Sumo deadlifts against increasing tension. It is Jan 2 and the gym is not yet full of new year’s resolutioneers. https://ift.tt/37wIcUa

Oswin sleeping on my desk. #cat https://ift.tt/30d1MCx

We made it a lot further into the yard in our second try. https://ift.tt/2GldjH7

Warming up with some light deadlifts. Hashtag flex https://ift.tt/39qt7oR

I bless your timeline with inside out Fezzik! #cat https://ift.tt/39Q0Esz

Today’s walk ended just as a few drops of rain fell. https://ift.tt/2xhdL7X

Happy launch day to DIANA: PRINCESS OF THE AMAZONS, the newest in the DC Zoom line of graphic novels for middle graders. Written by Shannon & Dean Hale and illustrated by Victoria Ying. Thanks to Michele Wells at DC Kids for sending me a copy!

For more of my book collages, feel free to browse my BookADay Padlet as well as my BookADay and Book Recommendation archives. I read a lot more books than I have time to post, especially now that I've joined the Goodreads 2020 Reading Challenge!

Happy launch day to Marcie Colleen, whose THE BEAR'S GARDEN with Alison Oliver launches from Imprint/Macmillan today!

Marcie Colleen is the award-winning picture book author of Penguinaut! (illustrated by Emma Yarlett) and Love, Triangle (illustrated by Bob Shea), as well as the Super Happy Party Bears chapter book series. She teaches Writing Children’s Picture Books for the University of California at San Diego both online and on campus, and runs her own Study Hall conducting a month-long online critique group dedicated to the crafting picture books. Find out more about how you can study with Marcie at thisismarciecolleen.com and on Twitter at @MarcieColleen1.

*UPDATE: Marcie has also launched her SUPER HAPPY Book Club on her YouTube channel, especially for families at home during school closures!

Launching March 24, 2020, THE BEAR'S GARDEN is written by Marcie Colleen and illustrated by Alison Oliver. You can read reviews of the book on Kirkus (starred review!) and Bookroo.

Author: Marcie Colleen
Illustrator: Alison Oliver
Publisher: Imprint/Macmillan Children’s

SYNOPSIS: Inspired by the true story of a community garden in Brooklyn, New York, picture book The Bear’s Garden is a testament to how imagination and dedication can transform communities and create beauty for everyone in unexpected places.

A little girl sees an empty lot in a city and imagines what it can be:

a place to grow,
a place to play,
and a place to love.

With the help of her stuffed bear, the girl brings her community together to create a beautiful garden.

Q. What inspired you to write this book?

The Bear’s Garden was inspired by the real-life Pacific Street Brooklyn Bear’s Community Garden in my former neighborhood in New York City. The name always puzzled me—I mean, we didn’t have bears wandering around Brooklyn last I checked!

Come to find out, the garden was named for a teddy bear that was found in the weeds when the workers began to create a garden in the abandoned lot. Of course, immediately I started thinking of that little bear. How did he get there? Did he belong to anyone? Was he placed there on purpose?

The Bear’s Garden is my imaginative story about how the teddy bear came to be in those weeds. It’s also a love letter to my former neighborhood and the power of community that I felt while living there. I am the girl who finds love and beauty in every inch of that urban paradise

Q. As an experienced author, how do you manage your time in terms of balancing your creative work time with the business side (promotion, admin, school visits etc), yet still have a life outside work?

While everything I do, such as teaching and creating Teacher’s Guides, falls under the umbrella of being a full-time children’s author, I have struggled in the past to find time for my own creative writing. It seems my days get quickly overrun.

However, about a year ago I paired up with a fellow author friend, Kirsten Larson, to prioritize our writing projects. We get up at 5:20 every morning to write for an hour. The alarm goes off, we text each other a quick “Good Morning” and share our project goals for that session, grab our coffee, and set to write until 6:30 without distraction. At 6:30 we check in again with our progress. It’s been a game-changer. I think I have written more in the last year because of it. And it’s a fantastic way to feel accomplished no matter what the rest of the day brings.

Q. What advice do you have for young writers?

I have always loved reading and writing stories.

A few years back I found a book I had written in elementary school. It’s called Rainbow Hunt. And in the back of the book I found an Author’s Note I had written. It said,

“Marcie Goldstein lives in Liverpool, NY and loves to write books. Someday she hopes to be a successful author.”

So, my advice to young writers everywhere would be, know that your dreams can come true. Even if people say it’s a long-shot. I’m living proof. So keep reading, keep writing, and never stop dreaming.

