Category: Humor

Humor, Movies

Viewing Habits

“The possession of knowledge does not kill the sense of wonder and mystery. There is always more mystery.”
― Anaïs Nin

I tend to listen to documentaries while I work. Some people might find this obnoxious or distracting, but I find it both entertaining and relaxing. And informative! I’m a facts sponge, I live to soak up interesting information.

But it strikes me that anyone looking at my documentary history might find me either somewhat lacking in focus or downright schizophrenic in my interests. Recent topics of programs and documentaries I’ve listened to while plugging away include:

The lives of medieval children based on archeological evidence.
The evolution and manifestation of ideas about deity through Western History.
The secret world of Haute Couture and its clientele.
The AIDS epidemic with the US’s African American communities.
Life and teaching of the Buddah.
Child brides within the opium trade and terrorist networks.
Theoretical physics.
The connection between refuse and waste disposal and civic unrest.
A profile on Anna Wintour

I’m either very deep or secretly shallow. Two of my favorite documentaries of all time are Prohibition, by Ken Burns, and The September Issue. Make of that what you will.

But I’m asking you to confuse my tastes even more. I’m putting out another call. You responded magnificently to my plea for book recommendations, so now give me your favorite documentary titles and/or subjects. Tell me what I need to listen to or watch next.

documentaryIdeas

Holidays, Humor, London

Fishing For Kisses

“One can never have enough socks,” said Dumbledore. “Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn’t get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books.”
― J.K. Rowling

I’ve officially started Christmas shopping. Admittedly it’s going to be a somewhat low key year (student loans and London rent being not insignificant priorities), but it’s still a lot of fun. Plus the holiday season in London is a feast for the senses so just being out and about is a treat.

On Longacre the other day, for example, I noticed a cheeky seasonal prank that I thought the minion coterie would appreciate.

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Qu’est-ce que c’est?

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You can’t see it, but Santa there has a full on cotton ball beard!

Humor

Hi December. Where Did You Come From?

“How did it get so late so soon?”
― Dr. Seuss

Confession. We’re on our fourth married Christmas and we’ve yet to have our own Christmas tree…and I love Christmas trees! From their smell to their cozy glow when all gussied up, I absolutely adore the things. Therefore, since we are at least an ocean away from mooching off of our relatives’ arboreal goodness, this year I’ve declared that we are going to grow up and get one of our own.

It might be three inches tall and look like Charlie Brown’s justly famous twig, but by golly it’s happening.

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This handsome chap from Portobello Road will have to wait a few years more, but a girl can scheme.
Holidays, Humor, Husband, Linkstorm, London, Weekend

Friday Links (High Geekery Edition)

“I celebrated Thanksgiving in an old-fashioned way. I invited everyone in my neighborhood to my house, we had an enormous feast, and then I killed them and took their land.”
― Jon Stewart

Hope American minions had a delightful holiday! I went to an American service at St. Paul’s Cathedral headed by the US Ambassador and his family and then spent the rest of the day doing some Christmas shopping. An intensely Protestant sermon was preached which infuriated my Catholic seatmate, yet electrified the couple who walked down the cathedral steps next to me – so even the tradition of being surrounded by people disagreeing fiercely was upheld! A fortifying plum and almond tart at Liberty saw me through until I had leftover curry for dinner. Jeff meanwhile wrestled with an uncooperative rental bowtie for his tux before heading off to his office’s Christmas party in Bloomsbury. (A visual representation of our differences can be found here. Along with other general London goodness.) An unconventional but very nice holiday all around.

Alas ’tis not a holiday over here so I still have to be productive. Here are your links (actually pretty well connected to a theme this week) and enjoy the weekend!

Apparently my name is Grey Selkirk. Which sounds rather sleek and deadly to be honest. Now, which district would I belong to? Having not read the series I rely on you, gentle readers, to let me know (looking at you, Janssen).

Let’s continue with the geekery, shall we? Hello, sweetie. I got River Song!

