T N.

I send my mother flowers pretty much every year for her birthday or for mother's day. Having lived away from her for most of the last 16 years, I've needed to rely on 1800flowers to get her the flowers on time. Without exception, she's gotten her gift, on time, and according to her, the flowers are always lovely. And being Asian, she would definitely tell me if they weren't.

I'm one of those folks to whom my colleagues and friends will ask questions knowing full well that I don't actually know the answer but that I'll be the first to google it to help out. Oftentimes that's fine by me, but other times, like, say if I'm in the middle of working a child through a 'tantrum' or fixing a broken pipe, it's a real nuisance. Then can't you find out what the exchange rate between rupees and yen is or who invented the modern Western alphabet (though you should know it was the Phoenicians) on your own? "Let me Google that for you" is a snarky way to prove my point to the person who asks me another question they can Google for themselves. I haven't yet found the right person to use this with, but believe me, it's in my artillery.

I heard about this on NPR and love the idea of it. It's a free network of websites to seek and post employment ads based on your area or city. Basically you can type in SanFrancisco.jobs (or whatever city you're in) or education.jobs (or whatever field you're in) or SanFranciscoeducation.jobs (city and field) to find work that might be relevant to your field, location or both! Brilllliant.

Here's the link to the NPR story: http://www.npr.org/2011/02/08/*******/New-Network-Of-Websites-May-Help-Job-Seekers?ft=1&f=100

Evidence Based Mummy is one seriously awesome blog for parents and educators who want some filtered, but still accurate information on the latest research and findings related to child development. Rachel Robinson is a smart mama who makes information easy to access and relevant. So much better than reading Parent Magazine or that other fluffy hooha stuff. I subscribe to EBM via RSS and have shared quite a few of her articles with my staff.

How sad I was to wake up this morning to a sleeping Kindle that wouldn't revive, no matter how hard I tried. I called Kindle's support line and was greeted in less than a minute by Susan. Susan showed genuine empathy for my dead Kindle. She walked through me a couple of steps I had already tried, and Harriet Beecher Stowe still wouldn't go away. After a couple of perfunctory questions (did you drop him, apply too much pressure - "sometimes I hug him but I don't think I overdo it"), Susan ordered a new Kindle be sent to my house by overnight delivery, right in time for me to take this new boyfriend on a trip next week. Now that's good business.

As far I'm concerned, Kottke is probably the only blog I need to follow. I've tried Dooce (too personal) and also follow Swiss Miss (too specific) and Brain Picker (too much noise sometimes). Kottke's clean and pretty eclectic without getting too hipster-on-my-nerves. He gives me the information and interesting factoids that I need, in small, not drawn out doses. Where else would I have discovered Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan doing dueling Michael Caine impressions? http://kottke.org/10/11/dueling-michael-caine-impressions

Landsend clothes aren't usually what I wear on a day to day basis, but I bought a couple things there when I lived in Seattle. The good thing is that the clothes last a loooong time. Very durable, well-made stuff!

The University of Colorado's Assistive Technology Partners program is designed to provide services, professional development and information concerning low- and high- assistive technology for individuals with autism, mental $#*!ation, paralysis, etc. The site's Resources page (http://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/colleges/medicalschool/programs/atp/Resources/Pages/Resources.aspx) has a vast library of materials, for free (see Handouts), to help make communication easier for individuals with disabilities.

Simon Baron-Cohen (and let's get this out of the way - yes, he IS related to Sasha Baron-Cohen of Ali G/ Borat/ Bruno fame) is one of the world's foremost leading practitioners, researchers and authors on autism spectrum disorders. He is a professor at the University of Cambridge and the director of ARC, Autism Research Centre. ARC's website is extensive in the information and resources it provides. There you can download free tests and research papers. At a time when academics like to keep their work under subscriptions and fees, Baron-Cohen makes all of his lab's work readily available to the public. This calls for many a fireworks display of hearts.

Kidshealth.org is kind of like a better, more accurate version of about.com for themes related to growing up. There are three sections to the site: the parents section, the kids section and the teens section. While many of the same topics are covered across the three sections, each takes a different approach as to how the material is covered (writing style, graphics, vocabulary, etc.) and how much is covered.

