The cooler weather in this week’s forecast has me craving Corn Chowder, a family recipe I first shared back in January. If you are hungry for a stick-to-your-ribs kind of chowder, this recipe is for you.
And if you are feeling particularly adventurous/ambitious, pair the chowder with these awe-inspiring Corn Muffins. You will not be disappointed.
The shenanigans and celebrations surrounding Nerdy Thirty continue to bloom! And with the party I’m pleased as punch to announce the launch of exclusive iPhone and desktop wallpapers, and a cute-as-a-button Twitter icon.
Previews are below. Visit the Nerdy Thirty Goodies page to download your digital treats today.
When you’re done downloading, pay a special visit to the online castle of RDQLUS Creative, whose handiwork made these four little beauties possible.
I See London … (Or, How I Spent My Summer) | By Jasmine Maharisi
I measure my self-worth by the number of miles I’ve traveled. Late last year I signed up for my university’s annual London trip, a short study abroad experience that allowed communication students to explore another first world country and its media industries. The tuition for the trip was relatively cheap, in comparison to third-party study abroad programs, and I had plenty of time in advance to make the proper financial and work arrangements. It was perfect for a student who has her plate loaded with a full-time school schedule, a part-time job and freelance writing on the side. Not to mention my several extracurricular activities and an internship.
And there was a lot of preparation that went into this trip, and times that I wasn’t sure how I’d accomplish all I needed to do before my departure from Omaha’s Eppley Airport. But I did somehow, and arrived in London on May 9, 2010.
It didn’t hit me that I was in London until the third day when our group took the tube down to Trafalgar Square and I saw the quintessential English metropolitan that I envisioned: bustling, noisy, with signs for theatre tickets everywhere. And the National Gallery. Oh, how I’ll never forget the National Gallery! To walk among the several masterpieces in the museum must be what a trip to the holy land feels like: overwhelming yet peaceful, invigorating and above all, awe-inspiring. I saw Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers,” as well as “A Wheatfield with Cypresses.” Diego Velasquez was there, too, and Rubens and Elizabeth Sirani. “Portia Wounding Her Thigh,” one of my absolute favorite pieces, was there and when I saw Vigee’s self-portrait, I had to sit down I was so struck by its beauty. All of the great works I’ve studied were at the gallery, it seemed, and they were the real thing, the same canvas the artists had worked on. It was an indescribable moment and perhaps I’m trying in vain to convey my feelings through words.
Art is a transparent phenomenon as it absorbs and is magnified by its surroundings. That’s why curators spend an immense amount of time coordinating an exhibit; balancing out intense work with a simple, minimal environment while complimenting softer work with bold setups. As a tourist, and as someone who had recently walked and observed the streets of London upon entering the gallery, I associated the entire city as the gallery. In other words, the exhibits weren’t inside a four-walled structure, they were folded within an international locale with such wealth of character and history that it almost overwhelms this New World-er.
History. Is that what makes London so enchanting?
As I go through my travel photos and arrange them for my scrapbook project, I begin to have the insight that only distance—and a bit of nostalgia—can yield. I see a city that not only has an abundance of history, but a culture that refuses to sever ties with its past. There’s no regret in England. There’s not an apologetically meek smile to cultures or persons done wrong. We’re the epitome of human civilization, London seems to say, and it took a lot of mistakes to build enough character to become this charming.
About Jasmine Maharisi
Jasmine Maharisi is a journalist, writer, and artist whose work has been featured in a variety of publications. She has received several awards including, most recently, the 2009 Best Nonfiction–Travel Writing award from the Preservation Foundation. She lives in Omaha, Nebraska, and writes for independent, alternative publications including The Reader, El Perico, and Neighborhood News.
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Late last year I committed to becoming better in the kitchen. And when I say better I mean more focused when preparing meals. I’ve masted boiling pasta, sautéing garlic, preparing eggs scrambled and sunny-side up; but those meals get old very, very quickly.
I’ve heard friends mention the Campbell’s Kitchen website. So one Sunday afternoon I ventured to that particular URL to find recipes that looked easy and edible. Pleased and delighted best describe those recipes I found, saved to My Recipe Box, and savored on weeknights when I’m short on time, or Sunday afternoons when the crave to cook is greatest.
I have plenty to learn about food preparation, but the Campbell’s recipes have proven to be a great start for beginners like me. Here are links to a few of my favorites.
Now, what’s your favorite (and easy) dinnertime recipe? Remember, I’m a newbie foodie.
Saturday night I had the wonderful opportunity to learn about the life, loves, and letters of advice columnist Ann Landers from a brilliant, one-woman show at the Omaha Community Playhouse. “The Lady With All The Answers,” which runs through September 19, was an absolute delight. So much so that I wrote about it for this week’s All Around Townley blog.
