quotes

Cross-Stitchable Hamilton Quotes

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Hamilton is infinitely quotable, and this lends itself very nicely to cross-stitched messages on pillows and wall decorations, of which there are MANY.

However, the ones that are available are too obvious!  Although my suggestions start with some obviously inspiring quotes, I’m proud to say that my ideas get increasingly ridiculous.  Someone get to work on these, stat!

And if anyone designs the Domestic Burr or Mulligan’s Butt patterns, please alert me.  I need them decorating my apartment YESTERDAY.

For the earnest fan:

“What is a legacy?
It’s planting seeds in a garden you never get to see.”
Pictured:  Seedlings beginning to sprout from the ground.

“Just let me stay here by your side,
That would be enough.”
Pictured:  Eliza and Hamilton walking away from the viewer, hands reaching for each other.

“Dying is easy, living is harder.”
Pictured:  Hamilton climbing a mountain, carrying a burden made of books.

For the adults struggling with grown-up life fan:

“Domestic life was never quite my style.”
Pictured:  Burr in an apron, looking harried.   Continue reading →

10 Wanderlust-Inspiring Quotes

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The Travelettes posted a list of 20 Paulo Coelho quotes that inspire wanderlust, which were incredibly effective in inspiring me to create my own list of quotes!

1|  “If you are brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello.” – Paulo Coelho

2| “Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things – air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky – all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it.” ― Cesare Pavese

3|  miller

4|  “We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” – Unknown

5|  “Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but, by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.” ― Maya Angelou

6|  “We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next to find ourselves. We travel to open our hearts and eyes and learn more about the world than our newspapers will accommodate. We travel to bring what little we can, in our ignorance and knowledge, to those parts of the globe whose riches are differently dispersed. And we travel, in essence, to become young fools again- to slow time down and get taken in, and fall in love once more.” ― Pico Iyer

7| “To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” – Bill Bryson

8|  travelquote2.jpg

9|  “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?’
‘That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,’ said the Cat.
‘I don’t much care where -‘ said Alice.
‘Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,’ said the Cat.
‘- so long as I get SOMEWHERE,’ Alice added as an explanation.
‘Oh, you’re sure to do that,’ said the Cat, ‘if you only walk long enough.” – Lewis Carroll

10|  “The open road is the school of doubt in which man learns faith in man.” – Pico Iyer

Do you have a favorite wanderlust quote?  Share it in the comments!

Maybe Traveling Is About More Than Escape

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I saw this quote on Pinterest, and I immediately gagged.  This is, haha, a complete over-reaction, but loving to travel is one of the ways I identify myself (see my header above), so quotes like this feel like a personal attack.  Unfairly so, since I have never met Seth Godin.  BUT.  I hate what this quote implies.

Sure, sometimes traveling is about escape.  And yes, if you are constantly leaving a place because you hate your life, then OBVIOUSLY, do something to change it!

But I would argue that most people aren’t traveling to escape.  Or if they are, that it is a different kind of escape.   Continue reading →

What Are You Reading Wednesday #WAYRW (1)

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What Are You Reading Wednesdays #WAYRW is a weekly feature started on It’s A Reading Thing. Everyone is welcome to participate. You can answer the questions in the comments section of the weekly #WAYRW post or link back to your #WAYRW post on your blog via the link up. You can grab the image above or create your own, just please make sure you link back to IART as the host for this meme.

whatareyoureadingwed

How to participate:
Grab the book you are currently reading and answer three questions:
1. What’s the name of your current read?
2. Go to page 34 in your book or 34% in your eBook and share a couple of sentences.
3. Would you like to live in the world that exists within your book? Why or why not?

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1. What’s the name of your current read?

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

2. Go to page 34 in your book or 34% in your eBook and share a couple of sentences.

“No,” I said, through the ache in my chest.  I will not cry in front of him.

He started to say something.  But at that moment the teacher entered, a man of indeterminate middle age.  He had the callused hands of a musician and carried his own lyre, carved of dark walnut.

“Who is this?” he asked.  His voice was harsh and loud.  A musician, but not a singer.

“This is Patroclus,” Achilles said.  “He does not play, but he will learn.”

