It's no secret that I long to be French. I want to wear nothing but stripes and berets and eat crepes and visit art museums. That's pretty much all actual French people do, yes?
I've long been thinking that people in America don't wear scarves enough. They're so beautiful and functional, especially in New York. But my stumbling block, aside from not really owning any of the non-winter kind, is that I don't know how to tie them.
Enter brilliant scarf video! I need to watch it again and take notes because once is not enough
Showing posts with label Videos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Videos. Show all posts
Monday, October 24, 2011
Thursday, May 5, 2011
The power of humanity
It's been an interesting journey to spend the first 20 or so years of my life in a mostly non-digital world and all the subsequent years in a hyper-digital world. I was in college from '95-'99 when the internet was still getting it's legs, so 90% of my papers were researched with books and articles and microfilms.
There was no social media of any kind in high school, college, and for the five years post-college. Ex-boyfriends and ex-friends stayed elusive and out of touch, there was no photo obsession, and there felt (to me) less of a focus on how it looks like you're living than how you're actually living.
But wedding planning and moving and pregnancy and parenting in an internet era has been a god-send. Easy access to information has saved my sanity thousands of times over. Not to mention that it's allowed me to feel like friends and family members all over the country are right here in my life even though they can't sit at my dining room table.
It's been an interesting thing to watch unfold. However. The pace of the world today and the amount of information overwhelms me on a second by second basis. Not tragically, just in a quiet way where it affects me. It's so easy to feel small, and it's so easy to feel like you have nothing new or interesting to contribute because it's already out there. And the beauty of the world is that that's not actually true.
Technology, regardless of stellar attempts, will never be able to usurp humanity. And every once in a while something comes along, something so simple, that really changes the world in a profound way. Dan Savage's It Gets Better campaign, started last fall, is doing just that. All he did was record a video of him and his boyfriend talking about how being a gay youth today can be hard, but it gets better, so please don't kill yourself. And it struck a beautiful chord and has saved lives.
I was reminded of all this the other night while watching Glee and Google Chrome used his campaign in their commercial. It absolutely made me tear up at the power of it all. Watch the commercial and the original It Gets Better video below.
There was no social media of any kind in high school, college, and for the five years post-college. Ex-boyfriends and ex-friends stayed elusive and out of touch, there was no photo obsession, and there felt (to me) less of a focus on how it looks like you're living than how you're actually living.
But wedding planning and moving and pregnancy and parenting in an internet era has been a god-send. Easy access to information has saved my sanity thousands of times over. Not to mention that it's allowed me to feel like friends and family members all over the country are right here in my life even though they can't sit at my dining room table.
It's been an interesting thing to watch unfold. However. The pace of the world today and the amount of information overwhelms me on a second by second basis. Not tragically, just in a quiet way where it affects me. It's so easy to feel small, and it's so easy to feel like you have nothing new or interesting to contribute because it's already out there. And the beauty of the world is that that's not actually true.
Technology, regardless of stellar attempts, will never be able to usurp humanity. And every once in a while something comes along, something so simple, that really changes the world in a profound way. Dan Savage's It Gets Better campaign, started last fall, is doing just that. All he did was record a video of him and his boyfriend talking about how being a gay youth today can be hard, but it gets better, so please don't kill yourself. And it struck a beautiful chord and has saved lives.
I was reminded of all this the other night while watching Glee and Google Chrome used his campaign in their commercial. It absolutely made me tear up at the power of it all. Watch the commercial and the original It Gets Better video below.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Rainy hump day
Just a quick one today. The kiddo has a cold and was up half the night. Plus, the big kiddos in the area are all on Spring Break which means that all of the story times and classes that we normally go to to keep ourselves busy are also on hiatus. Plus it's raining. So, no sleep, no activities, and no chances to go outside = tough week for the tall people in the house.
I very randomly ran across this short video yesterday called How An Engineer Folds A T-Shirt and it's awesome. The engineer husband really liked it and responded with "save that... I'm totally making one of those."
