The Washington Post has a pretty fascinating piece about the psychology behind the office candy dish, centered around their own two-month experiment tracking one candy dish in their office.

An amusing excerpt:

The most fascinating part was watching how people behaved around the jar, which sits on a cabinet less than three feet from Kevin’s head.

First of all, nearly everyone who approached the candy while Kevin was present emitted some sort of noise before opening the jar, even if it was just a primal “oooooh!” or “mmmm.” Some politely asked if they could have a piece. Others explained why they shouldn’t have a piece before diving in. A photographer started singing “The Candy Man.”

That’s not surprising at all, said neuroscientist Gary Wenk, author of “Your Brain on Food.”

Wenk called it “the Kevin stimulus.” Basically, Kevin’s presence injected social complications into the food decisions. People had to decide whether the candy was worth the interaction.

“You have to be willing to break into someone else’s personal space and take one of their items that they are offering to you,” Wenk said. “You have to say, ‘Okay, I’m worth it, and I’m going to come over there and talk to you.’ ”

… Interpersonal risk calculations help explain why most people do not want to take the last piece — or, more accurately, do not want to be seen taking the last piece. (Not once in our experiment did the last piece disappear while Kevin was sitting by the jar.) Only the most uninhibited would be willing to risk appearing so nakedly entitled.

It also points out that hardly anyone is willing to take the peanut M&Ms from the Post’s top editor’s candy jar:

Most of the M&Ms are consumed by just four top editors during meetings in Baron’s office. For the rest of us worker bees, the barriers — Baron’s status, Barnes’s watchful eyes, the jar’s location in an office and even the complicated lid — make the risks outweigh the potential reward.

The whole piece is an enjoyable read and will make you look at the candy dynamics in your office differently.

the psychology behind the office candy dish was originally published by Alison Green on Ask a Manager.

The first time I really had to start cooking for myself was probably my second year in college. I shared an apartment with five other girls and I’m not quite sure why, but we all pretty much made single-serving dinners all year long. We’d eat together, but I can’t think of any time we actually coordinated a meal. Is that common to newly emancipated young adults with little cooking experience?

Nonetheless, I picked up a few new kitchen habits that year. My roommate Lisa brought along a rice cooker—the first I’d ever used. We never ate rice in my house. It was something that only appeared in white takeout boxes (which is pretty much the only way it appears in mine now). I fell in love with that starchy, warm smell of Japanese white rice cooking. Whenever I could, I would have black beans and white sticky rice in a flour tortilla—with barbecue sauce. I must have made that for myself over 100 times that year.

Sometimes now, when I’m alone, I think how much I’d love one of those slightly sweet, bean and white rice burritos and lament the absent ingredient.

But more likely the pleasure is equally the youthful bit about not having to really have or plan a meal at all: a chunk of cheese and a box of crackers, or an apple and a jar of almond butter… or maybe I’ll just skip directly to ice cream. That will do just fine.

I asked some girlfriends (all married with kids) about what they like to make when they find themselves with a night alone and popcorn came up more than once. Here are some examples…

“Buttered popcorn, and if I think I won’t get caught, I’ll have only that for dinner.”

“Granola and Fage yogurt with real maple syrup. Always.”

“Sour cream and caviar omelets are my comfort food. It’s what my mom made for me when I did poorly on a test, or cried over a bad haircut. I buy the relatively cheap black lumpfish caviar from the tuna aisle at the grocery store. The caviar is also great in half of a pitted avocado with a squeeze of lemon.”

“I love putting butter on toast and adding a topping mix of cinnamon and sugar and toasting it—sounds simple but I love it. My mom used to make it for me when I was little so it’s reminiscent of my childhood. I make it for my older daughter occasionally as a treat and she loves it.”

“If I find myself home alone once the kids have gone to sleep, you will probably find me eating an entire bowl of popcorn from the air popper. I always add olive oil, cracked pepper and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. If it’s summer, I could eat watermelon and be totally content….with a Coors Lite.” [Ed. note: that popcorn combo, I can attest, is addictive.]

“When I’m pregnant, any kind of cheese (but especially Swiss), tart apple slices, garlic hummus and crackers is divine. Normally, I am a big fan of a huge salad with just about anything in it.”

