Sostituiamo Mail con Sparrow, ne vale la pena!

Quello che ho scritto nel titolo del post è vero in parte perchè Sparrow è effettivamente un ottimo client ma, purtroppo, gestisce solo gli account Gmail, almeno per ora.
Perchè allora utilizzarlo?

Perchè è veloce (più di Mail), graficamente eccellente, minimalista in perfetto stile Apple, facile da configurare e utilizzare, si integra con Growl e poi è gratuito.

La sua interfaccia, veramente elegante, ci consente di effettuare le principali operazioni di cui abbiamo bisogno in un client mail.
Possiamo leggere le mail, spostarle, cancellarle, inviarle. Sparrow gestisce inoltre più di un account Gmail, ottimo.

Personalmente lo utilizzo da circa un mese con avvio automatico al login e non sento per nulla la mancanza di Mail, strano visto che ho da sempre
una particolare "predilezione per i software nativi" di mamma Apple. Quindi, per tutti questi motivi, ve lo consiglio caldamente, non ve ne pentirete, fidatevi...
Vi lascio ora con una serie di immagini ed il link da cui scaricare il software, alla prossima.

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Friday I'm in Love!

Not only is it Friday, but it is a Friday before a long weekend!!!  Double the love (cause a week without a Monday is a blessed week).  

Summergirl

This Friday, I'm in love with . . .

1. Girls' Night

Tonight, my foursome and I have 7:15 reservations at my neighborhood favorite, Pizzaiolo.  (I've discussed this place before; it's home of delicious wood-fired pizzas made with locally grown ingredients, and even better, house made tonic to go in your end-of-the-week cocktails!).  Can't wait for some girly catch-up and a scrumptious margherita pizza.

images from

2. Friday surprise packages!
Guess what I found on my dining room table this morning?  A sweet little package from my dear friend Faiza!

It made me so happy this morning!  My favorite part was her long and thoughtful letter, closely followed by the plantable bookmark she gave me.  There is a little butterfly that you detach and plant--it has seeds in it.  And it says: "You can cut all the flowers but you cannot stop the spring from coming.  Pablo Neruda." This is particularly meaningful to me both as a poet and a person who seriously appreciates hopefulness & optimism.  And also because, lets face it, we all remember that quote from the first Sex and the City movie when Smith sends Samantha a grass plant from his far-away shoot. :)

Faiza also included other calming gifts, such as soothing face masks and tea.  How wonderful is she???

3. Love and Weddings
This weekend I'm headed down to Cambria, a beach town just a little bit north of San Luis Obispo, for a friend's wedding.  I'm so excited for her and can't wait to see her marry the man she loves--what a happy occasion.  It's going to be a fun weekend, filled with friends and cocktails and love stories . . . what a sweet little getaway, huh?

Cambria, CA

Happy weekend, Geaux Saints, and please keep my friend Summer in your thoughts.  She is constantly in mine.  

Love Letters

The other day, I got the sweetest letter, and it's been on my mind ever since.  It was from this girl, whom I love with my whole heart:

my sweet girl, Marie

Marie and I met when I was 15, which means she was about to turn 10.  My boyfriend was her older brother, Abe.  Abe and I both lived in Georgia, and Marie lived in Florida with their mom.  Marie and her brothers (all Abe's younger siblings) would come up during the summers and stay with their dad in Georgia.  Because their dad worked full-time (and so did Abe, for that matter), and I only worked half days during the summer in my teenage years, I would pick Marie and her brothers up at their dad's house around lunchtime and spend the afternoons with them (usually at the pool!).

Marie and I were so close--she was like my little sister--and I loved her like family.  We've stayed in touch all these years, through many moves and many boyfriends and many major life changes.  She's one of those people I know will always be in my life.  

The Addisons--Marie, her husband Derek, and their precious baby Leina--live in Korea now.  You can imagine how delighted I was to receive this letter in the mail on Monday:

Although the whole letter was incredibly sweet and genuine and lovely, one line in particular stuck out to me:

"You may not have married my brother, but you became my sister all the same."

This girl almost had me in tears!  It was so special because I feel the exact same way about her.  Her brother and I broke up over ten years ago, but she and I will always be a part of each other's lives.  Isn't it so funny how certain people come into our lives, and you just know it's going to be for a lifetime?

I love you, Marie! ♥ ♥

*side note: the only time I've ever gone camping in my entire life was with Marie!

Friday I'm in Love!

Whew! Today marks the end of the infamous first week of school, so needless to say . . .

