I already talked a little bit about this eccentric singer when lamenting my inability to go to Cochella last weekend, but I'm a girl with a handful of intense likes. My taste in music is particularly... Particular? A lot of my friends say I have bad taste in music, but I like what I like.
To my idiosyncratic little eyes and ears, this YouTube video is one of the most cheering things in existence. It is like a warm afternoon full of baby snakes, baby ducks and baby kitties.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Endorsing Some Friends: LuvCherie on Etsy
Not only is Amy Darigol (Etsy's LuvCherie and the wife of former Daily Geek, Grant Darigol) a wonderful human being and all-around good sport, but she also produces fantastic beaded jewelry. That is the art that I want to draw attention to in this post.
The picture below is the first necklace that I've commissioned through her Etsy shop. It is a stylized version of the logo from the costume of The Phoenix, a comic book character from the X-Men. Because I am a nerd.
Although she uses beads, the finished piece resembles jewel-toned woven chain. A photo can't do this necklace justice, because the sparkle and texture aren't properly communicated in 2D.
I wore it to the Emerald City ComiCon this year with a t-shirt, jeans, khaki-denim fitted jacket and I styled my copper-orange hair as best I could to resemble the shape of the famous hairdo from the movie Amelie. I felt so pretty!!!
I completely adore this necklace.
It's bold, so it takes a little extra effort to pull off (no overdoing or underdoing the hair/clothing/makeup), but with the right outfit I really do look my best while wearing it.
Of course I want more.
I am in the early stages of commissioning a second beaded necklace through Amy's Etsy profile that features the characters Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot from the TV show Mystery Science Theater 3000. It is going to be excellent.
Female nerd pride!!! Wooo!!!
The picture below is the first necklace that I've commissioned through her Etsy shop. It is a stylized version of the logo from the costume of The Phoenix, a comic book character from the X-Men. Because I am a nerd.
Although she uses beads, the finished piece resembles jewel-toned woven chain. A photo can't do this necklace justice, because the sparkle and texture aren't properly communicated in 2D.
I wore it to the Emerald City ComiCon this year with a t-shirt, jeans, khaki-denim fitted jacket and I styled my copper-orange hair as best I could to resemble the shape of the famous hairdo from the movie Amelie. I felt so pretty!!!I completely adore this necklace.
It's bold, so it takes a little extra effort to pull off (no overdoing or underdoing the hair/clothing/makeup), but with the right outfit I really do look my best while wearing it.
Of course I want more.
I am in the early stages of commissioning a second beaded necklace through Amy's Etsy profile that features the characters Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot from the TV show Mystery Science Theater 3000. It is going to be excellent.
Female nerd pride!!! Wooo!!!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Today I'm going to adore Franz Ferdinand's "You Could Have it So Much Better"
Well, I adore this album constantly, not just today.
The radio hits may be too catchy and repetitive for some, but a lot of the less-famous album songs are absolutely perfect and so damn clever.
Regarding the music:
The actual music is danceable, calculatedly aggressive, arrogant and fashionable. I like it. I can say without exaggeration that the music is everything I want in a "time to stay awake" album. The rhythm and instrumentation (to all but the two slow songs) is like a three-shots-of-espresso caffeine rush during an all-night marathon, just as I finally have the idea needed to finish a huge research paper at 4am. Also, it is easy to dance to. I like dancing. Research papers and dancing. What else am I? I'm content with this.
Regarding the lyrics:
As I've mentioned before, I am a synesthete. Lyrics are particularly important to me. Lyrics can affect the size and shape and colors of a song. (For more information, you can Google synesthesia.) I'm also enough of a language goon that something musically uninteresting can be perked up if the words are important. Being a very picky sort of reader, I've found that the inverse is also true for me: dull lyrics can ruin an otherwise perfect song.
Luckily, the lyrics are where Franz Ferdinand shines the most.
This band might be the contemporary incarnation of Oscar Wilde. The lyrics boast of being cruel, posh and carefree, but flash the smallest hints of concealed humanism. The language is also wonderfully overeducated--even the name is an obscure history reference.