All communication technology changes language, but the internet allows us to track it in ways we haven’t exactly used before. Meme language interests me.

tumblr find of the week – first drafts are utterly dreadful. My just finished one is unusually bad, I think. Pearl clutchers disregard the title.

In lady news – awesome.

We’re debating adding Monty’s Python’s Live (mostly) Show to our theatre schedule. Even if we don’t, I just have to say that the registration site is morbidly hilarious. (ETA: this thing sold out in 45 seconds. I’m impressed.)

People, inherently decent.

Fair warning, this is a pen commercial. It’s also downright impressive.

I have nothing but respect for this woman and the legal lengths she went to. Admittedly I have mixed feelings on a lot of hacking culture (which I admit I don’t understand all the nuances of and probably could learn a lot more of), and I take privacy issues very seriously, but  the fact that this site is no more should be cause for celebration.

Quentin Blake, illustrator of Roald Dahl fame graced Stylist (one of London’s many free and gorgeous mags) with drawings of some of his favorite authors.

Humor, Husband, London

Adventures in Haberdashery

“Style, friend, style!”
– Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

We thought we’d solved the conundrum of the Thanksgiving Christmas Party. Not so! One final hitch of the sartorial variety awaited us.

Monday evening Jeff burst in the door after work and exclaimed, “Get up, get dressed, we have to find a tuxedo!”

To explain, I was dressed to go to the gym, not undressed. I’d also had a very long day with some fun but extremely labor intensive freelance projects that had cropped up at the last minute and had barely just plopped down on the sofa for a rest before tackling the next stage of one of them. But I popped up and threw on some real clothes to dash out the door with him a few minutes later. I’ve mentioned before that odd requests without context are fairly standard operating procedure for us.

It turns out that clarification had been given only that afternoon to the dress code on the invitation for the event. Originally it had been one of those modern, unhelpful directions that don’t actually tell you what you’re supposed to wear. “Dress to impress.” It had been confirmed, at this late stage, that it meant, “Black tie,” and normal suits weren’t going to cut it.

So, off we went to hire a tux, just hoping we got to the only store open past 5pm (almost the whole of London shuts down after typical business hours, something I usually don’t mind at all) while it was still open. The Tube is a time crapshoot. As it turns out we fell in the door mere minutes before the hire department closed for the evening. Me with messy hair and both of us a bit winded. I was sure they would demand why a couple of wheezy plebes like us needed evening clothes but luckily we got the thing ordered just in the nick of time (two customers were turned away after us) and with no questions asked.

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James Bond never dealt with this sort of hurried tux arrangement, I am sure.
Holidays, Humor, London

Well Done, John Lewis

“I discovered windows one afternoon and after that, nothing was ever the same.”
― Anne Spollen, The Shape of Water

Lavish department store window displays go back for over a century, but in London during the holidays many stores try hard to outdo each other in creative ideas and design. The more out of the box, the better. There are a lot of great displays, I need to do a post dedicated to them collectively, but my favorite this year is undoubtedly the window at John Lewis.

Initially the display looked pretty basic, just woodland animals. But come closer…

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A stag made of vacuum parts!

 

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A bunny of brushes!

 

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A squirrel of cups and cutlery!

 

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A bird of scissors!

 

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Foxes of dusters.

 

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A badger of lighting.

 

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A bear of basketry.

I can’t imagine how labor intensive these must have been. But I think the results are utterly charming!

Humor, Husband, London

My Man Plays the Blues

“You couldn’t not like someone who liked the guitar.”
― Stephen King, The Stand

We spend a lot of time in the West End, it’s where some of our favorite restaurants are, obviously the theatre district, and frankly it’s just a great place to wander. One of Jeff’s favorite areas to meander therein is Soho. Once it had a nicely sizzling reputation as a sex industry district and the site determined as the source of the outbreak of cholera that helped form the science of epidemiology. More recently it’s reputation is as one of the real music centers of the city.

