An affinity for asterisks

After answering a few silly questions, mostly about your social life and interests, this goofy quiz site will tell you which punctuation point you most resemble. This piqued the interest of the uber-nerdy part of my brain, so I spent the five minutes to take the quiz. Although the *asterisk* has always been my preferred mark of punctuation, it seems that I am an exclamation point (!!!). I have no problem with being the life of the punctuation party, and I can absolutely see the parallel to my actual life, but am I really called to action so often that it requires a comparison of me with a Chicago street hooker? (And why not Queens or Burbank or Plainfield, CT, for gosh sakes?)

You scored 69% Sociability and 41% Sophistication!

Yes, you are fine around others. Fine. But you wish you could have just a *little* more alone time. Okay, well, a lot more alone time. In fact, you'd be happier if you didn't have to go out nearly as much. You get along very well with the period, who tries mightily to take up as much of the load as he can. But fools will not listen. You want to scream, "Cut it out, for the love of Safire!" But, all of that notwithstanding, you do your duty. And, if sometimes you feel like a Chicago street hooker, you also remember that you really do have an important role to play. Your soul remains pure. Hold your head high!

Today's tunes

My ears are happy tonight 'cuz of these tunes:

Pieces of the Sun ~ Test Your Reflex





Lay Your Head Down ~ Keren Ann

Savior ~ Monster in the Machine

Drift and Die ~ Puddle of Mudd
(Of course, this video is improved by the appearance of skateboarders, muscle cars and choppers, oh my!)

She's Mine ~ Brett Dennen

Question of the Day: Anticipation

What are you most looking forward to?

Answers I've received so far:
~ Being debt free.
~ It's Sunday, so I'm already counting the days 'til next weekend.

My answer:
Finally graduating on August 10. Woo hoo!

(Post your answer as a comment.)

Killer carnival rides

A 20-something girl was killed last night on the Mind Scrambler at a county amusement park just north of NYC - apparently the fourth death at that park in as many years. This is exactly why I often avoid anything remotely dangerous at amusement parks, particularly traveling carnival rides, which are taken apart so often that riders can see loose screws and smell wet glue while they're holding on for dear life.

MSNBC reports:

The indoor attraction spins riders around in a darkened tent with flashing lights. It was the scene of another deadly accident on May 22, 2004. Stephanie Dieudonne, 7, wriggled free of the restraining bar on one of the cars, knelt on the seat and fell soon after the ride started, according to investigators.

The amusement park was not cited for any violations or required to make improvements to the ride after the girl’s death, but officials announced plans to add seat belts, more lighting and a second attendant at the Mind Scrambler.

Friday’s accident marked the fourth fatality within as many years at the county-owned Playland, a National Historic Landmark that opened in 1928. After the Mind Scrambler accident in 2004, a 7-year-old boy was killed the next year when he climbed out of his boat ride and fell, according to investigators. A 43-year-old man drowned after wading into a lake at the park on July 4, 2006.

And if the rides don't kill you, there's still a chance you might not walk away. There was a gory accident at Six Flags in Louisville, KY, last week:

A 13-year-old girl's feet were severed just above the ankles Thursday as she rode the Superman Tower of Power ride, park officials said. The ride lifts passengers 177 feet straight up, then drops 154 feet, reaching a speed of 54 mph, according to the park's Web site.

I've always gone on rides at Disney World, though, banking on the assumption that any efforts to sweep an accident under the rug would quickly make me a wealthy woman (and if I croaked, my family owning a nice chunk of central Florida). Either way, at least there'd be a silver lining, right? *smirk*)

But these reports just legitimize any misgivings I've long had about rides in general, so I'm just not sure how I feel now. It makes you wonder if those urban legends we grew up with (you know, like the man being decapitated on Space Mountain at Disney World) were really true.

Question of the Day: Tonight

What are your plans for tonight?

Answers I've received so far:
~ Not sure yet. Waiting on you!
~ Drinking the blues away. Wanna come?
~ Hoping to hook up. That would be, like, ahhh.
~ I wanna go to a movie, even though I'm exhausted.

My answer:
Was supposed to go on a pub crawl with some of the girls, but the weather is looking prohibitive. Perhaps we'll find just one place to plant our rears for the night.

(Post your answer as a comment.)

1 among 1001

1000 Journals was an artistic and social experiment carried out by Someguy (actually what this random dude from California calls himself). He allowed people to sign up to receive any one of 1000 journals that he mailed out around the country. After each person contributed to the journal she'd received (by writing, drawing, doodling, pasting random scraps of paper and doing whatever in it), she sent it off to the next person on the list. When the last person on the list was finished, it was sent back to Someguy, who then scanned the pages and posted them online for all to see. He eventually ended up creating an exhibit - and then a book - of journal pages, exposing the hopes, fears, creativity and insanity of people around the globe. A documentary is in the making.



It was an amazing project, with even more incredible results. Its successor, 1001 Journals, works a bit differently. This time around, there is an unlimited number of journals, because they are created by individuals. Those folks each purchase a journal and sign it up online. They allow people from around the world to sign up to receive it (much like we did with the original project), and it is sent to each person on that list (generally moving from one person to the next each week or two). Again, when it's completed, it's sent back to the founder, who then scans it and posts it online to share with the world. The other method is for someone to create a journal and leave it someplace public, such as a coffeehouse or bar, where people can seek it out after learning about it online or simply dive in after stumbling upon it while getting their caffeine (or Jack & Coke) fix.

Of course, I had to participate in this exercise. It is so beyond up my alley (that is, if I had an alley, it would be). So, please, sign up (all you need is a user name and email addy) to contribute your maniacal meanderings to my journal. :) It's very freeform, meaning you can do whatever you want with it, in it and on it - your blundering thoughts, scribbles, doodles, drawings, photographs, clippings, scraps, gumwrappers, art, brilliance and insanity. (One rule: nothing hateful.) If all goes well, I will do another, and another...

I love this bit on the 1000 Journals Web site:

Rediscover Your Creativity:
If you ask a kindergarten class how many of them are artists, they'll all raise their hands. Ask the same question of 6th graders, and maybe one third will respond. Ask high school grads, and few will admit to it. What happens to us growing up? We begin to fear criticism, and tend to keep our creativity to ourselves. Many people keep journals, of writing or sketching, but not many share them with people. (when was the last time a friend invited you to read their diary?) You will not be judged here. And you will have company. This is for you. For everyone.

Overheard on a Starbucks patio

From one stranger (middle-aged, sun-weathered man in Dickies) to another (20-something, red-headed girl in Chucks):

"Are your parents well?"

"Um, yeah, they are, but they're getting up there. Ya know."

"My mother died in New Jersey, and my dad died here."

"Wow. Hm."

Deviant Art

If you appreciate aesthetically pleasing things - photos, drawings, comics and such - poke around the Deviant Art site. There's so much amazing stuff that you won't notice the hours passing.

The work of Netherflux (aka Nich Angell in the UK) is sometimes melancholy, sexy, funny or dark, but always beautiful. Check it out. You won't be disappointed.




While you're there, check out the work of Angelreich, a Polish photographer and another of my favorites.

Question of the Day: Reading

What's the last thing you read?

Answers I've received so far:
~ "A Blessing on the Moon" by Joseph Skibell. Review: "Very good."
~ "Son of a Witch" by Gregory Maguire. Review: "Not as good as 'Wicked.'"
~ "The Photographer's Guide to Setting Up a Web Site" by Martyn Moore. Review: "Helpful."

My answer:
I'm slowly making my way through "Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser and "Living Abroad in Japan" by Ruth Kanagy. Both are very good, but it's slow going with work and school taking up much of my time. Review of former: I haven't seen the film, but I hear it has a different focus than does the book, which goes into depth about the effect fast food has had on society (e.g., income, suburban sprawl, education, immigration, the job market, health, etc.) and the exportation of that culture. Review of latter: It is by far the best book I have found about living as an expat in Japan; it covers everything you might think of, from neighborhood descriptions and language variations to instructions on setting up your Internet service and properly pouring your beer (hint: you never pour your own beer).

(Post your answer as a comment.)

Question of the Day: Toys

If you could own today just one toy from your childhood, which would you choose?

Answers I've already received:
~ My stuffed Ernie doll
~ The original Bruce Lee action figure
~ I'm too old to remember my childhood toys
~ Chinese jump rope
~ Teddy Ruxpin, Glow-Worms, Popples and my Big Wheel

My answer:
Maybe my Dukes of Hazzard Matchbox car or Lite-Brite.

(Post your answer as a comment.)

