calm in the storm

Talk about impact.

This image, from a Red Cross shelter at the Houston Astrodome, blew me away. She's clearly a child (witness the fuzzy bunny backpack), yet she's doing a very adult thing.

unexpected

Friday's ho-hum night out was 180 degrees different than Laura and Aaron's wild party Saturday night. Interesting people and conversations, surprising revelations, and alcohol were plentiful. Suffice it to say that I didn't get home until after 7 a.m. Sunday morning.

Four hours later, I was off to LACMA with Sarah and Elbert to enjoy the Treasures of Tutankhamun, André Kertész retrospective (Washington Square Park, 1954 pictured at right), and the preternatural Albrecht Dürer engravings and woodcuts. Later, I made a spontaneous trip to Jivewire with 'Jerry' and Mrs. Z. and fortuitously reconnected with George, Ticey, and Jamie.

Today, I let my body begin to recover from a weekend of fun and sleep deprivation. Then, it was off to lunch with Tony before going into work for a bit and dropping some duckets at IKEA with the roommate.

And not so unexpectedly, I'm quite behind in my reading and homework for Org. Behavior.

quotable

"The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about."
-Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), Anglo-Irish poet, novelist, dramatist, and critic

Or so I've been told.

on mental health

Forget how it used to be, and play by the new rules.
Or just forget the rules altogether.

sober september

One of my friends has vowed to be alcohol-free in September.
This is no small thing, because the individual in question loves an adult beverage as much as (if not more than) the rest of us.

In working/ studying WB dates surfing burning music dharma healthy eating water a.m. bike rides/hikes confidence

Out drinking MTV group bar-hops not surfing buying music every other religion wheels of cheese soda a.m. hangovers pity parties

vices

I'm addicted to photography, travel, and funny hats.

I enjoy good food (especially sweets) and alcohol.

Also, I have corrective tourette's, care far more than I should about what others think of me, and hold others to the same standards to which I hold myself. Oh, and I'm super-literal.

death by caffeine

According to Energy Fiend, it will take 260.87 cans of Diet Coke to kill me. Likewise, eating 11,739 Hershey's Kisses will do me in.

But to be honest, at that point it would be a merciful release, because I would (presumably) be passed out from the puking that would ensue if I ever attempted it.
Via Diana

no one can say they didn't see it coming

"No One Can Say they Didn't See it Coming" By Sidney Blumenthal, Former Clinton Advisor

In 2001, FEMA warned that a hurricane striking New Orleans was one of the three most likely disasters in the U.S. But the Bush administration cut New Orleans flood control funding by 44 percent to pay for the Iraq war.

So what were the other two disasters?
A massive earthquake in SF, and a terrorist attack in NYC. I think the funding for one of those might have been increased a bit since then.

Also, here's an article from Scientific American in 2001 that predicts exactly what just happened in New Orleans.
Via ksanti

nighthawks

If you're into night photography, check out nighthawks, a blog about photos, news, ideas, and commentary.

this is a shoutout to water-throwing pessimists everywhere

We all need a water-throwing pessimist (or two) in our lives.

You know the one — the friend who's a reality check and says what you probably didn't want to hear, but definitely needed to. This is the friend you consult on sticky subjects like matters of the heart. And the one you ask these fun questions:
-Is he really that into me?
-And (after the break-up that blindsides you) what's the proper way to move on emotionally?
-Later still, how do you handle loneliness if you're someone who hates "me-time"?

Thanks to my personal WTPs. I'll be back for your advice on Stratego, arpeggiation, and brokering peace in the Middle East. Or maybe I'll just stick to subjects you actually know something about...

These are for you:
Q: Why does Snoop Dogg carry around an umbrella?
A: Fo' drizzle.

Q: What does Snoop Dogg use to get his whites white?
A: Blee-atch!
Snoop Dogg jokes shamelessly nicked from nerdboy

focusing on the light

I heard American politicians describe Katrina as "our tsunami" and "our Hiroshima" and rolled my eyes. The simple fact is that Katrina is neither in terms of the scope of death and destruction. Tsunami: 310,000 dead; Hiroshima: 120,000 dead.

But I thought that this comment, from Scott Cowen, the president of Tulane University (in New Orleans), was worth sharing:

It is difficult to describe what this situation feels like for those involved. It is surreal and unfathomable; yet, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Our focus is on the light and not the darkness.

kermit turns 50

I need an antidote to Tuesday's events. So here goes.

Kermit the frog and the Muppet Show are among my happiest childhood memories. I even sang "Rainbow Connection" in elementary school chorus.



A creation of the late puppeteer Jim Henson, Kermit made his earliest appearances in the mid-1950s on the Washington, D.C. show "Sam and Friends." He became a household name in 1971 on Sesame Street as a news reporter interviewing nursery rhyme characters.

Jim Henson chose Kermit as his signature character because the puppet was the lightest in weight, and thus the most comfortable to use for extended periods of time.

The prototype Kermit was created from a green ladies' coat and two ping-pong balls for eyes. The early Kermit was a sort of lizard-like creature; his first appearance as a frog was in the television special "Hey Cinderella" in 1969.

