Happy Thanksgiving!!

Mood: unbelievably content and happy Music: Louis Armstrong "La Vie en Rose"

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!! I hope everyone is having a great holiday, and I especially hope that you spend the rest of today and tomorrow thanking the universe for all the little and big things you're thankful for!!

Van Gogh's "Starry Night" version 2.0

Mood: relieved Music: Chris Isaak "Wrong to Love You"

Quote of the Day (awesome quote!!): "Don't you know that only dead fish go with the flow?" ~Richard Wolffe~

Well, I had my last class of the week today, and now I only have some major project-ing to do this week. But, no class and the rommie is leaving tomorrow night so I'll the place to myself for a while, and Tday is in a few measley days...life is good!!

Today's cultural find represents my first delve into the surprisingly massive world of body painting. I loved this picture, er, painting, er, model?

The Great Defector!!!

Mood: owwww Music: watching the Golden Girls

Quote of the Day: "Christmas at my house is always at least six or seven times more pleasant than anywhere else. We start drinking early. And while everyone else is seeing only one Santa Claus, we'll be seeing six or seven."

We have the best alternative rock radio station here in Bham, Live 100.5, and thanks to them, well, specifically DJ Chris, I was introduced to Bellx1 during the summer and I can't help rocking out to them every single time they come on the radio!! Here's the only song of theirs I know, but it's amazazing!

The Great Defector: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbIxBa2UQqI

It's that time of year again...

Mood: tired Music: see below

Quote of the Day: "I never believed in Santa Claus because I knew no white man would be coming into my neighborhood after dark." ~Dick Gregory~

So it's that time of year again, when radio stations devote twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, to playing every abstract and obscure Christmas song known to man. Most of the time you end up hearing bizarro and kinda creepy songs (I'm looking at you John Mellencamp's version of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town"), but every now and again you end up finding an amazing song. I happened to hear Sarah McLachlan's version of "I'll Be Home for Christmas" the other day and I fell in love with it! It's a more mellow and melodious version of the song, which reminds me of my all-time favorite Christmas song, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" by Frank Sinatra. Check it out!

song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pv3Us86qDo

Ewww

Mood: sick Music: Paolo Nutini "No Other Way"

Quote of the Day: "For every beauty there is an eye somewhere to see it. For every truth there is an ear somewhere to hear it. For every love there is a heart somewhere to receive it."

~Ivan Panin~

Ok so I found this picture on failblog, and it's just so...ewww.

Long time no see...

Mood: content Music: Josephine Baker "Sous le Ciel D'Afrique"

Quote of the Day: "Love is much like a wild rose, beautiful and calm, but willing to draw blood in its defense." ~Mark Overby"

So I know I've been AWOL for the past few days, but I've been sick and am hopefully on the mend!! Today's cultural find is the music video for Apocalyptica's "Hope Vol. II", featuring Mattias Sayer on vocals (he also co-wrote the song). This is the theme song to a French horror-suspense movie called Vidocq, which incidentally was the first movie to use HD film. Who knew? The song is haunting and kinda creepy, but it'll stick with you, and there's something eerily beautiful about it (especially the lyrics).

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsYgcACfWTw

Cage the elephant

Mood: industrious! Music: see below

Ok so today's cultural find is a song which has really grown on me in the past couple of weeks, Cage the Elephant's "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked". It's really, almost, addictive I guess, and if you hear it once it'll be stuck in your head for at least three hours.

Another fun game is to try and figure out how the lead singer managed to squeak into those pants: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5t99bpilCKw

"Taste THIS Rainbow!"

Mood: exhausted, but very satisfied!! Music: Billie Holiday "A Sailboat in the Moonlight"

So for one of my classes two of my classmates and I had to design an ad campaign for the Jefferson County Childhood Obesity Taskforce, and today we held a focus group with a fifth grade class to test our logo (among other things). It's been so long since I've worked with children I'd almost forgotten how much fun they are!!

Today's cultural find is completely self-centered, it's the logo for our campaign!! The artwork is courtesy of Megan's (one of my group members) brother. Oh and I'm almost posting a picture of a poodle made out of grapes. Why, you might ask? Because who doesn't want to see a poodle made out of grapes??

"Istanbul"

Mood: exhausted Music: listening to yesterday's Daily Show...ohh how I love this show!!

