Things That Make You Go Hee...

Well, we'll start with this picture I found whilst googling one day...

Hee...


Next up, a disturbing look at the world of children's book publishing:



Hee hee... oh man...


And finally, this one is thanks to my friend Maura, who had the good sense (of humor) to send it to me:



Hee hee hee...

The Widening Wealth Gap

I'm driving a stolen blog...

So I've sunk from being a lazy blogger who mostly just posts youtube videos to an uber-lazy blogger who actually just posts other people's posts. But seriously, this is really funny. The boy mentioned in the story is 3 years old.

http://hillmangirl.blogspot.com/2007/04/sightings.html

Buffy, the Slayer of Vampyrs

Perhaps you are incredulous when I tell you that I am a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer -- you know, the tv show that was on, yes, the WB. It's quite alright. If I told that to myself 6 months ago, I would've laughed... until I realized that future me was serious and then I'd probably try to slap some sense into me.

I will tell you, I was slow to like it... I watched the first season on the recommendation of some friends, trusting that if they -- who seemed to be intelligent, like-minded people -- liked it so much, perhaps I should overcome my "but her name is Buffy" prejudice. But by the end of that first season, I was still unimpressed and rather baffled that it had come so highly recommended... I began to entertain the thought that perhaps this was some form of hazing.

But I pressed on, being assured at every turn that it would get much much better. And it most certainly did. To the point where not only did I finish all 7 seasons in... well, never you mind how long... but now I have begun proselytizing on the show's behalf.

And allow me, if you will, to cover just a few hang-ups that seem to deter would-be Buffy fans.

1. The title of the show. -- Yes, it sounds dumb. Watch the show and you'll understand... they didn't choose the dumbest sounding name for a girl by accident.

2. The special effects. -- This show was on the WB. So yes, the blood is gonna look fake. Suspend your disbelief. Just remember, Star Wars and Jaws look fake, too.

3. It's about Vampires -- Yes, this is true. And monsters. And demons. And yes, crosses and holy water will make appearances. But this isn't Star Trek. It's not about the new monster of the week. Real things are said.

Ok, I'm waxing a bit long on this, I know. Let me just end in saying this: what's difficult about doing a show like Buffy is that the creators and/or producers could easily fall into one of two traps -- taking themselves too lightly and ending up being silly and hokey or taking themselves too seriously and ending up ridiculous and lame. But Buffy is more of a balancing act -- it addresses real issues and tells great stories but it also from time to time takes a step back and recognizes the absurdity of a Demon-fighting Valley girl. It's not a comedy, but it's funny. It's not simply a drama, but it tells great stories. And it's not sci-fi or whatever else, even though there are vampires and demons. And I think that's why they succeeded in making a good show. If they had felt compelled to force it into any one genre, it would've fallen flat. As it is, it's one of the best tv series ever. No, seriously.

I'm sure everyone's seen this by now, but just in case you haven't...

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I don't know if this is real or not, but either way, it's hilarious.

just when I thought that it was a phase...

I took a quiz called "which dead rock star are you" -- thought for sure I'd be John Lennon. But right about the time in my teenage years when I was worshiping John Lennon, I was also worshiping someone else... and look who popped up:

Which Dead Rock Star Are You?

You're Kurt Cobain, the dead Nirvana front man and grunge rock pioneer. Take this quiz! Quizilla | Join | Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

Successful Music Career or Busk

So here's an interesting article from the Washington Post... essentially exploring whether people are willing and/or able to recognize beauty in unexpected places. A classical violinist -- a virtuoso -- played in the Washington subways during the morning rush hour. Here's a guy that people would normally pay good money to see. And he was virtually ignored. If you want to know more, here's the link to the article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040401721.html

But here's what I found particularly interesting. They show video clips of his performance and then the last video in the article is the entirety of his performance, mostly in fast forward so that the whole 45 minutes of video can fit, but they set it to the music of just one or two of the songs he played. And as I watched that last video, it really struck me. It's actually a pretty good metaphor for what it can feel like to be a musician at times... not just in actual performances ('cause usually people don't quite ignore you like that... although it's happened) but just pouring your heart and soul out in your work and feeling like you're being ignored for it, feeling like you're going nowhere, and feeling like you're not really reaching anyone with it. But then, oh the best part, watch what happens when about :59 is left on the video clip. Just look at the middle of the screen. I know it might sound a little prosaic, but, looking at it as an allegory, moments like that are what make it worth it, completely worth it.