- Fallingwater as a Lego set? Count me in! A Frank Lloyd Wright Masterwork- In Legos.
- Up! Looks awesome and I'm glad critics seem to like it. Pixar's Small Wonder. And a brief history of the company: "Up", Up and Away With the Kids. And Giacchino's done the score again? Awesome. And the director did Monsters, Inc and worked on Wall-E? Awesome. 'Up' and Away With Pixar's Pete Docter.
- Interesting times we live in: Bush v. Gore Foes Join Forces to Fight Gay Marriage Ban.
- In Praise of Broadway's Orchestrators. You know, you don't think about it much but a composer can't crank out all of it for a show. A symphony maybe, but a show? Not quite.
- Benny Goodman! Born on my birthday. When I decided (apparently, at least that's the story my parents tell) to be born late I must have been planning even then to follow my dad and play clarinet so I'd have to be born on a famous clarinetist's birthday. How Benny Goodman Won Over America.
- I wonder where the closest one to DC is...Company's 'ATM for Books' Prints On Demand.
- DC's just exploded with Lincoln related exhibits at museums for the bi-centennial. And now the Archives got a letter written by him. Lost Lincoln Letter Donated to National Archives.
28 May 2009
26 May 2009
Musings, Part Y
- Hall of Presidents! One of my favorite parts of Magic Kingdom. I was wondering if they'd updated it yet. Animatronic Obama Going to Disney World With High-Tech Style.
- I'm glad I'm Catholic: From Polygamous Royalty to FLDS Lost Boy. Very glad.
- Hooray for the Smithsonian (of which I'm now a member)! Belle of the Mall.
- A beard contest? Apparently there is one. Imagine the work that has to go into some of these. Alaska Hosts the Battle of the Beards.
- I still love Sesame Street. Not just because it reminds me of my childhood but because it's still clever and funny after all these years. I'm thrilled they have a YouTube channel so I can find all my favorite bits. And Big Bird is still better than Elmo even if the little red guy has pushed him out. My loyalty is with Bird. Happy 40th! How Sesame Street Changed the World.
- And another childhood touchstone: American Girl's Journey to the Lower East Side. And the company's as old as I soon will be. My doll was Samantha, still is, I suppose. She's in a box now though. But still awesome.
- Yay! And now the battle begins. And everything I remember (I hope) from the two Supreme Court classes I took in college will come back during the confirmation process. Should be fun to watch. Obama Chooses Sotomayor for Supreme Court.
- I've started a new needlepoint project and it's brought to mind an interesting occurrance. Colors and names of colors don't always match up. This kit has an orangish background that claims to be tan. It's not. It's orangish. Tan is sorta skin colored. This I suppose could be called fake spray on tan. Or, orangish.
- Wow. Way to completely freak me out Newsweek article. I thought the author had actually lost her mind. Thank goodness for comments. Lithwick: Put Palin on the Supreme Court. By the way, that would be the absolute worst idea in the world, secondary only to electing her to some national office or a place of real influence. Gah. Shivers down my spine.
- I'm glad I'm Catholic: From Polygamous Royalty to FLDS Lost Boy. Very glad.
- Hooray for the Smithsonian (of which I'm now a member)! Belle of the Mall.
- A beard contest? Apparently there is one. Imagine the work that has to go into some of these. Alaska Hosts the Battle of the Beards.
- I still love Sesame Street. Not just because it reminds me of my childhood but because it's still clever and funny after all these years. I'm thrilled they have a YouTube channel so I can find all my favorite bits. And Big Bird is still better than Elmo even if the little red guy has pushed him out. My loyalty is with Bird. Happy 40th! How Sesame Street Changed the World.
- And another childhood touchstone: American Girl's Journey to the Lower East Side. And the company's as old as I soon will be. My doll was Samantha, still is, I suppose. She's in a box now though. But still awesome.
- Yay! And now the battle begins. And everything I remember (I hope) from the two Supreme Court classes I took in college will come back during the confirmation process. Should be fun to watch. Obama Chooses Sotomayor for Supreme Court.
- I've started a new needlepoint project and it's brought to mind an interesting occurrance. Colors and names of colors don't always match up. This kit has an orangish background that claims to be tan. It's not. It's orangish. Tan is sorta skin colored. This I suppose could be called fake spray on tan. Or, orangish.
- Wow. Way to completely freak me out Newsweek article. I thought the author had actually lost her mind. Thank goodness for comments. Lithwick: Put Palin on the Supreme Court. By the way, that would be the absolute worst idea in the world, secondary only to electing her to some national office or a place of real influence. Gah. Shivers down my spine.
20 May 2009
Musings, Part X
- Not That High School Musical. Glee is actually not bad, it's got a pretty good cast from what the pilot shows and it was actually a pretty fun hour.
- I hope he's screaming in agony in hell: The Fuhrer Returns to Berlin, This Time Saluted Only By Laughs. I think the combination of the play, and the banners that replace the swastika with a pretzel (genius, by the way) is the best thing that can happen to Berlin. They acknowledge the burden but slap the man responsible in the face, well, metaphorically. Satire at its best.
- Well, whenever I get homesick I can just go here: Disney Buys Land for Future Resort Hotel at National Harbor.
- Hubble! A Space Mission Worthy of Our Attention.
- Designing 'Up'-Well-Rounded Boy, Meet Old Square. I still think Carl's adorable. Grumpy old man or not, he's cute. And he's a balloon salesman? Awesome.
- Do two occurances qualify as a curse? I have now been to a concert at the DAR Hall here in DC twice now, once this past October for Jason Mraz and once last night for Keane. Each time there was a woman near me who was either high off of something (I'm going with drunk) or just really was the type of person who needed to go to a concert in a club without seats so everyone was being loud and dancing along. Last time the woman wanted people to be standing because heaven forbid we use the chairs we paid for and some of us are still getting used to the concept that concerts mean more than staying still and quiet while appreciating the music quietly until a piece is over (and make sure it doesn't have multiple movements because clapping after one? total faux pas). Last night the woman must have not had any bones because she was all over the place dancing, security managed to calm her down though I think, all I cared about was that she was out of my line of sight.
Beyond that, the concert was great. Wow are they energetic. Lights, always moving. You could tell that the lead singer was absolutely drenched in sweat by about the 5th song. Putting aside the energy he put into the performance, those lights have to be incredibly hot, they're certainly bright enough on my end. Great group, great songs, great supporting acts. Mat Kearney (the one I'd heard about) even quipped about his claim to fame saying that you write these songs for yourself and friends and someone decides a doctor should make out to it and you say of course that's what you wrote it for. Grey's Anatomy used "Breathe In, Breathe Out". I think my ears have fully recovered.
- Also, trying to ride the Blue/Orange lines of the Metro through the downtown stations around 5:30 is akin to suicide or hell or a highly concentrated new Disney attraction line. Crazy, insane, I'm so glad I live on the Red line, though it has it's crazy times as well.
- So, I confess I have read the first 3 Twilight books. I have an electronic copy of the 4th and I guess I'll read it one day (I've skimmed enough to get the main details) but I'm currently in no hurry. I wanted to see what the fuss was all about. Yes, it's an interesting take on the whole vampire-human thing with werewolves thrown in because they always seem to be the other piece of the triangle. I liked the first but then...they got whiny. Bella got on my nerves and I never cared for Jacob. And I like vampire stories in general, it's kind of fun comparing the different ones and how they deal with the whole human-interaction thing: sun, no sun, how to kill them, blood issues, etc. Maybe my problem with vampire book series is the style of Meyer's writing and her tone. Perhaps these books will be better, there are certainly more of them and hey, adults are the focus, not teenagers who I suppose are inherently whiny. Vampire-Loving Barmaid Hits Jackpot for Charlaine Harris.
- Question: Who's the Longest-Running Fictional Character Ever? Sort of who you'd expect.
- By the way, love the originality of NCIS: Los Angeles. I was really pulling for a new intialization, as NCIS was the spinoff from JAG. Alas, not to be.
- Rocky and Bullwinkle's on Hulu? Score.
- I hope he's screaming in agony in hell: The Fuhrer Returns to Berlin, This Time Saluted Only By Laughs. I think the combination of the play, and the banners that replace the swastika with a pretzel (genius, by the way) is the best thing that can happen to Berlin. They acknowledge the burden but slap the man responsible in the face, well, metaphorically. Satire at its best.
- Well, whenever I get homesick I can just go here: Disney Buys Land for Future Resort Hotel at National Harbor.
- Hubble! A Space Mission Worthy of Our Attention.
- Designing 'Up'-Well-Rounded Boy, Meet Old Square. I still think Carl's adorable. Grumpy old man or not, he's cute. And he's a balloon salesman? Awesome.
- Do two occurances qualify as a curse? I have now been to a concert at the DAR Hall here in DC twice now, once this past October for Jason Mraz and once last night for Keane. Each time there was a woman near me who was either high off of something (I'm going with drunk) or just really was the type of person who needed to go to a concert in a club without seats so everyone was being loud and dancing along. Last time the woman wanted people to be standing because heaven forbid we use the chairs we paid for and some of us are still getting used to the concept that concerts mean more than staying still and quiet while appreciating the music quietly until a piece is over (and make sure it doesn't have multiple movements because clapping after one? total faux pas). Last night the woman must have not had any bones because she was all over the place dancing, security managed to calm her down though I think, all I cared about was that she was out of my line of sight.
Beyond that, the concert was great. Wow are they energetic. Lights, always moving. You could tell that the lead singer was absolutely drenched in sweat by about the 5th song. Putting aside the energy he put into the performance, those lights have to be incredibly hot, they're certainly bright enough on my end. Great group, great songs, great supporting acts. Mat Kearney (the one I'd heard about) even quipped about his claim to fame saying that you write these songs for yourself and friends and someone decides a doctor should make out to it and you say of course that's what you wrote it for. Grey's Anatomy used "Breathe In, Breathe Out". I think my ears have fully recovered.
- Also, trying to ride the Blue/Orange lines of the Metro through the downtown stations around 5:30 is akin to suicide or hell or a highly concentrated new Disney attraction line. Crazy, insane, I'm so glad I live on the Red line, though it has it's crazy times as well.
- So, I confess I have read the first 3 Twilight books. I have an electronic copy of the 4th and I guess I'll read it one day (I've skimmed enough to get the main details) but I'm currently in no hurry. I wanted to see what the fuss was all about. Yes, it's an interesting take on the whole vampire-human thing with werewolves thrown in because they always seem to be the other piece of the triangle. I liked the first but then...they got whiny. Bella got on my nerves and I never cared for Jacob. And I like vampire stories in general, it's kind of fun comparing the different ones and how they deal with the whole human-interaction thing: sun, no sun, how to kill them, blood issues, etc. Maybe my problem with vampire book series is the style of Meyer's writing and her tone. Perhaps these books will be better, there are certainly more of them and hey, adults are the focus, not teenagers who I suppose are inherently whiny. Vampire-Loving Barmaid Hits Jackpot for Charlaine Harris.
