Permalink

I learned something new that I wanted to share. I learned how to link to a particular post on someone's blog. There are two ways that I learned how to do this. One is to click on the "permalink" button at the bottom of someone's post. This is how I linked to my man's post in my last blog entry. You may notice that my blog doesn't have a "permalink" button. What do you do then? Well, you can click on the time stamp at the end of each of my blog postings. That will bring up the post as a stand alone page. Then you can link to it! And you know, it is all about the linking...

Blogging lessons

My last post did not make much sense. I was trying to get my weekly post published and I rushed it. I wasn't thinking about the fact that I could "save as draft" and go back to it later! It is as hard to find time to blog as it is to find something interesting enough to blog about. Luckily, my man just posted on this topic: "Seven ways to find the time to blog".

I really like what he says in number 3 "get creative". I don't have to be in front of a computer to write a blog post (I just need to get in front of one to publish the blog post). I personally favor plain, blank index cards for jotting down notes. I got my man some fancy index cards personalized with his name and email address on them.

And it is my intention to go back and make some sense of my last blog post. I just need some time to think it through. I suspect there will be several "save as draft" events!

Web 2.0

My brain is about to implode. Ok, not really. But there is a whole lot going on up there and it has to do with virtual reality, artificial intelligence and the Singularity. Ever since I read Accelerando by Charles Stross, which I really enjoyed, I have been trying to wrap my brain around what is coming next. My impetus to blog more came from watching this cool video on Web 2.0. There were also some recent articles in Wired magazine, tangentially related to this topic, which are making my head spin. Anyone else out there thinking about this stuff?

Sugar Snap Pea Tee Pee

Here is a great thing about my marriage. I will say something like, "I really want to create a bamboo tee pee for the kids where we grow sugar snap peas up the bamboo." And voila! Here it is:

It is very well designed. W just has the skills to makes things happen! We got the bamboo free from our next door neighbor whom is "bamboo rich" (thanks Colleen!). The whole family participated in making the soil ready for planting, planting the sugar snap peas and watering. I cannot wait until we can hide away inside. I think the whole family will fit...we shall find out this summer!

Business Innovation for Sustainability

Last week I didn't post because I was attending a conference in Atlanta, GA hosted by the Society of Organizational Learning. Peter Senge, of The Fifth Discipline fame, is one of the founders not only of the Society of Organizational Learning but also of its sustainability aspect. I have heard Dr. Senge speak at a variety of different conferences and it was a pleasure to hear him speak again. He is incredibly inspiring and I am aways struck by the intensity with which he conveys his thoughts and feelings. He is an amazing storyteller. The conference was entitled Business Innovation for Sustainability. One tool that was used during the conference was the World Cafe process which is a "process for leading collaborative dialogue and knowledge-sharing" per their website. Highlights were Dr. Senge's talks, Janine Benyus' talk on Biomimicry in Action, and Jeffrey Brown's storytelling.

I came away from the conference with a few action items of my own. First, I want to share some of my learnings with my bosses and colleagues. Second, I want to host a neighborhood Low Carbon Diet discussion group. Third, I want to rewrite all my notes so that I can capture all the ideas I collected while I was attending the conference.

The need for creation

While I started this blog to work on my mixed feelings about creating things, stuff, I still yearn to create. Recently I was invited to participate in a class called SoulCollage. I didn't really know what the class would be about but I had a feeling that it was something I should do. I had received several other invitations to participate but never had the will to make it happen. When I found out that this would be the last class that this particular teacher would be teaching before she moved, I decided I just had to take the class.

Yes, it turns out that I will be creating my own personal deck of SoulCollage cards. But after going to the first class (in a series of five), I am so happy to be getting back to creating. However...the first, and only, card I created scared me! It is very intense. There are four suits in the SoulCollage deck. One suit is called the "Companions" which are animal guides which represent the chakras. In class we did a guided meditation to pick and animal and its related chakra. My animal guide appeared right away...and she was pissed! Don't let the cute mama part of the card fool you, there is a lot of emotion that needs to be released. This card is for my "root" chakra in which the primary functions are instinct and survival. Perhaps a fierce polar bear mama trying to survive in the wild aren't that far off.

On the website you can have a personal reading. This is a fun way to see some of the cards that others have created and possibly gain a little insight along the way.

My favorite company

I recently read an article online that solidified why Patagonia is my favorite company. I mean, what other company has the quote "There is no business to be done on a dead planet" etched into its front door? The quotation is from David Brower of the Sierra Club. Honestly, Patagonia goes right along with my whole idea behind this blog. We don't need a lot of stuff. Yes, Patagonia makes stuff. But they make good stuff. They make stuff that lasts. And they stand behind their stuff and take it back if it doesn't work the way it should.

I read Yvon Chouinard's book, Let My People Go Surfing, with nothing less than astonishment. Chouinard has chosen to do business in a way that runs counter to most businesses. There is heart in Patagonia and it shows. Check out what some businesses do with some of their annual sales: 1% for the Planet.

Ok, enough hero worship for one day.