Yeah, I'm Talking to You...

Caught E!'s 101 Favorite Stars Way Back When special this weekend and got a chance to see how random showbiz is, and how even mega movie stars had to pay their dues... well some of them at least, including hardcore legend, Clint Eastwood.

Mr. Eastwood's first movie role was a 30 second appearance in 1955's "Revenge of the Creature" as a lab technician, white lab coat and all (and really awesome hair). Thankfully for Mr. Eastwood - and for us, he's come a long, long way. He's also a part of some of the all-time must-see movies everyone should catch... The Man with No Name trilogy definitely counts as some of the greatest stuff EVER and a good way to spend your weekend...

Some essential Clint Eastwood lenses:

http://www.squidoo.com/spaghettiwestern/

http://www.squidoo.com/clinteastwood/

Also, if you're looking for ideas for good movies to cozy up with this weekend or just want to explore how our enthusiasts feel about movies/actors/directors, check out the 100 Best Movie Lenses .

So go ahead, make your day.

the SquidMercial!

So we decided we'd make a video about Squidoo - and well, duh, the only way to talk about Squidoo is to talk about its lensmasters and their lenses. We're serious believers in following the old "show, don't lecture endlessly" rule, and so why show our boring mugs or some wonky, animated squid dude when we could feature you?!?!

The whole video will be user-generated (in true Squidoo spirit!) - the lensmasters (in black or orange Squidoo colors) put up a 10 second deal on YouTube, complete with the URL of their fave lens, send us the link at squidmercial@gmail.com, and then we stick it all together, add some funky lensmaster-befitting music, and release it to the world....

More seriously - Squidoo's built solely on user-generated content - its lensmasters determined Squidoo's content, it's personality, where Squidoo went and where Squidoo will go - it only makes sense that when we want to brag about Squidoo, we have to brag about the lensmasters!

Get the juicy details, and the pdf prop (featured below), here: www.squidoo.com/thesquidmercial

Meditations...

I don't know if this makes me old-fashioned, or new-fashioned, but I think meditation is the single most important thing you can do in your day (next: eat a good breakfast). I'm not an expert by any means, but even 2 minutes of trying makes my day go in a whole different direction.

In April, The New York Times (magazine) conducted an interview with hip hop guru and mogul Russell Simmons, who is a great believer in meditation and yoga (which he focuses on in his recent book Do You!). Anyways the reason the article stuck in my mind is because it highlighted, unintentionally, how little we understand what meditation means, however commonplace the topic has become:

Your book basically advocates for old-fashioned American values — i.e., work hard, don’t give up. The book doesn’t say just work hard. It says meditate. That’s the most important thing in the book. I go to yoga every day. I meditate every morning. Do you meditate?

I prefer reading in bed. That for me is meditation. No it’s not. It’s noise. It’s the opposite. To be awake is to be fully present, no noise, just you and God. Most of us only have seconds of full consciousness. To live in a state of samadhi — that’s what we’re here for.

Yeah, he said it. Noise. The absence of meditation. I bet a lot of people think meditation means reading in bed. It's nice, but maybe not what they were going for...

This lens gives a quick intro on what meditation can mean: http://www.squidoo.com/preksha/ - its goals, its benefits, and how it can work.

There are a lot of lenses on meditation on Squidoo, all featuring different techniques, tricks, philosophies and beliefs of how it's done, and all good. I'm giving you this one because it shows you the possibility of what meditation can mean for you. Once you're hooked, you can go looking for more.

So get hooked.

A Guide to Grief

No matter how much emotional intelligence you may subscribe to yourself, or how many times you may or may not have experienced loss, grief is not something any of us can "handle" or "manage", even if we're just consoling a loved one on their loss. No one can tell you what your or your friend's grief will feel like, or what the grieving process will entail or how long it will be, or what the right thing is that can fix you or help you move on. What is universally true is that loss unleashes powerful emotions and feelings that are far outside our normal range of functioning. They will manifest themselves differently in each of us, and we'll all have different paths to take to get through our loss, but the enormity and otherness of the emotion remains the same. Whether you shut down completely, or you flounder in a sea of emotion where a river once ran, grief is uncharted territory for us all. We're not given a map or a 'get out of jail free' pass that takes us right to the finish line, but we can bring a guidebook along for the ride. If nothing else, it makes the journey less scary - or maybe it just gives us a place to start... http://www.squidoo.com/coping/ http://www.squidoo.com/groups/grief-and-loss-club (Note: apart from a-guide-to-grief lenses, you'll also find many tribute lenses dedicated to people lensmasters have lost. Squidoo also features specialist lenses devoted to a variety of sub-topics including helping children cope, and dealing with the loss of a pet. I encourage you to use these lenses as a starting point, and further explore the resources listed within them such as recommended books and videos, and suggestions for types of centres/helplines worth talking to.)

