1.30.2009

Sleepless Long Nights? That Is What My Youth Was For.

From Feministe: Illinois Sued Over Refusal to Correct Birth Certificates: "Two transgender women are suing the state of Illinois, which is refusing to change/correct their birth certificates to accurately reflect their gender identities. Why won’t the state change them? Karissa Rothkopf and Victoria Kirk haven’t met the state’s standards for gender reaffirmation surgery, which apparently include having the surgery performed by a doctor licensed in the United States. Their surgeries were both performed in Thailand."

Great song from a great soundtrack to a 90's-tastic movie. And speaking of the 90's...


Guess I finally have to boycott American Apparel.  Unbelievable.

A lifelong discussion: Can Men Be Feminists?

Gridskipper's guide to Key West - I wanna go!

Iceland appoints world's first openly gay leader. From Gawker.

South Carolina attempts to further restrict access to abortions.

"...Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?"

Dr. Peter Klatsky: Why Contraception Saves Money and Prevents Abortions : A Doctor's Take on the Stimulus Package: "One cannot help but wonder whether congressional Republicans actually want to maintain the current rates of abortion, teen pregnancy, unnecessary public spending, or decreased productivity. Their policy on contraception suggests that they do."

I like the combo of the natural and the bold in these stools.  Nice.

This eco resort in Indonesia almost looks too good to be true.  Wow.


Adorable build-your-own-chair project for kids.  Love it!  From Lovely Package.

The lemongrass craze continues.

Likin' the look of the new New Balance line.


Still Life With Cupcakes*



































1.29.2009

Painter In Your Pocket

From Alternet: The fight to take down Prop 8 continues.


If I believed in heaven, this is what I might hope to find...

Really upsetting and all too familiar.  Feministing: Court say school can expel lesbians.

Seattles art scene goes adorable (see left).

Can't wait to see this!

I Love This Movie

1.28.2009

I'm Not A Hater, I Just Crush A Lot

Domino magazine folds!  Booo.  Here is yet another one of their inspiring pieces, this one on great entry ways (one of my favorites to the left).

I sort of love this celebrity couple...

This rainbow cake is a great idea, especially for a kids party...although I would take one too...

"Crack Babies: the Epidemic That Wasn't" from the Volokh Conspiracy.



"Slum Tours" as a result of Slumdog Millionaire?  From Vagabonding.

Cool lunch boxes and bags for cool dorks like me who bring their lunch to work.

The Guardian check out solo-women travel.





































Just Fine

No doubt having received an extra boost from Michelle Obama's inauguration day get up, yellow is, apparently, the color of the year.  I only have one yellow peice of clothing (a mustard yellow silk work shirt), but I'm willing to give it more of a try...

From Jezebel: Mad Men Costume Designer May Launch Own Line, "That sound you just heard was the excited gasp shared by every Mad Men fan who ever dreamed of dressing like Betty Draper or Joan Holloway" (left)

A.V. Club interview with the much-crushed-on Ira Glass.


Pope Benedict decides to rehabilitate an excommunicated bishop....who continues to deny the Holocaust.  Unbelievable.

Snazzy design website UPPERCASE soon to become snazzy magazine.

These giant cue cards are pretty entertaining....even if the charges and conduct are despicable.

An uphill battle - gay rights in Utah.

Coveting these fabric covered boxes from IKEA.  They almost make me believe I could be organized...


1.27.2009

“Sometimes life is merely a matter of coffee and whatever intimacy a cup of coffee affords.”*

Current: Women feel most beautiful at 32. Yay, 32 here I come!  Really, I have heard this (generally the 30's, not the age 32 specifically) from women before.  Most of them told me that their 20's were too fraught with insecurity and confusion over life decisions for them to really settle into themselves and feel centered.  So, here's to growing wiser with each year...


Nice designs.  Good Shape Design.

I like the combo of fabric and metal in this jewelry line.