Now that I've shown some love to their music and lyrics, I'm going to provide a quick YouTube sample so you can listen a bit for yourself. I'll even be bold and open with a slow song.
This "video" that I found online features back-to-back album versions of the songs Walk Away, Evil and a Heathen, and the immensely catchy You're the Reason I'm Leaving. This last song features an airy, metallic little guitar solo that I especially love. To my ears, the guitar solo sounds Important. (Capitol I.)
Mascara bleeds a blackened tear...
And I am cold, yes I'm cold, but not as cold as you are.
I love the sound of you walking away.
Why don't you walk away? No buildings will fall down!
Why don't you walk away? No quake will split the ground!
Why don't you walk away? The sun won't swallow the sky.
Why don't you walk away? Statues will not cry.
********************
There is a special, absolutely fearless daring found in some gay individuals who have learned to flourish in a culturally hostile environment. To kiss a boyfriend in conservative public is approximately the same act as laughing in the face of a firing squad. So cool. I don't know if I can say that this album epitomizes this cool, but there are quick flashes of it. Often too quick to catch. It's a bit like an Easter egg hunt, really. The next time you happen to hear the song Do You Want To, keep an ear pricked up. What did the protagonist do with "your famous friend?" How shocking!
The girlfriends who are more blatantly and openly written about on this album feel like sexually lukewarm, unwitting, emotionally-drained beards. I hate these hypothetical girls' hypothetical suffering and the complicated societal problems (and deceit) responsible for the traps that they now waste away in. To wax political for just another moment, in my mind the plight of the tragic, deceived beard is one more reason for the hetero crowd to support gay equality. Without a need for subterfuge--the gay folk can simply be gay, no unwanted wives required to keep up straight appearances--this form of romantic human sacrifice can come to a close.
In contrast to the tragic female beards, the secret gay boyfriends hinted at in this album are legendary, great loves. "I've seen some years, but you're still my Cesar." And so on. It feels emotionally honest and pithy, overflowing and bleeding with the horrible, constant emotional capture that being completely in love for a long, long time can cement. The pain of absolutely requiring ones' partner's physical presence. The inability to sleep when alone. It implies an intense, rich knowledge of almost every detail of the other person. I have to respect this passion and implied commitment, even while I'm resentful over the lost female beards.
*********************
This album gets extra points for what I believe could be the most clever, hidden little Rolling Stones pun that I have ever heard in a contemporary pop song. The first song on the album is sympathy for the devil... Without directly ripping off Sympathy for the Devil. Just winking at it a little bit. Instead of playing the devil and then asking for sympathy the way Mick Jagger did, the protagonist of this song is a slightly timid, slightly fearful temporary human companion of the devil, out for a drink and showing a bit of actual social sympathy. So, sympathy for the devil. For whatever reason, I think this is a total lark. When I "figured it out" or decided upon it or whatever, I think I laughed out loud. I think I was washing dishes at the time. It was a few years ago.
So we stole and drank champagne.
On the seventh seal you said you never feel pain.
"Eh-I never feel pain, won't you hit me again? I need a bit of black and blue to be a rotation!"
In my blood I felt bubbles burst.
There was a flash of fist, an eyebrow burst.
You've a lazy laugh and a red white shirt.
I fall to the floor,
Fainting at the sight of blood!
And WHILE I'm overthinking these songs and reading far too much into them (I do love to have something to chew on), one last wild stab at the jukebox:
In my mind, the song I'm Your Villain (which I completely adore) is a subtly gay Batman song, disguised as a histrionic lovers' spat. There, I said it. I know this isn't likely an original idea, but it's one that came to me and I do like it. They should have used this song in The Dark Knight. If I had been Heath Ledger, I would have listened to it on a loop to help me prepare as an actor. Even when Batman and the Joker are straight, the "we could fall in love and stroll around together if only you weren't so humorless and dull" flirtation in the lyrics could easily function as a sexless, taunting innuendo. I think it's keen.
Here is the song on YouTube, for your convenience. Please don't watch the video, as there's nothing much to see. Just keep it playing in the background while you do something else.
And that's the end of this post.
The radio hits may be too catchy and repetitive for some, but a lot of the less-famous album songs are absolutely perfect and so damn clever.
