Friday Distractions -- Random Links & Recipes Bookmarked

Ready for the weekend? To help you pass your Friday here are the highlights of what distracted me this week online, what I bookmarked that I hope to one day eat, and a picture.    

Washington State privatized its liquor stores. I wonder if Virginia will follow suit? Per the article, we are one of seven states left with state-run retail liquor sales.

"Armed with the right resources, Ilissa and Dori launched the business that would allow women all over the world to design their own shoes. To the sisters being able to have perfect shoes is like reaching paradise… or the land of Milk & Honey." Awesome.

I loved this sentence from Frank Bruni's How I Fell for Lisbon. “In Lisbon it occurred to me that maybe our favorite places are simply those in which our expectations are routinely exceeded, happenstance cuts in our favor, and it doesn’t matter which fork in the road we take. It leads somewhere we’re happy to be.” And, yes, I now want to visit Lisbon too.

Katy Perry is cute without make-up.

Read Are You As Busy As You Think to understand why I keep telling people I'm not as busy as I seem. I'm definitely going to try the tip about reframing language.

Recipes Bookmarked
Bacon, Egg and Leek Risotto at Smitten Kitchen
Frozen Nutella Chobani at Chimes Design
Haupia at Serious Eats

 Cyprus Sunset, July 2006

(I didn't actually sit still and watch the video. But I like the artist's voice and the song, which you can download for free on their website.)