If you have been to my house you know I always have too many magazines. Magazines everywhere! That’s why when Li-Shen sent me this way of making tables out of magazines I was very happy! Now I just have to read a few and bam, instant table.
A post on the Google blog post pointed out that New Orleans has street view on Google Maps now. A lot of it is really good. And a lot of it makes me ashamed to be American. I urge you to take a look. Flood St. is a great place to start. The number of moving vans you see in these, and the advertisements for home buying, are interesting.
Dwight Yoakam used to do impressions of Richard Nixon.
*According to wikipedia
I have always been a strong believer in a spectrum of gray instead of a black & white/straight or gay idea of sexuality. Today when I was re-signing up for FeedMe, a foodie dating experiment/tv show/social network, I was faced with their super excellent spectrum, food themed, of course:
The last one made me giggle.
(that’s the wedding march if you didn’t understand my humming. 
)
I am going to approximately a kajillion and four weddings this year, so I thought I would point out this bit of wisdom I found in a CHOW article I was reading. It is succinct and brilliant:
“Better to have hors d’oeurves and cocktails only, with no main course, than to have a cash bar.”
My corollary would be “If you are not having a bar*, tell me beforehand so I can bring a flask.”
*And honestly, if you are not, how did I get invited to this wedding, because we’re not friends.
The Museum of Jurassic Technology is one of my favorite places in the whole wide world. I think my life insurance goes to them. If you are ever in LA, you should go. Why do I say this now? Because the MJT showed up in the oddest (but most totally appropriate place) today.
NOW by typing this I am totally outing myself as an LG15 watcher, which I totally am. Though the las few turns have totally pained me (”the microchip contained something in BINARY! How do we figure that OUT?”), they were led to a mysterious museum. THE MJT!!! How many chances does a half real half not real museum get to participate in a half real show? Awesome.
Now you can commence making fun of me for watching LG15. But that Jonas is so hott!
The Netflix Suggestion Engine gave me some funny recommendations today. Why did it think I liked Beyonce and Cher, I wondered. Oh, because of stereotypes.
The Beyonce Experience: Live
Because you enjoyed:
Clearly these two films are very similar. Anyone who cares about the most racist miscarriage of justice in contemporary America must also love Bootylicious.
Because you enjoyed:Showgirls
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
Oh, the shame. I like trashy films and Dolly Parton. Damn you, Netflix, I do not like Cher.
Do other people think things like, “Oh awesome–this dirndl inspired shirt is totally perfect for the Holocaust denier lecture I am going to.”
I totally wish all clothing was dirndl inspired because they look particularly awesome on me. Not because I go to a lot of Holocause denial events.
While looking for something online, I found a torrent of Mormon films. I have watched three so far and they are really interesting. They are all pretty comedic/romantic because they almost always (so far) center around Utah and getting married. And all mention how they don’t like swearing. Frequently there are some references to no caffeine or alcohol. I think it’s interesting that Mormon movies are pretty much playing into every Mormon stereotype ever. They also all seem to have a rockin theme song written for them with the title of the movie in it.
I am in the middle of “Church Ball” about the mean streets of Mormon church basketball. An odd topic to be sure, but odder still it stars Andrew Wilson, Clint Howard, Gary Coleman, ad Fred Willard with an eye patch.
What? How did that happen? Fred Willard?
Next up is Mobsters and Mormons, starring the former host of Studs, Marc DeCarlo. I cannot wait to be offended by see it.
Can I just mention how excited I am that this recent salmonella outbreak (which is terrible and horrible) is veggie related? You know in ten years when I mention eating a tomato, no one is ever going to say, “OH I’d never eat those! All those people got salmonella from them!” Yet any time I mention how much I love Jack in the Box, I get a hearty laugh and people say they’d NEVER eat there (even though fewer people got sick in that incident, and JitB now has the most extensive food safety testing of pretty much any restaurant) because of their food poisoning incident. I mean it’s horrible that we have to be skeptical or frightened of any food, but the fact that, for some reason we have been frightened into believing things that grow from a literal pile of excrement are less likely to make us sick than things protected from it by hide is bizarre to me. Obviously proper handling is necessary for both, and there are temperature issues for meat, but how saintly are vegetables that it never occurred to people that they too could poison people?
Now I want a Jack taco. Sadly the nearest one is over 600 miles away.
I love this image, but I must ask, why the wicker chair?
The Mole has always been one of my favorite reality tv shows. The first season had Anderson Cooper, and that itself would be good enough. But it’s also the thinking man’s (or lying man’s) reality tv show. Basically, someone on the show is working for the show to try and fake out the other people. The viewer doesn’t know who the mole is. The second season was “Celebrity Mole” with Kathy Griffin and Stephen Baldwin. Brilliant. I haven’t seen Seasons 3 or 4.
