The Kindness of Strangers

I love PostSecret. I read it every Sunday morning. Some of the secrets depress me; others make me laugh out loud. Some make me cringe and some I really identify with. Some, at the risk of sounding like a jerk, I believe to be made up and not actual secrets. Others are so dark I can't imagine anyone making them up. Some are bright and simple; noting the happiness found in life's little surprises.

Today's secrets included one that reminded me I have some thanking of strangers to do.



The same thing happened to me twice last winter, and I have often wondered who came to my assistance. I'll never know, but I will always be grateful.

Unlike the person who sent this postcard in, I did not have a seizure. I don't know what happened to me either time. For the time being, I am chalking it up to exhaustion. I had a lot of mentally, emotionally and physically demanding things going on this past winter. I tend to think I am invincible and can take on anything and everything. Human nature, I suppose.

Here in Charleston, I collapsed in the Town Center mall. In Kansas City, I hit the bricks right before boarding a flight at KCI. I don't remember either incident. In Kansas City, however, I did experience something like the "my entire life flashing before my eyes" phenomenon that people sometimes experience. It wasn't nearly as dramatic as it is made out to be in movies. I can't remember exactly what I "saw" but I do remember it was just a bunch of random, seemingly inconsequential snapshots of places and things I recognized.

No matter how sane we are in our waking lives, our brains are crazy and complex things.

Anyway, when I got the ambulance bills a few months later, both referred to a 911 call being the source of dispatch. There was something strangely touching about that. I know that sounds cheesy, but I was filled with gratitude and (even more cheesy) love for whomever made those calls. I know it's something I would do if I saw someone go base over apex and lose consciousness. I know it's something pretty much any human being would do. But when you're the one that is in need of help, knowing that someone was paying attention and made the effort to call for help really means a lot. It's hard to be vulnerable like that, and it's a very uncomfortable realization that I was unconscious in unfamiliar places, by myself, surrounded by strangers. I don't like to think about it, but I do often think about the people who helped me, and I wish I could thank them. Since I can't thank them in person, I'll just send it out to the universe via my blog.

Dear persons who helped me when I needed it,
Thank you.

The Mighty Amazon

Every now and then, something really awesome happens to me. Today I was cleaning out the pockets of my padfolio and found a $100 gift certificate for Amazon.com that I totally forgot I had. Rock and roll! So, I went shopping. Here's what $100 at Amazon gets a girl like me:

On the book front, I kept it practical yet interesting. These two books encompass the two main aspects of web design that I am most passionate about: attractive design and positive user experience.

Bulletproof Web Design by Dan Cederholm

I am a huge fan of this guy's work. This book has been recommended to me several times, and now I have it! It'll be an invaluable resource for both work and personal projects, and I can't wait to dig into it.



Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug

I'm committed to making sure websites and user interfaces I create are as effortless and pleasant to use as possible, but as new technologies emerge there are new challenges that can potentially impede a positive experience for the end user. This book has been referenced several times at various conferences I have been to, and I'm looking forward to the big picture.



And now for sheer frivolity... MOVIES! These are two of my favorites. Being that both are Criterion Collection releases (cha-ching), I probably wouldn't buy them out of the blue with my own hard-earned scratch.

First, one of my top five all-time favorite movies ever: Down By Law. This is SUCH an amazing film. For starters, it opens with scenes of New Orleans accompanied by Tom Waits' Jockey Full of Bourbon from his album Rain Dogs (one of my top five all-time favorite albums ever). Awesome. Tom Waits, John Lurie and Roberto Begnini are the most insanely and brilliantly matched trio in film history. The shots, the music, the acting... this is the film that made me fall in love with Jim Jarmusch's work.



Second, and another favorite of mine: Fishing with John. A collection of television segments originally aired on Asian television; Fishing with John is... different. Tom Waits, Dennis Hopper, Jim Jarmusch, Willem Dafoe and Matt Dillon (for some reason) each join John Lurie on a fishing expedition, which is filmed documentary style. The voice-overs are deadpan and, at times, subtly twisted. Rumor has it that after filming his episode, Tom Waits was so pissed off at John Lurie that he didn't talk to him for two years. Incidentally, the Tom Waits episode is one of the most entertaining.



I've had a couple people I've recommended Fishing with John to totally hate it. I understand why. It's weird and out there. I love it.

So make it snappy, USPS... I want the fruits of my free money now (but totally didn't spring for expedited shipping)!

Baby's First West Virginia Day

Mountaineers are always free.

Today is West Virginia day. In honor of West Virginia day, I'd like to take a little time to write about the state I have been calling home for a short three and a half months.