A proper motto

I think I'll adopt this as my own:

"Read, every day, something no one else is reading. Think, every day, something no one else is thinking. Do, every day, something no one else would be silly enough to do. It is bad for the mind to be always part of unanimity."

~ Christopher Morley

The Buzz still does it for me after all these years

Not too many things, and even fewer people, have been able to keep me happy for years on end. But Buzz 103.1 here in Palm Beach County has been doing it for me since I was about 13 years old, and some of you are able to do the math and figure out that's been a nice, long while.

Back in the day, the station was barely better than those underground and student-run stations you could only pull in while driving in a certain part of town, down a particular street, with your left turn signal on and all your windows down. For whatever reason, that's the only way you could get the signal, and it was all right by you because the music - and the attitude with which it was presented - was well worth it.

The station brought the best acts to town, often in the form of multi-act shows, and always at a price that even we broke-but-music-nutty adolescents could afford. The shows were the kind you'd beg your parents to drive you and a carload of friends to, the kind whose flyers sported those three priceless words, "All Ages Show." Yesss! The kind of shows you'd vividly remember later in life, say in your twenties, when, really, everything about music feels the same - your passion for finding great new bands, the excitement when you do, how it takes you away from all the shite and makes it all OK for a few glorious moments, its all-encompassing effect on your life.

The Buzz still organizes those shows, still plays that new music from bands that are signed with labels big and small and indie. The best is Sunday nights when they play tunes from those still-unsigned bands from right here in South Florida, the guys you can actually go see play at the local pub next weekend if you like what you hear.

Anyway, back to why the station still does it for me after all these years and all the changes made to its ownership, on-air staff, etc. Yeah, there's another rock station here. It plays the stuff that's found on the charts, and sometimes that's OK. (Hey, it's definitely better than the ever-present booty music, endless easy listening stations, and French Creole chat piped in from the islands.)
~ But, it never fails that what that station calls a "new" song is something I heard on The Buzz months ago.
~ Not to mention that The Buzz frequently throws in what they call "recycled" music (tunes from the 80s and 90s that we long-time listeners who are now well out of high school still love to hear once in a while).
~ And if I listen to that other station for a few hours at a time, I can start to count how many times I hear the same song over and over and over again.
~ The Buzz will ease you out your hangover with lighter tunes on Sunday mornings, and another night will help you decide whether to buy a new album by playing it on the air in its entirety.
~ Plus, this summer alone they've planned a slew of concerts: Flyleaf with Skillet and Dropping Daylight, Sister Hazel, Fiction Plane with The Police, Morrissey, 311 with Matisyahu and The English Beat, Candlebox, Reel Big Fish with Less Than Jake, Marilyn Manson with Slayer, The Projekt Revolution Tour, The Family Values Tour, Incubus with The Bravery, Ozzfest, G. Love & Special Sauce with Slightly Stoopid...
~ For me, at this time in my cubicle-restrained life, the best thing the station offers is live streaming online. I can plug my earbuds into the Mac and ignore my team while I crank out my work. Yay! In fact, I'm doing that right now at home -- the last few songs have been Say This Sooner by The Almost, Two Sisters by Fiction Plane, New Year's Day by U2, Supermassive Black Hole by Muse and Jambi by Tool.

Anyway, I could go on and on, and I won't. But I felt it necessary to profess my (truly) undying love for the radio station with which I've grown up, the station that has not sold out nor kicked me to the curb simply because my age no longer starts with a 1.

Thank you, music gods (and CBS Radio). To show my respects, I'll go lay flowers in front of the shrine on which I've placed my 311 tickets... 20 days 'til the show. Woo hoo! :)

Fecund

fee-kuhnd, -kuhnd, fek-uhnd, -uhnd

adjective
1. producing or capable of producing offspring, fruit, vegetation, etc., in abundance; prolific; fruitful: fecund parents; fecund farmland.
2. very productive or creative intellectually: the fecund years of the Italian Renaissance.

Dogpile search result:
A blog called Vie de Malchance. Its subhead reads, "Just a man living in a world where men are no longer necessary." If I can get past the pretty foul URL (www.fecundstench.com/wordpress), I'll check out the content.

Question of the Day: Build

Have you ever built anything?

Answers I've received so far:
~ Forts
~ An airplane for my brother, but I gave it to my Dad.
~ Yeah, but out of Legos: houses, a penis, a space ship, and maybe a gas station, too.
~ I pitched a tent once!

(P.S. I do not make up these answers!)

My answer:
The first two things that come to mind are a hutch for my pet rabbits when I was in middle school and a desk last month (though that was less involved than it sounds).

(Post your answer as a comment.)

Me, in a 126-question nutshell?

Despite my crazy day, I became bored within the first 45 minutes of being home. (No wonder I can never just relax!) Anyway, my Twitter friend Jonk posted his results after taking the Advanced Global Personality Test. I was surprised that mine were fairly accurate, considering he says his were less so. Those of you who know me personally, what do you think? The rest of you, go and check it out for yourself when you have a few minutes. (It's free, no worries.)

Stability results were high which suggests you are very relaxed, calm, secure, and optimistic.

Orderliness results were high which suggests you are overly organized, reliable, neat, and hard working at the expense too often of flexibility, efficiency, spontaneity, and fun.

Extraversion results were very high which suggests you are overly talkative, outgoing, sociable and interacting at the expense too often of developing your own individual interests and internally based identity.

Trait Snapshot:
clean, likes large parties, outgoing, makes friends easily, optimistic, positive, social, high self control, traditional, assertive, rarely irritated, self revealing, open, finisher, high self concept, controlling, rarely worries, tough, likes to stand out, does not like to be alone, semi neat freak, fearless, dominant, trusting, organized, resolute, strong, practical, craves attention, adventurous, hard working, respects authority, brutally honest, realist, altruistic

Still love this song

And now that I've stumbled upon the video, I dig that, too. Enjoy.

What I'm listening to

It's been a while since I last posted some music recommendations. Here are a few songs I've been listening to incessantly.

The Way I Are ~ Timbaland

Take It Away ~ The Used

Flathead ~ The Fratellis

New Slang ~ The Shins

Everything ~ Michael Buble

Toca's Miracle ~ Fragma

Wow, this list is really all over the place, isn't it? Heh, that's me, I guess!

Question of the Day: Vacations

Where did you go on your last vacation?

Answers I've received so far:
~ California and Nevada.
~ NY, you dumbass.
~ Hell.

My answer:
Orlando, FL. Specifically, the night clubs, theme parks, etc., in and around Disney World.

(Post your answer as a comment.)

Question of the Day: New music

I was out of town for a few days, but you can rest easy knowing that the QOD has returned. *whew*

What band or singer did you most recently discover and love?

Answers I've received so far:
~ Matisyahu He's the last one I found that I really, really love.
~ TV on the Radio, thanks to you!

My answer:
Peter Bjorn and John, a happy-go-lucky Swedish trio. I love their lilting vocals, whistling, bongo drums and comfy strumming. Then I found the "skateboard version" of their "Young Folks" video, and had to share it with you - so cute!



Come on, people! Step right up! Fill out your comment cards! (Post your answer as a comment.)

Question of the Day: Pets

What is your pet of choice?

Answers I've received already:
~ Dog, of course.
~ Cats, only cats, and never anything other than cats.
~ Snakes, particularly large ones that scare girls.

My answer:
If I must choose only one, dogs for sure. Aren't my lil' buddies adorable?




(Post your answer as a comment.)

I can't count to 1 million

I'm telling you, I couldn't. No, no, it's never going to happen, and don't try to convince me otherwise. It initially sounds like an easy task.

But just watch this guy. He's laying on his sofa and counting out loud in his southern twang. Today, Day Four, he's counted between 37,001 and almost 53,000 (as of my posting).

Honest! Who would make this up?! Go, take a look, and tell me you don't quickly lose faith in your own ability to lounge about, neglect your life and otherwise make an ass of yourself on the interwebs. Yeah, naw, I'm thinking I'd sooner claim the inability to count, like, at all - not even to 10.

I say this, of course, because it would be, for me, a lesser embarrassment than completing, or even attempting, this project. Now that I look at his site more closely, I realize the man has sponsors' banners draped around his living room and is selling T-shirts bearing his smirking mug and the beaming-with-pride phrase, "I helped this idiot count to 1 million." This means that not only does he have entirely too much time on his hands and a skewed picture of what might entertain people (you know, normal people, not bloggers like me). He also has high hopes, BIG dreams. This man is an entrepreneur.

Take that, critics. You and I work much, much harder for our money. Shame on us, and God speed to him.

Question of the Day: SCUBA

Have you ever been SCUBA diving?