“I like cold simple dinners when I’m alone. My husband loves his ‘meals’ with the starch, the meat, the veg—ALL THE TIME. So when its just me, I will make myself a little plate of cheese, bread, tomatoes, peppers, maybe some prosciutto if we have it—whatever we have in the fridge that sounds tasty.”

I’m curious, what do you like to eat when you’re alone? (And why?)

P.S. Judith Jones—food editor to the likes of Julia Child—wrote about The Pleasures of Cooking for One. And Alone in the Kitchen with Eggplant is a collection of writings by diverse authors (Nora Ephron, Ann Patchett, M.F.K. Fisher, etcetera) about eating alone along with recipes “requiring no division or subtraction.”

The post Dinner for One: What do you eat when you’re alone? appeared first on Hither & Thither.

I’ve historically been pretty meh on Disney, but Brad and his family are way into it. So, having two kids and not being a monster, I’ve decided to get all the way onboard. It’s too crap to be rolling your eyes while everyone around you is awake with wonder. Alllll riiiight, I can be joyful. Let’s do this!

Anyway, in the few times we’ve been, I found my thing. Subcultures. Disneyland has a bunch of happiness-based subcultures. They are amazing, and there are too many to count. I love them so much, I feel slightly hectic about it.

Anyway, three of the most interesting subcultures are: social clubs, superfans, and “bounders.”

Social Clubs

Folks in Disney Social Clubs often travel in packs, and wear matching jackets or vests, like a ’50s-era biker gang whose members are all about cartoons.

source

Some of them cover their vests in enamel pins, sort of like what you’d see at political conventions. Lots of them also have Disney tattoos.

source

They’re usually (always?) locals who have annual Disneyland passes. If you’re not used to large groups of people with tattoos, I should say these folks are very, very nice. Imagine the kind of adults you know who might form a club based on their affection for an anthropomorphic mouse. They’re like that.

Disney Superfans

Some people who come to the park are into Disney cosplay. Sort of like little girls who show up to Disneyland in a full Elsa costume, except grownups.

source

Disney technically doesn’t allow grownups or teenagers into the park if they’re in costume — which means no wigs or props, nothing too spot on. They don’t want some rando coming in dressed as a grotty Captain Hook, because he wants to take photos with little kids. And legit on that, Disney. High fives.

Damfino

Superfans get around this rule by dressing “referentially.” So they can’t be mistaken for an official Disney character, but they also can’t leave the park and bite into an apple without falling unconscious. As it were.

Bounders

And here’s the one that really has my heart, “Disney Bounding.” Disney Bounders make a distinction between cosplay and being Disney Bound, as outlined in this video. They are rules followers whose love of Disney is too strong for them to stop wearing costumes to the park simply because they’ve reached adulthood. Allow me to sum up:

If you’re wearing an outfit that references a Disney character, but doesn’t read as a costume outside the park — or sometimes to half the people in the park — that’s Disney Bounding. It’s actually called “Bounding,” because be cool you guys.

Source

These costumes are a little magical to me, because the best ones take an imaginary world and express it in a tangible way.

DisneyBound

They’re a big wink to people who know to look for it, but you can still go out into the real world afterward without being like, “I AM WHIMSICAL! ACKNOWLEDGE MY WHIMSY.” Also, no one mistakes you for a pedophile, which? Favorable side effect. You can usually tell who these people are because they’re wearing color in unusual combinations.

DisneyBound

Interesting, eh? I’m so into it.

Anyway, would you ever wear a Disneybound outfit if you were going to a park?

Sure, you say. You can think of no reasons not to. Shhhhhhhhhh. Wear this polkadot hair bow I got you. You look real cute.

The post Disney Subcultures appeared first on Mighty Girl.

Robert teaches you sign language trhough animated GIFs. Love this!

This Nope Button Chrome extension is just what the office world needs: A coworker drops by and wants to ‘pick your brain’? Press a button in your Chrome browser to send a call to your phone. Apologize sincerely as you pick it up. Then watch your co-worker walks away. Funny.

Out of every hundred people,

those who always know better:
fifty-two.

