween adorableness to look at with the candy you found behind the couch

Am I still allowed to even share this picture? Halloween is so long gone by this point there aren't even discount candies left in the stores. BUT I HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN!


OTHER CUTENESS:

The comfiest of all the seats.

What is with cats and drawers? I don't know and I don't care because it's CUTE!

This little girl is taking care of her rescue dog. HEART BUSTED.

Those eyes.

Hedgehog knows where it's at.

Sleepy greyhounds.

This lil' ghost just killed me!


The Receptionist Delivers!
Sign up for my email newsletter for a weekly digest and BONUS CONTENT!

Singalong! Tom's Diner by Suzanne Vega

I always thought of this song as a simple folksy commentary on everyday life, but watching the music video now it appears to be a symbolic dance hit. Who knew?


TOM'S DINER
by Suzanne Vega

I am sitting
In the morning
At the diner
On the corner

I am waiting
At the counter
For the man
To pour the coffee

And he fills it
Only halfway
And before
I even argue

He is looking
Out the window
At somebody
Coming in

"It is always
Nice to see you"
Says the man
Behind the counter

To the woman
Who has come in
She is shaking
Her umbrella

And I look
The other way
As they are kissing
Their hellos

I'm pretending
Not to see them
And Instead
I pour the milk

I open
Up the paper
There's a story
Of an actor

Who had died
While he was drinking
He was no one
I had heard of

And I'm turning
To the horoscope
And looking
For the funnies

When I'm feeling
Someone watching me
And so
I raise my head

There's a woman
On the outside
Looking inside
Does she see me?

No she does not
Really see me
Cause she sees
Her own reflection

And I'm trying
Not to notice
That she's hitching
Up her skirt

And while she's
Straightening her stockings
Her hair
Is getting wet

Oh, this rain
It will continue
Through the morning
As I'm listening

To the bells
Of the cathedral
I am thinking
Of your voice

And of the midnight picnic
Once upon a time
Before the rain began

I finish up my coffee
It's time to catch the train

Photo by Olaf Tausch


The Receptionist Delivers!
Sign up for my email newsletter for a weekly digest and BONUS CONTENT!

One of the better headlines I have seen for a long time

This filled me with so much glee:


"Twitter says Trump's account deactivated by employee leaving company"

It's even more fun if you look at it as a trending post on Facebook, because you get so many variations of the headline.


The Receptionist Delivers!
Sign up for my email newsletter for a weekly digest and BONUS CONTENT!

Leaning! Roundup: Some placebo, musician superiority, breathing on mars, and more!

Photo by Nomao Saeki

Insomnia Placebo Effects

I love the placebo effect. It's so awesome that our minds are so powerful they can basically replicate the effects of medicine all on their own. It's like magic! Well, unsurprisingly, our beliefs can also harm us. In this research, people who believed themselves to be poor sleepers had the same negative health effects of insomniacs. On the other hand, poor sleepers who didn't identify it as a problem had none of the anxiety, depression, or other negative effects of insomnia.

Musician Memory

Musicians are obviously already superior to the rest of us because of their sexiness and increased intelligence. Now we also know that their short term and working memories are stronger than the rest of us non-musician chumps.

Oxygen on Mars

Mars is mostly carbon dioxide. So to live up there, apparently, all we need to do is split it into breathable oxygen (for survival) and carbon monoxide (for fuel to get home). Well, that seems easy and I'm sure there are no further complications. Let's do it!

Placebo Creativity

For more fun with the placebo effect, try sniffing a "creativity enhancing substance" and then watch yourself turn into the next Picasso! Okay, the interview specifically says you will not become the next Picasso. But it did show that people displayed a significant increase in creative thinking when they sniffed a cinnamon-smelling placebo that they were told increases creativity.

New Planet Homes

It looks like we may have found 20 planets that are capable of hosting life and not too far away! One even orbits its sun in only 18 days. Imagine how well we will all age with 18 day years.

Racial Bias in Plea Bargains

Here's more evidence for the bias facing black Americans in the legal system: white people get better plea bargains than black people.


The Receptionist Delivers!
Sign up for my email newsletter for a weekly digest and BONUS CONTENT!

This Week in Church: Solitude and being yourself

Welcome to the series wherein I share my take-aways from church. The things that, I think, are beneficial to all of us to know or think about, whether or not we believe in any church-related things.

I think that church can teach things that are beneficial to everyone, whether or not we believe in church-related things.

This week in church we talked about solitude.

My deepest, darkest fear is being left all alone, something that is slowly happening as all my friends slowly move away from the city (what fun, watching your worst fear slowly materialize in your life!). So solitude is.... challenging for me.

"In solitude, we encounter God, but first we encounter ourselves."

Um, yeah. Can I take a pass at this one? Ugh. Just kidding. I know, I know that quiet time and solitude are important and that being alone with oneself is a valuable thing. It's just also a bit uncomfortable. I would rather be around other people, thanks.

This week in church we talked about being yourself.

"But if you're content to simply be yourself, your life will count for plenty."
-Matthew 23:12 (The Message)

I'm just going to let that sentiment sit there and wiggle its way into all our hearts. (And yes, I realize that being content to be myself MAY be connected in some way to being content being by myself. I GET IT, THEY'RE CONNECTED, can we just enjoy this moment?)


The Receptionist Delivers!
Sign up for my email newsletter for a weekly digest and BONUS CONTENT!