I very randomly ran across this short video yesterday called How An Engineer Folds A T-Shirt and it's awesome. The engineer husband really liked it and responded with "save that... I'm totally making one of those."
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Thoughts on employment
Interesting TED talk on Why Work Doesn't Happen at Work and the radical ideas as to how it can change.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Blowing your mind, in every language
I had a moment yesterday - which is still continuing as I type - along the lines of "OMG, CHRISTMAS IS IN FIVE DAYS!! DOES EVERYONE ELSE KNOW THIS?!"
I was so ahead of the game for so long and I think that just promoted laziness. Not really laziness so much as just enjoying the season. That, plus a heaping scoop of toddler and a dollop of grad school, and we get to where we are today - behind.
So as I drink (read: shotgun) this cup of coffee and then make my to-do list, I'm hoping that will make everything seem less overwhelming. Lists are good like that. Posting will be understandably light this week, but I have some various links for you, so I'm not disappearing, just taking the easy way out for a while.
And speaking of links... every once in a while something in the world of technology pops up that actually seems magical to me. Something that kind of supersedes my knowledge of what's possible and just waps me in the face with coolness. I had one of those moments when I learned about Word Lens. Enjoy.
I was so ahead of the game for so long and I think that just promoted laziness. Not really laziness so much as just enjoying the season. That, plus a heaping scoop of toddler and a dollop of grad school, and we get to where we are today - behind.
So as I drink (read: shotgun) this cup of coffee and then make my to-do list, I'm hoping that will make everything seem less overwhelming. Lists are good like that. Posting will be understandably light this week, but I have some various links for you, so I'm not disappearing, just taking the easy way out for a while.
And speaking of links... every once in a while something in the world of technology pops up that actually seems magical to me. Something that kind of supersedes my knowledge of what's possible and just waps me in the face with coolness. I had one of those moments when I learned about Word Lens. Enjoy.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Miss Independent
I'm pretty sure the phrase "shit-eating grin" was invented for our daughter. We've come to use the phrase almost daily. I mean, we're gonna have to stop pretty soon once she enters the repeating phase that is right around the corner, but we'll deal with that later.
She loves nothing more than doing things herself so lately we try to let her do as much as possible - she gets the milk out of the fridge when we need to fill up her cup, she "helps" put lotion on after her baths, she throws her diapers away after she gets changed, etc.
One of the first things we started letting her do was to feed the cats. She LOVES to feed the cats. In fact, if anyone accidentally leaves the gate to the kitchen open, she'll be at the cat bowl in under six seconds.
Tonight we were making dinner and didn't really bother yanking her away as we usually would because it was doing a nice job of keeping her occupied. And usually she needs quite a bit of help to get the food into the scoop and then turn her hand to get the scooped food into the bowl, but apparently she had a little breakthrough in her feeding technique because as you can see from the pictures she was QUITE proud of herself.
After I took this series of photos she immediately tried to squat down, but didn't realize the water dish was directly under her bottom and ended up sitting in a bowl of water.
She loves nothing more than doing things herself so lately we try to let her do as much as possible - she gets the milk out of the fridge when we need to fill up her cup, she "helps" put lotion on after her baths, she throws her diapers away after she gets changed, etc.
One of the first things we started letting her do was to feed the cats. She LOVES to feed the cats. In fact, if anyone accidentally leaves the gate to the kitchen open, she'll be at the cat bowl in under six seconds.
Tonight we were making dinner and didn't really bother yanking her away as we usually would because it was doing a nice job of keeping her occupied. And usually she needs quite a bit of help to get the food into the scoop and then turn her hand to get the scooped food into the bowl, but apparently she had a little breakthrough in her feeding technique because as you can see from the pictures she was QUITE proud of herself.