- Question: Who's the Longest-Running Fictional Character Ever? Sort of who you'd expect.
- By the way, love the originality of NCIS: Los Angeles. I was really pulling for a new intialization, as NCIS was the spinoff from JAG. Alas, not to be.
- Rocky and Bullwinkle's on Hulu? Score.
18 May 2009
Musings, Part W
- Congrats to the 4 Kuwaiti women who just got elected to their parliament. They've only had the vote since 2005 but managed to get 4 women, all with Ph.Ds from US institutions, elected in the latest election. And one's a philosophy professor!
- And it's Upfronts week. Thankfully NBC already renewed Chuck, though for a shortened season that hopefully will be extended, ABC re-upped Castle and Better Off Ted (both great by the way) though passed on The Unusuals (which I wasn't terribly, terribly attached to anyway), and Fox re-upped Dollhouse, also good. I think NBC ditched Life though, which is sad but at least it had a partially wrapped up ending. Also read: Does Bringing Back 'Chuck' Mean a New Network Model?
- Back to the hooray for women news: Rachel Alexandra Takes Her First Step Toward Running in the Belmont. Take that Mine That Bird owner. Ha. Your jockey even abandoned the horse for the filly.
- Now I don't follow professional basketball at all but since when are the Magic any good? Magic Tops Celtics, Clearing Way for New Champion. All I remember about the Magic is that they always interrupted UPN and thus my Star Trek viewing. I think that was when Voyager was on...I really hated the team then. Probably still do. Still. When did they get decent?
- I must admit I'm conflicted about this: In Search of Europe: Sweden. Because I like the EU and I like IKEA. Maybe as an American I don't really completely understand the unwillingness to have broad, though uniform, standards and practices across a continent. We do that and, though bumpy and currently in a slump, look where it's gotten us. I will say that the store fosters an addiction...there's just so much stuff...and all so useful...gah. At the same time I'm backing the whole united states of Europe idea I still like the diverse history of the continent, and those two islands nearby and those two countries across the small sea that are connected but only ish.
- I have to say one of my favorite series of skits on SNL is Celebrity Jeopardy. I'm glad that they did one this past Saturday when Will Ferrell was back hosting. Hulu.com.
- A survey on surveys! How fun: Take Our Survey: Are There Too Many Surveys?
- And it's Upfronts week. Thankfully NBC already renewed Chuck, though for a shortened season that hopefully will be extended, ABC re-upped Castle and Better Off Ted (both great by the way) though passed on The Unusuals (which I wasn't terribly, terribly attached to anyway), and Fox re-upped Dollhouse, also good. I think NBC ditched Life though, which is sad but at least it had a partially wrapped up ending. Also read: Does Bringing Back 'Chuck' Mean a New Network Model?
- Back to the hooray for women news: Rachel Alexandra Takes Her First Step Toward Running in the Belmont. Take that Mine That Bird owner. Ha. Your jockey even abandoned the horse for the filly.
- Now I don't follow professional basketball at all but since when are the Magic any good? Magic Tops Celtics, Clearing Way for New Champion. All I remember about the Magic is that they always interrupted UPN and thus my Star Trek viewing. I think that was when Voyager was on...I really hated the team then. Probably still do. Still. When did they get decent?
- I must admit I'm conflicted about this: In Search of Europe: Sweden. Because I like the EU and I like IKEA. Maybe as an American I don't really completely understand the unwillingness to have broad, though uniform, standards and practices across a continent. We do that and, though bumpy and currently in a slump, look where it's gotten us. I will say that the store fosters an addiction...there's just so much stuff...and all so useful...gah. At the same time I'm backing the whole united states of Europe idea I still like the diverse history of the continent, and those two islands nearby and those two countries across the small sea that are connected but only ish.
- I have to say one of my favorite series of skits on SNL is Celebrity Jeopardy. I'm glad that they did one this past Saturday when Will Ferrell was back hosting. Hulu.com.
- A survey on surveys! How fun: Take Our Survey: Are There Too Many Surveys?
14 May 2009
Musings, Part V
- I think I might want to see this movie now...Tarantino's 'Inglourious Basterds'- A 'Bunch of Guys on a Mission' Movie. And really, if I'm going to sit through Brad Pitt, I prefer him when he's a touched unhinged, like in the Ocean's trilogy. That's the Brad Pitt I can stand.
- Oh, Bonnie and Clyde. Fun times. Who knew people were so into you? Yeah, a lot of people I guess. Bonnie and Clyde, America's Deadly Sweethearts, 75 Years Later.
- I seem to write about space a lot, maybe because it's just that time of year, what with the movie and all. Anyway, funny book titles really can help: The Universe and Its Mysteries - To Go. The book title is You Are Here: A Portable History of the Universe.
- I admit I play the Sims. I haven't for ages but only because I'm worried about space on the computer and the game running slow. However, when I get my new one, I'm definitely getting Sims 3. Making Sims Into Neighbors You Can Relate To.
- It's amazing how many male politicians can be absolute scumbags in their personal lives: The battle of the Berlusconis. Cheating is inexcusable. Period.
- On a lighter note, Ewan McGregor is perhaps the very definition of a Father-what-a-waste, thankfully he's just playing one. Ewan McGregor on the Vatican, Kilts & His Accent.
- Oh, Bonnie and Clyde. Fun times. Who knew people were so into you? Yeah, a lot of people I guess. Bonnie and Clyde, America's Deadly Sweethearts, 75 Years Later.
- I seem to write about space a lot, maybe because it's just that time of year, what with the movie and all. Anyway, funny book titles really can help: The Universe and Its Mysteries - To Go. The book title is You Are Here: A Portable History of the Universe.
- I admit I play the Sims. I haven't for ages but only because I'm worried about space on the computer and the game running slow. However, when I get my new one, I'm definitely getting Sims 3. Making Sims Into Neighbors You Can Relate To.
- It's amazing how many male politicians can be absolute scumbags in their personal lives: The battle of the Berlusconis. Cheating is inexcusable. Period.
- On a lighter note, Ewan McGregor is perhaps the very definition of a Father-what-a-waste, thankfully he's just playing one. Ewan McGregor on the Vatican, Kilts & His Accent.
11 May 2009
Musings, Part U
- So Star Trek...was awesome. And (warning, spoilers) while I'm upset that they killed Vulcan, I'm kinda happy for Spock, finally gets a girl. The ship was gorgeous, having Leonard Nimoy in it was awesome. The whole alternate, parallel, reality thing might appease some diehards I think, and be interesting for those of us who like the time episodes (as in, I'm one of them). I really, really enjoyed it. And have listened to the soundtrack on repeat since I got home from the movie yesterday.
- This will likely be the space post, surprise surprise, I know. Anyway, last Hubble mission lifts off today. That is one thing I miss about home (Florida), being able to see the shuttle launches. Special Tools Required For Last Call to Hubble. Space Shuttle Blasts Off on Hubble Telescope Mission, on schedule and with no problems. Yay!
- And of course, various articles with spoilers for the film and about the box office numbers. NY Times: Starship Franchise Zooms to Top of Box Office, The Two Sides of 'Star Trek'. Washington Post: Star Trek: The Early Days of Kirk, Spock, Bones, Star-crossed lovers: 'Trek' ship mates lock lips, Hank Stuever Essay: The Trouble With Quibbles and Niche Fandom. And for real science in Star Trek, PRI: Warp Speed Ahead!. Oh, and dropping by SNL: Update Feature: Star Trek. Too bad none of them got to host.
- Joss Whedon on commentary...singing! This American Life: Return to the Scene of the Crime, his section starts at 27:52. I really need to get this DVD now...
- So, I'm one of those people who like languages from sci-fi and fantasy works. From the computer series starting with Myst I have a thing on the D'Ni language and I use the numbering system. From Tolkien I have the Languages of Middle Earth book (see name of blog for an example) and yes, I use the words all over the place from my email address to my AIM screenname. So articles like this? Kind of up my alley: There's No Klingon Word for Hello.
- This will likely be the space post, surprise surprise, I know. Anyway, last Hubble mission lifts off today. That is one thing I miss about home (Florida), being able to see the shuttle launches. Special Tools Required For Last Call to Hubble. Space Shuttle Blasts Off on Hubble Telescope Mission, on schedule and with no problems. Yay!
- And of course, various articles with spoilers for the film and about the box office numbers. NY Times: Starship Franchise Zooms to Top of Box Office, The Two Sides of 'Star Trek'. Washington Post: Star Trek: The Early Days of Kirk, Spock, Bones, Star-crossed lovers: 'Trek' ship mates lock lips, Hank Stuever Essay: The Trouble With Quibbles and Niche Fandom. And for real science in Star Trek, PRI: Warp Speed Ahead!. Oh, and dropping by SNL: Update Feature: Star Trek. Too bad none of them got to host.
- Joss Whedon on commentary...singing! This American Life: Return to the Scene of the Crime, his section starts at 27:52. I really need to get this DVD now...
- So, I'm one of those people who like languages from sci-fi and fantasy works. From the computer series starting with Myst I have a thing on the D'Ni language and I use the numbering system. From Tolkien I have the Languages of Middle Earth book (see name of blog for an example) and yes, I use the words all over the place from my email address to my AIM screenname. So articles like this? Kind of up my alley: There's No Klingon Word for Hello.
08 May 2009
Musings, Part T
- For this one, I think...well, it speaks for itself: The Fat-Alien Sings: A Klingon Language Opera. Best part of it is, they're serious opera people.
- Continuing with the Star Trek news articles: A Mind Meld Q&A With Leonard Nimoy. Aww: 'Star Trek's' Familiar Face. Newsweek's Pop culture blog Pop Vox: But...What If I'm Not a Trekkie? You become one. Duh. And of course from the BBC, the one guy no one in the US is talking about: Talking Shop: Simon Pegg. He's the Master (a la Doctor Who, the reincarnated version).
- You know, I go back and forth on whether I like Sylar on Heroes. I liked him during the whole duality arc when they explored how he could not be a psychopath, or you know, a homicidal egomanic with plans for dominiation or at least a fun blood bath, but now he's back to regular Sylar (only [to spoil the finale] now he's been forced into being Nathan so who knows how that'll play out, probably more duality which is always fun and may circle back to the Five Years future episode in Season 1) and I don't like him as much. Or tolerate him really. A lot of times you go back and forth on an actor depending on the roles they take, you love them or hate them based on who they play. Spock could redeem Quinto for me. Because Spock's awesome factor totally makes up for the whole serial killer thing. New 'Trek' Star is a Chip Off the Old Spock. The thing is, I can totally see the correlation or at least how you could understand the casting. As Sylar he's rather restrained and collected for a serial killer, methodical one might say. And as Spock he has to be logical and collected while dealing with that whole mother was a human thing. The speech patterns can be the same just Spock doesn't use as much menace or the creepy smiles that Sylar would. And a nerve pinch is a lot less bloody than splicing their foreheads open when it comes to subduing enemies. Knock on wood but I hope all my postings about this movie mean my next, likely including my reactions to it, will be as positive and gleeful.
