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SMART Reading Program – Forkover Friday Week 4

poweredbytofu — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 13:01:33 +0000

This last week, I gave to a cause that I love and have previously volunteered with: SMART — Start Making A Reader Today.

What is SMART?

The SMART program helps elementary students become confident readers by pairing them with volunteers for one-on-one attention. They also provide books for the kids to take home (and keep) on a frequent basis, which is really helpful as a lot of the kids in this program come from families that aren’t supporting them in this area already, so having new and fun books to take home as their own creates an excitement around learning and reading which is really fun to see.

How we can help:

1. Donate online to SMART.
2. Volunteer to be a reader.

Forkover Friday Week 4
Who it helps: students
What non-profit: SMART
Where: Portland, Oregon
Why: I volunteered with SMART as a reader and it was a wonderful experience to watch the kids progress and learn to love reading. Photo: mikefats

Where should I give next week?

#57: Read Seth Godin Books That I Haven’t Read

poweredbytofu — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:59:25 +0000

#57 on my 101 Things in 1,001 Days List was to read all of Seth Godin’s books. I was already about halfway done, when I added this to my list, but then he just kept on writing books! Give a girl a break, and let me catch up! ;) If you’re unfamiliar with Godin, he’s a best-selling marketing and business author who writes “bite size” marketing books and a blog.

My favorite book of the 12 is Small Is the New Big: and 183 Other Riffs, Rants, and Remarkable Business Ideas. I like how this book is divided into alphabetized one page blurbs. While not all 183 are “remarkable” ideas, it’s a great way to bring you out of the details of getting things done on a day-to-day basis. It adds a little caffeine to your marketing day. This book is better listened to than read. I really enjoy listening to an audio book that’s narrated by the author, because it’s much more personal and you feel like you’re getting the right tone/inflections.

I just finished his last book, Tribes — We Need You to Lead Us. As usual, it was a quick read and resonated with me in a Gandhi sort of way, “be the change you want to see in the world”. This book isn’t on how to be a better leader, just about deciding to lead. I think my favorite thing was going to read the review on Amazon and finding this in the Editorial Review section:

“The advice found in this book should be used with caution. Change isn’t made by asking permission, Godin says. Change is made by asking forgiveness, later. That may be true, but in this economy and in certain corporations, it may also be a good way to lose a job.” –Publishers Weekly

Hilarious! Seth Godin, are you laughing?

My only critique with Godin’s writing is that he’s often too quick to dismiss stable and “boring” businesses. There’s a time and place for unconventional (that’s why it’s not called “conventional”). For example, I don’t want my toilet paper to be hip and clever– it’s just toilet paper. And it doesn’t matter how “outside the box” your company is if you’re still unprofitable. I am a huge fan of his books though, I just like to take everything with a grain of salt. :)

#56: 52 Books in 52 Weeks | Week 17 – Eat, Pray, Love

poweredbytofu — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 03:10:45 +0000

Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia just didn’t do it for me. The title is probably the best thing about the book, but I guess that’s why you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s title (or featured destinations). I really tried to be interested in this book, but the author’s perspective just really rubbed me the wrong way. It was too whiny and forced, and it’s not like I couldn’t have identified with it, I just didn’t. I wish I would have checked this out at the library instead of purchasing it. Now I’m starting to sound whiny!

Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia

#56: 52 Books in 52 Weeks | Week 16 – The Glass Castle

poweredbytofu — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 02:48:03 +0000

The Glass Castle is an emotional, but exceptional book. Yes, many families have their own Rex Walls, and the accuracy of the author’s childhood memories could be questioned, but that really wasn’t the point of the book for me. This memoir is about family and acceptance. While I can’t claim to have had such a harsh childhood as the author, I could identify with the book. There’s a lesson to be learned of distancing and accepting family, and in that order.

The Glass Castle: A Memoir

#56: 52 Books in 52 Weeks | Week 13 – Getting Things Done

poweredbytofu — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 04:26:59 +0000

You either love or hate GTD (Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity). Although the Allen-ite way of productivity seems to have lost it’s best-seller momentum, it’s still a decent way to get things accomplished. So I decided a re-read was in order. I hadn’t read this book in a few years, so it was nice to have a little refresher of how not to waste time thinking about all the stuff you have to do.

