» Classic GIF returned: check out the amazing ball machine! Try to follow one of the balls as it tossed around – it’s really so unbeliveably cool.

» Cake Wrecks – a hilarious blog chock full of cake disasters. Too bad icing tubes don’t come with spell check!

» You should be following John Green on Twitter. He’s the amazing author of Looking for Alaska (& other fabulous teen books), & is an all-around fantastic person. :)

» He followed me home; can I keep him?

» What would Dumbledore do? is a rather fabulous collection of thoughts in honor of everyone’s favorite headmaster.

» Where does the money go? Personally, I’m shocked that the average American still spends money on tobacco products, & rather appalled that it’s twice what they spend on reading materials.

It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of someone elses life with perfection. from the Bhagavad Gita

» I discovered the Redwall series in sixth grade & read what was available over & over again. They’re chock full of these amazing (& sometimes silly) songs – which they’ve recorded & are now available on CD!! I cannot wait to hear them!

» Body + Soul is always chock full of fabulous things: all those yummy melons are ripe & ready, so they’ve put together a slideshow of melon recipes, and they’ve also put together a collection of ideas of how to turn your day at the beach into a day at the spa. How fun!

» If you didn’t watch that wedding entrance that I twittered about last week, you’ve got to watch it now. It’s so sweet & fun, & guaranteed to put a smile on your face!

» Leo Babauto wrote an article entitled Simplicity Redefined. I know that I, in this time of unknowns, am prone to trying to force the future, so this was an especially great article for me.

» Cidercupcakes posted the first round of the Home Team Matches; see if you can actually choose between Zoe Washburne & Elizabeth Swann; CJ Cregg & Temperance Brennen; Alanna of Tortall & Barbara Gordon. There are some hardcore choices – some break my little heart into pieces to think about!!

You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don’t try. Beverly Sills

Art is man’s nature, nature is God’s art. PJ Bailey

Catching Fireby Suzanne Collins: the sequel to Hunger Games. I bet you weren’t expecting that, but wow. My friend & co-worker who’s on the Newbery committee this year got it in the mail about a month ago, & when I was finally in line for it, I pounced & read it in two days. I literally could not read fast enough. It was really quite good, & I personally think it was better than the first. Whereas I personally found a good bit of the first on

I look forward to seeing everyone’s reactions to the twists & turns you’re put through in September when this is finally released. I’m eagerly awaiting the final installment – although I don’t expect to see it before it’s released. Methinks Hunger Games 3 will not be turned into an ARC, no matter how much we may wish it.

Wicked Lovelyby Melissa Marr: I’ve had this book on my shelf since shortly after its arrival in hardcover, & even though I adore faeries, I kept passing it up in favor of other reads – which, I can now say, was a mistake. To me, this book is what the love triangle in Twilight should have been – complex & confusing. Whereas in that story you’re generally persuaded to choose a side, I could honestly say throughout this story that I truly didn’t know who I wanted Aislinn, the heroine, to choose.

I was particularly struck by the descriptions of sense throughout the story – the taste of sunshine, the smell of iron. Also, the faerie lore in this book is well-researched & presented matter-of-fact: there’s no time for long explanations of faeries & their existence. Things happen fast, & every decision has a major consequence. Although I could see the twist before it happened, I was quite happy that I didn’t see it until just before. I didn’t want this book to end!

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indianby Sherman Alexie: most of the time, winners of the National Book Award are fabulous literary works, but are entirely too dull for my tastes. I’m happy to report that this book is just as amazing as you’ve heard – I chose this as the May selection for our adult book discussion, & nearly all the regulars enjoyed this. It’s funny, sad, amazing, inspiring, bewildering. I wouldn’t believe some of what happened if it weren’t semi-autobiographical, & I personally adore that it dealt with many teen issues in a frank, realistic way. Real issues like anorexia, masturbation, alcoholism, & let’s face it, being a freaking teenager, are handled better than even the most veteran of teen authors. Absolutely enchanting.

Half-Assedby Jennette Fulda, aka PastaQueen: I’ve been reading her blog for awhile now, & so I decided I ought to give her book a try. Although the writing at her blog is top notch, it’s still a blog, but I was honestly quite impressed at the quality of writing found here. She recently left her job to freelance full-time, & I think she’ll do well. But the book itself, a weight-loss memoir, is full of so much amazing Midwestern philosophy that I feel that I actually know her. Her bit about the fat acceptance movement, & the bizarre contradictions they make, was absolutely dead on. I highly recommend this!

& now, what I plan to read: Fast Food Nation (about 1/4 way through), Ink Exchange (almost done), Uglies (I’m possibly the last person to read it), & Paper Towns. Mayhaps I’ll get to them all before summer ends?

Don’t compromise yourself. You are all you’ve got. Janis Joplin

Recently, I’ve started making lots of little changes in my life, in the pursuit of leading a simpler, more vibrant life. Someday, maybe I’ll post the whole list – I didn’t realize how many I’d made in the past year or so until I sat down to see how many of these “tips” I could write about, & I was honestly shocked. But I thought I’d share with you what I’ve done every week or so, & we’ll see how long it goes!

The first tip is incredibly simple: take the labels off your stuff. Bottles, boxes, etc – everything we buy these days is branded, down the very last curve on your shampoo bottle. Have you ever noticed that when your in the shower, you can’t stop glancing at all those words written all over everything, telling you how great you’ll feel if you use this product? Do you really need the instructions on that bottle of shaving cream? Didn’t think so. Rip it off!

Now, if you can’t tell what it is without the label because it truly does just come in a plain glass jar, maybe keep that label. I have a toner whose label is a very cool vintage apothecary style design, but otherwise, if I can rip it it off, I have, or I’ve put the product into a plain jar or bottle. You’ll be surprised to discover how obvious it is that you use Dove or Pantene or Garnier or what have you, even without the label. I’ve found my shower experience to be a much more calm experience.

& for the record, that’s not my shower up there. Someone REALLY could use a lesson in simple living!