- On a rather more personal note, I now have a job. A real, permanent job as compared to the full time temp position I've had since late March. And just inside a full year after I graduated from college (just just inside since this weekend is graduation weekend at my university). In June I shall join the ranks of those employed by the federal government in DC. It may not have been where I originally thought I'd end up, or wanted to end up, in education policy, but it fits what I did throughout college (I only really physically got into the education part in my last year through an education class even though I'd been mulling it for a while) but it fits my goal when from after high school: it's in a department of the federal government. Yeah, public service wasn't as attractive when I was in high school, not like it is becoming now, but I was inspired by the West Wing, believe it or not. So I won't be changing the world by feeding hunger or stopping a disease but I'll be doing my part in the mechanism and making sure things work when and how they're supposed to. And I'm happy. A real job, a pretty good starting salary, and it fits what I wanted. How can you ask for more? And happy Mother's Day.
- Continuing with the Star Trek news articles: A Mind Meld Q&A With Leonard Nimoy. Aww: 'Star Trek's' Familiar Face. Newsweek's Pop culture blog Pop Vox: But...What If I'm Not a Trekkie? You become one. Duh. And of course from the BBC, the one guy no one in the US is talking about: Talking Shop: Simon Pegg. He's the Master (a la Doctor Who, the reincarnated version).
- You know, I go back and forth on whether I like Sylar on Heroes. I liked him during the whole duality arc when they explored how he could not be a psychopath, or you know, a homicidal egomanic with plans for dominiation or at least a fun blood bath, but now he's back to regular Sylar (only [to spoil the finale] now he's been forced into being Nathan so who knows how that'll play out, probably more duality which is always fun and may circle back to the Five Years future episode in Season 1) and I don't like him as much. Or tolerate him really. A lot of times you go back and forth on an actor depending on the roles they take, you love them or hate them based on who they play. Spock could redeem Quinto for me. Because Spock's awesome factor totally makes up for the whole serial killer thing. New 'Trek' Star is a Chip Off the Old Spock. The thing is, I can totally see the correlation or at least how you could understand the casting. As Sylar he's rather restrained and collected for a serial killer, methodical one might say. And as Spock he has to be logical and collected while dealing with that whole mother was a human thing. The speech patterns can be the same just Spock doesn't use as much menace or the creepy smiles that Sylar would. And a nerve pinch is a lot less bloody than splicing their foreheads open when it comes to subduing enemies. Knock on wood but I hope all my postings about this movie mean my next, likely including my reactions to it, will be as positive and gleeful.
- On a rather more personal note, I now have a job. A real, permanent job as compared to the full time temp position I've had since late March. And just inside a full year after I graduated from college (just just inside since this weekend is graduation weekend at my university). In June I shall join the ranks of those employed by the federal government in DC. It may not have been where I originally thought I'd end up, or wanted to end up, in education policy, but it fits what I did throughout college (I only really physically got into the education part in my last year through an education class even though I'd been mulling it for a while) but it fits my goal when from after high school: it's in a department of the federal government. Yeah, public service wasn't as attractive when I was in high school, not like it is becoming now, but I was inspired by the West Wing, believe it or not. So I won't be changing the world by feeding hunger or stopping a disease but I'll be doing my part in the mechanism and making sure things work when and how they're supposed to. And I'm happy. A real job, a pretty good starting salary, and it fits what I wanted. How can you ask for more? And happy Mother's Day.
07 May 2009
Musings, Part S
- Frank Lloyd Wright's buildings made me want to be an architect. Then I realized that no, drawing and all that math probably weren't for me. Doodling buildings is one thing, large scale is quite another. Still, kudos to your professional achievements (because you were a jerk in your personal life): The Goodbye Swirl.
- Congrats Maine: Maine Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage. So, we now have the first state to do so without any hassle. Vermont had to overcome a veto, and the other states who've allowed it have done so because their courts ordered it. And DC just passed a bill through the Council to recognize marriages performed in other states. I think the main interest in this for me, beyond it being something I support as a matter of social policy, is that I've learned about the civil rights movement in classes and how that swept through states and studied Supreme Court cases whose decisions altered the social policy fabric of the country that started out as test cases, notably Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. This is a fascinating look at how social policy happens simultaneously at the state and national level, though not the federal. Now all we have to do is wait for the interactive color coded map, based on who did it by a the legislature, vote or by court order to show up somewhere. Then you know it's got real momentum. The map is key.
- Oh, Fringe. I was wondering when you'd mention Star Trek. Alternate universes and a crazy guy who thinks he's Spock in one episode, of course placed in the week of the premiere? Awesome tie in Abrams, awesome.
- I am even more ridiculously excited now. A positive review! A Heavenly Enterprise. I can still understand my mom's reticence about it but I was never much of a fan of the original series. Except for Spock. Because he, quite frankly, is freaking awesome. Oh, here's another from the NY Times: Star Trek- A Franchise Goes Boldly Backward. And NPR's: 'Star Trek': That Final Frontier, Boldly Reapproached. Be sure to read the comment by Angelica Czekalski to compares, rather convincingly, President Obama to Spock.
- Thank you! Finally someone getting at the crux of the issue. If we're still going to back the no sex before marriage thing, shouldn't we fix that rather than all the stuff that comes out of breaking that? Under God: Palin, Prejean, and Pre-Marital Ambivalence.
- Congrats Maine: Maine Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage. So, we now have the first state to do so without any hassle. Vermont had to overcome a veto, and the other states who've allowed it have done so because their courts ordered it. And DC just passed a bill through the Council to recognize marriages performed in other states. I think the main interest in this for me, beyond it being something I support as a matter of social policy, is that I've learned about the civil rights movement in classes and how that swept through states and studied Supreme Court cases whose decisions altered the social policy fabric of the country that started out as test cases, notably Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. This is a fascinating look at how social policy happens simultaneously at the state and national level, though not the federal. Now all we have to do is wait for the interactive color coded map, based on who did it by a the legislature, vote or by court order to show up somewhere. Then you know it's got real momentum. The map is key.
- Oh, Fringe. I was wondering when you'd mention Star Trek. Alternate universes and a crazy guy who thinks he's Spock in one episode, of course placed in the week of the premiere? Awesome tie in Abrams, awesome.
- I am even more ridiculously excited now. A positive review! A Heavenly Enterprise. I can still understand my mom's reticence about it but I was never much of a fan of the original series. Except for Spock. Because he, quite frankly, is freaking awesome. Oh, here's another from the NY Times: Star Trek- A Franchise Goes Boldly Backward. And NPR's: 'Star Trek': That Final Frontier, Boldly Reapproached. Be sure to read the comment by Angelica Czekalski to compares, rather convincingly, President Obama to Spock.
- Thank you! Finally someone getting at the crux of the issue. If we're still going to back the no sex before marriage thing, shouldn't we fix that rather than all the stuff that comes out of breaking that? Under God: Palin, Prejean, and Pre-Marital Ambivalence.
04 May 2009
Musings, Part R
- Well, it's official. I have an eclectic personality. At least according to the Society
of American Florists online quiz on my floral signature. Cool. By the way, flower meanings? Kind of interesting to read. And no two sites completely agree on what something means all the time. Like for one lavendar is constancy and another distrust. If you're into the flower meaning thing, which is pretty interesting, then you're probably really confused by those. Heaven forfend you get a bouquet with lavendar in it. Or orange blossoms which can be innocence or fertility. Again, not exactly the same thing. At least they can agree on some. Like peonies? For healing.
- Bye, Justice Souter, you were cool: Supreme Court Justice Souter to Retire.
- Happy Early Mother's Day. NPR's Mother's Day Playlist got me thinking about what song reminds me of my mom. Pretty easy answer, "Wonder" by Natalie Merchant because she always says its her song about us, my sister and I.
- Why do I always ignore or put off looking into the latest thing? At least musically I often do. Or perhaps we can just say I was busy when this became big? Anyway, new musical love: Fleet Foxes. Seriously, amazing sound. Granted if you actually read the lyrics, kinda dark, I mean in "White Winter Hymnal" blood on snow is compared to the color of strawberries in summer...which...okay, yeah, that's red. Gorgeous sound though: Live concert.
- On another note for music, depending on who you look at my tastes are alternative or indie these days. Online radio stations: Indie. iTunes catalog: Alternative mostly with some Indie that's apparently both. I think I'm going to stick with calling it alternative because I associate indie with movies and I can admit I'm a mainstream movie girl. At least I can still say what I don't like and leave the rest up to the sound of the individual bands.
- People are creative, did you know?: Battles of the Bulge.
of American Florists online quiz on my floral signature. Cool. By the way, flower meanings? Kind of interesting to read. And no two sites completely agree on what something means all the time. Like for one lavendar is constancy and another distrust. If you're into the flower meaning thing, which is pretty interesting, then you're probably really confused by those. Heaven forfend you get a bouquet with lavendar in it. Or orange blossoms which can be innocence or fertility. Again, not exactly the same thing. At least they can agree on some. Like peonies? For healing.
- Bye, Justice Souter, you were cool: Supreme Court Justice Souter to Retire.
- Happy Early Mother's Day. NPR's Mother's Day Playlist got me thinking about what song reminds me of my mom. Pretty easy answer, "Wonder" by Natalie Merchant because she always says its her song about us, my sister and I.
- Why do I always ignore or put off looking into the latest thing? At least musically I often do. Or perhaps we can just say I was busy when this became big? Anyway, new musical love: Fleet Foxes. Seriously, amazing sound. Granted if you actually read the lyrics, kinda dark, I mean in "White Winter Hymnal" blood on snow is compared to the color of strawberries in summer...which...okay, yeah, that's red. Gorgeous sound though: Live concert.
- On another note for music, depending on who you look at my tastes are alternative or indie these days. Online radio stations: Indie. iTunes catalog: Alternative mostly with some Indie that's apparently both. I think I'm going to stick with calling it alternative because I associate indie with movies and I can admit I'm a mainstream movie girl. At least I can still say what I don't like and leave the rest up to the sound of the individual bands.
- People are creative, did you know?: Battles of the Bulge.
28 April 2009
Musings, Part Q
- Again with the cyclical nature of history, though I suppose we could have seen this one coming, what with the infinite wisdom and tolerance so often displayed by our lovely citizenry: Rebranding Hate in the Age of Obama.
- Say, maybe we can stick the supremacists with these guys: Don't Mess With Texas...Get Rid of It.
- I was heartbroken when ABC canceled Pushing Daisies but if NBC dumps Chuck I might be again. It's quirky, it's fun, it references pop culture. Besides, who else can do a kind of Matrix (the first movie, the best one of the three) homage to end a season and have it be completely believable for the character? How can you not love a show where the main character's Halloween costume is one of the worms from Dune?
