The Post About The Rabbit Recommends v.33

Each weekend, I post a readable, a watchable, and a listenable of which I'm fond. You can choose what happens next. Earlier volumes can be found here.

Read

I read The 21 Laws of Leadership several years ago and ate it up. But at the time, I only managed to lead people to eat out with me when I paid. I wasn't able to put the theories into practice. However, new responsibilities at my day job require the ability to influence others, so I'm revisiting the master of all things leadership - John C. Maxwell. This book is great at convincing you that you could effectively lead co-workers, family, or other cars in traffic to rally against the truck that just cut you off.

Watch


Liz and Dennis. 2gether4ever. See more clips and full episodes of 30 Rock at Hulu.com. You can also watch it the old fashioned way on NBC on Thursday nights. I don't care how you get there, just get there when you can. Shout out Yolanda.

Listen

A band from Possum Kingdom, South Carolina. I know what you're thinking - they must be phenomenal. And you're on the money. Last week, I recommended a great live band, and Needtobreathe is the first runner up for the tiara. They are a cozy blend of southern and comfort. This song, "Something Beautiful" is from their newest album "The Outsiders." The lead singer's name is "Bear." Remember, phenomenal and coming to a kingdom near you.

The Post About Crows Can Prop Their Feet Elsewhere

My Mom has always been a natural beauty. She's never been wrapped up in creams or potions. She hasn't been frightened by a gray hair. And she's never considered a wrinkle a death sentence.

I wish I could say the apple didn't fall far, but...

This is my front line arsenal of weapons against Mr. Time and his march across my face. Seven carefully choreographed steps intended to ward off what the years would have me think is classic beauty or aging gracefully.

I AM NOT FOOLED.


I also utilize a second line of defense. This includes a nightly super defense moisturizer, weekly turnaround mask and matching moisturizer, as well as a daily redness reducer with built in SPF.

What?


But this is my secret weapon - Neutrogena Healthy Skin Rejuvenator. Recommended by my dermatologist who warned me my face would rebel against all the rejuvenation. And it has. My face has broken out like a 13-year-old with no friendship bracelets and a retainer shootin' spit left and right. But Dr. Skin said to hold tight because I would win the war.

Did you hear that dermis? I will win.

So what about you? Do you slow dance with vanity more than you should?

{images: Jamie}

The Post About Brownies and Bedouins

My friend Jessi is a giver. She gives her time, energy, and whole sections of her life to great causes. She also gives baked goods:


This delightful box was delivered this weekend as a reward for taking part in Jessi's personal Bake Sale for Bedouins International. Bedouins provides high quality media to those people and organizations who have a story to tell. Stories that are changing the world.


By me being a consumer of all things peanut butter, Jessi will get one small step closer to Kenya.


She is going there to help tell the story of the Kiini Sustainable Initiative. The KSI works to eliminate poverty and empower youth and women in marginalized communities.

Not a bad mission statement.

You can help. Really.

Here's what the Board Chairman of Bedouins has to say about it:
What is media and why do i care? Media is a force that shapes your understanding of the world around you. Media has the ability to open our eyes to global politics, global injustice, global peace and global celebrations. All around us is media. Call it Fox News, CNN, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube or even mass text messages. Media is everywhere. And guess what? You, my friend, have the power to shape the stories that are told. You're an artist. A storyteller. People listen to you. People are inspired by you. You want to carry influence. You want to change the world. You want to shape the way stories are told. Be the storyteller you desire to be.

Tell a story today. One that matters.

Even if brownies are not included.

{images: Jamie}

The Post About My Petite Sirloin with Google Maps

This is where I drive:

I do so with less multitasking than in the past since Bugs, the iPhone, is quite the curmudgeon when it comes to texting while driving. Or it could be the size of my hitch-hiking thumbs.

I like to know where I'm going whenever I get behind the wheel. Therefore, I depend heavily on the kindness of Google Maps. But could I make a suggestion to Larry and Sergey?

Let's start skipping to step 4 from now on when you develop the route from A to B.

