Category: Linkstorm

Family, Humor, Linkstorm, Weekend

Friday Links XV (Better Late Than Never)

“Pretend it’s the weekend…we could pretend it all the time.”
– Jack Johnson

And I shall stay here.  While I can.

I just got back in town, ducklings, after visiting Gio at his university.  We were celebrating his successes, meeting the girlfriend, and generally goofing off.  Which is how Fridays should be spent, offices are dreadful places on a Spring afternoon. This Sunday I’ve also got a new nephew’s christening.  Family is fabulous, if a bit hectic.  Come Sunday evening I shall be tired.

But as always, I’ve found some fun things for you, well beloved minions, to kick off your weekends.

The best-dressed protest I’ve ever seen.

Speaking of fashion, it’s not only Ascot that brings out the wonky headgear.  Behold the evolution of Kentucky Derby hats.

I am an unabashed Whovian and Sherlock lover.  The fact that J. gets to see them months before they debut in the US drove our marriage to the brink (not true, but there was a great deal of disgruntlement on my side and malicious glee on his.  He’s very good at not giving up any, “Spoilers!”).  Here’s a NPR interview with the evil genius behind both revitalization of older brands, Steven Moffat.  Also, Sherlock resumes this Sunday on PBS, all minions are required to report for viewing duties.  There will be a quiz.

The rest of the (Western) world, as understood by the rest of the world.

Chocolate.  Do you really need any more information?

Newt Gingrich is (finally…dear heavens, finally) gone.  Luckily for us, he’s just as ridiculous and easy to mock now as he was campaigning.   Mind you read the sidebar carefully.

My godfamily always throws fabulous parties (GS in particular is famous for her “bars” – hot chocolate bars, drinks bars, and her latest triumph, lemonade bars) and Trixie and Drill’s couples shower was no different.  The presents were lovely, Trixie has excellent taste, and unfortunately now I have a strange urge to redecorate everything.  Luckily poverty prevents me.  Here’s a fabulous online shop specializing in housewares and unusual plants.  I’m particularly loving this reclaimed wine barrel cheese tray, and want to defy nature by putting these all over the house.  Weddings are dangerous, kittens!

I’m not a huge sports fan.  Naturally I root for my alma mater’s teams, and I have my English and stateside football teams (which I’m not mentioning, since I don’t want to drive any of you away/to drink, football being next to religion for some of you), but other than that, meh.  The only use I have for professional American Football is Superbowl parties, and much to J.’s annoyance, basketball doesn’t do anything for me.  But even I could get firmly behind this story.

Clever kitty.

Creeper kitty.

No plans of spawning for a few years yet, but many of my friends have cranked out bundles of joy recently, and a couple have found really nifty things for bringing up baby.  Here’s a fun tool, and here’s a lovely shop for the mums out there.

The weekly sheep.  I know they’re cultural or whatever… but rodeos (and frankly most of the American West) baffle me.

Speaking of mums, Mother’s Day is coming up.  Does anyone have any creative ideas?

Friends, Humor, Linkstorm, Weekend

Friday Links XIV (Style and Substance)

“Sunday clears away the rust of the whole week.”
~ Joseph Addison

So, the lesson this week is that if you’re having a bad day, speak up!  After I confessed to feeling low, Jane stopped by to see me with a funny card and bunch of flowers, Peregrine wrote me the best BFF email in history, Scarlett regaled me with tales of hilarity from her internship to boost my mood, and a lovely neighbor invited me over for dinner and some girl time.  The moral of this week: complain*.  Stiff upper lips out, quivering lips in!

*Actually, the moral of this week is surround yourself with Good People and even your worst days can be alleviated rather spectacularly.

Here are your weekend links, kittens.  I’m spending mine doing yoga, brunching with Jane, and reading friend-recommended books.  How about you guys?

Nope.  I’ve puzzled it over and over and I still can’t get it.

I want to go to there: Flavorwire runs down its list of the 25 most beautiful public libraries (bibliophiles: check out the university and private library lists as well).

