I was going to rant about the dismal state of affairs in this country, but... I just don't have a good rant in me. I'm just so disgusted with everything that is going on these days, and would love for the wingnut righters to take just one day off so I can ignore them for a little while.

Instead of depresso ranting, I give you a blog that just made me lose it with giggles Crappy Taxidermy (I have only looked at 1.5 pages, I make no sfw promises and if you're squeamish about taxidermized animals then this is not for you. That said, it's friggin' hilarious.

Finally, I am beyond excited for tonight's live performance of The Nightman Cometh. Supposedly there will also be a showing of a season 5 episode and some other stuff. I just hope it gets out at a reasonable hour (i.e. before the Red Sox game ends).

So I recently discovered that Goodreads runs a ton of book giveaways. On a whim I entered for a few books that looked interesting, and lo! I won a free book. It arrived today, so it's totally legit. I just have to review it online once I'm done. Sweet!

Also, this article kind of supremely freaks me out.

So five years ago I had a problem. A seemingly insurmountable problem. I had run up one of my credit cards to the limit- $12,000. Seriously. Today that balance is now $0. Woooo!

I still have a really small cc that I'm almost done paying off, and will have student loans until I retire, but I am no longer paying off my youthful indiscretions of cigarette cartons, rental cars, clothes, and booze.

Also, if you are looking for something to read on the internet, may I recommend Michael Palin's online New Europe travel book.

Ok, guys, srsly. The My Chemical Romance website is hilarious. They are blogging and twittering and posting photos, and... I love this band.

I know I can't be the only one who will enjoy this... ahem... visionofblue and eclecticavatar

This blog makes me long for England. Shut up, I love British food. I want to go back!

Also, Stella is coming to Boston Dec. 11. Michael Ian Black! David Wain! That other guy! We have our tickets already.

Also, I am over 35K words on my NaNo story. Productivity! I suppose if I get to the end of my story and need to pad to get up to 50K I can always add more make-out scenes. Make-out scenes!

If you weren't aware, I am way, way too excited to see Twilight on Saturday. Sparkly vampires!

Finally, last night we were discussing the infinity of space and it blew my freakin' mind.

I have two awesome tidbits from Metafilter to share.

First: An Arrested Development movie is in the works! Seriously!

Also, my inability to google up good results led me to inquire as to the presence of good bar patios in Boston. I can't believe June is almost over, we need to get on the stick about some summertime drinking outside! And I'm not talking crappy tables on the sidewalk.

Watching Barbara Ehrenreich on The Colbert Report earlier this week led to finding her blog, which is kind of interesting. While I agree with her sentiments that the disparity between the filthy, filthy rich and the rest of the country is awful, I have no idea what the average person is supposed to do about it. If the super rich have all the money and power, then we have to wait for them to say "oh, you're right, we really should do something about this," which is never going to happen. I should probably read the book she was schilling to see what she says about that.

I am so loving Borders' "reserve in store" feature. You can search online to see if a book is in stock (or "likely in stock") at locations near you, and then they will send you an email when your book is ready to be picked up! This is amazing. Though I'm not getting my hopes up too much, I went to the Downtown Crossing location yesterday in the hopes of picking up the first book by an author I've just discovered, and was disappointed. But I did find out that there is a brand new book by said author, and it's the third in the series (I'm currently reading the second in the series because I couldn't control my book impulse buying). I love finding new authors for historical fiction mysteries! Especially when they are readable and don't suck. I did check out Porter Square Books yesterday, too, but they didn't have what I was looking for. Where is this newfound middle-class guilt over where I buy things coming from? I'm trying to be a responsible consumer, but it's hard to get away from convenience and cheapness.

Also, with apologies for harping on NPR so much lately, but this blog post on the All Songs Considered blog is really interesting. What is the sound of this generation?

So the woman who wrote my two favorite books from this year has a blog, and there's something kind of weird but very endearing about reading the details of an author's personal life. She blogs about food and clothes and history, and it's really an engaging and fun read. So there is a link for you.