Denmark Street is particularly famous for its shops selling musical instruments and sheet music. At one point several major artists lived, worked, or recorded music there – we’re talking Elton John, Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones, David Bowie… It’s basically Jeff’s nirvana (who, incidentally as far as I know, did not record there). Many an evening after he’s indulged me in some window shopping, I head into Soho to return the favor.

Because if Jeff ever makes his fortune, I know exactly what he would collect. Guitars. He’s played ever since he was a kid and even inherited a bass and a custom built electronic guitar (shared with a brother) from a great uncle.

I never went in for the sensitive troubadour types (of which our university had hordes), and Jeff didn’t win me with his musical talents. But I’ve got admit, the dark and deep blues and jazz tunes didn’t at all hurt. I might do for indie and some blues but for Rock in our house, Jeff’s your man.

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You can’t see it here, but there is some serious musical lust on his face.

Like all true admirers, he’s found his favorite local shop: Macaris, with locations on both Charing Cross Road and Denmark Street. And its goods are pretty impressive. They are the only authorised Gibson guitar dealer in the near area, a fact they are pretty proud of, and they sell everything from simple starter guitars for kids and soulful university students right up to the 80’s-est of 80’s rock n’roll royalty gear. Even I, who know nothing about guitars but for what I’ve learned from the devotee I’m married to, was knocked back to see some of their treasured stock – NOT for sale.

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Oh. Just guitars signed by John Lennon, Oasis, and other major British rockers. Nothing much to look at. (*clutches self a bit to see them just hanging there!).

They sell other instruments as well, but I think it’s pretty clear their heart lies with the thrumming and plucking sort. But it’s not just guitar lovers we’re talking here!

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Fun family fact – among my exceptionally nifty mother’s talents (Classical Greek and Latin included) lies the banjo! She decided she wanted to learn as a girl and worked out the scheme for an instrument and lessons herself. She’s plucky like that. Interesting enough, a sibling followed a bit in her footsteps…

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Brig’s teenage wooing and general cavorting choice: the ukelele! Ignore my thumb at the bottom, if you please. But for Jeff, there’s only room in his heart for the one true stringed instrument.

Jinstore

Humor, Linkstorm, Weekend

Friday Links (Slightly Grumpy Edition)

“The night is the hardest time to be alive and 4am knows all my secrets.”
― Poppy Z. Brite

This week has been frantic, kittens! Some major freelance projects (websites, social media campaigns, political/economic theory research, oh my!) have meant a series of very late nights for me. Jeff and I started going back to the gym and my muscles are throwing a lactic acid temper tantrum accordingly. Also I received my annual reminder why you should never engage in the comments in most forums – occasionally I forget this essential life skill and need a refresher course. I’m really quite tired and just a teeny bit crabby. On the other hand, the links this week are pretty fun and should perk even a sourpuss like me right up while I get a couple more big projects done before the weekend starts.

Fun little insight into your Facebook postings.

Damn it, science!

How posh are you? “Science” has a way to quantify anything.

An unbelievably good story from an unbelievably hellish place.

This week’s I Want To Go To There is…

If you can get past the sometimes hilarious amounts of body oil, I found this post on a book about the bodies of Olympic Athletes to be pretty interesting. I’m very much from the “fit looks different on every body differently” perspective, but it was interesting to see how different trainings for different events and athletic careers mold bodies in totally different ways.

Job hunting mantras!

Leonardo da Vinci invented what I believed is scientifically classified as A Freaking Lot of Stuff. I’ve been really lucky to see many of his artistic works and I’m tangentially familiar with many of his experimental inventions and inquiries. But I am downright mad that it took us 500 years to follow up with this particular idea because it’s gorgeous.

I knew about the lighthouse beacons, but I didn’t know anything about these.

Winter is coming, pumpkins. I’ve bought and lit the spice and citrus smelling candles, and it’s actually near freezing some mornings. As an ode, here’s some beautiful close ups of snowflakes – h/t to Jessica!

