3.31.2009


























Awesome: "A 10-year-old schoolgirl called Solveig has earned herself a reputation as the "female Banksy" after creating a series of impressive graffiti artworks."

Past The City Houses And The Ditches On The Highway

Love this bright, ruffled skirt.

I have a crush on these dino lamps.


Left: Children at a Puppet Theater, Paris, 1963.

Escape to Alaska.


"masc is an alternative magazine for guys that aims to be a positive space for men to explore how masculinity affects their lives, examine stereotypes and talk about gender, sexuality and health."

Taking on a happiness emergency.


Bitch Tapes: Crush Edition.

17 Year Old Girl Sues, Changes School Policy, And Will Wear Her Tuxedo To Prom.

“Fear is such a bad guide if you want to produce good work.” - Thierry Blancpain












































“Did it matter then, she asked herself, walking towards Bond Street, did it matter that she must inevitably cease completely; all this must go on without her; did she resent it; or did it not become consoling to believe that death ended absolutely? but that somehow in the streets of London, on the ebb and flow of things, here, there, she survived, Peter survived, lived in each other, she being part, she was positive, of the trees at home; of the house there, ugly, rambling all to bits and pieces as it was; part of people she had never met; being laid out like a mist between the people she knew best, who lifted her on their branches as she had seen the trees lift the mist, but it spread ever so far, her life, herself.” - Virginia Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway







































from J.P.

I've Sat Upon The Setting Sun

Sweet treehouses.  They claim to be "for kids," but I think I could live in one.

Gay Florida High School Student Sent Home for Drag Activism.

1st Circuit Ruling Helps Working Moms.

Left: source.

Lesbians and gay male porn.


"I'm never going to accomplish anything; that's perfectly clear to me. I'm never going to be famous. My name will never be writ large on the roster of Those Who Do Things. I don't do anything. Not one single thing. I used to bite my nails, but I don't even do that any more." - Dorothy Parker

I Have Dreams of Orca Whales And Owls

From Modest, Early Bird Lamp.

"Lost Coastlines," A.C. Newman & Will Sheff.

My dream (not so) mini loft.

Get ready for May Day.

This Freshman Year Mix Tape definitely felt familiar...  

Top Model contestant opens up about sex change surgery...and gets engaged.

Dreaming of a trip to Buenos Aires.

Race Wire: The face of health inequity in Mississippi.

Left, source.

An Open Letter to Chris Brown from the Diary of a Black Male Feminist.

“Language has created the word loneliness to express the pain of being alone, and the word solitude to express the glory of being alone.” - Paul Tillich

3.30.2009

I Felt The Wind On My Cheek Coming Down From The East













“Most things break, including hearts. The lessons of life amount not to wisdom, but to scar, tissue and callus.” - Wallace Stagner

You're So Pretty When You're Unfaithful To Me

Got to visit Barometer on my trip to NYC this weekend. The amazingly decorated shop is excellently curated and has so many treasures to explore. Anna Studebaker selects the great vintage finds (with awesome and informative written tags on each), and Jenna Wainwright displays her amazing and unique handmade jewelry (I especially loved the chain rings). Check it out if you are in NYC!

Vintage science and tech ads (left) - sweet.

"Post-racial" America? Not quite.

Japan offers marriage to gay citizens...sort of. "Japan says it will begin issuing a certificate to same-sex couples who are nationals which recognizes their marriage, as long as the marriage is not performed in Japan but in another country where it is legal."

“You’ll do it, despite rejection and the worst odds. And it will be better than anything else you can imagine. If you’re going to try, go all the way. There is no other feeling like that. You will be alone with the gods, and the nights will flame with fire. You will ride life straight to perfect laughter. It’s the only good fight there is.” - Bukowski

With Your Feet In The Air And Your Head On The Ground

Love the jewelry at Neology by Mina, especially these delicate gold rings. I'm crushing on the layered look (left)!

Especially for my awesome librarian friends: young adult literature and body image.

This stunning coat makes me realize I need to bust out of the all black winter wear...maybe next year.

Sen. Webb pushes prison reform.