1. I'm in love with the Happy Hour that awaits me at Cha Cha Cha in the Mission in just a few short hours!

I'll be here

drinking this

2. I'm in love with all the beautiful birthday mail y'all have sent me. More on that later. Just know it's made my week so much more fun. The happy birthday gifts I've received in the mail this week include but aren't limited to: the prettiest and Claire-est postcard collage I've ever seen, a weighted hula hoop, a sweet, sentimental necklace, Sprinkles cupcake mix from the famous Southern California shop, a tiny colander, flowers, and a gift card to my favorite store (the two weirdest things on that list were from my mama). I'll share pics soon!

3. BOOKS. Now that I've finished Friday Night Lights, I've picked up an old habit again . . . reading! I'm revisiting Surviving Justice right now, as I'm preparing to shape my interviews into personal narratives. Surviving Justice is the first book in the Voice of Witness series, and is a collection of narratives from people who were wrongfully convicted, served time in prison, and were exonerated. You can order it by clicking the link above . . . it's a pretty unforgettable book.

After I'm done with this (again), I'm going straight to Catching Fire, the second book in the Hunger Games series. (I'm all about teen lit these days, ha!). I tell you what: Hunger Games was so good. All the adrenaline and excitement of *other* popular YA book series, but without the horrid, cliche-ridden, angsty, somewhat misogynistic writing (I'm talkin' to YOU, Twilight!).

4. This:

love letters sheet set from Anthropologie

It's pretty much everything I love in one: text, love, gorgeous sheets, romance, ohmygoodness. Do you think my interest in everything bed-related has something to do with school starting back up? Ha. Just a wild guess.

Check out my girl Summer B. to play along and tell us what you're in love with!

Penpals & Swaps

Lately I'm loving snail mail more and more (so cathartic to create pretty cards and letters, and I love sending and receiving letters from friends), so I recently signed up for the Dear Darlings Penpal Project over at Oh, My Darling! This is how it works:

Melissa pairs you up with 3-4 other penpal-seekers, and sends an email to the group with everyone's addresses and blog links. From there, you send out intro letters to your group, and let the correspondence begin. Here's my first letter to one of my penpals:

I still have two more to write (my group has four girls, total), but the first one was really fun. :)

There's no deadline to sign up; it's a "rolling admissions" type of situation, so the sooner you sign up, the sooner you get your penpals. Try it if you love old school letters as much as I do!

I also signed up for Gracie's Just Because You're Lovely Swap, and you still have 8 more days to do the same! You send Gracie your mailing info, blog link, and a paragraph about yourself and your interests, and your partner will construct a package just for you. :) (and vice versa, of course!). I'm excited about this one, because I love creating packages for someone based on her specific interests and loves!

Thought you might want to know about these two happenings. Keep me posted if you've joined any other great swaps that I should know about!

(And wish me luck keeping up all this writing and mailing now that I have to be back at school tomorrow!).

Friday I'm in Love!

Even though my pulse is quickening and my anxiety is spiking cause I can sense summer speeding to a halt, I'm still so in love with these things today:

1. Brussel Sprouts

So freaking delicious. Today I sauteed them with onions and used them in a salad with field greens, strawberries, ricotta salata, and a vinaigrette. OMG--so good.

2. These brothers

3. Acupuncture

My dear friend Helen has been seeing Thuy at the Berkeley Community Acupuncture Clinic for a couple years now. She's been urging me to make an appointment for my terrible lower back, but I've hesitated . . . until today! This morning I had my first session, and I think I might love Thuy and her needles as much as Helen does. My back is definitely more relaxed after the treatment, and I'm pretty sure that if I keep it up, there will be long-term results. Also: SO RELAXING. Even if you're a fidgeter like me. Have any of you tried acupuncture?

4. Snail Mail

Lately I've been lovin me some snail mail. In the past couple weeks, I've sent out letters & cards to Marianne, Micaela, Heather, Phoenix, Summer, Kara, Lesley, Tillie, Faiza, and various other non-bloggy friends. I got a lovely reply from Phoenix this week, and can't wait to write her back again. I think I love sending letters just as much as I love receiving them . . . it's so fun, and the process of actually writing is so cathartic.

And lastly . . .

5. Summer B, the beautiful lady behind this Friday I'm in Love Series. She's darling, sweet, endearing, fun, gorgeous, so open-hearted, and an amazing Words with Friends opponent. :) I'm daydreaming of being on some rooftop bar in NYC having cocktails with her this afternoon!

Speaking of which, I'm also pretty in love with the girlfriends I'm hitting the town with tonight. Can't wait to put on my party dress and kick back with a glass of sauvignon blanc at the Beta Lounge!