Q. Anything else you'd like to mention? What are you excited about these days?

Despite the recent global health crisis that has left us all indoors, I am excited to see how we will learn to build more community within our lives—even virtually. The creativity and innovation that has developed in the last few weeks has been extraordinarily inspiring. Like flowers between the pavement cracks, we will find ways. And a lot of beauty is going to grow from this.

 --

For more interviews, see my Inkygirl Interview Archive. Also see Advice For Young Writers and Illustrators, a compilation of tips generously offered by children's book creators I've interviewed over the years.

I only have 8 more pages to write for the Doris Encyclopedia, which is Doris 19-27 plus a bunch of new writing, interviews, and articles I wrote for MaximumRockandRpll and other zines! I'm taking pre-orders on a fundraising website called Kickstarter. click here to link
Spread the word!
thanks so much!!!
It's scheduled to be printed by the end of July!!!

www.kickstarter.com/projects/369768719/the-doris-encyclopedia

I had to use PHPMyadmin a few days ago to delete old tables in my WordPress Database. They were created by a plugin that I tried but decided not to use. Normally when you uninstall a plugin the developer deletes the tables in your database that they create. In this case this author didn’t. It […]

This day and age, most people have more than one income source to afford the lifestyles they want (and to pay for things they need). Working a full-time job and supporting a family can take up a great deal of time and energy, which is why most opt to start a side hustle. From cutting...

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My grandfather, Allan Linder, age 94, passed away on Tuesday. Not Covid-19 related, and that’s only one of the things that’s been very surreal about the last few weeks. Telling people, “My grandpa is sick – it’s not covid,” as a kind of verbal footnote. He went into hospice care in early February after a […]

We are all going to be agoraphobes and germaphobes when this is over. Actually, I’m doing okay. I need to go to the store, partly to assure myself that I still CAN go to the store, if that makes sense. I’m finally able to settle in to this “new normal” of self-isolating and going around […]

The post Adobe Announces $1M Community Fund to Aid Artists During Pandemic appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

Adobe has launched a community fund to help creatives get through the coronavirus pandemic. Discover everything you need to know (and learn how to apply!).

The post Adobe Announces $1M Community Fund to Aid Artists During Pandemic appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

The post How to Setup For Doing Live Streaming and YouTube Videos at Home appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.

Since many of us are spending most of our time at home at the moment, I thought I’d share this great video from the dPS founder, Darren Rowse, on how to do live streaming and YouTube videos from your own home as a way to reach your audience and promote your photography. He shares his […]

The post How to Setup For Doing Live Streaming and YouTube Videos at Home appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.

Embed from Getty Images In my prior essay on charter schools, I considered the quality argument. The idea is that charter schools provide a higher quality alternative to public schools and should receive public money so that poorer families can …

The best way I know to cook beans, and the one I always return to. A version of the much-loved Tuscan bean recipe - fagioli al fiasco. Traditionally, beans were baked overnight in a Chianti bottle placed near the embers of that night's fire. While not exactly authentic (no fire here), I do a riff on the general idea, using a low-temperature oven and enamel-lined pot.

Continue reading How to Cook Beans that are Tender, Creamy, and Nearly Perfect on 101 Cookbooks

If you've only ever had refried beans from a can, this should be the next recipe you cook. Homemade refried beans are a game-changer. Use just the right amount of olive oil to cook well-minced onions along with the beans and plenty of their broth. Smoked paprika adds a hint of smoky depth you can't quite put a finger on, my secret ingredient is a finishing splash of freshly squeezed lemon juice. I think it's the element that helps keep the beans from seeming too heavy, and the acidity counters the starchiness of the beans.

Continue reading Homemade Refried Beans on 101 Cookbooks

VIDEO: MOVIES: REVIEW: Funeral Kings (2012) Claire: 3.8/5 stars, 8/10. Carolyn: 3/5 stars, 6.6/10. Jesse: 3.4/5 stars, 7/10 (I think). Native ratings: 4.1/5 stars Netflix, 6.1/10 IMDB. SLEEPER ALERT: This movie isn’t well-known at all, so I’d like to point out this might be the only time you see it mentioned. “Two altar boys decide […]

VIDEO: MOVIES: CARTOONS: REVIEW: My Little Pony: Equestria Girls (2013) Claire: 4/5 stars, 8/10. Carolyn: 5/5 stars, 8.6/10. “I am a chick and I like cartoons, so I am allowed to love My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.” (Notice how she leaves me in the lurch there?) Jesse: 3/5 stars, 7/10. “OK, I actually enjoyed […]

