Monday Matters - 29 February 2016

It's Monday, it's Leap Day, which also makes it a prime number day, and this makes it the start of another great week. So here's what's on my Monday mind.

1. "Til it Happens to You" made a huge leap in exposure on the Oscars stage last night. I share a lot about sexual violence  and work with crisis intervention at RAINN.org and other places, so until I received an inundation of texts after Lady Gaga's epic performance, I didn't realize so many people were unaware of it. Not only do I agree Lady Gaga won the oscars

http://news.yahoo.com/lady-gaga-won-oscars-last-150000539.html, but I believe she brought many more people into the war against sexual violence, which we need. If you haven't seen the original video, it is a must see http://youtu.be/ZmWBrN7QV6Y.

2. I recently got involved with a journaling app called Stigma · Personal Journal, Gratitude Diary & Mood Tracker by Stigma Inc. https://appsto.re/us/6MS75.i. I am excited about the app as it is and what it will bring to the future. Each entry is super fast and easy to make, but it ends up being a powerful tool to analyze trends in your location, time, and other analytics. I believed in the app and its potential and had it on my phone for a few weeks. Then I decided to give it a try in anonymous mode, because I wasn't sure I wanted to join a group or make friends until I learned more. What amazed me the most was how I felt when people "hearted" my simple comment. Even though I was anonymous, some people took time to think about what  I had said and let me know they appreciated it. I hope anyone who I gave a heart to felt as great as others made me feel. How is this different from a Facebook like or a retweet? I think it's more authentic and genuine. It's a tiny moment that packs a giant dose of meaning and purpose. Take a moment, take hours, but you'll be glad you participated in Stigma.

3. Of course, I can't skip over the latest trend: rice cooker pancakes. 

I don't really like pancakes, but I absolutely have to try to make them this week. You can use any pancake recipe, although I'm thinking chocolate cups could get messy? I can follow up after some experimentation. You just pour the batter into the rice cooker bowl, set it to your normal setting and gently coax it out when it's done - for me that's 43 minutes later. So I'm definitely making these and considering what other foods I can experiment with in my rice cooker. If you need a basic recipe, here's one:  http://www.food.com/recipe/petes-scratch-pancakes-5170

Monday Matters - 22 February 2016

Monday Matters

I love the fresh feeling of a new week. I try not to pick my three Monday Matters in advance, so I can really start Monday with a clean look forward. I tried to make the Apple versus the Fed one of this weeks musts, but I like to keep things shorter. So here we go . . . 

1. The Scalia replacement argument, which I think will be (should be/better be) a real battle. A lot of people are focused on elections, but this is a true title fight and a check/checkmate tool for candidates as well as those in office. #SCOTUS appointments always terrify me.

2. Uber. Seriously there's not too many news breaking issues I didn't expect to occur at some point or other, but they're hitting them all fairly regularly. The pros and cons of Uber are pretty much immediately apparent, but the interesting part is seeing who says or does what and whether Uber ends up being out vehicle to a better way or a road to nowhere.

3. The Intern (@TheInternMovie). I really tried to pick something else, because it's been out for a while, but I can't help it. I just watched it (four times last week), and this is a great movie. I'm fairly certain that no matter how much I admired and respected Robert De Niro, I never expected to say he was completely adorable, but his character is inspiring - #lifegoals stuff. Anne Hathaway and her relationship with him make me feel content and hopeful. The locations and color are wonderful and so much more. I think JoJo Kushner may be a superstar and can't wait to see that happen if so. Go, watch The Intern - like now, tonight, or soon. There's something there for everyone, including the best man-closet ever. 

Monday Matters - 15 February 2016

Running late today but things which you might find awesome for this week:

1. The Grammys - who knows what crazy insults and drama will wow us this year? If you're like me and not a fan of awards shows, you'll still have all week to see who wore what, said what, and did what. Fun fun.

2. The documentary "For Grace" http://www.forgracefilm.com/. For me, the story of Curtis Duffy and the opening of Chicago's Grace restaurant was seriously fine viewing. How can you go wrong with this chef? I don't think you can, so I'm making as many friends as I can watch it this week then I'm figuring out how quickly I can get reservations and go to Chicago. 

3. Incompetench.com Royalty Free Music. I found out recently that many of the royalty free songs and albums on iTunes actually cannot be used on YouTube. Additionally, even the songs in the phone apps I use to do my silly pet videos are copyrighted. Hence me posting late since I kept getting shut down uploading my latest video. It's Karma and Nessie playing a year ago.

https://youtu.be/bRftOSK4Bdo I like the Incompetench choices a lot, though I can't seem to add it to video from anywhere but my computer. There are different options that fit any budget, which helps immensely. I'm in love with the song from the video:

https://incompetech.com/music/  

"Fluffing a Duck" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) 

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Monday Matters - 8 February 2016

I love starting a new week! Here are my top three things that make this week look exciting.

1. My friend Madison (@madisonarielle_) gifted my with an exquisite drawing of Nessie. 

I've been emotional about my little Loch Ness Monster the last few months. She turns five soon and has some aging signs. I read about a Great Dane who died of old age at four, which was depressing. So one one hand, Madison is just an amazing artist who I admire a great deal and think she could really do people a favor by starting a business with her wonderful drawing. On the other, this amazing gift moved me incredibly.

2. In the next few days Johnson & Johnson's Donate a Photo (@donateaphoto) App Store: Donate a Photo - a free charity app by Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc.

https://appsto.re/us/JSNaL.i project should hit 1,000,000 photos donated and charities having received one dollar for each photo. 

This project has been exciting to me, and I've been participating for months. I think it's a great app and it takes just a moment to participate and make a difference, so in my humble opinion, it behooves us to download the app and make a difference.

3. Loveisrespect.org - Love is Respect has always been amazing. I've recommended them personally and professionally for years. This week the celebrate Respect Week to promote healthy relationships. The whole site is filled with amazing resources, but if you want to skip right to the guide for Respect Week, here you go http://www.loveisrespect.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Respect-Week-Guide-2016.pdf

Those are my three favorite things today, and I hope your Monday is as exciting as mine :)