Unsure of every step:
almost all the rest.

Ready to help,
if it doesn’t take long:
forty-nine.

Always good,
because they cannot be otherwise:
four — well, maybe five.

Able to admire without envy:
eighteen.

Led to error
by youth (which passes):
sixty, plus or minus.

Those not to be messed with:
four-and-forty.

Living in constant fear
of someone or something:
seventy-seven.

Capable of happiness:
twenty-some-odd at most.

Harmless alone,
turning savage in crowds:
more than half, for sure.

Cruel
when forced by circumstances:
it’s better not to know,
not even approximately.

Wise in hindsight:
not many more
than wise in foresight.

Getting nothing out of life except things:
thirty
(though I would like to be wrong).

Balled up in pain
and without a flashlight in the dark:
eighty-three, sooner or later.

Those who are just:
quite a few, thirty-five.

But if it takes effort to understand:
three.

Worthy of empathy:
ninety-nine.

Mortal:
one hundred out of one hundred —
a figure that has never varied yet.

— Wislawa Szymborska
(translated from the Polish by Joanna Trzeciak)

The post Poem: A Word on Statistics appeared first on Mighty Girl.

Gold star father Khizr Khan has canceled a speaking engagement in Canada and was notified that “his traveling privileges are being reviewed” according to a notice from the event organizer:

Khan told CTV News Monday afternoon that he has “no comments at this time.”

An advertisement from Ramsay Talks had stated that Khan’s speech would be about “the appalling turn of events in Washington – that we don’t all end up sacrificing everything.”

The news comes amid the rollout of a revised Muslim travel ban from Donald Trump.

The Facebook post:

As Politico notes:

Khan became a national name when he blasted then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump from the stage of the Democratic National Convention, telling the GOP candidate he has “sacrificed nothing” and, as he held up a pocket-size Constitution, asked Trump if he had even read it.

Khan has been a U.S. citizen for more than 30 years, and his son, Humayun Khan, a University of Virginia graduate and Muslim American Army captain who died in Iraq in 2004, was posthumously awarded a Bronze Star and Purple Heart

The post Khizr Khan Canadian Trip Canceled: ‘His Traveling Privileges are Being Reviewed’ appeared first on Towleroad.

Here’s some rehearsal video of “You’ll Be Back” from Hamilton, performed as part of PAUL F. TOMPKINS HOGS THE COVERS.

Guitar: Ben Peeler

Percussion: Tony Thaxton

Violin: Kaitlin Wolfberg

Last weekend I shared these Rosé Soaked Gummy Bears that, quite frankly, are the greatest thing I have ever made. And I promised to try it with red wine next. 

And, friends, I wasted no time. 

I am back to report on these red wine soaked gummy bears!

First of all I purchased 1 pound of grape gummy bears (the obvious flavor choice!). I put them in a medium size bowl, and then I poured a little boxed wine I had lying around into the bowl until they were immersed. 

Just like the rosé gummy bears, they soaked up almost all the wine in 2-4 hours. 

LOOK AT THE SIZE DIFFERENCE! 

I tasted them both (plain gummy and red wine soaked gummy), and I was like, "Wow, this plain gummy is DRY!" Haha!

OK—so I like both for different reasons... I have a hard time choosing which is better. 

The day of (after the 2-4 hours of soaking) I think I liked the rosé flavor best. It was more interesting. 

But the awesome thing about the red wine gummies is that they tasted JUST as good the next day. So they definitely maintain their flavor for longer. 

Oh! And one more important note—the red wine gummies are messy at first. Since they are soaked in red wine, if you accidentally drop one on your white t-shirt, you'll still get a big ugly wine stain. That's your fair warning. That said, I let some sit in my fridge overnight in this wine glass (below) and since they were no longer soaking in liquid they went back to the normal texture of gummy bears (not wet, but still giant and still taste like wine). It's a bit of a process, but the next day I could eat them without getting any wine on my fingers. 

Served in a glass they are kind of the cutest thing EVER, right? 

Definitely a FUN gift idea.

Have a great weekend! xx -Elsie 

Credits//Author and Photography: Elsie Larson. Photos edited with the NEW A Beautiful Mess actions.