Regarding the music:
The actual music is danceable, calculatedly aggressive, arrogant and fashionable. I like it. I can say without exaggeration that the music is everything I want in a "time to stay awake" album. The rhythm and instrumentation (to all but the two slow songs) is like a three-shots-of-espresso caffeine rush during an all-night marathon, just as I finally have the idea needed to finish a huge research paper at 4am. Also, it is easy to dance to. I like dancing. Research papers and dancing. What else am I? I'm content with this.
Regarding the lyrics:
As I've mentioned before, I am a synesthete. Lyrics are particularly important to me. Lyrics can affect the size and shape and colors of a song. (For more information, you can Google synesthesia.) I'm also enough of a language goon that something musically uninteresting can be perked up if the words are important. Being a very picky sort of reader, I've found that the inverse is also true for me: dull lyrics can ruin an otherwise perfect song.
Luckily, the lyrics are where Franz Ferdinand shines the most.
This band might be the contemporary incarnation of Oscar Wilde. The lyrics boast of being cruel, posh and carefree, but flash the smallest hints of concealed humanism. The language is also wonderfully overeducated--even the name is an obscure history reference.
Now that I've shown some love to their music and lyrics, I'm going to provide a quick YouTube sample so you can listen a bit for yourself. I'll even be bold and open with a slow song.
This "video" that I found online features back-to-back album versions of the songs Walk Away, Evil and a Heathen, and the immensely catchy You're the Reason I'm Leaving. This last song features an airy, metallic little guitar solo that I especially love. To my ears, the guitar solo sounds Important. (Capitol I.)
Mascara bleeds a blackened tear...
And I am cold, yes I'm cold, but not as cold as you are.
I love the sound of you walking away.
Why don't you walk away? No buildings will fall down!
Why don't you walk away? No quake will split the ground!
Why don't you walk away? The sun won't swallow the sky.
Why don't you walk away? Statues will not cry.
********************
There is a special, absolutely fearless daring found in some gay individuals who have learned to flourish in a culturally hostile environment. To kiss a boyfriend in conservative public is approximately the same act as laughing in the face of a firing squad. So cool. I don't know if I can say that this album epitomizes this cool, but there are quick flashes of it. Often too quick to catch. It's a bit like an Easter egg hunt, really. The next time you happen to hear the song Do You Want To, keep an ear pricked up. What did the protagonist do with "your famous friend?" How shocking!
The girlfriends who are more blatantly and openly written about on this album feel like sexually lukewarm, unwitting, emotionally-drained beards. I hate these hypothetical girls' hypothetical suffering and the complicated societal problems (and deceit) responsible for the traps that they now waste away in. To wax political for just another moment, in my mind the plight of the tragic, deceived beard is one more reason for the hetero crowd to support gay equality. Without a need for subterfuge--the gay folk can simply be gay, no unwanted wives required to keep up straight appearances--this form of romantic human sacrifice can come to a close.
In contrast to the tragic female beards, the secret gay boyfriends hinted at in this album are legendary, great loves. "I've seen some years, but you're still my Cesar." And so on. It feels emotionally honest and pithy, overflowing and bleeding with the horrible, constant emotional capture that being completely in love for a long, long time can cement. The pain of absolutely requiring ones' partner's physical presence. The inability to sleep when alone. It implies an intense, rich knowledge of almost every detail of the other person. I have to respect this passion and implied commitment, even while I'm resentful over the lost female beards.
*********************
This album gets extra points for what I believe could be the most clever, hidden little Rolling Stones pun that I have ever heard in a contemporary pop song. The first song on the album is sympathy for the devil... Without directly ripping off Sympathy for the Devil. Just winking at it a little bit. Instead of playing the devil and then asking for sympathy the way Mick Jagger did, the protagonist of this song is a slightly timid, slightly fearful temporary human companion of the devil, out for a drink and showing a bit of actual social sympathy. So, sympathy for the devil. For whatever reason, I think this is a total lark. When I "figured it out" or decided upon it or whatever, I think I laughed out loud. I think I was washing dishes at the time. It was a few years ago.
So we stole and drank champagne.
On the seventh seal you said you never feel pain.