So remember that project from a while back that changed the various depictions of Venus to something more current in terms of body type appreciation?  Here’s another lesson in it: Pinup-up girls before and after.  Even Vargas girls don’t look like Vargas girls.

I’ve spent hours on this site planning the future presents I could make, if only I weren’t so poor.  Alas!

I am firmly of the opinion that Theodore Roosevelt was the most bad A of American presidents.  This is cause for some debate, Andrew Jackson has quite a number of devotees and to be fair he was pretty intense, but he was also an insufferable jerk, so I don’t like him as much.  Not that Ted wasn’t without his faults, but I’m far more impressed with the turn of the century style big game hunting, the Rough Riders, social reform, the national parks, and this tiny little event.  Hardcore history, kittens!

I’ve been to several of these, but I want to make it to all of them.  In the meantime, J. is on assignment to visit so we can all live vicariously through him in the meantime.

Some fun City Hall weddings are style profiled on Refinery 29.  Lovely!  I had the whole shebang type of wedding and loved every minute of it, but I do like some of the smaller, non-traditional varieties.  Basically, I like parties of every size and shape.

The weekly sheep.  A stupid tradition continues, and this particular sheep expresses his opinion about it.

Humor, Life, Linkstorm, Weekend

Friday Links XIII (Short and Sweet)

“I have a stag weekend coming up and I have said I’m not doing anything more than a few drinks.  I won’t have it.  I will go home and watch Antiques Roadshow.”
– Martin Freeman

Still a bit out of it. Normalcy will restore itself eventually.

Equilibrium slowly restoring, kitten, but still not functioning at full capacity, so with that in mind, here’s your links.  I can’t quite be bothered to be exceptionally clever today.  Give me the weekend and it’s usual copious amounts of PBS and we’ll see what I can stir up for you.

Animals who are extremely disappointed in you.

The always hyperbolic and usually inappropriate Cracked.com takes on The Hunger Games.

Meet Henri, the existential French cat, your new favorite feline.

Rules of a Gentleman.  Preach.

This offends me.  I suspect J. would die a happy man.  Our marriage is a strange animal.

Summer brings out the WASP ancestry in me and I begin to crave preppy things.  Like these.

My old school mate does it again.  Now that J. is back in London (and let’s not talk about it too much, the wound is pretty raw) I can go back to my mostly vegetarian eating habits.  To be clear I’m not anti-meat, pro-vegan, or any you-must-live-this-way-or-forever-be-deemed-a-heathen sorts of philosophies.  I just like the financial, culinary, and caloric break of not needing to eat meat everyday.  J. may have acclimated himself to salads and vegetables living with me, but heaven help you if that’s all you feed him!

Um…people?  I don’t think this is the way… Let me rephrase: stopitstopitstopit!

Fascinating look at our ever evolving relationship to social media, the importance of being along, and difference between that and being lonely.  An equally fascinating interview with the author.

The weekly sheep.

Humor, Life, Linkstorm, Weekend

Friday Links XII (Extra wordy this week)

“It’s 4:58 on Friday afternoon. Do you know where your margarita is?”
― Amy Neftzger

Have my lectures really sunk in? I may have accidentially put myself out of work...

Another day, another seemingly crime free week on campus.

I’m starting to feel badly, ducklings, I used to have all sorts of tales of human silliness for you, but the well has run dry the last few months.  I don’t know if that means I’ve finally reached the point of saturation where even truly heinous examples of Darwinism at work are so commonplace that I don’t even register them…or if it’s time to find a new topic.  I suspect the latter.

We’ll make that Monday’s post, in the meantime, look at the shiny things I found for you to play with this weekend!  Don’t put them in your mouth, you don’t know where they’ve been.