I don't need to know whether to turn left or right out of my driveway.

This is a small beef.

{image: Jamie}

The Post About The Rabbit Recommends v.32

Pre-Script: Work swallowed me whole for seven days. I have now been spewed forth. Let's get back to the business of chasing rabbits.

Each weekend, I post a readable, a watchable, and a listenable of which I'm fond. You can choose what happens next. Earlier volumes can be found here.

Read

I don't cook. Most meals at my home are eaten at my bathroom sink (while plastering my AM face) or while watching Tivo after a super long day. Umm...I may need a life. But Everyday with Rachael Ray always boosts my food esteem. At least for the day it came in the mail.

Watch

I will confess I have ingested as much teen entertainment AFTER crossing over to adulthood as before. And Zac Efron is one reason. However, I knew 17 Again would be a waste of his hair. But no... It was much better than I expected. And not just because I may or may not be a puma. The scene in the cafeteria is well worth the $1 at Redbox.

Listen


Old news: I love MuteMath. Their new album, Armistice, is a lovely mix of great Paul Meany vocals and a snazzy synthesizer. Yes, it can be snazzy. Alternative Press crowned them the "#1 band to see live before you die." Alternative Press should be renamed Youaredangstraight Press.

The Post About The Rabbit Recommends v.31

Each weekend, I post a readable, a watchable, and a listenable of which I'm fond. You can choose what happens next. Earlier volumes can be found here.

Read

Author Francine Rivers normally gets noticed for her bestseller Redeeming Love. And rightfully so - I recommended it in my first month of blogging. But truly my favorite is her Mark of the Lion series. These three books tell the tale of persecution and perseverance of 1st-century Christians in hedonistic Rome. Rivers gives romance a backseat to the challenge of living out one's faith in the midst of turmoil and tragedy. It's a beautiful literary take on the Billy Graham quote "It's the Holy Spirit's job to convict, God's job to judge, and our job to love." He's right.

Watch

Squee. Project Runway is back. And on a basic cable channel. Bravo is lovely, but it didn't make the catastrophic Jamie budget cut of 2008. You may think this is a girlie show and your assessment is pretty much on target. But indulge. It's a reality show with talent and very few transmitted diseases (yes, I'm talking to you Bret). Season 6 premieres August 20 on Lifetime.

Listen


I really like country music. Not necessarily the country music involving a bar brawl and an illegitimate child, but I do love a good story and a steel guitar. And an attractive boy with well-placed tattoos and an Aussie accent. Keith Urban recently released an iTunes Originals album (which I always adore) and You'll Think of Me is the perfect song for those youshouldhavedatedmeinsteadofthegirlwiththelonglegsandeventualmustache moods.

The Post About How Damon Taunts Me So

This is how I feel about my work phone. I have named him Damon. One letter off.

CURSE THE RINGING!!!

Email, I would name thee light and love and fairydust.

What's one thing you would change about your work? The people, the desk chair, the smell?

{image: Jamie}

The Post About Blue Collar Love Affairs

Phone conversation from last night:

Caryann: The guy who delivered my washer and dryer was great.

Me: Really?

Caryann: Yeah.

Me: Was he cute?

Caryann: I guess so - for a young married guy.

Me: Wait...what is up with me being overly attracted to blue collar guys?

Caryann: I don't know.

Me: I need someone with an income.

Caryann: You just need...someone.

The Post About No Shirt, No Service

Still swamped at work, but thought I'd take a quick lunch break and share with you my educational and humiliating experience from yesterday.

I love Sara Blakely. She changed my life. And my size.

Blakely is the southern belle who created Spanx.

The mission of these fabulous undergarments is to hide imperfections and suck you in just a hair.

Or more than a hair, if possible.

They're a staple in my wardrobe and I wear them almost daily. When I don't wear them, I can breathe a little easier, but the anxiety of feeling especially plump cancels out the extra intake of oxygen.

