This week’s list of read-worthy things. If you’re looking for Tuesday 10, just scroll down.
- Awesome thing of the week: This Isn’t the Petition Response You’re Looking For, the official White House response to a petition aiming to secure resources and funding, and begin construction of a Death Star by 2016.
- Random fun thing of the week: Giant Rubber Duck Swims in to Sydney Harbor.
- A less happy link from Down Under: A disturbing glimpse of Australia’s wildfires as seen from space.
- PSA: Your Default Narrative Settings Are Not Apolitical. An interesting read on historical accuracy and bigotry in the world of fiction.
- There’s More to Life Than Being Happy. Food for thought. “It is the very pursuit of happiness that thwarts happiness.”
- 10 Things You Should Never Say To A Woman In Her 20’s.
- 4-Cheese Stuffed Shells in Marinara. A yummy-looking recipe from Niki.
- The Twitter Confessional. One [awesome] tweep’s thoughts on online vs. real friendships, and getting over being unfollowed.
- The village where people have dementia – and fun. Intriguing article about a curiously uplifting care home near Amsterdam.
- Wanted: Mars colonists to explore red planet. The Netherlands-based nonprofit Mars One, which hopes to put the first boots on the Red Planet in 2023, released its basic astronaut requirements.
- Why certain color combinations drive your eyeballs crazy. Science backs me up about horrid color combinations.
Things of Note:
Along with the list of readables above, I thought I’d join in with Lena’s Tuesday 10. The theme this week is Dream Jobs. So, if I wasn’t doing the freelance design thing, here are some other jobs I’ve daydreamed about:
- Owning a bookstore. Lots of wood surfaces and character required.
- Owning a clothing boutique.
- Interior designer.
- Fine art photographer. (as opposed to journalist photog or portrait photographer – I basically don’t want to work with people while doing photos, haha)
- Famous published author.
- Wedding planner.
- Personal shopper.
- Casting director for movies/shows.
- Fashion designer and/or Project Runway participant. Haha, I know. Sewing skills REALLY need to be upped first.
- Video game designer.
How about you? What are some of your dream jobs?
That PSA reminds me of the Zero Dark Thirty debate. I understand the uproar about the accuracy of it and that torture was in fact not needed to capture Bin Laden. However, it is not a documentary. Though I’m normally the first to point out lies and misleadings, I have decided that when it comes to works that are outright not documentaries (thus stating that they know they may not be 100% accurate) I side with the creator and his/her free reign to create and that limiting that does more damage than good. I know that’s a tad off topic to that PSA but it reminds me of that current discussion.
I loved reading that article on happiness and a meaningful life. I will say, many view a desire to learn new methods as a “pursuit of happiness” though they do not necessarily equate. I love that it touched on having a meaningful life (which is relative in nature) vs the pursuit of happiness. I really enjoyed this article! It’s brilliantly written and displays the facts clearly. Though I read some books here and there on happiness and feel I have gone on my own, as I call it, “happiness journey” (though it’s more accurately a journey of joy) I have gone on it because I have found meaning, more and more, found a purpose in life and to others. I believe that both can be simultaneous and both feed into one another but that happiness exists not without meaning.
It looks like we have some similar dream jobs. I too have wanted to be a bookstore owner (but also a library owner) and a published author. I still want to be a published author and will continue that journey hoping that I one day will. One of my favorite authors Alan Moore touches on why not to add the “famous” part that having that in there as a goal compromises your work. He says it much better than I. I don’t care to be famous, just heard. 🙂
Great post and thanks for sharing!
I can see how that article would bring the movie & controversy to mind. I haven’t seen it, and I probably won’t. Not because of the controversy, but just because it’s not the type of movie that interests me anyway. I remember seeing a preview for it, and just thinking “Really?” – on the one hand I was surprised at the tastelessness (just my opinion) of making such a movie, and on the other hand not surprised at all. Not my cup of tea.
I really like the happiness article, too.
The ‘famous’ part on my authorial dream job was more from a bread-winning point of view. If it was going to be my full-time job, I would want it to reliably pay the bills, and you pretty much have to be a famous bestselling author for that to happen. So it wasn’t so much for the acclaim (though of course that would be nice, as it means people are reading what you wrote and liking it) as for the economical side of it. From a practical standpoint, if I was going to support myself on writing alone for the next 40-50 years, I would have to really be raking in the dough with it. And by the time you’re making that much money at writing, fame kind of comes along with it. Just because it’s a dream job doesn’t mean I haven’t run it through a few practical scenarios. 🙂
Oh see when I saw the trailer I was blown away by how well reality was portrayed and I still am blown away. But it is my cup of tea. I love thought provoking movies, that give it to me straight, stir my emotions and I have a special spot for those based on some level of truth. Like the movie “The Sessions.” It’s one I have watched this year and is based on a true story and I LOVED it!
I hear ya on the famous part and completely agree. I would love for it to be a full-time job but for now I suppose I ought to just continue working on the craft and who knows maybe it will get there, maybe it won’t. It would be a bonus if it did. Never know until you try and keep on trying, right?
It was more the subject matter I had an issue with, than the style of movie. I don’t have a problem with documentaries (real or faux), and quite enjoy movies that feel real and are thought-provoking. This one just seemed like pointless propaganda to me.
‘The Sessions’ looks good, though, and I’ve saved it to my Netflix queue – thanks for the rec. 🙂
And agreed, working on the craft of writing is definitely an important part of journeying towards being a published author, whether that’s Big Famous Author or not. 🙂
I hear ya on the propaganda. My view is that every movie, book or story is propaganda. Propaganda really boils down to a purpose and a message. Every author/writer is trying to send some message, intentional or not. Whether we like the point of the propaganda is up to us. For example, The Hunger Games is filled with propaganda. I don’t agree with the propaganda in Zero Dark Thirty just like I think Homeland is filled with it. I have found ways with some movies ant tv shows to ignore it. Some I cannot, but I don’t know until I try. For example, Prometheus (which I’ll have on my recap) was filled with religious propaganda to the point of making me want to vomit. I couldn’t get past it. I think if the movie itself were of good quality I probably could get past it but it wasn’t. The script was laughable. That’s why, when watching Zero Dark Thirty, I was able to get past it because the acting never felt like acting. It felt real. So I could skip any subliminal messages they were either trying or not trying to send to me and just enjoy how realistically it was all portrayed.
I want to be a published author more than I can say. Maybe not even FAMOUS, just enough to pay the bills? I cannot even imagine what it must feel like to know that other people are getting joy from the stories I’ve written. It’d be wonderful.
Yeah, the ‘famous’ note was really more for the money side of things, since I would want to support myself on that alone if it was my dream job. But yes, it would be wonderful. 🙂
We have quite a few of the same jobs on our list.