Lean on Me

I would call it "animals working together" but the turtle seems to be doing most of the work. So it'll have to be "turtles save the world." Maybe Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was based on fact.

40 Days and 40 Nights (of Reading)

Even celebrities think libraries are sexy.

Part of me wants to say, "Come on, Josh, go have sex in your big, fancy hotel room already." But then I have to stop and say, "Okay, I get it."

I wonder who the Mystery Lady is. Sexy librarian?

WILLOW STOP LICKING YOUR BROTHER, and other social networking identity concerns

Like any mid-20's early adoprt of facebook with a pressing desire to create a sense of nostalgia in my otherwise meaningless existence, I pine for the early days of facebook. What do I miss most about early facebook? Fake profiles. Before they got axed for being "unrepresentative" or "inhuman" or "dead" I was friends with the likes of Tina Fey, Thomas Jefferson, and even Feisty, my cat, who had collected a couple dozen friends and was tagged in about as many pictures before her untimely virtual demise. But facebook has grown into one of the more restrictive social communication sites, and recently folks are finding out that you can have your facebook account suspended just for using facebook too much. I hate spam as much as the next kid, but in my opinion it's up to individuals to de-friend those who are bugging them, not for facebook to fix.

But if you don't like the lameness of facebook overlords, you can run to the more open communities like twitter, where FakeSarahPalin is living well.

FakeSarahPalin is quickly becoming my favorite not real person of the week. She updates on a very regular basis, giving you the behind the scenes look at what's going on in the head of everyone's new moose hunting veep candidate.

Highlights from the past 24 hours...

- Scolding of children
- References to everyone's favorite drinking game
- Untruthiness
- Corrections

She even managed to update DURING her speech, at a lightning face rate. Now that's a superstar. I can hardly wait to hear what she tweets about during McCain's speech.

Facebook might want to get with the program and stop being so restrictive, because I think we all know that being a fan of Thomas Jefferson is not the same as being his friend.

The Battle of Ugly Cute: fifth contender

I decided to veer far from the cuddly and into the sea for this fifth contender in the battle of UglyCute. I'm really not sure how I feel about this thing, but I still think both "ugly" and "cute" simultaneously while looking at it, so it gets to be a contender. (Sorry for saying it, it's really hard to give a gender to something that so looks like a puppet).

Oh yeah, what is it? It's a baby stingray.

But what do you think? Is this thing UglyCute? Is it a boy or a girl? Is it scary or oddly awesome?

Backtalk

Can't Jon Stewart just be the official 2008 Election media pundit?

Glass Ceilings

Selecting Sarah Palin, who was touted all summer by Rush Limbaugh, is no way to attract most women, including die-hard Clinton supporters. Palin shares nothing but a chromosome with Clinton.--Gloria Steinem

Steinem's arguments against Palin are basically the arguments I made against Clinton back in the primaries. I want the right candidate in the White House. If that's a woman, awesome. But I'd rather vote for someone who can do the job the best rather than vote for someone just to "make history."

Thoughts about feminism and the '08 election?

Welcome to 5 South

It's that time of the year. Students are returning to college campuses, ready to hand out flyers about a cappella concerts, protests, and greek life. Freshman, adorable lanyards with their keys and ID around their necks, are herded into dorms and forced to coexist with people they've never met before. My own first year dorm experience worked out pretty well. At first I thought, "Wow, this is weird, a stranger is right across the room, I don't think I like this," but then she killed an enormous cockroach and she became my hero. Half of my hall would interact; the other half we never really saw. But even with Ben and Jerry's sharing (a pint, multiple plastic spoons, someone's computer) and in-hall baseball, we never quite matched the hilarity that is Dorm Life.

Granted, I might have gone crazy if I had had to live with half of these people. But, much like its inspiration The Office, I love watching these 5--10 minute episodes about roommates, IM sports, and all nighters.

Some favorite characters:

Steph: So excited to meet you! Steph's energy is insane. She's the girl you hate and love all at the same time.

Mike: The 5 South Everyman. Plus he can juggle.

Marshall: The worst RA ever. "Umm...bye."

Daniel: The classic hall nerd, who's secretly in love with  Mystery Hot Girl.

Courtney: "I'll make you look like a vice president." This girl is hysterical. She's a typical sorority girl but somehow manages to have the funniest moments on the show. Snaps for Courtney!

The show starts out kind of slow, but it gets so amazing. (Some favorite episodes are 'All Nighters,' 'IM Football,' and 'The Talent Show.') The season ends with the end of fall semester. I can't wait to see them back for spring.

No Carnival for You, Sunnybank

The City Council wanted to stop yoga, face-painting, clay-modeling, and other joyful activities from taking place in the library meeting room. Their reason: hygiene. Okay, I get that--sweaty feet and whatnot--but do you really want to stop people from actually using the library and having fun activities with all those books?

Fortunately, fun strikes back!

Some Days I Feel Like this

Actually, make that most days, since I can't sing.

Embrace your inner freak. Be the duck.

The Battle of Ugly Cute: fourth contender

Sloths are not admittedly the cutest of creatures, but in baby form, they start to get some of their cuteness back. What's your verdict? This baby sloth is certainly holding down the ugly fort, but is she really cute enough to be deemed UglyCute?

Side note: I can't help but think she's a lady. The look in her eye, the way she's reaching her paw out, it's almost as if she's saying "Why it's lovely to meet you, fine human," in an adorable little girl slothy voice.

Vampire Babies and the Scariest Fangirl

A few weeks ago, I posted my reactions to Stephanie Meyer's Twilight. I haven't read any of the other ones yet, but they are pretty addictive, so I plan to. Apparently the last one isn't the best; everything's all wrapped up in a neat bow. I can't really blame Meyer for this; even JK Rowling veered that way with her epilogue. But Twilight fans are pretty rabid, so there have been some very differing reactions to the end of this series. Enter youtube:




Yowsers. Were Harry Potter fans ever this aggressive?
(via bookshelves of doom)

In a World Without Voiceovers...

Mr. Movie Trailer, Don LaFontaine, has passed away.

We'll all miss his intense voice getting us excited about upcoming movies. Hell, sometimes he made the movies seem a whole lot better than they actually were.

I wonder who's going to take over as the Voice of the Trailer.

To be honest...

Let them fight about experience all they want (I really think it's absurd personally). But the thing that pisses me off most about this drudge headline is grammar... geez folks, get it right.

I was just in the mood for...

What can I say? Maybe it was the slight chill in the air I felt visiting West Pittston, Pennsylvania this weekend. Maybe it's the realization that the summer's now over and so we begin our descent into the cold months. Maybe it was just in some stupid commercial I didn't realize I saw. But for whatever reason, I found myself suffering from an unexpected hankering for the Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky.

(Perhaps) Little known fact--
The composer's full name: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. (Maybe you knew that, but I sure as heck didn't. I don't even know how to pronounce that.)

It hits the spot good. If you've got ten minutes, give it a listen.

(Mental) Help Wanted

At least she knows what she's getting into.

But honestly, who would respond to a mom like this? Usually I don't actively search out heinous people to be my boss. I guess Rebecca Land Soodak's being up front about this, but I sure wouldn't slap together a resume for it.