Mighty Events

I have big, big news. This year, Mighty Girl is teaming up with a couple of very smart publishers, Laura Mayes and Helen Jane Hearn, to bring you the Mighty Life Events Series. I have happy, fluttery, enthusiastic feelings about it.

Here’s what’s coming up:

September 17-20, 2010: Mighty Summit in Russian River Wine Country, CA
“Create your Mighty Life.”

The Mighty Summit is an annual retreat weekend for a small group of industry leaders in social and mainstream media. We’ll gather in the wine country to work on life lists, relax, and talk about what’s next. This event is an offshoot of the Broad Summit, a retreat for bloggers hosted in the same spot last year. This year, we’ve left some spots open to applicants, so if you think you’re a good fit, head to MightySummit.com for more information.

February 4, 2011: Mighty Jobs in San Francisco, CA
“Do what you want.”

Ever wonder how someone scored such a sweet gig? So have we! We decided to round up them up and ask them. Join us, and several hundred of our closest friends, as we talk to some of the coolest job havers around, and learn how to pursue our dream professions. We’ll fill you in on details as they become available.

Mighty Socials, Across the USA
“Hello there, Internet.”

We’re planning lots of meet-ups across the country, and the first one is in New York City this August. Stay tuned for the gathering list, and let us know if you have a suggestion for a sweet spot near you!

We can’t wait to see you.

The Clock Without a Face

Before Hank was born, I did a lot of work with 826 Valencia, Dave Eggers’s tutoring center. In my time there, I became friends with some of the McSweeney’s folks, who always work hard to make magical things. Their latest project is so, so cool:

The Clock Without a Face, is a children’s board book about a clock with jeweled numbers. The numbers are stolen, and each page provides clues to where they’re buried.

The brilliant part? The numbers are real. Here’s what the site has to say:

“We’ve buried 12 emerald-studded numbers—each handmade and one of a kind—in 12 holes across the United States. These treasures will belong to whoever digs them up first. The question: Where to dig? The only path to the answer: Solve the riddles of The Clock Without a Face!”

McSweeney’s had the numbers made by a jeweler, and then made a real-life treasure hunt for their readers by burying them all over the U.S. Can you imagine how much work went into this?

Anyway, the hunt is already on, and the main character, Gus Twintig, has a Twitter account. I’ll keep you posted as people find the numbers (go look for the numbers, my nerdling friends!), but in the meantime you should get yourself a copy. McSweeny’s never prints too many books, and this one is a keeper.

Good work, McSweeney’s. You guys are dreamy.

Friday Mixtape

I’ve gotten started on my Mighty List project to listen to 1,000 new songs, and I’m already up to 98. While I’m doing the project, I thought I’d take Fridays to tell you about some of my discoveries. Happy weekend, everyone.

“I and Love and You,” The Avett Brothers
The hopeful side of having no fight left. Sample lyric, “What you were than I am today. Look at the things I do.”

“I Thought of You Last Night,” Jeri Southern
A new favorite artist. Josh Ritter recommended her in Esquire Magazine.

“Him,” Lily Allen
Via Laura Mayes.

“Vanilla Twilight,” Owl City
Via Laura Mayes.

“Listomania,” Phoenix

Packing Light: Dopp Kit

A lot of you have asked me how I fit everything in one tiny carry on. One of my big tricks was a tip from Gwen, who suggested putting liquids in a see-through bag with a clip, like this one. It hooks on to the zipper of your suitcase, and it has changed my life. Life altering! You just pop it off at security, pop it back on once you’re through, and BAM! You have room for an extra pair of shoes in your bag. Bwahahaha.

Once I’m at the hotel, I empty that bag into the dopp inside my suitcase that has all my “dry” stuff in it. My dopp kit is easier to get into, and I prefer to have that on the counter.

I love to share hotel rooms with friends so I can see the little luxuries they take with them on the road. Lots of you ask for photos of my bag when I pack, so I thought I’d start by showing you my dopp kit. Here are some lists of what’s inside. If you see awesome stuff I’m missing, let me know.

Hair bands and bobby pins. As you can see, I like to contain things in sandwich bags. Makes it easier to find stuff and to restock.
A mini-container of John Frieda Secret Weapon Flawless Finishing Creme for dry hair
A mini-container of Curls Rock Curl Amplifier for wet hair
Tweezerman mini tweezers, which are so tiny and precise, and less apt to get nabbed by security, though they are potentially very stabby indeed.
Baby oil to remove my long-last lipstick
Fashion tape— this is skin-friendly double-sided sticky tape, to tape clothes in place over cleavage or keep bra straps hidden. Toupé tape works too.
Benadryl, because I have food allergy issues.
Vitamins
Advil
A wide-tooth comb for combing wet curly hair.
Marvis travel toothpaste, I can’t believe how long this teeny tiny tube has lasted.
A toothbrush
A lint roller
Gilette Spa Breeze razor — have you used this? It has little soap bumpers on it so you don’t need to soap up before you shave. Killer.
Natural hand sanitizer
A travel candle and matches
Panty liner to buy me a few minutes while I run to the drugstore for supplies if necessary.
Single-use eye drops — Love these. They save space in little purses when you’re going out, and I sometimes tuck them into my bra if I don’t want to carry a purse.
Q-tips
Safety pins
Contacts
Handy-wipe — For washing my hands if I decide to go thrift store shopping.
Deodorant
Dental floss
Cuticle scissors, which I mostly use as real scissors.
Nail clipper
Nose hair trimmer (ahem)
Jewelry I keep in the exterior zip pockets.
Face cleansing towelettes — I didn’t get a photo of these, but I travel with two kinds: pre-soaped ones that you wet to wash your face, and then the damp ones you can use to wipe off your makeup. I keep those in the night stand in case I realize I forgot to wash my face after I’ve already climbed in bed. I do that a lot.