Yesterday I saw someone bicycling in the road while talking on a cell phone (not hands-free, one hand was holding the phone to his ear). In the middle of rush hour traffic. Seriously! Bikes in this city are such a menace. No offense to those of you I know in real life who actually obey the rules the road, but when I'm driving bikes are a menace on the road, and when I'm walking they are a menace on the sidewalk. No one follows the rules! There are rules, people!

So we have a chance at Rock Band playtesting this week, if we can convince a couple more people to do some sunny late-afternoon hookey. Anyone out there want to play around with video games from 4-8 sometime this week? Anyone? Bueller? They are offering free pizza!

This LJ community is providing me with many laughs: mock_the_stupid.

I learned today from the Boston Globe that I am wasting my life. There is a community access tv show in Cambridge called Adventures with Jenny, and it involves a girl named Jenny talking about stuff while her pet rabbit, Banana, sits there with her. Grennie and I need to be staaaaars!

Also, Freezepop is playing the Middle East tomorrow night.

What's that you say? You want Metafilter meta-wankery about meta-wankery in fandom (with a big article that talks a lot about Supernatural, I only skimmed the article but believe it contains no spoilers, it's about a con). Well, then, here you go.

Along the lines of feminist ranting, I was reminded while re-tagging old entries earlier today of the time back in L-town that I tried to start a chapter of Riot Grrrl. I put up posters around town! I think it was in connection with my awesome thesis about punk girls and... psychology. The only person who ever called me wanting to join was a skinhead named Howard who had just gotten out of jail. Hee. Oh, memories.

The New Kids on the Block are rumored to be getting back together. Hee. There is no way Joey MacIntire can sing Didn't I Blow Your Mind This Time now that he has testosterone.

So, you know you had a good weekend when your voice is almost gone for two days because you talked too freakin' much all weekend. Good times, people, good times.

I've been meaning to post this link for a while but keep forgetting. Now I am remembering! Fantasy Congress! I haven't actually done anything on the site yet, but it looks like fun.

Also, did someone leave a white winter hat at our place a couple of weekends ago?

Sorry to be Posty McPostalot today, but this is interesting: AskMe on "before they were famous"

Particularly: "Michael Anderson - the charismatic little person from Twin Peaks and Carnivale - was a computer expert at NASA." Huh.

I just died of absolute, genuine, cute overload. Srsly and for reals.

click if you dare!

So, along the lines of my rant last week about music and how awesome the 90s were, I've become obsessed with finding old music videos on YouTube. This is what I spend my time doing while Drew plays Halo. I... have a problem. A problem that you can now enjoy!

Lots o' vids behind the cut. I don't vouch for their work-safeness, though I don't think there's anything glaringly bad in any of them. And if you're willing to watch YouTube at work, then you're either super discreet or your work doesn't care anyway.

( Music videos! From the Olden Days! )

I am also working on a compilation of trip-hop vids. Because trip-hop makes me happy.

Via Metafilter: Some bloke thinks he spends a week as a woman.

I don't think I have words to encompass the stupidity of this article. Oh, wait, according to this, because I'm a woman I have a ton of words to encompass it! Thank goodness. Though I'm too busy thinking about makeup, dieting, relationships, shoes, and baby-making to think any actual thoughts.

Who is this guy and why is he such a douche?

So aphorisic rules because he told me of a magical place in New York. That place is Burgers & Cupcakes, and if that idea alone doesn't fill you with delight, let me just say: bacon and cheddar burger and a chocolate peanut butter cupcake. So tasty I don't think I have the right adjectives to describe it. So we had a great trip to NY, the Metafilter meetup was tons of fun, Saturday we hung out for a bit at Vol de Nuit, and this morning we went to the Central Park Zoo. This week there's awesome sweeps television to look forward to (Veronica Mars and Supernatural, I'm looking your way!), and I should get back into something of a more regular routine with kung-fu. Life is good.

