Kristin van Ogtrop's Blog, page 357

Deciphering Dreams

I have been having some rather strange dreams in the last few days (er, nights I mean...) and when I try to "interpret" them they sort of get even weirder and weirder. 

To wit: Last night I had a rather long one involving none other than my former boss, Real Simple editor, and fellow Simply Stated blogger Kristin Van Ogtrop — wherein I was at her house during an explosive thunderstorm and spent most of my time asking her how she managed to keep such a well-stocked kitchen. There was literally a wheelbarrow FULL of perfectly ripe pears in her pantry (Btw: I've never actually been to Kristin's house.)

The Dream Moods site interprets the pears as representative of new opportunities. The fact that I was with a (former) boss, they contend, was more about my own "assertive", "bossy" side than anything involving her directly. The thunderstorm: Anger and aggression. Yikes. (Note to KVO: In my dream, your home was very, very neat, and decorated so fabulously.)

Over at The Curious Dreamer site, it says that any sort of fruit in a dream is related to creativity, production, harvesting, and, not surprisingly, fertility and children.

And speaking of workplace superiors, the previous night I had a dream about a current boss, wherein one of my daily duties was to snap a digital photograph her outfit in some strange fashion cataloging capacity. (We had a good giggle when I mentioned the dream to her in a meeting yesterday; she noted that it was FAR from the strangest dream an employee had ever admitted to. That one, she noted, came from a former (male) intern who admitted he'd had a dream about her that involved a bathtub. If I were him, I would NOT have shared that.)

My two cents: We need fruit at home and I have work on the mind lately—jobs past, present, and future.

Quick: What did you dream of last night? Do you keep track of them? Do you believe in or practice dream interpretation?

My Day at Geek Girl Boot Camp

As I wrote recently, in a fit of irrational exuberance, I volunteered to participate in Geek Girl Boot Camp, a day-long un-conference dedicated to "empowering women through technology."

After which I immediately started to regret my decision.

Due to a mix of work obligations, parenting-related issues, and health setbacks I was feeling time crunched and stressed out, and wishing I had thought twice before volunteering to spend the day away from my family.

I was also incredibly nervous about teaching (my subjects were  "ABCs of Blogs" and "Audio Podcasting 101"). After 6 years of doing both, I was obviously familiar with the topics, but that didn't necessarily qualify me to teach anything to anyone. (In fact, even though I pulled together what I thought was a reasonable facsimile of a presentation plan, it wasn't until after my first class of the day that I started to feel comfortable in my role as a Geek Girl instructor.)

The day of Geek Girl Boot Camp started too early, with my neighbor (a Geek Girl wanna' be) and I hitting the road at 5:15am, arriving at Cape Cod Community College at 7:00 am. After receiving my uniform - a pink button down shirt and fleece vest with "Geek Girl #24" (meaning the 24th girl to volunteer) - I started to settle down and take in what turned into an amazing day of women helping women embrace technology.

Attending were over 500 women of different ages, professional backgrounds, and technological experience. Topics covered computer basics; business tools; photography; web development; design and social media. Throughout the day, attendees swarmed the campus, coming and going from the various classes, meeting other women, or spending time at the Help Desk for one-on-one consultations.

By the end of the day, I was exhausted (I had presented on both topics twice) but also exhilarated. I made it through my presentations without anyone booing or throwing anything, connected with a community of women interested in technology, and felt like I had been able to make a contribution to that community.

Even though I didn't have a chance to attend any sessions, I picked up a few tips about video hosting options from videographer Alecia Jean Orsini Lebada, and was inspired by photographer Maura Longueil to give Google's Picasa a try (I see a future post on that discovery).

I can only imagine the time and effort put in by the organizers of Geek Girl Camp, and I was awed by what I witnessed on Saturday. The classes appeared to go smoothly, with each room at Cape Cod Community College having projectors and sound systems for presenters to use (I had to set up 3 times and each went smoothly). There was also an impressive team of volunteers keeping things moving.

If you are in the Massachusetts-area and able to attend a Geek Girl Boot Camp (in past years they've been held on Cape Cod and in the Plymouth-area), I would certainly encourage you to do so. And even if you aren't, you can find a wealth of information, including an Online Help Desk, for any Geek Girl or Geek Girl Wanna' Be.

