What's That All About?

A Little What... What

2011-09-11T20:25:00.000-07:00

I love Napster credits. Below is my most recent investments (as illustrated via Wordle.net).

Egads, You're Right

2010-10-12T18:01:00.000-07:00

Sabrina, you're right. And because I love you, I'm going to give you some excuses for why I've been absent from le blog. (In order that I think of them, not in order of importance.)

1. School. Specifically, The School of Library and Information Science at Indiana University (Indianapolis). I'm two semesters in and just started volunteering at a PreK-8 parochial school on our city's north side that had to cut their media specialist for budgetary reasons; I'm cataloging books, developing a collection development plan (which I'm a little surprised they didn't have already), and then will commence the task of weeding (which hasn't been done in about 20 years).

2. Podcasts. Not mine, mind you. Rather, I am listening obsessively to a podcast called The Enthusiasticast, in which they enthusiastically recommend (roughly) one book each week. These two Canuks have saucy mouths, strong opinions, and magic recommendations (not necessarily in that order). Seriously. It is a rare occasion that I don't add their recommendations to my "To Be Read" list. I came in late to the party, so I've been listening a lot to get through the backlog and get up to date. Books that I've added to my list based on their recommendation(s):

The Financial Lives of the Poets by Jess Walter
The City & The City by China Mieville
The Demolished Man and The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester
His Majesty's Dragon (Temeraire #1) by Naomi Novik
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz (although, in my defense, I usually read the Pulitzer winners, but was choosing to let this one languish until [the loud one, John?] talked about all of the wicked comic references and pushed me over the edge)
All-Star Superman (Volume 1 and Volume 2) by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely
Daemon and Freedom(TM) by Daniel Suarez
Flawless by Scott Andrew Selby and Greg Campbell
SuperFreakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner (and a bunch of other behavioral economics books)
Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay

That's quite a list, no? That's what I like--the recommendations are broad and fun to listen to. (Not wholly unlike the Books on the Nightstand podcast that put me onto The Enthusiasticast.) I'm not interested in taking their recommendation to read WAR by Sebastian Junger, but I put Restrepo (the documentary complement) on the top of my Netflix queue--a coveted spot.

[Note: Those links are to the books on GoodReads... not to their podcast-ed recommendations. You'll have to go to the linked mainpage for the Podcast and do the legwork to track down each individual title. Or just take my word for it, and add them to your list too.]

3. Church. For some time (over a year) I've been working with our Middle School and High School students at First Baptist--teaching on Sunday mornings and serving as the girls' small group leader/mentor on Wednesday nights--and loving it. This summer we took a sweet trip to Creation Fest (in Pennsylvania) and had a rock-your-face-off awesome time. Since then I've been trying to step up and keep the kids "high on life." This means doing an extra weekly small group with just the girls to talk about "stuff" and I'm planning an "Impact Retreat" out to Philadelphia for next month. The investment is SO worth it.

4. Football. My nephew is in the throws of High School Football--he's an outside line backer--so every Friday night (Varsity) and Saturday morning (JV) is blocked out for watching him play. I can't say that it's time wasted. I love high school football. A lot. Perhaps too much? Impossible.

So that's me. What have you been up to?

It's Impossible, I Tell You

2010-05-14T09:54:00.001-07:00

There a literally SCADS of movies in the world. How do you decided what to watch?

If you're going to the movie theatre, you've got to plunk down cold, hard cash. And time. Both are finite resources. Therefore, the movie needs to be worth the investment.

If you're watching at home, perhaps via Netflix, the money would be invested (regardless); however, the time is still a factor. Sure, you're more likely to stop a bad movie on DVD than you would be to walk out of a theatre... but there are more time issues at stake. Like that next movie in the queue means that the one after it won't be there for (at a minimum) three days.

You're delaying another movie for the potential of this movie.

It's all very philosophical, you see.

So thus my conundrum when I'm trying to decide about the value of moving Remember Me up in my Netflix queue. I read many of the member reviews and, although they say the writing is a tad heavy-handed and the ending is a "twist", they pretty much all say the acting is worth it. Hmm, sounds good, right?

But then I read the critics' reviews and they're, how should I say this?, NOT good. For example, Manohla Dargis of the NY Times writes, "In 'Remember Me,' love means never having to say you're sorry, particularly to the audience." Ouch. (Read the full review here. It's kind of funny.)

But then I think: Paid critics are, well, paid to watch movies [or read books, or listen to music, or... you get the point] and, while we all think we'd like to have that gig for a while, I don't think the feeling would last. Imagine the scenario that, as part of your job, you have to watch the new Karate Kid movie. And try and come up with some semi-intelligent thoughts on it. I couldn't do it. So, I'm not entirely sure that professional critics are watching a movie the same way I would.

Further compounding my confusion: the review from Robert Ebert, writing in the Chicago Sun-Times, "The fact is, 'Remember Me' is a well-made movie. I cared about the characters. I felt for them."

I also read this post from a book publishing insider (former editorial intern, turned published author) that talks about how paid reviews shouldn't necessarily be trusted because there were mitigating factors in the review. Like, oh, I don't know, COMPENSATION and/or FREE GIFTS.

So, all that to say, how do you decide which movies are worth your precious time and money?

[Image Source; Important Note: Those are not my movies.]

Music Madness

2010-02-15T18:20:00.001-08:00

I've got about $13 left on an iTunes gift card, but no inspiration for more music to purchase. I thought I'd post a screen shot of my recent purchases and seek your advice... tell me what else I should buy that'll complement this playlist.

Loving What You're Living

2010-01-11T17:11:00.000-08:00

The topic du jour (or more aptly, it would seem, the topic du MY LIFE) is job satisfaction (or more aptly, it would see, life satisfaction). This seems to be popping up all over the place in my subconscious these days.

For example, I went on a little road trip (that was mega, mega fun) with a friend from college (who is actually more of a friend now than when we were at school... a definite shame that we missed out on so many good times). Anyhoodle, while we were tripping along, we were discussing the state of our lives--love lives to be specific, or lack of love lives to be brutally honest. We philosophized and sympathized and the thing I came away with was that this season of singleness in my life (which has been the cornerstone of my knowledgeable existence) is not, in fact, bad. I haven't (necessarily) done anything wrong, I'm not being punished, it's not as if I'm not deserving of a masculine mate. Rather, it's a chance to reflect on me--on Heather--on the wholeness of who I am and what really constitutes my identity. Not that I am just the other (much prettier) half of a couple, but that I am complete by myself because I have an intellect, emotions and will.

To get a little personal on you: I see my identity as being a co-heir with Christ. That's all I need. To pine for a "soul mate" (which isn't something that I even think philosophically exists) is just degrading to the sacrifice of Jesus.

So I was reminded of that.

And then I had a (virtual-ish) friend send an email to a group of people, talking about dissatisfaction with his job. Generalized frustration at the whole ball of wax that makes up his life. And there were responses sent by many in the group, promises of lifting him up in prayer (which I don't necessarily think were empty). But I sent him an email asking him why he was doing a job that he didn't like, and was not using his special "gifts" in another line of work.

And I ask myself that all the time.

How does one keep a balance on both honoring God by using unique attributes/gifts/talents, while also being content in every season, regardless of circumstance? Is it wrong to take a promotion or seek a different line of work? How do you make these decisions (not between good and bad, but between good and something else good)?

Being someone who doesn't believe in a specific will (blame it on the book Decision-Making in the Will of God), it gets to be tricky for me. If I'm within the moral will of God, how are these decisions made?

Then, another subconscious sign: Sabro's blog has a picture to the side that says, "Love What You Live." (Or something like that.) And it brings it up again. Do I love what I do? Do I do what I love?

What tips/tricks/advice do you have for balancing contentment and going for your dreams? Have you read any books or articles that were particularly inspiring? Do you have someone in your life who keeps you grounded while spurring you on to new heights? (If so, have you thanked them lately?)

I'll get us started: Perilous Pursuits by Joe Stowell was a fantastic book (that I need to read again). It went a long way toward getting me off the track of making decisions based on what I felt others wanted me to do. This was an important first step. (But I definitely need to re-read.) Now give me your suggestions in the comments.

[Image Source]

My Insanity Persists

2009-11-16T16:02:00.000-08:00

I just spent $42 purchasing pre-order tickets to this Friday's opening debut of Twilight Saga: New Moon. I actually spent so much (one ticket to the matinee, and three tickets to the evening showing) that Fandango gave me a prompt that was (essentially), "Are you REALLY sure you want to spend that much money on frigging New Moon?"

Please feel free to speculate about my mental health in the comments.

(And don't allow this photo of the underage Taylor Lautner to influence your assessment. Cause, really, guys, he's just a kid... in the body of a man.)

How I Spent Last Night

2009-10-22T06:42:00.001-07:00

Email subscribers, click here.

Oddities Seen in the Natural Environment

2009-10-22T05:58:00.001-07:00

Check out this fantastic website: People of Wal-mart

From their About Us page:

"We personally have nothing against Walmart. We, along with most of America, shop at Walmart for nearly everything we need. This site is simply a satirical social commentary of the extraordinary sights found at America’s favorite store...
People of Walmart was founded in August of 2009 by three friends and roommates after an inspirational trip to Walmart. Let’s face it; we all have seen the people who obviously don’t have mirrors and/or family and friends to lock them in a basement, and they all seem to congregate at Walmart... Where else can one go to pick up underwear at 3 O’clock in the afternoon and spot the greatest mullet of all time paired with a mustard stained wife beater (which only accents the extreme amount of body hair) and camo pants that were actually used in Vietnam...
This is purely for entertainment purposes and strictly limited to the outrageously bad / ugly / creepy / crazy shoppers... There is no reason to send us pictures of people that are seriously and unfortunately handicapped so don’t be an asshole. We are trying to have some fun here and there is a difference between someone who is mentally challenged and a person who has a fu Manchu and is still rocking MC Hammer pants..."

Awesome! New favorite website.

I Didn't Get a Raise This Year

2009-10-16T04:59:00.000-07:00

My entire office came in this morning to a new sight:

As I looked at the beautiful rendering (either painting or, more likely, an adhesive decal on the wall) that says, "This ain't no restaurant. Clean up after yourself," I thought to myself, "Well, at least they've used the money they saved by not giving me a raise on something useful."

Dedicated to Sabrina

2009-10-13T11:00:00.000-07:00

Dearest, o Friendliest, Internet Twinsie, Sabrina,

Would you do me a favor?

Will you go and read this article, select your favorite item from the slide show, bake me a batch of those cupcakes, and mail them to me? I'd send you virtual hugs and kisses.

Obama the Laureate

2009-10-09T11:39:00.001-07:00

What do all (three) of you think about Obama being given the Nobel Peace Prize?

I'll reserve my particular thoughts on this topic, but will point you to this article: "What Obama Should Do With His Nobel Peace Prize."

Slate chimes in sarcastically with, "It came a week late, but President Obama did win the gold. Last Friday, the International Olympic Committee stiffed him. Today, he won the Nobel Peace Prize. He should probably leave his schedule open next Friday, because apparently anything can happen."