- Yet another pre opening day Star Trek article, this one focused on J.J. Abrams: New Team Retrofits Old Starship. I have to say I am a fan of his stuff, mostly Alias I guess. I was loyal to that series to the end and watched Lost for the first couple seasons before college distracted me and now...well, it's a bit daunting of a prospect to try to wade back in. Alias though, that was awesome. Oh, May 8th...coming ever closer but not quite close enough yet.
- So we Democrats get Specter now? Oh...okay...sure...welcome...back?
- Say, maybe we can stick the supremacists with these guys: Don't Mess With Texas...Get Rid of It.
- I was heartbroken when ABC canceled Pushing Daisies but if NBC dumps Chuck I might be again. It's quirky, it's fun, it references pop culture. Besides, who else can do a kind of Matrix (the first movie, the best one of the three) homage to end a season and have it be completely believable for the character? How can you not love a show where the main character's Halloween costume is one of the worms from Dune?
- Yet another pre opening day Star Trek article, this one focused on J.J. Abrams: New Team Retrofits Old Starship. I have to say I am a fan of his stuff, mostly Alias I guess. I was loyal to that series to the end and watched Lost for the first couple seasons before college distracted me and now...well, it's a bit daunting of a prospect to try to wade back in. Alias though, that was awesome. Oh, May 8th...coming ever closer but not quite close enough yet.
- So we Democrats get Specter now? Oh...okay...sure...welcome...back?
27 April 2009
Musings, Part P
- I missed Shakespeare Day? Oh, Chicago. You have art museums, pizza, hot dogs, you had a pretty bad fire back in the 1870s, you're not too pure politics-wise and now Shakespeare Day. Awesome.
- With Kindle, Can You Tell It's Proust?. I have a Kindle, one of the first generation ones. I got it using birthday money from my grandparents that they gave me early so I could enter the queue for it on Amazon. I still remember the thrill when I got the email that I'd moved to the front (or really, that production had moved to my spot) and my Kindle would be arriving soon. My new toy was shiny (well, bright white) and awesome. I carried it everywhere, still do. For me, an unapologetic bookworm, the Kindle doesn't replace books. I still buy them and request them in lists that most people would wince at (the length, not the titles I hope). I take a book with me everywhere and now I take my Kindle. It's like the transition from having a cd player to having an iPod, you still buy music (I now mostly download, legally, from the iTunes store and keep my shopping cart on there full, waiting the day when I either have more money or just need new music) it's just easier to carry around and change at a whim. I still buy books and I'll never, ever stop. Now, I can just get electronic versions as well so when I travel I don't have to pack three or four books (depending on the length of the trip it may be more or less) I can just pack the Kindle and it's power cord. I can change computer Word documents to text files and load them up and read them away from the computer without having to print things out (which kills trees and I'm so used to reading off the computer I wouldn't bother anyway), I can even make notes on the document while I go and with the smaller screen, be able to focus on a couple paragraphs at a time without being distracted by something else on the page. And yeah, so people don't know what I'm reading, but if it's a guilty pleasure, I don't mind being mysterious. Let them think its Dickens or Tolstoy, I'll just be happy with my Alex Archer or JD Robb. Terry Pratchett though...that I wouldn't mind advertising. And with my Kindle, I can always stop in the middle of whatever I'm reading and indulge in some Pride and Prejudice.
- Oh, Star Trek. You're awesome. Until this article (Vulcans Never, Ever Smile), I didn't realize a series had been on pretty much consistently from the year after I was born until the end of my freshman year of college (if it really has been only 4 years since Enterprise went off the air). I think one of the things that sets it apart from other sci-fi series is that it's a very hopeful vision of the future. Earth is a utopia, there's basically a United States of the universe in the United Federation of Planets. The military arm of the UFP has a mainly scientific mission, to discover new stuff and boldly go. There's even a rule (the Prime Directive) about not mucking about in cultures which aren't at the same technology level you are, a kind of anti-imperialism which is awesome. Yeah, they fight bad guys, but to protect freedom and all that (We're All Trekkies Now). Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of apocalyptic/utopian/dystopian sci-fi but I'm an equal opportunity sci-fi reader, I'll read anything that looks like it has an interesting plot. And Star Trek is no stranger to the darker stuff, Section 31, fleshed out in Deep Space Nine (my personal favorite series), acts as an intelligence bureau with seemingly no real oversight or accountability for their machinations, they just claim to "defend" the Federation. There's parallels to the Holocaust with the Cardassian's subjugation of the Bajorans, fears about keeping one's individuality and resisting oppression with the Borg, fears about being able to tailor your child to be better and stronger through Dr. Bashir's illegal genetic engineering (that his parents did to him when he was a child, fearing he would always be slower than the others). But it's still hopeful and a universe where diversity is accepted without question, no matter whether it is skin color, religious background, number of forehead ridges, or whether a person has red blood or green, everyone is alien so no one is excluded. What a wonderful world.
- Mexico City is not having a good day. First, the swine flu thing so people are staying indoors and now, a 6.0 earthquake meaning that not even indoors is safe (Strong Earthquake Felt in Mexico City). Welcome to the beginning of the end of April, Mexico. Happy Monday.
- Cue girlish aww: Suppers at Midnight.
- With Kindle, Can You Tell It's Proust?. I have a Kindle, one of the first generation ones. I got it using birthday money from my grandparents that they gave me early so I could enter the queue for it on Amazon. I still remember the thrill when I got the email that I'd moved to the front (or really, that production had moved to my spot) and my Kindle would be arriving soon. My new toy was shiny (well, bright white) and awesome. I carried it everywhere, still do. For me, an unapologetic bookworm, the Kindle doesn't replace books. I still buy them and request them in lists that most people would wince at (the length, not the titles I hope). I take a book with me everywhere and now I take my Kindle. It's like the transition from having a cd player to having an iPod, you still buy music (I now mostly download, legally, from the iTunes store and keep my shopping cart on there full, waiting the day when I either have more money or just need new music) it's just easier to carry around and change at a whim. I still buy books and I'll never, ever stop. Now, I can just get electronic versions as well so when I travel I don't have to pack three or four books (depending on the length of the trip it may be more or less) I can just pack the Kindle and it's power cord. I can change computer Word documents to text files and load them up and read them away from the computer without having to print things out (which kills trees and I'm so used to reading off the computer I wouldn't bother anyway), I can even make notes on the document while I go and with the smaller screen, be able to focus on a couple paragraphs at a time without being distracted by something else on the page. And yeah, so people don't know what I'm reading, but if it's a guilty pleasure, I don't mind being mysterious. Let them think its Dickens or Tolstoy, I'll just be happy with my Alex Archer or JD Robb. Terry Pratchett though...that I wouldn't mind advertising. And with my Kindle, I can always stop in the middle of whatever I'm reading and indulge in some Pride and Prejudice.
- Oh, Star Trek. You're awesome. Until this article (Vulcans Never, Ever Smile), I didn't realize a series had been on pretty much consistently from the year after I was born until the end of my freshman year of college (if it really has been only 4 years since Enterprise went off the air). I think one of the things that sets it apart from other sci-fi series is that it's a very hopeful vision of the future. Earth is a utopia, there's basically a United States of the universe in the United Federation of Planets. The military arm of the UFP has a mainly scientific mission, to discover new stuff and boldly go. There's even a rule (the Prime Directive) about not mucking about in cultures which aren't at the same technology level you are, a kind of anti-imperialism which is awesome. Yeah, they fight bad guys, but to protect freedom and all that (We're All Trekkies Now). Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of apocalyptic/utopian/dystopian sci-fi but I'm an equal opportunity sci-fi reader, I'll read anything that looks like it has an interesting plot. And Star Trek is no stranger to the darker stuff, Section 31, fleshed out in Deep Space Nine (my personal favorite series), acts as an intelligence bureau with seemingly no real oversight or accountability for their machinations, they just claim to "defend" the Federation. There's parallels to the Holocaust with the Cardassian's subjugation of the Bajorans, fears about keeping one's individuality and resisting oppression with the Borg, fears about being able to tailor your child to be better and stronger through Dr. Bashir's illegal genetic engineering (that his parents did to him when he was a child, fearing he would always be slower than the others). But it's still hopeful and a universe where diversity is accepted without question, no matter whether it is skin color, religious background, number of forehead ridges, or whether a person has red blood or green, everyone is alien so no one is excluded. What a wonderful world.
- Mexico City is not having a good day. First, the swine flu thing so people are staying indoors and now, a 6.0 earthquake meaning that not even indoors is safe (Strong Earthquake Felt in Mexico City). Welcome to the beginning of the end of April, Mexico. Happy Monday.
- Cue girlish aww: Suppers at Midnight.
23 April 2009
Musings, Part O
- This sounds pretty cool and very unlike the stately Albert Hall: Graffiti makeover for Albert Hall. Too bad I can't be there to see it.
- When in doubt, there is an association for it. Case in point: the US Pea and Lentil Trade Association, affliated, of course, with the US Dry Pea, Lentil, and Chickpea Council.
- How fun: Ask Not For Whom the Cliche Tolls. Happy birthday, Shakespeare. The big 445...I think that can be considered over the hill. And the story's a scavenger hunt!
- Interesting question: Does Music Define You?. As I said in a comment on the site (my first...Ooooo), I think we define ourselves by it, just like social or political issues, but perhaps we aren't define by it. We are more than the box a social or political issue places us in and we can like more than one type of music. Sure, there can be a similar color palate but at the end of the day it becomes a painting that's more than monochromatic.
- Why can't it be May 8th yet? Star Trek's stellar return.
- I don't get it: TV plan to find Jade musical star. I wouldn't care about Jade Goody or her life (and recent death due to cervical cancer) except I was in London when the whole Big Brother thing happened with her. Her racist comments were all over the London free papers (which, yeah, little better than tabloids sometimes but a couple were like the Express, one of DC's free Metro papers that's more like a condensed, admittedly ad heavy Washington Post) that semester. She seemed...crass and just unappealing in every way. And yet, in the past two years (has it been that long already?) she seems to have reinvented herself...by putting her whole life on camera it seems. I just don't get the appeal. Any of it.
- Monkey See has become one of my favorite blogs (and just over a month ago, I barely wrote in my own and didn't frequent, well, any...just goes to show, times change...and quickly) and a daily source of pop culture amusement, particularly today: Caution Signs Endangered Movie Characters Really Need. I really want to plot contrivance one...think a company will pick it up and market it?
- Curse you BBC iPlayer and ITV player...why do you only have to work in the UK? This is why Americans love nice Brits who post British shows on YouTube that would take us months, if ever, to get if we're lucky enough to get BBC America.
- When in doubt, there is an association for it. Case in point: the US Pea and Lentil Trade Association, affliated, of course, with the US Dry Pea, Lentil, and Chickpea Council.
