A few good gems

I'm SO happy it is October. There is a promised cold front due in on Sunday where we are expecting a high of 78 and a low of 51, and I'm holding The Weather Channel's feet to the fire. I'd better get my 51 or heads are going to roll!!  While I'm watching the weather with pumpkin-flavored-baited-breath, here's a few good gems to peruse:

- I saw this quote (pictured above) over on the Liz Marie Blog. I can't find the original source, but I'm thinking about framing this quote and giving it to all of my loved ones for Christmas. I'm not even kidding. It's SO true. Right?

-  My friend Andrea sent me a link to The Guardian's article on "Ten Tips to Help Our Daughters Change the World." These 'tips' are about teaching and encouraging skills necessary for girls to enter the political scene, and particularly about how they can make a difference from where they are -- drawing upon their own personal interests, situations, and skill sets. Rowena Davis, a 28 year old MP candidate, explains, "Young women are no longer prepared to suppress their personalities or compromise their values in order to take part in political life. 'There is a sense of compassion, an ability to value relationships, family, nurturing, caring, but mixing that with aspiration, thriving and leadership.'"

-The New York Times published a fascinating article, "Harvard Business School Case Study: Gender Equity," detailing a gender experiment (focusing on the class of 2013) in which curriculum, grading, and social practices were purposely studied and altered to promote female success. The results are an interesting mix of sociological observations and unintended consequences. What I don't think the experiment was really able to tackle is the long-standing denigration of ambitious women -- meaning women felt they needed to "tone down" aggressive practices in class in order to be socially acceptable. The author writes, "Judging from comments from male friends about other women ('She’s kind of hot, but she’s so assertive') [one of the students], Ms. Navab, feared that seeming too ambitious could hurt what she half-jokingly called her 'social cap,' referring to capitalization." Now. I'm no Harvard MBA. But when I was working on my Master's Thesis (and was arguing an important point), one of the male members of my committee responded to my passionate argument with, "Well, isn't she a fiesty little thing?" Ahem. 

- While doing some academic work this week, I read a critical article that talked about the idea of home in E. M. Forster's novel, Howards End. I haven't read Howard's End (1910) in a bazillion years, so I felt the need to reacquaint myself. I've only read the first 50 pages or so, but I'm already delighted. I love this line about Meg: "Away she hurried, not beautiful, not supremely brilliant, but filled with something that took the place of both qualities--something best described as a profound vivacity, a continual and sincere response to all that she encountered in her path through life." Come on. Read it with me.

- If you are feeling especially bookish, then I've got the perfect tool for you. Many years ago I purchased a book weight (much like this one). I use it practically everyday -- sometimes to hold a book open while I'm taking notes, sometimes to hold my book open when I'm eating a BIG bowl of ice cream (don't tell!) and, really, countless other strange situations I seem to find myself in where I JUST NEED MY BOOK TO STAY OPEN.

-I'm thinking about making this salad this week.  And I REALLY want to make this chalkboard runner for my long kitchen table. And just maybe, if I'm feeling ambitious (but not in a socially crippling way), I'll make some Halloween silhouettes for above my fireplace.

Or, maybe I'll just curl up with Howards End.  

Happy Fall everyone!