Two things I like, combined!  Tetris and brownies!  I know what I'm making for my next party....

The NYTimes covers the passing of John Updike.

For all you artists, public domain children's illustrations (courtesy of Drawn!).

Love this cozy room!  Comfy couch, lots of light, a laptop ready to go, and a bright green chair...

* Richard Brautigan

St. Rosa and the Swallows

This pink (left) totally made my morning.  I must have a room this shade in my future house (or apartment or anywhere I live for more than three months....eventually.)  From the wonderful El Beso.

A few wonderful Etsy shops have recently come to my attention: the lovely embroidery of Bird and Bear, and the jewelry of Metalicious.

Support our veterans!  A recent report on NPR discussed the challenges veterans returning home face, and the ways we can support them.


A sleek looking laptop bag, for those entering (or trudging through) the work world.  It's not always easy to find a bag that can fit your computer and still look good!

CareerGirls! reviewed Suze Orman's Women and Money.

From 20somethingfinance, the basics of Roth IRAs.

As a certifiable clutter bug (and lover of drawers), I could really use this bed!

Upsetting: a Massachusetts inmate with a history of mental illness was found dead in his cell.  Better mental health treatment for prisoners is desperately needed across the United States.

1.26.2009

Miss Ohio

These yellow doors (left) really brightened up my Monday.  

Of all the SAG beauties, my favorite was Kate Winslet - love the color, cut, talent, and attitude.

Cool website: Lovely Package, the "very best" in package design.

I love a kid inventor, especially one with a heart.

The NYTimes writes about female desire, and the feminist web responds.

Martha Stewart sparks my jealousy with perhaps the most amazing (and amazingly well organized) craft room ever....

Breakfast and pizza combined?  I'm listening....


I love a cozy nook, especially with built-in bookshelves and a trundle bed!  I could live in that little space, I think....

1.23.2009

If He Tries Anything

Love this (left).  From a website (I almost wrote "worksite," which I may like better...) whose name is eluding me, but whom I will credit as soon as I remember.  [Ah ha!  The site is called Indexed, apologies for the earlier lapse of memory...]

This Matchbook Notebook idea is adorable, and if someone gave me one with their business info or number on it, I would definitely be impressed.

I've never heard of Steve Alan before (I'm not exactly up on fashion), but I really like these shots from his line, especially all the plaid (once a west coaster, always a west coaster...)

Some beautiful wallpapers, at Black*Eiffel.

Ledbetter passed by Senate! "The Ledbetter Act, which was blocked in the Republican-led Senate last year, will essentially reverse the 2007 Supreme Court decision that required workers to file charges on a pay discrimination claim within six months after receiving their first discriminatory paycheck. The Court’s decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber, which reversed the jury’s compensation award to Ledbetter, essentially gave employers the go-ahead to discriminate in pay, as long as they weren’t caught in the first six months after the onset of their illegal actions."


Rogue Femme Art's new Art Deco mural at DAME!  

I love this series, this idea, and this letter especially: A Letter To My Heart.

A New Favorite: Desire to Inspire

Here are some of the images I have recently enjoyed courtesy of Desire to Inspire....enjoy!




I Should Be Suspended From Class
























“When we discover that the truth is already in us, we are all at once our original selves.” - Dogen

1.22.2009

CHOICE.

Today is the 36th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade.  

Here's to 36 years of a woman's right to her own body.

Here's to 36 years of health.

Here's to 36 years of safety.

Here's to 36 years of CHOICE.

Unfortunately, the work is not over.  Rescind the Global Gag Rule.  Donate to Planned Parenthood and NARAL and NOW.  Fight abstinence only education.  Educate the kids and teens in your life.  Empower the women around you.  Please, keep us all safe, empowered, healthy, and free to choose our own paths.

1.21.2009

She Came In On The Red Eye*

Amazingly, wonderfully, horribly tacky wedding cake toppers. Thanks to M.D. for the heads up.

