| Photo: Bouncing Ball Creations |
Jane Eyre Pencil Set, $6. Pages from Charlotte Bronte's novel cover these pencils, providing a little literary inspiration while you jot down your to-do list. Also available: To Kill a Mockingbird, Macbeth, Moby Dick and other classics.
Pioneers of American Industrial Design Stamps, $.44 each. Jazz up letters with these classy stamps, which honor 12 of the nation's most important and influential industrial designers and feature striking images of telephones, clocks, sewing machines and more.
Tiny Worlds in Bottles, $23-$29.50. For the woman who loves all things miniature, tiny things in itty-bitty bottles and domes are like sophisticated, shrunken snow globes.
LetterMpress, $5.99. This beautiful iPad app lets you design beautiful compositions with vintage wood type and art cuts on a virtual hand-driven printing press.
 | It is not only by the questions we have answered that progress may be measured, but also by those we are still asking. -- Freda Adler |  |
Every Monday, we're rounding up things--small and big--that made us
stop and think. Today, we were captivated by two talented, hard-working women's soccer teams, one blogger's advice to parents of teenage writers, and more...
Men! What are they thinking? We can't always answer that, but we'll be posting our favorite glimpses into their world in this space every Thursday.
* "It hit me that just an ounce of the unexpected can have a tremendous effect—and that a single word can change everything." — From Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston's Aha! Moment. The AMC show returns for its fourth season on Sunday night. [O magazine; AMC]
* Anyone mourning the passing of Gilligan's Island creator Sherwood Schwartz should read Gilligan's Wake author and GQ writer Tom Carson's remembrance of meeting him unexpectedly at a book signing. [GQ.com]
* Get your man the summer heat-wave survival kit—if only to steal the deodorant for yourself. [Esquire.com]
* Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose. Fans of Friday Night Lights sad to see the show come to an end tomorrow at least have a very thorough oral history to catch up on. [Grantland]
* "My dad looked back at me and said, 'Yes, that's your brother, and you love your brother.'" — Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin describes his struggle to come to terms with his older brother's homosexuality. [Out]
 |
* "It hit me that just an ounce of the unexpected can have a tremendous effect—and that a single word can change everything." — From Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston's Aha! Moment. The AMC show returns for its fourth season on Sunday night. [O magazine; AMC]
* Anyone mourning the passing of Gilligan's Island creator Sherwood Schwartz should read Gilligan's Wake author and GQ writer Tom Carson's remembrance of meeting him unexpectedly at a book signing. [GQ.com]
* Get your man the summer heat-wave survival kit—if only to steal the deodorant for yourself. [Esquire.com]
* Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose. Fans of Friday Night Lights sad to see the show come to an end tomorrow at least have a very thorough oral history to catch up on. [Grantland]
* "My dad looked back at me and said, 'Yes, that's your brother, and you love your brother.'" — Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin describes his struggle to come to terms with his older brother's homosexuality. [Out]
| Photo: Alice Supply Co. |
It's officially hump day--but to help Friday come a little faster shop these fun finds all under $30.
The Laundress for J.Crew Collars and Cuffs Stain Bar, $7. Don't have time to get to the dry cleaners? Rub away the ring around the collar of your favorite white button-down with this gentle stain remover.
The Little Yoga Mat, $25. Help your tiny yogi Zen out with one of these pint-sized mats.
Alice Supply Co. Hammer, $26. You might be more interested in doing manual labor if your tools were covered in bright, bold patterns like these.
Speak Up Tattly Temporary Tattoo, $5 for 2. Forget your hairbrush--apply one of these mini microphone tattoos to your thumb and belt your favorite tune into your finger instead.
Make Your Own Havianas, starting at $25. Create customized flip-flops: Choose everything from the color to accessories for the straps. You're guaranteed to be the only one wearing them at the beach.
This morning, those of us who were born just in time to take advantage of Title IX noticed one more small result of the 1972 legislation (prohibiting gender discrimination at schools that receive federal money). Back then, we heard from our mothers about "all" that we could do—and then we took to the soccer fields and running tracks, trying to figure out what the heck the "all" was. The potential was exciting, for us and our mothers, aunts and neighbors who weren't invited to join high-level sports and almost yanked out when they did (hello, Boston Marathon 1967).