This season kind of sucks. There’s really only one guy I like. There was an awesome whiner who almost died anytime they had to do anything physical because he was malnourished and asthmatic. But there is one good character I love/hate. The faux Omarosa. The bitchy character is a Chicago OB/GYN who won my heart on the first episode when someone told her she had to do something and her reply was, “All I have to do is stay black and die!”
I would not usually write about The Mole. But here’s the odd thing. Every episode, The Bitch character wears at least two different outfits that are emblazoned with UIUC insignias. Who on earth has that many different pieces of college clothing!? Though it is irrational, it totally makes me think she is the mole, and being paid by UIUC. She’s not really giving UIUC a great reputation, unless their new ad campaign is, “The undergraduate institution which turns out spoiled brats who make a lot of money.” Hmm that is somewhat true though I don’t know that they’d sing that from the hills.
If you look at my Flickr stream at all you may have noticed the low quality of my pictures. This is not due to my usual lack of talent, but because my camera is dying and I am now taking most photos with my iSight. So I need a new camera. Despite having spent enough time developing my own film to make me sterile, I know little about actual camera things. Though I have polled friends, they have little to say. Does anyone have any recommendations? I don’t want a serious camera–I want one that will make me look like I know what I am doing, is tiny, and withstands my abuse (oddly, much like my list for potential mates). Also, moderately priced. Again, like my choice in suitors.
Any rave reviews or complaints would be welcome.
It is very difficult to avoid the presidential election process. This is very hard when your business is news. I don’t care, and the primary annoys me. In November, I will care. Now I do not. And this morning I realized I think why it annoys me so much. Because I am still totally confused as to why people think Obama is so awesome/different/better than candidates before him. Obviously his PR, personal style, and speaking ability distinguish him. But the fact that he’s already backpedaled his strong beliefs (Rev. Wright scandal) and avoids stating any strong beliefs that might be controversial is just more of the same political machine it seems to me.
Yes, of course, everyone in this situation (war, healthcare, economy) loves change. But that depends whether your change involves blaming America for 9/11. I just see no definition of what these platitudes mean, and when there is definition it’s still so slimy politician what you want to hear. What I’d love to really hear is an educated candidate who say, “Yeah I don’t agree with everything my preacher says, but clearly the US Government has been shafting black people for a long time.” or, “YeS our involvement in Israel is a root cause of 9/11.” But he doesn’t do that, he says something bland instead. Can anyone help explain why they have an Obama crush?
My family can’t keep track of my friends. They make fun of me that I have friends in every city. And a friend mentioned today that I travel a lot. Except I was sad I was doing so little traveling this year. Ha. I take for granted never staying in one place, always having someone in the next port.
And I have been in a relative (to me) slump, and lots of people called, texted, emailed, or came by plane, train, or car to help me out. Not because I asked, or not necessarily just to see me, but that’s how my friends are. They’ll take a 4 hour bus trip to see me when I am in a town nearby. And I will do the same. And you might not think that’s weird, but I think most people do. Because a lot of people won’t even pick you up at the airport 15 mins from their house. And my friends will. Because they are super, super awesome.
And I am not the easiest person to help. As my friend Grace said, “You are the most independent person I know.” I take that as an extreme compliment, but I am realizing it’s also a bad thing. Or it can be. My favorite movie is Showgirls, and though people ridicule it (as do I), there’s a scene where the main character (who runs out of every scene rather than deal with anything) is told:
“You got your arms straight out, saying, ‘Back off, motherfucker.’”
“Yeah, you got that down. BACK OFF, MOTHERFUCKER!”
It’s my nature to have my hands straight out yelling, “Back off, motherfucker.” (Hereafter referred to as BOMF). I don’t need your help, why won’t you just let me do it by myself? It’s a hereditary stubbornness, combined with an upbringing where I could never do anything alone. I am hardwired to do things for myself, by myself, and I am not comfortable with asking for help or even realizing when people are offering it. Asking for help feels like conning a mark to me. But my friends are awesome, because they help anyway. They self-correct for my BOMFy tendencies. And that’s good. I know a few other BOMFy people and I think sometimes we just have to be sat down (literally or metaphorically) by our friends and told to accept help.
So, thanks everyone. You rule. Whether you force me to leave the house, listen to my late-night calls, take my ims, offer advice, realize when I am roundaboutly asking for help because you know it’s hard for me to ask directly, or get out of the way when I am yelling, “Back off, motherfucker!” you are helping. And I am trying to put my hands down and shut up more often.
Everything you need to know you can learn from Showgirls, in my opinion. In the future, all writing will prove that.