So I know I've neglected this blog for a few days, but I have a real reason, I swear!! I had to write my final paper and my final project for a class, but I just turned finished turning it in at 1am this morning, yeah baby yeah!! Woohoo!!

Ok so today's cultural find is an opening scene from The Late Late with Craig Ferguson, which is an absolutely amazing show most of the time. You really have to watch it, Malinky2Stoatir's channel on Youtube has just about every show, so you have a lot to choose from.

video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4phHw

"This is what tired looks like..."

Mood: content, but procrastinating horribly!! Music: Paolo Nutini "Pencil Full of Lead"

music video for the above song (it's really cute, watch!!): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-xd3NuWQI0

So I'm currently taking an online Adolescent Psychology class which has actually been ridiculously easy so far, especially for a graduate class, and our only real assignment is a paper and accompanying visual project about an adolescent psychology issue. Mine is self-injurious behavior, and I managed to finish the visual project yesterday...but instead of writing the paper I'm scrolling through Phoo-D's blog (http://www.phoo-d.com/search/label/Party%20Food).

An excellent blog, and if you're looking for a fun way to waste some time I'd recommend scrolling through her entries!!

Oh and today's cultural find is a hilarious picture my mom sent me titled, "This is what tired looks like..." I feel for ya kitty, oh I feel for ya.

Patton Oswalt

Mood: productive Music: (look below) ;D

Quote of the Day: "Not admitting a mistake is a bigger mistake." ~Robert Half~

So I just spent quite a few hours working on my big project for Adolescent Psychology which is about self-injurious behavior, so needless to say, I'm feeling about a quart low.

So time to return emails and listen to comedy!! Here's a clip of one of my favorite comedians, Patton Oswalt, from his CD Werewolves and Lollipops: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEk3CLIWxYE

Listen in and have a laugh, I mean it's Sunday afterall!!

Anthropologists!!

Mood: content Music: Feist "I Feel it All"
Quote of the Day: "By the time they had diminished from 50 to 8, the other dwarves began to suspect Hungry." ~Gary Larson~

Ok so I know my last post was very dramaqueen and wayyy depressing but I just was outraged that I had to let it out somehow. So for today here's a Far Side cartoon by Gary Larson that I think is hilarious...maybe b/c I was an anthropology minor ;D

"Father forgive them, for they know not what they do..."

Mood: so fucking angry I'm almost crying!!

Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann held an anti-healthcare reform in Washington DC today, and while I had no problem with that (I'm for healthcare reform, and I think the arguments against it are flawed at best, but this is still America and everyone has the right to their own opinion), but prominently displayed at the rally, in fact just behind the various Washington officials, the photo above was displayed.

It's a photo of corpses piled at the concentration camp in Dachau, Germany during the Holocaust of WWII, with the words, "National Socialist Health Care, Dachau, Germany - 1945".

To dare to say that extending medicare/medicaid coverage to millions more people is the same thing as the murder, imprisonment, and torture of thousands of innocent people during the Holocaust is beyond reprehensible. It is goddamn wrong. It is goddamn disgusting. It is goddamn evil.

Enough is enough...this is not debate, this is over the line. Don't stand for such ignorance and gross hate.

Mood: blah Music: none, listening to Frontline report

Quote of the Day: "Friendship is like peeing on yourself: everyone can see it, but only you get the warm feeling it brings." ~Anonymous~

Today's interesting find is a way cool documentary by PBS about four plants: apples, tulips, marijuana, and potatoes.

Watch the free, full-length movie on PBS's website: http://video.pbs.org/video/1283872815/

Fail Blog

Mood: in pain and nauseated Music: none

Quote of the Day: "When life gives you lemons, squeeze the lemons in life's eyes!!" ~anonymous~

So if you haven't had the chance to check out the Fail Blog website, you need to do so ASAP!! I've posted a photo from their website that actually made me laugh out loud today.

website: http://failblog.org/

Passion Pit

Mood: happy Music: none, watching the Rachel Maddow Show

Quote of the Day: "Whatever you are, be a good one." ~Abraham Lincoln"

Ok at approximately 7:38pm this past Saturday (Halloween), I heard this song on the radio for the first time. And I instantly fell in love. I know nothing about the band other than I love this song!!

song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxL9Hod_qCY