And yet, seeing the U.S. Women's World Cup victory yesterday on the front page of The New York Times sports section and the U.S. Women's Open for golf covered inside has given us a whole new kind of joy, especially the soccer story.
It was also covered, via AP reports, in The Detroit Free Press, Atlanta Journal Constitution and elsewhere. With good reason: For the first time in years, the Americans aren't favored to win this World Cup (competition in women's international sports is heating up—drama!). The team played Brazil, who has Marta, perhaps the current Pele of women's soccer. The game itself had ups and downs, and the quotes afterward—from the players to the coach—were lump-in-your-throat inducing. (Really, go read them.)
But it was this sentence in The San Francisco Chronicle that got us: "Running low on hope and time, the Americans were surely beaten. ... And then, with one of the most thrilling goals in U.S. history, they weren't."
Not U.S. women's sports history. In sports. Full stop. Which is nice. But what's nicer still is that it means if you are 7 or 10 or 12 years old, you don't have to imagine a woman doing one of the most thrilling things in U.S. sports history. You can watch it here.
Elsewhere you can watch female Olympic hockey teams, LPGA golfers and collegiate lacrosse players compete at top levels, and you will read about their victories and losses in the papers. Also thrilling, no?
That was today's discovery. That there's a difference between hearing what women could do and seeing them do it this very minute. The difference between the girls we used to be and the girls right now, who can look at these mightily talented women and think, "I can do what she did...and I can do it even better."
And yet, seeing the U.S. Women's World Cup victory yesterday on the front page of The New York Times sports section and the U.S. Women's Open for golf covered inside has given us a whole new kind of joy, especially the soccer story.
It was also covered, via AP reports, in The Detroit Free Press, Atlanta Journal Constitution and elsewhere. With good reason: For the first time in years, the Americans aren't favored to win this World Cup (competition in women's international sports is heating up—drama!). The team played Brazil, who has Marta, perhaps the current Pele of women's soccer. The game itself had ups and downs, and the quotes afterward—from the players to the coach—were lump-in-your-throat inducing. (Really, go read them.)
But it was this sentence in The San Francisco Chronicle that got us: "Running low on hope and time, the Americans were surely beaten. ... And then, with one of the most thrilling goals in U.S. history, they weren't."
Not U.S. women's sports history. In sports. Full stop. Which is nice. But what's nicer still is that it means if you are 7 or 10 or 12 years old, you don't have to imagine a woman doing one of the most thrilling things in U.S. sports history. You can watch it here.
Elsewhere you can watch female Olympic hockey teams, LPGA golfers and collegiate lacrosse players compete at top levels, and you will read about their victories and losses in the papers. Also thrilling, no?
That was today's discovery. That there's a difference between hearing what women could do and seeing them do it this very minute. The difference between the girls we used to be and the girls right now, who can look at these mightily talented women and think, "I can do what she did...and I can do it even better."
Every Monday, we're rounding up things--small and big--that made us
stop and think. Today, we were captivated by a Yankees fan who shows true sportsmanship, an author who found a way to learn from one rejection (and the 59 that followed it), and more...
Kathryn Stockett, author of The Help, telling Katie Couric about the 60 rejections she received from agents (via Glamour):
Every time I got a rejection letter, it made me go back to the story and try to figure out what was not working. I think there are a lot of bad books out there that got published on the first try. And you've got to take a story, write it, put it in the drawer, soak out the stains, go back, and rewrite it over and over again.
Yankees fan Christian Lopez, who caught Derek Jeter's 3,000th-hit baseball, volunteering to return the home-run memento to Jeter for little more than a photo op (instead of trying to sell it for, like, a bajillion dollars):
It wasn't about the money, it's about a milestone, and I'm not going to take that away from him.
WSJ writer Katherine Rosman on how friends strengthen a marriage:
When a friend says to me, "I saw Joe and your daughter at the park and she has him wrapped around her finger," my focus is drawn past dirty socks left on the floor and onto the fact that I married a terrific guy who is loved by many.
Former First Lady Betty Ford, who died last week at the age of 93, on giving her name to the now-famous drug and alcohol treatment center in California:
It was very helpful for women, too, because women had in many ways been underserved. And if my name was one there it was a safe place for women to come and be treated.