Also, speaking of Metafiter, some of you will find this amusing humorous SNL meme.

Ok, this is just not cool. Can I please go to DC sometime this year when it's not friggin' The Worst Storm Evar? The weather reports for Monday are looking dire, and I'm due to fly down early Monday morning. I'm a nervous flyer on sunny, calm days, I'm gonna be a wreck on Monday.

Anyway. I love Television Without Pity. Endless, needless, fanwankery amuses me so much. I'm addicted to a thread that discusses ratings and scheduling issues for one show. Srsly. I should get a life soon.

Acting class was wicked hard last night. I am learning some things about myself, like I am not comfortable doing things that require "living in the moment" and not planning out exactly what I'm going to do. Is it completely insane that when I was younger I used to rehearse phone calls before I made them because it made me too nervous to go in without a plan?

I love Best Week Ever. I love their blog. I love that they just did this.

Hee.

I saw this on Metafilter, and I just have to share. The most dangerous roads in the world. Holy crap!

We've been reminscing hardcore about England lately. I want to go back! Actually, I want to move to London! Or Chester. Or any of the many quaint little countryside towns.

Well this day is off to a fan-fucking-tastic start. Thank god we're getting out of town on Wednesday, I am already done with this week. It's not even 9:00 yet.

So this post isn't all about me stomping around being cranky: this is really cool.

Crap, I think I'm an indie yuppie. Oh well, it's not like I'm even trying anymore.

Feeling much better from the woes of this weekend (I was all like this), got my voting done this morning, and am ready to compulsively check political blogs all day for election results. Mmmm...election results. I love politics.

Drew got Beef Wellington a little critter hammock for his cage. Bunny in a hammock! It's the cutest thing ever.

I am addicted to Anonymous Lawyer. Though I'm reading from the beginning, once he got a book published earlier this year it seems like he's writing more for an audience.

Also, note to the writers of Veronica Mars: libraries are not boring! *hrumph*

The Office this season is kicking ass, but I need some Pam/Jim interaction sometime soon! They are killing me. Ed Helms' character almost completely makes up for it, though, because he is hilarious.

Finally, folks in the Boston area who wear glasses- any recommendations for places to find cheap (I'm talking $150 or less) but cute frames? I struck out at Costco, but want to find frames elsewhere and have Costco make the lenses, as they are cheap. Finding new glasses sucks, glasses that look awesome on others look freakishly weird on my face. I still have too much of an eye phobia to think about contacts, though.

I am broken. Went for my yearly check up with the doctor, and while my blood pressure was a little too high last year, now it's officially prehypertensive. Which has sufficiently puzzled my doctor, as I work out faithfully at least 4 times a week, eat decently well (so I like cookies, but I eat my fruits and veggies), have cut my drinking down dramatically, and am in generally pretty great shape. But I've also gained a couple more pounds than I should have, which can probably be blamed on aforementioned love of cookies, but she's now checking my thyroid to see if there's some sort of problem. How is it possible that I'm in best shape I've ever been in, and I'm now developing an old person disease? No fair! Shenanigans. Now I'm all paranoid that in a few years I'll be stuck taking blood pressure medicine for the rest of my life.

But I have developed a theory, which is totally grounded in no science whatsoever. Maybe drinking more was actually helping keep my blood pressure down. Because booze constricts blood vessels, doesn't it? That's my theory.

Now I need to see the comic about Mickey Mouse pancakes again. And I will share that with you: funny!

Well now, in the tradition of taking books and screwing with them for the stage, it appears that High Fidelity is hitting Broadway. In light of a certain someone's recent feelings about musicals, I may be on my own for this. Of course, they're chaging the setting from London/Chicago to New York, so I anticipate it being nothing like the movie, which was actually fairly close to the book. Lovely. Instead of selling Beta Band records they'll be selling Nickleback mp3s!

For something completely different- an interesting article. via AskMe

So it looks like a lot of bands are doing things with MySpace, so I gave in and got an account. If you're on MySpace, please friend me so I don't look like a total loser: my thingy. I will then friend you back. Danke!