After I took this series of photos she immediately tried to squat down, but didn't realize the water dish was directly under her bottom and ended up sitting in a bowl of water.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Friday, May 7, 2010
A little loony
The little lady is growing at warp speed over here. Some of the accomplishments over the last month:
Crawling
Pulling herself up on furniture
Pulling herself up on the edge of the crib
Using her 2 bottom teeth and the aforementioned crib ability to rake into the side of the crib and cover herself in black paint chips
She's 9 months old on Tuesday, which we're celebrating with another round of vaccinations. In the meantime, here's a short video of the impending crazy side that has yet to be fully unleashed. She gets a little hyper before bed.
Crawling
Pulling herself up on furniture
Pulling herself up on the edge of the crib
Using her 2 bottom teeth and the aforementioned crib ability to rake into the side of the crib and cover herself in black paint chips
She's 9 months old on Tuesday, which we're celebrating with another round of vaccinations. In the meantime, here's a short video of the impending crazy side that has yet to be fully unleashed. She gets a little hyper before bed.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Seriously, don't buy toys
List of items that Charlotte likes as much as, or more than, her regular toys:
Washcloth
My pink crocs
Toddler spoon
Little leopard print toy mouse that the cat plays with
All electric cords
Dryer balls
To that end, here is a video of her crawling after the dryer ball. She learned to crawl for the first time while we were away for the first time - obviously.
Washcloth
My pink crocs
Toddler spoon
Little leopard print toy mouse that the cat plays with
All electric cords
Dryer balls
To that end, here is a video of her crawling after the dryer ball. She learned to crawl for the first time while we were away for the first time - obviously.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
TED Videos
Do you know what TED is? TED is a brilliant non-profit, famous for it's conferences, and their entire mission is: Spreading Good Ideas. No, really. They exist to put smart ideas into the world, on every subject imaginable. I got lost on their site for an hour yesterday watching three 20 min videos, but you could certainly get lost for days over there.
I was first turned on to this video thanks to following Bill Gates on Twitter. It was titled "The Wisdom of Whores" so how could I not click on the link? But what followed was a really engaging, witty, LOGICAL talk on how to better use our public dollars to prevent the spread of HIV, and how counter-intuitive measures are often the way to go.
I actually felt such a deep sense of relief watching a talk and a way of thinking that was based on nothing but what clearly works and what doesn't (logic!). I've gone mad with frustration over hearing tv politicians and arm-chair philosophers spout off random, nonsensical shit based on headlines, emotional manipulation, and a what's-convenient-for-me-personally philosophy that I have to just disengage from it all. But watching Elizabeth Pisani was a nice little salve to all of that.
If you want something a little less political, Alain deBotton (author of one of my favorite books, On Love) gave a great talk about what it really means to be successful, how manipulated our personal views of success are, and how we can view the whole subject a little less harshly. He's alarmingly smart and a wonderful philosopher. And most of all, he says outright all of the things we're not supposed to say and not supposed to feel and illuminates the unspoken parts of our psyche - my kind of man.
And for the creative amongst you, Elizabeth Gilbert (author of the wildly successful Eat, Pray, Love) gave a talk on the creative process and the idea that "genius" is not something that we are, but (in line with the Ancient Romans) something that we all have.
I was first turned on to this video thanks to following Bill Gates on Twitter. It was titled "The Wisdom of Whores" so how could I not click on the link? But what followed was a really engaging, witty, LOGICAL talk on how to better use our public dollars to prevent the spread of HIV, and how counter-intuitive measures are often the way to go.
I actually felt such a deep sense of relief watching a talk and a way of thinking that was based on nothing but what clearly works and what doesn't (logic!). I've gone mad with frustration over hearing tv politicians and arm-chair philosophers spout off random, nonsensical shit based on headlines, emotional manipulation, and a what's-convenient-for-me-personally philosophy that I have to just disengage from it all. But watching Elizabeth Pisani was a nice little salve to all of that.
If you want something a little less political, Alain deBotton (author of one of my favorite books, On Love) gave a great talk about what it really means to be successful, how manipulated our personal views of success are, and how we can view the whole subject a little less harshly. He's alarmingly smart and a wonderful philosopher. And most of all, he says outright all of the things we're not supposed to say and not supposed to feel and illuminates the unspoken parts of our psyche - my kind of man.
