Here & Now

Heading Home

I went from having the three most boring weeks of my life planned (no travels, no weekend activities...a sure-fire way to hate being alone in Atlanta) to having three exciting weeks in a row.  I am headed back to Minnesota tomorrow, an early departure for a work visit next week.  I am staying through the next weekend, before heading back home for a few days and then heading to Disney World with Mom.  I am giddy as I create a to-do list I have to get through - packing, laundry, taking out the garbage, making an appointment with Moses - and prepare for my travels.  It is the perfect pick-me-up for me.

Technology: Mac Style

I am definitely a bit of a nerd about technology.  I absolutely love making technology work for me.  Lately, I've been exploring ways to make my Mac be the best computer for me.  If there is one thing I have learned about being a Mac user so far, it is that there is always something cool around the corner to make it even more useful.

iCal

I made the leap to try not keeping a paper calendar and try iCal, Apple's standard calendar application.  A little scary, as I love my paper calendar, but I was very tempted by iCal's ability to have multiple calendars layered over one another.  Now, I have multiple calendars, each with its own color: Kelli, John, Us, Tentative and Birthdays.

SpanningSync

Beyond amazing multiple calendar capabilities, I also want a digital calendar so I can access it anywhere.  So, I set out to determine how to access iCal on the web.  Luckily, I found this little application that lets me sync iCal with Google Calendars.  Now, my calendar is available to me regardless of what computer I am on (although it would be much more accessible if I had an iPhone...!).

Overflow

I read about the Overflow application as a way to clean up my MacBook's dock in MacWorld magazine.  I've been pleased so far with its ability to group applications together.  I like having less stuff on my dock and desktop.

Evernote

I have used Microsoft OneNote for years at work as my "notebook" application, one to capture and save just little bits of anything and everything.  It was one of the reasons I did not want to jump ship to a Mac when I was considering what my new laptop would be in this fall, as there is not a Mac version. Since switching, I've been searching for a OneNote equivilant.  I have finally found something that will work (although nothing is as good as OneNote): Evernote.  

USB PowerStick

I just learned about this slick tool yesterday, which allows you to charge any mobile devices via a USB drive. While I don't have one, this is now on my wish list.  

David Pogue

This guy is entertaining and knowledgeable about all things technology.  While the "Missing Guide" sample I downloaded to my Kindle put me to sleep, his videos and blog are pretty good.

The Everyday

Several months into taking a photograph a day this year, I am starting to feel the everyday well dry up.  Snapping a photo on a day when you are traveling or have an event going on is easy as pie.  However, determining what to document during everyday days - each Tuesday, for example - is a little trickier.  Photographs of my dinner or my computer are completely unexciting...and I've already done them!

On the same front, I've been blogging challenged because I feel overwhelmed by the mundane, which can be so boring to write about.  I try thinking of interesting topics - even how to make the most boring topics exciting (something I used to be able to do!) - and they fall flat.  I'm so uninterested in the topics myself, I cannot write about them.  I also cannot find anything profound to write about .... and so, Here & Now becomes a little neglected.

I stumbled upon a blog today randomly, though, that helped put a little perspective back on the everyday stuff.  The blog is called Inspiration for Everyday Living.  I first saw some great photos and then I saw this "About" statement:

We recently moved from San Francisco to Birmingham, AL and are setting up a new home in a new city. This blog is devoted to all things that turn an ordinary day into something worth talking about: great food, luscious wine, inspiring spaces, and anything that requires a passport. Plus a bunch of ramblings about turning an imperfect home into the perfect place for us.

How fabulous is that description?  How could I not bookmark this site?  Someone who has moved and who is trying to escalate the everyday through beautiful things?  This was a lucky find.  As I explored more, I started to think about how I could turn an ordinary day into something special.  And how that would give me something to document, both on in writing and in photographs.  This is no new concept (remember my "Create" mantra of 2007?), but it is definitely something I have not been practicing very well.  I need to start thinking a little more creatively about the everyday.

Enjoying a Favorite

Martha Stewart's magazine has a monthly feature called "Good Things."  It is always the section I flip to first in the magazine, especially during the July issue, when its pages are full of patriotic-themed ideas.  If I were part of this magazine, I would skip a lot of the red, white and blue crafts and instead put the Fourth of July holiday itself on this list.  I love the Fourth, and I think it is one of those really good things in life. 

This year, I spent the holiday weekend in Minnesota, trekking between the cabin on the St. Croix and the Ertel's lake home.  The result was 5 days full of good things. Here are a few of my favorite good things:

• Reading Dan Brown books (me: Da Vinci Code, John: Angels and Demons) next to the water.
• Sunning on the dock with Jenna on Thursday.
• Experiencing an outdoor activity each day.   Mom, Jenna and I kayaked the "short run" of the Kinnickick River, to its mouth into the St. Croix.  We all enjoyed jet-skiing...until John broke the machine on Sunday, that is.  We walked with Dakota and we took a number of boat rides. 
• Taking the Ertel's fishing boat to the other side of the lake and dining on a picnic lunch.  
• Eating really well-done grilled pizza (no homemade crust this year for simplicity, which resulted in some grilling difficulties) for dinner on the Fourth, with a nature-inspired table setting that belonged in 'Martha Stewart Living.'  We concluded the holiday night by watching seven different fireworks displays from the comfort of our own beach.  
• Snapping my cousin Jasha's senior pictures.  Jenna and John were terrible assistants; luckily, their antics got a a few laughs from him.
• Drinking champagne blended with lemon sorbet.  Delicious.
• Playing Password as it rained during an afternoon (what vacation of mine is complete without a little poor weather?).  Of course, Dad and I (with Jenna's friend Julie's help) won.

In the midst of all of these activities, the most enjoyable part was spending time with those I love most.  It is the best good thing of all.