Stay healthy of mind, all you dieters and body-worriers!   Jezebel: Strong of Mind, Strong of Body

Picard Responds to Rick Warren (yes, I'm a dork). Shoutout to ELM.

I have no (ok, minimal) shame about my love for the Counting Crows.  I want to see this tour!

LOVE this red bed frame!  I don't know if I've ever even had a bed frame, but this one (see above) has my heart...From this awesome feature on adding red to the bedroom.

Paper flowers are everywhere right now!  Love, love it.

Freakonomics: "What Accounts for the Difference in Autorickshaw Driver Behavior in Mumbai and Delhi?" I mainly just like this because it reminded me of riding rickshaws in India...good times.

"So you think that you're a failure, do you? Well, you probably are. What's wrong with that? In the first place, if you've any sense at all you must have learned by now that we pay just as dearly for our triumphs as we do for our defeats. Go ahead and fail. But fail with wit, fail with grace, fail with style. A mediocre failure is as insufferable as a mediocre success. Embrace failure! Seek it out. Learn to love it. That may be the only way any of us will ever be free." - Tom Robbins

* "Color In Your Cheeks" - The Mountain Goats

Looking At Pictures in the Distance, Hoping to See the Future*

Personally I approved of the dress, the gown, and most definitely, the hat (and Ellen spoofing the hat).

Sad that it's needed, but awesome that it exists: President Obama's bulletproof suit.



Colorado State University Police Chief makes some outrageous statement.

Ooooh, if I wasn't on a strict "no money spent on clothes" regimen, these sandals would be in my closet in no time...being responsible is no fun.

American Book Review: 100 Best First Lines from Novels.

Yet another great interview with the ridiculously dreamy Rachel Maddow.

I saw one of these ads and thought it was totally bizarre!  Not only did it claim that a trip to Australia would save your failing marriage, but placed all the blame (in a 30-second ad!) on the wife for not being able to successfully balance her work and family!  Nice to see someone else thought they were odd as well....

White House Site Updated With Lengthy List Of Commitments To LGBT Rights: "Within seconds of President Obama's swearing in, the official home page of the White House was updated with a lengthy list of commitments to further LGBT rights."

“Life moves on, whether we act as cowards or heroes. Life has no other discipline to impose, if we would but realize it, than to accept life unquestioningly. Everything we shut our eyes to, everything we run away from, everything we deny, denigrate or despise, serves to defeat us in the end. What seems nasty, painful, evil, can become a source of beauty, joy, and strength, if faced with an open mind. Every moment is a golden one for him who has the vision to recognize it as such.” - Henry Miller

* "El Capitan" - Idlewild

1.20.2009

1.20.09

Girl Meets Business takes on personal financial planning.  I'm curious to try Mint, one of the tools she talks about.

The Walter Film Gallery has an awesome collection of vintage movie posters.

Great interview with Obama from 1990, when he became the first Black Editor in Chief of the Harvard Law Review.

Getting excited about I Love You Phillip Morris.


PBS: The Story of India.  Really want to see this!  A friend's recent trip there has sparked memories of my own trip and my desire to return.

Totally lusting after these new, simple, brightly colored Vans....

Pretty sweet.

Love this idea.  If you are at the inauguration today, please consider Turning Your Back on Rick Warren.

“Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” - A. A Milne

Remembering Another Inauguration

The first inauguration I remember was that of Bill Clinton in 1993. For me, the highlight was the wonderful Maya Angelou and her inaugural poem. Here it is, still resonant and powerful.

A Rock, A River, A Tree

Hosts to species long since departed,
Marked the mastodon.
The dinosaur, who left dry tokens
Of their sojourn here
On our planet floor,
Any broad alarm of their hastening doom
Is lost in the gloom of dust and ages.

But today, the Rock cries out to us, clearly, forcefully,
Come, you may stand upon my
Back and face your distant destiny,
But seek no haven in my shadow.