And for the creative amongst you, Elizabeth Gilbert (author of the wildly successful Eat, Pray, Love) gave a talk on the creative process and the idea that "genius" is not something that we are, but (in line with the Ancient Romans) something that we all have.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Baby's First... Everything
This weekend B was in Chicago having a boys weekend, so the little lady and I were holding down the fort alone. As if to reaffirm the fact that I was a (temporary) single parent and that I should obviously not eat red meat while breastfeeding (though that burger was damn good), she rewarded me on Friday night by waking up every hour screaming. We never even made it off the couch.
But in a move that I will never understand and that continues to repeat itself, a night of no sleep, or cat naps at best, led to a very bright-eyed Saturday, whereas the nights of full sleep lead me to only a moderate level of energy. Cest la vie.
So we took our burst of Saturday energy and made french toast, bacon, and coffee for breakfast and then headed out to the local art & history museum. Baby's first museum visit! It wasn't my type of art work, but being an art lover in general, I could still appreciate the paintings. Plus, the portraits were a fascinating study in fashion, so that's always interesting.
The fact that it was her first museum visit was not lost on me, as she continues to have all kinds of "firsts" all the time. It's one of the mind blowing things about being a parent. One of my most vivid (positive) memories in the delivery room was her first kiss. As I was waiting and waiting to hold her - which took a full 45 minutes after delivery thanks to a misplaced needle - all I could think of was that *I* was the one who got to give her her first kiss. Thousands and thousands of kisses would follow - cheek kisses, belly kisses, passionate kisses, kisses from grandparents and girlfriends. From men who are wrong for her, and men who are right for her. Polite kisses, obligatory kisses, the list goes on. But there has to be a first one, and I got to delivery it. It was so symbolic and touching.
She had her first laugh the other day also. She gave it to her daddy while he was singing her the "I've got pee-pees in my pants" song that he invented. Her second laugh she gave to me the next day, also while singing the very same song on the very same changing table. Apparently it's a big hit. But again, all I could think about was the millions of laughs that we'll share together over the years. The unabashed toddler giggles, the 13 year old slumber party squeals, the devious cackles that accompany most of college, and the wine-tinged hysterics over long dinners at our dining room table. Laughter is a huge part of our household and our family, and to see the beginning of that was absolutely enchanting.
But in a move that I will never understand and that continues to repeat itself, a night of no sleep, or cat naps at best, led to a very bright-eyed Saturday, whereas the nights of full sleep lead me to only a moderate level of energy. Cest la vie.
So we took our burst of Saturday energy and made french toast, bacon, and coffee for breakfast and then headed out to the local art & history museum. Baby's first museum visit! It wasn't my type of art work, but being an art lover in general, I could still appreciate the paintings. Plus, the portraits were a fascinating study in fashion, so that's always interesting.
The fact that it was her first museum visit was not lost on me, as she continues to have all kinds of "firsts" all the time. It's one of the mind blowing things about being a parent. One of my most vivid (positive) memories in the delivery room was her first kiss. As I was waiting and waiting to hold her - which took a full 45 minutes after delivery thanks to a misplaced needle - all I could think of was that *I* was the one who got to give her her first kiss. Thousands and thousands of kisses would follow - cheek kisses, belly kisses, passionate kisses, kisses from grandparents and girlfriends. From men who are wrong for her, and men who are right for her. Polite kisses, obligatory kisses, the list goes on. But there has to be a first one, and I got to delivery it. It was so symbolic and touching.
