Because of the cold (the temperature has been consistently sub-zero), winter is a great time to pick up new hobbies. As much as I hate the cold, not going outside has been great incentive to practice guitar and bodhran, finish some of my library books and get in lots of hours blacksmithing. Which brings us to this week’s roundup.

  • If you’re developing a hobby, Dumb Little Man has suggestions on how to make money from your hobbies. (Read it at Dumb Little Man)
  • Learning blacksmithing from a friend has shown me I can be pretty stubborn when I want to do things my way. To that end, Gretchen has some great tips on how to accept criticism graciously for all those moments when someone far more skilled than I am tells me the right way to do things. (Read it at The Happiness Project)
  • Rather than using gas and motors to landscape, Mesa Arizona is using 80 goats. (Read it at TreeHugger via Huffington Post)
  • For me, feeling unbalanced (or a dirty workplace) is a huge impediment to getting work down. Leo at ZenHabits suggests how to turn feeling unbalanced into being productive. (Read it at ZenHabits)
  • Picking up loose change has been the topic of several conversations I remember having over the years, and this is not the first story I’ve heard like this. While sometimes I’ve found bills (and my brother once found $80!), I’m sporadic as to what I pick up. Do you collect loose change? Maybe you’ll accumulate $1,000 too. (Read it at Consumerist)
  • With the controversy over Pastor Rick Warren at the inauguration, I’ve been loving the numerous columns I’ve read advocating for equal marriage rights. Menachem Rosensaft’s article declaring even same-sex marriage is a basic civil right is wonderful to read and does a good job of putting marriage in a historical context. (Read it at Huffington Post)

Queercents Flashback: The clutter associated with plastic containers, especially take-out containers, can often be a source of stress. I started with no tuperware, and though I rarely get take-out, those few occasions were enough to leave me with all the containers I accumulated. Fortunately, Dawn C has a few suggestions for what to do with the plastic. My favorite is the fourth one.

Photo Credit: Stock.Xchng