J. is a huge Muppet fan (this may be the grossest understatement of the century).  I am too, but my love is as peanuts compared to his.  I have never seen him turn into a shrieking little boy but for once, in the Smithsonian Museum of American History looking at a case filled with Henson’s original creations.  But I digress.  In addition to the Muppets proper, we were both raised on Sesame Street and have fond memories of the monsters who rehearsed the ABC’s with us.  Grover was my favorite, but Elmo seems to be the universal beloved.  You’d never guess how the man behind him came to be – which is why anyone who loved the red furry beast should check out the documentary Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey.  J. and I watched it the other night and I admit my eyes watered.  (We watched it on Independent Lens, and although it’s not available on the website yet, it may be soon.  Otherwise, Netflix this sucker!)

Here, more fun and pretty baubles for you to look at.  I am particularly coveting this bag.  Minions should remember my birthday is fast approaching… ahem!

I hoarded books from a young age, and even as a kid I remember loving some books for no other reason than their illustrations.  Here are some of the most beloved children’s book illustrators according to flavorwire.    Gustave Doré,  and Ivan Bilibin are illustrators whose work I remember from my childhood, though I had no idea who they were then.  Virginia Frances Sterret is someone I need to look into more.

This is a link originally passed on to me by Peregrine, who always manages to find some of the best articles out there.  I’ve been having more than usually strong wander lust twitches lately (it’s been made exponentially worse with J. in London, I’ve planned all sorts of imaginary weekend getaways!), and I’ll add walking across Provence to the list.

The great change is…not upon me for several years yet…but lately my skin has been going through a mid-20’s change.  Suddenly blemishes have been turning up where there never were before – not even during puberty!  This has been obnoxious as I’ve always been rather fond of my good skin, it’s the pride of my dermatologist, but as always there are cures.  I’ve discovered this.  It’s fantastic.

Tumblr find of the week.  The best part?  She submitted one of her own! (Edited to add: like all good things, as soon as I find it, it goes away.  I have the same effect on certain brands and cuts of work trousers.  Alas!  Luckily Facebook is helping keep this glorious thing alive.)

Never would do it.  Gotta respect it.

Study up, ladies, miscommunication kills relationships.

Oh dear.  Oh dear.  I have a sudden, almost uncontrollable urge to take this on my next international flight.  Oh dear…

Ha!  Anything done “in the Flemish style” is going to be fun!

The weekly sheep.

Humor, Life, Linkstorm, Weekend

Friday Links XI (Good Friday edition, with little or nothing to do with Holy Week)

“Middle age is when you’re sitting at home on a Saturday night and the telephone rings and you hope it isn’t for you.”
~ Ogden Nash

Randomness today, pumpkins.  There is no theme or cohesion, don’t look for one, and for Odin’s sake don’t read too much into anything.  Just enjoy the links.

See? Random.

I love museums.  I LOVE museums.  The British Museum, the V&A, the Louvre, the Smithsonian, the MOMA…if I could spend every weekend burried in a museum I’d be a happy Small Dog.  Here are a few things I found in various museums this past week.  Votes for women!   The need of orthodontia!  J. will want to see this exhibition, I’m positive.

Babies in advertising in the days of yore.  Weird.

I’ve got a whole slew of weddings this summer (including one where I’m the best man!  I know, right?!) so here’s a glimpse into the Industrial Wedding Complex, the gown to be specific.

Nutmeg is probably my favorite spice.  I use it in my Mac n’ Cheese recipe, in soups, in cakes and cookies – I love it.  But I had no idea what the process was to get it from beginning to end, or that mace (the spice…not the thing you carry to deter attackers and those people who chase you with fliers demanding you come see their installation art exhibit) came from the same plant!

Not even celebrities look like their magazine covers.

It’s the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee year!  Let’s celebrate by looking at her hats!

Mum lived in Japan as a girl and it instilled in her a love of Asian antiques, our house is crammed with them.  She also collected some textiles that she uses to decorate, which is probably what led me to read this article on Kabuki theatre costumes.  I prefer the cabinets and tables myself (the siblings and I are going to have to arm wrestle one another for inheritance rights) but those kimono are pretty fabulous.

These sound delicious.  I’m thinking of getting Dad a few for Father’s Day.