She had her first laugh the other day also. She gave it to her daddy while he was singing her the "I've got pee-pees in my pants" song that he invented. Her second laugh she gave to me the next day, also while singing the very same song on the very same changing table. Apparently it's a big hit. But again, all I could think about was the millions of laughs that we'll share together over the years. The unabashed toddler giggles, the 13 year old slumber party squeals, the devious cackles that accompany most of college, and the wine-tinged hysterics over long dinners at our dining room table. Laughter is a huge part of our household and our family, and to see the beginning of that was absolutely enchanting.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Skewering the Chick Flicks
Yesterday I had to confess to my good friend and film lover/writer/major Ben that B and I have an embarrassing desire to see the new movie The Hangover. My reasons for wanting to see it are very complicated and they go something like this: I have a huge crush on Bradley Cooper. Ed Helms, who plays Andy on The Office, really cracks me up.
Until I actually Googled the movie and watched the trailer, I basically didn't even know what the movie was about. After watching the trailer I can see how someone who doesn't have a crush on Bradley Cooper - AKA: My husband - would also want to see it. I mean, don't get me wrong, I don't expect it to be "good" per se, and it's weird that I even want to see it because B and I average one movie in the theater per year, so why it would be this one, I can't explain.
So once I started my Google search it led to related Googling, as is often the case, and I ran across this spoof video. Last February the movie He's Just Not That Into You came out, and in a ploy to get men to agree to see the movie with their girlfriends the three leading men of the movie made a video detailing the 10 cliches usually seen in chick flicks that are NOT in the movie. And while I definitely enjoy a good chick flick from time to time, I agree that the a LOT of the horrible cliches (spontaneous dance scene, anyone?) need to go.
So for the chick flick lovers out there, here's a funny spoof video for you...
Until I actually Googled the movie and watched the trailer, I basically didn't even know what the movie was about. After watching the trailer I can see how someone who doesn't have a crush on Bradley Cooper - AKA: My husband - would also want to see it. I mean, don't get me wrong, I don't expect it to be "good" per se, and it's weird that I even want to see it because B and I average one movie in the theater per year, so why it would be this one, I can't explain.
So once I started my Google search it led to related Googling, as is often the case, and I ran across this spoof video. Last February the movie He's Just Not That Into You came out, and in a ploy to get men to agree to see the movie with their girlfriends the three leading men of the movie made a video detailing the 10 cliches usually seen in chick flicks that are NOT in the movie. And while I definitely enjoy a good chick flick from time to time, I agree that the a LOT of the horrible cliches (spontaneous dance scene, anyone?) need to go.
So for the chick flick lovers out there, here's a funny spoof video for you...
Thursday, May 21, 2009
More things to entertain you while I pack...
Since I have no time to blog myself, I'm going to just start ripping off other people's blog posts (see below). I'm not sure if I've mentioned this, but in a stroke of brilliant timing, B and I are going out of town for the 4 days prior to our move for a trip that was scheduled before he got his new job. It's totally typical of our life though, so I'm no surprised. As a result, 90% of the packing and chores have to be done by Friday afternoon and it leaves almost no time when B is around to help with stuff that I can't do.
So while I'm off doing all that random crap (other than packing) that accompanies a move, entertain yourself with what can only be described as the World's Coolest Wedding Video posted on Mighty Girl. Seriously, I wish I were this cool.
Brian & Eileen's Wedding Music Video
So while I'm off doing all that random crap (other than packing) that accompanies a move, entertain yourself with what can only be described as the World's Coolest Wedding Video posted on Mighty Girl. Seriously, I wish I were this cool.
Brian & Eileen's Wedding Music Video
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
I Heart Olbermann
As I've mentioned before B and I are nightly viewers of Keith Olbermann, but I missed this last segment of the show last night because I fell asleep. Luckily my good buddy in all things trashy, Perez Hilton, posted it on his gossip blog and I was able to catch up.
Keith is obviously a political smarty-pants, but every once in a while he comments on pop culture and it makes me love him even more! This whole segment cracked me right up, but it's long (6 min.) and you really have to watch the whole thing to fully get his point, but if you have the time - enjoy!
Keith is obviously a political smarty-pants, but every once in a while he comments on pop culture and it makes me love him even more! This whole segment cracked me right up, but it's long (6 min.) and you really have to watch the whole thing to fully get his point, but if you have the time - enjoy!