I will give you no more hiding place down here.

You, created only a little lower than
The angels, have crouched too long in
The bruising darkness,
Have lain too long
Face down in ignorance.

Your mouths spilling words
Armed for slaughter.

The Rock cries out today, you may stand on me,
But do not hide your face.

Across the wall of the world,
A River sings a beautiful song,
Come rest here by my side.

Each of you a bordered country,
Delicate and strangely made proud,
Yet thrusting perpetually under siege.

Your armed struggles for profit
Have left collars of waste upon
My shore, currents of debris upon my breast.

Yet, today I call you to my riverside,
If you will study war no more. Come,

Clad in peace and I will sing the songs
The Creator gave to me when I and the
Tree and the stone were one.

Before cynicism was a bloody sear across your
Brow and when you yet knew you still
Knew nothing.

The River sings and sings on.

There is a true yearning to respond to
The singing River and the wise Rock.

So say the Asian, the Hispanic, the Jew
The African and Native American, the Sioux,
The Catholic, the Muslim, the French, the Greek
The Irish, the Rabbi, the Priest, the Sheikh,
The Gay, the Straight, the Preacher,
The privileged, the homeless, the Teacher.
They hear. They all hear
The speaking of the Tree.

Today, the first and last of every Tree
Speaks to humankind. Come to me, here beside the River.

Plant yourself beside me, here beside the River.

Each of you, descendant of some passed
On traveller, has been paid for.

You, who gave me my first name, you
Pawnee, Apache and Seneca, you
Cherokee Nation, who rested with me, then
Forced on bloody feet, left me to the employment of
Other seekers--desperate for gain,
Starving for gold.

You, the Turk, the Swede, the German, the Scot ...
You the Ashanti, the Yoruba, the Kru, bought
Sold, stolen, arriving on a nightmare
Praying for a dream.

Here, root yourselves beside me.

I am the Tree planted by the River,
Which will not be moved.

I, the Rock, I the River, I the Tree
I am yours--your Passages have been paid.

Lift up your faces, you have a piercing need
For this bright morning dawning for you.

History, despite its wrenching pain,
Cannot be unlived, and if faced
With courage, need not be lived again.

Lift up your eyes upon
The day breaking for you.

Give birth again
To the dream.

Women, children, men,
Take it into the palms of your hands.

Mold it into the shape of your most
Private need. Sculpt it into
The image of your most public self.
Lift up your hearts
Each new hour holds new chances
For new beginnings.

Do not be wedded forever
To fear, yoked eternally
To brutishness.

The horizon leans forward,
Offering you space to place new steps of change.
Here, on the pulse of this fine day
You may have the courage
To look up and out upon me, the
Rock, the River, the Tree, your country.

No less to Midas than the mendicant.

No less to you now than the mastodon then.

Here on the pulse of this new day
You may have the grace to look up and out
And into your sister's eyes, into
Your brother's face, your country
And say simply
Very simply
With hope
Good morning.

1.19.2009

Let Us Develop A Kind Of Dangerous Unselfishness.*

Martin Luther King, Jr.
Jan. 15, 1929 - Apr. 4, 1968















Photo: February 24, 1956 - Martin Luther King, then a pastor in Montgomery, Alabama, sits for a police mugshot after his arrest for directing a boycott of segregated buses.

*I've Been to the Mountaintop, speech in Memphis, Tennessee (1968)

1.18.2009

Time You Enjoyed Wasting Was Not Wasted.*

Daily Kos: "The Employee Free Choice Act, For Economic Recovery"









NYTimes' Ideas Blog: "The Snarking of the World"


* John Lennon

An Old Favorite, New Again

“…I would like to beg you dear Sir, as well as I can, to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer.” - Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet (1903)

When You Wake Up Feeling Old

Kristof: Are there any positive aspects to sweatshops?

Love this: United Statements of America.  Just when I thought I couldn't love Oregon anymore, I found out the motto: "She flies with her own wings."  I feel a tattoo comin' on...

