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Dr. Anthony DeBenedet, author of The Art of Roughhousing, gave another TEDx talk (his last one was in September 2011) at Eastern Michigan University. This time around, he talks about the benefits of being playful.

Reclaiming play as a priority in our lives can transform and perhaps even heal us in powerful and unexpected ways. Unfortunately, from the moment we leave childhood, our inner sense of play is attacked. Whether it’s in our workplaces, schools, or homes, play is thwarted by a pervasive culture of seriousness and productivity.

But what if play is just as important as genetics or personal choices when it comes to health, quality of life, and longevity? Would we set different priorities? Through science and personal anecdotes, we will explore the play-health connection. And hopefully, in the process, reawaken the playful child that lives within all of us.

Give it a watch. Nice job, Anthony!

PC Load Letter?!

Did you know that April is Workplace Conflict Awareness Month? Well according to Google and Wikipedia it is! And if the Internet tells you something, it has to be true. Right? Right.

In honor of this clearly legit declared month, we’re posting excerpts from Caroline Tiger’s How To Behave: A Guide to Modern Manners. In How To Behave, Caroline dedicates an entire chapter to office etiquette. It’s my hope that these bits of wisdom, posted every Wednesday this month, will help you to alleviate the conflict in your workplace.

Ah, brunch. It's the perfect meal to attempt a foray into pan-frying frittatas. It’s easy to prep when company’s coming or while the kids are on their Easter egg hunt. It's a versitile dish that allows you to add your own special additions.

This frittata cooks quickly. It’s fluffy, fully flavored with hefty meats, eggs, tomatoes, and lots of cheese. Your family and friends will grab frantically for slices. Enjoy!

Here at Quirk we know how to work hard and play hard. Our monthly office parties give us an excuse to celebrate. Katie Hatz, our resident party designer, picks fun and quirky themes for us to play with. We went for a Pink Piggy Party in March. We celebrated with pig ear headbands, ate pork-inspired treats, and played pink pig balloon volleyball.

Check out some photos, our music list, and great recipes below. Oink, oink!

Rich and Brenna Neeley, two clever book-loving crafters from Southern California, rescue discarded books and turn them into absolutely beautiful docks for your iPod, iPhone, and/or iPad.

But how can anyone chop up such gorgeous books? A lot of the books featured in their Etsy shop are really quite stunning. Well, according to their profile page, Brenna only recycles “books that haven’t been appreciated elsewhere” with “more than a few [sneaking] their way into [their] personal collection.” So you can be quite sure that the book being used “was not being loved as it should be.”

Visit their Etsy page for more. I’m definitely ordering one soon.

We’re pretty huge fans of Parks and Recreation here at the Quirk HQ. Seldom does a week go by that Margaret doesn’t bring up chickie-chickie-parm-parm or reference the Ron Swanson Pyramid of Greatness. So when our crafty friend Mei Pak emailed us about her necklace appearing in an episode, we flipped out.

Mei, who was featured in our recent craft book Microcrafts, creates adorable food-inspired jewelry under the name Tiny Hands. Her scented waffle necklace was featured in the Valentine’s Day episode Operation Ann (here’s a link to it on Hulu).

According to Mei, she’d been in contact “with the show’s wardrobe stylist, sent her some pieces of jewelry, and then all of a sudden… there it was on TV.”

You can read the entire story about how it happened over on Mei’s blog. Congrats, dear! We’re proud of you.