Strange Maps: the best beer in America.

Top PA Court Reverses Over 1,000 Juvenile Convictions: "In the latest chapter in an ongoing state-court corruption saga in Pennsylvania, a state supreme court ruling today is expected to reverse perhaps as many as 1,200 juvenile court convictions entered by a now-convicted judge."

“I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! — When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.” - Jane Austen

3.26.2009

Everybody Sees The Wind Blow

Why Our Greatest Health Concern Isn't Diet or Exercise -- It's Neighborhood: "The old adage, 'you are what you eat,' should be changed to, 'you are where you live.'"

Women's Glib: On gender neutral language.

This made me smile - love this little dude.

Too true.  And the truth hurts.

RaceWire: "New reports from human rights groups issue a grim prognosis for the health of detained immigrants."

Hm.  Also too true.


Clear plastic glasses = the hotness.

Left: source.

Oh Shel...

DIY bread bowls??  Impressive.

Pregnancy documented...adorably.


“The supreme happiness in life is the conviction that we are loved — loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves.” - Victor Hugo





































Source.  (Makes me wanna cut my hair).





















Awesome photo.

I Have Been Ungrateful, I've Been Unwise

Sexy Dress Want.  (Thanks, Natasha, aka Style Guru).

From the New Yorker: "The United States holds tens of thousands of inmates in long-term solitary confinement. Is this torture?"

In case you need a little boost in your day: the My Sharona scene from Reality Bites (best movie ever, obviously).


The Bejing version of the Sartorialist!

Via Bitch, definitely on my "to read" list: Michelle Goldberg’s The Means of Reproduction: Sex, Power and the Future of the World. "Goldberg's investigation into the intersection of the war on reproductive freedom and the global war for power spans four continents. From the HIV/AIDS epidemic to female circumcision to overpopulation to infant mortality to abortion rights, Goldberg analyzes how the means of reproduction influences the health of whole societies--even as women's rights have been sidelined by governments and social movements, and even as reproductive rights are weirdly isolated as “women’s issues” only. Goldberg emphasizes how the struggle to control women's bodies is the next great human rights struggle of our globalized world."

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” - Dr. Suess

3.25.2009

I Need A Photo-Opportunity, I Want A Shot At Redemption

Seriously, insanely, sexy two-finger ring.  Wow.  Want.

A stunning Brazilian house.

Left: the beautiful art of Amy Rice.

I do love me some guerilla gardening.

Burberry watch: it couldn't be more out of my price range...or more gorgeously traditional/new.

One of my all-time favorites: Mos Def, "Ms. Fat Booty."

Gainesville, Fla Voters Refuse to Repeal LGBT Anti-Discrimination Law: "Yesterday's Amendment 1 ballot initiative that would have repealed an LGBT anti-discrimination law in Gainesville, Florida was handed a solid defeat by voters, who ignored fear-mongering ads from a "pro-family" group called Citizens for Good Public Policy and turned out in big numbers at the polls."

Heck yeah, mirrored stairs.


“Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them.” - Lemony Snicket

This Is What You Shall Do

“This is what you shall do: love the earth and sun, and animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence towards the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown, or to any man or number of men; go freely with the powerful uneducated persons, and with the young, and mothers, of families: read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life: re-examine all you have been told at school or church, or in any books, and dismiss whatever insults your soul." - Walt Whitman (photo source).































Well, I Can't Stop Talking For Fear Of Listening To Unwelcome Sound

Women in politics: embracing your inner Tracy Flick.

Totally unnecessary photoshopping: Kim Kardashian.  Kim, girl, you know I love you just the way you are!

Supreme Court to rule on 8th grade strip search case.


Further proof that I'm 70 years old: I also love "As Time Goes By."

The stunning Jennifer Beals comes to one of my most guilty pleasures, Lie To Me.  Maybe there is a god...

What transmisogyny looks like.


Huckabee likens abortion to slavery at fundraiser.  I...cannot even speak.

Overpriced comfort clothes?  I'll take 3 sets.