They also write: "The award has essentially been given for the president's speechmaking ability... Obama could easily write the justifying language: He's honored and humbled but he has merely articulated the common aspirations of all mankind. As it is mankind's global challenge, no one man can claim a prize with so much work left to be done. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us... Obama would immediately become the favorite for next year's Nobel Prize for Humility."

How Cool Am I?

2009-10-05T18:40:00.000-07:00

Go Mad Men-ize Yourself

That's Classic?

2009-10-05T18:19:00.000-07:00

Right now I'm watching Raising Helen on AMC (which, in case you didn't know, is an acronym for American Movie Classics).

RH was made in 2004. Yep, that's right, five years ago. Is that what passes for a classic American movie? Shouldn't it be at least, I don't know, 15 years? Even more would be more believable, but five years is way, way too recent.

[Image Source]

However, in AMC-redeeming news, they're having a zombie count-down film fest coming up. That is straight-up Coke. (That's a little lingo that my nephew said unironically regarding a glass full of Coca-Cola that I'm trying to work into regular conversation. Could you help me with that?)

Thoughts on Last Night's Television

2009-09-25T08:33:00.000-07:00

Survivor: Samoa: "That was seriously hard-core."

The Office: "Hilarious as usual. (And I thought that was Darryl carrying the dog food too.)"

Community: "Why didn't I know this show was coming out? I (heart) Joel McHale hard. Loved it."

Project Runway: "I thought for sure that it'd be Gordana going home because she'd had two weeks in the bottom for being blah. Apparently, making one horrendous outfit is worse than making a bunch of forgettable outfits. Good to know."

Models of the Runway: "Finally we've gotten rid of Fatma. Jesus H. Christ, I can't believe it took this long."

I Can't Get Enough...

2009-09-23T11:16:00.001-07:00

...of Awkward Family Photos.

Image Source

Image Source

Crazy for Gossip Girl

2009-09-23T04:36:00.001-07:00

I have found the most amazing article about Gossip Girl fan-dom. Don't believe me that it's the most amazing article ever? Check out this snippet:

"What do you do if you're a former fashion writer serving 18-to-life in prison for drugging, and sexually assaulting a former colleague of yours for 13 hours one crazy Halloween? Write lengthy missives to the New York Post, obviously.

"Because, you know, they will publish them! Or selections from them anyway. No one wants to transcribe all seven handwritten pages of crazy.

"Yes, Peter Braunstein, Woman's Wear Daily writer turned lunatic fugitive turned suicidal inmate, loves Gossip Girl. Why wouldn't he?"

And you thought your obsession was too much...

My favorite line from Monday's episode: "For some of us a college degree is an accessory. Like a Malawi baby or a Poodle." -Chuck Bass(tastic)

Also, one last thing regarding Gossip Girl: I'm loving this season of Gawker's recapping style (i.e., the Power Rankings).

Image Source

Andy Roddick is Crazy (About Tennis)

2009-09-14T11:41:00.000-07:00

So, I'm checking out GQ magazine online today for reasons that won't be mentioned on this blog, but the cover story is about Brooklyn Decker (SI swimsuit model and wife of tennis star Andy Roddick). And I should probably mention that the shot of her "promoting" this story is so inappropriate that, if my employer really does scan our monitors, I'll be getting fired pretty quickly.

All that to say, I read the article and found this little tid-bit to be... hmm... how to say it? Odd.

"Decker exudes supernatural supermodel poise, but there’s one topic that rattles even her: She met her husband when his agent called hers to arrange a date. 'That happens all the time to girls,' Decker says, blushing a little, 'but his was the one number I kept... He was the first to admit that he kind of stalked me,' Decker says. 'But his line was, "It’s only stalking if the other person doesn’t like it."'—Will Welch

Actually, Andy, I'm not sure that's true.

Isn't This The Funniest Picture Ever?

2009-09-14T10:29:00.000-07:00

It was on a Facebook ad for "Economic Bailouts for Moms." I love the baby surrounded by cash. It's so absurd.

A Long Walk

2009-09-02T10:44:00.000-07:00

Please watch this and tell me it's not completely awesome. (On a number of levels.)

The Longest Way 1.0 - one year walk/beard grow time lapse from Christoph Rehage on Vimeo.

Also, check out the website The Longest Way 1.0 to see some comments from Christopher about how the trek went and the video was made.

(This was a VSL notable find.)

Better Late Than Never, Right?

2009-08-28T04:20:00.001-07:00

I know (I know, I know) I've been really lax about updating the blog. (It's only been two weeks... not so bad, right?) And the unfortunate part is that I really do have stuff to write about because the television season (for my tastes) are in full bloom. But never fear, I'll get you all caught up lickity split.

Reality Television

Big Brother 11

Ah, Jessie, you silly, silly, self-indulgent freak. I thought I'd get the opportunity to say, "Sorry, we won't really miss you," after you were ousted by Jeff using the "wizard power," but that wouldn't have been true because you're mugging is too good to be true and the BB producers are going to bless us with your jury house antics from here on out. Really, I know you want to be a WWE superstar, but lose the star-studded hot pink tights. (And here's a tip when picking out future costumes: If it's likely to match Lydia's hair color, then you know you've selected the wrong outfit.)

Now, on to Jeff, my imaginary reality TV show boyfriend. Honestly, if Jeff didn't smoke (and didn't say phrases like "You got, got" repeatedly), he'd be my official dreamboat. I even liked his little "I'm trying to make [Jordan] a better person," speech on last night's HOH interview. Sure, he stumbled through it (and I think he realized that he should have said, "Make her a better player," instead), but he was so flustered and admitted that he needed to work on not snipping at her so much. Love that guy.

I don't know how, with the huge cast of bizarros that were cast this season (and the fact that some of the best of them--ahem, Casey--were voted out early), but I have loved BB 11. Every season I think, "I'm done with this show, these people are nuts-o," but they always get me back.

Top Chef: Las Vegas

Two words for you: Voltaggio Brothers. I prefer the younger one, Michael, and my sister favors the older one, Bryan, but that's what I love about the VolBros... something for everyone. One loves big racks and the other's a family man. One's good under pressure and delivers in the Quick Fire, the other's slow and steady and wins the Elimination Challenge. These two are pitch perfect. Love them.

I've been (surprisingly) in tune with the judges opinions. They're really weeding out the chaff early this season and not penalizing the upper-crust chefs for early mis-steps. I think that Preeti and Jesse are not long for the Top Chef world--too many times in the bottom at Judges Panel (or a total inability to shuck a clam)--and we'll see them go home shortly. I also would put a little money on the fact that Ron and Hector don't have long-term staying power because they can't shake those ethnic roots enough--their range is too limited for the competition of Top Chef--but we'll see. That's the beauty of reality TV.

Project Runway

Ah, Tim Gunn, how I've missed you. But I do have a question, Timmy: What really does being CCO at Liz Claibourne entail? I'm just wondering because you've transported across the country for nearly four months and still have that title. Even Nina Garcia moved from Elle to Marie Claire--maybe that was for un-relocation reasons, but I'm just saying...

Also, in a note similar to my comments on the early episodes of Top Chef: Las Vegas, I don't think the judges have been too far off. I also think that the level of competition is pretty stiff this season. They've weeded out Ari's out-of-this-galaxy-weirdness, and Malvin's out-of-this-world-weirdness (He actually said there wasn't a vocabulary to describe his designs. Who does that?), and it looks like Mitchell's out-of-this-sewing-room-lack-of-ability is going to come to a quick close, but the others look pretty solid. But, I'm just going on the record: if they don't put a cork in Johnny's I'm-a-recovering-meth-addict schtick, then I'm over it.

By the by, Models of the Runway might be the best thing ever. Love it.

Survivor

It's coming back on September 17. My DVR is already set-up to record. Yea!

Serialized Programming

Entourage

Have I told you how much I love a Turtle-related storyline? I have? Oh, well good, then you already know how seriously stoked I am about the awesomeness of this season with it's focus on all things not-Vince-related. Keep the good episodes coming, Marky Mark and the Entourage Funky Bunch.

Mad Men

I am not looking forward to the (spoiler alert) storyline with Little Miss Sally Draper getting molested by Big Papa Hofstadt. Call me incest-and-molestation shy, if you will, but I wouldn't mind not watching that.

What I do love watching: Cosgrove v. Campbell. I love me some happy-go-lucky Ken Cosgrove and I hate me some slimy Pete Campbell.

And I always love Joan. (Especially Joan v. Mr. Hooker.)

Sons of Anarchy

It's coming back on September 8. My DVR is already set-up to record. Yea!

What awesome TV-related thoughts do you have to share?

I Learned Something New Today

2009-08-14T11:10:00.000-07:00

I had previously been aware of the term "muffin top" (used to describe the roll of fat that hangs over pants that are too tight... making a little [or big] muffin on top of your pants). But today I learned a new term: coinslot.

A coinslot is visible butt crack that is exposed above the top of your pants... apparently it's just begging to have you stick quarters in. Check out a whole gallery of "coinslots" at the Glamour Magazine website: Glam Cam - Fashion Dos and Don'ts.

My Dad is Laughing Out Loud

2009-08-13T07:58:00.000-07:00

My dad actually just wrote "lol" in an email to me.

Note: My father is 61 years old. Something is not right here.

What I Missed While I Was Gone

2009-08-04T14:08:00.001-07:00

I was gone for a week chaperoning my nephew's band camp and, in that time, the world has seen the advent of The Snuggie for Dogs. What else is left for us to discover? The cure for cancer should be right around the corner.

Some Goodies To Share

2009-07-24T07:23:00.000-07:00

Very Short List has been rocking my world recently and I'd like to share some of their relatively recent content so I can rock your world.

Check out Nathan Kensinger's Photography at his blog. He takes pictures of the "real" New York and posts two photo essays each month that he describes as "the abandoned and industrial edges of New York." The current essay (that just went up today) is this one:

"A forgotten two mile stretch of Manhattan waterfront property sits at the edge of industrial Inwood. Mostly hidden from sight behind chainlink fences and razorwire, this section of the Harlem River is surprisingly accessible. From the Broadway Bridge to Swindler Cove, the riverbanks are riddled with hidden beaches, pocket parks, fishing holes, crumbling piers. forgotten inlets, and abandoned boathouses. These hidden spaces border a maze of MTA railyards, Sanitation buildings and bus depots.

"The Harlem River tidal straight connects the Hudson River and the East River. Eight miles long, it is spanned by 15 bridges, most of which connect Manhattan to the Bronx. Its waters are navigated by New York's famed Circle Line and are bordered by busy transportation routes like the Harlem River Drive, the Major Deegan Expressway and the Metro-North Railway.

"Yet despite supporting this huge amount of daily traffic, the Harlem River was dubbed 'New York’s Forgotten Waterfront' by the Columbia University historic preservation program. Their 2004 report states that 'while the Hudson and East Rivers are commonly recognized for the grandeur of their scenery and structures, the Harlem River figures less prominently in the collective consciousness of New Yorkers.' The report goes on say that 'as other parts of Manhattan’s waterfront become increasingly homogenized... The Harlem River... remains a heterogeneous stretch of old industrial buildings, parks infrastructure and residential developments.'"

