Just One Frickin' Day

I love getting emails in my inbox every day.

I know that for most people, it's just spam but I love to find new deals, new websites, companies, charities, etc. I truly enjoy discovering new things via the fabu internet. When I get my daily emails from Daily Sugar and Daily Candy, I'm always excited to hear about the next best thing.

I was particularly excited to read about these t-shirts.

Designed by some the most "It" names in the industry they are available in a limited quantity (only 100 of each were manufactured) and benefit a very worthy cause- The Burundi Solar Project.

It's a project that is fundraising to build the first solar powered hospital in Kigutu, a village 90 kilometers (56 miles) from the capital Bujumbura (Burundi).

This hospital has the potential to change the lives of 8 million Burundi residents.

Plus, I love it when fashion and good deeds come together to support a worthy cause.

You can purchase the t-shirts here and view each designer's style here.

It's Back to the Gray

Although it rains more in Paris than Seattle, my 'hood is the one that gets the bad rap. Most of the time I defend my beautiful city by stating the following facts:

-I live in the Emerald City because the rain makes everything green :).
-There is a lack of smog because it rains frequently.
-Where there is rain at sea level, there is snow in the mountains for skiing and snowboarding (I heart skiing).

But right now, at the END of August, when it is usually hot and sunny, it's cold, again.

It's making me bummed out, I'm having a hard time getting up early in the morning for work, and of course, it makes want to drink red wine instead of going to the gym. That's healthy.

This upcoming weekend is Labor Day Weekend and I'm bummed because I won't be spending it outside in the sun like other years. I'll probably be holed up at home instead.

Boo!

Indie Songstresses Coming to Seattle!

In many ways, I'm a girl's girl. The foil to a man's man. This includes my taste in music.

Since moving to Seattle seven years ago, I have become rapidly more in love with indie music; especially certain songstresses. The two artists that I have been listening to over and over are Ingrid Michaelson and Sara Bareilles. My particular favorites are Die Alone from Ms. Ingrid and City by Sara B. Although, you might know them because Ingrid is famous for her Sweater song that appeared in Old Navy commericals a few months ago and Sara is famous for Love Song.

Imagine my excitement, because I get REALLY excited about good shows, when I found out that they are both coming to MY town, SeaTown.

Ingrid is coming to town on November 10th. She'll be playing at Neumo's located in my 'hood of Capitol Hill.

Sara B will be performing at the Moore Theater in Downtown/Belltown on October 15th.

I'll see you there. . . I'll be the one singing along to every song.

I'm not gonna write you a love song
’cause you asked for it
’cause you need one, you see
I'm not gonna write you a love song
’cause you tell me it's
make or breaking this

Writing Abound

Like most bloggers, I have a desire to one day get published. In some form or another.

Whether it's winning a writing contest, getting a short in a compliation book, or a novel, I would love to have something I, Lauren in Seattle, has written. Since, I have such a curiosity about writing, how to get published, what sells, etc. I thought I would share a few interesting articles I read today while I was supposed to be, ahem, working.

This opinoin article states that although it's the 21st century, You Still Can't Write About Muhammad .

I found this article interesting because it's about censorship and the fact that even this day and age, books are sometimes viewed as weapons of evil and mass destruction instead of tools that inspire and educate. I was particularly interested because the book in question was written by a Washington resident, Sherry Jones.

Here's an excerpt from the article, "Starting in 2002, Spokane, Wash., journalist Sherry Jones toiled weekends on a racy historical novel about Aisha, the young wife of the prophet Muhammad. Ms. Jones learned Arabic, studied scholarly works about Aisha's life, and came to admire her protagonist as a woman of courage. When Random House bought her novel last year in a $100,000, two-book deal, she was ecstatic. This past spring, she began plans for an eight-city book tour after the Aug. 12 publication date of "The Jewel of Medina" -- a tale of lust, love and intrigue in the prophet's harem."

The article appears on The Wall Street Journal. For more articles, you can google Jewel of Medina.

The other article I read today while I've been working is about the Ten Dirty Words that an agent will use to take note during the reading a submitted manuscript.

It was an enlighting article on how NOT to describe your writing work. I found the adjectives interesting as well as the explanation.

My favorite?

1. PRETENTIOUS.

Hindsight is 20/20

I recently got dumped (which in the end, is a good thing) and I came across this article today, that I thought was worth blogging about.

Signs that He's Into You:

While my Ex did do this but. . .

He rarely mentions his ex. A guy who has no interest in making a fling the real thing will constantly bring up his ex ... in a good or bad light. However, if he leaves her where she belongs — in the past — save for a few necessary dating-history details, the path is clear for you.

towards the end, he definitely did not do this.

He sticks to his word. Guys are infamous for saying they'll call you tomorrow or take you to meet their buds ... and then conveniently forgetting all about it. So, if your new squeeze delivers on his word, it means he doesn't want to burn a bridge with you. In fact, he probably wants to build one.

His paws said long term but. . .

He touches you the right way. You don't need to be a body-language expert to know the difference between the hands-on attention of a guy looking for booty (think breast skim) and the sweet stud with commitment on his mind (think hair stroking). So, what are his paws doing?

I had no access. No key card for Lauren in Seattle.

He grants you access. A surefire sign that a man wants the bond to blossom? He doesn't shut you out when he's out of sorts. If he sucked at his ball game or had a crappy day at work, an emotionally invested babe will — mostly — let you be part of the ups and the downs.

But no relationship is without a learning curve, so on to the next.

Hindsight is Always 20/20.