Pleasure Notes

In this abundant universe we call the blogosphere, these are some of the active people and places that hit the spot:

A Beautiful Perfect Mess – Rebecca share’s her artist’s-eye-view of Colorado and life with grace and wit.

A Design So Vast - Not only can this lady write, but she and I very often see the world from the same pair of glasses. The view isn’t always rosy but it is truly vast, and awesome, as she reveals it.

Ally B Speakin – Another Coloradan in the mix, I just kinda adore this chic.

Anh Minh – This woman’s daily design discoveries are frequently completely in line with my aesthetic. If I lived in San Francisco, I’m sure we’d be fighting over the same items in a yard sale.

Apricot Tea – With wisdom beyond her years, a keen sense of fashion and a disarming honesty, Ev’Yan is a kick-ass fellow Angeleno whose words I love to read.

Authentic Realities – Dian is full of passion, intensity and honesty. She makes you think and feel while cracking open the world a little wider.

Birdykins – Lindsay truly is a free spirit with soaring talent and a heart of pure gold.

Blah Blah Blah – If I lived in Chicago, I would book Molly for hours of coffee talk time. Honest, funny and a librarian to boot.

Book Line and Sinker – Natalie’s love of books makes for a great read.

Bryce Widom – Bryce leaves his soul on the canvas and it is a stunningly beautiful soul. A profoundly caring man, he is a delightful artist and friend.

Cattails – This woman makes me laugh, cry and cheer as she lays her life bare. She also gives me a welcomed taste of what life would be like in a place a tad less urban than L.A.

Chocolate & Zucchini – Clotilde Dusoulier makes me want to move to Montmatre and be her next door neighbor so I can eat what she cooks. The french idioms she shares are as delightful as the recipes.

Dooce – Heather Armstrong makes me laugh and think; she’s a master of the form and a continuing inspiration.

Free Anissa – Anissa is hilarious, blunt and grounded. She shares her passion for life, for her family and for nakedness at every opportunity. And she overcomes more in one minute of her day than I am faced with in a hell of a lot longer time span. Inspiring, even when she tries not to be.

Gary’s Real Life – A whimsical, illustrated recounting of an average Joe’s Gary’s life, created by the super talented Josh Beggs.

Gwen Bell – Social media maven, friend and mentor. Gwen is a powerful, calming and caring force of nature, as awesome to behold as the Flatirons from which she may draw inspiration.

Jen Castle – A longtime, rock-star friend, Jen is a gorgeously talented photographer and observer of life whose enthusiasm is contagious.

Jurgen Nation – I discovered this delightful NoCal chica at a very intense moment, and she’s blown me away ever since. A damn good writer with an awesome heart.

Just Like the Number: Six – Just like candy, Angie’s stories make me feel good.

KCRW – The best radio station, on- or offline, bar none.

Lacochran’s Bloggery – This woman makes me snort with laughter, pows me with insight and throws a bit of bawdiness in for good measure.

Lifelounge – An extravagantly creative orgy of art, fashion and pop culture.

Mildly Creative – Ken Robert’s talents as a writer, poet and observer of life blow me away; a truly gifted man.

Mocha Momma –  Kelly is a powerhouse of goodness – hilarious, witty, opinionated, and profound. And she has a laugh that just makes the world a better place.

Olive & Hope – Danette’s blog is an explosion of creativity that makes the world a lighter and better place.

Scientific American – An aggregator of fascinating scientific discoveries and news, the stuff I learn here keeps my jaw on the floor.

Seth’s Blog – Seth Godin is a marketing guru, but his wisdom goes so far past that which is solely applicable to the business world as to be ridiculous to quantify. His posts are usually short in word count and long in profundity.

Shutter Sisters – This group of women share their incredible talents, passions and hearts in a way that is simply scrumptious.

Square-Peg Reflections – Karen Caterson can send me into guffaws as easily as into tears; brilliant sweetness.

The Anarchist Project – Sean’s skill with words both inspires me and humbles me. He creates some of the most evocative stories I’ve ever read; I fall in love with him every damn time.

The Art of Non-Conformity – Chris is a wunderkind when it comes to action. He is also as generous with insight as he is inspirational.

The Barefoot Heart – Jeanne is like the tooth fairy, sprinkling magic wherever she goes; a luminous, wise, witty and beautiful soul whom I treasure.

The Girl Project – An inspiring, educational and illuminating photo blog highlighting phenomenal female photographers, in support of a movement that places cameras into the hands of young girls so they can document the world as they see it.

The Gospel of JP – I like to think of JP as this century’s version of a renaissance man. He’s probably wishing I’d just called him Casanova with tats instead of tights.

The Life of Monkey Boy – Egan talks about the joys and trials of being a dad, and just being, with matter-of-fact charm.

The Style Geek – The delightful Jenn knows her fashion and her social media, but she also knows life. She speaks frankly and charmingly about all of it.

This American Life – I have no idea how Ira Glass finds the stories and he and his crew recount, but the world is a better place for the shared discoveries.

Unabashedly Female – Julie Daley’s integrity and authenticity can leave me gasping for breath.

Whip-Smart Wordsmith – Emma Alvarez Gibson talks social media and life, with cleverness, kindness and wit.

White Hot Truth – To be perfectly honest, I kinda wish to emulate Danielle LaPorte’s current career, with my own twist of course. But that’s not why I read her blog. I read her blog because she’s inspiring, thought-provoking and authentic.

Whole Self Coach – Alana Sheeren reveals every illuminating step in her journey to be the fullness of her self. She has incredible insight. She is also a dear friend.