Post your answer as a comment.
(Bonus points if you know what the acronym stands for.)

Answers I've received already:
~ No, but I've been snorkeling.
~ No, dern it! But I want to. Does that count?
~ No, I like to breathe. Thanks.
~ Yes, yes, a thousand times, yes! Oh, wait. SCUBA? I thought you said muff. OK, nevermind.

My answer:
Nope, snorkeling is more my speed.

(Post your answer as a comment.)

Question of the Day: Socks

Where do you buy your socks?

Post your answer as a comment.

Answers I've received so far:
~ Athlete's Foot
~ Target (this was a popular one)
~ Who the eff knows? I don't remember the last time I bought socks.

My answer:
Target, usually (big surprise).

(Post your answer as a comment.)

Author to be knighted (if he isn't bombed first)

Salman Rushdie has accepted the offer of knighthood from the Queen of England. But BBC and NPR report that this announcement led Mohammed Ijaz ul-Haq, Pakistan's religious affairs minister, to basically call suicide bombers to action. According to the British newspaper, The Guardian, he said, "The west is accusing Muslims of extremism and terrorism. If someone exploded a bomb on his body he would be right to do so unless the British government apologizes and withdraws the 'sir' title."

For a bit of background: Rushdie is an accomplished author, whose novel "Midnight Children" won him the prestigious Booker Prize in 1981. He was accused by his fellow Muslims of making blasphemous statements in his 1988 novel "The Satanic Verses," and the Iranian Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwah (or call for assassination) against him. So, he lived pretty much in hiding for the next 10 years, until the fatwah was called off. Since then, he has been living the life of a much-loved and -respected author: book tours, speaking engagements and other intellectual pursuits.

The U.K.'s "knight committee" (I don't know its official name or if it even has one) is made up mostly of artistic types who then pass their list of candidates onto Tony Blair to "rubber stamp" before it makes its way to the Queen. When they placed Rushdie on their list of 2007 candidates, they say it didn't occur to them that it might spark international controversy or threats of violence; they say they figured "The Satanic Verses" issue was water under the bridge. Today, Duncan Campbell, senior correspondent for The Guardian, reported on NPR that Rushdie is celebrating his 60th birthday in London with his family and friends. What will come of this remains to be seen.

Barrie Hardymon wrote this on NPR's Blog of the Nation:

With all the hubbub, fatwas, and attractive chefs surrounding him, it's easy to forget that Salman Rushdie is a wonderful writer. Before he wrote a little book called The Satanic Verses in 1988, he had already won the Booker Prize (for one of my favorites, Midnight's Children... though I can't recommend his children's book Haroun and the Sea of Stories highly enough). Well, more hubbub, I'm afraid. Saturday's announcement that the Indian-born (but still British) writer is to be knighted in the UK has enraged Iran and Pakistan all over again. To some, it's an honor richly deserved; but the long held belief that The Satanic Verses contains blasphemous references to Islam, makes the politics of the knighthood pretty tricky. However, Rushdie may not care; my favorite quote of his (about poets, but you can read artists in general) is this: "A poet's work is to name the unnameable, to point at frauds, to take sides, start arguments, shape the world, and stop it going to sleep." Here's hoping we (with your help) can do all of that here at NPR as well: start arguments... shape the world.

I, too, love that quote by Rushdie and wonder if it isn't an answer to the issue. In the end, we all should feel free to write anything we want without fear of reprisal, let alone death.

What do you think?

Video is international

YouTube has just been launched in nine other countries, and you can bet I'm on the lookout for cool stuff. But on my very first visit, I found this video about Cupid looking for a love of his own in Ireland.



Who knew Cupid had it in him?

Question of the Day: Cartoons

What's the last cartoon you watched?

Post your answer as a comment.

Some answers I've already received:
~ Smurfs
~ Dragonball Z
~ A war propaganda cartoon featuring Donald Duck as a Nazi
~ Invader Zim
~ Samurai Champloo
(Seems my friends are quite diverse. Yay!)

My answer:
Shin Chan
(definitely not for the little ones)

(Post your answer as a comment.)

Flagpole Sitta

These folks totally improved upon this already great Harvey Danger song. If only everyone's cubemates were so cool!

Get a free HIV test

The CDC says that between 180,000 and 280,000 people have HIV but don't know it yet. There are many reasons people don't get tested, fear and inconvenience among them. The usually prohibitive cost will not be a reason on National HIV Testing Day (June 27), when many health centers will offer free HIV tests. Once someone knows he has HIV, he can take the steps to maintain a high quality of life and prevent spreading it to others.

Here in South Florida, Planned Parenthood is offering free rapid HIV tests from 1 to 5 p.m. at its five centers in Broward and Palm Beach counties, which rank among the top 3 Florida counties in number of HIV/AIDS cases. The agency claims to have identified five HIV-positive people at these centers on last year's National HIV Testing Day. For locations, visit Planned Parenthood of South Palm Beach & Broward Counties, Inc. at www.lovecarefully.org.

To find a free HIV testing site in another area, visit HIV Test.

Question of the Day: Wakey wakey!

What time did you wake up today?

Post your answer as a comment.

Answers I've received already:
~ 10:30 a.m.
~ 8 a.m.
~ 2 (ish) p.m.

My answer:
I was up at 8 a.m. but went back to bed for a couple hours. (Hey, don't judge me! Sunday's my only day off!)

Some yogurt with your beetles, sir?

Vegans wouldn't eat yogurt, of course, but perhaps vegetarians should stay away from yogurt, too -- especially the strawberry kind. Apparently, the yummy pink stuff gets its color from crushed female cochineal beetles and their eggs.

See a crushed beetle, and the resulting red liquid, below. Yum.

Question of the Day: Tattoos

How many tattoos do you have?

Post your answer as a comment.

Answers I've already received:
~ None yet
~ Three
~ Eight (this was a popular number)

My answer:
One so far.

(Post your answer as a comment.)

Swear Jar

I have a jar like this every Lent. Unfortunately, you really try not to curse when the money's going to charity instead of something more fun.

Question of the Day: Sheets

What color are your sheets?

Post your answer as a comment.

Answers I've received so far:
~ Leopard
~ Sky blue
~ I don't have any 'cuz I sleep on the sofa.

My answer:
Light peach.

(Post your answer as a comment.)

Today's Trifecta

Sing.



Dance.



Tell a joke.

Have a look

Locals find respite from the scorching heat of Amritsar, India. Thank God for air conditioning. Really. (BBC)



Children play in the rubble of demolished homes in Shanghai. What imaginations they must have to find fun in such a place. Yet rich American kids live their lives forever "booooored." (BBC, again)



Main Street in Concord, NH, feels electric sans the neon. Ben McLeod's Flickr.com

Word of the day

in·fin·i·tes·i·mal
[in-fin-i-tes-uh-muhl]

adjective
1. indefinitely or exceedingly small; minute: infinitesimal vessels in the circulatory system.
2. immeasurably small; less than an assignable quantity: to an infinitesimal degree.
3. of, pertaining to, or involving infinitesimals.

noun
4. an infinitesimal quantity.
5. Mathematics. a variable having zero as a limit.

"Infintesimal gradations" is one of the many suggested solutions-to-any-problem provided by the deck of cards known as Oblique Strategies. Others suggest, "Use filters," ""Go slowly all the way round the outside," and, one of my personal favorites, "Trust in the you of now." Hmm, fairly deep for a deck of cards, no?

Just Like Honey

A raw goodbye.

Set in Tokyo, to the tune "Just Like Honey" by Jesus and Mary Chain, in one of my favorite films, "Lost in Translation."

TV on the Radio

TV on the Radio:

Rich and full, but not obtuse.
Complex and thoughtful, but easily absorbed.
The lyrics and videos are honest-to-goodness art.
The guys are bright, socially aware and innately funky - everything one really wants a band to be, no?

Well, my words won't do the music or the band justice.
So, nevermind all you've read. Just listen.

Rock. For real.
"Staring at the Sun"



Mellow and contemplative.
"Province"


P.S. David Bowie, Peter Murphy of Bauhaus, Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and others are involved in one way or another - big endorsement. Oh, and they're from Brooklyn. 'Nuff said.

Prettier in person

Don't look directly at it.

Bait and tackle

Crazy random: a tiny, silver fish laying dead in a suburban office building's parking lot.
Thinking of opening a bait and tackle shop.

Clogged pipes

Even the cleanest public restrooms are lacking.
Here, someone decided the drain was 'lacking' a stopper and added one quickly.
No paper towels for the rest of us!

Bring back love!

