i can't wait for spring weather

This video made me smile and smile and I can't wait for it to feel like spring.

what if starbucks marketed like a church?

Another of this type of thing.

someone finally did it

Someone made a Christian culture mockumentary!


Ignatius from travis hawkins on Vimeo.

credenza

Am currently sad that I don't own this. Being sad about this is what you might call a first-world problem.

some pictures from yesterday & today

my march mix

Howdy! It’s just about the end of March and I’m just now loading my March mix just in the nick of time. There’s only one brand-new song on here (the Franz Ferdinand one). The rest are older. They just feel good when I’m riding the bus to work. The Beck track was always sort of buried on Midnite Vultures and I didn’t ever pay much attention to it but it came up the other day and made my heart beat faster. All of these songs make my heart beat faster, now that I think of it. I hope you all love them too.





Rad picture of Republican Street on Capitol Hill on Monday was taken by Candace.

ps - I really wanted to put If You Seek Amy by Britney Spears on here but couldn’t make it flow well with the other tracks. Next time I won’t censor myself.

you're really making it hard on me

I really like this map mural but don't know if we have any walls big enough other than on the outside of our house. I also am fascinated by this roof willy, as the British press calls it. And here is (I think) every single "that's what she said" from The Office. (USA)

what my daughter thinks of me

According to my 4 yr old:

1. What is something mom always says to you?
"I love you."

2. What makes mom happy?
"Me."

3. What makes mom sad?
"Hit."

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
"Tickling."

5. What was your mom like as a child?
"Me."

6. How old is your mom?
"4. No. 34."

7. How tall is your mom?
(shows with hands) "This tall."

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
"Go to work."

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
"Work."

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
"A president."

11. What is your mom really good at?
"Getting me to preschool."

12. What is your mom not very good at?
"Catching flies with her tongue."

13. What does your mom do for a job?
"Go to work."

14.What is your mom's favorite food?
"Chicken?"

15.What makes you proud of your mom?
" Me."

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
"Hello Kitty."

17. What do you and your mom do together?
"I can’t tell you, it’s a secret. The park!"

18. How are you and your mom the same?
"We’re bunnies. And kitties."

19. How are you and your mom different?
"We’re girls!"

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
"Hearts."

safe people

Surrounding yourself with safe people is one of the big things my counselor talks about. People aren't really born with the ability to screen who is safe (i.e., not emotionally harmful) and this book has been helping me. It's written from a Christian perspective but I think these apply to people of any religious or non persuasion. Some of the gist is in this article by Henry Cloud:

"Have you ever wondered why some relationships seem to lead to growth and happiness and others to pain and injury? Have you ever had the experience of meeting someone, finding them attractive and charming, trusting them in some way, and then later were hurt very badly by them? Or, worse than that, have you done that more than once with the same kind of person?

It would be nice if we could all answer "no" to the above questions, for that would mean that we would have avoided a lot of pain in our lives. And it would also be nice if those realities did not even exist so that we did not have to think about them. But the truth is that relationships can have the power to save our lives, or the power to ruin them. . . .

Learn what traits are helpful and hurtful in people . . . The important thing is that you learn to recognize things like:

• perfectionism

• inability to connect

• control issues

• judgmentalism

• domineering traits

• defensiveness

• denial

• dishonesty


We all need to know what it is that we are looking to confront and to avoid. If you are going to give your heart to people and trust them, you have to know what you are looking for. Search the Scriptures and other materials that teach about relational patterns."

heavy linking

No Rain just came up on my Beck-Dandy Warhols Pandora mix. That’s weird. But I am happy about it. This song takes me straaaaaight back to 1994.

I like this post on The Confession of St. Patrick. I always think of green and Guiness and kid crafts on St Patrick's Day and never about the actual St. Patrick. So this was kind of beautiful. I also liked her post on Comedians as Prophets? She said

"Watching Jon Stewart's interview with Jim Cramer just now made me wonder if the prophets were, perhaps, funnier than we think. It certainly seems like comedy is a terrific position from which to critique the culture around you. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert do it night after night after night.

