I came across another Google Suggest that certainly makes me go hmm, I’m not sure what it will do to you.

“how come” lends itself to some interesting suggestion on Google. A couple are dirty, while others are sad. But one stands out with “how come a cupcake is not a mineral”. To my surprise, many of the the answer sites out there offer answers to this question that must be nearly as old as time.

Earlier this month I wrote my first book review on Serendipity: A Novel by Louise Parker. Essentially, I gushed a bit about a book I really enjoyed. I was absolutely honoured, and quite surprised,  when the author took the time to thank me for my review of her novel!

@LouiseShaffer‘s tweets really made my day!

Over on my other blog, Road 2 Nowhere, I tend to gush about music I love. I absolutely adore music. I’m no good at making it, no one would ever accuse me of being a musician! What I am is one hell of a music appreciator. What I love about Road is that I have a place to share all the awesome music I love so much with anyone who will listen.

While loving something is great, and telling people about things you love is grand, it’s really not reviewing. Thoughtful criticism is the most useful offering you can give to a creator, be she an author, musician or artist. I don’t know that I’m the person to offer such insights. My motivation to write about another’s work always comes from that same place, the desire to share something I enjoy. I do not have the drive to write about things I don’t enjoy, and usually I don’t get through entertainment that I don’t enjoy. Reading crappy books is not for me. I may start a bad book, but once my interest is lost, I’m not going to be picking that book back up. My apologies to all the crappy books out there. Listening to sub-standard music is not for me either.

So, I’ve made a decision, to admit to what it is that I do, and what I enjoy doing: giving recommendations. I’ll leave the reviews for the critics.

I’ve been having some fun playing with Google Suggest to see what others are searching. Some of them are so funny. I thought I’d start a series on the funniest ones I encounter, starting with the questions of the ages: “why”:

The top suggestion is the standout one for me: “why can’t I own a canadian”? with the runner up being “why are canadians afraid of the dark”. What the…? Who is it that wants to own me and my people, and why do they thing we are afraid of the dark?!?!?

http://www.richardsonpictures.co.uk

I’m watching Dan Hill on The Hour right now. He was just discussing one of his father’s parenting techniques that is absolutely brilliant. Every time Dan asked his father for something, his dad made him write a letter. By encouraging Dan to clearly articulate his justifications for needing a raise in his allowance, or that shiny new bike, Mr. Hill instilled invaluable skills in his son. I’m going to have to remember this one! Not only will my kids gain lessons in communication and persuasion, but I’ll be able to get some down time when they are off writing these letters. Brilliant!

You should follow @DrWayneWDyer because he is a generous tweeter, whom is constantly sharing beautiful pieces of wisdom. Like this set of tweets he just sent out this afternoon:

Wisdom like the four cardinal virtues of of Lao-tzu is just as taste of the good, source-fuelled tweets you will get when you follow @DrWayneWDyer.

While you are at it, how about you follow me too (@marilynburges)!