- How fun: Ask Not For Whom the Cliche Tolls. Happy birthday, Shakespeare. The big 445...I think that can be considered over the hill. And the story's a scavenger hunt!
- Interesting question: Does Music Define You?. As I said in a comment on the site (my first...Ooooo), I think we define ourselves by it, just like social or political issues, but perhaps we aren't define by it. We are more than the box a social or political issue places us in and we can like more than one type of music. Sure, there can be a similar color palate but at the end of the day it becomes a painting that's more than monochromatic.
- Why can't it be May 8th yet? Star Trek's stellar return.
- I don't get it: TV plan to find Jade musical star. I wouldn't care about Jade Goody or her life (and recent death due to cervical cancer) except I was in London when the whole Big Brother thing happened with her. Her racist comments were all over the London free papers (which, yeah, little better than tabloids sometimes but a couple were like the Express, one of DC's free Metro papers that's more like a condensed, admittedly ad heavy Washington Post) that semester. She seemed...crass and just unappealing in every way. And yet, in the past two years (has it been that long already?) she seems to have reinvented herself...by putting her whole life on camera it seems. I just don't get the appeal. Any of it.
- Monkey See has become one of my favorite blogs (and just over a month ago, I barely wrote in my own and didn't frequent, well, any...just goes to show, times change...and quickly) and a daily source of pop culture amusement, particularly today: Caution Signs Endangered Movie Characters Really Need. I really want to plot contrivance one...think a company will pick it up and market it?
- Curse you BBC iPlayer and ITV player...why do you only have to work in the UK? This is why Americans love nice Brits who post British shows on YouTube that would take us months, if ever, to get if we're lucky enough to get BBC America.
22 April 2009
Musings, Part N
- I think I want one of these...Judging a Book (Bag) by Its Cover.
- Save Chuck! Ferris would approve.
- Wow are people stupid. Who would have thought they couldn't even properly read a dictionary or Google properly (By the way, for Earth day, the Google image on the main page was gorgeous)? So, last night's Moment of Zen from the Daily Show featured a clip from some Fox News program (and now I have to sterilize my keyboard for writing that) but they said that Chavez called President Obama an ignoramus and that meant, and the woman actually had to Google this (which is sad and depressing to begin with), an ignorant lawyer, to which they pointed out the fact that he is a lawyer. The thing is...they/she got the definition wrong! Yes, Ignoramus was the name of an ignorant lawyer in the play Ignoramus by G. Ruggle in 1615 but that's only because the word ignoramus is Latin for "we ignore" or "to be ignorant of"! It's supposed to be ironic...a pun of sorts, because the lawyer would have to know Latin for his work. Besides, 1615...plenty of people spoke Latin, at least the ones who understood plays. Well, fine, maybe just the educated classes who would have known the word and could laugh about the character's name because ignorant means uneducated, and while lawyers can be annoying, they do have education. Absolutely no definition I found (here's dictionary.com's slate) specifically says it's an ignorant lawyer, there's about every entry in a thesauras for ignorant (simpleton, fool, dunce, etc) but no "ignorant lawyer" save the mention of the word's origin. The label was misapplied...and for pity's sake, don't say that you had to Google the definition of a word everyone should know. It's not that hard to figure out...sounds like ignorant, mus can be presumed to indicate more. You can fake by saying it's a really ignorant person. Thank you, my bleeding heart liberal educated brain for being better. Wonder what her SAT Verbal score was...
- Happy Earth Day! Here's some pretty awesome aerial views of this here planet of ours: GeoEye. Everything from Angor Wat, to the Palm Island of Dubai, to the Mall of DC on Inauguaration Day 2009, to Yankee Stadium.
- On a slightly more somber note, I'm not at all looking forward to the day I'm in Christopher Buckley's shoes (Mum and Pup and Me). By his account he didn't really get on swimmingly with either of his parents and I'm definitely doing fine with mine. How about we all decide to table the whole dying thing until we figure out a way to avoid the whole situation? I'd be okay with that.
- Imagine the cost to change all the signs and everything: Confusion over NZ's islands' names. Reminds me of the West Wing episode wherein there is discussion on dropping the 'north' from North Dakota to promote tourism to the state because the 'north' scares people away. Does it really matter if the island names aren't properly registered? What if the whole country is named wrong/illegally/sorta-kinda-not really correctly because they forgot part B of form 23, which is obviously essential to the whole recognized name deal?
- Cool! A Fairy Tale Beginning: Snow White, She's Not. Among Disney's Royal Ladies, Tiana Is a Notable First. Go Disney.
- Save Chuck! Ferris would approve.
- Wow are people stupid. Who would have thought they couldn't even properly read a dictionary or Google properly (By the way, for Earth day, the Google image on the main page was gorgeous)? So, last night's Moment of Zen from the Daily Show featured a clip from some Fox News program (and now I have to sterilize my keyboard for writing that) but they said that Chavez called President Obama an ignoramus and that meant, and the woman actually had to Google this (which is sad and depressing to begin with), an ignorant lawyer, to which they pointed out the fact that he is a lawyer. The thing is...they/she got the definition wrong! Yes, Ignoramus was the name of an ignorant lawyer in the play Ignoramus by G. Ruggle in 1615 but that's only because the word ignoramus is Latin for "we ignore" or "to be ignorant of"! It's supposed to be ironic...a pun of sorts, because the lawyer would have to know Latin for his work. Besides, 1615...plenty of people spoke Latin, at least the ones who understood plays. Well, fine, maybe just the educated classes who would have known the word and could laugh about the character's name because ignorant means uneducated, and while lawyers can be annoying, they do have education. Absolutely no definition I found (here's dictionary.com's slate) specifically says it's an ignorant lawyer, there's about every entry in a thesauras for ignorant (simpleton, fool, dunce, etc) but no "ignorant lawyer" save the mention of the word's origin. The label was misapplied...and for pity's sake, don't say that you had to Google the definition of a word everyone should know. It's not that hard to figure out...sounds like ignorant, mus can be presumed to indicate more. You can fake by saying it's a really ignorant person. Thank you, my bleeding heart liberal educated brain for being better. Wonder what her SAT Verbal score was...
- Happy Earth Day! Here's some pretty awesome aerial views of this here planet of ours: GeoEye. Everything from Angor Wat, to the Palm Island of Dubai, to the Mall of DC on Inauguaration Day 2009, to Yankee Stadium.
- On a slightly more somber note, I'm not at all looking forward to the day I'm in Christopher Buckley's shoes (Mum and Pup and Me). By his account he didn't really get on swimmingly with either of his parents and I'm definitely doing fine with mine. How about we all decide to table the whole dying thing until we figure out a way to avoid the whole situation? I'd be okay with that.
- Imagine the cost to change all the signs and everything: Confusion over NZ's islands' names. Reminds me of the West Wing episode wherein there is discussion on dropping the 'north' from North Dakota to promote tourism to the state because the 'north' scares people away. Does it really matter if the island names aren't properly registered? What if the whole country is named wrong/illegally/sorta-kinda-not really correctly because they forgot part B of form 23, which is obviously essential to the whole recognized name deal?
- Cool! A Fairy Tale Beginning: Snow White, She's Not. Among Disney's Royal Ladies, Tiana Is a Notable First. Go Disney.
21 April 2009
Musings, Part M
- I am not one of these people, thank God: Are We in a Narcissism Epidemic?. I didn't have a "sweet 16" party, I don't even remember what I did for that birthday...maybe went to Disney with my family? Probably. It might have been lunch at Cinderella's Table in the Castle in Magic Kingdom...maybe. I've never had plastic surgery and find the concept kind of squick (i.e. barely palatable, it feels wrong/an easy way out and if I'm not willing to work for a particular body type why should I be allowed to buy an external version of it?).
My parents were not the giving everything, asking nothing types. They were and are generous with meeting my interests (books mostly) and help me out financially when I need it (hopefully those days are at an end). I was also expected to help out around the house, which yes, was grating at the time. Was it good for me? Yes, and now that I'm almost 23 I can say that without caveats because, hey, maturity and the whole I have my own place thing. They weren't, and aren't, helicopter parents who suddenly swoop in (to make up for being distant and busy with work at all other times) when their precious baby starts to sniffle because something was unfair. Grow up moron and realize that yes, it was your fault and stop blaming others for your own failings/mistakes. (Students who whine about their teachers being "unfair" particularly get on my nerves because both of my parents are teachers and I know it's not their fault, it's the student. Besides, I never got away with blaming a teacher [not that I did beyond the one time but they were such a disappointment after having a wonderful teacher in that subject the year before and I couldn't get over the disparity at 15] so why should anyone else?)
Rules give us an ordered society. If you don't want to follow them and think your drinking is more important than taking a test at the scheduled time and more important than the brain cells you're killing? Go live on a commune and leave the rest of us to our structure. Education is and will always be more important than your so-called life experience. I just hope that when (perhaps if but it's too early to be thinking that) I have children I'm able to teach and nurture them like my parents did. Basically so they don't become self-absorbed airheads like so many I read about these days.
- For more on the teaching/teacher rant I just sort of gave read this: Teaching: No 'Fallback' Career. Also, think about the fact that my homestate of Florida has now drastically cut back the education budget in both public schools and the state university system. One of the schools, FSU, is even slated cut at least 21 (I believe) majors from its offerings. Including one of the subjects my mother teaches. Things like this are why I wanted to into education policy, which is currently too hard to get into at my entry level. Maybe I'll be able to make a mid-career change one of these days.
- Pastis interview from last summer: enjoy.
- Good for them: Delegates Walk Out of Racism Conference Over Speech. I think the conference is a good idea but only if everyone is honest about the issue and their role in perpetuating the problem. And President of Iran? The Holocaust happened.
- On a lighter note: completely random: Balloon Art by William Lamson.
My parents were not the giving everything, asking nothing types. They were and are generous with meeting my interests (books mostly) and help me out financially when I need it (hopefully those days are at an end). I was also expected to help out around the house, which yes, was grating at the time. Was it good for me? Yes, and now that I'm almost 23 I can say that without caveats because, hey, maturity and the whole I have my own place thing. They weren't, and aren't, helicopter parents who suddenly swoop in (to make up for being distant and busy with work at all other times) when their precious baby starts to sniffle because something was unfair. Grow up moron and realize that yes, it was your fault and stop blaming others for your own failings/mistakes. (Students who whine about their teachers being "unfair" particularly get on my nerves because both of my parents are teachers and I know it's not their fault, it's the student. Besides, I never got away with blaming a teacher [not that I did beyond the one time but they were such a disappointment after having a wonderful teacher in that subject the year before and I couldn't get over the disparity at 15] so why should anyone else?)
Rules give us an ordered society. If you don't want to follow them and think your drinking is more important than taking a test at the scheduled time and more important than the brain cells you're killing? Go live on a commune and leave the rest of us to our structure. Education is and will always be more important than your so-called life experience. I just hope that when (perhaps if but it's too early to be thinking that) I have children I'm able to teach and nurture them like my parents did. Basically so they don't become self-absorbed airheads like so many I read about these days.
