We’re going on vacation next week (more on that later).  I’ve found that whenever people go on vacation, they talk about “unplugging” – often literally.  They try to leave their computer, or their cell phone or other devices, behind. I guess they’re trying to leave their email and the stress of their jobs behind.  But when I travel, I NEVER want to be unconnected.  Sure, call me an internet addict (it might even be true).  But if I’m addicted to the internet, I’m not sure I want a cure. I honestly love how the internet connects me to friends and family, and provides me with entertainment and thoughtful discussion.

That’s why I found this so interesting – tech journalist Paul Miller went an entire year without the internet.  He “thought it was making me unproductive. I thought it lacked meaning. I thought it was ‘corrupting my soul.’ ”

The results were surprising.  A year is a very long time – I’m sure Miller’s experiment would be much different if he had only gone without internet for a week or a month. At first, he thought it would be easy, and he’d have lots of time to write and read. But then he started filling that time playing video games and feeling a bit bored, depressed, and listless.  He realized that the internet wasn’t causing problems in him – those problems were there all along.  His feelings of loneliness, boredom, depression, isolation… they didn’t disappear when the internet disappeared.  Miller said that without the internet, he “felt out of sync with the flow of life”.  In the end, to respond to his own theory that internet was making him unproductive and that it lacked meaning, he says, “I was wrong.”

I encourage you to watch the 15 minute film entitled Finding Paul Miller, and read his piece.  And then ask yourself if you could do what he did.  I’m not sure I would want to, to be honest.  Fascinating.

[image of Paul Miller by Michael B. Shane via The Verge]

There’s a little feature on me in TorontoMomNow, posted today.  They call me “tech mom”.  I figure that’s pretty accurate.  Read the article here.

I can’t think of a better last-minute Mother’s Day present than these gift sets available at Kid Icarus in Kensington Market.  You know I love Rifle Paper Co and Soak Wash.  I don’t know what the “Foodie Garden” is, but I bet it’s great.

(full details here)

THIS IS WATER – By David Foster Wallace from The Glossary on Vimeo.

You’ve probably seen this shared already – it’s been around social media and blogs a lot of in the last 2 days. I really do think you should watch it though; all 9 minutes.

“Education has nothing to do with knowledge and everything to do with awareness.”  Yes.

PS – I’ve never read anything by David Foster Wallace.  I think that should change.

This street in Bonn, Germany is totally canopied by cherry blossoms.  Wow.

PS – The cherry blossoms are at their peak in High Park (Toronto).

[photo by Adas Meliauskas via BoredPanda]

I’ve been posting about designer collections at Target for years, and now I can finally get them within a few kilometres of my house.  Like those ballet flats by Sam and Libby, above.  They’re going to be at Target Canada starting this weekend.  YES PLEASE.

See the rest of the Sam and Libby for Target lookbook here.

It already made its round of the blog world last week, but I can’t help sharing this video for “We The Common” by Thao and the Get Down Stay Down.  Everyone loves the video because it features Ira Glass and John Hodgman, but I honestly really really love the song.  That infectious ”ooooh ah ooooh” chorus is perfect for a sunny spring day like today.

Here’s a gorgeous font that’s free for personal and commercial use – Aleo.  It’s a modern slab serif and comes in 6 styles.  Download here.

[via Smashing Magazine newsletter]

I didn’t blog at all for a week.  Felt kind of funny, to tell you the truth.  I’ve been blogging nearly every day for 3 years, so I kind of felt like I was cheating on you, dear reader, by not updating things.  Truth is, it was a crazy week with lots of web design deadlines, so the blog fell by the wayside.  I apologize, and here’s what I was up to for the last week, while I wasn’t blogging…

- I had a wonderful evening with Kinnon and Michelle, at the third meeting of The Artsy Fartsy Movie Club.  We get together about once a month and wax philosophical and drink wine and eat good food and watch a documentary or an artsy film.  This time we watched Side by Side, a documentary about the film industry going digital.  It was really interesting, despite Keanu Reeves’ ridiculously pretentious hair, voice, and black wardrobe.

- I was on TV again.  I bought that lovely top I’m wearing at Any Direct Flight in Leslieville.

- I hosted a great Camp Tech workshop on SEO: How To Drive More Traffic To Your Website, taught by the amazing Adam Green of Maple North Internet Marketing.  If you missed out, and you’d like to attend, there’s another class coming up June 19.

- I had a meeting with my business coaches Amy and Danielle, who always inspire me to think bigger, do more, and keep kicking ass professionally.

- I finished watching Top of The Lake, the TV series written and directed by Jane Campion.  It was so dark and twisted and haunting.

- I continued to read 3 books at once.  They’re all non-fiction, so I figure that’s okay.  Normally I take books one at a time.

- Speaking of books, I wrote down the names of 3 I’d like to read on holiday (we’re going to California in a few weeks – cannot wait).  They are: How To Tell if Your Cat is Plotting to Kill You by The Oatmeal, Let’s Explore Diabetes With Owls by David Sedaris, and Everything is Perfect When You’re a Liar by Kelly Oxford.  Perfect poolside reading.

- I went to Creative Mornings, where Zahra Ebrahim gave a wonderfully polished and inspiring talk on the importance of play and engaging young people in discussion.  Creative Mornings is quickly becoming one of my favourite things to do each month.  It’s free, the talks are great, and the coffee is good.

- Ian and I enjoyed the warm weather on the weekend, by taking Clara to the park, blowing bubbles in the back yard, and going for a family bike ride on the waterfront trail.

- I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it on the blog, but we’re renovating our basement.  And it’s almost done!  I’ll have before and after pictures for you all later this week.

- I had a seriously good laugh over this.  And a lovely little cry over this.  (sidenote- I know one of the Dads in that video. We used to work in theatre together)

That’s it!  I promise not to leave you again for a while.  At least, not without warning.  =)

[photo of me at the Women in Biz Network Conference on April 15, taken by Anna Epp. Kind of captures me perfectly, huh?]

I can’t recall where I read this, but I vaguely remember once coming across an article (or a chapter in a book) that said you shouldn’t clean up your workspace at the end of the day, as it can hinder creativity.

I was reminded of that while looking at this roundup of the workspaces of 40 creative people.  Some are total messes, and some are OCD-style neat.  Most are somewhere in between.  Interesting.

[ps - check out all the post-it notes in Will Self's workspace!  That's a LOT.]