Not that Stewart was funny in the interview. He was everything people have been saying: pointed, powerful, and completely devastating.

And perhaps he was devastated himself by the whole thing. I don't think he was kidding when he ended the show by saying, "I hope this interview was as hard to watch as it was to do."

He sounded a bit like Jeremiah tonight, did J.S. I'm sure he wouldn't appreciate that - either of them, I suppose I mean. But still, when Stewart told Cramer that Cramer of all people should understand the kind of "shenanigans" that Wall Street traders get up to, it reminded me of Jeremiah saying,

For from the least to the greatest of them,
everyone is greedy for unjust gain;
and from prophet to priest,
everyone deals falsely.
They have treated the wound of my people carelessly,
saying, ‘Peace, peace’,
when there is no peace.
They acted shamefully, they committed abomination;
yet they were not ashamed,
they did not know how to blush.

Perhaps this is hyperbolic. "Prophet" is a loaded term. But I'm glad Stewart is doing what he's doing. I think he's fighting the good fight."

**Update: Here is a really good article on the Cramer interview, along with a video clip.**

This is so pretty, these Swedish girls (called First Aid Kit, I think?) covering Fleet Foxes “Tiger Mountain Peasant Song”



In yesterday’s Adam Carolla podcast, Seth MacFarlane and Adam talked about atheism for a long time, and also about how Seth was booked on Flight 11 on 9/11 but missed his flight. He recounts the morning where he missed it and I got chills.

I listened to this sermon on Exodus yesterday, listened to it again today and want to listen to it again tomorrow.

When Daisy: Rock of Love is on I'm just going to have to watch it.

If Joel McHale gets this sitcom I'm going to have to watch it.

If Dan Savage runs for mayor I'm just going to have to vote for him.

Now for a Carrie quote.

"Every year I forget how frustrating the weather is in March. I'm not one of those nattering nabobs who chooses to live in Seattle and then complains about it being cloudy, but it's just so freaking cold and miserable! I can't wear any of my cute things. I feel like I'm gonna wear this stupid moldy-feeling coat and asexual boots for the rest of my life." - Carrie Hecker

what my son thinks of me

According to my 7 yr old:

1. What is something mom always says to you?
"Get me a diet coke."

2. What makes mom happy?
"Watching tv?

3. What makes mom sad?
"When kids don’t obey her."

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
"When I imitate Paula Deen and say “Hey y’all!”

5. What was your mom like as a child?
"A little hot girl."

6. How old is your mom?
"105. "

7. How tall is your mom?
"One inch. Haha!"

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
"Work on the computer and be lazy all day!"

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
"Pees on the potty."

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
"A famous chef."

11. What is your mom really good at?
"Cooking."

12. What is your mom not very good at?
"Making movies in 3-D."

13. What does your mom do for a job?
"Play."

14.What is your mom's favorite food?
"Hmm. Candy?

15.What makes you proud of your mom?
"She giving me candy even when I don’t do anything."

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
"Bob McBeaverpants." (I didn't want to put this. I said "Can't I be Sandy Cheeks?" and he said no.)

17. What do you and your mom do together?
"Laugh."

18. How are you and your mom the same?
"We both have butts."

19. How are you and your mom different?
"We have different color eyes."

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
"For making me hot chocolate and giving me macaroni and cheese!"

21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
"You know David and Goliath? Well, he can sound just like Goliath the dog."

22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
"Red Robin, yummmm!"(sings)

fart interrupts city council meeting

a cloven-hooved faun jete dance kick thing!

I'm having spastic laughter over this clip of Dancing With the Stars. We were watching it last night (just hush!) and he did the daintiest little kick and it has changed my life. It's right at 2:37 of this clip, watch the guy. It's when they sing "make ends meet." They only show half a second of it, but it's the best half second I have ever lived.

tooooooooosday

I was at this site and boss knocked and my heart JUMPED and I scrambled to minimize.

No alarms went off on time yesterday even though we set our clocks back. I was 2 hours late to work and I still can't find my phone. Good thing I gave up worrying for Lent cause I just didn't worry about being late (refreshing!) and when I got here it turned out the boss broke her arm over the weekend and is out! Everybody wins!