Kathryn Stockett, author of The Help, telling Katie Couric about the 60 rejections she received from agents (via Glamour):
Every time I got a rejection letter, it made me go back to the story and try to figure out what was not working. I think there are a lot of bad books out there that got published on the first try. And you've got to take a story, write it, put it in the drawer, soak out the stains, go back, and rewrite it over and over again.
Yankees fan Christian Lopez, who caught Derek Jeter's 3,000th-hit baseball, volunteering to return the home-run memento to Jeter for little more than a photo op (instead of trying to sell it for, like, a bajillion dollars):
It wasn't about the money, it's about a milestone, and I'm not going to take that away from him.
WSJ writer Katherine Rosman on how friends strengthen a marriage:
When a friend says to me, "I saw Joe and your daughter at the park and she has him wrapped around her finger," my focus is drawn past dirty socks left on the floor and onto the fact that I married a terrific guy who is loved by many.
Former First Lady Betty Ford, who died last week at the age of 93, on giving her name to the now-famous drug and alcohol treatment center in California:
It was very helpful for women, too, because women had in many ways been underserved. And if my name was one there it was a safe place for women to come and be treated.
If it's Friday, we must be grateful. Here are a few things we're saying thank you for this week:
1. The astronauts (including Elmo)
3. He makes clouds! Of bubbles! They float!
4. There really was a Charlotte (yes, the spider), and that, to us, is kind of beautiful
5. Turntable.fm: Because at least one of us will be going to a club to hear music, like it's 1994, this weekend—without hiring a babysitter or leaving the couch
6. Joan Didion @JoanDidion, for reminding us that it doesn't hurt to set attainable goals
(We really wanted to believe it was you.)
Here's to a productive and happy weekend!
1. The astronauts (including Elmo)
A Blast from the Past: Shuttle Through the Decades from NPR on Vimeo.
3. He makes clouds! Of bubbles! They float!
4. There really was a Charlotte (yes, the spider), and that, to us, is kind of beautiful
5. Turntable.fm: Because at least one of us will be going to a club to hear music, like it's 1994, this weekend—without hiring a babysitter or leaving the couch
6. Joan Didion @JoanDidion, for reminding us that it doesn't hurt to set attainable goals
(We really wanted to believe it was you.)
Here's to a productive and happy weekend!
Men! What are they thinking? We can't always answer that, but we'll be posting our favorite glimpses into their world in this space every Thursday.
* We were already plenty impressed with the contents of Daniel Radcliffe's bookshelf, and now the Harry Potter star has impressed us with his candor and maturity about giving up drinking in August's U.K. edition of GQ: "There's no shame in enjoying a quiet life, and that's been the realization of the past few years for me. I'd just rather sit at home and read, or go out to dinner with someone, or talk to someone I love, or talk to somebody that makes me laugh." (via Salon)
* If you, like Englishman and baseball infographic king Craig Robinson, find America's pastime "endlessly fascinating," look at a few of the stunning images included in his new book, Flip Flop Fly Ball. (Deadspin.com; Amazon.com)
* We dare you not to smile while watching this video of a recent U2 concert in Nashville, where Bono pulled a blind fan from the audience to play "All I Want Is You" on guitar. (The Vancouver Sun)
* "It's more like I'm having an experience than making a picture." — Cy Twombly, RIP (NYTimes.com)
* We were already plenty impressed with the contents of Daniel Radcliffe's bookshelf, and now the Harry Potter star has impressed us with his candor and maturity about giving up drinking in August's U.K. edition of GQ: "There's no shame in enjoying a quiet life, and that's been the realization of the past few years for me. I'd just rather sit at home and read, or go out to dinner with someone, or talk to someone I love, or talk to somebody that makes me laugh." (via Salon)
* If you, like Englishman and baseball infographic king Craig Robinson, find America's pastime "endlessly fascinating," look at a few of the stunning images included in his new book, Flip Flop Fly Ball. (Deadspin.com; Amazon.com)
* We dare you not to smile while watching this video of a recent U2 concert in Nashville, where Bono pulled a blind fan from the audience to play "All I Want Is You" on guitar. (The Vancouver Sun)
* "It's more like I'm having an experience than making a picture." — Cy Twombly, RIP (NYTimes.com)
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