“Not on that instrument.”  The man’s hand swooped down to pluck the lyre from my hands.  Instinctively, my fingers tightened on it.  It was not as beautiful as my mother’s lyre, but it was still a princely instrument.  I did not want to give it up.

I did not have to.  Achilles had caught him by the wrist, mid-reach.  “Yes, on that instrument if he likes.”

That’s the whole story.  People don’t value Patroclus until Achilles forces them to.  I LOVE IT.

3. Would you like to live in the world that exists within your book? Why or why not?

Hm.  On the one hand, ancient Greece!?  Where the gods and goddesses are subtly real but not in an overly flashy way?  The nerd in me screams YES, but then…ancient Greece!?  Where honor is bound up in your ability to kill someone (haha, just kidding, I’m a woman – I wouldn’t have any honor)?  Practically, no, I wouldn’t want to live in this book.  But I sure do like living in it via Miller’s story.

StumbleUpon Sunday (16)

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StumbleUpon is a great way to lose hours of your life.  Luckily, I braved the Internet vortex so you don’t have to.  This week I found these especially interesting websites:

  1. Neonflames
    Swirl different colors around and make a galaxy!  This is completely mesmerizing.
    download
  2. 15 Multifunctional and Ingenius Furniture Designs Ever Made
    I want the couch/bed/desk and the desk bike!
  3. Out of the Ordinary Beauty Tips That Work
    Toothpaste on yellow nails, powdering greasy hair roots, brown sugar treats dandruff, and more weird (and cheap) solutions!
  4. On the Madness and Charm of Crushes
    This article is brilliant!  “The crush reveals how willing we are to allow details to suggest a whole.”  I readily admit that I take one gesture or sentence and automatically construct prince charming.
  5. TRENDS: 50 Fun Facts about Languages
    I especially liked the facts about endangered languages and the shout out to Tolkien’s 12 created languages.
  6. 30 Flat Design Color Palettes That Just Work 
    Very handy colors schemes for arts or crafts or home decorating!
  7. 10 Awesome Infographics for Graphic Designers
    Some of these are too specifically tailored for graphic designers, but the Psychology of Color (first one) is fascinating!
  8. Ink – Quotes about Writing by Writers
    “A writer lives, at least, in a state of astonishment. Beneath any feeling he has of the good or evil of the world lies a deeper one of wonder at it all. To transmit that feeling, he writes.” -William Sansom
  9. Most Beautiful Villages around the World
    This list wins points for largely ignoring picturesque European villages and instead finding beauty in poorer towns in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.
  10. 22 Incredible Photos of Faraway Places
    India, Yemen, Cambodia, Afghanistan…these pictures are stunning.

Harry Potter Challenge – Days 6-10

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This is Day 2 of my fulfilling Short Story Long‘s 30 Day Harry Potter Challenge.  Check out previous questions at the end of the post!

Day 6: Which house would you want to be in?

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This is the most important question in the universe.  For a long time, I thought I would be sorted into Ravenclaw.  Being smart is my thing.  But when I signed up for Pottermore, J.K. Rowling’s official Harry Potter website told me I belonged in Gryffindor–and thus began a mild existential crisis.  I never really wanted to be in Gryffindor, because that’s where everyone wants to be, but…what if I was wrong?  After all, I can’t argue with Queen Rowling herself!

The kicker came when my friend Lindsay gave me a Gryffindor Quidditch t-shirt for my 27th birthday (getting older but never growing up).  I asked how she chose the house.  She said she was debating between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor, but while I value my intelligence, she thinks I have a stronger desire to be brave.  And she was totally right.  So.  That’s the extremely long answer as to why I, a Ravenclaw, would definitely be sorted into Gryffindor (like Hermione and Remus Lupin).   Continue reading →

Inspirational Quotes Challenge

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Coolbeans4 challenged me to share three quotes in three days, but I’m going to follow her example and do all three at once!  Three times the inspiration.