"Feminist Law Prof Melissa Murray (Berkeley) has posted . . . her article, 'Strange Bedfellows: Criminal Law, Family Law, and the Legal Construction of Intimate Life.'"

3.24.2009

It's So Hard To Be A Saint In The City

Bye bye Milky Way (in it's current incarnation).

Take a moment and vote for The Neighborhood as the Best Gay and Lesbian Night, and DAME as the Best Vintage Clothing Store!
 
Left: source.

For some reason, this totally cracks me up.

One of the best film scenes ever...Jon Cryer takes on Otis Redding.

More bold jewelry - loving it.

Brilliant idea: radiator warming plate.



Pretty pretty spring flats.

From Feministing: "Do Something, an organization 'using the power of online to get teens to do good stuff offline,' has made a video re-enactment of the Chris Brown/Rhianna conflict as part of their 1 in 3 Campaign (designed to education young people about dating violence). It's obviously based on the actual police notes from the incident, making it highly realistic and unavoidably horrifying."

New Math


















3.23.2009

Said I Liked Your Shoes, You Said, "Thanks, Can I Follow You?"

Excellent: gay bars to bachelorettes - not gonna happen.

Cool mixed-media necklaces. I like.

I must have really taken all that childhood-era Vanessa Williams to heart, because I totally do this: Kitchn, Save the Best for Last.

Un-frickin-believable: "Nine death-row inmates in Texas, including six who were executed, lost their appeals because their lawyers missed filing deadlines."

Left: the amazing work of Giia.
Feministing on the Walmart rehearing.

Beautiful beautiful bags from Etsy shop Morelle.

Love this "lace" fence.

I'll always love this movie.

A Teacher's Commitment Ceremony, and the Seventh Grade Is Invited. I love the part where the kid responds to a reporters questions about his teachers sexuality by saying "Why don't you ask him?" - it just has such an attitude of "What are you digging around for? It's an open, honest conversation, and it's his business." Yay for awesome teachers and awesome role models!

Rachel Maddow interviews National Guard First Lieutenant Dan Choi of Knights Out, the group of 38 West Point graduates who came out of the closet last week to form a support group for US Military Academy active duty alumni, cadets, and their families. The group also offered to serve as liaisons between individuals and Army administrators as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is repealed.


Source.

On The Radio, Oh Oh

From the "pissing me off" files: Drug Tests for Unemployment Checks? Just Cheap Political Theater: "As the money crunch punishes states coffers, legislators are callously pushing drug testing for welfare and unemployment recipients."

Justice O'Connor, don't be afraid of the F word!

Left: source.

And from the UK, more on the feminism front: Piercing the White Silence: "Is feminism reaching women who are living in poverty? Women who have come over to this country on a marriage visa and can’t speak any English? Is feminism reaching young teenage mums? Is feminism reaching women who didn’t attend university? Is feminism reaching women who choose not to work, regardless of whether or not they have children? Is feminism reaching women who do not have access to the internet? Is feminism reaching mums? Is feminism reaching women of colour? Really?"

Star Trek Cruise of the Mexican Riviera? I'm listening....

Today's Pep Talk from a Best Friend (love them!): "Pep Talk: I’d like to take a moment to applaud you and how resilient you’ve proven yourself to be. Did you ever imagine you’d be able to survive all the things you have? You’ve come out of trying situations stronger and sharper than before. If times are tough now, you’re tougher. Underestimaters, be warned: you have no idea who you’re dealing with. Today remind yourself: I’m back and better than ever."


Still one of my favorite New Yorker covers of all time.

3.22.2009

Everything That Rises

Fascinating, unique necklaces from Maryam Keyhani.

In defense of Nicolas Cage.  I concur!  Sure he's been in some pretty bad movies, and he's been pretty bad in a lot of them, but I always find him an interesting actor....and admit I always cry at Family Man.   I know, I know...

The March window is up at Dame!

Left: source.

Just in time for my trip!  New York's best donuts!


I love this bold necklace.

...and this stunning ring.


From an letter to the editor of the NYTimes Magazine: "I am writing, as I have before, to ask why the Book Review allows reviewers to call female artists by their first names."  



