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[IMDB link] RATINGS: Claire: Netflix: 4/5 stars. IMDB: 7/10. Carolyn: Netflix: 4/5 stars. IMDB: 7/10. The native public rating for this movie is: Netflix: N/A/5 stars, IMDB: 7.5/10. CAROLYN’S THOUGHTS: This one seemed lackluster compared to the other two. It doesn’t have the same “oompf” as the previous two movies. Different writer might explain some […]

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VIDEO: Just Go With It (2011) Claire: 3.3/5 stars, 7.2/10. Carolyn: 3/5 stars, 7/10. Native ratings: 3.8/5 stars Netflix, 6.3/10 IMDB. Claire’s thoughts: It was a pretty funny movie. Nothing super, but high quality for a generic rom-com. Not the peak work of anyone in it, but a good cast nonetheless.  It felt like it […]

VIDEO: MOVIES: REVIEW: Oblivion (2013) Claire: 4.6/5 stars, 8.8/10. Carolyn: 5/5 stars, 8.6/10. Native rating: 7.1/10 IMDB. Don’t see this on Netflix for some reason. This had a little bit of everything – mankind moving off planet because the planet is inhabitable, Matrixy aspects, “Go out into the radiation zone to find out the truth”, […]

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Rapture-Palooza (2013) Claire: 4.6/5 stars, 8.8/10. Carolyn: 4.4/5 stars, 8.4/10. “Underrated. Funny. Original. Dark yet humorous.” Native ratings: 2.8/5 stars Netflix, 5.1/10 IMDB. I found this movie to be very original. It had dark, dark, messed up black humor, but also had a lot of standard humor as well.  Events in the movie were disturbing […]

Converting an IKEA PS 2014 lamp to resemble the iconic Star Wars’ Death Star is hands down one of the most popular hacks on IKEAhackers. Star Wars fans can’t resist exploding the Death Star in their own living room. Many have attempted it with slightly different approaches. Find one that suits your DIY level and […]

The post All you need to know about building a Death Star lamp appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

It took me almost a year to figure it out. I sent a help request in 2019 but here is my attempt at a renter-friendly room divider.  You can get this up by only drilling 4 holes, 2 in the wall and 2 on the ceiling easy to fill up with putty when you are […]

The post How to hack a renter-friendly room divider appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

I love the clean and simple lines of the IKEA GODMORGON sink and wall cabinets for the bathroom. However, they can sometimes look a little standard or low grade. In this IKEA hack, we upgraded the GODMORGON vanity look with a live edge white oak countertop, chrome handles, Kohler top-mount sinks and wall-mounted Grohe faucets […]

The post IKEA bathroom vanity gets a luxurious live edge upgrade appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

The 2019 Farmers' Almanac is available for pre-order! (Ships August 13th)

Seeds planted now will do poorly and yield little.

How many books of Ringo Starr songs does Billie own? That’s the second one!

In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Princeton is evaluating scenarios for campus operations next academic year. While no decisions have been made yet, the Academic Year 2021 Coordinating Committee is preparing for a number of options based on federal and state health guidelines.

The latest episode of “We Roar” features Cecilia Rouse, dean of Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

Princeton faculty members Rubén Gallo, M. Zahid Hasan, Amaney Jamal, Ruby Lee, Margaret Martonosi, Tom Muir, Eve Ostriker, Alexander Smits, Leeat Yariv, James Stone and Muhammad Qasim Zaman have been named members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Visiting faculty member Alondra Nelson also was elected to the academy.

Ali Nouri, a 2006 Princeton graduate alumnus and president of the Federation of American Scientists, is the latest guest on the "We Roar" podcast.

Princeton historian Rhae Lynn Barnes reflects on teaching and service during the coronavirus outbreak and the history website she launched for educators.

Princeton professors Anne Case, Jennifer Rexford, Suzanne Staggs and Elke Weber have been named members of the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.

Seven graduate students have received the Graduate School's annual teaching awards for exceptional performance as teachers.

Princeton will decide in early July whether the undergraduate teaching program will be online or residential in the fall term. The University is exploring ways to safely and responsibly reopen Princeton’s laboratories, libraries and other facilities when state law permits. 

Led by Princeton’s Cristian Galbiati, a massive international team worked to design, test and finalize the Mechanical Ventilator Milano (MVM), a low-cost ventilator designed to ease device shortages caused by COVID-19.