I’m in the final throes of designing my new kitchen, and that means paint! I find this process horrendous. I’ve been using a combination of the Benjamin Moore Color Capture app, a site that converts paint names to hex called Encycolorpedia, and an app called Coolors that generates good color combinations.

None of this is science, of course, since every color is different on every screen and in every kitchen context (and in every weather, really). But I was getting frustrated that there was nowhere I could simply see the colors I was considering all together in some reasonably accurate relative spatial relations, and quickly know what the paint names were. I was getting frustrated with the BM app for not letting me save more than 5 colors in one favorites “group.” And I was getting frustrated with the BM website’s “paint your kitchen” feature because their sample kitchen looks nothing like mine.

So I’ve added WordPress and simplenote to the mix. In simplenote I’ve listed all my colors by name, number, and hex, organized by which surface they’re for (accent wall, other wall, ceiling, etc.), and I’ve rigged up a table in HTML that vaguely looks like one corner of my kitchen. Then it’s easy to cut and paste and recombine into this WordPress post.

I’m going to keep playing with the colors, so more combos will be added here as I explore and refine things.

Let me know if you have any feedback about my process these colors!

The one thing I found frustrating is that I just wanted to do an inline style sheet before each table to declare the colors neatly all in one place, but of course WP won’t let you do that. Any ideas?

 

frostine af-5
	twilight 2058-10	paper white 1590
	(cabinets and backsplash)
	(counter)
	(cabinets)
(floor)

frostine af-5
	verdigris 685	paper white 1590
	(cabinets and backsplash)
	(counter)
	(cabinets)
(floor)

frostine af-5
	mozart blue 1665	silvery moon 1604
	(cabinets and backsplash)
	(counter)
	(cabinets)
(floor)

frostine af-5
	silver mink 1586	paper white 1590
	(cabinets and backsplash)
	(counter)
	(cabinets)
(floor)

frostine af-5
	mount saint anne 1565	paper white 1590
	(cabinets and backsplash)
	(counter)
	(cabinets)
(floor)

frostine af-5
	monarch gold 1109	simply white OC-117
	(cabinets and backsplash)
	(counter)
	(cabinets)
(floor)

Locals and concerned citizens are writing up lists of things to do on Mount Desert Island while Acadia National Park is closed during the government shutdown. Some of these are great things to do on private or state land outside of the park; some of them involve deliberate trespassing into the park; some of these are observations and warnings as to what could happen if you do decide to enter the park.

I’m heading up to the island this weekend in part to support local businesses, and thought it would be convenient to have these all in one place.

Useful blog posts and event pages:

• Friends of Acadia’s map of what’s closed and suggestions of what you can still do
• How to Enjoy Acadia When the Park is Closed – suggestions for excursions outside the park from a local photographer (includes great photos)
• Plan B: Other Things to Do Near Acadia During the Shutdown – a blog post from a guy who wrote a guidebook on Acadia and some other national parks
• The scene on the ground – what people have observed happens to you if you hike/walk/drive into the park
• Protest event in the park on Sunday 10/6/13

Resources:

• Friends of Acadia’s Facebook page – frequent updates and advocacy for the park
• Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce Facebook page – advocacy for small businesses near the park and a heavy emphasis now on things to do outside the park
• Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce’s rapid response site with a list of hikes outside the park, official related press releases, etc.

I’ll keep adding things as I find them. If you have any other suggestions, please tweet them to me.

Let’s see what this will look like, shall we?

Today is a rainy, warm, humid spring day. Lots of quiet and lots of internet here.

Hello, shiny new website reader! Stay tuned: more info and real links to actual stuff to come someday soon.

Boxes of chocolates and sweets are so out, Legos have become stunningly expensive, and gift cards are a no-no this year. Still trying to figure out what to give people for the holidays? Because of the growing financial crisis, there is extremely high demand at food banks: consider donating funds in your family member/friend/coworker’s name. Everybody’s doing it. Here, for example, and for your convenience, are some links directly to regional gift donation pages:

– Philadelphia – Philabundance
– Boston – Greater Boston Food Bank
– New York – Food Bank for New York City
– Los Angeles – Los Angeles Regional Food Bank
– Washington, DC – Capital Area Food Bank

I downloaded Google Chrome, and so far so good. It’s super intuitive and minimalist, and made the obvious leap from two separate text boxes (url vs. search) to one.

So I think it’s probably safe to bet t