2007 - The Year of the Squash

I love this lens because its quirkiness is perfectly Squidoo! This lens was made to support lensmaster Barrie’s friend Janet in her quest to open her mind by eating one new vegetable a year…

“When I met my friend Janet she only ate four vegetables: corn, potatoes, carrots and iceberg lettuce. That was in 1986. Determined to widen her horizons, over the years Janet has chosen one vegetable per year that she has vowed to “eat until I like it”. This year I witnessed history as she chose squash to be her vegetable of the year. To commemorate this momentous occasion, and help her in her endeavor, I promised to make her a squash lens.”

The lens covers everything from the history of squash, squash recipes, selecting the right squash, and how to make sure your kids have a soft spot for squash. After seeing this lens, hopefully you too will feel similarly affectionate towards Squash, and join Janet in celebrating “the Year of the Squash”!

http://www.squidoo.com/EatingSquash/

They're coming to get you, Barbara...

Thriller Thursday? Friday Night Fright? If you're looking for a good scare, check out Orthia's Horrific Top Ten: Lensmaster Orthia's top 10 horror movies, complete with a synopsis, review, and a Guess-the-Quote quiz. Orthia's picks have the required "creepiness" along with a "good dose of humor" and a "strong original story". Orthia says to be sure to leave "Shrieks, Screams, and Pleas" on the lens' comment board. All I can say? Aaaaaagggggghhhhhh!

mmmCookies!

I'm starving and this post is about food, food, food!

I've realized one of the best ways to find the right lens is by first finding a group on that topic. Groups mean passion, groups mean resources, groups mean NO noise.

In short, groups mean good lenses.

In my quest for the best cookies on Squidoo, I found Chez*Squid... the "Food Group Headquarters on Squidoo". They feature some of the best food-related lenses on Squidoo that focus on recipes, restaurant reviews, cooking tips, or even lenses about the coolness of squash!

I found Chez*Squid today, and I love it already - I know I can spend hours browsing through its lenses - some quirky, some informative, some a little bit of both! To be honest, what makes Chez*Squid a successful group is that Groupmaster Rachel zealously guards her brand - i.e. Chez*Squid is picky. This means that she takes the time to go through lenses and makes sure only the best are added to the group - to the benefit of both the featured lensmasters and me - the audience. I know I will go back again and again to Chez*Squid, because all of the lenses on it will be worth my time. She's truly made the Chez*Squid group of lenses the "BEST food resources on Squidoo"!

Here is some of her advice for budding Chez Squidders, heck, for any aspiring 'master of the lens'...

We only want food lenses that are truly informative and personal, so that our visitors really know they are getting the best food advice and suggestions. Here are just a few of the reasons why lenses get denied acceptance to Chez*Squid.

The number one reason that lenses don't get accepted to Chez*Squid is that they aren't done being built! Some lensmasters put a little content into a few random modules, and then these are submitted to the group. That's not what we're looking for at Chez*Squid. We want lenses full of delicious recipes, easy-to-understand cooking advice and personal restaurant recommendations.

The second most-frequent reason that a lens gets denied is because it goes off-topic or is off-topic to the group. Focused lenses are the most effective and helpful lenses! Make sure all the content you are creating really relates directly to what you are talking about and also matches your actual lens title.

The third most common reason for a lens rejection is that the lens doesn't offer any written content, or has copied content. We don't want someone's else's reheated leftovers, we want your fresh dish and great taste!

Phew, I couldn't have said it better myself! Now, doesn't Rachel's criteria make you an instant fan of Chez*Squid? It definitely does for me, and it also makes me hungry, so well, see you later!


Note: If you're a lensmaster, make sure you find a home for your lens - join a group! If there isn't one, create one, and start inviting lenses on your topic. One, it increases the chance your lens gets seen by people who're already looking for things like your lens - meaning they're more likely to actually use and appreciate it. Two, you get to see what other people are doing on your topic... Where are the gaps that I can fill? What makes a lens on this topic successful? What's missing in my lens?