"Eh-I never feel pain, won't you hit me again? I need a bit of black and blue to be a rotation!"
In my blood I felt bubbles burst.
There was a flash of fist, an eyebrow burst.
You've a lazy laugh and a red white shirt.
I fall to the floor,
Fainting at the sight of blood!
And WHILE I'm overthinking these songs and reading far too much into them (I do love to have something to chew on), one last wild stab at the jukebox:
In my mind, the song I'm Your Villain (which I completely adore) is a subtly gay Batman song, disguised as a histrionic lovers' spat. There, I said it. I know this isn't likely an original idea, but it's one that came to me and I do like it. They should have used this song in The Dark Knight. If I had been Heath Ledger, I would have listened to it on a loop to help me prepare as an actor. Even when Batman and the Joker are straight, the "we could fall in love and stroll around together if only you weren't so humorless and dull" flirtation in the lyrics could easily function as a sexless, taunting innuendo. I think it's keen.
Here is the song on YouTube, for your convenience. Please don't watch the video, as there's nothing much to see. Just keep it playing in the background while you do something else.
And that's the end of this post.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Bittersweet: The Coachella Festival Line-Up
Saturday, April 17th in particular.
A good handful of my favorite bands and performers are all lumped together, in a beautiful clump of mind-splitting awesome. Yet I cannot be there. Not only can I not afford the tickets, travel and lodging, but I'm also co-hosting a modest birthday evening for my sister that night.
Oh, the pain.
Here are some highlights:
Devo, who I have seen in concert four times recently. Twice last year.
Faith No More, who I have NEVER seen in concert, but whose albums I know by heart. I even like Annie's Song a whole lot.
John Waters. Really, John Waters will be there.
Les Claypool. Of course. I hope he will make out with Faith No More.
Muse. Yes, I like them too. They've gotten all "Bruce Campbell" lately and I appreciate this.
The following day, which I also cannot attend, features these highlights as well:
The Gorillaz (Oh the heartbreak!!! Jaime Hewlett of Tank Girl, Dan the Automator of EVERYTHING, the cute boy from Blur and so much good, good, good, good rap from so many guest stars.)
De La Soul (I'll bet they'll perform twice, once with The Gorillaz. I love Me, Myself and I.)
Gary Neuman. Once, roboty. Now with Trent Reznor goodness. Oh, what I would give to see Gary Neuman on stage! (I realize that I've already expressed that I wouldn't give up my sister's birthday and a month's rent money, so there you have it. But what WOULD I give? I'm not sure.)
And Thom Yorke, I suppose, as long as he cheers up long enough to play a distorted guitar solo or something.
*****************
I have always wanted to see Faith No More live. They crackle with a strange, beautifully ugly intelligence, like an episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. One song is a deadpan parody of the Scientology pamphlet. (Land of Sunshine.) A Hunter S. Thompson quote thrown into another song. (What a Day.) They also perform a completely serious, extremely heavy metal song about a toilet (Cuckoo for Caca) and equally serious cover of the theme song from Midnight Cowboy. Perhaps my favorite is a tragicomic country song about an undereducated, self-defeating, filthy man living in a trailer being bad for every human being in the world. (RV.)
Sometimes there's a straight guy singing a gay song as a sexy joke written by a gay songwriter. (Be Aggressive!) Sometimes they sing a Peaches & Herb duet. (Reunited has been an opening number on their new tour, sung mostly by keyboardist Roddy Bottom.) They also feature Black Sabbath's new drummer rocking out. (The adorable Mike "Puffy" Bordin--this was his high school band.)
A multilingual heavy metal band with a strong, respectable fan base in Latin America. (Mike Patton is rumored to speak over four languages.) A cover of Chariots of Fire. The catchiest Lionel Ritchie cover I've ever heard. (Easy.) Some creative involvement in the second Bill and Ted movie. A silly music video that reenacts Hitchcock's Vertigo, with a few more dudes in drag than the original film had. (Last Cup of Sorrow.)
The song The Gentle Art of Making Enemies may be one of my favorite songs of all-time. (A song that is not for the especially young or sensitive--the language is very much rated R. But it is so good.)