Recently, Vice President Dick Cheney made a joke about West Virginia, inferring that West Virginians have a proclivity for inbreeding. I'm not a native West Virginian, and I have only been a resident of the state since March. So, I didn't feel it was my place to be offended by the VP's attempt at humor. It's not the first time I'd heard West Virginia made fun of in such a way, so I just kind of rolled my eyes and thought to myself, "Old meme." I don't care for lazy, hackneyed humor and that's what this was. Besides, I seem to have a pattern of living in misunderstood states so I've heard all the tired, predictable jokes before. Houses in Alabama still have dirt floors; everyone from Utah has five mothers. West Virginia is populated with inbred ridge runners. Sure, there are some people here who play the banjo, but so did my dad, who was from southern California. The hills here are not alive with the sound of dueling banjos. For the record, Deliverance was set in Georgia, not West Virginia. People here seem pretty easygoing, and I haven't met anyone who thought Cheney's joke was a huge deal. What seems to have bothered most people was his quip about not having to watch what he says anymore now that he's not running for re-election.

But, my blog isn't about politics. It's about wild, wonderful West Virginia and the things I've discovered in my short time here. So, without further ado, here is a list of the things I love, in no particular order, about West Virginia... keeping in mind that I haven't had much of a chance to get very far outside of Charleston.

• Taylor Books
  I love this bookstore. It's progressive, has an excellent inventory, a great sale section, always smells like coffee (they've got a coffee bar) and is in a beautiful little spot on Capitol Street.
  
• The Blossom Deli
  I've never been for dinner, but the lunch offerings are nothing short of transcendent. Having tried every sandwich on the left-hand side of the menu, I'm kind of an authority on the topic. They have cream of mushroom soup once a month, and that's a day I never miss.
  
• The Capitol Market
  It's a farmer's market, and so much more. Besides farmer's market items including seasonal plants and produce, there is a wine shop, fish market, butcher, produce and bulk food market, restaurant, book store, coffee bar and foodstuffs/gift items specific to West Virginia. Last weekend I got a scented geranium for my patio. I've been looking for one of those for YEARS. I love this place.
  
• The Kanawha River
  I wouldn't dip my littlest toe into it, but I love the Kanawha river. I live about three blocks from the river, and work a block away from it. There is a trail that is wonderful for walking and biking, and at lunchtime it's a wonderful place to sit and watch the coal barges and speedboats go by. At night, the lights of Charleston reflect off the water. During her visit, Mom commented that this made Charleston remind her a lot of the little towns on Lake Geneva, Switzerland.
  
• The New River Gorge and Bridge
  When mom visited in April, we took a trip down to Fayetteville to check out the famed New River Gorge bridge. It is one of the most amazing structures I have ever seen! Photos do not do the massive nature of the bridge justice. More than the bridge, though, the entire area is breathtakingly beautiful. Green, rugged, completely alive. We drove back to Charleston on the Midland Trail, which at one point hugs the Gauley river and is dotted with small towns. I hope to be able to explore that area more in-depth during my time here.
  

Those are just a few things that I have fostered an affinity for here in the past couple months. I know as I get more established in the area, the list will grow.

So, in honor of West Virginia day, there you have it. And, I hope this doesn't disappoint anyone... but I haven't met any inbred, sinister, grossly disfigured hillbillies up here. Everyone I have interacted with here is intelligent, educated, creative, warm and friendly. Downtown Charleston's vibe is both chic and funky. Granted, I have wound up in a couple hollar-type places while out on drives that were kind of unsettling, but I think that stems from the one way in, one way out nature of these little pockets and an unfamiliarity with the area. Otherwise, this place is the same as every other place in the country in ways to be expected, and special for its unique assets and charms.

Now if you'll excuse me, I've gotta go check on my 'shine.

Thoughts on Tim Russert's Passing

It's a rare occurrence that I write about my family in a public setting. Tonight, I feel compelled to write about my father as I watch coverage surrounding Tim Russert's unexpected passing earlier today.

I'll get to dad in a moment.

Tim Russert was a great journalist. Political, broadcast or otherwise, he was a class act in what has become a sea of sensationalism and sleaze in broadcast media. Watch any network news channel and you'll be bombarded with pundits posing as journalists who will say anything to get viewers riled up. Why? To increase numbers, amass a fan base, get a book deal, make lots of money... check those ethics at the door. Tim Russert brought a sense of legitimacy and dignity to an otherwise shallow news media; a gentleman in the Don-Henley-Dirty-Laundry industry.

