We’re pleased and honored to announce that ConstantChatter just got picked up by Guy Kawasaki’s latest project, Alltop.com. Alltop.com helps “you explore your passions by collecting stories from “all the top” sites on the web.
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What can you tell me about The Happiness Project?

I’m working on a book called The Happiness Project (forthcoming HarperCollins 2009) an account of the year I spent test-driving every conceivable principle about how to be happy, from Aristotle to Ben Franklin to Oprah to Martin Seligman. On my blog, The Happiness Project, I report on my daily adventures on my way to becoming happier.

But the Happiness Project is more than my book and blog! It’s a whole movement! I’m trying to convince EVERYONE to have a happiness project. I’ve discovered that it’s true – if you actually do all the things you know you should do (go to bed on time, exercise, stop nagging, stop gossiping, take time for fun, take photographs, etc.), you really can make yourself happier.
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Woman aircraft worker, Vega Aircraft Corporation, Burbank, Calif. Shown checking electrical assemblies (LOC)
Originally uploaded by The Library of Congress.

I was catching up on some blogs the other day and I learned that the Library of Congress has put over 3000 photos up on Flickr as part of a pilot project.  They’re broken down into two separate groupings: News in the 1910’s and the 1930’s - 1940’s.

From the Library’s perspective, this pilot project is a statement about the power of the Web and user communities to help people better acquire information, knowledge and—most importantly—wisdom. One of our goals, frankly, is to learn as much as we can about that power simply through the process of making constructive use of it.

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While you’re still thinking about your New Year’s Resolutions, why not include a few simple goals that can help change the world in which we live. If we all aspire to make some simple changes to our habits in the coming year, we can have an enormous impact on the environment and the global warming crisis. Here are five easy ways in which you can do the right thing in 2008:
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Over the last few years, social consciousness has increased about our own personal environmental impact and responsibility. This year, my husband and I decided to try to step up our awareness during the holiday season and have a “Low Carbon Footprint” Christmas. Some friends of ours are having a “No Carbon Footprint Christmas” which I found inspiring but a little daunting right out of the box! I thought I would share with you some simple changes we’re making that might even inspire you, too.
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1. Scour the ads ahead of time. Stores put out their Black Friday sale ads in the Thursday paper. If you’re really ambitious, check out sites like bfads.net, or the black Friday section of slickdeals.net.

2. Know what you want and of what importance it is. Are you more concerned with the TV at Best Buy or the laptop at Circuit City? Make a plan and hit the store with your most wanted item first.

3. Split up. If you can recruit your husband, your mother or your friend to go with you, decide on which stores you will hit and cut the list in half. You’re more likely to get everything you want if you can cover more than one store simultaneously, or at least have a placeholder in line.

4. Show up early. Surely the tryptophan has kicked in by now, but if you want any chance of getting a hold of big ticket items, you’re going to have to grab some Starbucks and settle in for the long haul. Most of the people out there on Black Friday are experts who have been doing it for years. They ARE willing to sit out all night if it means getting a 42 inch LCD for $800.

5. Save your rebate forms. A lot of the great deals out there require mail-in rebates, or MIR. Stores like Best Buy and Circuit City will print the forms out with your receipt. If you throw them away, you might just be out of luck. Circuit City does employ an online rebate website, so that makes things a little easier. If you forget this, you very well may end up paying more for the item than you would on a normal sales day.

6. Save your receipts (but not in your bag). It’s good practice at any time but especially around the holidays. When the cashier asks you if you want the receipt in the bag, say “No thanks, I’ll take it.” Then put it somewhere safe in your purse. If you leave the receipt in the bag with the items, you increase the chance of someone picking up the bag when you aren’t looking to claim those items as their own.

7. Be nice to the store workers, servers and others who are there to help you. They most likely are not enjoying this, and they will have their fair share of Scrooges. An extra smile and a “Thank you!” might be what gets them through the day.

8. Take advantage of online deals. If you can’t bear the thought of fighting the crazies the day after thanksgiving, try your hand at online shopping. Not all deals will be available online-door busters are usually limited to brick and mortar stores-but most stores offer some of their in-store deals online, as well as many online-only offers. There’s also Cyber Monday, the first Monday after thanksgiving that has become known for great online deals.

9. Enjoy yourself! It’s easy to focus solely on saving the most money, but Black Friday can be a lot of fun. It’s a great opportunity to grab some coffee and a bagel and people watch. That way you’ll know there are crazier people out there than you.

KK812 & Cali*Girl

A few years ago I got some coupons for a chain clothing store. They were good only on Black Friday, so I thought, what the heck - might as well give it a shot. It was horrible. Even after the morning rush was over, the stores were packed. The employees were overworked and angry, the customers were dazed and rude, and the sales weren’t even that great. That was the year I said, “Never again.”