You can feel the love radiating off of me, right? Mistakes and all, this band has too many lovable characteristics for me to ever completely let go of. They're one of my staple bands.
They've reunited to tour, are finally in the US and I can't make it to this show.
Wow.
A good handful of my favorite bands and performers are all lumped together, in a beautiful clump of mind-splitting awesome. Yet I cannot be there. Not only can I not afford the tickets, travel and lodging, but I'm also co-hosting a modest birthday evening for my sister that night.
Oh, the pain.
Here are some highlights:
Devo, who I have seen in concert four times recently. Twice last year.
Faith No More, who I have NEVER seen in concert, but whose albums I know by heart. I even like Annie's Song a whole lot.
John Waters. Really, John Waters will be there.
Les Claypool. Of course. I hope he will make out with Faith No More.
Muse. Yes, I like them too. They've gotten all "Bruce Campbell" lately and I appreciate this.
The following day, which I also cannot attend, features these highlights as well:
The Gorillaz (Oh the heartbreak!!! Jaime Hewlett of Tank Girl, Dan the Automator of EVERYTHING, the cute boy from Blur and so much good, good, good, good rap from so many guest stars.)
De La Soul (I'll bet they'll perform twice, once with The Gorillaz. I love Me, Myself and I.)
Gary Neuman. Once, roboty. Now with Trent Reznor goodness. Oh, what I would give to see Gary Neuman on stage! (I realize that I've already expressed that I wouldn't give up my sister's birthday and a month's rent money, so there you have it. But what WOULD I give? I'm not sure.)
And Thom Yorke, I suppose, as long as he cheers up long enough to play a distorted guitar solo or something.
*****************
I have always wanted to see Faith No More live. They crackle with a strange, beautifully ugly intelligence, like an episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. One song is a deadpan parody of the Scientology pamphlet. (Land of Sunshine.) A Hunter S. Thompson quote thrown into another song. (What a Day.) They also perform a completely serious, extremely heavy metal song about a toilet (Cuckoo for Caca) and equally serious cover of the theme song from Midnight Cowboy. Perhaps my favorite is a tragicomic country song about an undereducated, self-defeating, filthy man living in a trailer being bad for every human being in the world. (RV.)
Sometimes there's a straight guy singing a gay song as a sexy joke written by a gay songwriter. (Be Aggressive!) Sometimes they sing a Peaches & Herb duet. (Reunited has been an opening number on their new tour, sung mostly by keyboardist Roddy Bottom.) They also feature Black Sabbath's new drummer rocking out. (The adorable Mike "Puffy" Bordin--this was his high school band.)
A multilingual heavy metal band with a strong, respectable fan base in Latin America. (Mike Patton is rumored to speak over four languages.) A cover of Chariots of Fire. The catchiest Lionel Ritchie cover I've ever heard. (Easy.) Some creative involvement in the second Bill and Ted movie. A silly music video that reenacts Hitchcock's Vertigo, with a few more dudes in drag than the original film had. (Last Cup of Sorrow.)
The song The Gentle Art of Making Enemies may be one of my favorite songs of all-time. (A song that is not for the especially young or sensitive--the language is very much rated R. But it is so good.)
You can feel the love radiating off of me, right? Mistakes and all, this band has too many lovable characteristics for me to ever completely let go of. They're one of my staple bands.
They've reunited to tour, are finally in the US and I can't make it to this show.
Wow.
Squeezing in just a little more love for neuroscience, PubMed, Devo, brain damage and you!
Just using a 30-second PubMed search here to slap together a some research to support my hypothesis that the best treatment for a rough life is a routine application of rigorous dance parties. (A combination of Iggy Pop and Devo is highly recommended, as jumping around is excellent for one's overall health.)
I'd need a few dozen more relevant articles if I was conducting some proper scientific research, but I'm just a blogger taking a quick break at work.
Because PubMed rocks, this article is available for free to anyone:
Lafenêtre P., Leske O., Ma-Högemeie Z., Haghikia A., Bichler Z., Wahle P., Heumann R. (2010). Exercise can rescue recognition memory impairment in a model with reduced adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 3 1-9.