Quotes:
"It's not easy being green."
"Hello, Kermit the Frog here with the Sesame Street news."
"Hi ho. Kermit the Frog here."

Actually, this whole 50th birthday thing is a ploy to sell the new Muppet Show - Season One (Special Edition) DVD. But if it takes you to your happy place, so be it ...
Via Wikipedia

numb

While at the gym tonight, I saw images of the damage from hurricane Katrina, and miles of houses underwater in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. I recoiled at the devastation and how powerless people are in the face of nature.

On my way home, while stopped at a light, I noticed the car in front of me rocking. That's because a very large man in the passenger seat was beating the hell out of a child in the back seat. There's no doubt in my mind that the child was being abused. And I'm queasy when I think about how powerless I am to do anything about it and the sick, sick part of human nature that compelled the man to do what he did.

star war in engrish

I watch a lot of foreign films and often wonder what gets changed and/or lost in translation.

Here's what happened with the Chinese version of Star Wars: Episode 3 subtitled in English. It's funny, even if you're not a Star Wars fan.


Via Georgia

have you seen this monkey?

The pants are a great detail. But what's with the K.F.C.?

Missing: 2 ft., 8 lb. monkey wearing blue pants
The bulletin issued by police in the southwest Ohio town of Springdale describes the subject as two feet tall, weighing eight pounds, clad only in blue pants and prone to sleeping in trees.

Dillion, a circus monkey, fled into a nearby woods early on Monday after being frightened by a train whistle from tracks near where the circus was performing in Springdale, in northern Hamilton County.

Trainer Philip Hendricks, who is part of the Hendricks Brothers Circus, says Dillion, who has a white face, brown body and is wearing a leash, is usually confident in new surroundings but the train whistle sent him scurrying.

The circus is leaving town Thursday morning and Hendricks is worried that his monkey won't be found before then.

Hendricks suggests that anyone who spots Dillion try to lure him with food. He's fond of apples, oranges, nuts, berries -- and Kentucky Fried Chicken.

triviablog rules!

The first rule of Trivia Blog is - you do not talk about Trivia Blog.
The second rule of Trivia Blog is - actually, go ahead and talk about Trivia Blog.
Third rule of Trivia Blog, someone gives the correct answer, the question is over.
Fourth rule, answers go in the comments section.
Fifth rule, one question at a time, fellas.
Sixth rule, no google, no cheating.
Seventh rule, questions will go on as long as they have to (i.e. 24 hours).
And the eighth and final rule, if this is your first night at Trivia Blog, you have to comment.

coolest neighbors evah

Z and Mrs. Z just moved in next door. We've got the same pro-choice, anti-war, pro-environment, John-Stewart-is-a-genius, i-did-not-vote-for-bush-wristband politics and they love my dog. 'Nuff said.

And they told me about get your war on.

me gusta tu sombrero

Photographic evidence of the French Connection at Saturday night's house party.
Mes gens savaient comment faire de la fête! Vous aimez mon chapeau, non?

Becki, how is that you always manage to take a picture of me in a funny hat at parties?!

when you really need the iliad

Forget about Coke and smile. Now, you can have a twix and "The Iliad," no matter what time it is.
(I read about this on Parisist and finally found the story in English. )

Can't Wait for a Book? Paris Can Help
Readers craving Homer, Baudelaire or Lewis Carroll in the middle of the night can get a quick fix at one of the French capital's five newly installed book vending machines.

Stocked with 25 of Maxi-Livres best-selling titles, the machines cover the gamut of literary genres and tastes. Classics like "The Odyssey" by Homer and Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland" share the limited shelf space with such practical must-haves as "100 Delicious Couscous" and "Verb Conjugations."

"Our biggest vending machine sellers are 'The Wok Cookbook' and a French-English dictionary," said Chambon, who added that poet Charles Baudelaire's "Les Fleurs du Mal" — "The Flowers of Evil" — also is "very popular." Regardless of whether they fall into the category of high culture or low, all books cost a modest $2.45.

Inspired by Tess

monkeying around in london

This one's for mes voyous Turk, Trevor, and Nathan.

Scantily clad homo sapiens act natural in London zoo enclosure
Caged and barely clothed, eight men and women monkeyed around for the crowds Friday in an exhibit labeled “Humans” at the London Zoo.

Tom Mahoney, 26, decided to participate after his friend sent him an e-mail about the contest as a joke. Anything that draws attention to apes, he said, has his support.

age before beauty

Friday night, Denisse took me to a party with amazing sangria. Her friend Dean commented on how different that gathering was from parties back in undergrad days ("There's no jungle juice, and the women aren't as slutted out as they were in college.")

Which brings me to Saturday night ... I hung out with the French Connection at a house party complete with college students, a keg, jello shots, and jungle juice. Hosts Ian and Marisa were fab and it was good times with mes voyous Turk, Susan, Nathan, Becki, and Trevor. After everyone else had taken off, Trevor carried a vintage pachinko machine to my car and we talked for hours.