There are tons more great photos on the site... check it out.

Another great find was the movie Adam starring Hugh Dancey and Rose Byrne. Dancey, who suffers from Asperger's syndrome, and Byrne, who suffers from chronic bad relationships, are neighbors and start to develop a relationship over and above their personal struggles. One line of dialogue that VSL points out, when Byrne brings Dancey a box of chocolates, is, "I'm not Forrest Gump, you know."

[If you're reading this via email, click here to view the trailer.]

What goodies have you discovered recently?

Crazy for the Celluloid

2009-07-16T10:28:00.000-07:00

Last night I had the distinct pleasure of getting my digital cable receiver installed in my bedroom (for only an additional $2/month, which is sweet), so now I get 300+ channels of TV that I'll hardly ever watch. Awesome!

But the most awesome part is that I watched the Big Brother 11 episode that I missed on Tuesday night. (Which was very, very cool. I loved seeing the athlete clique implode.) Watching my summer guilty pleasure got me to thinking about other goodies that I've seen recently at the movies or on TV.

Here's what's what:

So, I went and saw Transformers 2 over the Fourth of July weekend and, as much as I loved the first one, I wish that this little picture to the left were accurate. I wish the autobots would attack Michael Bay so he'd stop making these movies. They're only going to get worse. Spare us, please.

But then I went to the movies last weekend and saw something really good: The Taking of Pelham 1,2,3. My dad, being the old fogie that he is, had told me that, "That's a re-make, won't be as good as the original." Whatever. He might be right. But it's also true that this was a book first (which I now want to read to see what the original plot line was because it was written back in 1973), so even the original film version was a rip-off. But enough about our family in-fighting, on with the movie.

I really enjoyed this. There were a couple of cheesy points and implausibilities, but overall good dialgoue and acting. Good cinematography and sound editing. I'd recommend this one around.

This past Sunday I watched the first two episodes of Big Love Season 1 via my Netflix hook-up. It was... hmm... very HBO. I actually enjoyed the storyline and I'll watch more, but the sex is kind of crazy. I don't necessarily mind a little bit of the what-for in a story (especially if its central to the story line as it is in Big Love), but this is so very, very HBO. It's like with each original show they try and top themselves with the number of penis shots and protracted scenes of regular (not-quite-so-hot) people grinding away on each other. I got it with Sex & the City, thought they were trying to go "edgy" in The Wire, but this just seems like a bunch of pasty suburbanites doing their business. Not overly provactive, in my opinion, just cheap. But I'll keep watching for the story (especially with the teens, I like that part).

Then Sunday evening I watched the debut of Drop Dead Diva on Lifetime. I enjoyed this original "programming for women," but I wonder how long I'll stay with it. It seems as if the show's gimmick (in this case a model dies and comes back to life in the size-16 body of an intelligent model) might get a little old. This happened to me with Eli Stone... loved it for a while, but then got tired of the song and dance. I'll keep you posted on my love-age of this one.

Hit me up in the comments and let me know what's been rocking your visual world lately.

Political Pandering

2009-07-10T10:28:00.001-07:00

Today the AP released this hum-dinger of a reliable piece of news:

BRISTOL'S EX TALKS ABOUT PALIN'S RESIGNATION

The former fiance of Gov. Sarah Palin's 18-year-old daughter says he thinks he knows why the Alaska governor is resigning — concerns over money. Levi Johnston, 19, whose wedding to Bristol Palin was called off earlier this year, says he believes the governor is resigning over personal finances. [He's 19 and a spurned lover, no bias at all, right?]

..."I think the big deal was the book. That was millions of dollars," said Johnston, who has had a strained relationship with the family but now says things have improved. [Really? You're talking about their finances and things are improving? The Palins must be crazy if that warms their hearts.]

..."It is interesting to learn Levi is working on a piece of fiction while honing his acting skills," Palin family spokeswoman Meghan Stapleton said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. [And yet another reliable source... who is prone to a little bit of snark.]

...Johnston also is pursuing his own book deal. He is working as a carpenter while also pursuing a movie deal. [Was this news-worthy? Can the AP not get better sources than this?]

In related news, check out this satirical video that doesn't seem quite so satirical.

If you're getting this via email, watch the video here.

Sasha Baron Cohen: Genuis or Joke?

2009-07-10T08:22:00.000-07:00

Today MSN.com has an article titled, "Is Sasha Baron Cohen Genuis or Gimmick?" that was pretty interesting to read.

Two MSN.com movie reporters debate back and forth the merits of SBC's comedy in general and his new film, Bruno, specifically. The debate was actually surprisingly good.

I've never been an SBC fan--I don't really go for shock jock/gross out/guerilla-style on-the-street comedy. I've never seen the point of the "man on the street" interview-style comedy where they find some stupid mope with underlying issues (racism, homophobia, xenophobia, or some other type of inbred ignorance) and then set them up so the rest of us can laugh at them. What does this accomplish? Those who know that those attitudes and actions are wrong could laugh at (and show disdain and/or contempt) for these people without them being in a movie (and we probably do). And the people who don't know it, won't get the joke. He isn't hightening the collective consciousness of the people (which one of the guys on MSN.com was arguing for). He's going for cheap laughs, very cheap laughs, and I don't find that to be genius. I find it stupid.

My favorite quote from the article was this:

"And frankly, I don't think Cohen's humor is as outrageous as he thinks it is. Sticking a toy car in your anus just to see the X-ray like they did in the "Jackass" movie is outrageous. Divine eating dog poop at the end of "Pink Flamingos" is outrageous. Getting sideswiped by a naked Asian gangster with a crowbar who jumps out of your trunk like in "The Hangover" is outrageous. Setting up a bunch of pompous celebrities or below-average-intelligence people in a controlled environment in which they're almost guaranteed to have a certain anticipated reaction is simply stacking the deck."

Is Twitter-Bashing My New Hobby?

2009-07-07T10:07:00.001-07:00

Today I was directed to an article on the Broadsheet blog (one of the Salon-sponsored blogs) that was allegedly about feminism and/or gender issues. And, although there is mention in the article about the discrepancies in working conditions for work-from-home female writers versus work-from-home male writers, that's not what tickled my brain.

Instead, I focused on this section of the article:

"The Tweets (reproduced here with Tweeterese intact) began with Orlean [a writer who is lamenting the struggle of writing from home] observing, 'It's much harder for women writers to immerse themselves in subjects; our focus gets pulled off by home & kid stuff. Guys tune out.' And then: 'My husband is on deadline and he's so absorbed I think he's forgotten my name. Me, I'm on deadline too, but can't afford that monovision.' (Perhaps as evidence, the Tweet immediately preceding this thought was about giving a balloon to her cat.) "

My thoughts are in line with one commenter to the article who succinctly noted, "I can't help but think that Susan Orlean's problems are not arising from the 'difficulties of being a woman writer working from home,' but rather her complete inability to focus on work without posting a tweet every five minutes or getting distracted by her cat."

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Twitter is a vanity application (not wholly unlike blogging) that fuels the already-attention-deficient whirlwind of society. Sometimes just being able to express yourself in 140 characters doesn't mean your expression was meaningful.

Non-Celebrity Flickr

2009-07-02T11:03:00.001-07:00

batwoman (026/365)
Originally uploaded by Katherine Elizabeth

I posted earlier today (about sixteen minutes ago) about the Flikr photostream for President Obama.

To balance that out, I thought I'd post some awesomeness that doesn't blur any socio-political lines--just unadulterated awesomeness.

Check out the photos of Los Angeles-based freelance photographer Katherine Elizabeth. I was most intrigued by a set she called 365, a series of 365 self portraits completed over the course of one year (aka, 365 days). The lighting and coloring, styling, etc., of the photos are pretty amazing.

I've added one of my faves from the group, "Batwoman (026/365)". Check out the set and enjoy yourself immensely. Have an awesome time!

Where's Uncle Pete?

2009-07-02T10:28:00.001-07:00

The White House official Flickr Photo Stream has been made public, and I don't post this to ask, "Does anyone think we're blurring the lines between the office of President and celebrity?" (because that would be a silly question). I post this little tid-bit of info to ask if anyone else thinks that, after Obama's term(s) are up, his daughters will ever ask their parents, "Why doesn't Uncle Pete live with us any more?"

["Uncle Pete" is my idea of what Malia and Sasha call Pete Souza, Chief Official White House Photographer, who is capturing nearly every moment of the Obamas' life in the White House, from Oval Office [pictured at left] to private family chats, [pictured above].]

Coolness on the Internets

2009-07-01T08:21:00.000-07:00

I am notoriously thrifty when it comes to music because I'm notoriously stupid about music. By the time a piece of great music has made its way into my consciousness, it's so ridiculous that it's not even worth buying because it's all over the radio.

BUT sometimes things are great and I missed them because my consciousness is unresponsive, or they were great but the radio doesn't play them anymore. Enter DJ Catchdubs and Ducker.

They have put together two compilations of great (and relatively under-appreciated) music from the 90's that are completely free. Check it out: here.

This free taste of goodness has been brought to you by Very Short List.

Exciting Movie News

2009-06-30T10:31:00.000-07:00

I know that you all are as obsessed with Zooey Deschanel as I am, so I'm sure you'll be equally excited to watch this trailer for (500) Days of Summer.

Also, I'm sure you all loved Tim Burton's remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory starring Johnny Depp (so quirky, that pair), so I think you'll be equally excited about the pair teaming up again for a remake of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.

Pick Me Up

2009-06-26T10:04:00.000-07:00

It's been kind of a bummer of a week around this blog, so I thought we could all use a little pick-me-up. I decided to comb the web (aka, use a search engine and read my email) to find some cool goodies on the interwebs that should be a nice change of pace.

For your week (drum roll, please)...

A New Twist on Starbucks. I don't hold very deep-seated opinions on Starbucks--love 'em or leave 'em, I say--because I'm not a die-hard coffee drinker. I don't drink coffee at all, actually, but I know there are people out there who would lay down their lives over the beans. That being said, I was kind of surprised and enjoyed reading this article, "In Defense of Starbucks," about how a Starbucks closing in Missoula, MT, was not a good thing. After you read the article you might think, "That's not a pick-me-up, that's down right depressing," and I'll admit that stores closing isn't an upper, but I think the twist he was taking was kind of novel. Worth a read. Stretching your mind and your way of thinking is like a natural little high.

The Internet is Awesome. If you don't think so, then you should check out the website for Julia Nunes who is an internet-made star now. She started out with a viral campaign via YouTube, uploaded videos of her cute little self in her dorm room, strumming her ukulele, doing covers of everyone from Kanye West to the Beatles. Now she's on tour with Ben Folds in England performing her original works. That's awesome, right? Who wants to watch a video of her? Well, here you go [If you're getting this via email, click the links to watch the videos]:

Doing a cover of "Build Me Up, Buttercup"

Performing an original song, "Into the Sunshine"

This awesomeness of the internet was brought to you Very Short List.

But wait..