A brief aside:
1. I love how in science, titles are usually run-on sentences.
2. Regarding my APA citation style: I'm not sure if the pagination is just for the article or for the whole issue, but this isn't a school assignment so I'll be a little sloppy and not double-check. If this crossed your mind too, you are a nerd. Welcome, nerd brethren. Let us be friends.
So it's been said, that nasty hippocampal density reduction and its oft correlated memory impairment--brain damage which other research indicates can be caused by having a depressing and painful life--seems to be well-treated through the judicious application of a regular regimen of aerobic exercise.
(Yes, it's also sloppy that I didn't cite studies that support THIS famous hypothesis more thoroughly. It's OK. This is only a fashion blog about shopping. Use PubMed and Google Scholar to look it up yourself.)
My interpretation of this scientific research? DANCE!!! Fortune favors those who shake what they got, particularly those with a history of depression, anxiety and/or PTSD. Who knew house parties and mosh pits could be so therapeutic?
That is all for now.
I'd need a few dozen more relevant articles if I was conducting some proper scientific research, but I'm just a blogger taking a quick break at work.
Because PubMed rocks, this article is available for free to anyone:
Lafenêtre P., Leske O., Ma-Högemeie Z., Haghikia A., Bichler Z., Wahle P., Heumann R. (2010). Exercise can rescue recognition memory impairment in a model with reduced adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 3 1-9.
A brief aside:
1. I love how in science, titles are usually run-on sentences.
2. Regarding my APA citation style: I'm not sure if the pagination is just for the article or for the whole issue, but this isn't a school assignment so I'll be a little sloppy and not double-check. If this crossed your mind too, you are a nerd. Welcome, nerd brethren. Let us be friends.
So it's been said, that nasty hippocampal density reduction and its oft correlated memory impairment--brain damage which other research indicates can be caused by having a depressing and painful life--seems to be well-treated through the judicious application of a regular regimen of aerobic exercise.
(Yes, it's also sloppy that I didn't cite studies that support THIS famous hypothesis more thoroughly. It's OK. This is only a fashion blog about shopping. Use PubMed and Google Scholar to look it up yourself.)
My interpretation of this scientific research? DANCE!!! Fortune favors those who shake what they got, particularly those with a history of depression, anxiety and/or PTSD. Who knew house parties and mosh pits could be so therapeutic?
That is all for now.
I adore neuroscience and PubMed
To study psychology without studying neuroscience is like studying dance without studying musculature. The art and the output are still there, even when the biology responsible is not understood, but I find a more comprehensive approach to be richer and more fulfilling.
(Hence waffling between the two disciplines like an academic butterfly during my undergrad degree. ... Butterflies and waffles? That's a mixed metaphor that I can totally get behind, even though Easter was last week!)
Anyhow.
What the science nerds already know, I still want to lavish a little of my breaktime adulation on.
I love with all my dorky heart the magical, lovely, delicious world of the peer-reviewed scientific research. I love the process AND the end results. Peer-reviewed publication is laborious, ugly, biased, cumbersome and flawed, but it's still the best damn thing out there when one wants the "good stuff." Ten times better than even top journalists' ability to report scientific findings.
For those of us tragic sorts who are no longer affiliated with a college or university, it can be hard to get to this "good stuff." Peer-reviewed scientific research journals are expensive, and most will charge through the nose (~$30 per article) for even tidbits of online access. Without a school to foot that bill, what's a science nerd to do?
Google Scholar is great (I love their search engine), but I'm here today to love the old American standby... PubMed!!!
The free article database of the National Institute of Health (NIH). Not every article that they cite is available without a subscription (same as Google Scholar) but, they're still tops in my book.
Thank you, PubMed! You have my heart. Now tell me what unwanted chemicals are in it, and what sort of diseases they may bring.
(Hence waffling between the two disciplines like an academic butterfly during my undergrad degree. ... Butterflies and waffles? That's a mixed metaphor that I can totally get behind, even though Easter was last week!)
Anyhow.
What the science nerds already know, I still want to lavish a little of my breaktime adulation on.