Happy Friday! XOXO

Mass Uncertainty

I've had pretty serious anxiety my entire life. This anxiety is exacerbated when there is serious uncertainty in:

a) MY JOB

We still don't know whether or not my job is being funded for next year, and by "next year," I mean next month! I spoke to someone in one of the San Francisco city supervisors' offices today, and she basically said that it was hopeful--that funding was more promising than they'd originally thought--but that there wouldn't be a final answer for a while. I can hardly bring myself to search for jobs when I want so badly to keep my current job, especially when I think there's a decent chance. So stressful. :(

b) MY LIVING SITUATION

My roommate is moving out at the end of the month, and I have to find a new one pronto. My apartment is way too awesome to leave.

c) ETC.

(Let's just leave it at that). :)

But here are some things I'm happy about:

1. These notecards I got in the mail from sweet Tillie:

Aren't they amazing? Maybe you'll be lucky enough to get one from me. :)

2. My marathon phone conversation with Micaela this evening. Seriously, we talked on the phone for over two hours--till her phone died--and then for another hour on g-chat. I LOVE THAT GIRL! I'm so grateful for our friendship. Micaela and I understand each other implicitly . . . without explanation, without justification, without any hesitation. Every time I talk to her, I feel like I'm experiencing a full-body sigh of relief--like I'm releasing everything I'm thinking and feeling to someone who totally understands every bit of it.

3. Skype. Today I video-chatted with my dear cousin (basically: sister) Jennifer and my auntie Pat via Skype, and I felt so close to my Georgia home. It was my first time using skype! I love it, and am so grateful for modern technology.

And here is that which I'm just not so sure about:

I always thought work out videos were for wusses . . . until The 30 Day Shred. Jillian Michaels inspires fear, loathing, disgust, and excitement within me--all at the same time! Every time she calls Anita or Natalie "buddy" in her gross, smarmy voice, I want to throw my hand weight at the television screen. But at the same time, she gives me a delicious workout in 30 minutes within the cool comfort of my own home. It's your classic love/hate relationship.

Goin' Postal

So I'm notoriously bad about mailing things, even though I really love mail and packages and assembling things to send to people. However, I've been re-inspired, and have since turned my living room into a craft factory. I've gotten really into making my own cards . . . some good letters and packages are coming your way, people! No pics so as not to ruin the surprise. :)

Or perhaps I'm just emulating the chaos of the post office because things are so freakin' crazy in my life . . . for instance: one day off in 19 days! Yikes. Way too much work, folks. Also, my new roommate announced last night that her job, too, is coming to an end, and so she's moving back up to Humboldt County July 1. Man oh man oh man . . . and since I've pretty much decided that I'm not ready for co-habitation, this means I gotta start the grueling roommate search yet again. Or just crawl under my blankets and pretend it isn't happening. Or moonlight as a phone sex operator so that I can afford the whole rent by myself and not have to get a roommate. What do y'all think?

All this frenzy and exhaustion and stress just makes me miss Georgia and want to be home visiting my family. Soon, though! I fly into Atlanta June 5 and get to stay till the 14th! (My grandma, G$, is turning 90 . . . that's OLD, y'all. Feel free to send her scotch--it's her favorite thing in the world). These are some of the things I'm looking forward to in Georgia:

me, stepmama, mama, sissy

daddy

sweet tea

the Brick Store in Decatur--my favorite place to sit with my sis over a long lunch

the worst dog in the world: Ignatius R. Kiefer

Until then, I'm off to brave the relentless rain and make my maimed boy some cookies. Hope Monday's been kind!

Inviare una pagina web tramite Mail con un clic

Capita a volte, mentre navighiamo in Internet, di trovare dei siti interessanti e di volerli condividere con un nostro amico.
Con Mac è un operazione facile e veloce.

Basta posizionarsi sull'URL del sito e premere

cmd+i si aprirà così immediatamente Mail con la pagina web nel corpo e il titolo già impostati. Noi non dovremo far altro che inserire solo l'indirizzo del destinatario.

Più facile e veloce di così non si può, in perfetto stile Mac.

Notify, Gmail sempre sotto controllo con le notifiche

Gmail è sicuramente il miglior servizio gratuito di posta elettronica al mondo, chiunque ha almeno un account registrato.
Per la gestione della o delle caselle e le notifiche in tempo reale esistono molti software in circolazione, ma il migliore è indubbiamente Notify.

Una volta scaricato alla prima apertura ci verranno ovviamente richiesti i dati relativi al nostro (o più) account e un icona verrà visualizzata nella barra dei menù.

Grazie all'integrazione con Growl, ogni volta che riceveremo una Mail, questa ci verrà notificata con una finestrella ed un suono e potremo vederne una preview premendo la barra spaziatrice o visualizzarla direttamente nel Browser.

Ovviamente dal menù Preferenze potremo personalizzare tutta una serie di parametri come l'avvio di Notify al Login, l'apparenza, i suoni di notifica etc.
Notify è completo, perfetto e facile da usare, una volta installato non se ne potrà più fare a meno, garantito!

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