Hand-written sign says, 'Bring back love!'
Downtown Boca Raton isn't exactly a haven for revolutionaries (or even deep thinkers for that matter), so this sight was worth capturing.

Tune of the Day

Sondre Lerche's spunky Norwegian pop with groovy guitar melodies is my latest find. Score!


Phantom Punch

Add to My Profile | More Videos


(checkered Vans = icing)

Could you write a novel in one month?

Some industrious fools, er, artists challenge themselves to write entire novels in a single month. Others try to create a script, draw 30 pages of a comic, or complete 10 works of art during those four weeks.

Why? As part of The Office of Letters and Light's National Novel Writing Month and its sister projects. What, you haven't heard of it? (Of course you haven't. Neither had I.) Well, according to Wikipedia:

NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, is a creative writing project originating in the United States in which each participant attempts to write a 50,000 word novel in a single month. Despite the name, the project is now international in scope. Nearly 80,000 participants registered in 2006, with almost 13,000 winners verifying their novels as meeting the goal. The cumulative word total for all participants in 2006 was 982,564,701.

When I was a reporter, I cranked out at least one story per day, and I'm not sure I reached 10,000 words a month, let alone the required 50,000. Makes me wonder if most of the participants are freelancers (that is, work for themselves from home) and thus have the time to pursue such a challenge.

I don't know how other writers might feel, but I find the idea of this project intimidating for yet another reason: I often fall into the mindset (a.k.a. trap) that I can only write when inspiration strikes, only when that "flow of consciousness" (a.k.a. creative vomiting) allows me to.

But working as a reporter forced me to look at writing as something one can do on cue. To this day, even after years of writing on cue for professors and editors, I doubt my abilities. I scowl at the final product, comparing it to some imaginary piece of work I would have created if I'd simply not been put under pressure. Truth is, perhaps I only look at those essays and news stories that way because they don't really fall under the "Writing Topics I Chose Myself" umbrella.

In the end, it's all subjective: the writing itself, the place it comes from, and the way we judge and absorb it. So, I remind myself everyday to not hesitate, to just let it flow, spit it out, puke it up, let it go, and maybe, someplace in the rubble that is my copious notes, I'll find something worthwhile, a clause or even an entire paragraph that speaks to me, to you or to somebody out there, where ever "there" is -- seems that's exactly my target market anyhow.

Regardless, it's an inspiring thought, the idea of making yourself just sit down and get on with it already. Here I was, thinking I barely had time to eat dinner, do a load of wash, and post a blog or two this evening. I better get cracking...

Fantastical

"Poof Kisslets" by Klar, who does beautiful, fantastical drawings.

This shall be added to my collection of kissing images (that is, images of kisses, not images that kiss one another, though that could be interesting).

"Don't be a douche. Stop piracy."

That's one of my favorite lines from this short film, which is ridiculous, funny, and all the better because it's Irish (if I do say so myself).

Another is, "Oh, I'll walk your plank!"

Gay flamingos adopt a chick

Carlos and Fernando, a gay flamingo couple in England, have adopted their first chick. CNN reports on the new, and quite adorable, family:

I'm listening to...

"Lazy Eye" ~ Silversun Pickups

"Words" ~ Lucinda Williams

"Flathead" ~ The Fratellis

"Split Needles" ~ The Shins

"Wait and Bleed" ~ Slipknot

"Mojo" ~ Peeping Tom

"Simmer Down" ~ Mighty Mighty Bosstones

"Waiting Room" ~ Fugazi


And you should, too!

"Prophecy" ~ Remy Zero

Strange video, but great song.
Flashback to the '90s!
Most importantly, it's on "The Last Kiss" soundtrack, which Zach Braff produced, so you know it's golden.

Tweet me, baby

To keep up with what I'm doing and thinking (cuz God knows you just HAVE to), go to Twitter.com/MetroOwl, create a username, and make sure it's connected to your cell. Then befriend me (I'm now on Twitter as "MetroOwl" to make it easier for everyone to find me). I figured it out, so it's pretty simple.

Now, everytime you send a text to 40404, I (and all your other Twitter friends) will get the text. And everytime any of us sends out a tweet, you'll get it, too. Pretty rad, eh? Course, it is quite ridiculous, and a big drag on our attention spans and efficiency. But who the hell cares. Tech rocks.

Here's what Slate.com has to say about it:

What Are You Doing?
The allure of Twitter, the latest Web sensation.

By Michael Agger
Posted Tuesday, April 10, 2007, at 4:15 PM ET


Twitter is the newest assault on your attention span. Once you've signed in, the Twitter site immediately prompts you with a question in bold type: "What are you doing?" Below, there's a blinking cursor and a blank white space where you have 140 characters with which to answer. That's basically it. Here are some twitter messages, known as "tweets," culled this morning:

limburger2001 watching csi, and preparing for our work meeting tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. Thank god for coffee ! ...

jeremias listening to Curious George in the background while drinking terroir coffee whose headquarters happen to be 5 minutes away

tiroriro Che! Me voy a cocinar

nikomiとなりの801ちゃん(本)で"「そううけほん」でぐぐれ"とか書いてるのに当の801ちゃんのblogがトップでヒットすんのは絶対罠だ

Geewiz Just recovered from a night of playing WoW.

These messages are culled from Twitter's "public timeline." Most tweets are viewable by all. They join a stream of tweets from around the globe—a ticker tape of quotidian detail. The tweets you write are also sent to designated friends via text message, e-mail, or instant message. Finally, strangers can elect to "follow" you and receive your updates. According to tracking site Twitterholic, the top 10 twitterers have thousands of people following them—a literal cult of personality. Paul Terry Walhus, a gray-haired Austin coffee-shop blogger who has 8,789 friends and 1,722 followers, is currently the most popular person on the site. His latest tweet: "5:33 am cst L:78704 starting work week ... full plate today ... toast, mango yogurt and coffee w half and half."

Drive-through

(drīv'thrōō')

adjective:
Relating to or conducting exchanges with clients who drive up to a window and remain in their automobiles: drive-thru banking.
drive-through Performed or provided quickly and routinely: a drive-through delivery in a hospital.

noun:
A drive-through establishment, especially a restaurant.
A window at such an establishment, from which business is conducted.

In a recent tweet on Twitter:
"They actually don't let you walk through a drive-thru?"

Alone in a crowd

I've always found big cities simultaneously exciting and lonesome.

This video seems to ask, "How can I feel so alone in such a crowded place?"

Word of the Day

ge·stalt or Ge·stalt

(g-shtält, -shtôlt, -stält, -stôlt)
noun

A physical, biological, psychological or symbolic configuration or pattern of elements so unified as a whole that its properties cannot be derived from a simple summation of its parts. Also called gestalt phenomenon.

At www.gestaltrecords.com:
"Gestalt Artforms is a vehicle for the creation, promotion and distribution of art that would otherwise find no voice. The organization is separated into 3 record labels; Gestalt Records, Gestalt Signals and Pseudopod Records, and the primary company, Gestalt Artforms, which also features visual and performance art ventures. Gestalt Records features a wide range of music genres, including Rock, Indie Rock, Metal/Industrial, Electronic/Experimental and Goth."

Kisses vs. balls

Women says her dog is named after a ball game played on dirt courts.

"How clever! So, you spell it Bocce?" I ask.

"No, it's Baci," she says.

"Ooh, like the candy!" I say smiling, thinking of the chocolate treats bearing the Italian word for "kiss."

She's quiet. Stares blankly for a moment.

Suspect she'll hide this spelling error from her sports-fanatic husband.

Help me name him

Last night we saw this 12-inch, lemon-lime, lizard-like creature on my kitchen window. In 21 years in Florida, I've never seen a guy like this (except baby iguanas cruelly released into the 'wilds' of suburbia).

Good luck and godspeed, little fellow!

(Let's give him a name, for posterity, shall we? Suggestions?)

Word of the Day

Dop·pel·gäng·er

noun:
A ghostly double or counterpart of a living person.

[of German origin; dop-uhl-gang-er]

It's a fun-to-say word with great creative potential that is nearly ruined by its use in pop culture: a poorly reviewed Japanese film, etc.

Super Mario Music?

You thought you'd seen the last of the original Nintendo console (except, of course, for what's emblazoned on the tees and belt buckles of those nerdy-in-a-cute-way guys). But the Super Mario Brothers tune, and others like it, live on, thanks to video game lovers turned music impresarios.

The Blip Festival will feature their music, which is created from the sound cards once used in now-obsolete video game consoles. They call all of this pretty nifty nonsense ChipTunes. The event will run Nov. 30 through Dec. 3 at The Tank(www.thetanknyc.com), a cool performance and visual art space at Collective:Unconcscious in Tribeca.