I love with all my dorky heart the magical, lovely, delicious world of the peer-reviewed scientific research. I love the process AND the end results. Peer-reviewed publication is laborious, ugly, biased, cumbersome and flawed, but it's still the best damn thing out there when one wants the "good stuff." Ten times better than even top journalists' ability to report scientific findings.
For those of us tragic sorts who are no longer affiliated with a college or university, it can be hard to get to this "good stuff." Peer-reviewed scientific research journals are expensive, and most will charge through the nose (~$30 per article) for even tidbits of online access. Without a school to foot that bill, what's a science nerd to do?
Google Scholar is great (I love their search engine), but I'm here today to love the old American standby... PubMed!!!
The free article database of the National Institute of Health (NIH). Not every article that they cite is available without a subscription (same as Google Scholar) but, they're still tops in my book.
Thank you, PubMed! You have my heart. Now tell me what unwanted chemicals are in it, and what sort of diseases they may bring.
Just messed around with the blog color scheme quite a bit
I'll have to fix this when I get home tonight.
In the meanwhile, please bear with me as we limp through this awkward time of awkward reading material.
In the meanwhile, please bear with me as we limp through this awkward time of awkward reading material.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
I LOVE COFFEE BREAK SPANISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Holy crap. Like, I can't even tell you.
I love Coffee Break Spanish, courtesy of the Radio Lingua Network, almost more than I can express.
Free online Spanish classes taught by the friendly teacher-student duo of Mark and Cara.
The best part? That the lessons are free, enjoyable and available easily online. This is not a paid endorsement, by the way. I just like them a lot.
But the "best part" that I want to freak out about? They're TOTALLY SCOTTISH!!! It's great. There is this totally thick Scottish brogue overtop of the lessons whenever they're speaking English. It's just unexpected enough to help keep me cheerful when I might otherwise wander off in an ADHD sort of way.
When I'm by myself and I have difficulty repeating a word in Spanish, sometimes I'll make myself feel better by trying to just repeat one of the Scottish-accented words instead. It's helped me get used to rolling my Rs, too. The Scottish rolled Rs are kind of like training wheels.
I very much <3 this program. I've even gotten my father into it.
I love Coffee Break Spanish, courtesy of the Radio Lingua Network, almost more than I can express.
Free online Spanish classes taught by the friendly teacher-student duo of Mark and Cara.
The best part? That the lessons are free, enjoyable and available easily online. This is not a paid endorsement, by the way. I just like them a lot.
But the "best part" that I want to freak out about? They're TOTALLY SCOTTISH!!! It's great. There is this totally thick Scottish brogue overtop of the lessons whenever they're speaking English. It's just unexpected enough to help keep me cheerful when I might otherwise wander off in an ADHD sort of way.
When I'm by myself and I have difficulty repeating a word in Spanish, sometimes I'll make myself feel better by trying to just repeat one of the Scottish-accented words instead. It's helped me get used to rolling my Rs, too. The Scottish rolled Rs are kind of like training wheels.
I very much <3 this program. I've even gotten my father into it.
The One That Got Away (...Shark!)
Yaargh!!!
I'm washing dishes and thinking about stuff when I remember this one regret, this ONE regret that has stuck in the back of my mind for about a year.
The Shark Week t-shirt that I didn't cough up the money to buy for myself. Because I am cheap sometimes.
So I decide to look it up, to see what I can see. Maybe prepare to finally buy the shirt for myself when I get paid tomorrow.
What do I find? The shirt is no longer available!!!!!!!!!!!
Here is a link to a page that USED to sell the shirt:
http://www.cafepress.com/dd/29202863
But even these sellers, let alone the Discovery Channel Store proper, have no copies of this shirt for me.
Oh, the heartbreak.
I'm washing dishes and thinking about stuff when I remember this one regret, this ONE regret that has stuck in the back of my mind for about a year.
The Shark Week t-shirt that I didn't cough up the money to buy for myself. Because I am cheap sometimes.
So I decide to look it up, to see what I can see. Maybe prepare to finally buy the shirt for myself when I get paid tomorrow.
What do I find? The shirt is no longer available!!!!!!!!!!!