Not So Fast. As this meta-search for "Social Media Crimes" shows, Craigslist.org can be a dangerous website to use. MSN.com writes, "The Oscar-winning songwriter of 'You Light Up My Life' was arrested on charges of rape this week. According to the Associated Press, he allegedly lured women to his apartment with the promise of a movie audition. How did he find the women? Reports say he placed an ad on Craigslist... People have been lured to their deaths by fake ads on Craigslist. Philip Markoff is on trial for killing a woman. And in 2007, a woman responding to an ad for a nanny was murdered. There's more: A woman allegedly tried to hire someone to kill her boyfriend's wife. And a husband has been accused of hiring someone to rape his wife." Sucks, huh? Not an upper, right? Well, it could be worse... it could be you that somebody was hired to kill.

You're not dead! Live it up this weekend! Make a video with a ukulele and drink an over-priced coffee because life is beautiful! (I do promise this was supposed to be a picker-upper post, but it came off as depressing, didn't it? I'm such a cynical person. Can I do a positive post? Maybe next week we'll try for all cool stuff.)

Going Green... Sort Of

2009-06-26T09:43:00.000-07:00

It's been mentioned before on this blog that I have aspirations toward living environmentally-friendly. Note that I used the word "aspirations," not necessarily indicative that I always follow through on those hopes and dreams.

For example, I posted a blog a little while back about an environmentally-friendly mobile home that I pined after greatly, but I didn't go out and buy one. But I do participate in easier-to-manage green activities such as recycling (paper, plastic, glass, aluminum, and steel) through my city's recycling program at the park. So I'm not a total loss.

So that's where I am--a quasi-environmentally-conscious person without a whole heck of a lot of motivation. Knowing that, what do you think about composting? I'm seriously considering it.

Yesterday I read Design Watcher's blog post about trendy composting units that linked to an article in Apartment Therapy with lots of good little tid-bits about compact composters. I think, for my money, I'm considering that I'd either get one of these two units (neither of which relies on worms for the composting action).

Unit #1 is very cute, but retails for around $300...

...whereas unit #2 isn't quite as aesthetically pleasing, but is far cheaper ($60).

By the by, I mentioned this to my sister last night and she said we should get a wind turbine instead. Then she read this article and changed her mind... we're pretty sure our condo association won't let us install an 80-120 foot tower for our turbine.

So tell me your thoughts. What do you do that's environmentally-minded? Do you think I can pull off the composting? Have any composting tips or tricks for me?

Interrupting Our Regularly-Scheduled Programming

2009-06-25T17:26:00.000-07:00

I was going to post a blog today about composting, but that will have to wait until tomorrow.

The blog is taking a moment of silence for the undisputed King of Pop. His music, his moves, and his videos are iconic. He will remain infamous, long after his death.

We're also taking a brief break to honor the quintissential "Girl Next Door" who inspired many a young lady to experiment with hair wings. Farrah, you were a classic beauty.

Depressing week on the blog, huh?

So Many Sad Things

2009-06-23T13:33:00.000-07:00

It's a day of sadness on so many levels...

TV legend Ed McMahon died earlier today. (Raise your hand and admit if you thought he was already dead.)

Jon & Kate (of Jon & Kate Plus 8) are separating. Watch the video and tell me which is more sad:
1. These eight lovely children are going to suffer through watching their parents divorce;
2. Jon wears large "diamond" earrings in both ears and doesn't even come close to pulling it off; or
3. Kate things "agreeance" is a word.

But, perhaps, the most sad thing to happen in world news today was the shocking revelation that there is an 18-year-old girl who actually thought her dad was stupid enough to believe her lie that she fell asleep during a tattoo procedure. As somebody who's got some tattoos--you don't fall asleep. Ever.

Sadness all around today.

Hit and Miss

2009-06-13T21:19:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry I've been so hit and miss about updating the blog recently... and it's only going to get worse because tomorrow I head out for my week of volunteer service at Royal Family Kids Camp.

In the mean time, satiate yourselves by reading my review of Love is a Mix Tape which is a memoir of the (tragic) love story of the couple above--then go out and hunt until you find a copy of the book and read it yourselves.

Why Do We Do It?

2009-06-08T09:58:00.000-07:00

I saw this picture, which struck me as humorous, on Design Watcher, which is a blog that I subscribe to. I thought it was so funny looking--I'm a sucker for pugs--but then I wondered why people put a cigarette in their dog's mouth and take a picture?

What does this kind of picture say about the psychology of the pet owners and/or photographer?

What does my giggling at this picture say about my own mental health?

Hypothesize in the comments.

Speaking of MSN Home Pages

2009-06-05T06:20:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week I ragged on MSN.com for making a mockery of life by what their content editors put on the home page.

But today, I think they got it right, people.

Analyzing MSN

2009-06-02T14:08:00.001-07:00

What do you think it says about our society that this article on the tragic loss of the Air France flight...

...is followed by this story on the MSN home page?

And don't get me wrong, I love cake (and the one pictured is pretty amazing looking), but it just smacks of insensitivity that we can't set aside a reserved spot on the home page to cover the evolving Air France flight search. It gets the same amount of coverage time as the Cheese IQ test? Really, MSN content editors?

And don't even get me started on these video "highlights."

Really? That's what the President's using his time for? That's the hard-hitting journalism that Brian Williams and the crack news team at the NBC Nightly News is bringing us? Never mind that pesky North Korea/South Korea missile business, there are dogs being talked about. I'm sure Bo's temperament is critical to national security, but let's get a grip, people.

Speaking of Bad Predictions...

2009-06-02T13:06:00.001-07:00

MSN posted these tech-related predictions that ended up being way off base:

1. "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." -Thomas Watson, president of IBM, 1943. Can you blame him? It was 1943 for Christ's sake. "After all, when IBM's Thomas Watson said 'computer,' he meant 'vacuum-tube-powered adding machine that's as big as a house.' It's fair to say that few people ever wanted one of those, regardless of the size of their desk." I certainly don't have use for one of those, but I do have three computers in my house.

2. "Television won't be able to hold on to any market it captures after the first six months. People will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night." -Darryl Zanuck, executive at 20th Century Fox, 1946. Unfortunately, we haven't grown tired, so they've decided to fill 98% of the viewing time with poorly educated poeple sans moral standards dating each other in gang-style fashion. Excellent!

3. "Nuclear-powered vacuum cleaners will probably be a reality within 10 years." -Alex Lewyt, president of vacuum manufacturer Lewyt Corp., 1955. I'm still holding out for this one to be true--I need more nuclear energy in my home.

4. "There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home." -Ken Olsen, founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977. I guess internet porn and blogging hadn't been invented yet when Olsen made his prediction.

5. "Almost all of the many predictions now being made about 1996 hinge on the Internet's continuing exponential growth. But I predict the Internet will soon go spectacularly supernova and in 1996 catastrophically collapse." -Robert Metcalfe, founder of 3Com, 1995. At least Metcalfe can admit when he's wrong... "[He] even promised to eat his words if his augury turned out to be wrong. To his credit, Metcalfe made good on that promise in 1999 during his keynote speech at the International World Wide Web Conference, where he blended up a copy of his printed column with some liquid and drank it down before a crowd of onlookers."

6. "Apple is already dead." -Nathan Myhrvold, former Microsoft chief technology officer, 1997. You kind of have to say that stuff when you work for Microsoft, right?

7. "Two years from now, spam will be solved." -Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, 2004. The article reports that spam is actually nearly 92% of all email messages sent. I'm glad Bill handed the reigns of Microsoft over to somebody a little less silly.

Nice predictions, eh? Now, if I could just get that sweet hoverboard that Michael J. Fox promised me I'd be riding, I'd be set.

I Routinely Embarrass Myself

2009-06-02T12:53:00.000-07:00

I like to make big, grandiose predictions for the future, and generally end up being wrong. It's my "thing."

So, I'm going to make a prediction here, saved for all electronic eternality: I bet that New Moon is: 1) Better than Twilight; and 2) Better than an acceptance speech from Kristen Stewart.

Compare and Contrast...

New Moon Trailer

Twilight Trailer

Kristen Stewart Being Uncoordinated

A New Crush

2009-05-29T12:41:00.001-07:00

I'm about to admit something really, really embarrassing. Ready? Okay, here goes.

I'm just now discovering how fantastic James Morrison is. Seriously, I'm in love with this guy. I heard "Nothing Ever Hurt Like You" on the radio a couple of months ago, and fell in love with it. But, being notoriously thrifty, I didn't rush out and buy the CD. Instead, I picked up the CD from the library (I should have known it'd be great because the hold list was as long as my arm), but I finally got it on Tuesday and have been basking in the beauty of James' music ever since.

Why am I so behind the times? I'm sure other people knew he was great way back in 2006 when he started releasing singles with Interscope Records, or even caught on in 2007 when he released his first full-length album, but I'm just now catching on.

But, on the off chance that there is anyone more musically inept out there than I am, anyone who might still be naive to the beautiful music of James Morrison, let me tell you why I love him. Every single song on his album has distinction and a flavor all it's own, but each song flows right through from beginning to end. It's an album that you can listen to from start to finish, no bad songs in the bunch, and at the end, you'll want it again. It starts with the driving horns and thundering piano on "The Only Night" that push you into the pleading and self-abasing lyrics of the soulful "Save Yourself." The scaled down "You Make it Real" is the essential soundtrack to first love. The beauty just continues from there.

I have been listening to it and can't shake the feeling that Songs for You, Truths for Me is the kind of music that you turn on early on Saturday morning while you and your other are puttering around the house, edging into weekend productivity, and it might, if you're lucky, inspire you to have an extemporaneous dance party in your living room. Save the slow dance for my favorite track: "Precious Love."

If you can't see the embedded songs above in your browser or email, click here.

You Thought Your Family Was Bad?

2009-05-28T06:20:00.000-07:00

I have a new favorite website to peruse when I want to waste lots and lots of time when I should be doing something else... Awkward Family Photos.

Isn't this sample, posted on the blog on May 27, 2009, a beaut? Check out the action the little guy is getting on Grandma. Nice.

Look around the site to find more great finds of weird poses and random inserts... when was the last time O.J. Simpson was in your family snapshot?

Yum, Yum

2009-05-26T09:05:00.001-07:00

[Picture Source]

Don't those donuts look delicious? Before running off to Krispy Kreme (which I did this weekend), take a look at some of the facts about fat that MSN is featuring today:

1. Depending on gender and how active they are, adults should eat 2,000 to 3,000 calories per day. U.S. agriculture now produces 3,900 calories of food per inhabitant per day. We should blame it on the farmers and ranchers--stop working so hard!

2. Liposuction is the only way to actually reduce the number of fat cells in your spare tire. Diet and exercise just shrink them. Unfortunately, if you resort to those bad behaviors that got you in the fat position to start with, you'll inflate your remaining fat cells (which aren't evenly distributed under your skin), and you'll get weird growths of fat (tumor-like bulges). Unsightly!

3. New Zealander Pete Bethune gave a whole new meaning to biofuel when he used his own fat, removed via liposuction, to power the world's fastest eco-boat. A way to solve the obesity epidemic and the fuel crisis?

4. Cutting saturated fat intake to the recommended 10 percent of your calories will prolong your life, but only by a few months at most, researchers found. And I think those last couple of months will be the crappy bed-ridden, adult-diaper-wearing months, so it's hardly worth it in the long run.

