Before I literally blow your mind, my fellow word geeks will no doubt be aware that the controversial use of "literally" for emphasis, rather than to literally mean, erm, literally, has finally wormed its way into the Oxford English Dictionary. You might expect me to be appalled by this development, renowned stickler and all-round language bore that I am, but in fact I'm one of those irritating "eh, language evolves, whatevs" kind of people. I tend to believe that the dictionary should reflect the way we use words, rather than the other way around. Plus, and the importance of this cannot be overemphasised, it gives me an excuse to link to the big gay steamroller, a.k.a the second-best language-based internet-comic gag in the world after The Alot, so I think we all win.

Anyway. Now I'm going to blow your mind.

FINDING IMAGE SOURCES. The pinner's curse. The thorn in every blogger's side.

You know how it goes. You find a picture of a dog on a chair/dramatic floral arrangement/breakfast food and you think, "That would be perfect for my blog post/wedding scrapbook/secret Ron Swanson pinboard. I must know who created this masterpiece!"

I don't know about you, but if I want to find the original source of an image I've found online, my process (using Google Chrome) has always gone something like this:

1. Right-click on image.
2. Click 'Copy image URL'
3. Open new tab
4. Open Google
5. Click on Images
6. Click on the camera icon
7. Right click in search bar
8. Paste image URL
9. Click search

Nine separate steps. By the time the search results come up, I'm lucky if I can remember what I was looking for in the first place. I'm lucky if I can remember my own name. Surely there's an easier way?

YES. YES THERE IS.


Thanks to the Google Search by Image extension for Chrome (brought to my attention by the excellent Arial of Offbeat Empire fame), the process now looks like this:

1. Right-click on image.
2. Click 'Search Google with this image'
3. SIT BACK AND BASK IN THE GLORY, MY FRIENDS.

The results page automatically pops up in a new window. You've saved approximately 3.7 seconds of your life. Do it ten times, and that's 37 seconds! Just think what you could do in 37 seconds. You could do one and a half sit-ups. You could not-quite beat the world record for Minesweeper Expert. You could do a whole Countdown conundrum and still have 7 seconds left over to wonder whether Carol Vorderman is still using her maths degree. So many possibilities.

Fine, it might not be mind-blowing, but hopefully this wee trick will come in handy for those of you who have blogs or use Pinterest and get frustrated by the endless stream of uncredited content. And if it doesn't apply to you, well, you got a picture of a fluffy dog on a chair wearing a pompom, so I don't think you have cause to complain.

Happy weekend, people.


On a vaguely-related note, Rebecca at Florence Finds just posted a handy beginners' guide to Pinterest which I highly recommend, and not just because she named me as one of her top five pinners. Okay, maybe a little bit because of that.

Image of Cream LA by Studio Castillero via 100 Layer Cake

SEE ALSO:

I've been to Paris three times in my life.

The first time was as a teenager with my mum. That's when I fell in love with the French language, and with perfect blocks of fat, yellow butter.

The second time, I was living in Lyon as a student and travelled miles across the country for, of all things, a Justin Timberlake concert. I did not fall in love with Justin Timberlake. I could never love a man who pronounces merci as muuurrrrrseeeee. Just non.

The third time, I flew to Paris for lunch with my mum and my aunt. PARIS. FOR LUNCH. I bought a slinky, beautiful gown from the third floor of a 19th-century townhouse that was filled with dresses in every colour you can imagine, and then we flew home. It was by far the most glamorous experience I've ever had. It became slightly less glamorous around 5pm when, with our flight home still hours away, I thought I was going to pass out on the open top bus from exhaustion and trop de vin blanc, but it was still glamorous. Paris makes everything glamorous. Even open top buses.


Fin and I are going to Paris for four nights in late September, in honour of two not-insignificant birthdays. Fin has never been. I've never been with a man (unless you count Justin, of course).

I have a long and distinguished tradition of asking you, oh wise and knowledgeable readers, for advice and suggestions (see: vegetarian food). I have an equally long tradition of failing miserably to live up to said advice or act on said suggestions (see: vegetarian food), but that's never stopped me from asking.

So far, we've organised:

1. Flights
2.

You see why we need your help.


Number 2 on the list is somewhere to stay. We're thinking possibly an apartment - I've been itching to give Airbnb a whirl, so this seems like a good time. Something cheap and cheerful, maybe a little off the beaten track but still accessible by public transport, bonus points for Parisian charm and a boulangerie on the corner.

Sooo, if you could just send me a link to the perfect apartment for €50 a night, that would be great, thanks.

Failing that, I would warmly welcome your suggestions for any and all of the following:

→ Interesting areas we should look into for accommodation
→ Useful resources or blog posts I should check out
→ Great little places that nobody knows about that you just have to visit, ask for Jean-Claude, tell him I sent you, you'll love it
→ How to visit the Louvre for more than five minutes without wanting to repeatedly hit yourself in the face with a Mona Lisa keyring
→ The correct pronunciation of merci when you have a Tennessee accent
→ When would have been an appropriate time to get rid of my French-language Justin Timberlake poster
→ One good reason why I shouldn't buy those shoes with the bows
→ Anything else that may or may not be related to Paris and/or butter

Thanks in advance, you wonderful people.

(Yeah, I know, I just had a holiday. Well, as nice as it was to not have to go to work for two weeks, somehow painting shelves, walking the dog and finally getting around to sorting out your photo storage situation doesn't have quite the same ring as FOUR NIGHTS IN PARIS.)

SEE ALSO:

Images: 1. Vivienne Westwood Lady Dragons via Sarenza 2. Midnight in Paris by Eye Poetry Photography 3. Paris print by Rifle Paper

I'm on holiday. In case you were wondering.

It's not really a proper holiday. It is what people seem determined to call a "staycation." Except we're British, so technically it should be a holistay. Whatever you call it, we're staying at home, but not going to work for two glorious weeks. Hooray.

I'm planning on sleeping, reading, walking the dog and talking about, but probably never actually going to, things at the many festivals and fringe festivals and fringe fringes that take over Edinburgh every August. I have big plans to build some flat-pack furniture. I might even find time for some blog tinkering. The excitement never ends.

See you on the other side.


Image: Nest Decorating