In other news, this weekend's Book Club meeting to discuss The Gospel According to Jesus Christ, by Jose Saramago, was a smashingly good meeting. The book was good, too! Any day that starts at 1:00 in one part of town and ends at 11:00 across the river has got to be a good day.

c_m_i and I are getting plans under way for a NYC trip in a couple of weeks. We have tickets to see Architecture in Helsinki, and plans to see comedy at Caroline's, a walking & eating tour of the LES, Chinatown, and Little Italy, and a plan to finally explore Brooklyn and check out the Brooklyn Brewery. Can you believe that in all the times I've been to New York, I've never ventured out of Manhattan? That's just silly.

There is an awesome post on Metafilter today about Neutral Milk Hotel, complete with links to a bunch of live mp3s. That makes me quite jolly.

Now I have warm fuzzies remembering Jeff Magnum bumming a cigarette off of someone I went to a NMH show with. *sigh* And Naomi is in my head, and that's a good thing.

*snort* Dwight Schrute's blog.

Also, in case you missed it, Dick Cheney shot a man while hunting illegaly.

I am so demented, and must be stopped. So the links I posted the other day to Fred Fredburger don't work anymore, but this might work for a day or two. I am a helpless pool of giggles right now.

So, I totally love being a librarian, and my job rocks, but why do librarians have to take things that could be cool and suck the life out of them, making them empty, dry, dull husks of what they could be? Seriously, an hour and a half long talk on competitve intelligence could be cool, since it's corporate espionage, kind of, except on the good side of legality. Instead, it felt like a class from library school, except without the crossword puzzles I did in class, and without Tenille or Drew to make faces of boredom with. But anyway, I'm totally interested in learning more about competitve intelligence, as it's rather interesting and involves a lot of Nancy Drew-ing.

This guy makes my day (that should be a link to the Fred Fredburger wikipedia page, but for some reason it's not quite working today). There's more! (second link involves sound that automatically loads, not unsafe for work, but people around you will look at you very funny)

Had a mediumly crappy weekend. Am currently fighting the urge to be passive-agressive with the urge to be a mature adult. I think I'm just going to live in limbo between the two for a few days. *meh*

First off- anyone up for doing something tonight?

Since we now have our beautiful little car, we can go anywhere. Joy! I'm feeling an itch for Kowloon and Jake Ivory's that will need to be scratched sometime (though not necessarily tonight).

So this is not just a gratuitous "who wants to come out and play" post, I will also give you a link of interest. You think your landlord is bad? Check out Bad Landlords (via Metafilter) Be sure to scroll to the bottom and click on the link to the founder's other page. mrs_muffin's landlord would probably make good company for some of those folks.

Yar. So I found out that Somerville cops are bored jerks. Came home yesterday to a spanky little orange parking ticket on the borrowed car. I think it's because I used the same space three days in a row, but it just says that the car must be "moved" within 48 hours. I moved it, I went to pick up laundry and do groceries within that time span! It's just that that space was the only one available when I came back. The visitor permit has been clearly in the windshield every day I've had the car. But, I think I found a loophole. The violation on the ticket says "permit parking," and is for $30. Now, looking at the Somerville parking ordinances, I see that there is a violation for "over 48 hours," with a penalty of only $20. That, to me, means that the ticket issued to me is a fraudulent ticket, or at least, should be considered invalid. I wrote a very polite and well-worded appeal letter to the parking office and mailed it today, and am hoping that it'll get resolved quickly. Otherwise I'll just shake my tiny fist and fork over the cash.

But, hey, here's a cartoon about a bunny that Drew found for me a while ago (as seen recently in mrs_muffin's journal). I hope I haven't posted it before, but if I have, then you get to see it again!

To ease your bored minds, I give you: Nosheteria, a fantastic food blog (via Metafilter).