5. The brain is about 70 percent fat.

Read the entire article here. Then, if you're still interested in dieting and/or changing your eating habits, check out the "No S" Diet... my personal mantra (with the addition of No Super-Sizing).

Holy Moly, That Was a Mother of a Finale

2009-05-22T12:44:00.000-07:00

Last night's Southland finale was kind of crazy. Seriously.

Exhibit 1: You started off with this crazy lady...

...and things just escalated from there.

Exhibit 2: Dewey went crazy and Brown went for a wild ride with her wild partner.

I won't be sad to see Dewey's brand of crazy get booted from the show (but seeing as how his story line is "dramatic," they're likely to keep him around).

Exhibit #3: Detective Adams did this:

Exhibit #4: Detective Clarke got shot by his neighbor... totally surreal. (Also, totally impossible to find a photo of online). I'd love for somebody to be able to find a photo of Clarke's glassy-eyed post-shooting stare to add to this blog. Put the link in a comment, if you can find it.

What Am I Missing?

2009-05-21T11:27:00.000-07:00

I don't understand the Twitter craze. Perhaps I'm one of those rare breeds who don't want to be that connected to people. Can someone extol the virtues of Twitter to me, please?

Speaking of Technology...

2009-05-19T07:37:00.001-07:00

...is this not the coolest laptop ever?

See tons more photos and a video right here.

Internet Touring: Grifters, Straight Edge, and Hipsters

2009-05-15T10:15:00.001-07:00

Have you ever heard of free-association or free writing, where you're given a topic and then just let your thoughts flow (verbally or in writing) without feeling constrained to "stay on point"? I did that with the Internet, and here's where I went:

So... this week, in a wrap-up style, MSN.com is posting about the top three web searches--celebrity diets, man boobs (eww!), and the hipster grifter.

Internet Tour Stop #1: I decided to check out what was up with this "Hipster Grifter" (aka, Keri Ferrell) and read about some of her "cons," one of which was to live amongst the Straight Edge sub-culture in Salt Lake City and take advantage of their do-gooding. [Don't worry, I'm not going to get into how infernally stupid the Hipster Grifter's cons were; that blog post could take hours to read.]

Internet Tour Stop #2: I decided to see if what I thought Straight Edge was, based on its use in Nick & Norah's Infinite Play List, was accurate. That led me to the Gurl.com website and their list-o-labels. There is a very long description of the many permutations that "Straight Edge" has gone through in the past century, but (essentially) I was right: people who are very into punk rock music, but make a declaration of abstinence from the traditional trappings of the punk lifestyle (marked by avoiding smoking, drugs, alcohol, and promiscuous sex).

Internet Tour Stop #3: Since I was in the list-o-labels, I decided to look up the label "Hipster," because (in addition to being used to desribe the Hipster Grifter) I wasn't really sure what it was all about. My knowledge of what a hipster is, is relegated to its ridiculous over-use in recent commercial literature, especially the phrase "tragic hipster" which is prolific throughout Megan McCaffety's books--she's a real hipster hater. The best I can tell, by an imbedded use of "hipster" on the definition of "indie," it's about the "indie" who goes over-the-top in being a cultural elitist (marked by the wearing of "ironic t-shirts," which I find to be a funny phrase that is oxymoronic and will likely earn its own blog post).

I guess the thing that irritates me about the use of the phrase "hipster," (often accompanied by "tragic") is that it's nearly always said as condesending (or a more polite cover for wanting to call someone a douchebag), but that's the irony of it (not in the t-shirt sense). If you're looking down on them for being a hipster, aren't you then doing exactly what they're doing--being an elitist? Why can't you just let them enjoy their "ironic t-shirts" and be truly original by not caring how other people choose to label themselves? Who cares?

[Picture of the "Hipster" was taken from this website.]

Race Revisions

2009-05-14T10:29:00.000-07:00

So, my sister and I (not picture above) were helping in the preliminary stages of planning a charity race for Royal Family Kids Camp--a charity that we support by donating a week of our time each summer as volunteers. My sister was hunting around on the internet regarding logistical planning for a 5K/10K type event, and she stumbled upon this wonderful article about the economics of charity runs.

Let me hit some of the highlights for you:

"A grad school colleague once hit me up for a donation for his participation in a Habitat for Humanity project in the Philippines. While he agreed that [good economics] would dictate that he instead work more in the States and donate the money to hire folks in the Philippines more competent than him to do the construction work, he also noted that that alternative wouldn't get him a trip to the Philippines. And, of course, I then declined to subsidise his vacation.

"Any individual wanting to help the charity would almost certainly do better to spend the time working overtime (or taking a part time job), donating the money to the cause, and asking their friends to match a portion of their contributions... I've also noticed that participants in these runs really do not like it when you suggest to them that the people they're trying to help would be better off if they'd take a part time job rather than do the run.
"...you shouldn't feel bad about declining to subsidise a colleague's exercise regimen."

Not (necessarily) because of this article, but I'll just point out (to keep my pride in tact) that we've decided against sponsoring a charity run/walk, and are opting to promote a Sponsor-a-Child program so interested friends, neighbors, colleagues who can't afford to donate a week of vacation, can donate directly to sending a child to camp.

Thoughts?

Not Your Mama's Mobile Home

2009-05-11T14:58:00.000-07:00

Do you believe me when I say that these pictures are of a mobile home?

What if I tell you that this mobile home is energy efficient?

How about this mobile home being roughly $100K?

Do you believe me when I say I want one?

Do you trust that I'm heart-broken that I live in the mid-west (prime tornado target), so one of these beauts isn't possible for me?

Do you want to find out more so you can get one and rub it in my face that I live in such a god-forsaken-weather strip? If so, read the article about this cheap, eco-friendly mobile home at MSN.com (where I jacked all the pictures from).

Score One for the Nerds

2009-04-30T11:47:00.001-07:00

I am a band nerd through and through; therefore, it is with great pride that I reprint this article.

Girl fights off thugs with marching band baton

"'Moral to this story is don't mess with the marching band girls,' official says

"QUARTZ HILL, Calif. - Don't mess with a marching band girl, especially one armed with a baton.

"A 17-year-old high school marching band student beat up two assailants who tried to mug her as she walked to school in this high desert community about 40 miles north of Los Angeles, sheriff's officials said Tuesday.

"The girl punched one of the men in the nose, kicked the other in the groin and beat both with her large baton before she ran away on Friday morning, officials said.

"'The moral to this story is don't mess with the marching band girls, or you just might get what you deserve,' said Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Michael Rust.

"He said two men approached the girl from behind, grabbed her coat and demanded oney. Deputies searched near Quartz Hill High School for the muggers, looking for a man who was holding his bloodied nose and the other limping.

"No arrests have been made, but Rust said it appears the girl made her point to her assailants.

"'Final score: Marching band 2, thugs 0,' Rust quipped."

Does anybody else get the impression that Rust was probably a meat-head jock in high school?

April 1st

2009-04-01T06:20:00.000-07:00

Can I just say that I think April Fool's Day is the worst day of the year? I've never actually been "pranked," but I just find the entire thing juvenile. Worst day... yep, even worse than the greeting card company-invented "Sweetest Day."

I'm Back...

2009-03-23T06:12:00.001-07:00

I was on Spring Break from school last week (which means I took a Spring Break from work). This means I also took a Spring Break from blogging and did lots of writing, sleeping, watching NCAA basketball and crying in anguish when Wake Forest (who I had going to the Final Four on a rogue tip from an analyst on ESPN) got out in the first G-D round.

Ah, vacation! (But now I'm back in the real world.)

Grammar is Important

2009-03-04T06:35:00.000-08:00

Today, March 4, is National Grammar Day (yesterday was National If Pets Had Thumbs Day, by the way). In honor of NGD, the fine folks at Encarta (via MSN.com) have posted this humorous take on a few celebrities who are in need of EDIT (Every Day I Try) rehab.

Check out the article here.

Tales of the Absurd

2009-02-24T10:18:00.000-08:00

MSN.com posted this content today:

"'I am placing you under citizen's arrest,' a spike-heeled Nicky Hilton announced to the 50 year-old homeless man who allegedly pushed the heiress to the ground at 5 a.m. Saturday morning outside a West Hollywood IHOP.

TMZ first broke the story about the celebutante-turned-fashion-maven's run-in with the law. "One of our deputies was at the IHOP, having a coffee break, and noticed a waitress run outside because there was a commotion," Los Angeles County Police spokesman Steve Whitmore later told Us Magazine.

The magazine went on to report that it took both Hilton and the officer to restrain the man, whose name is Michael Broadhurst.

Hilton was not injured but Broadhurst was arrested for battery and is set to appear in court April 21."

Best Line of the Story?

"Exactly what the rail-thin billionaire was doing at IHOP remains unclear." That's exactly what I was thinking.

Romance for the Unromantic

2009-02-17T10:49:00.000-08:00

I'm not really a "romantic" person... I think a lot of romantic gestures are just that (gestures that aren't supported by actual commitment, thereby meaningless). I find Valentine's Day to be a sham (and don't get me started on Sweetest Day... aka, Hallmark Card Day), and don't really like the idea of people celebrating their love on anniversaries and then treating each other like garbage the rest of the year. Do I sound cynical? It's not meant to be.

Instead, I wanted to direct you to this article that MSN had posted on Valentine's Day, "Is This What Romance Looks Like?" This is six writers sharing their personal stories of romance. Seriously, check it out... the first one was super special (loved it, LOVED IT), and the rest were really good too.

Read the stories and tell me which was your fave.

Chocolate is Yummy

2009-02-10T21:01:00.001-08:00

I love chocolate as much as the next girl. Truth be told, I had a large bowl of chocolate-covered peanut clusters for lunch today (with a Diet Coke, natch). Anyway, I've been incredibly creeped out by the new commercials for Axe Dark Temptation (the ones with the "Chocolate Man"). It's just gross to me.

Anyway, I turned myself into a "Chocolate Woman" via Axe's Chocolatize Me application on Facebook. Turn yourself into something tasty and post a link so I can see you (and want to eat you up).

Perfect Tech Tool

2009-02-09T12:15:00.000-08:00

Looking for the perfect phone... something better than the iPhone or the Blackberry storm or whatever else is on the market? Check out the Pomegranate phone. (Also, be sure to check out the release date.)

Make Your Job More Enjoyable

2009-02-06T10:06:00.001-08:00

MSN is running a story today about how to make your job more enjoyable by getting your groove on at work, and I've distilled down the best tips for you. (Well, actually, they did, but I've recopied the gist here for you).

Listen responsibly. If you like to listen to music at work, here are some tips to keep in mind:

Use headphones if you share an office.
If you have enough personal space to use external speakers, make sure the sound doesn't carry into other people's workspaces.
Keep the volume low enough to hear if your phone rings or someone calls your name.
If you use speakers, remember to pause the music when talking on the phone.
Don't sing aloud. In all likelihood, you're a bigger fan of your voice than your co-workers are.
Keep the dance moves to a minimum.

Now I'm going to type this into an email and blast it around to my officemates as an FYI with a note that their ability to adhere to these guidelines will be reflected in their next annual review.

