appreciating: the free ride

i travel a lot for business.  like, a lot.  and i have to share with you one of my favorite things.

 

it’s the people that drive the rental car buses and the hotel shuttles.

it’s a wide range of people that do this but i typically run into older, retired folks and for the past 20 years, i’ve always thought the same thing – someday i will be them.  maybe not driving the bus, per se.  but older.  and hopefully content.  suddenly, you realize that you’re working so hard to… drive a shuttle bus someday!  if that isn’t enough reason to slow down and smell the roses, i don’t know what is.  this puts things in perspective for me.  here i am all stressed and stuff, yapping on the phone, texting, emailing, face booking, tweeting, on conference calls, juggling a suitcase and a briefcase, sweating, swearing and worried that things that i can’t control will come to fruition.

i used to fly from love field into houston intercontinental airport.  you can’t do that anymore, by the way. but i did it every month for about 5 years going to visit the houston area chevy dealers. there was the nicest man who used to pick me up in the hotel shuttle and drop me off.  and it was such a kind interaction.  we’d chat about where in africa he was from and how it differed from houston.  we’d talk about what was going on in and around houston and texas.  it made me remember to slow down and enjoy the process and not always be seeking the finish line.  talk to people, learn about someone else.

yep, i appreciate you mr or mrs shuttle bus driver. 

loving:on-line magazines

once again, for your weekend reading enjoyment, i’m featuring some fantastic magazines that are on-line now.  flip your screen view on FULL SCREEN and rip through these pages because there is some good stuff!

1. matchbook - june edition is red hot!  i love all the features here.

2. sweet paul.  this one is new to me and oh so fun to breeze through!  144 pages of lush colors and ideas.  paul started writing a blog

but then morphed into an on-line magazine.  so you get both – the blog and the magazine.

these are cookies!

3. and here is my beloved domino magazine resurrected on-line in the form of lonny.

4. lastly there is rue magazine.  there are probably a lot more, so not really “lastly”.  super bright and cheery.  i love this one a lot.  check it out.

five fab faves

happy tuesday to you!

here are a few of my favorite things that i’m appreciating right now:

1. music//feist:  especially the songs:

i feel it now & how come you never go there.

this morning was a little rough and popping these in my headphones on the plane cheered me a little bit

check them out on spotify, iTunes or punch it in pandora. or just go here for her cool website.  i also heard i feel it now in the elevator at the cosmopolitan hotel in las vegas.  it was perfect!

2. read//may issue of INC. magazine: things i can’t live without

there is something about peering into other people’s lives that is irresistible.  i’m not wrong in thinking that – look at the success of reality tv.  for me, i like to learn how other people get by traveling, organizing, cooking.  it’s interesting to me.  i like to pick up tips and learn new habits.  this article showcased design maven eric villency of villency design group.  he has this hard graft heritage collection 2unfold laptop bag.  super cool (and expensive!)

3. blog//home & roam

am lucky enough to actually know one half of this amazing duo.  karen was my aussie neighbor across the hall from us at chestnut & lasalle in chicago.  we were together a short time but experienced september 11th together and a memorable thanksgiving feast where i believe it was she who first introduced me to “2 truths and a lie” game (was it you?) i’ve been loving following her & her wonderful photographer husband, bob’s travels and eats and fabulous dinner parties.  go ahead and subscribe.  she won’t bite.

4. eat//ellie krieger: shrimp & feta dish

i may have already talked about this in previous posts, but who gives a hoot – it’s my blog.  honey badger don’t care.  i may talk about it again in a month.  can’t wait to cook this for susan & mike when they come to visit.  i think i may have a specialty!  ROF requests it a lot and it is now even better that i can use my own fresh cilantro & basil from my little herb garden.  get the recipe here.  it is like no calories and very flavorful.

5. think//ted video: sherry turkle connected but alone

what a powerful talk this week.  remember that goal i had to watch one ted video a week?  i’ve been doing it.  this makes you scratch your head and go hum.  it’s a thinker and as a girl making her living from the advances in technology it rubs me a little in the “that might be true” way.  she talks, as the psychiatrist she is, about technology is changing us and not really for the better.  how we’re doing things thought unthinkable just 5 years ago.  like congress texting, face booking and the such on their mobiles during a hearing.  or a meeting.  or a presentation.  but she digs even deeper to say that it’s a world of people who are alone but together.  that we’re subsituting tweets and texts and LOL’s for love and affection but it’s not.  i can’t do it justice, but if i peaked your interest, take a watch.  would love to know what you think.

talk to you on wednesday!