Here, the cover picture should cure you of your recent love affair with sheep pictures (seriously, minions, did I miss a memo and are sheep a thing now?).  Mind you read the article in its entirety.

Here’s some Good Friday stuff after all.  I am a huge fan of eating the proper foods on corresponding holidays.  The food liturgical calendar in the Small Dog clan is strictly observed, and we’ve picked up tons of holidays – and their respective foods – we don’t even celebrate from all the places we’ve lived.  Try it sometime, it’s a blast!  Here’s a good place to start, good old English hot cross buns!

Finally, is this Friday dragging a bit too slowly for you?  Never fear, the internet is here to help!

Humor, Linkstorm, Weekend

Friday Links X (Marks the Spot)

“There will be a rain dance Friday night, weather permitting.”
– George Carlin

May you find enlightenment. Or a comfy nap spot. Whichever.

Bittersweet week this time, ducklings.  Hennessy’s last day was on Tuesday, she’s going to stay at home with her sweet little baby to help him kick Goltz Syndrome in the teeth!  Savvy is moving out of state in just a few weeks and this saddens me.  I spent all of Monday and Tuesday herding, feeding, and organizing FBI agents and law enforcement officers for a special training (which was exhausting!).  J.’s been here for nearly two weeks now, which means we only have two more weeks until he has to go back to London for his exams – le sigh.  But we’re not dwelling, kittens, because today is Friday and we’re going to have a lovely family filled weekend with good food and fun.  How was that alliteration for you?

Here’s your weekly dose of randomness:

Mad Men is back and I am thrilled!  Naturally the internet has been saturated with articles, surveys, tips for cocktail parties, and info about the late 60’s, but here was one of my favorites: some info on  Diet and Exercise fads in the 60’s. 

I did a post a long time ago (mostly because I was bored) on words I found particularly annoying or misused.  I ended up giving a couple of history lessons…boredom produces odd effects in me.  Anyway, here’s the history behind some more English words, and I vote that we bring back “fopdoodle.”

If you’re in a dry move, here’s an academic paper from the University of South Africa about what could be determined the first recorded great divorce scandal.  Drama, drama, drama.  (Link to full article towards bottom of the page.)

Speaking of marriages, here’s an interesting article that a rather amazing former coworker recently highlighted on her blog.

Here’s a fun tumblr from the National Archives of the United States.

I wonder how many of you, minions, get as worked up as my family does about board games.  The first Christmas J. spent with my family he was reduced to hysterics when Snickers won two out of three Settlers of Catan games only to lose the third and spent the rest of the day plotting revenge.  See, in his family, board games are excellent excuses for the brothers to talk smack and goof off.  Not so in my clan!  We are Borgias!  If we can’t win we will conspire to take down as many enemies with us as we can, and we remember that you didn’t trade us for a brick that one Thanksgiving four years ago.  Apparently, though Settlers can be used for good: here are some Catan pickup lines that will make any aficionado of the game chortle.

I am not a gardener, and not likely to ever be, but every year I plant a little basil bush that manages to provide me pesto well into autumn (if I don’t kill it first).  I think that someday, if I’m very ambitious I may plant more spices in my Someday House back yard.  Anyway, here’s a good post on stocking one’s spice cupboard – for the culinary ambitious among you!

I am…not sure what to think of this particular neuron… Weigh in.

Last week’s diamond ring was labeled vulgar after all, Aunty C. is proud you all have such good taste!  Here’s some other sparkly things I found that I think are much more tasteful, pretty, and interesting.

Last but not least, history nerd humor!  This week’s edition: courtly love, courtesy of Flight of the Conchords.

Humor, Linkstorm, Weekend

Friday Links IX (Food and French)

“Always strive to excel, but only on weekends.”
~ Richard Rorty

When young university students lightly turn to thoughts of... non-criminal activity...

Work is exceptionally slow, minions, and it has been for some time now.  Which is odd.  Normally Spring and Summer are the down times when most of the university’s population slinks back off from whence they came, but this year it’s been almost uniformly dull.  University crime is on the decline, ducklings.

