What I’m Loving Round-up: Take 5

A peek at some of the stuff I’m loving as of late:

1) Simply Vera Vera Wang dress pants from Kohl’s

These pants float my boat in a major, major way. With wedding season in full swing, I’m donning a pair every weekend and I love how well they are made, how they fit, how they’re not 100 percent sweat-inducing polyester. And the best part? I’ve washed my pairs (yes, I have several, I love ‘em that much) multiple times and they come out of the dryer every single time with a crease that would leave a seamstress at an ironing board breathless.

2) The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

This book was SO fascinating. It’s the story of Henrietta Lacks, a black woman and mother of five who died in 1951 of cervical cancer. Doctors took pieces of her tumor without her consent and those cells (known as HeLa cells) launched today’s multi-billion biotech industry. Lacks’ family never saw a dime from their mother’s medical contributions and none of them could afford their own health care. Skloot poured her heart and soul into this book and earning this family’s trust and my respect for her as a journalist makes this one of the best works of non-fiction I’ve ever read.

3) Stacy’s Pita Chips and Sabra Hummus

There are folks out there who open say, a bag of Doritos or a pint of Ben and Jerry’s and find they can’t stop eating until the bag or carton is empty. That’s kind of how I feel about these chips and this hummus. Gooooooooooooodddddd stuff!

4) New albums from Josh Ritter and The National

Two of my favorite musical artists released new albums in May. Josh Ritter’s folk-rock sound steals my heart (if you’re a Dylan or Springsteen fan, you’d love him) and if you’ve never heard the baritone of The National’s lead singer Matt Berninger, then you’re missing out on one of the most unique and distinctive voices in music today.

5) Escalate Live

A two-day conference with the likes of Dane Sanders, Becker, Jasmine Star, Jessica Claire and Jerry Ghionis? Count me in! Well, “in” thanks to their free Web stream. Because I missed out on a lot of it, I’m checking out the video on demand option so I can watch (and rewatch) this crew give out a healthy dose of advice and encouraging words. If you need your own nuggets of inspiration, vision and creativity, you should check it out too!

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