- For more on the teaching/teacher rant I just sort of gave read this: Teaching: No 'Fallback' Career. Also, think about the fact that my homestate of Florida has now drastically cut back the education budget in both public schools and the state university system. One of the schools, FSU, is even slated cut at least 21 (I believe) majors from its offerings. Including one of the subjects my mother teaches. Things like this are why I wanted to into education policy, which is currently too hard to get into at my entry level. Maybe I'll be able to make a mid-career change one of these days.
- Pastis interview from last summer: enjoy.
- Good for them: Delegates Walk Out of Racism Conference Over Speech. I think the conference is a good idea but only if everyone is honest about the issue and their role in perpetuating the problem. And President of Iran? The Holocaust happened.
- On a lighter note: completely random: Balloon Art by William Lamson.
20 April 2009
Musings, Part L
- Well, the Washington Post has jumped on the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies train (Zombie? Let Austen Flesh It Out) , with other delightful additions that I now have to hunt down. Is it weird that I'm really looking forward to Grahame-Smith's Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter?
- YouTube is now Hulu? Deal Brings TV Shows and Movies to YouTube. I suppose it will be useful, though I'm used to watching things on there in 10 minute bits and as long as people still can upload their own videos (I mean, how can they ask us to give up Hamster on a Piano?) then I'm okay with this...I think. Time will tell.
- As you might imagine, I am a huge mental_floss fan. It's quirky, it's random, it has great info on the weirdest things...take 12 Oddly Specific Museums Preserving Our History or How to Stop Unwanted Phone Books or 8 Countries and States That Moved Their Capitals or the difference between pyramids and ziggurats (hint, ziggurats have ramps) or in the magazine, all about furniture, like the history of La-Z-Boy. And the shirts...awesome. A sampling: An Apple A Day still leaves you 2-4 servings short of your daily fruit recommendations. Friends Don't Let Friends Derive Drunk. Idioms are for the birds. Inconsistency: It has its ups and downs. Hokey Pokey Anonymous. A place to turn yourself around. Veni Vidi Wiki: I came. I saw. I edited collaboratively. Vampires are a pain in the neck. The Constitution: I read it for the Articles. Archaeologists will date any old thing. And two of my favorites: Easter Island: Why the long face? and Pluto, 1930-2006: Revolve in Peace. Gah. Absimally clever.
-Oh, Daily Show. I love you. You always come through for me and my liberal ire against idiots. Tip of the hat and salute.
- WB thou art awesome today. Because I just discovered, with a little help from NPR (Inside 'Hollywood's Attic': Warner Opens Its Vault), your archive. More from Cary Grant? And Katharine Hepburn? A film or two for my book (with the possibility of more, oh please add Kisses For My President [a 1964 film with the dad from The Happiest Millionaire, and the guy from Double Indemnity whose name escapes me...Fred something, but it has a female president which would totally be great for the book])? And a 1931 version of Private Lives, one of my favorite plays (Noel Coward is a master of banter)? And they're all under $20? Awesome. Check it out: Warner Archive.
Edit: The actor is Fred MacMurray. I knew it was Fred something. He was in over 100 movies and a TV series. He may be best known for Double Indemnity but he's more fun in Happiest Millionaire. Which would make sense based on the title.
- Why have a giant dish when you can have a network of dishes? Switch-on success for superscope. Again, part of me wishes I'd gone into astronomy or some other scientific space thing. These pictures promise to be awesome. Besides, I could totally get away with putting an X-Wing or an Enterprise model on my desk.
- Oh good, Ask brings back butler Jeeves. I hope it'll be useful while working for kgb_ now. Except...it better not cut into the volume we get.
-The Pulitzer Prizes were handed out today: 2009 Pulitzer Prizes for Letters, Drama and Music, 2009 Pulitzer Prizes for Journalism, Damon Winter's A Vision of History-Winner of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography (this guy can take a picture, no doubt about that). Not quite sure the 13 short stories should count for the fiction award (isn't it supposed to be a book?) but whatever, it works I guess.
- YouTube is now Hulu? Deal Brings TV Shows and Movies to YouTube. I suppose it will be useful, though I'm used to watching things on there in 10 minute bits and as long as people still can upload their own videos (I mean, how can they ask us to give up Hamster on a Piano?) then I'm okay with this...I think. Time will tell.
- As you might imagine, I am a huge mental_floss fan. It's quirky, it's random, it has great info on the weirdest things...take 12 Oddly Specific Museums Preserving Our History or How to Stop Unwanted Phone Books or 8 Countries and States That Moved Their Capitals or the difference between pyramids and ziggurats (hint, ziggurats have ramps) or in the magazine, all about furniture, like the history of La-Z-Boy. And the shirts...awesome. A sampling: An Apple A Day still leaves you 2-4 servings short of your daily fruit recommendations. Friends Don't Let Friends Derive Drunk. Idioms are for the birds. Inconsistency: It has its ups and downs. Hokey Pokey Anonymous. A place to turn yourself around. Veni Vidi Wiki: I came. I saw. I edited collaboratively. Vampires are a pain in the neck. The Constitution: I read it for the Articles. Archaeologists will date any old thing. And two of my favorites: Easter Island: Why the long face? and Pluto, 1930-2006: Revolve in Peace. Gah. Absimally clever.
-Oh, Daily Show. I love you. You always come through for me and my liberal ire against idiots. Tip of the hat and salute.
- WB thou art awesome today. Because I just discovered, with a little help from NPR (Inside 'Hollywood's Attic': Warner Opens Its Vault), your archive. More from Cary Grant? And Katharine Hepburn? A film or two for my book (with the possibility of more, oh please add Kisses For My President [a 1964 film with the dad from The Happiest Millionaire, and the guy from Double Indemnity whose name escapes me...Fred something, but it has a female president which would totally be great for the book])? And a 1931 version of Private Lives, one of my favorite plays (Noel Coward is a master of banter)? And they're all under $20? Awesome. Check it out: Warner Archive.
Edit: The actor is Fred MacMurray. I knew it was Fred something. He was in over 100 movies and a TV series. He may be best known for Double Indemnity but he's more fun in Happiest Millionaire. Which would make sense based on the title.
- Why have a giant dish when you can have a network of dishes? Switch-on success for superscope. Again, part of me wishes I'd gone into astronomy or some other scientific space thing. These pictures promise to be awesome. Besides, I could totally get away with putting an X-Wing or an Enterprise model on my desk.
- Oh good, Ask brings back butler Jeeves. I hope it'll be useful while working for kgb_ now. Except...it better not cut into the volume we get.
-The Pulitzer Prizes were handed out today: 2009 Pulitzer Prizes for Letters, Drama and Music, 2009 Pulitzer Prizes for Journalism, Damon Winter's A Vision of History-Winner of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography (this guy can take a picture, no doubt about that). Not quite sure the 13 short stories should count for the fiction award (isn't it supposed to be a book?) but whatever, it works I guess.
16 April 2009
Musings, Part K
- Oh, angry conservatives. You’re so cute sometimes. You conveniently develop amnesia and don’t remember things you said just a few years before when you turn around and do the very thing you were yelling at everyone else for. You ignore that history comes in cycles and things get repeated or come back to smack you upside the head but when you don’t ignore history, you get it wrong and completely ignore the historical context. Adorable. Like one of those Anne Geddes flower babies. Boston style tea parties in 2009. Wow. Awesome. Did we suddenly impose a tea tax I wasn’t aware of? Are we fighting against a king that lives across the ocean from us in a pretty awesome palace and is trying to raise money because his government needs the funds to pay off a war against France and figures he has colonies (just to milk them of all the profits and resources the home country can) so might as well use them? I’m thinking no. It might make more sense if our president really liked tea but I haven’t heard that bit of trivia so I think we’re safe. How about instead of tossing the tea, you toss yourselves? Don’t take it out on the tea, it didn’t do anything to you. Why Protest Big Government With Tea On Tax Day? Does it make sense? That’d be a giant nope.
- Well, I suppose a treadmill’s still pretty cool to have your name on, NASA Names Treadmill After TV’s Stephen Colbert and I’m quite impressed they managed to work it into an acronym. See the full episode here: The Colbert Report, Tuesday, April 14, 2009, the NASA bit starts around the 10:10 mark.
- I love these sorts of things: What’s Your NPR Name? Mine would be something like Jennkifer Orschwiller (at least I think that was the smallest town, it’s hard to tell, I’m not sure if it’s worse that there’ve been so many or that I can’t remember the names…)
- I guess I’ll ahead and weigh in on this, Big Wins Re-Energize Gay Marriage Activists. I’m completely thrilled for them and kind of proud those states were able to accomplish what they did. I suppose I understand how some people feel their way of life is threatened (though really, their outlook threatens my way of life so don’t we all threaten each other every day?) and that their marriage will no longer have meaning if everyone is allowed to get married, even homosexual couples. The thing is, heterosexual couples have done quite enough to destroy the institution of marriage all on our own, so isn’t the fact that people still want to get married in the first place a win for the institution? From the divorce rate, to the age gaps, to the mercenary motives, to the outright abuse that is far more common than we’d like to think, marriage is on shaky grounds right now. I could better understand if these anti-same-sex marriage people were framing everything from a religious viewpoint, because within the bounds of religion, yes, most of them go with the one man, one woman thing. Which is totally fine. But I haven’t heard of any same-sex couples who are trying to force their way into a religious ceremony, they seem to be going for civil ceremonies, probably because a religious one wouldn’t happen. And really, what’s wrong with wanting to be acknowledged by the state? It is a civil rights issue and one that absolutely deserves to be completely recognized. I’m all for love and marriage and soulmates but some days, people like those who belong to the National Organization for Marriage or the Family Research Council (or especially these guys in Afghanistan or even the child-bride ick in Saudi Arabia) make me want to say forget all that and go with the idea that marriage isn’t logical and love is just chemicals in the brain, nothing special, an argument frequently presented by the scientists in Bones. But that would be cynical. Hey, how about all those who don’t want others to have rights just go to Afghanistan, seems some people there would welcome them, except for the pesky Christian thing. At least they would align on social issues.
- This is really quite good: Winning Essay Translates Teen’s Story. Read it. And that’s all I really need to say about it.
- Well, I suppose a treadmill’s still pretty cool to have your name on, NASA Names Treadmill After TV’s Stephen Colbert and I’m quite impressed they managed to work it into an acronym. See the full episode here: The Colbert Report, Tuesday, April 14, 2009, the NASA bit starts around the 10:10 mark.