Gorgeous pinprick cereal box lights...source.

3.21.2009

The Morning After A Flying Dream

Interesting: Why Foreign Aid is Hurting Africa: "Money from rich countries has trapped many African nations in a cycle of corruption, slower economic growth and poverty. Cutting off the flow would be far more beneficial, says Dambisa Moyo."

A great article on clutter.  I really hope to change my cluttering ways, eventually. I know I'll never be a neatnick, but it's getting to the point where even I'm annoyed by my own stuff...

Left: source.

Wow.  Vermont Teen Testifies for Marriage Equality.  Amazing, moving, impressive.


Travel: Crafty Boston!

Stunning photos of tulip fields from the air.

March 24th with be the 20th year anniversary of the Exxon-Valdez oil spill.  I was a kid in AK when it happened, and will never forget it's impact on the wildlife and ecosystem of the state.  My stepdad went to lend help with the clean up and the photos he brought back of struggling and dead birds and otters made a huge impact in a small kid. 

“One day, in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful.” - Sigmund Freud
























Seriously, quit it.  Source.

3.20.2009

This Is How It Works: You're Young Until You're Not

For the bibliophile: A Walking Tour of New York's Independent Bookstores.

Cruising down the Nile?  Yes, please.

Left: source.

Wow. "The Telegraph has an astonishing series of AP photographs from a terror attack in Sri Lanka."


Feministing: Lorraine Hansberry: A straight-washed literary icon?


Beautiful. "An ex-graffiti artist, 26, who goes by "JR" is traveling the world for a project: taking portraits of women affected by poverty and violence, and then pasting blown-up prints all over their cities."























3.19.2009

Here Comes Dick, He's Wearing A Skirt

Huff Po: "Senator Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.) reintroduced legislation Thursday to abolish the death penalty at the federal level. The "Federal Death Penalty Abolition Act of 2009" comes just after New Mexico governor Bill Richardson's decision to ban capital punishment in his state."

NPR: D.C. HIV/AIDS rate higher than West Africa.



Left: beautiful cherry blossoms on Design*Sponge.

Mmmm, baked brie.

Loving all the new neutrals.

Historical Archives Lead to Arrest of Police Officers in Guatemalan Disappearance: "Following a stunning breakthrough in a 25-year-old case of political terror in Guatemala, the National Security Archive today is posting declassified U.S. documents about the disappearance of Edgar Fernando García, a student leader and trade union activist captured by Guatemalan security forces in 1984.The documents show that García’s capture was an organized political abduction orchestrated at the highest levels of the Guatemalan government." Source.

















Hey, Remember That Time When I Would Only Read Shakespeare

I was lucky enough to try out this dish when LL cooked for me recently - delish!  Todd English's Fig and Prosciutto Pizza.

Out of Amsterdam, an all cardboard office.


Scary but necessary to discuss: Does American Face the Risk of a Fascist Backlash?

Yay!  Barcelona's bike-sharing program celebrates its 2 year anniversary.

Toothpaste, not so much, but I would try DIY body scrub...

The battle for equal rights in Florida continues.

Two things I love, combined!  Delicious Rogue River Blue from Oregon.













3.18.2009

I've Never Had a Way With Women

From Gridskipper, Oregon wineries.

Mother Jones: Brave New Welfare: "Lies about surgical sterility requirements. Questions about their sex lives. Outright threats. Here's what faces families in Georgia when their luck runs out."


I think I found my perfect daily shoes for the summer...

Cured meats!  Only a fool could resist...

Dreaming of summer: more amazing retro suits.

More interesting non-metal necklaces...





























3.17.2009

There's An Old Joke...





"... two elderly women are at a Catskill mountain resort, and one of 'em says, 'Boy, the food at this place is really terrible.' The other one says, 'Yeah, I know; and such small portions.' Well, that's essentially how I feel about life — full of loneliness, and misery, and suffering, and unhappiness — and it's all over much too quickly."