Baby Time

2009-02-03T08:07:00.000-08:00

This baby is seriously working it.

Check out the mom's (a French Canadian photo journalist) blog.

False Advertising

2009-02-03T04:23:00.001-08:00

Do you know what really chaps my hide? When websites like, oh, I don't know, maybe MSN have a teaser headline like, "Raging Milk Debate," (or something else that seems so wild or sensational that you just have to click through), and then the article is actually about a wife who's concerned about any health risks associated with drinking organic milk.

Seriously, unless you and your husband's debate about the pros/cons of organic milk has sunk to the point where you're throwing milk at each other, this can't be catgorized as "Raging."

Best Web Site Ever... Seriously, Ever!

2009-01-16T08:40:00.000-08:00

I am again going to steal from Very Short List and hit you all up with info about the coolest website ever known to man... the blog, Daily Routines. Read their summary:

If you’ve caught yourself complaining about time — or the lack of it — consider Anthony Trollope, who managed to write 49 novels in 35 years without letting go of his day job. Or Benjamin Franklin, who faced each dawn with the question “What good shall I do this day?”

Launched in 2007 by a writer and editor named Mason Currey, Daily Routines describes the work habits of highly effective people, who are grouped by their occupations (writers, architects) and inclinations (drinkers, nappers). No two paths to greatness are the same: Isaac Asimov wrote from 7:30 in the morning until 10 at night; Truman Capote did not. Franz Kafka was a notorious procrastinator; William Styron ended his nights with two or three hours of drinking, smoking, and listening to music. The hardest worker of all? Mathematician Paul Erdös, who loaded up on Benzedrine, Ritalin, and caffeine, and often worked for 19 hours at a stretch. “A mathematician is a machine for turning coffee into theorems,” he explained.

Today's featured over-achiever is John Grisham who has the lucky fortune of no longer needing discipline because he was so disciplined in his up-and-coming days. Awesome website. Check it out.

Best O' The Web

2009-01-06T21:12:00.000-08:00

Seriously, the All American Rejects are genius. Check out their polka cover of Britney Spears' "Womanizer."

Awesome!

I'm Like So Outta Here...

2008-12-18T05:52:00.000-08:00

Well, in 8 hours and 8 minutes (at 5:00 PM EST) I am so outta here. I am taking a vacation from work.

Revel in my ability to not work from Friday, December 19, all the way through Sunday, January 4. How do you like them apples?

I developed this little tradition of celebrating the school Christmas break because I would stay home with my nephew... to stave off him burning the house down, but now he's 14 and probably old enough to stay home alone. However, I don't want to work, so I still use him as an excuse.

I'll have to come up with another excuse when he goes off to college... maybe I need to "reconnect" with him when he's home on break. Something like that.

If I don't talk with you before Christmas and/or Boxing Day and/or New Year's Day, have a great one.

Filthy, Embarrassed Richness

2008-12-02T07:09:00.000-08:00

So, there's an article in Newsweek, "Luxury Shame: Why even the very rich are cutting back on conspicuous consumption." This article is about how ridiculously wealthy people are trying to not flaunt their ridiculous wealth during the economic down-turn, as a matter of wanting to avoid appearing vulgar.

Thoughts?

You Be The Judge...

2008-11-26T05:47:00.000-08:00

So, you tell me, after watching this video, "100 Faces in Two Minutes," do you think the guy who made it 1) Has too much time on his hands; or 2) Is making a strong statement about people changing?

[You can watch the video if you click this link. Sorry about having to do an external link, but StupidVideos.com is stupid and won't embed the proper video.]

What Would Jesus Eat?

2008-11-25T06:37:00.001-08:00

With the big-eating holidays near upon us, it's time to think, "What Would Jesus Eat?" A feature on MSN.com today discusses the pros and cons of faith-based dieting programs. Check out more in this video.

How about you? This holiday season will you be praying off the pounds or praying for forgiveness for overeating?

I'm Smarter Than You Are

2008-11-19T11:22:00.001-08:00

Although I probably do consider myself smarter than you because, well, let's face it, I'm a conceited jerk who has copious amounts of confidence in an online forum, I'm going to give you a tip.

Get thee to Oxford University for free! You can listen to Pod Casts of lectures from one of the oldest English Universities, and you can access all this content for exactly zero coin.

Check it out and then post a comment to tell me what you learned from this post.

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T05:48:00.000-07:00

That's my fat fake jack-o-lantern (I picked him up for $6 last night at Wal-Mart) wishing you and yours a happy night of treats (sans tricks) and lots of ghoulish fun.

[Big snaps to me, I actually swept the front porch before putting my fat fake jack-o-lantern down on the ground.]

Winding Up for Winding Down

2008-10-30T08:57:00.000-07:00

Can I get a countdown widget on how long until this presidential election is over?

Get this widget!

Thank you.

Now, I'd like to post a link to an article on Yahoo.com, "Obama's prime-time ad skips over budget realities," that was put out on the AP wire. I'm kind of surprised by this (not that there was spin in the politician's informercial); rather, that the AP covered this article from a decidedly anti-Obama perspective. That seems kind of weird coming from the mainstream media.

To balance out all of this presidential ballyhoo ("Here are vague promises that will be difficult to measure whether or not I actually kept them"), check out this advertisement from incumbent Indiana governor Mitch Daniels.

That's refreshing... a politician makeing a promise that can be objectively measured (and a relatively good plan to boot).

Is This Weird or Cool?

2008-10-29T11:53:00.001-07:00

You decide. Put your vote for weird v. cool in the comments.

Thank You, Joe

2008-10-28T06:24:00.001-07:00

Joe (aka, Jason) the plumber came through for me. Yesterday they fixed my hot water heater... the blogging moratorium has been lifted. Yeah!

This work of Joe's makes me think that I need to reconsider who I'm voting for in next Tuesday's election.

Seriously, not really because of my water heater fiasco (which was caused by lime scale build-up because I have hard water), but because of something that happened on Sunday. Our church put this non-partisan insert in the church bulletin listing both of the candidates' views on a number of issues (view the listing that was included in our Sunday announcements by clicking here). At first I didn't really read the insert--I was blinded by my disgust at the church's reference toward politics. Although this declares to be non-partisan material, I have very strong views about the separation of church and state--if we want the government to remain hands-off about our operation, we need to be 100% certain that we're not in any way endorsing or denouncing a particular candidate.

Once I got over my fury, which was manifested through a terse conversation with my sister who was equally disgusted by our church's dalliance in the land of no return, I looked at the paper and considered the options. I had been thinking, after reading another article (see original blog here) that I was in the McCain camp, but then (after considering the issues on this paper) that I should be voting for Obama. I'm a registered libertarian and am quite liberal (compared to my fellow Baptists), but I'm really on the fence about this election. Then I ask myself, "Who cares who is elected as President because, with our system of checks and balances, no single politician can change the course of human history? Also, are we so silly to think that one person can revolutionize our government which is chronically slow to change?"

What really gets my goat about this election is that all the focus has been on the Presidential election and my state hasn't been giving much play to our gubernatorial election, local elections, or the senate/representative races that are going on throughout the state. I need to do some more research to consider my voting options, but we all need to get a grip that the Presidential election is one amongst many elections, all of which are important. My governor is incredibly important in affecting my day-to-day life with the policy that he/she proposes and we have an important referendum being voted on (about the abolition of property tax assessors as an elected office in the state of Indiana) that has hardly been touched at all.

I think, and I understand this is a rant, that our perspective is off in the United States right now. We were a country that was founded on the principle of the power of the States, and we're totally disregarding the importance of those state officials so we can gawk at the celebrity circus of this Presidential campaign.

That was heavy, eh? See, that's what Joe does to me... he gets my plumbing all worked up. (That sounded untoward and wasn't intended as such.)

I'm Cranky

2008-10-27T07:50:00.001-07:00

Well, I was going to write this blog about how I was cranky because my water heater went out and I haven't had a hot shower since Friday morning (which made for a long and cold weekend). However, when I tried to post that Blogger went AWOL and I lost that post.

It's like pouring salt in the wound, Google.

Anyway, I'm going to be doing a little "blog strike" because I'm not feeling clever sans hot water. Maybe you guys should do a dance to the god of plumbing that Godby gets on the stick and gets my hot water heater fixed post haste.

Do You Need More Money

2008-10-21T05:28:00.000-07:00

Early talk is that the federal government is looking into another stimulus package (because that worked so excellently last time).

Thoughts?

Manic Pixie Dream Girls

2008-10-20T08:29:00.000-07:00

Okay, so there's a phenomena, a cultural "thing" called Manic Pixie Dream Girls. This phrase was developed by a film critic, Nathan Rabin, in his review of Elizabethtown (a film that he pans and that I love, by the way). Apparently MPDG are girls that have no aspirations other than living "high on life" and radiating sunshine and joy to those around them; their allure is so compelling that it generally can lift even the most depressed person (as seen in Elizabethtown and Garden State).

A couple of questions: 1) Are MPDG only fictional ideas, or are there really people like this in society?; 2) Is the idea of MPDG wrong, or is it okay as a young woman to aspire to be a genuinely positive person who finds true significance in bringing an optimistic perspective to life?

I know that I'm probably going to be stoned and/or have Gloria Steinhem revoke my feminist club card, but I think MPDG are okay. I'm not a MPDG (I think it might be an oxymoron for a MPDG to have a blog, seeing as how they most often tend to be negative in nature); however, I think that we could all do with a little bit more sunshine in life. Granted, being emotionally inappropriate (i.e., not allowing people to experience any kind of sadness) gets grating, as is happiness that stems from being blissfully unaware of the evil in the world, but choosing to reframe negative experiences and seek workable and simple solutions to hard problems is cool. I aspire to be someone who can influence others and to be a good deal less cynical (Did I ever tell you I was voted most cynical in my high school graduating class?).

Call me crazy, but I'd like to infuse a little MPDG juice into my personality--being on the other end of the spectrum (i.e., crazy raging spinster who has her life planned down to the minute) isn't necessarily healthy either. Thoughts?

Cleaning My Camera

2008-10-17T10:08:00.001-07:00

Well, I needed to clean some pictures off my digital camera (that's my version of seasonal cleaning because I'm lazy). I'm posting them here so that they'll be preserved for posterity (and I don't have to waste my storage space). I present, A (Limited) Summer Retrospective...

My nephew and I in the village of Nashville, Indiana, where we shopped and saw a (very small) classic car show.

My nephew, step-mom, and dad at Great American Ball Park (Cincinnati, OH) where we watched the Cardinals destroy the Reds. This was an early birthday present for my nephew.

My dad and I at Victory Field (Indianapolis, IN) where we saw the Indians lose a squeaker in their final home game of the season. This was my dad's birthday and we celebrated with cake afterward and the city hosted their annual Sky Concert fireworks show that night, which we watched from the ball park. [I'm not sure why my top lip disappeared in this picture, but don't worry because it has returned to my face.]

Summer was great... bring on fall!

Quote of the Day

2008-10-16T06:22:00.000-07:00

Do you love to get relationship advice off the internet? Sure you do.