In celebration of Episode 100 of Spontaneanation, we scanned our entire guest book & posted it on our Facebook page!

TAKE A LOOK

A recent study found that by age six, girls perceive themselves as less intelligent than boys. The study consisted of an experiment asking girls and boys if they wanted to play a game for smart kids, then telling them a fictional story about a smart person. At the end of the story, the kids had to decide if the “really, really smart” person in the story was a man or woman. The girls were less likely to identify the character as a woman than boys were to identify the character as a man. Social science research shows that stereotypes and childhood socialization shape a person’s understanding of gender norms.

The classic stereotype that boys are better at math and science still persists, even though more women are entering STEM fields. Teachers often perceive that boys are better at math than girls are, which girls and boys both internalize as early as second grade. Students, in turn, stereotype men as smarter than women, as evidenced by student evaluations of college professors. Students refer to male professors as “brilliant” more often than female and minority professors, and the “brilliant” professors are more likely to be in fields, such as math and science, with fewer female professors.

• Catherine Riegle-Crumb and Melissa Humphries. 2012. “Exploring Bias in Math Teachers’ Perceptions of Student Ability by Gender and Race/Ethnicity.” Gender & Society 26(2): 290-322.
• Dario Cvencek, Andrew N. Meltzoff, and Anthony G. Greenwald. 2011. “Math–Gender Stereotypes in Elementary School Children”. Child Development 82: 766–779
• Daniel Storage, Zachary Horne, Andrei Cimpian, Sarah-Jane Leslie. 2016. “The Frequency of “Brilliant” and “Genius” in Teaching Evaluations Predicts the Representation of Women and African Americans across Fields.” PLoS ONE 11(3)

In addition to just thinking boys are better at certain subjects, teachers also treat girls and boys differently. In preschools, teachers tend to let boys be rowdier, louder, and allow them to move around the classroom more freely. Later in school, after kids have learned what behaviors are gender-appropriate in the classroom, teachers associate boys with troublemaking and girls with good behavior, which they in turn translate into beliefs about academic achievement; they tend to view boys as underachievers and girls as high achievers, meaning that girls who struggle in school often get overlooked.

• Karin A. Martin. 1998. “Becoming a Gendered Body: Practices of Preschools.” American Sociological Review 63: 494-511.
• Susan Jones and Debra Myhill. 2004. “‘Troublesome Boys’ and ‘Compliant Girls’: Gender Identity and Perceptions of Achievement and Underachievement.” British Journal of Sociology of Education 5: 547-561.

Despite the stereotypes that boys and girls have different intellectual capacities, studies show that they are not really psychologically different, but at certain ages in development they may seem different. In actuality, girls and boys do not have unequal math and science abilities.

• Janet Hyde. 2005. “The Gender Similarities Hypothesis.” American Psychologist 60(6): 581-592.
• Janet Hyde, Elizabeth Fennema, and Susan J. Lamon. 1990. “Gender Differences in Mathematics Performance: A meta-Analysis.” Psychological Bulletin 107(2): 139-155.

“Manspreading” is a relatively new term.  According to Google Trends (below), the concept wasn’t really used before the end of 2014.  But the idea it’s describing is not new at all.  The notion that men occupy more space than women is one small piece of what Raewyn Connell refers to as the patriarchal dividend–the collection of accumulated advantages men collectively receive in androcentric patriarchal societies (e.g., wages, respect, authority, safety).  Our bodies are differently disciplined to the systems of inequality in our societies depending upon our status within social hierarchies.  And one seemingly small form of privilege from which many men benefit is the idea that men require (and are allowed) more space.

&
It’s not uncommon to see advertisements on all manner of public transportation today condemning the practice of occupying “too much” space while other around you “keep to themselves.”  PSA’s like these are aimed at a very specific offender: some guy who’s sitting in a seat with his legs spread wide enough in a kind of V-shaped slump such that he is effectively occupying the seats around him as well.

