We went to New York this past weekend and ate our way through Soho and Chinatown when we weren’t walking… and we’re walking…

Things I find fascinating:

Taking inspiration from old artistic activities to inform new ones:

Walk It Out Fosse:

Putting some humor in what isn’t even a contentious issue among my generation:

“I’m automatically in favor of gay marriage because of my feelings about events involving cake”: Illinois Airship

plus some new fashion to wear whilst attending the wedding

Puns:

Lisztomania by Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix:

Europe:

Sandra Juto’s photos of Berlin that have me desperately wanting to pack up and go to Berlin tomorrow

The Smoove B School for Fine Woman Wooing Graduating Class of 2009 Final Project:

Ladies of the World by Flight of the Conchords:

Also, I’ve been watching a lot of Remington Steele lately. Who knows what that is doing to my brain? Has there been a study?

1. Damien Rice - Volcano

2. summer blockbusters

3. Tiny tiny tomatoes from my very own garden

4. Job offers for kickass employment opportunities. Yay!

5. Lightning bugs

6. This dress:

7. Taking Della the Weimaraner swimming

8. Cook’s Illustrated Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe

9. finding the perfect orange gerberas

10. fully charged batteries of all sorts

When I was in high school, I decided I wanted to go overseas on an exchange program. A summer in Paris was insufficient. I wanted a year. My overwhelmed parents said, “You figure it out, whatever it is you have to do to get in. You do that and you can go.” I think they underestimated my desire to go. I applied to the American Friends Service Committee’s program and distinctly remember the part of the application that asked where I wanted to go. I put “Greece, Turkey, Italy, somewhere warm”. My acceptance letter came and under location assigned, it said: “SRI LANKA“.

And then we got out the atlas.

Sri Lanka is almost exactly halfway around the world from the Massachusetts town I was living in. Its culture is distinct–a multicultural mishmash of  religions and languages. I stayed with the Abeywickremas, a Sinhalese family I liked a great deal and still talk to today. They were a kind and generous Buddhist family, one that has done all of the right things in raising two sons and one daughter. They have gone on to help raise their grandson and the children of their household servants, who are more likely family than employees. You would be hard-pressed to meet a family that has done as much for the next generations as this one has. They looked after me as their own, as well, calling me their “American daughter”. Many of the Sri Lankans I met were similar, looking after each other and their families.

The violence that had waned long enough for AFS to consider sending students there flared up again. Suddenly school buses were being blown up, school was shut down, and foreigners were encouraged to leave. One day we were there, and the next, our small group of AFS students was leaving the country and headed to Europe. After months of preparation, months with our families, months of language classes, months of getting used to the more conservative culture and how to ride the bus and the dawn wake-ups by the monks on the loudspeakers and curries too hot to eat, we were going to Europe, all of us quite crushed.

I loved Sri Lanka and its quirkiness. The way everyone has multiple businesses running, a little here and a little there. The way a long skirt and a short sleeve shirt are a bit daring. String hoppers. The way Buddhism has infused the Sinhalese culture. The way Muslims coexist with Buddhists. The sprawling families and how they will take in another family member’s child if it is necessary. The super-complicated intricacies of government on an island slightly larger than West Virginia. The way I have to sound out the rhythmic names syllable by syllable to get it right. The love and hatred for the colonizers and the traits they have left behind on the people. The beauty of the ocean juxtaposed with the poor living on the beaches. The languages and the head wobbles.

I went back in 2005, after I had finished business school. I spent two weeks visiting and traveling as much on my own as the Abeywickremas allowed. It was not long post-tsunami, so I was able to visit a refugee camp, see the destruction on the coastline, and witness the aid operations’ results. I also had the opportunity to go to the northern town of Jaffna during a brief ceasefire between the Sri Lankan government troops and the LTTE rebel fighters. Jaffna had long been the center of operations for the LTTE. The Red Cross workers there thought I was crazy, but it was important to me to see the whole picture. I had spent almost all of my time previously in Colombo, the multicultural capitol. What would it be like to be in Tamil-dominated Jaffna? It reminded me a great deal of Cuba, where I had been just a few months prior. Development was 40 years behind. The cars were old. The buildings that were still standing, even older, had bullet holes. The people were generally wary and less curious about me. In Colombo, people would stop me and ask me questions about where I was from and what I was doing in their country. They would touch my blonde hair and kids would stroke my pale white arms. In Jaffna, there could only be a few reasons I was there, none of them a result of anything good. Jaffna is not for the tourist. It was a disheartening experience, to see a whole town afraid of itself, 40 years behind, and aware of foreigners only as aid workers.