Aveeno, one of the best drugstore brands for skincare, comes to hair!

First Grisson leaves, now this?

Love this chandelier.

Arg.  The Supreme Court further limits the exclusionary rule: "The defendant in the case, Bennie Dean Herring, was arrested based on what police thought was an outstanding warrant for his arrest. Authorities later learned that the warrant had been recalled, but sought to prosecute Herring based on drugs and a gun found during the arrest.  [The Supreme Court] wrote that improperly obtained evidence may be admitted "when police mistakes are the result of negligence such as that described here, rather than systemic error or reckless disregard of constitutional requirements.""

NYTimes: "Foodzie, uses the Web to connect small farmers and food makers with customers seeking fresh, artisanal foods." 

"Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each." - Thoreau

1.16.2009

I Thought She Said Maple Leaves

GraphJam: graphs of the seemingly unquantifiable. (For instance "Odds that my Roommate Will be Going at it with Her Boyfriend.")

Globespotters on Mumbai Street Food. Maybe it wasn't "safe" but I ate street food (and pretty sketchy restaurant food) when I was in India and I never got sick. In fact, I felt a lot better than I do usually in the US, I think partially because I wasn't eating as much processed food or food with additives. Things may not have been the height of hygiene, but for the most part they were fresh, which I think counts for a lot....

Incredibly dreamy wallpaper....

R. Crumb takes on the Book of Genesis.


R.I.P. John Mortimer, Creator of Rumpole, Dies at 85

Feminist Law Profs: “Women in poor nations are 300 times more likely to die in childbirth or from pregnancy complications than those in the developed world, UNICEF warns."

Andrew Wyeth, 1917-2009


































Christina's World (1948)
New York Times: Andrew Wyeth

Introducing.....TinyFossil!

Please welcome guest blogger TinyFossil! My designated "science friend," TinyFossil also happens to be an avid biker, a serious music lover, and a total hottie. I hope you enjoy her additions to Yum & Yuk! xoxo Shorty

In the interest of injecting a little nerdery into Yum & Yuk, I'll be posting occasionally about science related issues, and probably other randomness as well. After all, it's up to us young whippersnappers to ensure that the division of science and the humanities decried in C.P. Snow's The Two Cultures is ended, or at least eroded. With global warming, ecosystem decline, ocean acidification, personal genomics, Mars exploration, and the energy crisis in our faces all day long it's worth it to pay a little attention, have a little background, and generally be a little nerdier…

OK up first – Life on Mars? (the illustrious N.Y. Times couldn't resist using the phrase "subsurface Martian cows" – priceless!)

Not so fast. The folks over at NASA and the myriad scientists who are associated with the various Mars missions are constantly trying to find reasons to claim that Mars is, or once was, hospitable to life. Some responsibility also lies in journalists' deep un-abiding love of over-reaching headlines.

This time around, I was conveniently able to go about 6 feet away from my desk to ask a resident Mars expert the skinny on the new findings. He gave me his usual "there they go AGAIN" look and reluctantly stopped Skyping with his girlfriend to tell me what was what. Dr. Perchlorate, as we will call him, confirmed my suspicion that the methane signal these scientists report could very easily come from volcanic activity underneath the surface of the planet, as opposed to being a byproduct of bacteria eating stuff. While no actual volcanic eruptions have ever been observed, there is evidence that the planet has been volcanically active within the last million years or so, a relatively short period of time for us geologist types, and short enough that it's a pretty sure bet there is still a lot of heat and activity going on under the planet's crust, activity that could very easily be responsible for the methane signal reported.

Oh well. There's always Roswell?

In other news: Monkeys know a good nutcracker when they see one.

I know who I'M inviting over to Thanksgiving next year.

A Thousand Tiny Pieces

From BoingBoing: Star Wars as retold by someone who hasn't seen it.  So good.

