We'll see him again...

I've caught a couple episodes of America's Got Talent recently. If you haven't seen it, don't worry, you're not missing a lot. Except the rare talent that finds it's way on-stage.

I'd like to shed light on one such talent. Michael Grimm

He has an amazing voice. He's humble. He's grateful. He's giving.
I'm sure we'll see more of him.



Go, Michael!

Please Stay, LeBron!

I just saw the best thing ever... 

In the fight for the basketball star LeBron James, Cleveland fans have staged an aggressive, heartfelt video campaign using songs like "We Are LeBron," sung to the tune of "We Are the World." 

Not to be outdone, New York City is getting into the multimedia game by producing videos to lure him east. see video here


And although I live in NYC, I want to see LeBron stay in Cleveland (heart is where your family is [Cleveland for me]). They deserve each other. LeBron seems like an upstanding, hard working guy...just like Cleveland. 

Besides, the Knicks stink. And yes, they know it. 


CLEVELAND ROCKS!!!!


hugs n kisses, Cleveland.
mmmmmmmwah!

Planet Green...

I am a HUGE fan of Planet Green. It's by the Discovery Channel (another fav).

Planet Green recently showed photos by a photographer who gets within feet (!!) of whales and oh..my...god...these photos are amazing! As far as I'm concerned, when someone is SO good at what they do that inspires you to want to do it too, is a feat that should be bottled and sold!

This photographer is that good.

Check them out...

Photographer: Bryant Austin

A quiet Chicago afternoon...

Here I sit in a coffee house in Chicago hitting a couple of my favorite places before I go to another hotel that's far from the city.

The coffee is good. The cinnamon roll I got was ok. As soon as I saw it I remembered my Mom telling me about a place here that has amazing cinnamon rolls. I assured her I would not go looking for the place. Alas...I found this one. Dang.


The one place that was on my list to go to is this amazing store in the Gold Coast area of Chicago. It's called P.O.S.H. I first went there last year with my sister and Mom. I was instantly in love.

They carry "flea-market chic" finds, unique antique styled wares and home-goods. Books. Maps (I love cool old looking maps...I bought one for Rome this visit). And more. A wonderfully European-style boutique. 

I spoke with the gentleman behind the counter who was nothing if not terribly nice, he was Karl Sorensen. He helped me find the map I was looking for and we chatted a bit. The store was filling up with customers while I was there going through all it had to offer while I searched for that one thing I felt I had to have, the one thing I felt someone else would love and then those same things that I had to figure out how to get back to NYC in my bag which was already full. (wow that was a long sentence). I left with only the map.

Should you find yourself in the heart of one of my favorite cities, Chicago....I highly recommend a visit to this great store.

Here is a pict of an item I thought long and hard about. They would have gone SO well in my Brooklyn apt. Unfortunately I couldn't get them. But should I change my mind....

Vintage Wooden Tops

Not just any tea...

For the record...I love coffee. I love the way it smells. I love the smooth and warm sensation that runs down my throat and into my chest when I sip it. It's what I look forward to every morning and what I enjoy on weekend mornings when the sun is coming up.

That being said, every evening since I can remember, I've had a cup of tea. It too is so soothing. All different types. Last time I went to Chicago I stayed in a nice hotel downtown. It was an exhausting day so all I wanted to do was draw a bath and have a cup of tea and fall asleep to a movie.

I called down to the desk and they brought me up three different types (kinds) of tea, all being Mighty Leaf Teas. I'd heard of the brand but never had it. Didn't give it much thought to be honest. But as soon as I opened the bag to make the tea an amazing aroma spilled from the packet.

The tea was in a little "sack" that let the tea leaves flow more freely in the hot water. It smelled good and was a fantastic and soothing cup of tea.

Bottom line, I HIGHLY recommend it. I came across a couple packs the other day again and remembered how much I like it. So...that's my latest recommendation on something that I found truly yummy.

My fav is the Orange African Nectar. Although I haven't tried them all, yet. You'll notice the difference if you like tea.