That being said, here's some great advice from Rich Santos who writes a relationship column from a guy's perspective for Marie Clare magazine. In his article, "My Sarah Palin Crush," he writes, which is our Quote of the Day:

"I think I have a crush on Sarah Palin. She intrigues and intimidates me-two necessary ingredients for a crush."

There you go ladies, the two simple steps to get a guy to go for you (regardless of his dislike of your politics and your use of firearms). Granted, Santos admits he's lazy and desires to be a beta male (so make sure that's the kind of guy you're looking for before you try out his tip).

Marcia, Marcia, Marcia

2008-10-15T08:48:00.001-07:00

Who would have ever thought that Marcia Brady (that picture-perfect representation of future teen models and Davey Jones fans the whole world over) would have traded sex for drugs.

Maureen McCormick released her tell-all book, and it's been setting off some interesting revelations about the life and times of a 70's television icon. Although, the people over at this blog think the book came out about 30 years too late, and the people at Best Week Ever think the book should have been titled Okay, Here’s The Deal: I Was A Child Star, and It Totally Screwed Up My Life, And Now I’m Going To Try And Make One Last Buck Off It, Okay?

How about you... do you think the world needs another "Brady Bunch" expose?

Super-Duper Cool Website

2008-10-13T09:28:00.000-07:00

The Reader's Quill blog posted a very funny piece of art last week in her weekly "Artsy Fartsy Friday" feature. (See below.)

She got this picture from a totally awesome website, the PostSecret blog. I scanned through and found myself reminiscent of that All American Rejects song, "Dirty Little Secret." Check out the video below and then check out the PostSecret blog. Cool stuff.

I love the idea of this website (and I totally still love that song). I disagree with the fictional character Nick Guest (of The Line of Beauty) when he says that secrets are impersonal. I think they're intensely personal... which is why it feels so good to finally get them off your chest.

I'm opening up today's comments for secret-sharing. I'll get us started... I've never made it to first base with a guy (nor a girl, but that's not something I've been aiming for). There. That was easy. Now share yours.

Quote of the Day

2008-10-09T06:47:00.000-07:00

If you've been hiding out under a rock you may be unaware that Dove is like really into making women feel beautiful. All kinds of women--old women, young women, fat women, scary skinny women, women with freckles, black women, and women with three breasts.

I'm all for self-esteem. I'm all for motivation. I've even considered purchasing a copy of The Feminine Mystique at the book store before. However, today's Quote of the Day comes from a blog that Dove runs, and is being posted here to say that they've crossed my invisible line of silliness:

"FAT is not a feeling!"

Whatever, crazy lady. I started my period yesterday (with the coinciding bloating) and I feel fat. I know I'm not any heavier than I was the day before (assuming I didn't pack on too many pounds from the Turtle Sundae I had after church last night), but my clothes fit tighter than the previous day because of retained water.

I feel fat! Feminism be damned, but I have feelings!

Wasting More Time on the 'Net

2008-10-07T06:01:00.000-07:00

If you're reading this blog I believe there's a high likelihood that you're doing it whilst at work (seeing as how I'm writing it at work). That being said, MSN.com is trying to help you out with your efforts at procrastination.

They've developed a list of the top 10 ways to waste time on the web. Here they are:

Adtunes.com - A website that catalogs music found in television shows and commercials. [Incidentally, this coincides well with today's blog over at "What Was I Listening To?" Totally not planned, that one.]
MSN Encarta Quizzes - Find out how well you can identify different dance styles and if what grade level your vocabulary is at... all at one convenient web-based location.
Fail Blog - A slew of still photographs of some of life's biggest mess-ups.
Kongregate - Web-based games that are guaranteed to keep you from your work for hours.
StumbleUpon - A wiki of the web's most obscure and best websites.
Scrablle on Pogo.com - After the Scrabulous debacle of Facebook, you can still get your fix here.
Homestar Runner - Funny (and quirky) animation videos and retro-inspired games to while your time away.
Spirograph - Use that geometry you never tap into to create some awesome art.
Smalltime Industries - What could be better than Haiku-o-matic and to find out what television character your most likely to be?
Cartoonbank.com - A repository of all the cartoons from The New Yorker.

Check out the article, let me know if you visited any of the suggested sites, and (if so) which were your faves.

Take Advantage of This

2008-10-06T08:12:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I went to my college's homecoming and saw their fall play, Oscar Wilde's "An Ideal Husband." The show was actually done really well.

I'm writing this blog, not so much to recommend that you all travel to Cedarville University within the next week to see the play; rather, to encourage you to take advantage of your local University's theatre department--they probably put on bang-up shows for a fraction of the price you'd pay to see live shows on a professional stage (but they're of comparable quality).

Things Keep Growing

2008-10-03T18:46:00.001-07:00

K and/or K, the funniest little blogger this side of the recently re-erected bridge in Minnesota had a fabulous suggestion. She and/or he commented that I should expand my blog empire with another blog, "What Were They Wearing?"

I think that's a great idea... I'll set it up for pictures of celebrity fashion gone wrong (or candid snapshots of silly dressed people on the streets), and the occasional "Doesn't she look amazing/isn't he lick-able in that?" photographs.

I decided to set this up as a group blog, seeing as how I've been a super lame-o lately about posting. (If anyone would like the back-story about me taking the day off of work today to adopt my two dogs out because I've got a heinous neighbor, let me know.)

Check it out by clicking here: "What Were They Wearing?".

Also, you can check out today's Quote of the Day over at "What Was I Watching?"

Reborn Babies Are Creepy

2008-10-02T10:43:00.000-07:00

If I were to tell you that the baby pictured above isn't real (it is a doll, called a "reborn" baby), would you be creeped out by that? No, not so much? Okay. Are you creeped out by this picture of the reborn parts prior to assembly?

Still not even the littlest bit squeamish? Wow, you've got a stronger constitution than I do. How about this picture of a woman "watching over" her reborn baby... that one has to be a little bit creepy to you, right?
I used to collect porcelain dolls when I was younger, but this just strikes me as a little "off." Am I the only one that thinks these reborn babies are creepy?

Quote of the Day

2008-10-02T07:36:00.001-07:00

I usually try to mix up my Quote of the Day features, and I thought I'd bring you a quote from the world wide information super-net. I found this totally rad website and I'm going to drop a blurb from their home page as today's QotD:

"The term "morgue file" is popular in the newspaper business to describe the file that holds past issues flats... The purpose of this site is to provide free image reference material for use in all creative pursuits. This is the world wide web's morguefile."

Morguefile.com is a sweet website with like a bajillion photos that are in the public domain and can be used. No longer do you have to feel like you're stealing from others when you throw in a pretty little picture to augment your blog post. [The photo above is from morguefile.com.]

Do you have any photo source websites you like to use and/or photography blogs you routinely visit? By the by, there are two totally cool photography blogs I follow (check out their links in the right-hand side bar with the other "miscellaneous" blogs I follow).

Writing Elsewhere

2008-10-01T13:26:00.000-07:00

So, I was a little lazy today about posting; the reason being that I was writing an article for the website Suite101.com. Check out the site, and I'll get up a direct link to the article for you all to read.

In the mean time, check out today's Quote of the Day over at "What Was I Listening To?" You'll love it if you hate Scarlett Johansson... or maybe not.

Quote of the Day

2008-09-30T07:55:00.000-07:00

I was watching television this morning (kind of a rarity for me), and was unlucky enough to catch a segment on The Today Show where Matt Lauer was giving somebody a pretty good pounding regarding the House's rejection of the Bailout Package Bill. Below is what was said:

Congressman Clyburn (D-OH, Majority Whip): We promised 50% of our conference, they promised 50% of their conference. We produced 60%, and they produced 33%.
Lauer: Yeah, but in fairness Congressman Clyburn, the Speaker of the House couldn't even produce 50% of the Democratic Delegation from her own state.
Congressman Clyburn: Well, that may be true, but zero from Arizona voted for this and it seems as if the Presidential candidate McCain came in, and he said he brought everybody to the table, but if you check, Matt, you will see that not a single Representative from Arizona voted for this legislation. So here is what we have to do going forward: I think it is time to set aside blaming, set aside all of this extraneous stuff like a speech that may have been delivered on the floor of the House. It's amazing to me that we can be so sophomoric to believe that a politician would not give a political speech.
Lauer: Well, Congressman Clyburn, let me ask this. You say we should set aside blaming right after you talked about the Arizona situation where they didn't vote... Do you understand why people in the country might say, 'A pox on all their houses.'? We've got these partisan speeches and then news conferences after the vote pointing fingers; that's not what's required here.
Congressman Clyburn: If you are going to sit there and solve this problem as adults, I don't think adults would be blaming a speech on the floor of the House. Now, to me, the country comes first. Senator McCain has been saying that all year, and now I believe it is necessary for us to put the country first, and you do that by sitting down in a mature way, coming up with legislation (as we did), and you deliver the votes you promised. Now, they did not keep their promise on the other side. We kept our promise and did better than we said we were going to do.

Those poor people in Ohio, they have a mentally retarded person representing their interests in Washington. He says you're not allowed to blame or point fingers, unless fingers are pointing at the Republicans who didn't deliver on their promise of 50%. Talk about sophomoric...

I hold no great hope of Washington figuring anything about this out. [At the bottom of this post I've put in the video so you can hear the comments from Senator Price, a nice juxtaposition to the special needs Representative from Ohio, and you can make sure I didn't misquote anybody.]

On to something that does give me hope:

Changes, Changes Everywhere

2008-09-29T13:21:00.000-07:00

Are you keeping up with the times? Things change fast around here (almost as fast as the government slapped together that bail-out package bill and then the House shot it down). If you'd like to know the latest scoop on the "What's That All About?" blog, check out the news right here.

Mondays Are "Fun Days"

2008-09-29T08:41:00.000-07:00

I think Mondays are a hard sell. It's hard to go back to work when you've had a spectacular weekend (which I did). I watched the Presidential Debate on Friday (well, I watched from 9-10 p.m., and then gave up because both candidates were being evasive and the viewing public was getting nowhere fast). I do think that Thursday's Vice Presidential Debate might be a little bit more candid and/or interesting (if that's how you define "interesting").

We had fabulous weather on Saturday and I spent the afternoon at a park reading (which is like heavenly in my book). The picture above is someone else's photograph of Fort Harrison State Park that I visited on Saturday. This is an Indiana State Park that is built on a retired military base.

I really didn't want to come back to work today, but I've made the morning a little better with some blogging. Here's the stuff you can read to get you into a Monday groove:

Mad About Money

2008-09-26T13:43:00.000-07:00

This post is in response to my earlier post about Washigton Mutual's recent buy-out. [This was forwarded to me via email by an old friend from college... I take no credit for, except for being a genius and re-posting to the internet... I'm totally a genius in that regard.]

