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About six months in, he told me about Skype and how we can use it to talk to each other for free.

For free!?!?

I obviously didn’t believe him, but soon joined and sure enough I was back to talking to my brother everyday.

Now, that I’m in Bosnia I use Skype  to stay in touch with my family and my friends. It has a chat feature and you can buy credit to call people’s landlines or cell phones. The best part for me is the video feature that allows you to see the person you’re talking to and vice versa. As far away as we all are, Skype makes the distance not seem as great.

-Aida

My new addiction is a musical comedy series on HBO featuring a couple of New Zealanders who start a band. The writing is riduculous funny and the concept is event better–a mix of blunt, sarcastic humor witch random, catchy tunes about rapping hippos and business socks. Just go with me on this one…

If you missed the first season, check out clips here. It’ll give you a nice preview for the second season which starts January 18th!

*picture from Valentino & Simple Life‘s Flickr page

Here is some holiday blogging love…Enjoy!

Thanks to a dear JMU friend for sending me this link.

-Carla

And, as a nail bitter, I’m pretty self-conscious about how people judge my hands.

After trying everything I bought Rimmel Nail Rescue 2 Week Treatment Hardens Nails.

Now, I’m not biting my nails because  they look too pretty and because I just can’t — the treatment hardens your nails.

My nails post the two week treatment. You be the judge.

-Aida

The book, according to the Groundswell Web site is “by two Forrester analysts with practical, data-based strategies for companies that want to harness the power of social technologies like blogs, social networks, and YouTube. Featuring 25 full case studies, a complete road map for social strategy, and data from around the world.” Yumm!

Also, check out the Groundswell blog for some great info as well.

I have been wanting to read the book for some time, so I can’t wait to get started. Have you read Groundswell? Are there other books I should be looking into for some holiday reading? Shout out in the comments!

-Carla

Photo from here.

DCist

I particularly look forward to the weekly installments of “Overheard in D.C.,” a compilation of user-submitted quotes from the week. From funny things heard on the metro, to ridiculous stories eavesdropped on at bars, the little anecdotes are sure to amuse.

Luckily, D.C. isn’t the only city with an ist to love. DCist is part of the most popular network city blogs owned and operated by Gothamist LLC.

You can check out:

• Gothamist
• Chicagoist
• LAist
• SFist
• Austinist
• Bostonist
• Houstonist
• Phillyist
• Seattlest

-Rachel

Until I found Jango.

Jango offers, more or less, the same services as Pandora, except that it works outside the US. Jango allows you to search for artists or through other users’ stations for music you may like, add genre stations and make friends.

Thanks to Jango, my inspiration is back.

-Aida

I was first turned on to this little nugget of monetary sanity by an article posted on Ramit Sethi’s Blog, I Will Teach You To Be Rich. When I looked further into the ING Orange savings program I truly found no down side–and that’s a rarity for any service in general, much less a service offered in this recession.

So if you haven’t already check it out. It has great interest rates, no fees and is super easy to manage online. And what better way to start out 2009 than by making the effort to store away a little cash for a down payment on a house or that sweet new mint green Vespa you’ve been eyeing?

-Marilyn

*photo courtesy of canadian pacific’s public Flickr page

Right. I know I will be fine. I know I can have a 9-5, a life and be fine. And fine is OK.

But OK is not the way I want to live. I want to live fantastically.

I want the things that really matter: a job I am passionate about, friends and family I care deeply for and a community online and off I can thrive in and make better.

Ok, Carla – cut the crap.

I’m a self-diagnosed YSWFITC. Yes, a Young Single White Female In The City. I’m 22 and I have a direction. Not a path; no defined, carved goals. I have ideas and grand schemes lined up in my head and scribbled on notebook paper stuffed into my purse. I have piles of business books, self-help books and trashy romance novels to help navigate through early-twenty something life. As much as I want the books to spell out my post-grad life, I still haven’t found the chapter entitled “Carla’s Post-Grad Life Choices Defined” (still searching, FYI).

It’s as if everyday I have arrows directing me, pushing me closer to where I want to be – my direction. I truthfully just don’t know where to start.

Lucky these arrows have already pointed me to be a part of the group blog Life Before Noon. In February 2008, when I became one of Life Before Noon‘s founding team members, I didn’t realize that blogging-and the involvement in the online community-would be such a large part of who I am.

Blogging and being a part of an online community made me deeply and truthfully believe in myself. That the introverted, follow-the rule student, friend and daughter could be a little different. It made me believe that I could be an individual with valuable opinions who is an integral part of a community.

Through LBN and Brazen I have learned how to be a teammate and a leader at the same time. Blogging, and most importantly the community, has given me confidence to follow my direction. To speak up, take more risks, and be passionate. That as an individual part of a community, together we can make a difference.

Most importantly, blogging made me realize in something bigger than myself – in the value of connecting to build relationships. Blogging has given me relationship equity with some of the most intelligent people. Blogging has been such a postive influence in my life that I constantly encourage my friends to start their own blog.

But it’s not over. My blogging journey and my relationship with you, the reader, commenter, fellow blogger is just beginning. I truly believe that it is through our relationship and involvement in the community that we will be able to live fantastically.

Blogging made me realize that I can control my arrows. Let’s see where they point next.

-Carla

This post was entered in the Brazen Careerist SXSW Contest.