I recently discovered what has got to be one of the most exhaustive treatments of the practice ever produced.  It’s not the work of a sociologist; it’s the work of a German feminist photographer, Marianne Wex.  In Wex’s treatment of the topic, Let’s Take Back Our Space: Female and Male Body Language as a Result of Patriarchal Structures (1984, translated from the German edition, published in 1979), she examines just shy of 5,000 photographs of men and women exhibiting body language that results from and plays a role in reproducing unequal gender relations.

The collection is organized by an laudable number of features of the various bodily positions.  Interestingly, it was published in precisely the same year that Erving Goffman undertook a similar sociological study of what he referred to as “gender display” in his book, Gender Advertisements–though Goffman’s analysis utilized advertisements as the data under consideration.

Like Goffman, Wex examined the various details that made up bodily postures that seem to exude gender, addressing the ways our bodies are disciplined by society.  Wex paired images according to the position of feet and legs, whether the body was situated to put weight on one or two legs, hand and arm positions, and much much more.  And through this project, Wex also developed an astonishing vocabulary for body positions that she situates as the embodied manifestations of patriarchal social structures.  The whole book organizes this incredible collection of (primarily) photographs she took between 1972 and 1977 by theme.  On every page, men are depicted  above women (as the above image illustrates)–a fact Wex saw as symbolizing the patriarchal structure of the society she sought to catalog so scrupulously.  She even went so far as to examine bodily depiction throughout history as depicted in art to address the ways the patterns she discovered can be understood over time.

If you’re interested, you can watch the Youtube video of the entire book.

(View original at https://thesocietypages.org/socimages)

The Valley of the Sun is home to an awesome mix of warm desert breeze, soaring palms and saguaros, majestic mountains, Hollywood-worthy pools, inspiring architecture, and contemporary art. Cool boutiques abound; the culinary landscape is impressive; and resorts serve as oases for locals and travelers alike. Phoenix is ideally suited for year-round outdoor activity (whether for nature enthusiasts or fairway lovers), or al fresco shopping with a locally-roasted coffee in hand. And if you need some pampering, we have plenty of spas!

Phoenix has grown and changed and really come into its own in the past 15 years. The city manages to maintain a cowboy charm, while welcoming a burgeoning modern, metropolitan culture-scene. There are so many lovely pockets in this city: Charming, well-established neighborhoods; up-and-coming hotspots; corridors with urban vibes; and plenty of family appeal.

And it’s especially good for food lovers and coffee connoisseurs.

EAT

One of my favorite things to do in Phoenix is simply explore all the gastro-splendor that this town has to offer. Whenever we are looking to celebrate, we usually set up shop at Citizen Public House. They have a killer social hour with creative cocktails and some of the tastiest dishes in town. The fondue alone is swoon-worthy. The Gladly is a sister restaurant and has one of my favorite brunches. If you are a mimosa or Bloody Mary drinker, this is the spot. And speaking of cocktails, Honor Amongst Thieves makes killer drinks. They are new on the scene and definitely making a splash.

Pizza lovers will love the much-ballyhooed Pizzeria Bianco (or Humble Pie, if you want to bypass the wait). There is also Cibo, which is located in a restored 1913 bungalow and has charm and ambiance to match the tasty pies. If you need more pizza or Italian-inspired dishes, you can dig in at North or Pomo.

The Henry is one of the best one-stop-shops in the valley, from coffee to dinner and drinks to dessert. This cool and homey spot does it all. And when I am craving that perfect sandwich, I hit up Worth Takeaway. They know what they are doing. And they are champions of local crafters and makers and small businesses. If you are looking for some high-vibe sustenance, then Kaleidoscope is your spot. They serve up everything from breakfast burritos to açai bowls, perfect for a post-hike / post-spin / post-yoga fuel-up. There is also Uprooted Kitchen, which is a rad plant-based food truck turned eatery nestled in the heart of Agritopia Farm at Barnone (more on that later).

The East Valley is where we call home, and I am over the moon about all the recent additions to our neighborhood. Gilbert is bursting with restaurants. Liberty Market is a Gilbert staple but in the last few years, we have also welcomed Joyride, Postino, Barrio Queen, Clever Koi, Zinburger, and Lolo’s Chicken and Waffles, to name a few. Speaking of chicken and waffles-type-things, Welcome Chicken & Donuts is outstanding. This throwback style diner creates some of the most incredible donut creations and pairs them with fried chicken. Winner-winner-chicken-dinner, indeed!