That might seem a little drastic, but it made perfect sense for me, since I have a mild phobia of crowds to begin with. But over time I’ve come to see this act to preserve my own sanity as more of a principled stance. After all, we bemoan the ugly consumerism of the Christmas season, but we kick off our celebrations by trampling each other at dawn for the latest hot toy. We scoff at how early stores start advertising and decorating for Christmas, but then we reward them for their efforts by lining up around the block to take advantage of the sales we’ve been reading about. We can shake our heads all we want, but the only way to reverse this trend is to refuse to participate in it.

Lately, there’s been a movement to take the anti-Black Friday sentiment a step further and declare it “Buy Nothing Day.” You can read more about it here - it’s a form of protest against consumerism. While critics point out (correctly) that it doesn’t actually do anything to reduce consumption, since people will just postpone their shopping to the weekend, I like to think of it more as a spiritual exercise. Taking some time at the beginning of the holiday season to step back and mentally prepare can only be a good thing.

If you’re thinking of participating, you can find some ideas for alternate activities here. Personally, I’ll be taking some time to prioritize my charitable giving for the coming year, something I’ve been meaning to do for awhile, but haven’t had the time. However, I’m not 100% sure I’ll be able to follow an absolute spending moratorium, mainly because I was thinking of going to the movies with my mom. I’ll give myself a pass on that one, mainly because I live 300 miles away from my mom, and we don’t get that much time to spend together. Regardless, I do know I’ll head into the Christmas season without anything crossed off my Christmas list, but a little calmer.

PG-Rated

It’s the attack of the acronyms! But more to the point, it seems that November is the month that’s begging you embrace your inner-writer and let her run free. Not only is it National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), but it’s also National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo).

Many people insist that the Great American Novel is living inside them, if they just had the time or the focus or the commitment to write it all down. The folks that created NaNoWriMo insist that this is “a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing.” The goal is to write a 175-page novel (50,000 words) in one month. You can break this up however you wish, though most shoot for daily average. No one grades you. No one guarantees that it will even be something that makes much sense. In fact, all that matters is that you write - it’s all about quantity, not quality.

Since this is a movement, so to speak, you can find plenty of support online (there are even blogging and LJ communities devoted to this). One of the great things about getting involved in NaNoWriMo is that you’re a part of a group working on the same goal. You’ve got support. You’ve got deadlines. You’ve got accountability. What more could you ask for when writing your Great American Novel? If you need even more support, you can join your fellow CCers also taking part in NaNoWriMo.

For those of you that need something a little less stressful, there’s NaBloPoMo. With NaBloPoMo it’s really quite simple, all you need is a blog and the ability to post something, anything every day for the month of November. You don’t have to have a fancy blog (the freebies out there all work just fine). You don’t have to write a book (ha!). Some folks choose a theme - 30 days of meals and recipes, 30 days of photos, 30 days of poems, 30 days of thanks, etc. - but really, you can blog about anything you wish.

The main NaBloPoMo community takes place over at Ning.com, but you don’t have to keep (yet another) blog over there. As long as you register and provide a link to your blog, folks will find you. Through their groups section, you’re sure to find someone with common interests. It’s really a fun and easy way to meet some new bloggers you might never have discovered otherwise.

So come on, November 1st is right around the corner. Get those creative juices flowing. Hope to read you soon!

Along with Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October comes a large swell of pink-themed merchandise trotted out to raise funds for cancer research. If you’re interested in not only making a contribution, but also showing your support for the cause, these items may be just what you’re looking for.

Pink Ribbon Shop offers everything from golf balls to jewelry. Some of their most clever items:
- super cute pink ribbon pencils

- adorable pink floral ribbon temporary tattoos

- beautiful beaded bookmark

The fabulous gift site Red Envelope

has a number of nice breast cancer awareness items. All would make lovely gifts. Here are a couple of my favorite items:
- rose quartz drop necklace

- think pink bamboo terry robe - bonus: this item is made from sustainable organic bamboo

Other assorted items from around the web include:
- OPI Pink of Hearts Nail Polish
- Cook for the Cure KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer
- a zillion cute t-shirts from CafePress
- Mobile Edge pink suede business tote

If a straight-up donation is more your speed, here are some options to explore:
- Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
- National Breast Cancer Coalition
- Cancer Research Institute
- Susan G. Komen for the Cure
- American Cancer Society

Post and share other cool merchandise ideas and suggestions for where to make donations in the comments.

Lawyerlee

I am supposed to be writing about my distaste for being scared. I am supposed to be writing about how I don’t like being chased through corn mazes by actors with chainsaws or jumping out of my seat at some zombie hand reaching out of the darkness. It’s simple, you see. There are enough frightening things in real life, real monsters that lurk behind the facade of “bad things don’t happen here”, that I don’t feel the need to seek out fake frights.

Two days ago I asked my husband to take out the Halloween decorations before he left for his weeklong business trip to the Bay Area. That Sunday, as I sat at work, some calls started coming in about a wildfire in the area, and people asked if were we boarding pets. I drove home that night, not particularly worried- until I rounded a corner and saw orange flames in the distance.
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