Meet the Press is a program that I have very much enjoyed for some time now. I'm not a religious person, but I do have a little Sunday morning "church service" I draw a lot of peace and inspiration from, and that is watching CBS News Sunday Morning. And, every time Sunday Morning would end, I would flip over to Meet the Press. This Sunday morning ritual has been a part of me for some time. It was a wonderful way to start my own special Sabbath, several hours of televised arts and culture followed by political discussion, all delivered by pleasant personalities. By mid-day, I'd feel that my creative, spiritual and intellectual selves had been re-charged. Sunday morning is going to feel strange this week.

Watching his colleagues speak of him is very touching. It takes me back to the days following the death of my father, reminded of the wonderful things that people would say to us about him. The theme was solid: My dad was remembered as a good man, an honest man, a man dedicated to his faith, his family and his country. A man who, as a high school art teacher, touched lives. At dad's funeral, students from many years back came out to pay their respects. He was only one year away from retiring from the profession he loved and was so skilled at.

Those memories, despite the pain surrounding the event, are heart-warming. Other memories that stem from this coverage are more difficult to re-visit.

Tim Russert passed away the same way my dad did, suddenly... unexpectedly. My dad was 56. It was four days after the 9/11 attacks. Dad kept himself in good health. He was not a drinker, not a smoker, kept himself in check. While watching commentary this evening, it was reported that Tim Russert had a stress test in late April and passed with flying colors. I felt a pang in my own heart as I remembered that being the exact same scenario with my dad. He, too, had a clean bill of health at the last checkup he had... about a month before he died.

Collapsed and died. I've heard that before.

But there's one phrase that I keep hearing that hits me the hardest, and I really need to change the channel to VH-1 or something lame and non-challenging. That phrase is: He could not be revived.

He could not be revived.

I've heard those words. I heard them in a hospital emergency room on a sunny Saturday morning in September, a day that we as a family were planning to spend together helping one of my brothers move.

That is one of the single worst statements a person can hear, I can assure you. And it's something you never forget. Technical, matter-of-fact, yet so loaded with emotion.

I know the pain Tim Russert's family is feeling, as well as anyone who has lost someone they've loved deeply. Whether the inevitable loss lingered or was sudden, the rug is yanked out from under you and all you can do is love them, honor their memory and carry on.

This time of year is always very difficult for me due to all the father's day advertising and so forth. But while the difficulty of the loss varies in intensity depending on the time of year, not a day goes by when I don't think of him and hope that I am making him proud.

If you're still reading this, I want to say one last thing. Love your parents. Love your children. Love your siblings, your grandparents, your significant others, your friends, your pets... be kind to the people you interact with be they stranger or friend. This life is a frenzied one and its easy to lose track of people we care about. But this life is also short, and can end at any moment.

And that's all I have to say about all of this. Thank you for reading.

New State Website User Friendly

From Metro News:

05/28/2008

The state of West Virginia has a new website with the goal of making it simpler to learn about state government.

Department of Administration spokeswoman Diane Holley says wv.gov will hopefully make it as simple as possible for the public to come to the site and find any information they want about state government.

Holley says the website is topic-driven rather than agency-driven. She says users don't have to know which state government provides which service. She says using an internal google search will look for the information by topic, directing the user to the correct agency.

The site also offers the opportunity to do business electronically with the state. Holley says those opportunities will continue to increase in the months to come. The site also includes an on-line help feature with live chats with a customer service representative from 8-5 weekdays.

"Our goal is to enhance technology with the state of West Virginia's government and this is just one step we are making towards that goal," Holley said.

The state has worked with nationally recognized eGovernment firm NIC to design the site. The new site was built without the use of taxpayer dollars; a public-private partnership was used instead.

The address of the official state website is www.wv.gov.

Oklahoma, Okay!

Summer camp is over.

I recently returned from a four-day company conference in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City has always held a certain charm for me. I've never met anyone from Oklahoma whom I didn't like, and while this was only my second visit, both visits were time spent with warm and interesting people and being pleasantly surprised by the city itself.

The best thing about the conference was being able to spend time with so many of the creative, progressive, inspirational people I work with. We're spread out all over the country, but have never been reluctant to reach out and share ideas and insights with each other. I don't think that happens in many companies, and I feel very fortunate to work with such a dynamic and talented group of people. It was wonderfully refreshing to see both familiar and new faces and talk shop with fellow new media dazzlers.

Now, peep this cool snap I took in Bricktown:

Google? Really?

I just noticed Google's new favicon.

It's weak. I'd have expected more from Google. Granted, one doesn't have much of a canvas to work with when creating a favicon. That poses many challenges. But seriously, Google? This?



Since I can't harp on the blasé without sharing some fancy, the following article from Smashing Magazine has an impressive listing of tiny, yet truly lovely, favicons.

Inspire Yourself: 50 Remarkable Favicons

Fav on!