Category Archives: Discoveries

October Discoveries

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Unlike September, this month I was hit with so so much good. And so many videos for you all. I’m not sure if I just watched more videos or what, but this is a diverse list and it’s multimedia-heavy. What did you discover in October?

George Watsky. My poetry prof showed us this first spoken word poem in class and I instantly loved his style. He speaks out about speech, the ‘green’ movement, growing up as an awkward teenager, and so on in his poems. Here’s ‘S’ for Lisp:

‘Words’ by Everynone. I scanned StartYourNovel‘s Twitter list of 125 literary magazines to find Wags Revue. ‘Words’ tells a story in associations, but you have to pay attention.

bodyheart. I subscribe to LifeByMe’s daily newsletter, so each morning I avidly click through to the homepage to view that day’s feature person. I almost always check the website. On Monday, Amber Kryzs, bodyheart’s founder, was featured. The nonprofit inspires women to love their bodies, to reclaim them, and to remember what they provide.

John Green’s reading of ‘The Fault in Our Stars.’ John Green and his brother have somewhat of a cult following, if you’re not aware of them. He’s a YA author dedicated to writing stories with intelligent, insightful narrators with complex personalities. He live-read his first chapter of his newest book, set to release at the beginning of next year, and posted the video online for others. It will make you laugh out loud, smile hard, and rethink your own life (skip to somewhere around 2:45).

Lorraine’s ‘How To Become Blogger’s Blog of Note‘ post. Admittedly, I read this for its tips, but it’s more indicative of Lorraine’s style that she kept me reading—despite having a typical here’s-what-happened-to-me-verbatim way of blogging. Her post made me laugh and wish desperately that Ryan Gosling might marry me someday.

Landon Austin’s cover of ‘Sparks Fly’ by Taylor Swift. Tay Swift herself tweeted about the video. That’s how I found it. He’s got this cute southern charm thing going on, along with the beautiful cinematography of the video and I found myself watching more of his videos.

Ellen Degeneres did an interview with Parade in which I fell in love with her heart and soul. She will remind you that there is still so much good in the world and the entertainment industry. You just need to know where to look.

750words. In honor of NaNoWriMo, this is for all you writers out there. It tracks how many words you write in a day, gives you points, makes you feel good about it, and lets you compete. Oh, and the pages are printable. This is your new best friend, you future Mark Twains and Edgar Allen Poes of the world.

I also fell in love with cinnamon graham frozen yogurt at Kiwi, but there’s no photograph and I have temporarily eliminated lactose from my diet to test for a suspected sensitivity, so that’s more of a side note than anything. If you find a recipe for it though, send it my way.

By the way, every month I send out a short + sweet newsletter brimming with cool finds related to the monthly theme. It'd be stellar if you subscribed. If it's not worthy, it doesn't go in the newsletter. That. Simple.

September Discoveries

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In case you are new, each month I list my favorite discoveries from the last 30 days. Some months are more fruitful than others. September was a rush of getting back into classes, balancing home life and work and now I have a little less to show for it, but hopefully you still enjoy.

20×200. I didn’t fall in love with art until my sophomore year of college, but I’ve always considered it ridiculously expensive. Now that I’m almost ready to be a grown up and decorate, I’m grateful to have discovered this site. As the name suggests, they have more than 200 pieces at $20 apiece and it goes up in price from there.

Pura Vida bracelets. GetMilkshake is selling these earthy, thread-and-metal bracelets and giving back to charity. I am a for-profit sucker. Go check them out.

Knoword. OK, I confess. I’m addicted to this game. It’s the word nerd in me. Gives you the first letter and the dictionary definition. It’s timed. I’m still totally sucking at it, but I got up to 37 words earlier without running down the clock.

Lauren’s Letter to My 18-year-old Self. I wrote a similar post back in the summer and encouraged her to do the same. She got around to it after her crazy life (oh yeah, and marriage this month to Max – who also made the list). So much insight in one post.

Jack Brown’s Beer & Burger Joint. Local hole in the wall with the best burgers I’ve had. They’re melt-in-your-mouth good. If you’re ever in Harrisonburg, seriously go to Jack Brown’s.

It’s A Wawa World. I love Wawa. We know this. Read this article by Philadelphia Magazine and begin to understand the cult surrounding the glorious convenience store that I have to live without nine months a year.

Max’s Letter To My Future Son. Only a true blogger would get married, live tweet it, and then put up a post dedicated to his future son and all the things he wants him to remember. It’s beautiful. I hope all fathers think this way.

Hannah’s take on using real-life people in her writing. I found myself nodding endlessly as I read this, daring myself to go sit outside the local Walmart or Target and take notes. My poor friends and family are forever waiting nervously, praying I don’t turn them into a blog post.

[View the previous discovery lists.]

What did you discover this month?

By the way, every month I send out a short + sweet newsletter brimming with cool finds related to the monthly theme. It'd be stellar if you subscribed. If it's not worthy, it doesn't go in the newsletter. That. Simple.

August Discoveries

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It’s that time of the month again. And I was blown away by August. Really, just mystified by all the beautiful things it sent sailing my way. So I hope you all can appreciate and relish in this list.

[If you missed my previous discoveries, find them here.]