Revlon Creme shadow in Pink Petal
The Naked Bee sunblock stick This was a Mighty Goods submission, so I’m testing it out and I like it so far. Makes it easier to get sunscreen onto Hank.
Burt’s Bees Peppermint Lip Balm, so tingly. This is the only lipbalm I use, and I have sticks of it everywhere. I even have one specially marked to soothe my nose and upper lip when I have a cold. There’s also a version with sunscreen.
Cover Girl blushes in Classic Pink and Natural Rose
A full palette of Maybellene Superstay Lipcolor, which never, ever comes off. I just made a lunch date with a friend for the specific purpose of teaching her how to apply it, and I don’t even care if that sounds nuts.
A lipstick I picked up at the airport and now hate. It’s that bright orangey red that’s so hip right now, but I can’t find a brand that doesn’t bleed, which makes me look like a pack-a-day circus clown.
A brush for blush and powder
Eyelash curler, which I never, ever use. Why do I pack this?
Eyebrow pencil, which I also never use. I have Yeti eyebrows.
Eyeliner
Shadow brushes
Nosehair trimmer and tweezers, which I apparently photographed twice.
Perfume — the type varies because I like to associate trips with particular scents.
Clinique tinted sunblock, which I use as foundation.
Concealer with sunblock
Liquid eyeliner
Face powder
Mini-container of DDF Daily Protective Moisturizer
Atopalm moisturizer
Philosophy Help moisturizer. I use that so infrequently that I think I’ve had this tube for years. Which is… gross.
Neutrogena sunblock/moisturizer — I just use this as sunblock, because I have dry skin and like the extra moisture.
White eyeliner — I use it to put that little dot on the inside corner of my eye that’s supposed to make your eyes sparkle. Is that still a thing?

This is my nail kit, and it’s mostly for touch ups. The cork bag was a Mighty Goods submission. I didn’t love it when I got it, and now I realize I was dreadfully wrong. Do you know who makes it? Let me know and I’ll update.

Orange stick
La Occitane Pure Shea Butter — I think I got this as a hotel amenity, but it’s great cuticle cream.
Cotton balls
Revlon Strawberry Electric nail polish — I usually only paint my toenails and I think toenails look best in comparatiely garish colors.
Seche Vitte fast-drying top coat — You put this on while your polish is still wet. It gives an at-home pedicure the professional sheen. Also good for stopping runs in your tights.

That’s it! Typing all that makes me want to take a trip. Or head to a Sephora. What about you? What are you willing to squeeze into a mini tube so you can take it on the road?

Hello Sailor, Vintage Photos

Meet “Hopeless” Eddy, Mickey Van London, and “Glamour” Gallemore. I found them inside a dusty box in a curio shop when Melissa and I were visiting Puerto Rico.

I could spend hours looking through photos in antique shops, especially near old military bases. Sailors take great candids.

Some of my favorite photos are the ones we’d just delete without thinking from our digital cameras.

This photo says Galveston, Texas on the back. Is your grandfather in here somewhere?

Relationship Hacks

I love this Ask MetaFilter thread on relationship hacks (via Not Martha). I recommend reading through the whole thing, but these are the points I’ve used to good effect. If you have any good advice, let me know.

-“Have a set ‘date night’ every week and don’t deviate from it unless you HAVE to. This is especially important if you have roommates or children.” –Unicorn on the Cob

-“Never yell. Heck, never even raise your voice.” –teg4rvn

-“…People often start negotiating from what they think they can get, not what they really want–so even if the other person says yes, they are still disappointed. …People should start by being honest about 100% of what they want. My partner and I use this all the time, for things big and small. ‘My 100% would be having dinner before we see the movie.’ ‘My 100% would be to move to a bigger house in two years.’
…One thing that is surprising is how often you can have your 100%–and then you feel really lucky and happy and loved. And you also have the satisfaction of knowing that you gave your partner what they _really_ wanted. On the other hand, if the 100% isn’t possible and you have to negotiate down from there you at least know that what you wanted was heard.” –Not that Girl

-“Don’t tell people they’re wrong about trivial things. Inevitably someone will insist something silly, like that Kevin Costner starred in The Fifth Element or whatnot. You’ll know they’re wrong, but saying so is just going to be taken as adversarial and lead to ill feelings that turn into fights… It’s not worth upsetting each other over something so unimportant.” –Pufferish

– “If you have friends of the indecisive sort, learn how to play 5-3-1. It’s a trick to settle the ‘where do you want to eat?’ ‘I don’t care, where do you want to eat?’ game. One partner names 5 places, the other eliminates two of those choices, and the first one eliminates the remaining two. It’s decision making in turns, and it works just as well as anything else.” –Alice Ayres

That last one has saved me hours just in the last week. Apparently I am the indecisive friend. How about you? Tell your secrets.