I'm against the $85,000,000,000 bailout of AIG. Instead, I'm in favor of giving $85 billion to America in a "We Deserve It" Dividend.
To make the math simple, let's assume there are 200,000,000 bonafide U.S. Citizens 18+... So divide 200 million adults 18+ into $85 billion that equals $425,000.00.
My plan is to give $425,000 to every person 18+ as a "We Deserve It Dividend." Of course, it would NOT be tax free.
Let's assume a tax rate of 30%. Every individual 18+ has to pay $127,500.00 in taxes. That sends $25,500,000,000 right back to Uncle Sam. But it means that every adult 18+ has $297,500.00 in their pocket.
What would you do with $297,500.00 in your pocket?
Pay off your mortgage – housing crisis solved
Repay college loans – what a great boost to new grads
Put away money for college – it'll be there
Save in a bank – create money to loan to entrepreneurs
Buy a new car – create jobs
Invest in the market – capital drives growth
Pay for your parent's medical insurance – health care improves
As for AIG – liquidate it. Sell off its parts. Let American General go back to being
American General. Sell off the real estate. Let the private sector bargain hunters
cut it up and clean it up.

Expanding the Orbit of My Blog

2008-09-26T11:01:00.000-07:00

So, today, Sebrina over at Superfluous Blog (a fine and fancy blog worth checking out) gave my little blog family a shout-out. Granted, this pimping of my blog comes at the expense of her livelihood, but I don't see that as a big price to pay in the pursuit of my glory.

This one little bit of fame has gone to my head. I want to know how I can get bigger and better. How can I get to be listed as one of Bloggers' "Blogs of Note." Seriously, I don't know how they pick their top-tier blogs. Here are the last five Blogs of Note they have had:

Rosanna Tabletalk - "Rosanna Bowles, International Fashion Tableware Designer on Dishes, Dining, and Delight in Life." I'm not going to lie, this woman has some nice photos on her blogs of some crackin' table settings. Maybe that's what I need... more photos.
The Longstockings - "For the Love of Pippi (And All Things Children's Books)." They've got a group blog vibe going on... perhaps I should invite guest bloggers to join me.
Civic Center - "San Francisco As Seen Through the Civic Center Neighborhood: It's Politics, Arts, and Characters." Maybe I need more local flavor on my blog... wait, I live in Indianapolis, so that would be a no on that one.
Homesick Texan - An outlet for a homesick Texan to post photographs and recipies. Maybe I need to incorporate food into my blog... although I don't cook and eat at Qdoba Mexican Grill at least four nights per week.
Parkway Blog - "This blog is part of the ongoing work of public education and advocacy around public policy issues that may be related to the Parkway and the adjacent communites along the American River in Sacramento, California." I seriously can't compete with that.
Blogfish - "Fish, Oceans, Conservation." Do I need a cause?

Check out the poll on the right-hand side of this blog and tell me what I can do to "Pimp My Blog." If you've got another idea, please drop it into comment form.

Banks Crashing... What About My Credit Cards

2008-09-26T10:48:00.000-07:00

So, I read online today that Washington Mutual was purchased by J.P. Morgan Chase for $1.9 billion because they weren't able to "safely transact business" (the 13th such financial institution to do that this year). MSN.com says it's the largest financial failure in U.S. history.

I say, "Does that mean that I don't have to pay my credit card to Washington Mutual?" If you're looking for something else to peruse while you're online paying your credit card bills, check out the other daily blogs in the "What..." family:

Our Government Is A Hot Mess

2008-09-25T13:14:00.000-07:00

I’m not going to lie—American politics sometimes befuddle me. Granted, I did a little research today on two constitutional monarchies (those of the United Kingdom and Australia) because I’d heard somebody talking this past weekend that their Prime Minister wasn’t an elected position and people could be overthrown by their own party on any given Sunday, and that sounded fishy to me. Truth be told, it’s not quite that willy-nilly, but still a little less than formalized (i.e., the Prime Minister isn’t an official office outlined in their constitutions).

Anyway, there’s a whole slew of craziness going on in Washington, D.C., right now to get the banking debacle straightened out. John McCain is suddenly a work-a-holic who wants to postpone tomorrow evening’s scheduled presidential debate so that he and the other Senator can return to their real jobs of helping to run the country. Apparently, Barrack Obama fancies himself a multi-tasker and has given McCain a little public dressing down saying something to the effect of, “Get your head screwed on straight—you should be able to debate me and vote on the Financial Bail-Out package,” (regardless of the fact that you can’t actually vote if you’re not present to vote).

There was talk today on CNN’s Headline News that I was watching while at lunch (Qdoba was so yummy) about what the viewers thought of this situation: Postponing Debate v. Not Postponing. One caller felt that this was all a ploy on the part of McCain’s campaign to delay both this and the subsequent Vice Presidential debate so they could continue to shelter Sarah Palin from the public spotlight. Another caller said that both of these guys are being paid to be state Senators and they need to get back to Washington and do the job they were elected to do (here, here!).

My editorial comments aside, I think that McCain and Obama both might be on to something…

(Onion News Network Video: “McCain’s Economic Plan: Everyone Marry A Beer Heiress”)

Nerd Fighters, Unite

2008-09-25T11:05:00.000-07:00

I am completely made of awesome... 100% awesome. Do you want proof? Check out my profile on the NerdFighters page over here. Irrefutable evidence that I am made out of awesome.

If you'd like other evidence of my awesome-ness, check out the other daily blogs in the "What..." family:

I'm also going to begin work on another "What's That All About?" blog post for today regarding the upcoming U.S. Presidential Debate: To Postpone or Not to Postpone.

I'm a PC

2008-09-23T11:25:00.001-07:00

For a long time I have been a user of the personal computer, and on two of those occasions over the past 19 years I have used a Mac computer. I'm not a big fan of the Mac, probably because the mouse with no buttons and different layout are different to me and I'm too old and crotchety to try and figure out how to use them.

Somewhat secretly I've resented those recent "I'm a Mac" computer commercials (probably because I resent the fact that I'm not "cool" if I don't use a Mac). That being said, I love the new "I'm a P.C." commercial that is playing right now (the Gates & Seinfeld commercials don't get me excited quite as much). Check out the video below and tell me, "Are you a Mac or a PC?"

Re-Post: Out, About and Dancing

2008-09-23T10:02:00.000-07:00

A portion of this post was originally put on the now defunct "What Was I Thinking?" blog on July 18, 2008. Reposted here for your enjoyment.

I'm going to wrap up this week of blogging with a re-cap of yesterday's "activities" and highlights of the week to come... everybody strapped in for this whirl-wind blog?

Yesterday, I went and viewed the special exhibit at the IMA, "On the Road," with a special presentation by exhibit curator (from Indiana University) David Canary--his lecture was quite interesting and humerous, detailing his travels with "The Scroll." There was a short film that was put together by some University of Iowa students about Jack Kerouac's scroll that was then shown. One interview during the film was from a gentleman who said the motto of the beatnik generation was, "Be Here Now," and with the rise of the iPod and cell phone, our current motto is more like, "Be Somewhere Else Now." My, how times have changed. After the lecture and film, I went up to the third floor (contemporary art) and viewed the exhibit.

This photo shows a sample of the Robert Frank photographs that surround the Kerouac scroll in the gallery. Back story: Robert Frank (fellow beatnik and friend of Jack Kerouac) took a two-year, cross-country trip (New York, down the eastern sea board, through the southwest, up California, across the north, down through Chicago, and ending in Indianapolis) that was funded by the Guggenheim and he chronicled his trip with photographs. Frank wasn't making a "scrapbook" of his travels, rather a living history of what the country looked like at the time. His photos are presented in the book Robert Frank: The Americans.

This photo shows some people viewing the Jack Kerouac scroll (the 84' that is visible at the IMA installation). It was kind of amazing standing that close to the original scroll, viewing the editing notes that Kerouac made in his own hand that are still visible, wondering what was going through his head when he was re-reading the manuscript. The story goes (as told by David Canary) that Kerouac used the scroll (not really Teletype) because he typed roughly 100 words per minute, and wanted to be able to get his thoughts out in a stream of consciousness, rather than having to stop and feed individual sheets of paper into the typewriter. He eventually re-typed the manuscript into a format the was suitable for presenting to publishers, but this was the first draft of the now ground-breaking book.

This is another of Frank's photographs that struck me as interesting. It's hard to see in the photo, but this is a picture of a display of cemetary wreaths in a department store with a sign that says, "Remember Your Loved Ones, 69 cents." I was kind of thinking about what value we place on our families now... hmm.

I saw some other really interesting installations in the Contemporary Art Gallery that I didn't take photos of. Here are links to the IMA site with photos of their art: Do-Ho Suh, Floor (Untitled); Kara Walker, They Waz Nice White Folks While They Lasted (Sez One Gal to Another); Scott Stack, Apartment (I couldn't find a link to this on IMA, this is from another gallery). If you're interested in contemporary art (because so many people are), I'd suggest checking out the PBS series Art:21 (a series reviewing art in the 21st Century).

This is a photograph of a dress in the Simply Halston exhibit (2nd Floor, Textiles Gallery). The Simply Halston isn't quite as interesting as the Dior exhibit that was there last year, but Dior was hard to match. Interesting, none the less.

Anyway... after the exhibit at IMA...

Re-Post: CNN Political Analysts

2008-09-23T09:55:00.000-07:00

This post was originally put on the now defunct "What Was I Thinking?" blog on March 5, 2008. Reposted here for your enjoyment.

Last night I was watching a little bit of Primary-palooza coverage on CNN. Wolf Blitzer (still not sure that's his real name) was holding things down in "The Situation Room." What surprised me was that Wolf introduced his co-anchors as the "Best Political Team" on television. How pompous do people have to be to start referring to themselves as the "Best" at something?

I think I'll start calling myself the "Best Pie Eater" in the world. Apparently, we can all call ourselves whatever we want. Give yourself a title.... go ahead, it's fun. Do you want to refer to yourself as "Assistant Undersecretary of Coasters"? Have at it. "Ambassador to Victoria's Secret"? It's yours.

By the way, I looked around the "Best Political Team's" Election 2008 website. Apparently being the best means having games about delegate counts and funny cartoons about political spin. Oh those crazy political analysts, what will they think of next?

Re-Post: Quote of the Day

2008-09-23T09:15:00.001-07:00

This post was originally put on the now defunct "What Was I Thinking?" blog on September 23, 2008. Reposted here for your enjoyment.

On Tuesdays I like to hit you all with great snippets that come from the internet or radio, and lately I've been inundating you with info from NPR. I've decided today that I'd like to bring you a Quote of the Day from a great online news source that "rivals" NPR--The Onion.

If you're unfamiliar with The Onion, they're an online (and print, I believe) satirical news source, poking fun at our modern times and riffing on the news "establishment." They have a channel over at YouTube that is definitely worth subscribing to, and today's quote comes from their video, "Obama Vows to Shop America's Shitty Jobs From Going Overseas."

Obama is quoted as saying "We must stop the outsourcing of our most tedious and dangerous jobs to other countries... That shit work can and should be done by Americans."

McCain's camp responded, saying, "America needs to focus on the shitty jobs of the future, like telemarketing, customer service, and mind-numbingly boring office jobs."

The Onion is seriously funny (if you can understand that everything they do is satire, which some aren't able to comprehend). If you'd like another clip of how great The Onion is, watch this video (spoofing The Today Show) where Disney Labs announce their plan to launch the newest wave of genetically-engineered Disney Channel stars.