Linda Hefferman

writing (& editing): technical books & manuals, essays, articles, stories

 

Linda Hefferman in picture frameTime-waste central

Whether we admit it or not, we all spend waaaay too much time clicking through fellow Internet users' time-waste obsessions. My personal weaknesses are music and words. But, but, isn't it so satisfying sometimes? And if reading or listening to something shatters a particularly gloomy mood and gets you back on track, you're probably doing your brain and your overall health a good deed.

Here I offer you, dear visitor, my favorite procrastination tools.

www.word-detective.com

This is arguably my most-clicked-to favorite. Whether you're flummoxed, bamboozled, or just bored, don't let anyone pull the wool over your eyes. Learn the real meaning and history of off-the-cuff expressions and verbal hogwash.

School of Rock on YouTube

My two sons are involved with the Paul Green School of Rock Music, and many a Saturday night is spent watching my kids (and the other 98 that I consider also my kids) throw it down on stage. There's something for everyone, from melodic "Midnight Radio" (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) to the head-banging, hair-whipping "Plastic Bomb" (Poison Idea), or Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" redone as a music video by a Portland kids' movie camp. These kids will blow your mind.

Love: An Epic Journey in Song

My teenage son and I will probably never finish this work in progress: A playlist of songs that trace love through innocence, depravity, serenity, and everything in between. Check out the current list (we update it periodically) and e-mail me with your suggestions. This list (pulled from iTunes) is currently sorted by song title. We plan eventually to group the songs into 'chapters' modeled on a hero's journey to find true love. Keep checking back for updates.

www.cuteoverload.com

Cute animals; not normally my thing. Yet there's something irresistible about this site. And the captions are great examples of conveying speech patterns and colloquialisms in writing. Guaranteed to raise the pitch of your voice several octaves as you squeal 'Awww, how cuuuuuttteee!'

www.secondhandsongs.com

Who wrote Tainted Love and who covers it? Look it up here, along with thousands of other songs. A must for music trivia geeks.

From the Pacific Northwest, for your listening pleasure...

Each of these musical groups offers something completely different and uniquely their own.

Jason Webley

Jason's lyrics... ah poetry... and accordion virtuosity. Based in Seattle, Washington.

BlackHeart WhiteNoise

Undercurrents of decades past woven together with a tight modern sound. Based here in Portland, Oregon.

The Dry County Crooks

These Portland guys rock hard with a country, 'punk-a-billy' twang.

MarchFourth Marching Band

A uniquely Portland phenomenon. Punk/gypsy/big-band/vaudeville marching band complete with stilt-walkers, dancers, and fire-twirlers.