Would You Read a Book in Chunks?

Between work and family, my life is pretty hectic.  I honestly love it, and I’m not complaining.  But it takes me forever to read books and magazines, since pleasure reading falls right to the bottom of the to-do list.

I was intrigued by this website – DailyLit – that was mentioned in Smashing Magazine’s email newsletter.  You sign up on their website, pick a book, and they’ll email it to you in short instalments every day (or however you set up your frequency settings).  The theory behind DailyLit is that you can probably find five minutes (or less) each day to read a small part of a book, and then eventually, you’ll finish the masterpiece you said you’d never have time to read.

Because the service is free (and they’re featuring books under Creative Commons licenses), it’s mostly classical literature, but there are a few newer titles there too.  I might give it a try.  What do you think?  Would you read a book in chunks?

[image of José Vasconcelos Library in Mexico City from IsAboutWords]

The Story of Jess & Russ

The amazing letterer and illustrator Jessica Hische is getting hitched to her longtime boyfriend, interaction designer Russ Maschmeyer, later this summer.  As a way to chronicle their love story, they of course collaborated (with a bunch of super talented friends) on a gorgeous website.  Give yourself a good 15-20 minutes to read through this, clicking on all the links.  It’s so lovely.

The 50 Best Movies of 2011

This past weekend, my pal Andrew posted a link on Twitter to this list of The 50 Best Movies of 2011 (from Paste Magazine).  While perusing the list, I realized I missed so many good films last year.  There are a few I completely forgot about (like Errol Morris’s Tabloid) and there are a few I didn’t hear of that look great (like happythankyoumoreplease and Another Earth).

What was your favourite movie from last year?  I think mine was Beginners.

Eyebombing

Have you heard of eyebombing?  Yeah, me neither.  Apparently it’s a new thing, where people put googly eyes on inanimate objects.  Supposedly “the goal is to humanize the streets, and bring sunshine to people passing by.”  I think this roundup of 10 Amazing Eyebombing Images are hilarious.  Wouldn’t you love to pull something off the shelf at the grocery store, and find it has googly eyes on it?  That would definitely make me smile.

[via BuzzFeed]

Tablet’s Best of the Best Hotels List

Oh wow, it’s finally Friday. And the heat wave in Toronto has broken, leaving lovely summer sun and just the right amount of warmth.  Doesn’t this weather make you want to take a little vacation?

Check out this list of the Best of the Best Hotels on Tablet. They’ve broken their lists into Top 10s – Top 10 Hotels With Awe-Inspiring Architecture, Top 10 Hotels with Age and Beauty, Top 10 Hotels for Rooms with a View, etc.

Pretty high on my must-visit list is the Saguaro Hotel in Palm Springs.  Love the retro rainbow vibe.  And the Imanta Resort Punta Mita (on the Pacific Coast of Mexico) looks spectacular.  I love vacation daydreaming…

[image of the Saguaro Hotel and Imanta Resort Punta Mita via Tablet]

Things to Do With a Toddler in Montreal

We’re planning our trip to Montreal (we leave in 2 weeks!), so I’m researching things we can do during the day as a family.  I came across this great article from Where.ca entitled 50 Things to Do With Kids In Montreal.  I think some must-dos off this list include the Biodome, Parc Jean-Drapeau, and maybe the Zoo.  And we’re staying close to Parc LaFontaine, so that’s a must.  Kinnon told us there’s a 24-hour poutine shop right next to Parc LaFontaine called La Banquise.  Amazing!

Do you have any Montreal kids tips?

[image of kids playing in water fountains at Place-des-Arts by Just Being a Mama]

The World’s Largest Treehouse

Those treehouses I posted a month ago are nothing in comparison to this one – the world’s largest treehouse, in Tennessee.  It was built by Horace Burgess, a Minister, so it’s known as the Minister’s Treehouse.  It spans over 7 different trees, is 100 feet tall, and covers around 10,000 square feet.  The craziest part – it was built without blueprints.  Yep, no plan.  He just kept adding to it for over 11 years.  You can check it out yourself if you’re ever in Crossville, Tennessee.

[via Colossal.  Image via Chuck Sutherland]

Annoy Your CoWorkers with the Museum of Endangered Sounds

Here’s something completely random and goofy for your Friday – the Museum of Endangered Sounds.  Turn up your speakers and relive the wonderful tunes of a dot matrix printer or the original Tetris on GameBoy.  My favourite is the dial-up modem.  Delightful.

[via Smashing Magazine]

Leslieville Farmer’s Market – Fidel Gastro’s for Father’s Day!

We’ve been out of town for the last 2 weekends, so I haven’t been able to check out the Leslieville Farmer’s Market yet this year.  I’m so psyched to go on Sunday though – popup sandwich superstar Fidel Gastro’s will be at the market.  One of Fidel’s cubano breakfast sandwiches will go perfectly with a coffee and a waffle from the Waffle Bar.  You can read all about the vendors, available produce, and other market news on their website here.