More Love Letters. The oh-so-awesome Hannah Katy Brencher launched her love letters site earlier this month. If you are a talented writing fiend with a knack for making someone feel special and worthy of praise, head your little butt over there and sign up to receive love letter alerts. She’s bringing the handwritten note back to us, baby. And if you need a little uplifting or just a note of encouragement, request a letter.

Get Milkshake. I just signed up a week ago, but I am sure this newsletter will become my No. 1 source of all things GOOD (besides GOOD.is, of course). From eateries to clothing to going ‘green,’ this is your daily dose of companies and individuals doing something wonderful with their lives.

Zen at Play’s 23 Things. Not sure how I wasn’t a Zen At Play lover until now; it’s a shame, really. Get on over there and download the free e-book. What 23 things do you not know about yourself but are ready to discover? Only the e-book will tell.

Tara Sophia Mohr. If you like free stuff and worksheets, go to her website, click on the resources tab, and start some serious self-discovery. I recommend the 10 Rules for Brilliant Women workbook. Start asking yourself the tough questions, kids. Come on, now.

NateStPierre.me. He’s done it. The founder of ItStartsWithUs launched his own — finally — website. No ties to any organizations or crazy inspirational business plans. Just Nate, this cool guy who blogs and tweets and (just so you know) enjoys Betty Crocker boxed brownie mix. He’s real and his blog is minimalist and all about the writing.

Kristie Colon’s ‘Why I Love Social Media’. It’s not a terribly long list, but it hits all my reasons right on the head. A resounding chorus for the introverts of the world and the rest of you who just like to dig deep and connect and engage and ohmygosh I’m getting carried away with my social media love.

Pie for Mikey. I love peanut butter. I love chocolate. I love ice cream. The food bloggers of the world united this month when one of their own lost her husband, Mikey. Hundreds of them baked peanut butter pie in his honor this month. Talk about a beautiful tribute.

We Stop Hate. I hope I start an anti-bullying nonprofit when I’m 17-years-old. Oh, wait, that already passed. This girl blows my mind with her passion and determination to end teenage bullying — online and in-person. And she’s selling bracelets and t-shirts, which I almost definitely have to buy.

Wear You Live. This Kickstarter project prints an image of your major metropolitan area on a t-shirt. The funding ended this morning. Oh, and they sell prints and throw pillows, too? How cute. The premise is that people will want to talk about where they live and they’ll get involved in the local community.

And of course, if you have awesome August finds, leave ‘em in the comments section below. :)

By the way, every month I send out a short + sweet newsletter brimming with cool finds related to the monthly theme. It'd be stellar if you subscribed. If it's not worthy, it doesn't go in the newsletter. That. Simple.

July Discoveries

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Last month, I gave you my June discoveries. All the beautiful things I’d found in June. Today, I’m committing to making that a regular deal. And as I said last time, please please please let me know if you’ve found something wonderful you’d like to share with me. I am waiting, with arms wide open, to embrace some amazingness.

Here’s July’s list.

Baking For Good. I subscribe to Lindsey Pollak’s blog because she’s amazing and is my biggest resource for all things Generation Y career-related. She interviewed Baking For Good’s founder Emily Dubner a few weeks ago. I’m a sucker for baked goods, so anyone who bakes sweets and then lets the buyer choose which charity to donate 15% of the profits to wins me over.

Jessica Swift’s Kickstarter project. Bright patterned rainboots with mysterious empowering messages scrawled inside. What’s not to love?

Forever’s Not So Long. I found this short film (with its busload of accolades) on StumbleUpon and fell in love. If the world was about to end and you just got dumped, how would you spend your last 9 hours on Earth?

Make It Mad Love. I’m a big fan of both Lauren & Max. Take two beautiful writers and social media pros, a design guru, and some serious faith in God and you’ve got a recipe for one of the greatest love stories yet. Read their story, sign the guestbook, restore your faith in the institution of marriage.

John Green’s vlog channel. He talks faster than the speed of light and conquers everything you’d ever want to know. I fell in love with his books after Paper Towns made me laugh out loud while reading for the first time in, well, my life.

I’d bring you sugar. You could borrow flour. Hannah’s awesome. Let’s just leave it at that. This post kills me because I’m growing up and have an unhealthy addiction to Target. And the Internet has been a serious game-changer for many of us.

Save The Words. My mother’s turned me into a word lover. Words go extinct like dinosaurs when they’re not loved. Adopt a word.

Blaine Hogan. I watched the video about his digital release of UNTITLED: Thoughts On The Creative Process and instantly knew he knew what he was talking about. Even just the video will give you plenty to think about.

25 Quotables from the 99 Percent Conference. I love the 99 percent. If you’ve never been on it, go now. These quotes from the conference deserve to be plastered on any creative’s wall for inspiration and moments when perspiration outweighs that inspiration.

Found Magazine. Found something on the street next to your car? A slip of paper blown onto your doorstep? Send it in. The whole concept started with one note from an angry, possibly jealous, girlfriend.

That’s all for July. What did you discover this month?

By the way, every month I send out a short + sweet newsletter brimming with cool finds related to the monthly theme. It'd be stellar if you subscribed. If it's not worthy, it doesn't go in the newsletter. That. Simple.