Pulled off the road today to watch thousands of birds flocking over the vines. It was gorgeous, incredible really, and I kept trying to get a good photo. Finally Geri-Ayn yelled, “Look at this! Look at it with your soul!” So I put my camera down.

I’d never seen anything like it, there were so many of them, but apparently it happens a lot with Starlings. This video gives you an idea of how lovely it is to see.

This video compilation of people setting up cool Hot Wheels tracks makes me happy. I particularly love the shadow of the guy running through his yard to film the tiny cars in action. Oh, people. You make me like you over and over.

Here’s what, 2012 is about to rock your face off. “Yep. Yep.” is a mix I put together for you and your steady progression toward victory. Leave us your 2012 song recs in comments. Cheers to a new year, my friends.

(I mostly live on Spotify now, so here’s the Yep. Yep. Mix over there, if you like it like that. The one below is from Rdio, which lets me embed the player with song previews.)

Read this in The Week, and taped it to my mirror:

“You are what you learn. If all you know is how to be a gang member, that’s what you’ll be, at least until you learn something else. If you go to law school, you’ll see the world as a competition. If you study engineering, you’ll start to see the world as a complicated machine that needs tweaking. A person changes at a fundamental level as he or she merges with a particular field of knowledge. If you don’t like who you are, you have the option of learning until you become someone else. There’s almost nothing you can’t learn your way out of. Life is like a jail with an unlocked, heavy door. You’re free the minute you realize the door will open if you simply lean into it.” -Scott Adams

(Addendum: Ah, man. The wisdom in this quote notwithstanding, it would seem Scott Adams has a history of “interesting” opinions on gender issues:

Boo on that. Boo, I say.
)

Glad sponsored this post as part of a campaign about producing less waste. If you’re up for talking trash, you can visit Glad.com for more information.

They bike instead of driving, use cloth diapers, eat organic from the farmer’s market, and their house doesn’t even smell like patchouli. Your friends are living a thoughtful life, here are a few ways you can be thoughtful in kind.

Tiffin Box, $37 from ModCloth
Tiffin boxes compartmentalize food so you can transport it without wrapping each item. They also out-cute a plain paper bag by a country mile.

Glass Water Bottles, $27 from Indigo
Eschewing bottled water is the new “going vegan.” It just makes you better than other people.

Reusable Sandwich Bag, Raindrops, $7.50 from The High Fiber Co.
Every sandwich is a gift. Might as well wrap it like one.

Flip-Top Snack Cup, $8 from Babybot
Each cup represents approximately 8,428 snack bags. Give or take.

Manners Cloth Napkins, $54 from Betsy Grace
When the napkin is cloth, you get a pass on tucking it into your collar.