{Photo courtesy Omaha Community Playhouse}
Saturday night meant a little wardrobe playtime in The Jersey Shore Experiment, followed by Fun with a Sharpie – featuring Steve Gordon (RDQLUS Creative) and Eric Downs (DownsDesign).
An active conversation about freelance creative work across the country is taking place on LinkedIn in the Creative Freelancer Conference group. The group is an offshoot of a new conference blog of the same name that’s picking up steam.
Earlier this week I weighed in on a conversation about the value of printed marketing materials. For Nerdy Thirty, I have had tremendous success with five-by-seven glossy postcards and nifty square stickers. Those two projects – along with the book’s cover – were created by three separate graphic designers: two in Omaha, one in Brooklyn.
Some folks on this particular thread questioned why I didn’t stick with just one graphic designer for the entire Nerdy Thirty marketing project. Initially, I was quite surprised by the question. Some said they felt using multiple designers smacked of disloyalty to the others and jeopardized brand consistency. “Nay,” I said to them:
I live in Omaha. We have a very collaborative creative community. The minute I knew Nerdy Thirty was going to be published, I wanted to “spread the wealth” as much as possible among the graphic designers I knew. The two designers who worked on the book cover and stickers, individually, happen to be very good friends. The woman who designed the postcards is a friend of mine in New York. All three graphic designers played together very, very well, and I was honest and up front with each that I was working with multiple people — again, to give everyone a chance to add a new project to their portfolio. I don’t think my brand suffered by using three graphic designers.
Now, it’s your turn. What are your thoughts on graphic designers and brand consistency?
The minute I saw Melissa Morris Ivone’s birthday invitation posted on Facebook, I … was … speechless. Literally.
Melissa is a lovely (almost) thirty-something living in Philadelphia whom I met through my dear friend and Sticker King RDQLUS Creative (otherwise known to others – and me – as Steve Gordon) earlier this year. Melissa was one of the first non-Nebraska folks who not only inquired about Nerdy Thirty, but also bought a copy. Since then we have had fun conversing on Twitter and Facebook. Then her email landed in my inbox a few weeks ago.
She pitched the idea of hosting a Nerdy Thirty birthday party in late August for her own thirtieth. Flattered and delighted do not begin to describe how I felt; I was so humbled that Melissa not only developed the idea, but had the lovely, lovely courtesy to ask. What a delight! Of course I granted my permission – which is worth precious little – and encouraged Melissa to document the entire affair with photos and a blog post.
And what Melissa provides after her August 28 soirée, I will most certainly share with you.
After traveling nearly 3,500 miles in just seven days, I returned late Saturday night from a whirlwind summer vacation from my humble abode in Omaha to Fresno, California; Yosemite National Park; San Francisco; and back home again. The trip was something my boyfriend, his brother, their parents, and I began talking about back in February, when Nebraska was absolutely desolate under mountains of muddy snow and endlessly dreary skies.
We believed spring – or summer, for that matter – would never come. But July 17 arrived in due time, and we departed for our summer getaway, beginning with an overnight stay at the Radisson Hotel in downtown Fresno.
The next morning we drove about one-hundred miles to Yosemite National Park. The quaint Wawona Hotel would be our home-away-from-home for the next four days. Several guests noted that the Wawona reminded them of the resort featured in the 1987 film Dirty Dancing. (Fast fact: Dirty‘s filmmakers recorded much of the iconic footage at the Mountain Lake Resort near Roanoke, Virginia.)
During our time at Yosemite we rode horses, and took two significant (read: exhausting) hikes: through the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias and the Lower Yosemite Falls. The car rides in our rented Ford Focus to these two destinations were scenic and breathtaking, albeit a bit too winding for my taste. We did a little grocery shopping in the neighboring town of Oakhurst and stumbled upon one patriotic teddy bear near the paper goods aisle. I could barely hold the camera; I was laughing so hard.
Upon arriving in San Francisco late on Thursday we booked a room at the surprisingly chic (and recently renovated) Best Western Americania located downtown in the Mission district. The lobby and room were most certainly retro, with bold prints, bright colors, and lots of clean, crisp, white surfaces, almost as if Apple’s Jonathan Ive designed them himself.
We spent time in Union Square and North Beach. I found myself dancing at The Saloon, San Francisco’s oldest bar, on Thursday night. As someone who doesn’t fancy herself a dancer, I didn’t mind letting loose in a city full of strangers whose judgment would stay silent. (Want proof? Watch the poorly-lit video. I dare you not to laugh.)
For a more detailed recap of my San Francisco getaway, read this week’s All Around Townley blog posting on the Q98-Five website. And be sure to visit www.flickr.com/wendytownley for more snapshots of our summer vacation to the west and back.
Our approximate mileage breakdown looks something like this, although I’m sure we traveled a few more miles with shorter drives around Yosemite National Park.
{What did you do for your summer vacation? Consider submitting your experience for the Write Now project.}
