Catching up on drafts: The first

First:

Woo-freaking-hoo!!!! I am done with this semester! The last semester of classes (for now, but maybe forever)! It just hit me walking back from dropping off some paperwork. I am SOOO happy!

Next:

Lots of people and websites do "best-of" lists or "a look back at the past year" this time of year, and usually these are fun, silly, and sometimes pointless. However, if you only look at one this year, you need to see The Big Picture's The Year 2008 in Photographs (click here for Part 1 of 3 to get started). This collection of 120 pictures (40 per installment) is an incredible look at the many, many different facets of this amazing world we live in. These photographs have a way of making the world feel so small, making the connections between all people so real and palpable. "Intimate" is an excellent word. So is "moving," "profound," and the ever popular hyphenated, one-word impostor: "don't-miss." So don't miss it!

Organized Living

I don't know why, but lately when I've seen something about "being an organized person," I feel a couple tiny hackles being raised inside me. I think organization is keen, I think organization is neat (pun intended), but I don't think organization is everything.

I don't think creativity can thrive in an organized world. Maybe for some people, but certainly not for me. The best ideas come from a jumbled up place inside. They are a brilliant flash uniting disparate threads of thought, coalescing in an unplanned instant.

I don't want to be an organized person. I wouldn't mind being able to find things when I need them, but I don't want to lose the spark that comes from the spontaneity and flexibility that comes from a little disorganization. I'd rather spend my time living my life than organizing it.

If you like pretty pictures

Check out Google's new archive of photographs from LIFE magazine. Pretty incredible stuff.