At the very least, you must must must see the crazy-cute logo of 8bitpeoples (www.8bitpeoples.com), a group of folks known to while away the hours composing these ditties.

Tunes

These days I'm listening to:

"Light Up Ya Lighter" ~ Michael Franti and Spearhead
"Breathe" ~ Snake River Conspiracy
"Only a Memory" ~ The Smithereens
"Rockstar" ~ N.E.R.D.
"Lips Like Sugar" ~ Echo and the Bunnymen
"Crooked Teeth" ~ Death Cab For Cutie
"Little Things" ~ Good Charlotte
"Click Click Boom" ~ Saliva
"Mojo" ~ Peeping Tom
"Chick Magnet" ~ MXPX
"Natural One" ~ Folk Implosion
"Set It Off" ~ Skindred

Try-my-what?

The so-called marketing gimmick of "tryvertising" can be as simple as a sample of perfume in a magazine or mini bottles of shampoo in a hotel room, or as costly (to the company, but free to you!) as brand-new, luxury loaner cars at hotels, provided by the auto manufacturers.

It has expanded to include test-living a house, much like one would test-drive a car. While this could theoretically allow a family to stay the night in and get the feel for just about any house that's on the market before plunking down a huge chunk-o-cash for it, this idea was sparked by a straw-home company whose owners tired of answering the question, "What's it like to live in one?"

According to Trendwatching:

Think of tryvertising as a new breed of product placement in the real world, integrating your goods and services into daily life in a relevant way, so that consumers can make up their minds based on their experience, not your messages.

That home builder is called Ruatuna, and these dwellings are gorgeous.

But the point to ponder here is, if this gimmick continues to expand in popularity (and it could very well, as it benefits both consumer and manufacturer) what WON'T we be able to try before we buy? (Hopefully, the answer will include people!)

What shall we listen to?

"New York Minute" ~ Mobile

"Plug Your Ears" ~ Hey Rosetta!

"Citizens of Tomorrow" ~ Tokyo Police Club

"Gideon" ~ My Morning Jacket

"Chasing Cars" and "Hands Open" ~ Snow Patrol

"Ibi Dreams of Pavement (A Better Day)" ~ Broken Social Scene

"Rebellion Lies" ~ Arcade Fire

"Sing Me Spanish Techno" ~ The New Pornographers

Do you have a list?

Found this on the Internet. It was refreshing after a long day. Thought you all might enjoy it. I'm off to start my list...

"1. Make list of dreams. 2. Start to live them."
By Marilyn Gardner

'Someday' is a word filled with promise and possibility. "Someday I want to ..." we say dreamily, finishing the sentence with a variety of specific or vague plans. There are books to read, trips to take, projects to start or finish.

But then clocks tick and calendar pages turn. Months and years go by, and "someday" never quite comes. Caught up in careers and families, duties and interruptions, we become masters of postponement.

For Carrie Tuhy, a former magazine editor in New York, that realization finally prompted action. After losing her job as editor of Real Simple magazine three years ago, she began considering her next step.

"I had always said I'll do certain things when I have time," says Ms. Tuhy, who is in her 50s. "Suddenly I had time, but I wasn't sure what these things were that I had been planning to do." Afraid she might squander this opportunity - "dribble it away on things that didn't seem significant" - she began compiling a "life list."

"We all have to-do lists," Tuhy says. "Pick up the dry cleaning or work out three times a week. They tend to be the kinds of things that aren't very nourishing. When I sat down to think about it, I made a list of things that were nourishing for me."

That list included nature, travel, spirituality, and friends. In addition to being nourishing, she says, those broad categories were "empowering."

Under each heading, she wrote specific activities. Her list grew to 25 goals. Some were big: "It wasn't just 'Take more trips.' It was 'Go to India.' " Explaining her desire to visit India and Turkey, she says, "I wanted to see the world through Muslim eyes."

Other destinations were more modest. After moving to New York as a young journalist, Tuhy stopped driving. But she still has a driver's license, and the open road beckoned. She wanted to take a driving trip.

Some items on the list were small and practical. She classifies them as "life skills" - things she wanted to know to feel competent. She enrolled in Spanish language classes, broadening her view of other cultures. She also mastered Microsoft Excel and learned to make her own business cards on the computer.

"The world requires different things of me than in the past, and I wanted to become proficient in them," Tuhy says. In the process she found pleasure, satisfaction, and accomplishment.

Making a life list is an idea gaining popularity and visibility. Ellen DeGeneres, host of a daytime talk show, encourages her celebrity guests and members of her audience to list things they'd like to accomplish.

In similar vein, novelist Stephen King recently told a New York Times reporter, "You get older, you find out time is shorter, and you read stuff you've missed before. You say, 'I can't wait forever anymore to read Eudora Welty.' I finally got to Eudora Welty."

Tuhy emphasizes that nothing about her list was done with the notion of mortality. "It was more about making the most of each day," she says.

In an achievement-oriented culture, she found that drawing up a list made her "more cognizant of the real achievements of being alive." She adds, "It made me recognize the things that will both feed your soul and engage your mind."

Today Tuhy has completed 23 of the goals on her list. But merely checking off each accomplishment isn't her point. "It wasn't just to do them, it was to dream bigger dreams." The result? "I'm much happier with the person I've become."

Ask friends and relatives what they'd like to do "someday," and the responses can be intriguing: Start painting again. Take piano lessons. Visit the Great Wall. Trace family genealogy. Attend an opera.

So many dreams, so little spare time.

Still, even the simple act of putting pen to paper and listing those dreams can spur hope that the simpler items, at least, could be carved out of moments that might otherwise be frittered away. From there, who knows? Even the grander goals might begin to take shape.

If it's never too early to start a life list, it may never be too late, either. Someday could come tomorrow, or even today.

Music To My Ears

My friends know I love them when I give them song recommendations. (And that I really, truly adore them if I fork over a custom CD, a cousin to the mixed tape once swapped by middle school puppy lovers back in the day.) Otherwise, I'm quite selfish when it comes to my music.

 

Surprise! I'm feeling generous. So, here's a short list of what I'm loving these last few days:

 

"Wolves" - Josh Ritter

"I Hear The Bells" - Mike Doughty

"Fuck the Pain Away" - Peaches

"Chinese Translation" - M. Ward

"Le Disco" - Shiny Toy Guns

"Is It Any Wonder" - Keane

"How 'Bout You" - Yonder Mountain String Band

"My Dick" - Mickey Avalon

"Level On The Inside" - Dovetail Joint

"I Turn My Camera On" - Spoon

"How Soon Is Now" - The Smiths

 

Check 'em out. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

9-Letter Riddle

There is a common English word that is nine letters long. Each time you remove a letter from it, it still remains an English word ~ from nine letters right down to a single letter.

What is the original word, and what are the words it becomes as you remove letters one at a time?

"Gay" sheep researcher talks back

Joe Robertson, a scientist at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Oregon, responded to my e-mail complaining about his team's research on "gay" sheep and how to "cure" them. In his response, note that while he states his research is not about "curing" homosexuality, he never tells me what it is meant to discover.

Dear friend,

I recently became aware of PETA's concerns about this research. Thank you for this chance to respond.

Let me start by saying the information you have received from PETA is incorrect. We have contacted PETA to let them know. I expect that their Web site will be corrected shortly. We also expect they will be contacting you with an email to correct their error.

The study that PETA urged you to write me about is indeed based in sheep. However, it is not being done to "cure homosexuality." Homosexuality is not a disease. I join you and our researchers in being personally offended by anyone who suggests that it is.

In fact, over the years, our researchers have been contacted by several gay and lesbian groups who appreciate our scientific results which support their beliefs that homosexuality is genetic and biological, not a choice.

As for the animals in this study we care deeply about them and they are treated ethically. All our research is conducted under the strict rules of the Animal Welfare Act and National Institutes of Health guidelines. It was funded by the federal government only after being reviewed by and approved top scientists in the field. In addition, panels of experts at both universities, which include members of the public and trained veterinarians, approved the research before it was allowed to commence and OHSU animal care is overseen by the US Department of Agriculture and AAALAC.

Thank you for the chance to respond. I also ask that you please join us in contacting PETA at Info@peta.org and ask that they correct their information about this research.

Thank you,
Joe Robertson, M.D., OHSU

The e-mail I sent to Robertson and other scientists was basically a form letter created by the folks at PETA, and it likely was sent by thousands of other animal lovers and GLBT supporters.