As for me? Obviously I have no regrets about volunteering. And now, I can only hope they will invite me again.

How to Recycle Envelopes

If you work in an office or have an office at home, you likely have a variety of envelopes floating around. Some of them can just be tossed in the recycling bin, and some require one extra step.

 

 

Here's what you need to know to recycle each type of envelope.

 

Envelopes with plastic windows: They can actually go in with regular paper. Filters in the recycling system will remove the plastic film of the window.

 

FedEx: Paper FedEx envelopes can be recycled, and there's no need to pull off the plastic sleeve. 

 

Goldenrod: Unfortunately, these brightly colored envelopes (frequently used for inter-office envelopes) aren't recyclable because of the hard-to-remove dye. If you have a choice, opt for white, light-colored, or recycled envelopes.

 

Jiffy Paks: Many Jiffy envelopes―even the paper-padded ones filled with that material resembling dryer lint―are recyclable with other mixed papers, like cereal boxes. The exception: Goldenrod-colored envelopes must be tossed.

 

Padded envelopes with Bubble Wrap: These can't be recycled; try reusing them instead.

 

Tyvek (most commonly FedEx Paks): DuPont, the maker of Tyvek, takes these envelopes back and recycles them into plastic lumber. Turn one envelope inside out and stuff others inside it. Mail them to Tyvek Recycle, Attention: Shirley B. Wright, 2400 Elliham Avenue #A, Richmond VA 23237. If you have large quantities (200 to 500), call 866-338-9835 to order a free pouch.

 

For more tips on how to recycle just about anything, check out our A-to-Z Recycling Guide.

 

Related:

Where to Donate Your Used Items

How to Set Up a Recycling System

New Uses for Recyclable Items

 

How I Overcame My Fear of Failure With Chocolate Chip Cookies

When it comes to cooking—and especially baking—I've always been more of a stick-to-a-recipe kind of gal. In the past few years, however, as I've gotten more confident with my cooking, I'm willing and able to improvise and experiment—subbing in ingredients, adding different spices, making tweaks here and there. But with baking, I've almost always stuck strictly to the recipe, as I've been taught: Baking is an exact science, and once you start messing around with proportions or substitutions, you risk ruining the whole thing.

 

 

Well, I recently took a recipe testing class here in New York that taught me it's ok to improvise when you're baking, even if—the horror!—your experiment might fail. This was a great lesson for me, someone who's always hated failure—a trait which can prevent you from taking risks or being creative, and something I've been trying to overcome for ages. But that's a subject for whole other blog post…and maybe my (imaginary) therapist.

 

Anyway, I digress. This class was taught by recipe tester/developer Sarah Copeland, who spent several years at the Food Network and by sheer coincidence has also developed recipes for Real Simple (check out her 10 recipes for rotisserie chicken). We all started out with a basic, familiar recipe: the Nestle Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe (you know, the one printed on the back of the yellow bag of chocolate chips). Then we all chose just one thing to vary in the recipe, whether it was the type of flour, sweetener, fat, chocolate, mix-ins… you name it. While the original recipe calls for 1 cup of butter, I opted to use ½ cup of butter and  ½ cup of cashew butter. We baked our 16 different cookies, then tasted them at the end of the class, noting the successes, failures, and improvements for the future. It was a really interesting and fun experiment; the quinoa flour cookies came out a bit flat but had a nicely nutty, earthy flavor that was delicious. Cookies made with all-almond butter looked good but were a bit too dry. The cookies baked with mashed avocados instead of butter had a slight greenish tinge and a somewhat cakey texture. As luck would have it, my butter/cashew butter cookies were a hit—pretty to look at and just moist enough, with a faintly nutty taste.

 

I was inspired enough by the class to branch out at home—fear of failure, be damned! I made the basic cookie dough with part butter, part almond butter, then divided the dough in half. I stirred in regular chocolate chips into one half and added a crazy chopped-up chocolate bar—with ginger, wasabi, and sesame seeds—along with regular chips to the other half. I baked them up, then tasted.

 

 

Were they a total success? Not really. While they were fine, the cookies were a little dry—probably because I used a creamy, no-stir almond butter instead of the natural kind with the oil separated on top (alas, my grocery store didn't carry it). Also, next time I'll use two or even three wasabi-ginger-sesame chocolate bars and skip the regular chocolate chips altogether, so you really get those exotic flavors coming through.

Did it matter that they didn't turn out perfectly? Um, no. They were fun to make, fun to eat, and still tasted pretty darn good.

 

Do you always stick to the recipe when you bake or do you like to experiment? What have been your biggest successes or failures?

Show Some Hometown Pride: Homage, State Of Mine & Maptote

 

Thanks to my alma mater--The University of Richmond (VA)-- men's basketball team making it to the

 

In fact, I kind of like when people wear clothing that tells the story of where they're from, where they've been, where they're going, etc. Whether it's a school, hometown or state...showing your pride can be very fashionable!

 

Here are a few companies that will help you get in the spirit...

 

HOMAGE

This aptly named t-shirt company offers super cool retro designs made with ultra soft cotton. You'll definitely recognize many of the throw-back graphics and there are even a few funny "pop culture" shirts that are sure to turn some heads ("official streakers" shirt anyone?). They retail for $28/each.

 

 

 

 

 

STATE OF MINE

Keep your home-state and town close to your heart with these charming 14kt gold necklaces. You can choose from a map of the USA pinpointing your state with a diamond, a charm of your state pinpointing the location of your hometown, a nameplate with your state or town's name, a "I heart" charm with the two-letter abbreviation of your state, a ring with your state--city--or zip code, or even a custom made foreign country charm. They retail from $160 to $395.   

 

 

 

MAPTOTE

 Tote around your groceries, magazines, wine, crafts or anything your heart desires in these USA-made cotton bags. The whimsical illustrations map out your favorite states, towns, cities and countries. They retail between $17 and $20.  

 

 

 

 

 

Happy representing!

 

Eat Your Way To Beautiful Skin

Have you ever thought that your biggest skin battles could be solved by adjusting what you're digesting? Written by a dermatologist who admits to barely knowing how to cook, Dr. Wu's book on the how-to of consuming the right foods for every skin problem–from acne to wrinkles–has become one of my recent favorites.

 

 

I have constantly used my always-on-the-run lifestyle, as an excuse for some of my poor eating habits. After meeting with Dr. Wu a few weeks back, I realized how terrible my excuses were. With spring on the horizon (or so I hope!), I figure eating better and hitting the gym more frequently will help me embrace the warmer weather with a smile. 

 

Her book has a wide variety of great tips, but below I've excerpted my personal favorite; Snack Wisely. Here are her words of wisdom...

 

"The best snacks combine fiber with protein and healthy fats to fill you up and keep your blood sugar steady. Try these simple switches for common, but unhealthy, snacks:

 

Instead of pretzels, try whole-grain pita chips.
Instead of potato chips, try whole-grain crackers with hummus. 
Instead of rice cakes, try sliced apple with natural nut butter.
Instead of ice cream, try strawberries drizzled with dark chocolate.
Instead of candy, try dried cherries or strawberries and almonds.
Instead of a frappuccino, try skim milk latte."

 

 

In addition to applying of her eating tips, I've tried to focus on drinking more water (less coffee) and more fruits with natural sugar (less candy).

 

What are some of your healthy eating tips that you think keep your skin looking its best?

 

Check out her book, Feed Your Face, $14.50 on amazon.com.

 

Help! What's the Best Vacuum for Dealing with Pet Hair?

Since it's spring, it officially means that it's time for a change in my living situation. (Well, not officially, but it seems to be my pattern lately.) This time I'm not moving apartments, but I will be getting a new roommate. And this roommate comes with a furry friend that goes by the name of Coconut.

 

 

I've never lived with a cat before. My family had standard poodles growing up, meaning we didn't have the shedding issues that normally come with pets. And now I'm stumped on what kind of vacuum to buy. I know it needs to have a hose to be able to vacuum the furniture, but after that I'm clueless.

 

So I'm throwing out the question to those of you that have cats, what is the best vacuum for dealing with their hair? 

 

(photo by Formula Z/S for Real Simple)

 

Distracted? Try These Tips To Get You Back On Track

We are all tempted by distractions when we're trying to focus. Some folks can't stop checking email, others are drawn to the television, and if I don't get enough sleep my mind wanders uncontrollably.



I think a few minutes of distraction each hour are fine. In fact, researchers at the University of California, Davis, have found that mindless activities sprinkled throughout your day can help you be more creative. The problem comes, though, when your distractions start to significantly impact your productivity.



The reason we seek out distractions is because we want the short-term boost of enjoyment that comes from doing it. We know what we should be focusing on will have greater satisfaction over the long-term -- but we want some pleasure now, so we turn to our distractions to fulfill that desire. This is obviously counterproductive since the distractions end up delaying our larger boost of enjoyment from completing the task we should be doing, but we do it anyway.



To reduce the number of times you sabotage your focus throughout the day, try these tips:


Identify your distractions. You probably already know what easily distracts you, but it's a good idea to name it. Sometimes, just acknowledging the distraction helps to reduce its impact on your work.
Decide what is an acceptable level of distraction for you. For me, I don't like to spend time on distractions for more than 10 minutes each hour when I'm working.
Set a timer for the length of time you want to work without distractions. I set the timer for 25 minutes, then 5 minutes for my distraction break, then 25 minutes, and 5 minutes again. You might want 10 minute intervals or 15 minutes or even an hour.
If your distraction can be muted, mute it. Turn off the new message indicator on your email, shut off the television, or force yourself to go to bed at a reasonable time each night.
Create visual reminders to help change your behavior. If picking up the phone and checking your text messages is your habit, put a sticky note over your phone so you would have to remove it to look at your phone. If roaming to another room is your distraction, put a trash can or chair in front of the entrance so it catches your attention as you try to walk by.
Finally, don't beat yourself up when you slip back into your old ways. It takes about three months for a new focus habit to take root. You'll mess up along the way, so just start again when you realize you're not focusing the way you wish you were.


What is your biggest distraction and what can you do to reduce its impact on your productivity?

Your April Book

The question: Will The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks win this time around? The answer: yes, and decidedly so. Assistant Editor/Producer Erin Henry, our Henrietta discussion leader, will be posting a bit later in the week to introduce herself and set up a reading schedule. And don't forget, Bookies, if you have questions for Room author Emma Donoghue, post them here by Monday, March 28.

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Advice I Wish I Could Give My Younger Self

I recently met a woman at a party who was just lovely and warm and had the nicest smile imaginable. We immediately hit it off, and I hope we become friends. One thing about her that I noticed (but did not hold against her) was that she has that (dare I say, mostly female) habit of apologizing too much. I'm sure you know people who apologize too much; we all do. Who apologize as a way of being extra-nice, I suppose. I recognize this type because I used to be an over-apologizer.

This afternoon I was contemplating my huge e-mail in-box and remembered that I got an e-mail a few weeks back from a student at the university that I'd attended. I don't know her, and she is looking for career advice. Ordinarily I would begin my reply to such an e-mail with an apology ("I'm sorry it's taken me so long to reply...") but I decided that I'm not going to start the e-mail with an apology; maybe I am just cranky this afternoon, but perhaps she should just be glad that I, a total stranger, am replying at all.

Which brings me to this post.

ADVICE I WISH I COULD GIVE MY YOUNGER SELF

Stop apologizing so much.

Appreciate how you look right now. It's a lot better than you think.

Understand that sometimes boys are just clueless. They are not being intentionally clueless to hurt your feelings.

One cupcake/donut/piece of candy is not really that important.

If you have to ask yourself whether you should have one more drink, the answer is probably no.

If you think everybody is looking at you, you're wrong.

No matter how much you love your parents, they probably love you more.

Sometimes doing the right thing is embarrassing and not cool. Get over that.

When you are arguing with someone, yelling rarely accomplishes anything.

Many of the smartest people are the best listeners.

Waterproof mascara is not worth the hassle of taking it off.

Just because you hated a book at age 20 does not mean you will hate it at age 40.

Arguing with your boyfriend after 10 p.m. is just completely counterproductive.

There is no substitute for a cake made from scratch.

Be careful when stating your opinion because it might change tomorrow.

Will you add to my list? I'm sure we can all learn something.

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