I was obsessed with the show Today’s Special as a child. Every few years I would do some searching for it to no avail. Well the internet has caught up wih the late 80s! YouTube has a bunch of great vids, including the intro. It’s painfully musical (and the singing isn’t even very good) and Canadian, and the storyline revolves around a department store with a mannequin with a magical hat that turns him “real” or at least real in a gay high school musical sense of real. The other characters are a dept. store window designer, a puppet security guard, and a talking puppet mouse. I do not know for sure, but I think a talking puppet mouse would shock me more than a living mannequin with a magic hat. In retrospect I have no idea why the mannequin didn’t leave the store when real a la Mannequin. I haven’t been this excited since Danger Mouse came out.
Now to lose many hours to Zoobalie Zoo.
I wish Andrew WK were my life coach.
I love postcards. I always write them when on vacation but I almost never send them. I am thinking of working on that by sending someone a postcard once a week. Would you like to get postcards? If so, send me your address at snailmailpostcards at gmail. Even if you know I know your address, send it there as a sign up. Potentially I will be taking pics of the postcards I send. It’s like the opposite of PostSecret! PostNotSecret.
Dear Germany, Finland, & Austria,
Thanks for taking the heat off of America. You have been upping the crazy recently. Sure, we have school shootings, but you have been kicking it old school. Which suits you, since you are America Old School. First you had your own school shooting, Finland. Then you, Austria, had the second kids raised in an incest cellar episode. The story doesn’t even make sense–there’s about eight parts of the story that seem impossible (who doesn’t go in their cellar for 22 years?). And it’s the second time it happened there! Is Flowers in the Attic available in German translation? Because I bet it would be selling like hotcakes right now.
And then today, frozen babies found by their siblings in Germany. What is going on Europe? Is the crazy tied to the Euro to dollar ratio and it’s finally swung around to you in a big way? Or are you just so bored with the American political news you had to step it up? I mean the rest of the world is trying with volcano eruptions and Earthquakes in the Midwestern US, and the crazy fundie mormons, but kudos, Europe. Way to school us.
All my love,
~J
I never thought I would see Spike Lee tell someone to stop talking about racial issues. What would Mookie say?
though maybe not in the way I would have liked.
So last night I watched the film Urban Cowboy. And I can’t think of a film that I have seen in a long time that is so foreign to my understanding of human interaction. Firstly, why is an Italian-American playing a hick? I have no idea. Secondly, the plot could be summarized as a woman breaking up with an abusive husband for an abusive boyfriend. The end of the story is the abusive husband beating up the abusive boyfriend for abusing his wife? I am so confused. This wins her love back. Really?
Also, the major disagreement of the entire film is that this woman wants to ride a mechanical bull but her husband will not let her. I mean he is really angry about her mechanical bull riding. Has anyone in the history of the world ever broken up a marriage over a mechanical bull disagreement? How was this movie pitched as real-seeming? And at first he seems angry about it because it might hurt her, but then he is sort of angry because she is good at it? Is she supposed to seem like kind of a slut for being good at bull riding?
Also, who puts a punching bag in a bar? That just seems like a recipe for a fight. The climax of the film is an indoor rodeo with a dance contest. Instead of joining a mechanical bullriding contest, why didn’t both of them join the dance contest? Clearly the film shows they are better at dancing than bullriding and they both agree about it. Also, how do you score a mechanical bull for rodeo? I am mystified. If I were from a rural area, I would feel like this movie was my “The Jazz Singer.”
However, any film with a Dolly Parton lookalike contest is not all bad.
On a layover in the Cincinnati airport (which may actually be a bus station that my plane happened to land at), I had about three minutes to pick up a sandwich. I signed my credit card bill with my usual haste (my signature includes 6 letters, tops) and rearranged everything I was carrying. The woman behind the counter stopped me and asked if I was an artist. I replied in the negative and she began listing off other creative occupations. Musician, maybe? I was starved, sleep deprived, and in a hurry so I couldn’t figure out what she was getting at. I wasn’t dressed odd, but I thought to myself, “Maybe I look hip for Cincinnati?”*
Finally she said that my signature is indicative of high levels of creativity. She was sad when I said I do things “with computers (hey, I was tired).” I was interested in this assessment, but when I said something self-deprecating about how messy my handwriting was she said it was so, but in a designed/artistic way.
Take that Queens Board of Elections, who finds my signature too arty to allow me to vote. And now I am sad to have let down an airport newsstand clerk who has an awesome hobby. I didn’t want to tell her I pretty much do the opposite of art, though I do use the whiteboard more than my coworkers.
*Though I spent scant minutes in Cin City, and they were all in the airport, I definitely did get a sense that even boring me was way hipper than your average person coming through the Cincinnati bus station airport.