Four years later, the Sri Lankan government claims it has cornered the remaining LTTE fighters in one small sector on the northeast coast. One small sector full of some of the most ruthless fighters in South Asia… and thousands of civilians who are trapped there. The LTTE is reportedly using them as human shields and pressing them into service as fighters, resulting in the government being unwilling to let them out. Or possibly vice versa. It’s hard to know, as so few reporters have been allowed in the area. Civilians are being killed at an average rate of 70 a day since late January. While the government is trying to end the 30-year war against the rebels, the civilians are caught in the middle. Civilians who have been displaced, who are dying from dehydration and malnutrition and disease. Civilians who have no work, no money, no homes, and now no reason to not pick up weapons against those who have put them in this position. While the LTTE needs to stop using the civilians, the government is creating a longer-running war with their current relentless offensive.

At this stage, few aid groups are allowed to assess and help the 100,000 civilians who have already fled to refugee camps. The groups that are there are overwhelmed with need. If the ceasefire that’s been called for to allow the remaining civilians to be evacuated happens, these camps will swell in numbers by an estimated 50,000. Conditions are already bad in the camps, as there is little space, little fresh water, and little in the way of supplies in this remote region. It is summer there now, and diseases are now becoming a serious concern with the larger numbers, poor sanitation, and few medical personnel and medicines. The situation has been described as “dramatic” and a “catastrophe”.

There is a lot to love about this country and it what it represents in terms of a group of disparate cultures finding a way to coexist equitably. I hope that in my lifetime I can see that become the case and to visit again and again a country that evolves into a peaceful place for its generous people to live. I hope that in your lifetime you get the opportunity to visit this amazing place–the birthplace of Buddhism, the crossroads of European colonizers, and the amalgamation of wildly different cultures into one people.

What you can do to help:

Learn More & Spread the Word

• NY Times Topics: Sri Lanka
• Photos of what’s happening
• How Will Sri Lanka Reconcile After a Bitter War? - Christian Science Monitor
• Account from Doctors Without Borders’ doctor on the scene
• World Concern report from February
• Caritas’ wounded director is staying in Vanni under heavy bombardment until the last person is out
• UN video reporting 50K civilians trapped
• Washington Lobbyists Cash In On War in Sri Lanka

Make a Donation

• UNHCR appeal
• CARE
• Save the Children UK

US Citizen Advocacy

• Email USAID’s mission in Sri Lanka to ask them to ask for an increase in emergency aid beyond the US$15M granted earlier this month: infosl@usaid.gov

In addition to the 10 blogs from yesterday, there are two that I left off the list because they deserve their own post. Nearly every day I check in on Anna who lives in Newburgh, New York and blogs at DoorSixteen, and Benita, who lives in Sweden and blogs at Chez Larsson. They both write about their homes and lives in it, including decorating, design, and efficiency.

Here’s a room designed by Anna:

I especially like Anna’s ability to combine modern furniture in an older home, as well as her willingness to share photos of the removation work in progress. No guts, no glory, right?

Here’s a room decorated by Benita:

I like the white furniture surrounded by colorful walls and accents. I am terrible at incorporating color and haven’t even attempted to do so yet. Hopefully I can be as brave as Benita!

My favorite aspect of both of them is that they both have such clean design ideas that are still sensible for everyday living. I look forward to seeing how Anna’s garden unfurls and Benita’s book project progresses.

While I read a lot of business news, marketing ideas, entrepreneurship tips, and so on, I also spend an inordinate amount of time looking at super girly fashion and photography blogs. There is something about the fuzzy lenses, soft light, and thoughtful text from the ladies–usually about subjects the ladies find interesting–that is so much more compelling than, say, articles on TARP fraud (although serious props to Elizabeth Warren! Check out her Daily Show appearance–Part 1 & Part 2.) or the massive drop in VC spending on entrepreneurs last quarter.

Here are 10 that I find totally fascinating:

1. This is Glamorous
I start here because it’s short and always pretty. Sometimes I don’t make it past here because the links are so good.

