I have never excelled at giving good movie or music recommendations. The problem is that I like too many things. It’s hard to give a helpful critique when I think many movies and music are “sssssooooooooo gooooooooddddd”.
Years ago, I told my friend Jonnie, while we were arguing about a band that I thought he should like, that he didn’t have an appreciation for enough pop culture. I said that if he had a sieve over his head that let in new music, the holes in his sieve would be too small to let anything through. He disagreed and yelled “YOU NEED SMALLER HOLES!” thereby letting the office know that the holes in my pop culture sieve were way too big and let in enough junk to drown me. Then he drew me the following cartoon.
Friday, January 11, 2019
Wednesday, January 9, 2019
The Dark Side of Choose Your Own Adventure
Whatever caused my sudden and unstoppable need for a nostalgia-fueled afternoon of sifting through Choose Your Own Adventure books was now gnawing a small pit in my stomach. It was a thirst that needed to be quenched immediately. Time to track down some of these gems of my childhood!
WARNING!!!
Monday, January 7, 2019
The 7 Best Books I Read in 2018
In 2017 and 2018 I set a goal of reading or listening to 100 books or audiobooks. In 2017, I consumed 193 books mainly because I went on a huge children’s literature binge to combat my despair over Trump’s inauguration. That January and February, I went through loads and loads of story books and it was fun. It was a great antidote for the terrible news.
Last year, I ended up consuming 92 out of 100 books even though I started two book clubs and expected to easily meet my goal. I’m not unhappy that I didn’t meet my goal, just surprised. Last year was challenging for me, as I tried to balance the new commitment of spending time with my 92-year-old aunt who we moved from assisted living in California to a facility a few miles from my apartment. It was harder than I ever imagined. I spent a lot of time feeling sad and frustrated and that manifested in playing a lot of games on my phone and doing mindless internet scrolling.
I still read great books though and gave seven of them the coveted 5/5 rating on Goodreads. A mix of non-fiction and mostly YA fiction, they are, in no particular order:
Last year, I ended up consuming 92 out of 100 books even though I started two book clubs and expected to easily meet my goal. I’m not unhappy that I didn’t meet my goal, just surprised. Last year was challenging for me, as I tried to balance the new commitment of spending time with my 92-year-old aunt who we moved from assisted living in California to a facility a few miles from my apartment. It was harder than I ever imagined. I spent a lot of time feeling sad and frustrated and that manifested in playing a lot of games on my phone and doing mindless internet scrolling.
I still read great books though and gave seven of them the coveted 5/5 rating on Goodreads. A mix of non-fiction and mostly YA fiction, they are, in no particular order:
Tuesday, January 1, 2019
19 in 2019!
Following the lead of Gretchen Rubin and Elizabeth Craft, cohosts of my favorite podcast Happier, I’m embarking on a list of 19 things I want to do in 2019.
1. Restart a blog! I miss reading all the blogs I read in the early aughts. I miss writing silly little posts about the silly things little things I love. To activate my writing muscles, I need to practice writing and I won’t write if I’m my only audience. Blogging gives me the illusion of other people reading it. In 2019, I will publish at least two blog posts each week.
2. Complete a Happiness Project! I’m a happy follower of the work of the aforementioned Gretchen Rubin. I love her podcast and her books especially, The Happiness Project. This year she is launching a yearlong course, The Happiness Project Experience and I’m going to actively participate in this class.
3. Visit a cat cafe! This one doesn’t really need explanation. I like cats. I like cafes. I'm going to go to one.
1. Restart a blog! I miss reading all the blogs I read in the early aughts. I miss writing silly little posts about the silly things little things I love. To activate my writing muscles, I need to practice writing and I won’t write if I’m my only audience. Blogging gives me the illusion of other people reading it. In 2019, I will publish at least two blog posts each week.
2. Complete a Happiness Project! I’m a happy follower of the work of the aforementioned Gretchen Rubin. I love her podcast and her books especially, The Happiness Project. This year she is launching a yearlong course, The Happiness Project Experience and I’m going to actively participate in this class.
3. Visit a cat cafe! This one doesn’t really need explanation. I like cats. I like cafes. I'm going to go to one.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
April Happy List
1. Cooking with friends: Dupree and I made chicken carbonara on Friday. It was fun to cook with him even though I hit him for eating the chicken while he was shredding it.
2. Tim’s birthday party: Tim reserved part of Barca for us and it was a ton of fun having our own section and lots of room to mingle. It was great to see old friends and party like it was 1997 along with meeting some of Tim’s coworkers and students.
3. Circus Contraption: My birthday present to Tim. It was one of those shows that made me love Seattle. Just the fact that little shows like this with amazing acts can exist makes me happy. We went to Via Tribunali for dinner after the show and it was an excellent date night. I think I could be a professional date planner. Seriously. I come up with the most fun things. Too bad I’m terrible at finding boyfriends.