Phoenix is called the Valley of the Sun for a reason: this is the land of sunshine. And when you think of Phoenix, you don’t normally think of coffee, but, you should. I feel like Phoenix has come a long way in the last five years. And we dig it. Just because we have all this sunshine, it doesn’t mean we don’t appreciate some solid coffee. The coffee scene is hopping, which is cause for much rejoicing around our home. Our daily grind is usually Matador, but sometimes (especially on the weekends) we go for more of a drive and hit up some of our favorite coffee haunts. In the East Valley, we like Provision Coffee at Palette Collective; or Peixoto for lattes and nitro and pastries (because Tracy Dempsey does the pastries and she is a GENIUS!). In downtown, we usually stop at Ocotillo or Lux (great cocktails too!) or Futuro or Tea & Toast Co at Desoto Central Market. And no list would be complete without Cartel or Teaspressa.

SHOP

Phoenix is a shopping mecca. It has a mix of Beverly Hills glam and Palm Springs retro chic…with a side of hipster boutiques. For more mainstream shopping, head to Fashion Square Mall or Kierland Commons (don’t forget Scottsdale Quarter, across the road) or the Biltmore Fashion Park. If quaint is more your style, downtown Phoenix is home to incredible shops with everything from vintage clothes (Frances Vintage) to vinyl (Stinkweeds). One of the BEST apparel and home odds-and-ends shop is T.Madison; it’s super fresh. Roosevelt Row is always popular for art. But my personal favorite is Gallery Russia in Old Town Scottsdale. 

STAY

There is no shortage of resorts in this resort town. You can find almost anything to suit your lifestyle and budget.

Hands down, our favorite spot in Phoenix is the Royal Palms Resort. It is a Mediterranean-style oasis with glorious grounds, posh accommodations, and fine dining. Other favorites are the Hotel San Carlos, Clarendon Hotel, and Hotel Valley Ho. Families will love the amenities at Westin Kierland.

PLAY

When the weather is right, you can catch a flick every Friday night in the courtyard at the Biltmore Fashion Park. Pack a picnic or grab takeout, and tote your blanket and chairs to stake your territory on the grass. The other primo desert dreamland is the Botanical Garden which boasts desert plants from around the globe. No city would be complete without a good museum, and two of our favorites are the Phoenix Art Museum and the Arizona Science Center. Our family loves the Farm at Agritopia. You can stroll the grounds and enjoy the farm and you can also eat, drink, and be merry while shopping from local makers at Barnone. 

Phoenix offers many art walks and seasonal outdoor food festivals as well as weekly farmers markets. With such fantastic weather year-round, outdoor actives are quite popular. One of the best sight-seeing and physical activities is a good hike. Camelback Mountain offers nice exercise with a sublime view of the city.

If laid-back is more your tempo, you can lounge or play at any one of the resort pools. The Westin Kierland has a huge pool complete with lazy river and surfing and other family-friendly activities. Of course, sprawling golf courses are everywhere and offer some of the best golfing experiences in the nation.

PACK

No matter the time of year, bring your swim suit and sunscreen. You can always be safe with a pair of jeans or shorts, a breezy t-shirt, sandals, and your best sunglasses. The cooler months will warrant a light jacket and maybe some boots. No matter when you visit, you can pretty much bet on sunshine.

Thank you, Rachel! A friend just suggested Phoenix for a weekend getaway—the perfect spring meet-up spot between friends on two coasts—and it sounded awesome! Can’t wait to use this as a guide for a visit. 

And thank you to Sarah Ann Noel for coordinating this series. 

P.S. See the entire 5 Things Series.

The post 5 Things: Phoenix appeared first on Hither & Thither.

In this episode, Casper and Vanessa discuss different kinds of shame; the shame around finances, around family, around oneself. And when is it a good thing to be shameless? When are we shameless in a way that allows us to be bold and brazen like Fred and George or to be off-putting and selfish like Lockhart? And throughout the episode Casper and Vanessa wonder; do we inherit the shame of our family systems? How can we shake these systems of shame that surround us? 