2. A Glamorous Little Side Project
The inspiration board for the above, just as pretty.

3. Style Rookie
Talented writer Tavi has a special gift for explaining the intellectual aspects of a challenging collection. Currently raising money for her bat mitzvah project at Clothing with a Cause (http://clothingwithacause.blogspot.com/). Wise beyond her mere 12 years.

4. Slow Motion Crawl
Tavi’s equally eclectic and intellectual inspiration board.

5. Smosch
An artist who lives in Gothenburg, Sweden, resulting in some truly intriguing photos of everyday life. I would like her to pack me in her knapsack on her next trip to Berlin.

6. Nectar & Light
Jenifer Altman’s personal site, including links and photos, esp those done in polaroid. Love the softness of the pictures.

7. Lobster and Swan
Lifestyle photos from Jeska Hearne that include a lot about the life that goes with them.

8. Little Kingdoms in Your Chest
Originally titled “I Love You All Wrong”. Predominantly photos and quotes.

9. Completely Out Of Touch
Photographer Eleanor Hardwick’s photoblog.

10. Ghost Parties
Eleanor’s inspiration board
.

If that doesn’t do it for you, I give to you: Earnings Season Q1 2009 - Losses Posted Everywhere. Enjoy.

If you recall, I had some plans for this year. To wit:

Guidelines for 2009

* Do the hard thing first.
* Be Abby.
* Be consistent.

Top 10 Goals

1. Spend 30 min/day on me. – Not done. Struggling to accomplish this.
2. Kickass employment/predictable revenue streams. — Working on it!
3. Start a side business. — Working on it slowly.
   
4. Write something long-form. — Working on it slowly.
5. Get summer vacation tickets before April — Possible hold, pending Goal #2.
6. Meet financial goals for 2009. — Ongoing.
7. Make house comfortable. – Massive progress!
8. Take 1 picture & post daily. — Not done. Struggling to accomplish this.
9. Compete in triathlon. — Workouts are progressing, tri signed up for, all systems go!
10. Manage me better. — Not done. Struggling to accomplish this.

Every Sunday (usually), I sit down and review the goals for my accomplishments, disappointments, and lessons for the previous week and plan the next week. This part is working brilliantly. What’s not working so well is actually doing the things on the plan.

Perhaps it’s the new Twitter obsession. Or having to understand a new Facebook layout every two months. Or spending too much time telling the dog “Off!” and “No!” and “Don’t eat that!” (”But, Moooooom…”)

There are two parts to my struggle to accomplish the goals:

1) What if the idea in my head doesn’t come out as well once executed? This hangs me up on the photo taking, the writing, and the side business. I get caught up in how to make it match what’s in my head as part of the planning process and then I never actually do it. I haven’t figured out a solution to this yet. Any ideas?

2) It all feels like chores on a to-do list, and I’m not doing anything fun. To counter this, I’ve decided that the things that are actual chores on my list get 1 point per 1 hour/task completed. Five points means I can take an afternoon to do something I like to do with no guilt attached; 10 points means I can do something that costs money, like go to the movies, again no guilt attached.

As far as the guidelines go, I tried out not letting myself do anything fun until after I had completed that day’s hard tasks. No go. It just made the whole day chore-ridden and lacking in any sort of amusement. I have been more successful in being me–laying down boundaries, sharing some of my strengths, and not apologizing for weaknesses. The weekly planning is helping with the consistency, as is nailing down a more regular schedule. I’m truly terrible at the free-form Zen-like no-schedule days: I get nothing done and feel guilty about having spent all day on it.

On the two goals on which I’ve made massive progress:

• Make house more comfortable: Photos of the new veggie beds and container gardens and an ornamental grass bed
• Compete in triathlon: I have some funky tan lines I’ve earned with swimming 2x/week & the longest bike ride yet (12 miles).

Next quarter, I should have some news on the job front, photos from the summer vacation, and the financial progress pending the job. I can’t believe we’re 25% done with 2009. So fast. Too fast.

Part of the “make house more comfortable” goal of 2009 was to come up with an adequate clothing storage solution for two people with one closet and no dresser. Our current house is modern with a capital M, and we’re trying to keep the bedroom pretty spare–no dresser at all. Everything goes in the closet, which meant that everything was everywhere. After years and years of chaotic rental closet adaptations, wobbly dressers, and nowhere to put shoes, we at last have a closet we can find our pants in (and not in a heap on a dusty floor).

The highlight of the Before is the duffel bag of shoes.

See?

