Free Vector Graphics by Vecteezy

Hello and happy Friday, happy February! I am going to be unabashed about a few of my beloved interests (crafts, Stardew Valley, AMERICAN GIRL DOLLS) in this post, and I invite you to nerd out with me a little 🙂

1. Why a Longtime Google Exec Thinks We Need to Slow the Internet Down a Bit, Vox. This article advocates for more “friction” on the internet — that is, longer loading time, editor/peer review processes, more obstacles between you and your first impulses. I think this is interesting, because I would have expected that the easier it is to share and publish information the better, but the article points out that this leads us toward communicating in a way that is “harder, faster, angrier, lonelier.” But he says that “friction creates space in the system where judgment can intercede, where second thoughts can be had, where decisions can be made. Look at organizations with longer time lags and more editors and you get better, calmer, more considered coverage.” This article is brief but says all the right things for me about “rediscovering the value of things being a little slower and a little less efficient.”
2. How to Declutter and Organize Your Personal Tech in a Few Simple Steps, NYT. This is definitely something I am looking for in a season of tidying up and clearing out. My sprawling collection of photos is definitely the area I have the most trouble cleaning up but I found some good tips here: “Start by trimming out the easy ones: duplicate photos, blurry shots and old screenshots. Then move on to the harder part: deleting the photos that were decent but not your favorites. Mr. Bartolomei said people could look at each photo and ask themselves a few questions: “Is this something you want to see again? Does it make you happy? Do you want to spend more time with this photo in the future?” If you answer no to any of those questions, the photo can probably go in the trash bin.”
3. Tips for Getting Through a Bad Season, Buzzfeed. Is late winter a “Bad Season” for you? I think it is a tough time for a lot of people. Rachel Wilkerson Miller was one of my favorite writers on Buzzfeed (she was recently laid off in that terrible wave of layoffs there), and her tips on dealing with your tough season are pretty solid. Aiming for more time in nature, maybe less time with alcohol or your phone, and my favorite: “Put water on the problem: Take a shower, take a bath, wash your feet, go for a swim, walk along a river, go to a shore…when your Bad Season is really getting you down, water can be really damn soothing, and a good quick fix.” I used to know someone in high school who had a hard time every February, and she made sure all of her friends and family knew that that was a great time to send her “thinking of you” messages or plan movie nights with her. That stuck with me, as an early example of asking for what you need from the people who love you.
4.  The Joy and Pain of Starting Over in Stardew Valley, Polygon. This is a nice little piece reporting on Stardew Valley moving on to the Nintendo Switch. I have this game on PC and I love it so much. It’s so relaxing and beautifully designed. “Stardew Valley is not a complicated game. In fact, it’s almost mesmerizingly dull. You wake up in the morning, tend to your crops and animals, maybe go into town to shop or crack open some geodes or socialize with the locals, and then go to bed. Sometimes you explore one of the nearby mines and kill monsters. Sometimes you flirt, usually by walking up to people and, without introduction or fanfare, presenting them with their favorite meal. There is only one bus in Stardew Valley, and you are always the sole passenger.” Also I just found out about this awesome farm planner website that I’m gonna use to design my next farm!
5. @5hensandacockatiel, IG. Nerding out over this Instagram (“dollstagram”) account. I love Sydney Rose Paulsen’s styling of American Girl dolls! Her photoshoots are exactly what I used to imagine and attempt when I would play with my 18″ dolls (I am thinking specifically of a time I dressed all my dolls up for winter weather and posed them in a “snowdrift” in our front yard). I love what she does with lighting and scale, and my miniature-loving heart also delighted in all the accessories and clothes that have boomed in this industry since I was little. Makes me want to get out my dolls and hold their little shoes and jackets again.

Bonus features:

• My Love of Old People Cooking Videos – More excellent “slow TV” style links in this piece, specifically of older cooks showing recipes they know well. I enjoyed the gumbo one. Looking forward to watching more of these this weekend!
• 30 Most Brilliant Organizing Ideas of All Time (Kitchn) – Some good “small kitchen” space-saving ideas here that I’m going to float by David as we wrangle with our little renter kitchen!
• The Evolution of the Alphabet graphic – I would love this beautiful chart as a poster for my office.
• DIY: Making New Candles Out of Leftover wax and Old Candle Jars – Hmm, this tutorial makes remixing old candles look easy. Anyone want to spend an afternoon with me trying it out?