1. Thank the person who nominated you.
2. Post a quote for 3 consecutive days (1 quote for each day).
3. Nominate three new bloggers.   Continue reading →

StumbleUpon Sunday (11)

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StumbleUpon is a great way to lose hours of your life.  Luckily, I braved the Internet vortex so you don’t have to.  This week I found these especially interesting websites:

  1. Sound Composition: Calm Thunder Storm
    Want to enjoy the soothing sounds of rain and thunder without ruining your hair or soaking your shoes?  This site is all the good without the bad!
  2. Map of Literary Road Trips
    How cool!  Now you can relive the journeys of On the Road or Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance…or just hang this on your wall and look cool.
  3. I Has a Bucket
    HAHA, okay, this has no value apart from restoring some fond college nostalgia.  Maybe it also has historical value, as one of the Internet’s first memes?
  4. 15 Books Every High School Student Should Read
    I haven’t read six of the recommended books, but based upon the nine that I have, I think this list is a great starting place for choosing readable classics.
  5. Architectural Watercolors by Maja Wronska
    Any art that makes me say, “Um, NO,” because I cannot fathom how it is possible deserves a spot on this list.
  6. Famous Television Show Home Floor Plans
    Take this to an architect and you too can live like Monica and Rachel.
  7. Underlined Book Quotes Become Clever Illustrations
    These are beautiful!  I particularly like the drawing for “listen, there’s a hell of a good universe next door, let’s go.”
  8. Some Perfectly Timed Photos – Part II
    Hehehe.  It’s always fun to indulge in some low brow humor.
  9. Halloween Costume Ideas – 50 Pics
    Never hurts to plan ahead…especially if you’re going to create Princess Leia and R2-D2 costumes for little toddlers OMG!
  10. 10 Ways to Up Your Campfire Cooking Game
    Mmmmm!  Lamb Ribs in Balsamic Huckleberry BBQ Sauce?  Yes please!

StumbleUpon Sunday (6)

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StumbleUpon is a giant collection of the best pages on the Internet.

StumbleUpon is a great way to lose hours of your life.  Luckily, I braved the Internet vortex so you don’t have to.  This week I found these especially interesting websites:

  1. Questionnaires for Writing Character Profiles
    Included are questionnaires for adults and for children characters to help you fully realize your creation, with questions like, “What does your character think is his or her worst quality?” and the equally important, “What do other people think your character’s worst quality is?”
  2. 19 Random Facts You’ve Probably Never Heard Before
    “Twelve people have walked on the moon.”
  3. The Winston Churchill Guide to Public Speaking
    This is a really cool look at the craft and care taken to create some of history’s most memorable speeches.
  4. Life Inspirations
    A bunch of inspiring quotes.  Two of my favorites are, “The naked truth is always better than the best-dressed lie,” and “Let’s make better mistakes tomorrow.”
  5. The 22 Rules to Perfect Storytelling According to Pixar
    These are really excellent.  “Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great.  Coincidences to get them out of it are cheating.”
  6. 30 of the Most Powerful Photographs Ever Taken
    I don’t know how a person can get through these photos without crying–they show the heights and depths of humanity with honesty, beauty, and horror.
  7. Awesome Elderly Street Artists Destroy Age Stereotypes in Portugal
    Old men and women get involved in graffiti in order to create beauty and bond with younger generations!  How cute!
  8. 45 Life Lessons, Written by a 90-Year-Old
    “Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.”
  9. What Not to Feed Your Pet [Infographic]
    Handy!
  10. Love and Money: Discussing Finances with Your Romantic Partner
    Great advice for having a hard but necessary conversation with your significant other.

College Quotes

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Packing means going through old memories, one of which was a folder full of quotes and pictures I hung on my dorm room door in college seven years ago.  I think the quotes capture the highs and lows of my interests pretty well.

  • “Love at first sight is easy to understand; it’s when two people have been looking at each other for a lifetime that it becomes a miracle.”
  • “When people are free to do as they please, they usually imitate each other.”
  • “You can’t have everything.  Where would you put it?”
  • “In dreams I was lifted up.  Borne from the darkness about rivers of fire, on wings soft as the wind.  What’s happening to the world?  Is everything sad going to come untrue?”
  • “Death twitches my ear.  ‘Live,’ he says, ‘I am coming.'”
  • “There is no remedy for love but to love more.”
  • “Evaporate, tall person!”
  • “One doesn’t discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore.”
  • “Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.”
  • “When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me.'”

(I didn’t keep track of who wrote these quotes, so I apologize for the lack of accreditation.  They definitely aren’t mine!)