It makes it a bit hard to be at work, actually, now that I’ve got my boyfriend back in town, but we all must make sacrifices.  We’re making up for it with a ton of dates.  Last night I threw on a really hot dress and dragged him to a production of Loves Labour’s Lost, and like most things I drag him to he ended up liking it a lot.  It got out too late to go to dinner, but he plans on taking care of his craving for American flavors (and portion sizes) this weekend.

That’s what we’ll be doing, how about you?  As always, here’s some fun things I found for you to enjoy:

Famous last words.

Where would the internet be without pictures of funny cats, I ask you?

There lurks in everyone a morbid sense of humor.  It may be tiny, it may be repressed, but it’s there.  Here’s a small indulgence for it.

Some people seem to do a great deal of deep thinking a la salle des bains, here are some of those gems.  And some less than stellar contributions as well. #13 is my favorite.

French women.  A certain, je ne sais quoi.  (Random French phrases today, my loves, you’d never believe I used to be quite a proficient French speaker by how much vocabulaire I’ve lost.  Quelle horreur!)

Pintrest.  Oh, Pintrest.  I’ve written of my grudging love for you before, as well as some of your less than glorious offerings.  Some kind, caring soul has taken the time to compile the strangest things people find on you.  The public is grateful.

Mad Men is back this Sunday!  I love that show and it’s been gone for too long.  Here’s some fun: Don Draper and his many disapproving faces.  Also, Mad Men re-imagined as Little Ms. and Mr. Men.  Childhood = ruined.

Expensive shoes I’m currently craving.

Last week’s sheep pic was a hit.  Here’s another one for your viewing pleasure.

If we all pool our money, sell some organs, and go into smuggling, in about a century (give or take a cartel operation or two) we may be able to afford this.  You make the call: very nifty or horridly vulgar?  I lean towards the latter, but you darlings have been known to surprise me with your opinions, so I leave the final judgement up to you.

Happy Friday!

Humor, Linkstorm, Weekend

Friday Links VIII (I’m Friday the Eighth I Am I Am…)

“Always strive to excel, but only on weekends.”
~ Richard Rorty

Logic.

It’s been a slow week, my doves, the most exciting thing that happened was buying armloads of Girl Scout cookies (thereby funding the downfall of Western Civilization, according to some), and spending the majority of work at a conference.  It’s lovely to get out of the office, but it would have been lovelier if we could have held the whole thing outside – the weather has been gorgeous!

The big news is that J. is coming to visit.  On Monday!  For a month!  Hurrah for term breaks before finals!

Here’s some fun stuff for the weekend for you, hope you’re looking forward to it as much as me:

Letters from Henry VIII and Jane Seymour have been found.  I’m partisan to Anne Boleyn myself, Catherine Parr’s a close second, but how nifty is it to see the letter confirming the birth of his son?  And all it took was throwing over multiple religious factions, a vicious divorce, a beheading, quelling very tiny insurrections, countless mistresses, wars with France, and dissolving and pillaging the monasteries.  All in day’s work.

If obesity rates are to be believed (and I think they are) we’re spending an awful lot of time sitting down.  But who knew chairs were so interesting?

I found this absurdly cute for some reason.

A fun tumblr for my fellow history-types.

Gah!  GAH!  They should slap this on the cartons along with health warnings, “May cause loss of historical monuments and priceless cultural treasures.  Oh and cancer…”

One of my old university mates is also living in the US.  She’s additionally, apparently, cooking up a storm.  Here’s her recipes for genuine British fish and chips (hands down J.’s favorite Britannic concoction) and French onion soup.

Nifty project!

For my fellow world travelers.  Someday I’m going to get a bunch of vintage maps of all the places J. and I have lived, set them in interesting frames, and fill a wall with them!

What have you discovered lately that should be shared with the minion coterie?