Yay, Damages is back!  The first season was one of the best things on television last year (or so I thought), and woefully under-watched. I hope that the second season can live up to that great debut.

And as I head out on a camping trip in North Florida this weekend, Alternet's "Is Florida Just One New Development Away From Environmental Ruin?"

Heartbreaking.  Kids reflect on how Prop 8 has hurt their families.

"Caring Less When Suffering’s Greater." I've always thought this was an interesting question....basically, why does the collective "we" get more worked up about a baby that has fallen down a well, when there's a genocide going on somewhere?  I think the answer is complex and multi-part, but this article by Shankar Vendantam has some very interesting insights: "Slovic's research suggests that the central reason the United States has not responded forcefully -- and quickly -- to crises ranging from the Holocaust to the Rwandan genocide, from the ethnic cleaning that occurred in the 1990s Balkan conflict to the present-day crisis in Sudan's Darfur region, is not that presidents are uncaring, or that Americans only value American lives, but that the human mind has been unintentionally designed to respond in perverse ways to large-scale suffering."

1.15.2009

The Art of the Title Sequence




















Wonderful idea, wonderful execution.  A page devoted to the art of the title sequence.

Hey Girl, Sorry My Shirt Fell Off

Sort of obsessed with this ridiculous blog, F**k Yeah, Ryan Gosling!  Ryan Gosling....swoon!


What part of Modern Loft Restoration in Florence is not to love?

Sad: bookstore sales go down.  Happy: library visits go up!  Via The Stranger.


A totally legitimate question: Why Must Steve Martin Suck? 

The Rev. Al Sharpton on gay marraige, Prop 8, and the role of churches: "It amazes me when I looked at California and saw churches that had nothing to say about police brutality, nothing to say when a young black boy was shot while he was wearing police handcuffs, nothing to say when the they overturned affirmative action, nothing to say when people were being delegated into poverty, yet they were organizing and mobilizing to stop consenting adults from choosing their life partners. There is something immoral and sick about using all of that power to not end brutality and poverty, but to break into people's bedrooms and claim that God sent you."

Am I Less Of A Lady If I Don't Wear Pantyhose?*


As most of you know, I'm pretty low maintenance (well, at least appearance wise.  Emotionally, I'm pretty high maintenance...but anyways).  However, the last year or two has seen me start to pay more attention to appearance and upkeep and the wild world of PRODUCT.  I think some of that comes from entering a more professional working world, and realizing that while I think letting my hair grow and grow for years without ever seeing a brush looks "rock and roll," it doesn't translate quite the same way when you are asking people to take you seriously.  And pay you.  I don't think I'll ever be a big makeup devotee (it still makes me feel like I'm in drag when I have it on), but I have become a fan of things that keep the basics - hair and skin - in good shape so that makeup isn't really needed.  Towards that end (and after this first year of experimentation), here are my favorites.  I've split them up by high-end (Sephora) and low-end (the drug store).  Enjoy!





