Nature's Orchestra

This is one of the most amazing things I've seen in a long time. Playwright Robert Wilson recorded the harmonious sound of crickets one night. With a little recording magic, he was then able to stretch out the sound they make "by as much as one would have to stretch the life of a cricket to equal that of a human." The result is something that sounds very much like an intentional orchestra. Bravo, mother nature!

Listen to the full recording here: https://soundcloud.com/acornavi/robert-wilson-crickets-audio

Helping Kids Get Better

I LOVE this! Somewhere in America, a hospital has started using these "superformula" containers as inspiration for the sick children they treat. They mask things like IV bags. The kids are told that inside the superhero shell is the substance they need to get back into crime-fighting shape. What kid wouldn't love that wrapped around their IV feed?

A Sucker for Romantic Movies

Hey guys! It's been a while, huh? The short story is that I was in and out of the hospital a lot last week. The good news is that I'm in recovery mode (finally) so I can get back to blogging. Hooray!

Although I was too sick to watch the Oscars on Sunday, I heard a lot of positive things about the films that won awards. Normally I'm ahead of the game when it comes to watching Academy Award contenders, but this year was an exception. I literally had nothing to draw from in terms of understanding all of the nominees. That's why it was so refreshing to come across the Best Animated Short Film from Disney called Paperman. I just watched it for the first time. Based on how moving it is, I'm excited to familiarize myself with some of the other award-winning pieces out there. It looks like it was a good year for films! 

If you haven't seen Paperman yet, here's a link from Hulu. I dare you not to cry! Simply amazing.

"You Can Do Anything"

Have you seen this video featuring two brothers who won the Sports Illustrated SportsKids of The Year Award for 2012? The love these two boys show for each other is truly amazing. The doctor who told this family that their youngest son was going to be a burden due to his medical condition couldn't have been more wrong. The value this family places on life and perseverance against all odds is incredible.

You can watch the entire 5-minute video here.

Lauren Scruggs Speaks

Can we talk about Lauren Scruggs for a minute? I'm amazed, humbled and inspired by the video she's released this year, marking one full year of recovery since losing her arm and eye in a freak plane propeller accident last December. Young people like Lauren who are so strong in their faith really impress me.  She's taken an awful situation and turned it into something incredibly powerful and positive. That's a way of thinking that I can definitely get behind. Go Lauren, go!

You can watch the complete video here. 

Happy Times

One full week has passed since my first day of unemployment and I can honestly say that I never thought I'd be this happy about the situation. I've been more productive in the last week than I think I've been all year! (Okay, maybe not all year, but very productive nonetheless.)  Life is good!

So here's a snapshot of the Christmas lights that I hung up on the house last week. The picture is a little dark, but you get the point. I just love white Christmas lights. Don't you?

And these are a few of the holiday sugar cookies I baked for a charity auction over the weekend. I made 60 of these babies!

Oh, and then there's the book I finally finished. If you haven't read Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, I highly recommend it. While I'm a sucker for World War II stories, this one is particularly inspirational.

Lastly, here's a preview of one of my next projects. I know it doesn't look like much, but this has basically been our recipe box for the last 4 years. You heard correctly - I keep my most prized recipes in an old Nordstrom shoe box! Well, the time has come to get a little more organized. I'll keep you posted on what I come up with next!

A Cause for Celebration

I hope you had an awesome Halloween, readers! As I mentioned in yesterday's post, Mike and I opted to stay in this year in favor of greeting trick-or-treaters. Sadly, we only had a few. More to the point, this was the first year that we didn't dress up in a costume and go out and celebrate so in some small way, I was a little bit disappointed at the end of the night. But why?

When I thought about it, I realized that I'm still a little bit of a kid when it comes to this holiday. All holidays for that matter. I love the idea of going out with a bang in whatever I do to celebrate them. As corny as it sounds, I think life is simply too short not to seize every opportunity for celebration.

So you know what I say? While the world might demand that I think and behave as my age dictates, I'm never going to let go of that little child-like piece of me that still looks for the sense of wonder and fun in every day and dangit, I'm going to celebrate it!

Caption courtesy of Little Tree Vintage

Finding Greatness - Get Out There and Run!

Nike's latest Olympics ad campaign challenges consumers to find their greatness and offers unexpected inspiration in the form of an overweight, out of shape teenage boy.  What's so awesome about this particular commercial is that it doesn't feature some hyped-up athlete or untouchable celebrity. It's simple, brilliantly executed, and makes you want to get outside and pound the pavement.

Well done, Nike!

Pixar's Guide to Stellar Storytelling

A writer for Pixar recently shared some of her tips for creating a great story.  Given that I'm a huge Pixar fan, it's interesting to compare some of these ideas with what I've noticed in their films. Spot on, really, and an inspiration. There's an incredible amount of thought that goes into making their masterpieces!

Love is Forever

Sometimes you read inspiring stories of love that unexpectedly take your breath away. This L.A. Times story does just that:

Joe was married to Eileen for 40 years before ovarian cancer claimed her life in 2002. Ever since her passing, he's taken to placing ads in the L.A. Times newspaper, once on her birthday and once on the day she died. He'll say things like, "Happy birthday, Ei. Let's go shopping at Loehmann's. We miss you a lot." It's his way of showing that even though she's gone, he still grieves for her and loves her very much. 

What a touching reminder that love truly is eternal.