Remember when widget commonly meant a generic product and NOT a small piece of software? What are econ teachers using now instead?
I also kind of miss when you would play music to death and you could see the physical effects/degredation. That DK tape with the worn off letters and the snaggly bit near “Holiday in Cambodia.” While this is silly from a preservation standpoint, I kind of miss seeing the physical effects of loving music so much. The Smiths section of my hard drive will never outwardly show more wear than the other parts.
On this super mega-important day in the democracy [sarcasm], I recall one of my favorite Bill Hicks bits:
“I’ll show you politics in America right here. ‘I believe the puppet on the right shares my beliefs.’ ‘Well, I believe the puppet on the left is more to my liking.’ Hey, wait a minute, there’s one guy holding up both puppets! ‘Go back to bed, America, your government is in control. Here’s Love Connection, watch this and get fat and stupid. By the way, keep drinking beer.’”
In etsy’s continuing plan to choke me on material goods, I really now want wooden knuckles.
I am loving the color and subject of this library art. I think the first is my favorite.
I think matryoshkas are the new “pirates.” They are everywhere. This is exciting to me because I love them. I have wanted some Yakov Smirnov ones for quite some time. These computer storage size ones though are my new favorites. Urban Outfitters is all over matryoshkas. They had some wall decals and this pillow. They also have a set of blank wood ones:
I have some of these someone was freecycling. I am completely excited about them, but what to do? I have 4 different styles of them, so I have a lot of choices.
I really like the plain wood look. But then I thought I could stain them in different wood colors. My original idea when I got them was to paint them with some of the vocabulary hierarchies from work. So like, Food and Drink>Beverages>Beer>Craft Beer.
The unification of crafting, taxonomies, and booze would be a beautiful thing indeed.
But I like these more modern matryoshkas, so any new ideas are appreciated.
Found via Idun’s Apple
Important question for tonight’s GOP YouTube Debate.
On March 15th, Ryan Skipper was found stabbed to death on the side of the road in Wahneta, Florida. Ryan was murdered because he was gay. (The Ledger).Ryan’s parents, Lynn and Pat Mulder, have posted a question for the Republican YouTube Debates which will air tonight, Wednesday, November 28th. They’re asking what the GOP candidates intend to do to combat “social climate of condemnation and rejection which is often the result of misguided religious teaching.”You can help insure this video gets the attention it deserves. Please …
1. Repost this bulletin
2. If you have a blog - blog it!
3. Email it to your friends, family, etc., and of course …
4. Watch it.
When I was a kid, my mom took me to the mall a lot. Outdoor, 70s-type malls that were bigger than 90s strip malls. And a lot of them had public art. The art was pretty contemporary, and “out there” and often, fake paranormal exhibits, or Rube Goldberg machines. I LOVED these things. I remember the day they took the magical moving rock away. You could see the wires left bare, and the magical moving rock sign was still there. It was like finding out there was no Santy Claus.
My favorite art mall was the Cermak Plaza in Berwyn, IL. It had car pelts…..flattened cars hung like bear rugs. It also had this AMAZING landfill commentary sculpture made of old household appliances. It was torn down when I was a kid. But the biggest, most spectacular piece was the car spindle.
You might know it better from Wayne’s World. But it’s really in Berwyn, not Aurora.
The parking lot of where the car spindle is was probably the last place I ever drove a car (in driver’s ed), ironically. I have taken many people there over the years, and the longer it stands, the more I wonder, “Cars were really that big? Why?” The last time I went there, we were in a Honda Civic. It looked miniscule! Using consumer trash and cars for art in the parking lot of a suburban mall is ballsy, and far more meaningful than putting it in a museum.
I love public art. I love contemporary art. I love controversial art. I really dislike cars. I really don’t think our culture (including me) thinks enough about how much technology we throw away needlessly. I can’t help but think that these very core beliefs I hold as an adult had nothing to do with some of my happiest memories as a kid with this art.
And now they are tearing it down.
To build a Walgreens.
There’s already a Walgreens IN THE MALL.
If you live in Chicago you will understand the true irksome nature of this. Chicago has a Walgreens every 5.8 feet. You know, in between the hot dog stands and the banks. Seriously, I have never seen more drug stores than in Chicago. I guess you need a lot of Tums with the hot dogs.
There’s not a lot of current news that I can find, but if we can still do anything, here are some links. My brother saw it up on November 3, and there’s a Flickr photo from Nov. 17. I hope it sticks around another month so I can go see it one last time. Critical mass did a ride to it:
When’s the last time you saw Critical Mass protecting cars?
Anyone “on the ground” have some news?