Dr. Joseph Robertson, Jr.
Oregon Health and Science University
3181 S.W. Sam Jackson Park Rd.
Portland, OR 97239-3098

Dear Dr. Robertson, Jr.,

I find it appalling that experimenters Charles Roselli of OHSU
and Frederick Stormshak of OSU are cutting open and killing gay
sheep in an attempt to "cure" homosexual tendencies. Choosing a
same-sex partner is not a disease. I urge you to stop wasting
millions of taxpayer dollars on these ridiculous experiments. I
am sure that you want your university to be known for making
real medical advancements that actually benefit humans, not for
torturing animals and promoting homophobia.

Sincerely,
xxxxx

How to drink vodka and stay sober

Russian Blog is quite interesting, and useful, especially for vodka enthusiasts!
This is a post telling what to do before, during and after drinking vodka to avoid getting sloshed (if that is, in fact, your goal):

Russians are renowned for drinking a lot of vodka staying sober. That’s not something to do with biological inheritance but with the way we drink. Russians believe that foreigners don’t know how to drink. They don’t eat while drinking. They mix cocktails. They sip vodka instead of taking shots. They drink vodka with highly carbonated sodas. In short, they do everything to get drunk from the minimum amount of alcohol. May be it has something to do with innate Western avidity or expensiveness of alcohol.
Russians, on the other hand, do everything to stay sober while drinking as much alcohol as possible. How do we do it? We try to neutralize alcohol as long as possible. I try to outline the basic principles of vodka drinking for uninitiated.

One hour before the party.

1.) Eat a couple of boiled potatoes.
2.) Drinks one or two raw eggs.
3.) Drink one or two table-spoons of olive oil. Sunflower oil will also do.

Thus it’s guaranteed that at the Russian party you will stay sober for at least one bottle of vodka. I’m not kidding. Raw eggs are the most important part of Russian pre-party preparations.

At the party.

1.) If you start drinking vodka – drink only vodka. No beer or wine. No water or juice. Carbonated drinks are taboo.
2.) Drink vodka only in shots. Never sip.
3.) Eat immediately after taking a shot. Russian zakuskis are often translated as appetizers. That’s not quite correct. Zakuskis are something you ‘zakusyvayesh’ with after taking a shot of vodka. They are very important to neutralize alcohol. That’s why they all contain two most important alcohol neutralizers – acid and salt. I recommend taking the following sequence:
- immediately after taking a shot – two slices of lemon;
- then some salted cucumbers, pickles, marinated tomatoes or caviar.
- then something with a lot of oil: herring (traditionally with cold boiled potatoes and onion), sardines, or shproty (small smoked sprats in olive oil);
- then traditional Russian salads, like Oliviye or Herring with boiled beet and mayonnaise. Almost all Russian salads come under heavy mayonnaise dressing. Remember – acid, salt, eggs and oil. Ukrainians and Southern Russians prefer smoked lard with garlic but it’s a zakuska for professionals.
4.) Only three first vodka shots at a Russian party are ‘obligatory’ so to say. That means you have to take them if you want to show you’re a friendly person but not an unsociable person. After that you can ‘miss’ one or two shots. Just say, “Ya propuskayu” (Literally, I make it slip) and cover your glass with your palm. That doesn’t mean you can abstain from drinking till the end of the party. It means (excusing yourself that you’re a foreigner) can take one shot out of two your Russian guests take.

I think, some Russian party traditions need to be explained here. In Russia we party around a big table with bottles and zakuskis. We drink only when someone makes a toast and we drink all together. The person who makes a toast usually pours vodka to all glasses. Taking a bottle yourself and drinking vodka without others is a faux pas. Actually you (and all others) are ordered to drink after a toast. Everyone at the party is supposed to make a toast – being a foreigner is not an excuse. So be prepared – buy yourself a book on party toasts (there are a lot of them on sale in Russia) and learn some by heart.

5.) Zakuskis part of the party take about an hour – or something like 200 grams (4 shots) of vodka. Then comes “goryacheye” (hot dishes). Even though zakuskis could be very filling – you should eat goryacheye if you want not be become drunk.
6.) Actively participate in intellectual talks around the table. Mental activity is probably the best method to keep you excited but sober. Try, for example, to drink two pints of beer while reading a philosophical book and see the result.
7.) At the end of the party come tea and cakes. Don’t miss it too. This way you show your hosts that you’re survived the party without dire consequences.

Now in the course of 4 or 5 hours you drunk a bottle of vodka (500 grams) and you’re only slightly tight.

After the party.

1.) Keep a small bottle of beer in refrigerator. Wake up at about 5 in the morning, drink your beer and go back to bed. It prevents hang-over in the morning.
2.) If the early morning beer didn’t help (it usually does), drink a glass of brine from the jar you kept you pickles in.

Many Russians recommend taking a shot of vodka in the morning to fights hang-over. Don’t do it. It helps only alcoholics. If you’re not, it will make things worse.

(Another) Word of the Day

vi·cis·si·tude (v-ss-td, -tyd)

noun
A change or variation. The quality of being changeable; mutability. One of the sudden or unexpected changes or shifts often encountered in one's life, activities, or surroundings. Often used in the plural. See Synonyms at difficulty.

[Latin vicissitd, from vicissim, in turn, probably from vics, pl. of *vix, change. See weik-2 in Indo-European Roots.]

This was also used in the Utne editorial piece:

May your next seven years unfold in ways that surprise and amaze you. May you find ways to put your gifts to service. May you laugh and cry and dance with the vicissitudes of life.

Side note: What a lovely paragraph!

Word of the Day

ko·an (kän)

noun
A puzzling, often paradoxical statement or story, used in Zen Buddhism as an aid to meditation and a means of gaining spiritual awakening.

[Japanese kan : k, public (from Middle Chinese kw) + an, matter.]

This was used in the editor's message in the September-October 2006 issue of Utne magazine:

While I bemoan the fact that the single-title publishing business model has become a koan - one that I, for one, have been unable to crack - I am deeply grateful that we have found such a compatible ally in Ogden.

Abortions at Sea

Women living in countries that outlaw abortions can now take advantage of top-notch Dutch medical care aboard the Women on Waves ship.

See, the catch is that the women are allowed to board this special ship, just like they would any other. But once this boat is floating in international waters, the anti-abortion laws in their home countries become a moot point.

This is a boon for oppressed women throughout Europe. Not only can they receive abortions, but ultrasounds, birth control and general gynecologic healthcare (such as pap smears and breast exams) are provided. (If you are American, think of the services provided by Planned Parenthood.)

According to its Web site, the nonprofit organization sees it this way:

Every 6 minutes somewhere in the world a woman dies needless as a result of illegal, unsafe abortion. In response to this violation of womens human rights and medical need, Women on Waves operates a mobile clinic on a ship that sails to countries where abortion is illegal. This is done at the invitation of local women's organizations. With the use of a ship, ultrasounds and early medical abortions can be provided safely, professionally and legally. Women on Waves aims to prevent unsafe abortions and empower women to exercise their human rights to physical and mental autonomy, by combining free healthcare services and sexual education with advocacy. Women on Waves is a non-profit organization.

Fort Lauderdale doggies: Unchained!

Yeah, I'm on an "All God's Creatures" kick today. Shoot me. But it was sparked when I read this news in Paw Prints, the Humane Society of Broward County's magazine:

Dogs in Fort Lauderdale and Oakland Park are wagging their taiils and thanking the mayors and city commissioners for passing an important ordinance. Taking effect this summer, the new law prohibits the long-term chaining of dogs...
We urge you to speak up for the animals and be sure to report any violations of this law to your local police department. Things to watch for include: tethering during extreme weather, availability of food and potable water, adequate shelter from the elements, periodic supervision, adequate space for exercise, and a fenced yard or sufficient enclosure to prevent the dog from escaping.

Mystery Loaf

Does meatloaf bore you? Tired of the same ol' seitan?

Go to the Mystery Loaf generator, where a new loaf recipe is posted every five minutes.

(Yes, you should feel a bit silly as the voice in your head reads these words! It's meant to be fun!)

It was created by a vegan woman named Jennifer in Washington state who posts what she packs in her son's lunch box each day on her blog called Vegan Lunch Box.

You'll never find yourself "loafing" in the kitchen again!

Gay Sheep?!

Peta2.com sent this mass e-mail around today, and I thought it was worth sharing with you:

Just when you thought animal experimenters couldn't get any lower, along come new cruel and pointless "gay sheep" experiments.

That's right; Charles Roselli of Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) and Frederick Stormshak of Oregon State University (OSU) are killing homosexual sheep and cutting open their brains in an attempt to find the hormone behind homosexual tendencies so that these tendencies can be changed.