Don't forget to vote for this week's 30 second recap challenge. Who should feel no shame about their performance? 

Episode 37: Rizzoli & Isles (feat. Steve Dyer)

The man, the myth, the LEGEND – this week, we humbly welcome friend of the show STEVE DYER to help us dissect TNT’s riveting classic Rizzoli & Isles. Ship off to Boston with us, won’t you?!?

https://twitter.com/billyeichner/status/812141005486977024?lang=en

Reiterating my annual request for smart people to breed. Thank you.

Great Minds Drink Alike Valentine, $5
See also this Picard digital download that says, “Lower your shields and prepare to be boarded.” Romance!

All Your Heart Are Belong to Me, $5
I just set you up the bomb.

Boobies Calculation, $4
A much more sound approach than kicking her because you like her.

Player 2 Valentine, $4
This fancy one is great too.

Carl Sagan Valentine, $5
Cyrano got nothing on Sagan.

Space and Time Valentine, $5
You should probably let those guys go.

Dr. Who Valentine, $5
Comes see the softer side of gears.

Replenish My Hearts, $8
You are a life-giving force, son.

Texting Bubble Stationery Set, $16
Maybe you’re old fashioned, and you want to text a love letter.

Papercut Protest Valentine, $5
All of us know Valentine’s Day is a fake holiday created by greeting card companies anyway. But if you’re going this route, maybe grab her some flowers too.

Plus some old guides that might give you good ideas:
I Love You, Nerd Valentine: Top 10 Valentines for Geeks
Nerds in Love: 10 Valentines for Geeks
Literary Valentines

The post 10 Nerd Valentines to Aid in Propagation of Desirable Genetic Qualities appeared first on Mighty Girl.

Recipe: Ina Garten’s Parmesan Roasted Zucchini | The Kitchn.

Christmas Crack | Culinary Hill. Planning ahead for Christmas pot lucks parties.

Dill Pickle Soup | Noble Pig. The Polish Community Center in Seattle has weekly dinners and their pickle soup is amazing, I hope this recipe will be as good as that version.

Bon Puf Cotton Candy (NOTCOT).

How to Stock Your Home Bar on the Cheap (Yes, We’re Naming Bottles) | Man Made DIY. Very useful list, some of these are brands I’m not familiar with and the others are choices I strongly agree with.

Popcorn Polenta w/ Mushroom Jus – Lady and Pups – an angry food blog.

Ricotta Goat Cheese Polenta Bake with Mushrooms, Greens, and Caramelized Onions, at Gather and Dine.

Air Delight Aero Chocolate Bar Recipe – HowToCookThat. She works through a few methods for making bubbly chocolate and finds the best one.

Egg Florentine In Pullman “Bowls”, for Cynthia – Lady and Pups – an angry food blog. Grilled bread boxes!

The Fourneau Bread Oven, via Swissmiss. This is a cast iron cave that you heat in your regular home oven and use to make spectacular bread.

1 Technique, 2 Very Different Cauliflower Purées | Serious Eats.

A Truly Traditional Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie That’s Baked Right Inside the Gourd, at Laughing Squid.

Watch: Amaze Your Guests With Buttery Candles That Double As Sauce – Eater.

Rethinking Swiss Meringue: Lighter, Fluffier, and More Stable | Serious Eats.

Goat Cheese Stuffed Peppers – Food Fanatic.

an easier way to make cookies – smitten kitchen at Smitten Kitchen. This is how I make my gingerbread, pull the excess dough away from the cut shapes and you don’t get any distortion. Also, it’s way, way easier to roll out your dough when it’s still room temperature and chill it afterwards. Ahh, so easy and clean.

Tabletop Moonshine Still | Cool Tools. Table. Top Moon. Shine. Still. Hell yeah.

The Hottest New Variety of Pepper Is Not Hot at All | MUNCHIES. As somebody who loves shishito and padron pepper season I’m happy to see we’ll be getting more non-hot pepper options.

broccoli pizza – smitten kitchen.

I enjoyed Godin’s post today very much.  He talks about how our collective decision to go for the quick and easy hit of media (or candy) via clickbait articles, videos, and other junk food media is killing off the essential service of journalism.  