I use kidshealth in a couple of ways. One, it's a great, simple reference tool for parents who are just starting to learn about good nutritional habits, aspects of their children's development, facts about disabilities, etc. Two, it gives me good insight into how I can explain complex topics to children. For example, for a workshop for siblings of children with disabilities, I might see how Kidshealth approaches explaining what mental $#*!ation, Down Syndrome, autism, etc. It's really a comprehensive website, and one of the first I go to when I need to explain something to parents or students (and it comes in Spanish translations, so I'd give it double hearts, if I could).

Special education doesn't get its own section of the newspaper. It barely gets a word in edgewise in the education section of papers, if there is even such a section in some newspapers. So to stay up to date on all things related to developmental disabilities, I subscribe via RSS feed to Disability Scoop. Disability Scoop gives me the latest on what lawmakers are planning, what researchers are developing and what people with disabilities are accomplishing. The articles are always accessible and relevant to my work.

A friend introduced me to Teavana a few years back, and it replaced my usual tea shop visits for a while. I went crazy a couple times and discovered that not ALL of their teas are great, so it's best to go into the store first, if possible, to try them out. I myself love mixing the Jasmine Phoenix pearls http://www.teavana.com/The-Teas/Green-Teas/Jasmine-Dragon-Phoenix-Pearls-Green-Tea.axd with another flavor, like the strawberry pu-erh or any of the strawberry flavors: http://tea.teavana.com/?D=strawberry&Nty=1&N=0&Dk=0&Ntt=strawberry. I've also purchased some different Darjeelings for a friend, who said that he enjoyed them. The teas come in sealed bags to ensure freshness, and although some folks say it's a bit pricey, I find that the flavors are strong enough for some that you can reuse them.

Livestrong.com is a website for people serious about improving their health and fitness. I used this to keep track of my eating habits, calories and exercise. It was easy and gave me insight into what I was doing well and not so well (as in, ease up on the avocado smoothies). The best part is that the website doesn´t bombard you with junk email. There are periodic emails that come with information, but the articles are actually engaging, and more importantly, short!

I was turned on to this site by my sister: theittybittykittycommittee.com is an amazingly adorable site managed by a kitten foster mom in Seattle. She posts photos of all her new litters with her cute names for them (the latest crew is the Bartletts - Imogene, Marcel, Georgie and Clarence). Folks in the Tacoma / Seattle area can contact her for adoption. The photos are awesome, and the kittens are super cute.

I use this site to purchase gift certificates for my sister. Nordstrom is one of her favorite places to get shoes, and with a gift certificate, she can get what she pleases. Ordering doesn't call for registration (which is nice, for a change), and delivery is prompt.

It's a mighty useful site that has moved to: www.ugged.org

Specifically, the hall of shame is here: http://www.ugged.org/blogs/ugg-hall-of-shame/

I got turned on to the world of Nespresso by a friend. Nespresso machines are a gift from some higher power; the coffee is literally what gets me up in the morning. The little capsule getting punched in the machine is a sound like music to my ears. The capsules range from $0.50 to $0.62 for the premium blends (which aren't necessary really). I calculated that to be about $31 for the month if I have 2 cups a day - compared to the $5 a day I might spend at Starbucks, it's well worth it. You can only get Nespresso capsules through the website, but it's super easy. You can get as many capsules as you want delivered for $6, and if you split the cost of shipping with a friend or two, that's nothing. They arrive, without delay, within 2 days of ordering. Seriously amazing stuff.

http://www.nespresso.com/#/us/en

Started by former fashion insider Scott Schuman, the Sartorialist (or SartoriaList) is a compilation of photos taken of very well-dressed regular people on the streets of New York, Paris, Milan - all the jet-set places to which Schuman travels. It's kind of like thumbing through the pages of Vogue Italia but without the advertisements. And it also kind of proves that fashion isn't about what you wear, but how you wear it.

Brain Pickings is the brainchild of Maria Popova. It resembles sites like Kottke and Swiss Miss - these folks compile the latest and greatest blurbs related to art, culture, music, film, design, literature, sustainability, etc. Basically anything happening in the world that's interesting would be covered here. Popova interestingly and often enough uses the word "curate" and regards herself as a curator, and there's no doubt that she does indeed curate a museum of modern culture.

During the week I have little time to stop and read articles of interest, either ones that I run across or those in my Google Reader. Instapaper solves the problem by letting me click on my little ¨Read Later¨ toolbar bookmark when I´m on a website or article that I want to read later. It saves it all on my account and allows me to read it on the weekends, when I have more free time. Think of it as a temporary bookmark. The best part is that I can download all of the saved articles into Kindle form and get it sent to my Kindle.