- I love these sorts of things: What’s Your NPR Name? Mine would be something like Jennkifer Orschwiller (at least I think that was the smallest town, it’s hard to tell, I’m not sure if it’s worse that there’ve been so many or that I can’t remember the names…)
- I guess I’ll ahead and weigh in on this, Big Wins Re-Energize Gay Marriage Activists. I’m completely thrilled for them and kind of proud those states were able to accomplish what they did. I suppose I understand how some people feel their way of life is threatened (though really, their outlook threatens my way of life so don’t we all threaten each other every day?) and that their marriage will no longer have meaning if everyone is allowed to get married, even homosexual couples. The thing is, heterosexual couples have done quite enough to destroy the institution of marriage all on our own, so isn’t the fact that people still want to get married in the first place a win for the institution? From the divorce rate, to the age gaps, to the mercenary motives, to the outright abuse that is far more common than we’d like to think, marriage is on shaky grounds right now. I could better understand if these anti-same-sex marriage people were framing everything from a religious viewpoint, because within the bounds of religion, yes, most of them go with the one man, one woman thing. Which is totally fine. But I haven’t heard of any same-sex couples who are trying to force their way into a religious ceremony, they seem to be going for civil ceremonies, probably because a religious one wouldn’t happen. And really, what’s wrong with wanting to be acknowledged by the state? It is a civil rights issue and one that absolutely deserves to be completely recognized. I’m all for love and marriage and soulmates but some days, people like those who belong to the National Organization for Marriage or the Family Research Council (or especially these guys in Afghanistan or even the child-bride ick in Saudi Arabia) make me want to say forget all that and go with the idea that marriage isn’t logical and love is just chemicals in the brain, nothing special, an argument frequently presented by the scientists in Bones. But that would be cynical. Hey, how about all those who don’t want others to have rights just go to Afghanistan, seems some people there would welcome them, except for the pesky Christian thing. At least they would align on social issues.
- This is really quite good: Winning Essay Translates Teen’s Story. Read it. And that’s all I really need to say about it.
14 April 2009
Musings, Part J
- I agree with 99% of this article, Washington Diary: crying on cable all except the line near the end about how the rage/crying/over the top nonsense is therapeutic. It’s not therapeutic, it’s embarrassing and pathetic. And it doesn’t exorcise our demons but adds more. It’s the kind of behavior we’re scolded for by our parents when we’re children and our parents won’t buy us candy while at a grocery store. It’s a temper tantrum that they should have grown out of. He’s right about turning to the Daily Show. As sad as it might be for some, it’s the only news I watch on TV. I get that the cable news (24 hour, nonstop plagues upon our planet that ought to at least be banned from airports) has to be complaining about something, whether it was liberals, or anyone who didn’t worship at the altar of whatever they were pushing that day, not backing our immediate past president or now just complaining about the president (and gee, who’s the anti-American now?) but do they have to do so in such a…petulant teenage girl who says like every other word, is fanatical about MySpace and can only hold a lengthy conversation over who is dating who (either in the popular circles at school or in the teen celebrity circles) or how scared they are they gained a fraction of a pound, fashion? Get over yourselves, give your audience a chance to use their brain cells, maybe nurture some at the same rate you’re killing them.
- Ever wonder what you can do with Peeps besides feeling your teeth cringe when you see a wall of them at your local store around holidays and blowing them up in the microwave? Well, you can be creative with them in the Washington Post Peep Diorama Contest. It’s in its third year and wow are some of them creative this year. For pictures see: Peep Show, Peeps Show II, and Peeps Show III. I particularly like the Metro ones…they really captured the trains quite well. Who knew Nighthawks could work so well with Peeps?
- Space is awesome. Seriously. If I were more into science and didn’t wear glasses I would totally have tried to be an astronaut. I was considering it for a while but soon decided my brain wasn’t a science brain but a social science brain that just really thought space was awesome. Still, I can envy people like this, Last Voyage for the Keeper of the Hubble and applaud them at the same time. You rock NASA.
- Ever wonder what you can do with Peeps besides feeling your teeth cringe when you see a wall of them at your local store around holidays and blowing them up in the microwave? Well, you can be creative with them in the Washington Post Peep Diorama Contest. It’s in its third year and wow are some of them creative this year. For pictures see: Peep Show, Peeps Show II, and Peeps Show III. I particularly like the Metro ones…they really captured the trains quite well. Who knew Nighthawks could work so well with Peeps?
- Space is awesome. Seriously. If I were more into science and didn’t wear glasses I would totally have tried to be an astronaut. I was considering it for a while but soon decided my brain wasn’t a science brain but a social science brain that just really thought space was awesome. Still, I can envy people like this, Last Voyage for the Keeper of the Hubble and applaud them at the same time. You rock NASA.
13 April 2009
Musings, Part I
- So, Jesuits. Pretty cool people usually. Within the myriad Catholic religious orders, they’re the most famously academic. If you see ‘Jesuit’ attached to the name of a college, you know it’s going to be a good one. Most are more than just a priest, they’re encouraged to be in the world and keep going in whatever profession they came into the order with, which was usually something academic. Here’s another reason they’re cool, a sense of humor: God to Man: Get Over Yourself .
- Leave Pixar alone, Pixar’s Latest Film Has Wall Street on Edge. I think Up looks great, then again I like…everything Pixar has done (even Cars which isn’t really my…well, it doesn’t speak to my very limited sports interests and isn’t my music genre of choice). I loved Wall-E. It was adorable and amazing to look at and Up doesn’t look any different. And the cranky old guy? He looks kinda cute. How cool would it be to float away in your house by means of hundreds of balloons?
- This recent NY Time article, Somali Pirates Said to Seize Ship with US Crewmen reminds me of a Daily Show report from last year, from after the election called The Buccaneer Stops Here. One of the many things I love about the Daily Show, besides the irreverent humor that nonetheless makes very good points about, well, everything, is John Oliver’s reports. I’m not sure why he’s my currently my favorite correspondent, possibly the British thing, possibly because he tried to refuse to do Dickensian English during his first reports on the show, during the Queen’s visit to the US, but I find him hilarious. So the whole pirate thing in the news brings to mind his report from November. Watch. Enjoy. Laugh.
- It’s funny how certain things become associated with other things in your mind. I think that’s one of the ways I learn, I link stuff up in my head and it may not make sense, but it seems to work out okay. So the association of today is Vienna Teng’s new album. I love her stuff. Unwritten Letter #1 is one of my top…three favorite songs. Anyway, her third album either came out or I found it when I was studying abroad in London. I, as I always do with new music, listened to it pretty much constantly for a while there. That semester in London was also when I decided to see what the deal was with Doctor Who, since I was in the country it came from. Turns out, the newly revamped series (the only part I’ve seen) is pretty much…awesome. I could go on and on about how cool it is and how great the 10th Doctor’s hair is (it’s pretty awesome) but since I was watching Doctor Who and listening to Vienna Teng’s third album those two are now linked in my brain. I can’t watch an episode without one of the songs sort of starting up in my head and vice versa with listening to the cd. I have the same problem with Eiffel 65 and one of the Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? computer games. The game was pretty cool but the show, of course, was better. Oh Rockapella.
- An ode to peanut butter: Peanut Butter: It’s More Than A Sandwich. I like PB. Jif is the best kind, hands down no others need apply. Despite having sort of sworn off peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (I decided freshman year of college that 13 years of them in school was quite enough to last a lifetime) I still enjoy PB toast and PB in other things, mostly Reese’s Peanut Butter cups which are my favorite candy. And the article is right, it is very American. You can’t find proper PB in Europe. Not just because we process things different but because they have things like Nutella and don’t understand our fascination with PB. PB is one of those simple foods that is just plain good on, well, quite a lot of things actually. My mom swears the best PB is from the top of a fresh jar, which yeah, is probably true. I’m not sure I’d refrigerate PB like the author of the NPR article does but a friend of mine refuses to refrigerate butter (which is just weird to me) so maybe it’s just a quirk.
- It’s kind of amazing to have friends who remember your quirks and indulge them for you.
- Leave Pixar alone, Pixar’s Latest Film Has Wall Street on Edge. I think Up looks great, then again I like…everything Pixar has done (even Cars which isn’t really my…well, it doesn’t speak to my very limited sports interests and isn’t my music genre of choice). I loved Wall-E. It was adorable and amazing to look at and Up doesn’t look any different. And the cranky old guy? He looks kinda cute. How cool would it be to float away in your house by means of hundreds of balloons?
- This recent NY Time article, Somali Pirates Said to Seize Ship with US Crewmen reminds me of a Daily Show report from last year, from after the election called The Buccaneer Stops Here. One of the many things I love about the Daily Show, besides the irreverent humor that nonetheless makes very good points about, well, everything, is John Oliver’s reports. I’m not sure why he’s my currently my favorite correspondent, possibly the British thing, possibly because he tried to refuse to do Dickensian English during his first reports on the show, during the Queen’s visit to the US, but I find him hilarious. So the whole pirate thing in the news brings to mind his report from November. Watch. Enjoy. Laugh.
- It’s funny how certain things become associated with other things in your mind. I think that’s one of the ways I learn, I link stuff up in my head and it may not make sense, but it seems to work out okay. So the association of today is Vienna Teng’s new album. I love her stuff. Unwritten Letter #1 is one of my top…three favorite songs. Anyway, her third album either came out or I found it when I was studying abroad in London. I, as I always do with new music, listened to it pretty much constantly for a while there. That semester in London was also when I decided to see what the deal was with Doctor Who, since I was in the country it came from. Turns out, the newly revamped series (the only part I’ve seen) is pretty much…awesome. I could go on and on about how cool it is and how great the 10th Doctor’s hair is (it’s pretty awesome) but since I was watching Doctor Who and listening to Vienna Teng’s third album those two are now linked in my brain. I can’t watch an episode without one of the songs sort of starting up in my head and vice versa with listening to the cd. I have the same problem with Eiffel 65 and one of the Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? computer games. The game was pretty cool but the show, of course, was better. Oh Rockapella.
- An ode to peanut butter: Peanut Butter: It’s More Than A Sandwich. I like PB. Jif is the best kind, hands down no others need apply. Despite having sort of sworn off peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (I decided freshman year of college that 13 years of them in school was quite enough to last a lifetime) I still enjoy PB toast and PB in other things, mostly Reese’s Peanut Butter cups which are my favorite candy. And the article is right, it is very American. You can’t find proper PB in Europe. Not just because we process things different but because they have things like Nutella and don’t understand our fascination with PB. PB is one of those simple foods that is just plain good on, well, quite a lot of things actually. My mom swears the best PB is from the top of a fresh jar, which yeah, is probably true. I’m not sure I’d refrigerate PB like the author of the NPR article does but a friend of mine refuses to refrigerate butter (which is just weird to me) so maybe it’s just a quirk.
- It’s kind of amazing to have friends who remember your quirks and indulge them for you.