The Mecca of all things good-smelling and magic-working, Sephora:
  • Fekkai Glossing Cream.  This stuff gets a lot of love from people.  I'm not quite as enthused as everyone else, but I have found its great for when my hair is dry and needs to be both tamed and also re-plumped up.  You only need a little (or your hair gets greasy), but it's a good standby for when I don't have time to wash my hair in the morning (hey, it happens).
  • Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment.  I tried to deny my love for this product for a long time, because it's so overpriced....but the delicious lemon smell and its smoothing, hydrating effects finally wore me down.  Fine, I love you, Fresh Sugar Lips!
  • Philosophy Hope In A Jar.  This is another crowd favorite over at Sephora.  Because of the high cost, I put off tryiing it, but I got a sample from Sephora with my last order and it really has been pretty amazing.  It's super hydrating (stopping just short of being too rich) and my skin feels (and looks) great after only three days of using it.
  • MD Skincare Alpha Beta Peel.  This is the pricey one, and the super duper one.  I went into the Sephora here in South Beach and confessed my lack of a skin care routine, my complete laziness, and my lack of interest in makeup to the woman there.  She showed me this product and said, use it and you won't need makeup.  And she was right.  This two part system couldn't be easier - wipe your face with a Step 1 Pad, let it dry, and then wipe it with a Step 2 Pad.  Voila.  You WILL see effects right away.  The only downsides - its somewhat intense so if you have super sensitive skin, beware.  Also, it's really pricey.  So what I do (and would recommend) is use the system every other day (or every third day) and just wash with a basic cleanser (see below) the rest of the time.
  • I have pretty dark lashes so never really saw the point of mascara, etc.  But I do have to say that having given into the hype, when I use the Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler and then finish off with Dior Show Mascara, those lashes are lookin' pretty sweet.
Your neighborhood drug store:
  • Matrix Biolage.  I think this hair line is great.  In addition to their shampoos and conditioners, I would be lost without their leave in detangler.  I put it in my hair while wet and it not only detangles, but softens.  Great stuff.
  • Blistex Silk&Shine.  This is Blistex's fancy version.  It's got no color and a little shine and is a great cheap alternative/filler to the expensive glosses that are out there.
  • Neutrogena Liquid Face Wash.  This is my stand-by in between MD Peel treatments.  A great basic.
  • Cocoa Butter.  Cocoa butter in every form!  I feel in love with Cocoa Butter while living in Puerto Rico and now depend on it as a moisturizer, fragrance, and mood lifter.  Can't be beat.
  • Pantene Pro-V.  I still think Pantene is a great conditioner and shampoo.  Cheap but reliable.
* India Arie and her never-fail feel-good song "Video."
Painting: "Girl Before A Mirror" by Pablo Picasso

We Must Find New Ways To Speak For Peace*


























* Quotes from MLK on non-violence.

Quick As A Cricket

You Don't Gotta

For those of you who have never gotten to experience the Northern Lights (or those who just want a reminder), great timelapse photography of the Aurora Borealis.


I heart it.  We Heart It.

Wallpaper Magazine's Desk Job Retrospective.  Drool.


A victory from Florida (and the FJI!).  "Gassing mentally ill inmates is out."

Just what it says.  The Photographic Dictionary.

Wonderful, simple clothing: AftonRiver.

1.14.2009

Remind Yourself




































Remind Yourself. Occasionally trite? Yes. Sometimes just what you need? Maybe.

"Being gay is a gift from God"*

Dr. Phil discusses transgendered youth.  I haven't seen the show, but happy to hear that he seems to have handled it....not terribly (wow, what low standards I have at this point....): "It is true that Dr. Phil wasn't a saint during this program, insisting on using the words, "gender-confused children" occasionally. Overall, he stayed neutral. He even said in the beginning that this was not an area he had any expertise in. We, as a community, like it when we can complain about something that doesn't go our way. I was highly skeptical when I heard of the subject matter of this program. But after seeing Toni defending her child against NARTH and Focus on the Family, you have to love it. Thank you, Dr. Phil, for showing us this topic in this wonderful manner."

The third season of Big Love arrives!  From Salon.

The history of sex on television - landmark moments like the first interracial kiss and the first condom commercial.

The end of the Grissom Era!  I can't help it, I've always loved CSI....I'm sad to see Grissom go.  Even if Slate does call him "dumpy."

* The quote of the week.  -Rev. Ed Bacon.  From Oprah.com: "Another hot-button issue that sent viewers straight to our message boards was a comment made by the Rev. Ed Bacon during a discussion on spirituality. After hearing from Sedrick, who says he had a tough adolescence growing up as a gay teen in rural Alabama, the Rev. Bacon said something Oprah says she has never heard a minister say. "Being gay is a gift from God," the Rev. Bacon said. "But our culture doesn't understand that. And consequently, the culture sends messages that you ought to isolate. And isolation is the antithesis of what all of us need." To further explain his comment, the Rev. Bacon joins Oprah via satellite. "I meant exactly what I said," he says. "It is so important for every human being to understand that he or she is a gift from God.""


