7 Things I Liked On The Internet This Week

I'm back today sharing a bunch of stuff I found online this week that made me say, "Huh, I guess the Internet world isn't such a crap pile, after all." But before I get to all of that, I've got something crazy to tell you: Today I have been dating my boyfriend for 10 YEARS! Not days, not minutes -- YEARS. I mean, he's my husband now, but did he ever stop being my boyfriend? I don't think so.

Anyway, how unbelievably weird and awesome is it that our relationship is a full decade old?! Depending on your worldview, it may be more weird than awesome, but whatever, we're pretty jazzed about it. Since I recently wrote a post about our four year anniversary, I'll spare you the sickeningly sweet details of how much I love that guy, and instead I'll simply share with you the #1 song in America the day we started dating: We Belong Together by Mariah Carey.



Okay, now onto the main event. Here's what I enjoyed on the Internet this week:

1. Did you ever own an Easy Bake Oven when you were a kid? I had one and used it only once before deeming it useless. After that, I pretty much put Easy Bake Ovens out of my mind entirely until this week when Sarah Burton from Buzzfeed decided to use one to cook her dinner for a week. Obvi, she's hilarious, fun, and she includes a GIF of her delicately spitting out an Easy Bake-pretzel, so definitely check that post out if you want a healthy combo of nostalgia and disappointing, processed food.

2. And while we're on the subject of nostalgia: this morning, my friend Andrew posted on Facebook that he was listening to the Pure Moods soundtrack on Spotify. If you don't remember, Pure Moods was THE quintessential New Age album in the 90s. It featured tracks from Enya, Kenny G, and a bafflingly terrible remix of the X-Files theme. Even if you didn't have the album, you likely remember the following advertisement that ruined your life during Nickelodeon's commercial breaks:

Man, I love that the Internet allows us to reclaim these bizarre relics from our childhoods.

3. This week, I finally caved and downloaded the Freedom app. It blocks social media and distracting websites while you are working, and let me tell you, it's a pain in the ass in the best way possible. Whenever I start to get even slightly stuck in my writing, my temptation is to pull up Facebook, and having it blocked is making me realize how little self-control I have in life. If you struggle similarly, I highly recommend it.

4. I feel like the belle of the ball whenever I get to write a post for The Nectar Collective because, y'all, Melyssa is an actual genius walking among us. She's so transparent about how she has built her business, and her site is just so chockfull of real, practical advice. This week, as I was reading her post all about affiliate links, I felt like there were lightbulbs exploding in my brain. It was so inspiring to hear from someone who can share exactly what she's doing to be successful. Read it, and then sign up for her new e-course, and then proceed to become a star.

5. Erin from Living In Yellow revamped her home office this week, and it has me ALL KINDS of jelly. I mean, THAT is what a workspace should look like. I was so excited when we moved into our new home and I settled down to work in my office, but lately, not so much. I mean, I don't mean to sound like an ungrateful little snot, but I kind of hate that tiny room right now. I've just never gotten around to really putting work into it, so these days, it's just wholly uninspiring to me. That being said, I'm going to start taking the plunge in updating my home office, and seeing Erin's painted ceiling has got my wheels turning....

via Living In Yellow

6. Nadia Bolz-Weber is a pastor in Colorado who says "shit" a lot and does Crossfit and writes books and I just love her. I heard her speak this last spring, and I fell hard for her approach to the teachings of Jesus and her message for people who have never felt quite right about their place in the Church. This week, Emma Green did a stellar write-up on Nadia for The Atlantic, so if you're looking to hear more about this salty pastor and the message she's sharing, this is a great place to start.

7. Heather Havrilesky is the author of that viral post from a while back on The Awl on how to write in which she details a day in the life of a distracted writer (which is every writer, by the way). She's also the voice of Ask Polly, an advice column for New York Magazine. Last week, she answered a question that was so heartbreakingly real that I teared up reading it in the middle of an H&M. The question: Why is everyone succeeding except me? If you've ever asked yourself this question -- either in the quiet of your heart or at the top of your lungs during the middle of a spin class -- Polly has a truly satisfying, grace-filled answer for you. I'm crying again just thinking about it.

Welp. That's what I've got for you this week!

What were some of your favorite favorite finds on the Internet this week?