Read Alan Alda's Autobiographies (Yes, There Are Two)

by Liz Heather in

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It’s no secret that Alan Alda is great. If you don’t know who he is… then… man. Google it. It’s a sin that you don’t know already/I’m not about to waste time in here educating you. That man is wonderful. And these books of his are gems. GEMS! And keep in mind - I was only lukewarm on the ol’ Alda train before I read these, but after? Well, let’s not delve into the dreams I’ve had about him. 

Here are some of my favorite parts from the two books:

“It seems hard to believe you grew from that little baby… into a friend of mine.”

“I went out for a beer after class one evening with a fellow student. He looked down in his beer and said, “You know, if we really want to be first-class artists, we’ll have to give up everything. Everything. We’ll have to give up friends and movies and reading the Sunday Times.” I nodded and grunted in agreement. But inwardly I was thinking, “What the hell is he talking about? What kind of romantic bullshit is this?”

“And then he gave me, apart from not drifting while I talked, the only advice he ever gave me about acting. “Always find a place to sit down,” he said. “Your legs will get tired. Look for places to sit down. Whenever you can.” I nodded as if I understood. This is really strange advice, I thought. What could he possibly mean? Is he so empty that he thinks this is the secret of a life on the stage? I wish I could go back now and touch his hand. Touch his hand and thank him for sharing a speck of the reality of his life with me. Not the vague generality of most people’s advice, but a little bite of life: the ache in his leg on a long day. Anesthetized by youth, I missed it.”

These are just a few parts, but both books are definitely worth reading. Even if you miraculously DON’T love this man already. 

Trader Joe's Tea Tree Products

by Liz Heather in ,

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All right, I use all these guys. I’m not gonna go really deep into why they’re great to use, but here are a few tiny points:

  • they’re relatively inexpensive
  • I can understand every ingredient written on the back labels
  • smells amazing
  • it just feels cleaner than using other stuff from a drugstore

All right, that last point wasn’t terribly scientific. But honestly, the best part of using this stuff is when you leave it on for a little bit (I’m only speaking about the shampoo and the body wash right now) longer than you’re supposed to — there’s this tingling sensation that happens that just sort makes your shower seem more fun? If that makes any sense? If you’re intrigued by that statement, then perhaps you should just buy some (or visit me and try some) to see what I mean. 

If you’re in New York, you can obviously get them at Trader Joe’s and you can get them online at Amazon. Fantastic products. 

Why You Should Use Microsoft Entourage

by Liz Heather in ,

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All right, I have a lot of points on why you would benefit from Entourage. And because I happen to be in a numerical mood right now, off we go:

  1. Let me be clear: I only use this program for its Calendar feature. That is all. And it’s totally worth the purchase, even for only that one element.
  2. This is my backup system for remembering birthdays, anniversaries, vacations, holidays (I don’t mean Christmas, but moreso the kinds that don’t fall on the same day each year), six month check-up days, bill payment dates, the last time you backed up your laptop, appointments, death days (why is this important? I don’t know, but it gets written down ‘cause it feels important), etc. 
  3. You can set up specifically what kind of reminder you want for each event, ie. being reminded of something a minute before it happens or, say, a few days before, whatever. 
  4. A reminder box pops up and appears, no matter what window on your computer is open. This is amazing, in my opinion, because it lets me live my life a little easier without having to check my calendar constantly to see what I’m forgetting or missing. (Also, even having a reminder is optional.)
  5. Optional color co-ordination. Everything can (not must) be organized into categories like family, personal, recreation, work, etc. 
  6. You have a distinct record of what’s going on in your life past, present and future. 

The above photo is just an example of what it looks like, that one shown isn’t mine. Mine is much too precious for your curious little eyes.

I can’t really tell you how much I love using this guy. It’s way too organized, beautiful and I think you probably need it in your life. No pressure. 

by Liz Heather in

“For what it’s worth, it’s never too late, or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit. Start whenever you want. You can change or stay the same. There are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. And I hope you make the best of it. I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. And if you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.”
— Eric Roth, writer of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. If you think this is too schmaltzy or lame, then dude… you need to soften up, ‘cause this part in the movie is magic when Brad Pitt narrates this as written in a letter to his daughter.