“Read the short articles, the ones with pictures, it’s simpler than digging deep.Clickbait works for a reason. Because people click on it.”

And:

“The media has always bounced between pandering to make a buck and upping the intellectual ante of what they present. Now that this balance has been ceded to an algorithm, we’re on the edge of a breakneck race to the bottom, with no brakes and no break in sight.”

But he also talks plenty about how quickly this could all change:

“Even if only a few people use precise words, employ thoughtful reasoning and ask difficult questions, it still forces those around them to catch up. It’s easy to imagine a slippery slope down, but there’s also the cultural ratchet, a positive function in which people race to learn more and understand more so they can keep up with those around them.”

So, Happy New Years everybody.  Let’s get people to join us in asking difficult questions.  Choosing the long read and choosing to be informed.  Let’s ask friends to join us on The Old Reader or another non-biased platform where we can share good ideas and keep our minds nourished.

If you’re like me, you rediscover the fragrance of thyme around Thanksgiving and then spend the next few months looking for ways to incorporate the herb into every meal (at least until mint and basil call you away to spring). Proust had his buttery madeleines, thyme is my tie to the holidays.

This year, I couldn’t even wait: the first day it was cool enough to justify a sweater in the morning, Aron and I tried baking up some mushroom chips and then slipped a little thyme into a dipping sauce on the side. The mushrooms bake down to a tiny little snack, but it’s a delicious one.

How to bake mushroom chips: 
Preheat oven to 400F.
Toss 1 pound of stemmed mushrooms (oysters work best) with a couple tablespoons of oil, and a 1/4-tsp of sea salt and a 1/4-tsp of black pepper.
Spread mushrooms on a wire rack in a large baking sheet.
Bake for about 35 minutes or until mushrooms are sizzling and lightly crisped.
Cool 5-10 minutes.
Serve with dipping sauce: we used mayonnaise, finely chopped shallot, and fresh thyme.

P.S. Other favorite recipes involving mushrooms and thyme: baked into a savory tart with leeks and gruyere (an all-time favorite) and used as a pizza topping.

The post Snacking on Mushrooms & Thyme appeared first on Hither & Thither.

We have a winner! 9,181 votes are in, and the worst boss of the year is the manager who showed up while an employee was having chemotherapy to talk about work … with 28% of the vote. Congratulations, terrible manager of the year! You suck.

The seven runners-up, who managed to be pretty terrible themselves:

* the manager who threatened to fire people if they didn’t sign up to be a liver donor for his brother – 24%

* the manager whose carelessness caused an employee’s horse to die – 13%

* the boss who crashed an employee’s wedding to ask about work and then wrote her up for having him escorted out – 11%

* the boss who called an employee after midnight to drive hours to pick him up from the airport and then suspended her from work because she was casually dressed – 10%

* The boss who’s letting an employee be verbally abused and sexually harassed by a coworker and Does Not Care – 9%

* the employer that will fire you if your friends and family don’t follow the company’s religious values – 3%

* the boss who stole an employee’s family heirloom and gave it as a gift to someone else – 3%

the worst boss of 2016 is… was originally published by Alison Green on Ask a Manager.

It’s hard to get real-world information about  what jobs pay, especially tailored to a particular industry or geographic region. Online salary websites are often inaccurate, and people get weird when you ask them directly.

Two years ago, in an effort to take some of the mystery out of salaries, I ran a post asking people to share how much money they make, their job, and their geographic region. It ended up being one of the most popular posts on the site, so let’s do an updated version.

If you’re willing to play, here are the rules:

1. Put your job title in the “user name” field, which will make it appear in bold, which will be easier for people to scan.

2. List the following info:

• your job (the more descriptive the better, since job titles don’t always explain level of responsibility or scope of work)
• your geographic area
• your years of experience
• your salary
• anything else pertinent to put that number in context

(And assuming you want to be anonymous, don’t put your email address in the email field if you don’t want it linked to your Gravatar, if you have one.)

Obviously, no snarking on anyone’s salary, because that is rude.

how much money do you make? was originally published by Alison Green on Ask a Manager.