4. Running: I’m taking up running. Well for now I’m still walking more than I’m running, but it’s good and I like it.
5. Justin: A new friend this year that is totally fun and also enjoys cartoons.
6. Tim Walker’s photography: It is a fairytale or circus act or make believe. His portfolio is incredibly inspiring. Look closely for those of Tim Burton and Helena Bonham-Carter. They are a treat. A crazy weird treat.
7. 80s movie and crafts night: This is the fourth month and so far it has been a success. We are watching License to Drive and I think I might work on some embroidery. You gotta love the two Coreys and we haven’t watched a really bad movie yet.
8. Reading: I haven’t done it a lot lately and it makes me feel like something is missing. I need to get back into the books I’ve started.
9. Kris Kristofferson: Rolling Stone had an amazing article by Ethan Hawke about Kris Kristofferson. My favorite bit from the article is on the website and it is definitely something you should read. Because of this anecdote and the rest of the article, I have a huge crush on Kristofferson right now. He’s supremely talented and I need to rent some of his old movies from Netflix. It might even help me out of my Paul Newman phase.
10. Cupcakes: Although I’m disappointed in the Ham’s new cupcake shop, I have it on good authority that there are amazing cupcakes being sold at the Farmer’s Market. I’m going Saturday to investigate.
11. Aziz Ansari: I first saw him at Bumbershoot two or three years ago, but now he seems be getting noticed. He was in Human Giant, then Scrubs, and now has a big role on Parks and Recreation. Worst Mix-Tape is an old favorite.
12. Blueberry season: I know it isn’t blueberry season yet, but I’ve been dreaming of making these blueberry almond cupcakes for months and I refuse to make them with frozen blueberries.
13. Laura: She’s always fun to hang out with, is quick to laugh and make me laugh, and provides good and supportive advice when I get whiney. She is a gem.
14. Carrie’s upcoming visit: Only two weekends until I see one of my number one ladies.
15. Etsy prints: Emily posted a link on Facebook with some letterpress prints that I need to own. For now, I’m enjoying looking at them online and dreaming of where I will hang them.
16. My brother’s dancing video: see below. I can’t stop watching it and I can’t stop laughing when I’m watching it.
17. Watching Dupree’s business come together: Going along for the ride while his dreams of a coaching practice become a reality is a joy to watch.
18. The most beautiful clock in the world: I’m bidding it on right now on Ebay. I’ll know if it is mine in a few days. I’m guessing the price will skyrocket, but for now I’m thinking happy thoughts. Perhaps I will hang it next to the print set above in my imaginary retro house.
19. The song from Circus Contraption: I’ve sung it at least once a day since we saw the show. It goes like this: “Love, love, love, we got it in slop buckets! It sloshes around in there. If some spills we don’t care. ‘Cause we got plenty of love to go around.” Then repeat for forever.
20. WE shows: I’ve probably seen them play 50 times. Maybe not that many, but it seems like that many. I’ve never counted. Anyway, I never get sick of it. Never ever. They are the most fun and it’s not just because they are my friends.
2. Tim’s birthday party: Tim reserved part of Barca for us and it was a ton of fun having our own section and lots of room to mingle. It was great to see old friends and party like it was 1997 along with meeting some of Tim’s coworkers and students.
3. Circus Contraption: My birthday present to Tim. It was one of those shows that made me love Seattle. Just the fact that little shows like this with amazing acts can exist makes me happy. We went to Via Tribunali for dinner after the show and it was an excellent date night. I think I could be a professional date planner. Seriously. I come up with the most fun things. Too bad I’m terrible at finding boyfriends.
4. Running: I’m taking up running. Well for now I’m still walking more than I’m running, but it’s good and I like it.
5. Justin: A new friend this year that is totally fun and also enjoys cartoons.
6. Tim Walker’s photography: It is a fairytale or circus act or make believe. His portfolio is incredibly inspiring. Look closely for those of Tim Burton and Helena Bonham-Carter. They are a treat. A crazy weird treat.7. 80s movie and crafts night: This is the fourth month and so far it has been a success. We are watching License to Drive and I think I might work on some embroidery. You gotta love the two Coreys and we haven’t watched a really bad movie yet.
8. Reading: I haven’t done it a lot lately and it makes me feel like something is missing. I need to get back into the books I’ve started.
9. Kris Kristofferson: Rolling Stone had an amazing article by Ethan Hawke about Kris Kristofferson. My favorite bit from the article is on the website and it is definitely something you should read. Because of this anecdote and the rest of the article, I have a huge crush on Kristofferson right now. He’s supremely talented and I need to rent some of his old movies from Netflix. It might even help me out of my Paul Newman phase.
10. Cupcakes: Although I’m disappointed in the Ham’s new cupcake shop, I have it on good authority that there are amazing cupcakes being sold at the Farmer’s Market. I’m going Saturday to investigate.
11. Aziz Ansari: I first saw him at Bumbershoot two or three years ago, but now he seems be getting noticed. He was in Human Giant, then Scrubs, and now has a big role on Parks and Recreation. Worst Mix-Tape is an old favorite.
12. Blueberry season: I know it isn’t blueberry season yet, but I’ve been dreaming of making these blueberry almond cupcakes for months and I refuse to make them with frozen blueberries.