Here is a link to a page that USED to sell the shirt:
http://www.cafepress.com/dd/29202863
But even these sellers, let alone the Discovery Channel Store proper, have no copies of this shirt for me.
Oh, the heartbreak.
Endorsing Some Friends: My Awesome Sister!!!
I am seriously lucky. Not only do I get along with my only sibling so well that we could be mistaken for creepy, psychically linked twins (we're not twins) but she also makes me a lot of good stuff.
Case in point, this brilliant handbag:
The pattern will be posted on Ravelry.com soon, I hope.
I will post more about my sister as she starts to publish more of her artwork and writing online. (Coming soon, a funny, ambitious blog about Star Trek, perhaps? Some eBay items? Who knows?)
Case in point, this brilliant handbag:
The pattern will be posted on Ravelry.com soon, I hope.
I will post more about my sister as she starts to publish more of her artwork and writing online. (Coming soon, a funny, ambitious blog about Star Trek, perhaps? Some eBay items? Who knows?)
Endorsing Some Friends: Natasha Lewandrowski
Three blog posts in one day!!! Yes, I know that's a lot. So what of it? I'm having fun.
I think it's time that I endorse some of my friends' artwork, because I can say honestly that I adore my friends.
First up is Natasha Lewandrowski. What can I say about Natasha? She's otherworldly, talented, brilliantly ethical, and so good at being a human that I would be intimidated if she wasn't so damn nice to me. We collaborate on many goofy excursions and I can say with confidence that her friendship has been very good for me. I'm glad to have her around. (Y'awww, affection. It's awkward. But this blog is all about affection! I'm keeping this paragraph.)
Her work can be found both on her professional website and on her Etsy account. At the time of posting, her usual amazing collage jewelry wasn't available on her Etsy page, but I hope she'll post more materials again.
FYI: The shoe is a sculpture made using plastic bags and the silver person is a costume and mask that she's actually wearing in the photograph.
I think it's time that I endorse some of my friends' artwork, because I can say honestly that I adore my friends.
First up is Natasha Lewandrowski. What can I say about Natasha? She's otherworldly, talented, brilliantly ethical, and so good at being a human that I would be intimidated if she wasn't so damn nice to me. We collaborate on many goofy excursions and I can say with confidence that her friendship has been very good for me. I'm glad to have her around. (Y'awww, affection. It's awkward. But this blog is all about affection! I'm keeping this paragraph.)
Her work can be found both on her professional website and on her Etsy account. At the time of posting, her usual amazing collage jewelry wasn't available on her Etsy page, but I hope she'll post more materials again.
FYI: The shoe is a sculpture made using plastic bags and the silver person is a costume and mask that she's actually wearing in the photograph.
Getting Started...
When searching for blogs named "I Adore" I instead found one called "i adore pretty."
Soooo cute! Most of her posts so far have been about hair and makeup, primarily makeup.
I am especially enamored with the following photo, which she found first and posted first.
Soooo cute! Most of her posts so far have been about hair and makeup, primarily makeup.
I am especially enamored with the following photo, which she found first and posted first.
This has forever been one of my all-time favorite fashion looks, and one that I am perpetually, appreciatively jealous of. Nothing to my eye pops as gorgeously as opaque, pastel blue eyeshadow accenting naturally, truly dark skin. It is a beautiful and charming fashion statement.
This photo feels like Afro-Centric French Pop. Like perfect weather. Like hearing Lou Reed's Perfect Day while drinking a good bubble tea and holding hands with someone you've loved for years.
More movies should steal the fashion statement made in this photograph.
Welcome to this lovely new experiment!
I am trying my hand at keeping a feminine blog. The main purpose of this project is to express sincere delight. I adore so many things that this should be a pretty easy theme to keep up with.
Should I ever be given free samples (hint hint) or PAID (hint hint) to mention something, I will be upfront about it.
But although I certainly like getting new things, the main purpose of the project isn't greed. I'm doing this to amuse myself.
So now... On with the show!!!
Should I ever be given free samples (hint hint) or PAID (hint hint) to mention something, I will be upfront about it.
But although I certainly like getting new things, the main purpose of the project isn't greed. I'm doing this to amuse myself.
So now... On with the show!!!
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