Carrie and I saw Confessions of a Shopaholic on Saturday. (Shut up.) I was griping through the whole movie about how insulting it was and Carrie was silently enduring it, but at the end she said "I think that movie was funded by the Americans With Disabilities Act."

She said to look at the Entertainment Weekly reviews of it and they were cracking me up. Here's my favorites:

"Seriously, did you see the same movie as I did? All of these women behaved in a way that was truly embarrassing to our gender. They literally acted the same whether they were downing tequila shots or were working. And who would hire Rebecca Bloomwood to write financial columns based on her sad little resume? Sure, we all suspend our belief when it comes to movies, but this was a stretch even I couldn't fathom. Sad, sad, sad what rom-coms have come to."

"Don't believe this review for a second. This movie is as empty as a used up shopping bag. I cannot for a the life of me figure out what would make any reviewer give this movie higher than a C. Empty, stupid plot... no chemistry between the leads... tedious ending. And I normally LOVE a good rom com! Owen, you should be ashamed!"

"I went to see this movie thinking it was just another chick flick i was pla=easently surprised Isla Fisher was difinatly wel cast an i thought the movie was amazing couldnt stop laughin... except the girls beside me and my friend kept throwing popcorn but the movie made up for it!! :)"

I'm sad Domino magazine is dying. Maybe we can save it.

Look at this rad secret message pillow!



My friend Mike wrote this blog entry and it warmed the cockles of my heart.

craig of melbourne is my hero

Simone sent me these pictures from her hometown of Melbourne. Someone named Craig is doing some guerilla heroism. It's very Letters From A Nut.

mark gormley is back!

ever since i announced i don't like papyrus font

it seems to keep finding me.

the toilet seat that washes and dries your butt for you

I just learned about The Washlet from my friend Chase back in Arkansas. His facebook status was "Chase is obsessed with The Washlet. Can't believe it's for real. Warning: you will be tastefully mooned during the first 30 seconds of this clip." The following ensued.

Me: AHH! I just now watched that clip and now I'm obsessed.

Chase: It just kept getting funnier. When she said,"Just grab the remote control." I lost it. When the cgi wand extended and started spewing water I started crying.

Me: The extending wand was unreal. Like an SNL commercial. And how casual and hip they tried to be about it all. I wish we were watching it with you. I could watch it 10 times. Thinking about you crying makes it even funnier. David said "What are you watching? It sounds like a bunch of Christians talking."

Chase: and the FAQ are AWESOME. The demeanor of everyone is soooo creepy. Does the washlet spray prozac into you like a suppository?

Me: That cgi wand is a lawsuit waiting to happen. I didn't see the FAQs! I'm gonna dart over there now. Did you notice that the blonde has a lower back tattoo? Bullseye!

Me: "On cold mornings, the warm seat will make you feel sorry for anyone who isn't you." "I think of the water settings as ranging from nice to even nicer." "If you're having a baby you HAVE to have a Washlet." "Just pick a question to the right. I'm here to help." "So yes. You need this."

Chase: Oh yeah. The lady doing the FAQ is awesome. "How Hard Does The Water Come Out?" Hahahahahaha.

Steph: "I wouldn't call any of the settings HARD."

favorite thing today

I love Walker Percy and I love Snuggies. Walker Percy and the Snuggie, together at last!

A QUESTIONNAIRE REGARDING THE PHENOMENON OF THE SNUGGIE, THE BLANKET WITH SLEEVES, FOR TESTING YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF AMERICAN HOME ECONOMICS AND YOUR OWN PERSONAL DESIRES, WRITTEN IN THE STYLE OF WALKER PERCY'S LOST IN THE COSMOS by Stephanie S. Ghering

1. Do you want a Snuggie?

a. I already have two, along with two free book lights. My Weimaraner wears the second Snuggie, and I keep one of the book lights in the car for when I need to retouch my makeup while driving at night.

b. When the Snuggie commercial comes on, I scream and hide under the coffee table.

c. Who are you? Why are you asking? Are they paying you?