And guess what? Roselli plans to "cure" humans of their homosexual tendencies next. Please click here to send a message to OHSU and OSU today asking them to stop experimenting on and killing gay sheep.

After you send a message, please do everything you can to help spread the word. There's an online form here that you can use to e-mail all your friends to ask them to write in.

Crafting is cool again

Consumerism is not punk rock. But creativity and self-sufficiency are.

So, craftiness is uber cool. For those crafty women-folk the world over, this is not news. But crafting has met the mainstream these days, and The Felt Club is recognizing that.

Like an awesome green market in the heart of NYC in the summer, this craft fair in Hollywood, CA, brings together a mix of modern crafters and crafting suppliers.

Crafty kitties not in Southern California should visit the Web site for links to many of the vendors. Happy shopping!

That's some sucker!

Few celebrities have done the many good deeds that Angelina Jolie has taken the time to do. This is the primary reason ~ besides her hotness ~ that she is well-liked.

So it comes as no surprise that folks enjoy doing nice things for her. When Shiloh Nouvel, her and Brad's baby girl, was born in Namibia recently, the celebrity swag began to pour in.

It included a domain name in the child's honor (shilohjoliepitt.com), courtesy of Angelina's attorneys. Also, there was a custom-designed pacifier from itsmybinky.com, a company that specializes in just such things. This is a very special binky ~ 14K white gold and 3 carats of diamonds special ~ $17,000 special.

Angelina has been generous with the people of Africa, including donating hunderds of thousands of dollars for new hospitals, schools, etc. But the folks over at TMZ.com thought it would be clever to see what that $17,000 could buy in Africa:

283 girls to go to school for one year

708 school kits - with pen, pencil, slate, pencil sharpener, erasers, notebooks and transportation of the supplies to remote areas.

61,000 people to eat for a day or feed 400 families for a month.

77 families to start small poultry businesses. Each family would get 25 chickens, a hen house, feed, and vaccinations for the chickens.

1,000 families to receive a fishing kit (two packs of twine, one pack of hooks) so they can fish to feed themselves.

10,000 safe delivery kits to help women give birth in communities or in emergencies where there is no hospital or clinic. The kits contain soap, razor blades, plastic sheeting, string and instructions to help facilitate a clean, safe delivery.

Of course, that money could put one Florida kid through a four-year state college. But that's crazy talk.

Singapore for Hedonists

A cantilevered beach 50 stories in the air.
Palm trees growing amongst slot machines.
Who-knows-how-many square feet and en-suites.
All in the heart of Singapore.
As if there weren't enough reasons to visit the city already.
It isn't coming until 2009, but we should start packing now.







Visit The Gutter at Curbed.com for more pics and links to Moshe Safdie's other goofy but awe-inspiring projects. As always, the site has really cool info and pics of interesting architecture the world over.

Another look at NYC

This is a view of the Manhattan Bridge, as seen from Houston and Suffolk streets by Forgotten-NY.com, a Web site that chronicles the lost, forgotten or otherwise often unseen parts of NYC with a camera. Take a look: there's a lot of beauty (and filth) to see and history to learn ~ even for die-hard Gothamists.

My favorite place on Earth ~ Manhattan

This is Times Square, as seen on June 2 by ChuliPichuli, whose beautiful photos of the city can be found on Flickr.com.

Are you a cheese curl or coffee ice cream cone?

You are what you eat.
Well, actually... yeah... sort of.
Neurologist Alan Hirsch, author of "What's Your Food Sign? How to Use Food Cues to Find True Love," has discovered that he can tell a lot about a person by looking at what she prefers to eat. He gave personality tests to 18,631 married people and asked them to choose their favorites from a variety of foods. He calls his theory a "food Rorschach test" and said his findings are true 95% of the time.
So, what's your favorite food?
Here's a taste of how the New York Post reported it:

ICE CREAM

Coffee ice cream lovers live life with gusto. They don't vest too much time thinking about the future. Most compatible with strawberry lovers.

Double chocolate chunkers are self-absorbed drama-queens who may be charming, seductive and flirtatious. They might be gullible and trusting, so thrive best in intimate, close relationships. Compatible with butter pecans or chocolate chips.

Vanillas are dependent, needy idealists who are most com-fortable in a secure relationship. Compatible with rocky roads and other vanillas.

SNACKS

If you like pretzels, you're over-committed, fad-following, quirky and fun. You're good with other pretzels, but may fall for chips and cheese curls.

Tortilla chips: You're a justice-minded perfectionist who's always on time. Stick with other tortilla chips.

Potato chips: You're a competitive high-achiever. Compatible with chips and pretzels.

VEGETABLES & FRUITS

If you prefer fresh apples, pineapple glaze and corn on the cob, you don't like taking "no" for an answer and have a work-hard, play-hard ethic.

If you like most of the following items: bananas, broiled fish, fruit, honey, tapioca, nuts and hot curry, you're a natural optimist who values friends and is easy to work with. If you don't like most of those foods? You're a suspicious pessimist with trust issues.

Men who favor strawberries tend to be insecure and suffer from feelings of inadequacy. They also like to be dominated.

Like spicy pickles? You're probably a pessimist.

Now, that's some food for thought.

Who gets a street named after them?

What committee decides whether a person deserves to have a street named after them, post-mortem? I mean, really. Come on!

Well, actually, someone must, because Peter Jennings has his own street near ABC News' studios in Manhattan.

A portion of West 66th Street is now also known as Peter Jennings Way.

I am clearly not a part of this streets-named-for-dead-folk committee, or I'd known about this way earlier. So, I will refrain from giving my opinion about whether the late, esteemed journalist should be living it up (err, wrong terminology, sorry) on the West side.

All joking aside, though, this does beg the question of who is deserving of such an honor and who makes that call.

Make up your mind already!

I've always been an indecisive clod, worrying too much over how any choice I make might affect my entire life. Then, after I've finally relented and made a decision, I wonder, "What if? How might things have been different if I'd gone with Door #2 instead of #1?"

When folks think about their choices too hard and for too long, the decision becomes more difficult and the more likely they are to not be happy with their final choice, according to stories recently published by Slate.com, Yahoo News and the New York Times.

The news stories state that simple decisions are more wisely made when they are pored over a bit, but the same is not true when the decision is more complex and difficult to make.

Ultimately, the study seems to say that we ought to listen to our gut instinct, our first choice, because we are more likely to be happy with it in the long run.
Some theorize that this is because our unconscious brain is better at complex reasoning or can better handle an overload of info than can our conscious brain.

There are plenty of theories and ideas swarming around this story, but my first guess, my gut instinct, is that we should trust those instincts because they are just that - part of our animal being, the way in which God or nature (you choose) intended for us to know what to do in life.

Of course, if you're a fatalist, there's always that possibility, too -- When things are meant to be, they happen. That's also known as, "God has a funny way of working things out."

And if you don't believe in fate or God, perhaps you can sum it up as, "Your heart knows better than your head."

Daily Image

"flippinBird" from Cornershots.com, a collection of photographs taken by uber-talented urban photog "Jimmie of Brooklyn."

He delights all by chronicling urban architecture and infrastructure (skyscrapers, fire escapes, overpasses and such), and you'll likely see more of him here and elsewhere.

Eco-friendly Olympics

To following is today's Sierra Club Daily Ray of Hope, a daily e-mail blurb of good news regarding the Earth. To sign up for this daily ray of sunshine in an otherwise gloomy world, visit www.sierraclub.org.

The Olympic Games in Italy are expected to generate "just over 100,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide with the main sources of emissions coming from transport and the operation of the Olympic venues," according to the United Nations Environment Programme.

The good news is that the International Olympics Committee worked with the EU's Eco Management and Audit Scheme to employ ways to offset the CO2-producing activities including: a waste-materials plan that combines recycling with an efficient system of energy retrieval; an extensive sustainable transport plan for athletes and spectators; an eco-friendly Olympic Village built using pollution-free materials; and state-of-the-art soda machines at the event that use carbon dioxide as refrigerant instead of ozone-damaging substances.

"American Idol" vs. the Olympics?

It should not be terribly shocking that 55% of TV viewers would rather watch "American Idol," while 34% prefer the Olympics. (The remaining 11% of voters in today's AOL Sports poll don't like either one.) But I am surprised.

Perhaps my judgement is clouded by memories of having to get up and turn the dial to watch TV as a child, when "Star Search" and "Love Boat" ruled the airwaves and the Olympics and the Miss America pageant were huge events around which the week's schedule was planned.

