Ain’t Nothing But a Family Thing

Matt Miklic

The keen observer may have noticed the change of masthead on this blog, and while I’m not typically prone to public introspection, I recognize that a name change outside of marriage (and for a man, in any circumstance) is an unusual enough event in our culture that the matter deserves a bit of explanation.

I was a strange child — this should not come as a surprise to those who know me to be a strange adult. I like to think of myself as inwardly eccentric; I present a fairly reserved public face because I’m not naturally inclined to draw attention to myself (though I admit my addiction to Twitter belies this claim). While I’m a happy introvert these days, my personality stems from a social anxiety I developed as a child and that persists in my adulthood. For years I was unable to recognize the source of that anxiety, which…

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3am Dangerous Zone and Working With Pride

atelier emily

My father lost his job this past January, coincidentally while I was paying them a short visit. It did not come as a surprise to him and – although I wouldn’t put it past him to hesitate discussing his emotions with his daughter – he seems pretty happy about retiring for good, puttering around the house playing Myst or Riven for the 15th time or reading The Hunger Games.

One of the reasons he cited for being fairly happy was that he hadn’t liked how his workload had continued to increase in the latter part of his career. He had felt pressure to be on-call at hours outside of his scheduled work time, and had seen others’ personal lives slowly assimilate into their office lives until they were nearly one and the same. Specifically, he had seen this in his younger peers, and assumed that they would hire a…

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Backdrops and Drapery in Photography

Alien, Gravity, and Pacific Rim: The Radical Notion That Women Are People

Snowed In

M&J Blog

Oh the weather outside is frightful, but inside it’s so DIY-lightful! While winter storm Hercules makes his way through the East, we thought it would be a great idea to give you some fun, snow-themed DIYs to do during the blizzard because you’re definitely not going out on a day like today!

Fire and ice meet with this clever candle upgrade from The Inspired Room!

 

Take a little snow wherever you go with this Snow Globe Necklace from I Love to Create!

 

Get ready for a new type of snow mobile! Use the guides above to make those beautiful paper snowflakes you loved as a kid. Stick them on a thin silver hoop using fishing wire or thread to make the mobile above, OR use them for the DIY below.

Make this lace-like pendant light using delicate paper snowflakes! This DIY from Design Sponge may be…

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Cold Weather Comforts

M&J Blog

The last few days have been painfully cold on the East, and the terrible road conditions make for a perfect weekend to be a homebody. For the next two days we’re basking in the warmth of our cozy comforts: socks, sweaters, blankets. What’s so wonderful about being stuck inside during a weekend? We’re glad you asked.

On a chilly winter day a pair of wool socks become your two best friends to keep your toes warm wherever you go.

Nothing like a thick blanket to keep chills at bay! These lazy weekends are great for staying in bed and keeping cozy.

Lounging in chunky sweaters, flannel pajamas and warm fuzzy slippers doesn’t sound like a bad night.

And let’s not even get started on the warm beverage front. So grab your favorite blanket, invite your cat or dog on the couch “just this once”, and stream Orange Is the New…

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Drugged, and Floating.

Redterrain

Today, I’m feeling about 55% normal.  The drugs are still floating around and I feel woozy.  I’m resting, with the window open, the soft light and the fresh cool air blowing into our bedroom.  I’m watching Downton Abbey (which is brilliant in my opinion).

I’m having one of those moments where I wished Mike would cuddle me, and stroke my hair and tell me I’ll be better soon.  Just imaging it is comforting…

 A wee little hulk.  Looking good little guy (or girl).

It all began yesterday, when I started to develop a crippling headache just at the end of work.  I had a doctors appointment the same evening but I knew it would be difficult to make it.

I lay down for a rest at home, with the blinds closed for darkness.  I was nauseated and the pressure was building.  I was no better after 1.5 hours.

I wrote…

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Room to Move: Protecting Community Health in Transportation Projects

Giving InSight

The upcoming widening of the Panama Shipping Canal is causing a global stir, one felt especially in California, where more than half of all imported shipping containers enter the U.S. The fear of losing competitiveness to newly accessible East Coast ports has those on the West scrambling to expand their ability to accommodate super-tankers and efficiently transport consumer goods from ships to trucks and rail, a process also known as the “goods movement.”  Dredging our oceans and widening our superhighways is viewed as the price of participating effectively in the global economy, but is it the only option?  Faced with a proposed multi-billion-dollar expansion of the freeway that runs through their community, residents of Long Beach, California and the Long Beach Freeway Corridor decided to find another path.

Long Beach is part of the country’s largest shipping complex, consisting of the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. …

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Views from the Solar System (162)

the Net economy

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Earth from Juno

NASA – On Oct. 9, Juno flew by Earth using the home planet’s gravity to get a boost needed to reach Jupiter. The JunoCam caught this image of Earth, and other instruments were tested to ensure they work as designed during a close planetary encounter.

The Juno spacecraft was launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 5, 2011. Juno’s rocket, the Atlas 551, was only capable of giving Juno enough energy or speed to reach the asteroid belt, at which point the Sun’s gravity pulled Juno back toward the inner solar system. The Earth flyby gravity assist increases the spacecraft’s speed to put it on course for arrival at Jupiter on July 4, 2016.

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Malin Space Science Systems

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