31

May

Farewell to WOOF

I realized that I never posted the most recent issue of WOOF. But I will be leaving the staff, passing along my little creation to the next generation of talented journalists. In all honesty, I never anticipated how much work the magazine would be, and as such I have so much respect for entrepreneurs and editors and managers, oh my.

It’s a bittersweet farewell. I feel like I’m closing a chapter of my life–the chapter where I get no sleep, gain and lose weight like a yo-yo, and feel like a puddle of stress. But still a beautiful chapter. I just hope that the capable hands I’ve left the magazine in will be able to mold it into something bigger, better, stronger. But to be honest, I don’t have many doubts.

 

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31

May

Power Pitch: A Tangible Source of Empowerment

Credit: John Deputy, pulled from Globe article

A while ago, I pitched a story on this Northeastern student’s company based out of Kenya that makes and sells various accessories in order to inject money into the local economy and dramatically improve the lives of local mothers. It finally ran this morning and I couldn’t be happier!

The article, excerpted from today’s Boston Globe:

Mike Behan spends six months out of the year in Njabini, Kenya. But it’s no safari vacation. Behan, 21, is the cofounder and CEO of Njabini Apparel, a nonprofit company selling handcrafted accessories made by landless and handicapped mothers in the Kenyan settlement.

A rising senior at Northeastern University, Behan first visited Njabini in June 2010 as a volunteer with Flying Kites, a nonprofit group that supports orphaned children in Kenya. With Flying Kites’ help, Behan then started Njabini Apparel with Tom Mwangi and marketing director Erin O’Malley (both volunteers with Flying Kites) in August of that year. By October, they were selling hats and scarves. Most of Njabini Apparel’s sales are done online, or by volunteers for Njabini Apparel and Flying Kites.

“For us, these products are a means for these women to achieve something that they’ve never achieved before,” says Behan. “Each project is a tangible source of empowerment.”

Check out the full article here.

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11

May

All Mine

I’ve been redecorating and revamping my soon-to-be apartment lately. The original walls were this terrible off-white. It looked as though the white just got too tired and slacked off. Disgusting. And I’ve found evidence that before the lazy white, some genius painted the entire apartment navy blue. Even more disgusting.

We’re making the kitchen and main living areas a nice sandy tan, with white trim. My entire house back in San Diego was painted that color and it is both warm and sophisticated. It feels home-y to me. We’re adding a green accent wall in the living room to spice it up. Then the bedrooms will be blue-grey, cool but bright.

It’s a simple thing, painting an apartment. But the other night, I realized that the idea of getting excited at an apartment makeover is so, well, old. I get more excited about paint chips and couches than I do about manicures and makeovers.

Maybe I’m desperate for a home. But I think it’s more that I’m hungry for something that’s mine. Beautiful as my current apartment is, sharing a room with one person and the rest of the apartment with three is isolating in its own right. Even the things that are mine (like couches) aren’t mine. Not really. Because my annoying sublet sleeps on them with her 30-year-old divorcee boyfriend.

I want a room. I want control (shocker!). I want home and comfort and something that’s all mine. Maybe someday, I’ll be surrounded by everything that’s all mine. Even a dog. A girl can dream.

musings

10

May

Dear Google, what should I read next?

Voila. I did it. After all that talk, I finally put my money where my mouth is and bought myself a kindle. And though it was a rough ride (delivered it to the wrong address; mother almost claimed it for her prize), it’s finally in my possession, shiny and new and smelling like plastic rather than ink and paper.

I’m excited and have absolutely no clue what I plan to read first. I’m currently enthralled by Adam Gopnik’s rolling prose and insightful observations of the ever frivolous French in “Paris to the Moon.” But it’s a physical book, so there’s no rush to just immediately use the kindle.

Instead, I’ve been thinking about what’s next. What will be the first thing I read on my beloved device? What book could possibly deserve the honors?

I’ll warn you that I still haven’t decided. I’m thinking either a fluffy beach read (if the weather ever bothers to warm up) or something Hemingway or France-related. We’ll see. But in my thinking and research, I came across the following sites that offer insightful suggestions for confused readers.

WhichBook.net is by far my favorite resource because its so interactive and suggests books that I’ve never heard of. In short, the site offers various filter “sliders.” Readers can adjust to four factors (samples include length, sexuality, happy or sad, etc.) to specify their tastes, and generate recommendations. The titles–as far as I’ve seen–are small-name books that I oftentimes have never heard of, but who’s to say they aren’t small-name gems? This site is best if you literally don’t have any jumping off point, or if you want to delve into a new style, genre, amount of sex, etc. If the generator doesn’t peak your interest, there are also numerous lists (by both administrators and users) from which to draw inspiration.

WhatShouldIReadNext.com is also promising. And, yes, I found this by Googling literally “What should I read next?” (Google can be so inspiring!). This site takes a book you know you like and then offers suggestions. It’s nice because you can enter numerous personal favorites and get a wide selection of recommended reads. The downside, of course, is that you get a wide selection of recommended reads, and they’re based largely on similar subjects, rather than similar styles and quality. It’s a simple site, as well, not particularly interactive, and if you want to actually purchase a book, you’ll have to go to amazon or some other site all by yourself. Continue reading →

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