Yesterday, I was juggling coffee and ironing and eyeliner and Matt Lauer when I dashed out the door headed to an appointment. I threw my workload in the backseat, adjusted the radio and backed out of the driveway. As I began to turn onto the street, I realized something.

I forgot to put on a shirt.

The only thing between me and the heavens was my Spanx. I'm sure my neighbor cutting the grass thought it was time for me to lay off the pizza delivery since my top was super tight.

Or perhaps he thought I was a prostitute.

Either way...fail.

{image: Spanx}

The Post About The Rabbit Recommends v.30

Each weekend, I post a readable, a watchable, and a listenable of which I'm fond. You can choose what happens next. Earlier volumes can be found here.

Read

I'm placing this in the "Read" category because you need to know how to do that to play this game. Or at least spell. Could you do one without the other? Maybe. No matter... This is MustPopWords by Bart Bonte. It is free and addictive. Objective is to spell words with the letter bubbles provided in order for them to pop. Game ends when you reach more than 50 bubbles waiting for you to remember how to spell a word with three "U's". Downside? If you're like me, then you realize under pressure you only know how to spell a lot of 3-letter words.

Watch

The first movie I ever recommended to you was Memento. This movie is in the same quirky, yet fabulous category. Sliding Doors follows two parallel scenarios all determined by whether Helen (Gwyneth Paltrow) catches her train or misses it. The dialogue is quick and smart and the performances by the cast are top-notch.

Listen


I adore So You Think You Can Dance (yay for Jeanine!) Not only does it encourage me to overestimate my own abilities regarding the dance, but it introduces me to music I absolutely love. My favorite of recent is Róisín Murphy. She's a delightful blend of Irish, Jazz, and Electronica. This song, Ruby Blue, makes dancing in the living room vacuuming a treat.

The Post About Lightening Your Load with Cake

I've been wading.

Wading in a pile of work whose mission is to overwhelm.

I will overcome it.

And my weapon of choice?

Baby Bites. The kind of babies I want to fill up my house with. And my belly.


Pastry Art in Homewood, Alabama makes my workload lighter.


Not my buttload.

So here's the question? What do you turn to when you need to manage some stress?

{images: Jamie}

The Post About Looking for Luke and Obi-Wan

When I was a kid, I would double bun my hair and take a broken broom handle to every tree in the yard. I was both saving myself and waiting for the Millenium Falcon to sweep in and get me outta there. Then I hit fourth grade and my perm and collection of friendship bracelets demanded another lifestyle.

This tree that was birthed in my yard over 100 years ago gently calls me back to lazy days of light sabers and fuzzy wookies. But I've hit adulthood and my mortgage and collection of handbags demands another lifestyle.

If you could skip work or school or whatever demands your time - what from your childhood would you spend the time doing?

{image: Jamie}

The Post About The Rabbit Recommends v.29

Each weekend, I post a readable, a watchable, and a listenable of which I'm fond. You can choose what happens next. Earlier volumes can be found here.

Read

Many of you are bloggers and quite good at it. Some of you are thinking about your first launch into the blogosphere. Either way, it's helpful to have a tour guide for the trip, which is why I recommend ProBlogger. Darren Rowse and his team are full of experience and wisdom that will help you feel a little bit better about being blog-overwhelmed. I suggest starting with 31 Days to Building a Better Blog. I'm still working on day 5.

Watch

What party tricks can your 5-year-old do? FYI: Tying a shoe is not really that impressive. The urlesque blog shares 10 different kids, ages 3 to 10, showing off their mad rock skills. The video above is 5-year-old Wesley (whose parents may not have thoroughly thought out that haircut) playing and singing Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues." I want to squoosh his face at the 47 second mark.

Listen

I fell in love with musical theater after sitting on the front row of Rent at the Nederlander Theater in New York City 10 years ago. Today, I saw Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Virgina Samford Theatre in my hometown. It reminded me how much I still love great talent singing and dancing their hearts out. And the absence of shirts did not hurt. This song is No Good Deed from Wicked. I love when a person decides to be evil and there's a soundtrack for the moment.