But I had forgotten how time consuming some of the “lists” are. Last year, I stopped using 3-4 different lists (waiting for, someday/maybe etc) and just started using Remember The Milk instead. This is way less time consuming. I’ll be detailing my “Getting Things Done: Take 2″ in a later post.

If the GTD method escapes you, you can always try the WSD method.

#56: 52 Books in 52 Weeks | Week 11 – Speaking with the Angel

poweredbytofu — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 17:52:09 +0000

I had the most deja-vu feeling while reading this book. Anyway, Speaking with the Angelis kind of a sampler of 12 authors all around the same genre (Fielding, Bank, Hornby) and edited by Nick Hornby. Each story is set in first person, so it runs along the same theme, but I really wasn’t as impressed with the collection as I am with several of the authors’ previous books.

The List: 52 Book | 52 Weeks

#56: 52 Books in 52 Weeks | Week 10 – Encore Provence

poweredbytofu — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 16:01:54 +0000

If only Peter Mayle would move to more countries and regions and then document his journey. I love reading these books! If you’ve been to the area he’s talking about, it makes you giggle; and if you haven’t then it just makes you want to go there. Organized in no particular order, the chapters are like little excerpts of the region – some short stories, others city guides. A Year in Provence is definitely a better book, but Encore Provence: New Adventures in the South of France is a great follow-up.

“There’s no doubt about it. Food tastes better on Sunday.” — Encore Provence

The List: 52 Book | 52 Weeks

#56: 52 Books in 52 Weeks | Week 9 – Small Is the New Big and 183 Other Riffs, Rants, and Remarkable Business Ideas

poweredbytofu — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 00:26:57 +0000

I like how this book is divided into alphabetized 1 page blurbs (otherwise known as riffs, rants and ideas). While all 183 are not remarkable it, it’s a great read/listen. I first checked this book out from the library and after skipping around, reading a few pages, I checked out the audio book. I think this book is better listened to than read. It’s more fun to listen to several minutes in the car or on my laptop. And I really enjoy listening to an audio book that’s narrated by the author. It’s much more personal and you feel like you’re getting the right tone/inflections.

Small Is the New Big: and 183 Other Riffs, Rants, and Remarkable Business Ideas by Seth Godin

The List: 52 Book | 52 Weeks

#72: Apartment Therapy | Week 3

poweredbytofu — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 14:35:24 +0000

Week 3 is all about de-cluttering the entryway in your home. The theory is that if you don’t let junk cross the barrier into your home it will stay cleaner! :) This week is super easy for me since my apartment is pretty small.

Week 3 – The Landing Strip
~~Vacuum, dust~~
~~Clean entrance/doorway area~~
~~De-clutter entryway~~
~~Move catalogs, magazines to Outbox~~
Cancel unused mags/catalogs
Identify cool rooms and warm rooms
~~Apply the 80/20 rule~~
~~Cook 2 meals at home~~
~~Design an invitation for housewarming~~ (yes, please)

#56: 52 Books in 52 Weeks | Week 8 – Don’t Think of an Elephant! Know Your Values and Frame the Debate

poweredbytofu — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 19:42:30 +0000

This week, I read Don’t Think of an Elephant: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate–The Essential Guide for Progressives by George Lakoff. It was written a few years ago (pre-’04 election), so it has that kind of “frame” around it. :) As a voter, I’m neither a democrat or republican, (although I lean a little left) so this book was very interesting. I had never thought about politics in the sense of voting your identity versus your self-interest. It’s a great explanation for those that vote Republican over and over again, even though they’re not getting anything out of the deal. It’s like when you want to say to people, “But you don’t make enough to be a Republican!” :)

As far as the nurturing parent / strict father example… I agree, but I guess that’s also what puts me in the middle of the road in politics too. Although I had more of a strict father upbringing, my views are closer to the nurturing parent world view. However, I also have the conservative view of “why should I have to subsidize the laziness of others?”. I really think America needs a 3rd party (not the libertarians, they’re not ambitious enough), that is for helping/nurturing our “family” of a country, but with an end in sight. I don’t like the Republican view of just cutting off funding or the progressive view of “maintenance” funding – stringing along people with a little help instead of helping them with their root issues (job placement, substance abuse etc). It’s the Republican in me… I do have a problem with people being dependent, there should be time lines to get those that are dependent out on their own.

Enough politics for today…

The List: 52 Book | 52 Weeks