So I had a pleasant physical at the doctor yesterday. Pleasant because I found I weigh less than I thought I did, though I've gained 6 pounds in the past year and a half... but I've been lifting many more weights, so that's all muscle, right? Yes, yes, pure muscle. *note to self: no replenishing the cupcake supply now that it has disappeared into your belly*

So, how are you?

Huh. So this eMusic offers 40 mp3 downloads a month for $9.99. They appear to have a wide variety of indie rock. I'm thinking that 10 bucks a months for about 4 albums worth of music is a very good idea indeed.

Oh, and the Arcade Fire album is blowing my mind with its awesomeness. I may be a year late to the party, but at least I'm here now.

And thanks to c_m_i, I now have a favorite web comic: Questionable Content.

Now this site is one of the reasons why reading Metafilter sometimes pays off. It's a fantastic history of the London Underground, with lots of neat pictures of abandoned tunnels and stations. I could be entertained by this site all day.

I know you all have seen this before, but on a gray Tuesday morning, everyone needs a dose of CUDDLES.

This day is going to be very hard to get through, I've got England on the brain.

I meant to post this earlier, but forgot. So, for those of you who got your free iPods online: here's a little new story. Not that I think you really have anything to worry about, just thought it was interesting, along the lines of "no such thing as a free lunch."

And for the indie rock kids: Splendid eZine is the best music blog I've ever seen. Better than Pitchfork, even! Check out the boombox section, there are tons of full-length songs available for your listening pleasure.

You wanna know what's weird? Reading an AskMetafilter post about music, clicking some suggested links, and coming across what appears to be a pretty popular blog run by a bunch of guys from WRBC (well, from 'RBC back in my days there, not now). Good for them, I say, it's a very well-done music blog. Color me impressed.

Holy crap. Looking for something to keep you busy? Try one of these bad boys. These stories are pretty scary (note: I am a wuss, ymmv). There's Dionaea House and Ted the Caver. I haven't finished reading the cave one yet. Very House of Leaves-esque. Both links totally stolen from Metafilter.

In other news, I just received one free dollar bill from Lexis. Thank you, Lexis, now I can buy a soda.

Wow. I'm reading stuff on MetaFilter about birth control, and it's freaking me out. Since switching to the pill I'm on now, I haven't noticed any horrible side effects, but now I'm curious about just what I'm doing to my poor little body. I had no idea that some people could react so adversely to little hormone pills. Well, it's not like I'm going to give 'em up anytime soon, so I'm just glad that I'm not stuck suffering with nasty side effects.

Rate My Professor.Com

Batesies- this has already elicited a few giggles from me (see: Gene Clough- but only because remembering the Iron Lung makes me laugh; also see: Sanford Freeman- King Lear, dear god, the King Lear). Also- the "hot" ratings are weeeirrrd.

This morning I earned some T karma by giving up my seat for a woman on crutches. Not like any other helpful citizens seemed willing to do so.

Some of you may have seen this already, being all internet savvy and all, but I just discovered this, and it made me laugh so hard I nearly peed my pants: http://www.p-p-p-powerbook.com/files/thepowerbook.pdf

I stole this link from the "from the left" community, but y'all have to check this out. These people are insane. WTF?!

For the record, I say it'll be Obama/Clinton 2008.

I was just reading this site about abandoned T stations, it's pretty nifty. I think it's fascinating to think of all the history buried under and above the tunnels.

One of the reasons why I love New York so much is that it just awes me to think about the sheer number of people in such a relatively short period of time that's taken to make the city what it is today. It's so vibrant and alive (and stinky).

Above and beyond the Sleater-Kinney last night, the rest of the weekend was pretty darn good. Some lovely folks helped us move on Saturday, for which they received the drink of obligation our eternal gratitude. Other stuff happened, too.

I believe it was komos who didn't believe my story about Cuddles the seeing-eye pony. Here is a link to Cuddles Info.

I am easily amused.

( Read more... )

If you're bored, check this out.

you have to sit and watch it for a couple of minutes to get the full effect.

click

tee-hee.
this gave me the giggles