The most interesting (but pathetic) dynamic I witnessed Saturday: The young twenty-something women who were absolutely beautiful but also incredibly insecure. It makes me glad to be the age I am and that I have never hidden my intelligence to get a man to like me.

Proof positive that you can be smart and have a GSOH:

angels in disguise

I perused Nick Wood's beautiful photography book, 360 Paris, yesterday.

As I leafed through the images, I was struck by this inscription, which appears (in English) in a doorway inside the Shakespeare & Company Bookstore in Paris.

"Be not inhospitable to strangers
Lest they be angels in disguise."

terrorism is ...

I want a t-shirt with this on it. Now.

geek cred

As of today, I'm officially a graduate student. And that's a demographic I'm totally down with being a part of.

acerbic wit

Saw David J's Cabaret Oscuro ("a very dark, highly visual, starkly theatrical presentation in the best Bauhaus tradition...[A] contemporary take on the avant-garde cabaret of old Paris, Weimar and Berlin,") at the Casbah tonight.

I was skeptical when the opening band set up and a xylophone and trombone were put on the stage. My doubt was well founded.

But David J. was phenomenal. The archetypal Englishman — scathingly witty and goofily unfettered by self-consciousness — played with a cellist (Joyce Rooks) and pianist. "Androgyny" got the evening going, followed by "Joe Orton's Wedding." But my favorite parts of the set came with "Pretty," [I'll] "Mess Up" [Your Life], and "Dress Sexy At My Funeral." I don't know the second-to-last song he sang (perhaps "Pulling Arrows From Our Heels" or "Who Killed Mr. Moonlight"?), but that captivated me as well.

Having never owned the requisite uniform (corsets, chains, and chokers and an amulet ... and turkish cigarettes in a black coffin lunchbox), I was amused by his send-up of "Goth Girls In Southern California" and his comically sarcastic — but beautiful — version of "Bela Lugosi's Dead."

Still, you could almost feel the goths drooling when he made a coy allusion to the fact that Bauhaus is re-forming and will be recording a new album and touring later this year.

happy birthday, susan a!

My top five Susan A. memories:
1. "It's Nolan's Cocaine" Carrot Cake
2. Many hours of core with Alexia
3. You, in my bathing suit that one time
4. Tears on July 30, 2003
5. 30 days of food and friends

I hope today is beyond beautiful. And that you get what you wish for.

I miss you so much and wish that you weren't on the opposite end of the country. Now if only I could find where I put your damn phone number ...

shake what your mama gave you

Denisse and I got our sweat on tonight in back-to-back salsa moves and street moves (hip hop) cardio classes. We laughed out loud when Cy ordered us to shimmy and shake our cleavage during the open-v step.

Which leads me to the quote of the evening: "Shake what your mama gave you. Or, if you're like me, what you bought."

¡ay mujer, cómo bailas!

Tatjana convinced me to join her tonight for an evening of salsa and merengue at Café Sevilla. I had a blast, and danced for all but 10 minutes of the night.

That scene is refreshingly different from the circles in which I normally travel. Also, there's something terribly sexy about men who dance well and speak to you in multiple languages.

sometimes it's better not to know

Harry unnerved me by referencing Lloyd Cole's "Trigger Happy" today.

I've listened to the song many, many times in the past two weeks. I assumed it was about a woman until tonight. Perhaps it's the first person manner in which Cole speaks. Or that he clearly loves the person to whom he's speaking. Or that I'm an impossible girl.

Trigger Happy
I love your head, I love the way you hold your head
Because you`re young and you know it
There ain`t nothing you can't do
Because you know there ain`t nothing you can`t do

I love your head, I love the way you hold your head
Because you know there is no connection between old and what`s new
And there ain`t nothing you can`t do
Oh, nothing at all

And you know that gun is loaded, sure you do
Summertime blue, summertime blue
Yes you know that gun is loaded, sure you do
If not for you

The way you walk, I love the way you wear contempt for my sort
Oh, should I give you my money?
A steady hand, a little trigger happy angry little man
Oh, pull the trigger take it all, oh you take it all

But you know that gun is loaded, sure you do
Summertime blue, summertime blue
And you know that gun is loaded, sure you do

I love your head, I love the way you hold your head
Because you're young, and you know it
A steady hand, a little trigger happy?
And we`ll tell you how to live
Then we`ll take away the reason
And we wonder why we wonder
How you`re not the way that we were

My curiosity piqued, I started looking for live show reviews, where I might find some context via Lloyd's remarks about the song. I stumbled on this narrative of a recent show:

Moving to a delightfully gentle trickle of an intro, Lloyd began quietly singing "Trigger Happy" from Love Story, with the charming, 'I love the way you hold your head because you're young / there ain't nothing you can't do.' At the end of this song, which was clearly written for his son, he added to the closing line of 'how you're not the way that we were', a comment on his son's taste for rap: 'with your Eminem, you're not the way that we were, with your 50 Cent,' before adding slowly, half-speaking 'Which is not to say we got it right.'

And now I'm sad, knowing what the song is really about.

reality check

H: Good news! I rented my room to a nice Japanese guy.
A: That's great! So does he speak Spanish or French?
H: No.
A: *laughter*