Enjoy.

Getting a haircut?

I'm sure you've heard...there's been a bit of a spill off the coast of Louisana. Ok...a HUGE spill, can you say "Exxon Valdez"?

A San Francisco-based nonprofit group, Matter of Trust, came up with an idea of collecting hair, and even pet fur, putting it into nylons to create "tubes" and help aid in the oil spill clean-up. As you know, hair absorbs oil. The nylons will be placed in the oil ridden water to help absorb the oil. I heard the plan was that BP would take care of the tubes after they've been soaked with the oil in the water with possible incineration. I think that sounds like a great plan. Any help is good help. This is a huge mess.

The hair can be donated. The group is called Matter of Trust. Please note that the plan is not authorized by the government, yet. But I'm crossing my fingers. It's my understanding that a 15-chain store has become active in the effort...PR at Partners, headed by Jacqui Davis. I commend her efforts!

See what you can do today. Stay informed.

sources:
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/08/problem-for-containment-dome-in-gulf/?hp
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/07/AR2010050704893.html
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-ap-us-gulf-oil-spill,0,1622568.story

Etsy Shout-Out

Last August I bought a custom necklace from one9designs. Kristin was fabulous to work with!

My necklace I had made with the first letter of the name of each of my family members (7 in total). Each letter was on a small leaf floating on the chain. I love it and have gotten many compliments on it. I showed it to my family when I went home to visit (Cleveland) and my sister wanted one too. Last month I ordered her the same necklace, same letters, same leaves.

She loves her necklace. As do I mine.

Thank you, Kristin for your creativity and professionalism. You rock. :)

You can find one9design by clicking here.

40th Anniversary of Earth Day: April 22, 2010

Our home. Our life. Our future.

Forty years after the first Earth Day, the world is in greater peril than ever. While climate change is the greatest challenge of our time, it also presents the greatest opportunity––an unprecedented opportunity to build a healthy, prosperous, clean energy economy now and for the future.

Here's how you can take action today:

Sign the Earth Day 2010 Climate Declaration

While great progress has been made since, today brings new challenges posed by climate change and an addiction to fossil fuels. To address these threats, we must fundamentally change the way we innovate, produce and consume. This simply will not happen until Congress passes a comprehensive climate and clean energy bill to rebuild our economy, secure energy independence, and address the climate crisis. 

From Oceana:
7 tips and ways to make a difference.


Earth Justice:
Because the earth needs a good lawyer.

The Climate Rally

On Sunday, April 25th, Earth Day Network and partner organizations will organize a massive climate rally on The National Mall to demand that Congress pass a strong climate bill in 2010.

Be heard - Join us for the Climate Rally

Join Us

Sign the Earth Day 2010 Climate Declaration

Join the Revolution - sign the Earth Day 2010 Climate Declaration to demand a comprehensive climate bill from Congress
Sign Now

Education

Environmental education and outdoor play is important for our children’s personal and academic growth. With students now spending 90% of their time indoors, “nature deficit disorder” is on the rise. A recent study found that children spend less than four minutes a day in “unstructured outdoor play.” This secluded lifestyle is causing emotional, educational, and physical consequences, including obesity. Plan an Earth Day activity with your school and register for our free online Educators’ Network at earthday.org/education to receive environmental education curricula and other resources.

Watch and be amazed:

On DVD: Planet Earth is a 2006 television series produced by the BBC Natural History Unit. Five years in the making. The series was co-produced by the Discovery Channel and NHK in association with CBC, and was described by its makers as "the definitive look at the diversity of our planet".

The series comprises eleven episodes, each of which features a global overview of a different habitat on Earth. At the end of each fifty-minute episode, a ten-minute featurette takes a behind-the-scenes look at the challenges of filming the series. [information provided by Wikipedia]

In our town:

Brooklyn, NY

Week long events.

Earth Day Expo at Habana Outpost

Manhattan, NY
TimeOutNYC has a full page of ideas, click here

E-Campaign

Cleveland, OH

EarthFest 2010  at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo