Moments

If you have never heard the Radiolab podcast, you are very, very lucky. Lucky because you are a Radiolab virgin and have hours and hours of old episodes to look forward to, all fresh and funny and interesting and inspiring. I have gone through all of the archived episodes and now have to wait like the rest of the world for new ones, which don't come out nearly as quickly as I and the rest of the world would like.

One of my favorite Radiolab episodes, "Afterlife," was originally posted last September, and after the episode aired, the hosts continued with a series of short follow up podcasts, all about death and dying and what happens after. The final follow up short was the video, "Moments," by Will Hoffman. But it isn't about death at all. It's about life and the small moments that make it beautiful. You will love it.

The Year in Lists

Image courtesy of strawberryluna

It's the end of the year, and so the annual "best of" lists have been written and spread across the world of information. I love these lists, comparing them to my own, arguing with them, using them to fill in gaps in my cultural literacy. Actually, I just love lists. Their orderliness gives me hope for my own cluttered life.

So please enjoy this list of my favorite 2009 lists:

Best Under-The-Radar Books of 2009 (part of NPR's comprehensive list of the Best Books 0f 2009)

The New Yorker Blog's Best Ten Films of 2009

All Songs Considered Reader's Poll Results for the Best Music of 2009 (where you can also listen to all the picks in their entirety)

The Chicago Tribune's Best TV shows of 2009

The People's Choice Awards for the Best Podcasts of 2009 from PodCastAwards.com (And if you'd like some personal recommendations, I consider myself a podcast connoisseur.)

And of course, PC Magazine's Favorite Blogs of 2009 (where sadly you will not find Hiving Out listed. Of all the nerve.)

Enjoy browsing and feel free argue with these lists in the comments. We'd want to hear your picks!

Thrift Home

image by gradiate

Yesterday I was listening to an episode of NPR's "The Story" (based in NC, but check out the podcasts - especially you, Mae!) titled "Spend Thrift" about Terri Thompson, a woman who convinced a home builder in Henderson, NC to let her decorate a model home entirely with secondhand and thrift finds. It was a huge hit, raised money for "Habitat for Humanity International," and introduced a ton of people to the joys of thrifting. The Frugal Design Showcase Home is not exactly my random style, but that's what's great about it. It looks like a regular nice home that's not full of retro finds or vintage knickknacks, but just a traditional home that's cozy and comfortable. It's not only a brilliant idea to warm up those cold new model homes, but also to show people who have never thought to go into a thrift store that they can find their tastes and styles there too in addition to, hello?, saving money. I also love those thrift stores that are designed to look like rooms in a home ("Vintage Revival" in Hillsborough, NC comes to mind) - I always end up wanting more than I would otherwise. I'm such a sucker for presentation...

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image by Luke H