I Like Your Twisted Point Of View, Mike

The beautiful jewelry of Becky Kelso.  Love this ring, this necklace, and these earrings...

Jezebel: Did Big Love cross a line?

Left: source.

From the "no s**t, Sherlock" files: "Public Interest Jobs Won't Fall Into Your Lap."  There are a few thing about this article that annoy me - first of all, public interest jobs aren't the same as pro bono or volunteer work.  Second, the firms that are paying or subsidizing their employees vacation into public interest law kill me - those of us who have been working for years to enter the public interest field should not have our jobs taken away by people who are getting subsided up to $5000 a month from firms and will simply return to their corporate jobs after a year....seriously, I get worked up just thinking about it.

Dork alert: when I saw this I was pretty excited to understand the concept of "proxy fight"...guess I learned something in Corporations...

I can't help it, I love tiny houses: Sweetwater Bungalows.

Calls to end civil marriage entirely.

Unreal floor patterns made of salt (you have to see them to really get it...).  Stunning.

Boston Herald: Immigrants face lengthy detention with few rights.

What's the difference?  Bacon, Pancetta, and Proscuitto. (I know what they have in common: deliciousness).


































Gorgeous hair.   Source.

3.16.2009

You Can't Force A Dance Party

Arizona House passes abortion restrictions.

Beautiful mid-2oth century poster art.

I already thought these household reminders were cute, and then the artists description won me over completely: "Colorful reminders spattered all about my house might make me more prone to living my life a little better. That or give the appearance that I am completely incapable of being an adult without visual aides."

Photo gallery from this weekends Southie St. Patrick's Day Parade.

Hot bling. I like.

Left: love this image of silkscreen work.

FMLN! Leftist party wins Salvadoran vote.

John Waters at home - predictably awesome.

Sure, why not: wet paint anagrams, from the Urban Prankster.

Whatever, you know you love it too: Counting Crows (1994) (love you, ELM!)

3.13.2009

Where She Glows Just Like Grain On The Flickering Pane Of Some Great Movie





























RaceWire: Reproductive Health in Lockdown. "For many women behind bars, barriers to reproductive health follow them from their communities to their prison cells."


It's almost as it fat tastes good!  I agree with this article, this attack on celebrity chefs is stupid.  I think people who cook for themselves are FAR more likely to be healthy.  Most of the bad health in the US comes from processed and fast food, not from homemade meals.  Ridiculous.

Above photo, source.

Transgriot and Racialicious team up to give us a glimpse at Japan's transgender community.

Yum!  How to roast garlic.


"Today remind yourself: I’m lucky every damn day." source.

Songs of the day: "For Nancy" by Pete Yorn.

3.12.2009

For All Your Curious Nerve And Your Passion







“All girls should have a poem
Written for them even if
we have to turn this God-damn world
upside down to do it.”

- Richard Brautigan





Left, source.

You Are Too Young To Put All Of Your Hopes In Just One Envelope

From Jezebel: "Yesterday, President Obama signed into law a new appropriations bill that will let college and community health centers sell birth control at extremely low prices once again."

A drool-worthy repurposed garage.

Drinking in Boston: the best of the best.

Thoughts on castration for sex offenders - an international perspective.

O.M.G.  6 year-old style icon.  Love this kid!

Oprah and Tyra talk domestic violence.

Army Fired 11 Soldiers In January for Being Openly Gay.

Student loan bailout - just do it.

Is CBS cutting 'Cold Case' and 'Without A Trace'?  I admit an embarrassing affection for both shows.

Madoff's plea allocution (for the other dorks out there).


Shoe thrower gets three years.





































If I Could Do Just One Near Perfect Thing I'd Be Happy

Florida Lawmaker Files Bill to Repeal State's Gay Adoption Ban.




Desserts in a skillet?  Never would have thought of it, but those berries look good...

How to make an abstract mobile!

Still love love loving Damages.


More adorable, affordableness from Rouche.

Left, source.


Great, bold fabrics.


Yay!  Michael Chabon + Peter Sarsgaard.

“It takes courage to grow up and turn out to be who you really are.” - E. E. Cummings