The A List: 6.10.16

It’s officially my birthday weekend! Yup, my birthday is tomorrow, June 11. I’m not a blow-out birthday bash type anymore but I am looking forward to a cocktail or two, good food, and a small low-key celebration.

In the meantime, here’s a look at what I've been enjoying this week.

 This Week in Startups Podcast

I’m about 5 years or more late to the podcasting train, but after listening the Bill Simmon’s interview with Scott Harrison last week, my latest obsession is This Week in Startups, specifically the episode with Chris Sacca. It’s honest, sometimes to a fault, but Chris and Jason give a real look at the landscape of silicon valley, how to differentiate your product for investors and they basically cut through all of the bullshit. I especially loved that Chris shared that he won’t invest in groups that haven’t had crappy jobs, it’s his “entitlement test” for all new investments. I couldn’t agree with him more.

Columbus Arts Festival

It’s officially festival season in Columbus starting this weekend and it kicks off with one of my all-time favorites: Columbus Arts Festival. Set on the picturesque Scioto Mile, the fest is more spans the entire length of the downtown river walk. Columbus’ festivals have always been my source of jewelery in the past, and this year I'm looking forward to finding more great pieces, as well as listening to some great artists (and of course sampling the food). Want more info on Arts Fest? Check it out here. (image via)

UnReal Season 2

There’s currently a serious Bachelorette bracket competition happening in my office, it’s hilarious to hear my coworkers debate and defend their picks for Jo-Jo's final two. But I can’t really get into The Bachelorette anymore, it’s become such a fame-grab that you can see right through most of the contestants intentions. Which is why I love Lifetime’s UnReal so much. It’s a scripted show about the behind-the-scenes drama that happens on the fictional show Everlasting and the storylines are straight out of crazy town. I Love It - it’s so salacious and very very addicting.

Nuzzel

Ever have those days where you’re stuck in meetings and don’t have enough time to check your twitter feed but wish someone could tell you what you missed? You need Nuzzel. Chris Sacca (see above) mentioned this app in his TWiS episode and it’s fantastic. Not only do you get a daily digest via email of what you missed, but the app will display the links and topics you missed based on how many of your friends mentioned or tweeted about it. So no more FOMO worries for social media, Nuzzel has you covered.

Snapchat’s story redesign

Boy, is this list tech-heavy this week or what? You can tell where most of my energy has been spent lately (don’t worry wine, I didn't forget about you). It’s a little Vogue, a little Pinterest and a little Flipboard-esque, but I’m loving how the stories are more than just a logo, with full images and headlines teasing the stories behind the channel. Snapchat is on fire with their innovation as of late, word is their daily users have surpassed twitter, and I’m a huge huge fan of how they’re continuing to stay fresh and relevant. I can’t wait to see what they do next!

Local Love: Miller Park Library

Nerd Alert: I am ridiculously in love with Columbus’ library system.

From floating down the cookbook aisle dreaming of my next culinary masterpiece (ha!) to reserving the latest fiction online or by ebook, the library has been one of my regular haunts for as long as I’ve lived in Columbus.

Which is why I’m seriously bummed that our Main Library has been closed for so long. As a resident in the Grandview area, the main library was actually my closest branch to home and I became rather spoiled with the browsing selections while picking up my reserves.

I can’t wait for it’s re-opening later in June - not only is it the closest branch to both my home and my new office, but from all of the previews I’ve read (check out Columbus Monthly’s for the most recent) the renovation sounds absolutely incredible.

But, alas, without the main library’s closing, I wouldn’t have been able to find my latest local love, the Miller Park branch of the Upper Arlington library.

When the Columbus Metropolitan Library closed both the Main Library and the Northside Library (double ouch!) earlier this year, they realized they were under-serving a good portion of Columbus’ urban areas (Grandview, Short North, etc). Already having a standing partnership with the UA, Grandview and 11 other library systems, the partnership now became completely reciprocal, allowing CML users (like me!) to reserve, return and check-out books from their number-1-ranked system.

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A short walk from our home, the Miller Park branch is quaint, charming and feels like you’ve walked into your neighbor’s well-read living room. They do actually have a fireplace with couches and chairs along with shelves filled with DVD’s to browse for a weekend flick, cookbooks to dream up your next recipe, and the friendliest staff to help you check out your books. It’s seriously old school (the main library is self-serve) and a great reminder that books and movies are meant to be loved and shared.

So while I wait until the Main Library opens again on June 25th, I’m completely comfortable that Miller Park has become my home away from home these last couple months. And who knows? Maybe I’ll be a regular at both as the leaves start to turn next fall (serious nerd alert).

P.S. Did you know your gift to the library can go twice as far right now? Donate between now and June 25th and your gift will be matched up to $100,000! Join me (it's super easy!) and donate here. 

Local Love: and Here We Are

One of the things I love most about Columbus is how the city supports its creative entrepreneurs. Every weekend there seems to be a new festival, craft fair, marketplace or market that is popping up and showcasing some of the best creatives this city has to offer.

The other great thing about all of these creatives – they’re all discoverable via instagram.  That’s where I found my latest local love: and Here We Are letterpress studio.

and Here We Are had me at the stroke of their pen. Seriously, I have such a huge crush on their handwriting, I want to emulate it and display it all at the same time. But even cooler than their pen is the Columbus story the two of them tell.

Founded in Brooklyn in 2012, Meghan and John Sokorai moved their stationary and print business to Columbus in 2015. Seriously, check out their about page and their video, it’s perfectly charming in that “I wish we could be brunch friends” kind of way.  

Their prints are simple, modern and bit cheeky (hello boobs!) and most are just a white piece of cardstock with their black stroke of the pen. I ordered this print for my office gallery wall, it’s a perfect addition to the local pieces I have hanging just beyond my workstation. The print’s arrival came with a small personal touch, a thank you from Meghan and John themselves. These little touches are what keep me coming back to shops like these, simple notes of gratitude that make me a customer for life.

Here’s a couple of my faves from this local shop – order them online or find them at an event around Columbus soon.