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Monday, February 2, 2009
Mondays are for Montages
We got our wonderful wedding video about a month ago and B was able to upload one of the chapters on You Tube in case anyone wanted to see it. He tried to upload a second chapter, but the music in that chapter (In Your Eyes) is copyrighted and the magical You Tube elves knew that, so the second montage no longer exists. It's too bad too, because the second montage is all of the reception footage and some of it is hysterical. This clip is from the picture taking session on the lawn behind the resort.
If you want to watch the video in better quality without all the fuzziness, click HERE and then click the link on the bottom right of the video that says "watch in high quality."
Enjoy!
If you want to watch the video in better quality without all the fuzziness, click HERE and then click the link on the bottom right of the video that says "watch in high quality."
Enjoy!
Monday, January 26, 2009
Whiskey Yer the Devil
Maybe because it's early Monday morning, or maybe because the temperature is firmly in the single digits, but I watched a video that B's mom sent me this morning about Barack Obama being Irish and I couldn't stop laughing. I have a strange feeling that no one will find it as funny as I did, but for whatever reason it struck a chord of happy laughter. The back story is that his great, great, great grandfather emigrated from a small town in Ireland.
If you want to watch the video with the lyrics on the screen, click HERE.
* The blog title is a reference to an Irish drinking song that only about 4 blog readers will know. You should look it up and learn all the lyrics - we did.
If you want to watch the video with the lyrics on the screen, click HERE.
* The blog title is a reference to an Irish drinking song that only about 4 blog readers will know. You should look it up and learn all the lyrics - we did.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Prop 8... The Musical
Billy just sent me THE best video EVER and I have to pass it along. It's from the geniuses at Funny or Die about Prop 8.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
"A Little Too Awesome"
This isn’t a very timely post since the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner happened two weeks ago, but all the computer issues put me behind. Additionally, I'm very behind in my online grant writing class due to some logistical problems, so posting might be a little light over the next few weeks.
Anyhow, I thought you should see the full footage of Obama’s hysterical speech at the dinner. Each of the candidates made satirical speeches (as is the tradition) taking jabs at themselves as well as their opponent. And while it’s clear the material was written for them, it’s so good that it’s forgivable. To really enjoy it though, you have to watch all ten minutes. Be sure to listen for my favorite part – strengths and weaknesses.
Given McCain’s anger problem and general demeanor, his laughs look a little forced, but he’s losing pretty dramatically lately, so I can’t blame him for not having a big sense of humor about the whole election. I heard that his speech was pretty good too, but I’ve only seen clips of it.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Colin Powell Endorsement
If you didn't get to watch Colin Powell on Meet the Press yesterday, you MUST watch this video. If this doesn't completely end all questions and debates as to who should be president, absolutely nothing will. There has yet to be a statement as clear, eloquent, and free from political bullshit as this video. Watch it.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Politikin'
We're headed up to Plattsburgh this weekend for one of the last trips of our Goodbye New England Tour. We'll be out at camp the entire time, which I swear to god is what heaven must look like. I'm like a little kid at the beach every time we're there - kicking and screaming and throwing tantrums when we have to leave. It's amazing. If you ever visited camp, you would realize why we chose to have our wedding where we did.
But all of that Adirondack beauty doesn't come with cell service, so I'll attempt to mobile blog some pictures, but I'm not sure if it'll work.
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I don't have an inherent problem with Republicans. History has proven that countries are run better when there are various positions that are considered and acted upon. I'm not so arrogant as to presume that my party always has the right answers. I'm against Bush Republicans. And as Paul Begala was saying on The Today Show yesterday - McCain is now a Bush Republican. He wasn't always. As recently as 2003 he really was a maverick and he really was a centrist, and had he won the primary in 2000, I think he could have won with cross-party support. But that is not the McCain that has been involved in politics for the last five years. THAT McCain has voted with Bush 91% of the time, has overturned bills that HE put forth, and has pandered to the extreme right in ways that are frightening. In light of that, here's the video...
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