I am surprised that the two shows are even in the same category, or, at the very least, that the modern-day version of "Star Search" was not put on hold for the Winter Games - as were all pro hockey games. (Smart and respectful of you, NHL. Thank you.)

But the poll shows that 72% of people find this year's Games less compelling than those in the past. Is this because of the serious overhyping going on thanks to 24/7 media coverage? Is the excitement of the competition overshadowed by the grand size of the build-up?

The rest of the poll findings are as follows:
55% said "American Idol" has more real-life drama
56% said the Olympic judges are the fairest
68% said the Olympic crashes are better
68% said "America Idol" is a better star-maker
55% said "American Idol" contestants have the brightest futures

Wow! I can't see "Star Search" ever beating out the Olympics in viewer ratings 20 years ago. But then, Ed McMahon is so much nicer (and, thus, less fun to watch) than Simon Cowell.

Which Movie Star Are You?

Ever wonder which movie star you are most like?

Well, a team of researchers got together and analyzed the personalities of movie stars. There's only 10 questions, so it doesn't take long. Answer each one with the choice that most describes you at this moment, and then add up the points that correspond with your answers.

Don't look ahead or you'll ruin the fun! And post a comment telling me which star you are!

1. Which describes your perfect date?
a) Candlelight Dinner for Two
b) Amusement Park
c) Rollerblading in the Park
d) Rock Concert
e) Have Dinner & See a Movie
f) Dinner at Home with a Loved One

2. What is your favorite type of music?
a) Rock and Roll
b) Alternative
c) Soft Rock
d) Classical
e) Christian
f) Jazz

3. What is your favorite type of movie?
a) Comedy
b) Horror
c) Musical
d) Romance
e) Documentary
f) Mystery

4. Which of the following jobs would you choose if you were given only these choices?
a) Waiter/Waitress
b) Sports Player
c) Teacher
d) Policeman
e) Bartender
f) Business person

5. Which would you rather do if you had an hour to waste?
a) Work out
b) Make out
c) Watch TV
d) Listen to the radio
e) Sleep
f) Read

6. Of the following colors, which do you like best?
a) Yellow
b) White
c) Sky blue
d) Teal
e) Gold
f) Red

7. Which one of the following would you like to eat right now?
a) Ice cream
b) Pizza
c) Sushi
d) Pasta
e) Salad
f) Lobster Tail

8. Which is your favorite holiday?
a) Halloween
b) Christmas
c) New Year's
d) Valentine's Day
e) Thanksgiving
f) Fourth of July

9. If you could go to any of the following places, which would it be?
a) Reno
b) Spain
c) Las Vegas
d) Hawaii
e) Hollywood
f) British Columbia

10. Of the following, who would you rather spend time with?
a) Someone who is smart
b) Someone with good looks
c) Someone who is a party animal
d) Someone who has fun all the time
e) Someone who is very emotional
f) Someone who is fun to be with

Now total up your points on each question:
1. a-4 b-2 c-5 d-1 e-3 f-6
2. a-2 b-1 c-4 d-5 e-3 f-6
3. a-2 b-1 c-3 d-4 e-5 f-6
4. a-4 b-5 c-3 d-2 e-1 f-6
5. a-5 b-4 c-2 d-1 e-3 f-6
6. a-1 b-5 c-3 d-2 e-4 f-6
7. a-3 b-2 c-1 d-4 e-5 f-6
8. a-1 b-3 c-2 d-4 e-5 f-6
9. a-4 b-5 c-1 d-4 e-3 f-6
10. a-5 b-2 c-1 d-3 e-4 f-6

NOW, take your total and find out which Movie Star you are:

(10-17 points) You are MADONNA:
You are wild and crazy and you know it. You know how to have fun, but you may take it to extremes. You know what you are doing though, and are much in control of your own life. People don't always see things your way, but that doesn't mean that you should do away with your beliefs. Try to remember that your wild spirit can lead to hurting yourself and others.

(18-26 points) You are DORIS DAY:
You are fun, friendly, and popular! You are a real crowd pleaser. You have probably been out on the town your share of times, yet you come home with the values that your mother taught you. Marriage and children are very important to you, but only after you have fun. Don't let the people you please influence you to stray.

(27-34 points) You are DEBBIE REYNOLDS:
You are cute, and everyone loves you. You are a best friend that no one takes the chance of losing. You never hurt feelings and seldom have your own feelings hurt. Life is a breeze. You are witty, and calm most of the time. Just keep clear of back stabbers, and you are worry-free.

(35-42 points) You are GRACE KELLY:
You are a lover. Romance, flowers, and wine are all you need to enjoy yourself. You are serious about all commitments and are a family person. You call your Mom every Sunday, and never forget a Birthday. Don't let your passion for romance get confused with the real thing.

(43-50 points) You are KATHERINE HEPBURN:
You are smart, a real thinker. Every situation is approached with a plan. You are very healthy in mind and body. You don't take crap from anyone. You have only a couple of individuals that you consider "real friends!" You teach strong family values. Keep your feet planted in them, but don't overlook a bad situation when it does happen.

(51-60 points) You are ELIZABETH TAYLOR:
Everyone is in awe of you. You know what you want and how to get it. You have more friends than you know what to do with. Your word is your bond. Everyone knows when you say something it is money in the bank. You attract the opposite sex. Your intelligence overwhelms most. Your memory is the next thing to photographic. Everyone admires you because you are so considerate and lovable. You know how to enjoy life and treat people right.

Vintage art to wear and hang

Wolfgang's Vault is an online warehouse of tees that were actually created for and sold at rock concerts from the 1960s through today.

A quick scan of this Web site brings you back to your college days - or at least the halcyon days you wish you'd experienced.

If Cream or the Grateful Dead are your thing, or if you are more into U2 and Nirvana, you can find a shirt on this site. And they are way cool! Sure, they probably smell a little musty and are pretty creased from being boxed up for 30 years. But, hey! That's precisely what "vintage" means, and that's exactly what keeps you out of the "poser" category.

The site also sells tees and posters that are newly made but replicate the vintage artwork; it calls this category "retro." The posters range from rock shows and stand-up comedy nights to art exhibits and films.

When will you die?

I will die Dec. 30, 2072 and have about 2,110,074,120 seconds left to live.

If you, like me, are feeling a tad morbid and would like to know just how many seconds you have left to live it up, check the Death Clock.

You will answer the following questions, and a clock will pop up on your desktop to taunt you:
- Your age
- Your Body Mass Index (your height and weight ratio)
- The way you look at life (are you optimistic, pessimistic, sadistic or somewhere in between?)

As I watch the clock - my seconds dwindling to 2,110,073,000 - I consider getting away from the computer and living my life...

Sellouts drive for free

In Australia and some European countries (Austria, France), residents can drive for free (or cheap) a car plastered with the advertisements of some savvy companies (Coca Cola, Nike).

A small, city-friendly car (say a Citroen or Smart Car) is covered from nose to tail with a colorful, large advert depicting some well-known consumer product or service. In exchange for driving around their (usually large) city in this mobile billboard, drivers pay little to nothing for the use of a completely maintained vehicle.

Carvertising is not a bad bet for students or young professionals who need a vehicle, cannot easily afford the accompanying costs, and don't mind advertising impotency medication or cellular service while driving to the grocery store.

And now, a word to our sponsors:

Oh, large and clever corporations of the world, please get with the program. See what a viable and powerful advertising vehicle (pun intended) carvertising could be in the U.S. Bring it, and we broke-but-brilliant twenty-somethings will come!

Seen anything worth sharing lately?

Have you ever seen something and desperately wished someone, anyone, was with you to share the experience?

A "They've just GOT to see this!" kind of moment?

1) Stick a yellow arrow to the nearest inanimate object.
2) Send a text message to the Yellow Arrow Web site with a tid bit of info about the place or perhaps a direction to action.
3) You can also take a picture of the arrow in its new home.
4) When someone sees your sticker, they send a text message to the Web site with the sticker's code number.
5) They then immediately receive your previously posted tid bit via text message (from the Web site - you need not spit out clever turns of phrase for complete strangers at all hours of the night and day).
6) Finally, you revel in the knowledge that your experience has been shared.

See, the Yellow Arrow project is an effort to merge grassroots initiative, Internet-fueled connectivity, community interest and public art/notable sights.

Simply, you order some yellow arrow stickers from the site and keep an eye out for interesting, beautiful, horrible or otherwise "shareable" places and things in your neck of the woods.

And/or, keep an eye our for someone else's yellow arrows around town and feel instantly connected.

A way for us to share the profound and mundane moments of life with others. Progressive. Youthful. Sure, it's all of those things. But, mainly, it's cool.