If Something In The Deli Aisle Makes You Cry










































More beauty from The Sartorialist.

The Journey



















One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice—
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
"Mend my life!"
each voice cried.
But you didn't stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations,
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do—
determined to save
the only life you could save.

- Mary Oliver

* Photo by the talented, and much loved, John Murphy.

1.13.2009

You're Gonna Make Me Give Myself A Good Talkin' To



"You play the hand you’re dealt. I think the game’s worthwhile."*

Left: What is obviously the most awesome cupcake ever.

A surprisingly satisfying round-up of side tables (or maybe I'm just weird).

Next up, Maine

I, like everyone else, am excited about Orla Kiely's home goods collection for Target.

Jalopnick: 2010 Toyota Prius Vs 2010 Honda Insight. (Although I'll take either, if someone would like to gift me one...)

Yikes.  Reminds all us bloggers (especially law students) to keep confidentiality in mind...always.  Law.com: Intern Blog Alleges Racial Bias: "Do you know where your interns blog? A blog written by a former intern to the San Francisco Public Defender's office has prompted the San Francisco Superior Court to look into whether a PD used peremptory challenges to dismiss potential jurors solely because of race or ethnicity."

I've totally discussed this theory with friends before, but had no idea a name had been coined.  Penultamour it is! Freakonomics: "A few months ago, we coined a new word on this blog: "penultamour," defined as 'the last person to date another person before that other person took up with his/her eventual spouse.'"

* C.S. Lewis

Some Things You Do For Money, Some You'll Do For Fun

I Love The Newness of the Morning

1.12.2009

The King of Carrot Flowers

To the left: I'm love love loving those shelves/drawers to the left of the bed.  As always, Apartment Therapy doesn't disappoint.

Big news: "When immigrants face possible deportation, they don't have the right to a state-appointed attorney. Now, the Bush administration says this means they also don't have the right to a new hearing if the lawyer they hire turns out to be incompetent or a fraud." Listen on NPR.

The next round of albums to get the 33 1/3 treatment! But first, pick up the new release, Flying Burrito Brothers' the Gilded Palace of Sin, by the handsome and talented Bob Proehl (why doncha buy two copies while you're at it?)

A site that's helping me start the new year (I do love new beginnings) with a good attitude...and many reminders to slow down - Zen Habits.

Obama tries to backpedal/please 'em all....Towelroad: "Gay Bishop Gene Robinson to Deliver Invocation at Inaugural Opening." I'm still pissed about Rick Warren, nice try though. Politico reports: "The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, who became the Episcopal Church’s first openly gay bishop in 2003 and last year entered into a civil union with his gay partner, will deliver the invocation for Sunday’s kickoff inaugural event on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, with President-elect Obama in attendance. The event is free and open to the public. An Obama source: 'Robinson was in the plans before the complaints about Rick Warren. Many skeptics will read this as a direct reaction to the Warren criticism – but it’s just not so.' Robinson has been referred to as 'the most controversial Christian in the world.'"

A question that interests me: "Can Businesses Do Well and Do Good?"

I thought this article was interesting and long overdue - the Sikh community is much understood and ignored in the United States.  WSJ Law Blog: "The Kirpan: A Dangerous Weapon? Or More Like a Star of David?" Take this opportunity to educate yourself on Sikhism. 

From Racialicious, the death of Oscar Grant continues to have impacts throughout the country.

And last, but not least, an ABSOLUTELY beautiful animation.  Via NOTCOT.


Things I Love: 101 Cookbooks
























I am in awe of 101 Cookbooks!  A beautiful site that makes me want to try new food AND attempt cooking!  Now that's a feat.  There's informative writing, a healthy focus, a varied collection of recipes...
























...and how could you resist this luscious photography?