I profiled one of his videos a while back, but Thug Notes has become one of my favorite YouTube channels. Jeff found an interview with the creator and it’s worth a read.

Love this design upgrade at Cup of Jo – it should inspire me to do something with our flat, but mostly it convinces me I don’t have a designer’s flair at all!

Holidays, Humor

Deck the Halls

“Christmas, children, is not a date. It is a state of mind. ”
― Mary Ellen Chase

Since Thanksgiving is going to be a bit different this year (I’m meeting up with some American expats for a service at St. Paul’s Cathedral), we have somewhat removed it from the calendar. The trouble is that Thanksgiving is the Small Dog clan’s traditional bastion against Christmas celebrations – we do our holidays one at a time, thank you very much.

Therefore, in it’s absence, we’ve agreed that officially sanctioned Christmas celebrations are allowed once Jeff’s birthday passes. (I know you were all just waiting with bated breath…). Enjoy the gorgeousness! I sure am!

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Humor, Work

A Conversation With Myself and Other Job Hunters

“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.”
–Winston Churchill

Let’s get confessional, ducklings.

Here’s the horrible, smug truth – I’ve been offered every job I’ve seriously applied for since I was 16. Yes, some of those opportunities came through connections, dumb luck, and even parental urging, but the fact remains that I have been very luckily in work. I know it and acknowledge it. I’ve been grateful for my good fortune, but I’m also now getting to go through a crash course in the program. Here’s what I’ve learned so far:

You will get frustrated. Frustration is fine, but it does not entitle you to complain or get cranky. After a lot of frankly easy good fortune, it is no fun at all to come up against disappointment and difficulty, but you will. Deal with it with humor and dignity. Because…

You’re not special. In a place as varied as London, my skills are not unique and I have a lot of competition for positions. It is nothing personal when I don’t get them. On the other hand…

You have something special to offer. Just because I have the same practical skills as the next girl does not mean we combine them and our personality strengths in the same ways. I am a creative problem solver who is good at making existing systems and programs work better and coming up with solutions when issues arise. Someone else will be an organizer who is able to spot new opportunities and exploit them. Someone else will be team leader who is good at finding the right person to fix certain problems. We all could potentially have the same practical skills and work history, but our strengths are different.

You will make stupid mistakes that will make you cringe. A very kind person recently went out of their way to help me on my job hunt. I thought I had sent a thank you note after a meeting and an extremely thoughtful email, only to discover five days later that I might have written it but I hadn’t clearly sent it when they followed up with me. I was badly embarrassed to have made such a rookie error as to not have doubled checked I sent the damn thing before I closed a page! Double check everything, but know you’re going to make mistakes. Don’t beat yourself up too badly when it happens (she says after thunking her head on the desk she felt so stupid), apologize if you can and keep on trucking.

You will feel overwhelmed. I’m effectively trying to make a career change. That means I’m starting from the bottom in a new city, on a new continent up against scary smart competition who are both sharp and local. Forget finding opportunities, I’m having to locate the sites and forums where opportunities are even posted! I’ve been lucky to have been pointed in some good directions, but it’s still a daunting prospect. It’s fine to feel out of your depth, it generally means you’re trying something foreign.

You will be rejected until you’re not. That’s nearly a 100% failure rate. Know that’s what you’re going into and be ready for it. It makes the word “No,” so much less scary than we often give it credit for. Hearing no, and often hearing nothing, has been less than enjoyable to adjust to, but knowing that it’s going to be the norm makes it much easier to deal with.

Again, it’s not personal. Frankly the people I’m applying to don’t know me, therefore it’s not possible for them to dislike me. Ergo, not choosing me for a position isn’t an insult, a slight, or even an opportunity to be mean or hurt my feelings. It’s just a “No, thank you.”

There are some of the lessons I’ve learned or had to relearn. Minion who have or are job hunting, share your wisdom! What did you figure out about job hunting that you didn’t know before hand?