more photos on flickr >>

 

1) Miss Moi, a native Australian, is currently living in the Ukraine and wrote about her adventures in grocery shopping. I really enjoy blogs that are written by people in foreign countries, especially when they compare how their lives are different from what they’re used to at home. You can also check out what happened when she didn’t dress warmly enough for the frigid temperatures, and take a tour of the building she lives in.

Today I toddled off to the local supermarket to get some groceries. My local is called ‘MegaMarket’ and, like all supermarkets in Kyiv, it sells a random collection of goods. Whatever you want to buy is not there. What you don’t want, is. For example, I might be looking for brown sugar, or cornflour. Not there. But if I want four aisles of Russian chocolate, I have it. Yum (err, not).

Really, it’s not too hard to shop in Ukraine. Even if you can’t understand the writing on pack, you can either see the product itself or a slightly representative picture on [the] pack. Personally I sure can’t tell from reading the label, because most labels are in Ukrainian. Never mind that most people speak Russian in this part of the country.

2) Penelope Trunk is not her given name, but years after assuming this professional moniker she started using it in everyday life. It was too much of a hassle, switching back and forth, trying to remember which email address to use with which person. This is an interesting look at name and identity.

In this age of transparency and authenticity it seems absurd to not tell you my real name. My real name is not Penelope Trunk. Well, in fact, it is Penelope Trunk. Sort of. At any rate, my name is definitely a lesson in personal branding.

3) Lisa Taylor Huff moved to Paris last year. Here she explains her thoughts on living abroad and how this makes her different from people who are close to her.

I’ve finally accepted it: I’m the odd one out in my family. Not the black sheep, exactly, but I AM the one who thinks differently, behaves differently, and wants very different things for my life. I’ve always felt this to be true, but the problem was I craved their acceptance and spent years either trying to be what they wanted or wishing for them to celebrate who I am despite the differences… and they can’t really seem to do that, not 100% anyway. [...]

And that’s what I need: new experiences. It’s the way I’m wired; I love change and variety, meeting new people, going new places, trying new things. I still have old habits to break: a tendency to hole up at home out of habit or laziness when I could be out doing something; and I don’t always take care of myself the way I should. But already, after just a few months, I’m feeling like Paris is becoming home, a place where I can’t wait to come back to, and where the REAL me is finally emerging.

4) The blogging network stretches near and far. When she found out there was a possibility her husband might take a job in San Francisco, Janet reached out to a blogger who recently moved to that area herself, even though they’ve never met in person.

On Friday afternoon, husband got a job offer in San Francisco . Aside from feeling thrilled for him because it really is a cool job, I kinda panicked because HOLY COW San Francisco is about a million thousand miles away and I’ve never even been there before. California is basically a foreign country to me. And I’m nothing if not a panicker, people.

5) The Today show has a new blog that they’re calling All Day. Sure, it’s promotion. But it’s pretty interesting as well, especially if you’re interested in knowing what goes on behind the scenes. The hosts contribute, but a majority of the posts come from employees who write about doing their daily jobs and all the craziness that ensues in a typical shift. Since there are all kinds of employees, you get to see the show from many different angles. The only thing is, they update a lot. This means, depending on the amount of bookmarks in your browser or subscriptions in your feed reader (I have a lot), it’s easy to fall behind unless you’re checking it all the time.

What happened when Natalie Morales “stole” Meredith’s car?

The other day I was running late leaving work, trying to get home to my son. In my rush, I jumped into a car that was waiting to take me home. Only problem, it wasn’t MY car… it was Meredith’s car.

The glamorous life of a production associate who works the late shift:

The late shift is by far the least glamorous – no celebrity sightings, no Studio 1A, no rush of the control room. In fact, the late PA [Production Associate] is almost always at home in the middle of a night’s sleep when the show is actually on. So then, if I’m not even awake during the show, why is the role of the late PA so important?

Also, Al gives a brief studio tour, and a juggling act ensues when segments are switched around at the last minute.