13. Laura: She’s always fun to hang out with, is quick to laugh and make me laugh, and provides good and supportive advice when I get whiney. She is a gem.
14. Carrie’s upcoming visit: Only two weekends until I see one of my number one ladies.
15. Etsy prints: Emily posted a link on Facebook with some letterpress prints that I need to own. For now, I’m enjoying looking at them online and dreaming of where I will hang them.
16. My brother’s dancing video: see below. I can’t stop watching it and I can’t stop laughing when I’m watching it.
17. Watching Dupree’s business come together: Going along for the ride while his dreams of a coaching practice become a reality is a joy to watch.
18. The most beautiful clock in the world: I’m bidding it on right now on Ebay. I’ll know if it is mine in a few days. I’m guessing the price will skyrocket, but for now I’m thinking happy thoughts. Perhaps I will hang it next to the print set above in my imaginary retro house.19. The song from Circus Contraption: I’ve sung it at least once a day since we saw the show. It goes like this: “Love, love, love, we got it in slop buckets! It sloshes around in there. If some spills we don’t care. ‘Cause we got plenty of love to go around.” Then repeat for forever.
20. WE shows: I’ve probably seen them play 50 times. Maybe not that many, but it seems like that many. I’ve never counted. Anyway, I never get sick of it. Never ever. They are the most fun and it’s not just because they are my friends.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Peep Show
Happy Easter! I know it is now three days passed, but if you go to any major grocery or pharmacy chain right now, you can still get deep discounts on a variety of delectable Easter treats.
Easter is the undisputed candy holiday champion. Don't even attempt to argue with me. I will not be swayed. Halloween is all about candy, but it doesn't have a variety of its own special treats. On Halloween, all your costume gets you is tiny versions of candy bars you can get at full size all the time. This is not special. This is a trick being played on you! On Easter you get a basket of a variety of amazingly specialized treats delivered right to your door and you don't even have to walk around your neighborhood dressed like Slutty Spongebob for these rewards. What about candy corn you ask? Halloween has candy corn. Well guess what? No one except Judy likes candy corn. Easter has malted milk eggs, giant chocolate bunnies, fudge eggs with your name on them (personalized candy!), those amazing tiny hard shell Hershey eggs, and the Godfather of all candy, the mighty Cadbury Cream Eggs.
Easter also, most importantly for the sake of this blog entry, has Peeps. Peeps started just as an Easter treat, but now have branched out to snowman and trees at Christmas, ghosts at Halloween, and hearts for Valentine's Day. I'm one of the few people I know that enjoys eating Peeps. For reasons I don't understand, many people seem frightened by marshmallows manipulated into holiday shapes. Peeps have become more of a pop culture phenomena than actual food. Luckily for us, the Washington Post sponsored a Peeps diorama contest with some amazing results. Click through their slideshow to see Peep-based homages to Octomom, the Nighthawks painting, the US Airways crash on the Hudson, and other historical events and happenings. My personal favorite is Octomom, but Nighthawks took the grand prize. Many entries are highly detailed and very entertaining. Now Peeps are both food and art!
(Thank you Laura for bringing this contest to my attention.)
Easter is the undisputed candy holiday champion. Don't even attempt to argue with me. I will not be swayed. Halloween is all about candy, but it doesn't have a variety of its own special treats. On Halloween, all your costume gets you is tiny versions of candy bars you can get at full size all the time. This is not special. This is a trick being played on you! On Easter you get a basket of a variety of amazingly specialized treats delivered right to your door and you don't even have to walk around your neighborhood dressed like Slutty Spongebob for these rewards. What about candy corn you ask? Halloween has candy corn. Well guess what? No one except Judy likes candy corn. Easter has malted milk eggs, giant chocolate bunnies, fudge eggs with your name on them (personalized candy!), those amazing tiny hard shell Hershey eggs, and the Godfather of all candy, the mighty Cadbury Cream Eggs.
Easter also, most importantly for the sake of this blog entry, has Peeps. Peeps started just as an Easter treat, but now have branched out to snowman and trees at Christmas, ghosts at Halloween, and hearts for Valentine's Day. I'm one of the few people I know that enjoys eating Peeps. For reasons I don't understand, many people seem frightened by marshmallows manipulated into holiday shapes. Peeps have become more of a pop culture phenomena than actual food. Luckily for us, the Washington Post sponsored a Peeps diorama contest with some amazing results. Click through their slideshow to see Peep-based homages to Octomom, the Nighthawks painting, the US Airways crash on the Hudson, and other historical events and happenings. My personal favorite is Octomom, but Nighthawks took the grand prize. Many entries are highly detailed and very entertaining. Now Peeps are both food and art!
(Thank you Laura for bringing this contest to my attention.)
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Your Tax Dollars at Work
My brother is a US Marine currently undergoing security training in Virginia. This is what they do in their off time.
(P.S. My brother is the adorable one in the front.)
(P.S. My brother is the adorable one in the front.)
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