2. Why do the people who do not own Snuggies get so hung up over the blanket's success?

a. Jealousy: I, too, could have been rich.

b. Jealousy: I, too, could own a Snuggie if I hadn't committed myself to hating them.

3. Assuming an average per-household purchase of two Snuggies (since, in the current commercial, the deal is for two, with two free book lights, for just $19.95 [plus a mere $15.90 for processing and handling]), and allowing for the occasional family groups who live in large renovated farmhouses and who buy the blanket with sleeves in bulk because they wear nothing else, why have over one and a half million American households purchased one or more Snuggies?

a. Many Americans were not hugged enough by their parents; they use Snuggies as a substitute for parental affection.

b. The commercials use subliminal images illegally flashed between frames, showing stripteases (male and female) involving Snuggies; the guillotining, lynching, or public derision of non-Snuggie-wearers by crowds in black Snuggies; and other scenes. Between-frame flashes are tailored to viewing areas based on complex demographic research: in New Haven, the crowd points and falls over laughing at a non-Snuggie-wearer reading aloud from a long manuscript; in Pittsburgh, a team of football players in black short-sleeved Snuggies with yellow lettering stop and stare in disgust at a non-Snuggied receiver who butterfingers an easy, game-winning pass; and in Los Angeles a minor actress shows up to the Oscars in a fitted white tuxedo only to find that fashion has moved on to cutaway Snuggies worn with layered bellybutton-length gold chains.

c. The commercials can be used for drinking games. The drinking games are more fun if everyone is wearing Snuggies.

d. Everything is more fun when you're high.

e. There comes a time when disparate market forces combine into a sweeping trend that changes all aspects of American experience—a tipping point: It is winter. Obama won the election. There's an economic crisis on. Heat costs more than Snuggies. The commercials are on YouTube. YouTube is a cheap form of entertainment. The inauguration (where both red and blue Snuggies, equally cheap, were sighted) has picked up Snuggies and propelled them to a new level of popularity.

f. Thomas Merton received public acclaim for his unbridled desire to become a Trappist monk. His autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain, swept the country because, though we won't admit it, all Americans have a deeply repressed desire to be a monk or a nun. Buying a Snuggie is easier than dealing with these feelings. Also, it doesn't involve moving. Or obeying an abbot.

g. We don't want monastic life; we want small, portable cults, connected to a parent cult through televised messages. If picking one of the three available colors (burgundy, royal blue, and sage green) for your domestic group is not individualized enough, Snuggies can be bleached and tie-dyed.

h. Modern life works steadily against the natural biological rhythms of human bodies. Evolutionary progress is hampered in technologized countries because natural selection is severely reduced: the maladapted don't die off as well. Even if evolutionary progress weren't hampered, industrialization changes human life too quickly for natural selection to keep up. The case in question illustrates the point: our bodies are programmed to warm and cool in a circadian cycle, reaching their lowest temperatures when, before electricity, it was most advantageous to be asleep inside a well-protected enclosure, since being out and about at night was likely to get you eaten by a nocturnal predator. Thus, humans who stay up late at night to read great literature are evolutionarily disadvantaged: as their bodies cool, they're likely to feel chilled. The Snuggie not only counteracts circadian cooling but, because it envelopes the body, also meets the primal need for nighttime protection.

i. Look, you're making this all too complicated. They're warm. When you get up for more beer, you don't have to leave your blanket. When you sit down, you don't have to cover yourself back up.

j. The revolution has been building; the people were bound to rise against their oppressors eventually. Proletarians of the world, unite!

k. Americans who don't like horror movies wish they liked horror movies, and sense deeply an internal failure: how much of a coward is a person who can't separate reality and filmic image enough to see the humor in zombies? Snuggies are creepy, but on TV they're always in well-lit rooms, no one gets stabbed (except, in Detroit, in the flashes between frames), and the commercials are short. For the chicken-hearted, Snuggie commercials provide precisely that mix of squeamy spine-chill and personal distance/safety.