Last weekend, while Ben was up in Seattle partying ambient-style (I think that means there was a lot of sitting around, adjusting spectacles, and drinking beer. Not sure.), I installed the closet.

First, why Elfa? I wanted a closet that I could move around the pieces to adapt to what we need as time goes on, so that ruled out built-ins. Since we were going with the wired shelving, our choices were 1) Elfa; 2) Closet Maid; 3) IKEA. I’ve had the Closet Maid shelving in rentals and disliked it; it felt cheap with rough ends, shelves that bowed, and pieces that didn’t hang together correctly. We visited the IKEA store a couple of times to survey the closet options, and just designing and getting the right pieces together seemed nightmarish. I didn’t want to have to engineer a closet–just install one. I also felt like going with IKEA was risky–you never know when they are going to decide to discontinue a product line because they can no longer manufacture it so cheaply.

We went with Elfa, which is the sole product set from a 60 year old Swedish company and sold exclusively through Container Store in the US. I designed the closet over the summer with their help, and they kept the plans on their computer. When we walked in to buy it, they pulled up my file, printed it out, and collected the items for us to pick up later. This will certainly appall the DIYers who would have wired together the shelves themselves after scavenging for wire over a three-year-period. I don’t have the patience for that–it was time for the closet to get done, I liked the solution, it was on sale, and I had a weekend to finish it.

Should you buy Elfa, do it on sale. Container Store has two sales a year–one at the end of summer and a bigger one in early February. The sale will help you save some serious money on the closet. The closet we installed is approximately $1500 before the sale without tax; we paid around $1200 during the sale after tax. Considering that we have no other clothing storage anywhere, I am comfortable with this. If it was the Elfa plus three dressers plus an armoire, I’d probably not have done it.

(Also: KEEP THE RECEIPT! You will almost certainly wind up with extra pieces you can return.)

Below is the process and some helpful tips not mentioned in the Elfa instruction booklet:

1. They tell you in the instructions as a “tip” to remove all the contents from your space. This is unhelpful. What they should tell you is to remove all the contents from your space the day before you want to install your new closet. While they briefly cover patching and repainting the walls, they don’t mention that this could take awhile if you had a traditional rod-and-shelf setup that leaves a number of holes where the brackets once were.

Empty the closet–they suggest using that garment rack you have. Piling on the bed/floor works just as well. Take out the previous closet hardware.

Get your patching & repainting tools together. This includes spackle, putty knife, sandpaper, paint brush, paint, drop cloth, and paint stirrers.

2. If you will have help during this process, make sure your helper is focused and not a distraction. Della, for example, was keen on the power tools and needed to be doing something else during this process.

3. Patch and repaint the walls. I used spackle that starts out pink and turns white as it dries.

I then sanded the area where they had painted around the brackets, as well as the now-dry spackle. The walls had been painted over the summer, so they didn’t need complete repainting, just a touch up.

This would also be the time to change your lighting. For example, I want to install a motion sensor in the closet, as it is one that frequently gets left on by accident. This would have been the time to do it (except that Ben had expressed interest in doing it himself).

4. Get your tools together. Elfa gives you a list. Additional suggestions include 1/8″ and 3/8″ drill bits (not just “drill bits” as it says in the instructions), masking tape, extra drill batteries, and a stud sensor.

And, you’re done!

Well, no. It took a few hours to get the top tracks installed. Because the top tracks in our closet were designed to be 79″ long and it was just me trying to hold them up, I had to:
- Level the top tracks and tape them to the wall at the right height
- Mark the two center holes
- Remove the tracks & tape
- Drill, put in drywall anchors, and screw the tracks in the center two holes
- Make sure the tracks were level and then mark the rest of the holes
- Unscrew the tracks and drill the rest of the holes, putting in drywall anchors in almost all the holes
- Screw the tracks back in for all the holes

What would have been easier would be to put the tape on the top track, poke through all the holes, and then put the tape on the wall. That didn’t occur to me until after I was done though.

The top tracks go up, the vertical hardware inserts at the center and then slides over, and all the individual pieces hook in to the slots. It was incredibly easy to install–I did it myself and was done with 99% of it by the end of the day.

Every time I walk into my organized closet with no clothes or shoes on the floor, I feel much better about having spent the money on this rather than a dresser and still having a messy closet. All that’s left is getting a new mirror to hang on the door, and a few more pairs of shoes to fill that empty shelf.