08 April 2009
Musings, Part H
- I’m not sure how I feel about this idea; Thin and Inexpensive Netbooks Affect PC Industry if only because I want a computer to do more than just access the Internet. I can understand if you just need the internet and need more than a phone but if you’re going to have a computer, have a computer. I myself want an iMac. One with a huge hard drive so I don’t have to worry about space for a few years (at least that’s the hope, depends on how much video I find and no, I don’t really have space on the desk for an external hard drive) and so I can get some stuff off my iPod (namely BSG podcasts) that I put on there to free up space on my laptop. Irony is, now my iPod is full. Which hasn’t happened before…but I’ve gotten a lot more music while having this iPod compared to the last one, which was a 15 GB.
- Thank you writer Raina Kelley: Five Truths About Reality Dating Shows you just summed up why I hate reality shows, the dating ones in particular. I don’t understand why they are so popular. With the most recent Bachelor as evidence (solely gained through reading blurbs on it and never once letting the channel surfing get anywhere close to it with any length of a pole, 10, 11 or otherwise) all reality dating shows do is show the worst sides of people, unfortunately mostly women. I don’t understand why they let themselves be paraded around and given little more consideration than a shirt or tie selection for the guy in question. We watch TV and movies to see people that aren’t us, why would we want to watch our lives, we’re living them and besides, normal people? Boring. All reality shows do is reinforce stereotypes of people in a faux parallel world where the situations are carefully written and tailored so the outcomes are what they are: predictable, embarrassing, usually disgusting, degrading, and a pox on our society. I hope I never become a woman who is so desperate for some kind of comfort, whether it be through an “attractive” or “powerful” guy, each measured by the size of his bank account, that I’ll dump all of my self-respect and hope for real (not reality) love that I attach myself to someone relatively well off in such a painfully atrocious fashion. I may be square, but as Huey once said, it’s hip.
- So, who wants to show this to the US government? Facebook, YouTube At Work Make Better Employees
- Not to keep (rather, again) complaining about this but this article brought to mind some interesting comparisons, Inside the Duggar Family’s Conservative Ideology to what I remember about traditional Hindu culture, and if I remember correctly, often to current Indian culture as well. These families are teaching their daughters to have no concerns, no skills beyond that of a domestic, motherhood centered life (and in this age, unless you are well off, you can’t raise a family on one income alone, particularly a large family). From what I remember, women in India were to be obedient to their father and brothers, then to their husbands, and finally to their sons, keeping the obedience to the husband to his death, if she wasn’t required to do the whole funeral pyre with him thing. One would think that these Christians (I won’t say so-called though I’m sure they’d call me a so-called Christian) wouldn’t like following the practices of a “heathen” culture. The same kind of obedience is found in Islamic cultures as well. I was really hoping that my daughters (when and if I have them, plural or singular it matters not, though I’m not doing more than 3 kids I’d actually like to enjoy them and I’m sure not having to contend with more than two siblings is a good thing for most kids’ quality of life as well [I only have 1 sibling]) wouldn’t have to put up with the cult of domesticity, as my AP US History book called the whole keep women barefoot in the kitchen (whether literally or figuratively) movement. I really hoped we’d gotten past that. But no, history cycles and we’re doomed to repeat it so I guess they will. I only hope that the work of the women in the early parts of the 20th century were enough to override the more pernicious aspects of the Co’D. I’ll keep my fingers crossed. And teach them that yes, babies are cute, but only one or two at a time. And if you’re going to go against your upbringing…get a tattoo or something, don’t go towards a whacko religious movement/cult.
- I came across this on the NPR website, it’s a list of the 100 top musical works of the 20th century, originally broadcast in the year 2000 . I like lists like this. I like going through them and seeing which I’ve heard (hopefully a lot) and which I haven’t but really should, and which I just don’t understand how they got on the list. It’s like the AFI movie lists. Looks like I’ll have to set up an Excel list for music now…
- Thank you writer Raina Kelley: Five Truths About Reality Dating Shows you just summed up why I hate reality shows, the dating ones in particular. I don’t understand why they are so popular. With the most recent Bachelor as evidence (solely gained through reading blurbs on it and never once letting the channel surfing get anywhere close to it with any length of a pole, 10, 11 or otherwise) all reality dating shows do is show the worst sides of people, unfortunately mostly women. I don’t understand why they let themselves be paraded around and given little more consideration than a shirt or tie selection for the guy in question. We watch TV and movies to see people that aren’t us, why would we want to watch our lives, we’re living them and besides, normal people? Boring. All reality shows do is reinforce stereotypes of people in a faux parallel world where the situations are carefully written and tailored so the outcomes are what they are: predictable, embarrassing, usually disgusting, degrading, and a pox on our society. I hope I never become a woman who is so desperate for some kind of comfort, whether it be through an “attractive” or “powerful” guy, each measured by the size of his bank account, that I’ll dump all of my self-respect and hope for real (not reality) love that I attach myself to someone relatively well off in such a painfully atrocious fashion. I may be square, but as Huey once said, it’s hip.
- So, who wants to show this to the US government? Facebook, YouTube At Work Make Better Employees
- Not to keep (rather, again) complaining about this but this article brought to mind some interesting comparisons, Inside the Duggar Family’s Conservative Ideology to what I remember about traditional Hindu culture, and if I remember correctly, often to current Indian culture as well. These families are teaching their daughters to have no concerns, no skills beyond that of a domestic, motherhood centered life (and in this age, unless you are well off, you can’t raise a family on one income alone, particularly a large family). From what I remember, women in India were to be obedient to their father and brothers, then to their husbands, and finally to their sons, keeping the obedience to the husband to his death, if she wasn’t required to do the whole funeral pyre with him thing. One would think that these Christians (I won’t say so-called though I’m sure they’d call me a so-called Christian) wouldn’t like following the practices of a “heathen” culture. The same kind of obedience is found in Islamic cultures as well. I was really hoping that my daughters (when and if I have them, plural or singular it matters not, though I’m not doing more than 3 kids I’d actually like to enjoy them and I’m sure not having to contend with more than two siblings is a good thing for most kids’ quality of life as well [I only have 1 sibling]) wouldn’t have to put up with the cult of domesticity, as my AP US History book called the whole keep women barefoot in the kitchen (whether literally or figuratively) movement. I really hoped we’d gotten past that. But no, history cycles and we’re doomed to repeat it so I guess they will. I only hope that the work of the women in the early parts of the 20th century were enough to override the more pernicious aspects of the Co’D. I’ll keep my fingers crossed. And teach them that yes, babies are cute, but only one or two at a time. And if you’re going to go against your upbringing…get a tattoo or something, don’t go towards a whacko religious movement/cult.
- I came across this on the NPR website, it’s a list of the 100 top musical works of the 20th century, originally broadcast in the year 2000 . I like lists like this. I like going through them and seeing which I’ve heard (hopefully a lot) and which I haven’t but really should, and which I just don’t understand how they got on the list. It’s like the AFI movie lists. Looks like I’ll have to set up an Excel list for music now…
06 April 2009
Musings, Part G
- In times gone by, I actually wasn’t too enamored of the idea of going to a rock concert. I’m not quite sure why, maybe because I always appreciated the CD more or the cleaner sound on a recording. Concerts to me were supposed to be serious things, classical things. And part of me still feels that way. However, now that I have taken the opportunity to go hear one of my favorite artists live here in DC and am doing so again in May, I understand the appeal. Granted, in October there were people in a box down the way from me that were awfully loud and really shouldn’t have been drinking but otherwise, the crowd sort of added to the experience, also the slight changes in how the songs were performed were also welcome. I probably am annoyed at them more because I’ve been taught, my entire life, that you don’t make a scene in a concert. You are quiet; you enjoy the music but do so silently. Probably should stop thinking that way. Anyway, the concert I attended and am attending are in relatively low key venues, the DAR Constitution Hall which is no Verizon Center, which is for the bigger (more bombastic acts, like the recent Britney Spears [bleck, I can’t believe I’m typing her name] offering). Even though I’ve had no problems and have made sure to keep my ticket within reason (under $70 in each case for a seat on the box level) I understand the plight of those in the recent NY Times article In Online Era, Fans Need Digital Smarts to Get Concert Tickets. My mom and sister are lucky enough to get to go to Coldplay later this year in a rather large venue. Their tickets were a couple hundred. DC may not get the really popular shows but at least you can find reasonable tickets for the good stuff.
- Even after walking through jello at my fifth grade fun day/class send off and subsequently swearing it off for, well, years this article makes me hungry for orange jello…maybe in the shape of a castle? Their T-Square Is the Jelly Mold.
- Yay Disney!: A Museum to Show Walt Disney’s Human Side. Yes, I grew up in Orlando and yes we went to Disney World several times a year. It is the happiest place on Earth, after all. I like the spirit of the parks, of the company, of the films. In my leadership class in middle school, I even chose good old Walt as my leader of choice to do a project on. So some stuff may be shady, gives him color. Just look at what the guy created and inspired to be created. Good for you, Mrs. Miller, definitely a museum I’d visit. And if I get to California sometime soon (even if it’s not soon) I totally will.
- Another human portrait of a big historical figure can be found in the op-ed The Origin of Darwin. Three cheers for Darwin. Happy birthday. Well, belated.
- The strange: R. Crumb Zaps the Bible. Genesis via comic strips? Hmm…wonder if he’ll try to make it funny.
- What is wrong with the electorate that we keep having these problems: Ruling Favors Franken in Minnesota Senate Contest I’m all for Franken getting seated in the Senate, I think it’d be great. Well, only because I know he is seriously interested and involved in politics. But seriously, get it over with one way or another people, geez. I apologize for Florida, I have before and can continue to do so, we started this whole mess back in 2000 but that doesn’t mean you should follow our example. It means you really, really shouldn’t. Get it together people, seriously.
- Even after walking through jello at my fifth grade fun day/class send off and subsequently swearing it off for, well, years this article makes me hungry for orange jello…maybe in the shape of a castle? Their T-Square Is the Jelly Mold.
- Yay Disney!: A Museum to Show Walt Disney’s Human Side. Yes, I grew up in Orlando and yes we went to Disney World several times a year. It is the happiest place on Earth, after all. I like the spirit of the parks, of the company, of the films. In my leadership class in middle school, I even chose good old Walt as my leader of choice to do a project on. So some stuff may be shady, gives him color. Just look at what the guy created and inspired to be created. Good for you, Mrs. Miller, definitely a museum I’d visit. And if I get to California sometime soon (even if it’s not soon) I totally will.
- Another human portrait of a big historical figure can be found in the op-ed The Origin of Darwin. Three cheers for Darwin. Happy birthday. Well, belated.
- The strange: R. Crumb Zaps the Bible. Genesis via comic strips? Hmm…wonder if he’ll try to make it funny.
- What is wrong with the electorate that we keep having these problems: Ruling Favors Franken in Minnesota Senate Contest I’m all for Franken getting seated in the Senate, I think it’d be great. Well, only because I know he is seriously interested and involved in politics. But seriously, get it over with one way or another people, geez. I apologize for Florida, I have before and can continue to do so, we started this whole mess back in 2000 but that doesn’t mean you should follow our example. It means you really, really shouldn’t. Get it together people, seriously.
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