Humor, Linkstorm, Weekend

Friday Linkstorm (I should probably start numbering these…let’s call this one VII)

“What is a weekend?”
– Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham

That blasted cold is making a comeback.  Thank Jupiter, Odin, and Quetzalcoatl it’s Friday.  I intend to spend it looking at all the places J. and I want to live and using my Peregrine-given resume and cover letter skills to wage a campaign of job hunting.  That an a few phone calls to J. and the girls.  And perhaps chicken soup and orange juice.  Anyway, here’s your Friday fun, minions.  Aunty C. love you.

I like the Keep Calm posters as much as the next girl (although, it’s meme-like status does tend to over saturate one), so here’s the history of it.  The more you know, kids.

Here, enjoy one of the more ridiculous tales of naval warfare (warning, Cracked can be rated PG13 – though really Small Dog Syndrome is not intended for the consumption by small children, pets, sensitive maiden aunts, or faint-hearted pearl clutchers.  They can read Teletubbies Weekly.)

Words cannot express how badly I want this in my house.

In continuing women’s politics news, oh hell no.

So, I’ve mentioned that I gave up being lazy for Lent.  I have, and let me tell you, it’s invigorating!  But strangely, even though I’m wasting less time, I didn’t feel any busier and I was wondering how that worked with the space time continuum.  Normally when I take on more projects, I feel it.  And then I read this article and realized that the problem wasn’t that I was lazy, it was that I hadn’t been using my time as meaningfully and I wasn’t being honest about how much time I spent on things.  So, my goal still holds, but I’m incorporating some of Vanderkam’s language: I’m not just giving up being lazy, I’m owning up to how I spend my time.  Also, Peregrine, I’d very much appreciate it if you’d ignore that sentence of her’s in the last paragraph…you know the one I mean…

The 35 best shoes from the European fashion weeks.  You’re welcome.

Everyone knows the Brothers Grimm, right?  Well, they were not the only Germans out collecting fairy tales!  An archive of over 500 fairy tales has been found in Regensburg – somewhere Disney executive are hugging themselves and planning their next century of cinematic projects.

And here’s the late, lamented Victor Borge proving that funny is everywhere – even the noblest cultural institutions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGESFaMl84U

Humor, Linkstorm, Weekend

Friday Linkstorm

“I’m not at all fully granola.  But I am a bit crunchy, politically speaking.”
– C.

Women’s Politics edition, with food!

I occasionally tease you with politics, ducklings, but I’ve recently been a bit gobsmacked by the politics of gender and sexuality.  Here’s the ever fabulous Caitlin Kelly’s take on Rush Limbaugh’s latest verbal spewing and how misplaced the latest conflagrations on women’s reproduction rights (largely orchestrated, chaired, and debated by men) are compared to some of the other things our country is dealing with.  Limbaugh gives me heartburn, I long for the day he’s taken off the air.

From birth control to motherhood, here’s a piece, “Losing the (Term) Baby Weight.”  No plans on spawning in the foreseeable future, but I’m still digging the sentiment that a new body, changed by huge experience and personal change is “substantial and meaningful” and not something to be hated or worked against.

And straight through to childhood.  Ah, my youth!  Dressing up in cute little uniforms, camping, selling cookies… participating in back-street abortions, promoting alternative sexual lifestyles.  Man, second grade was awesome!  Puh-lease.  This is a week old story, and the gentleman in question has since said he regrets his letter, but I’m still hopping mad about it.  For your consideration: here’s a picture of me, destroying Western Civilization, aged six:

Pictured: subversion.

Did you know that this is National Eating Disorder Awareness Week?  I have two friends who either have or are recovering from eating disorders.  It can be a complicated to understand and to be supportive, but the best place to begin is by educating yourself.  Here’s a good post to start, for some information about awareness and personal insight into the complexity.

A long lost short story by Charlotte Brontë has been discovered.  With nary a Byronic hero in sight!

Grilled cheese sandwiches have always been my favorite and I love experimenting with different cheeses, breads, and spreads.  If you’re an addict like me, here’s a couple of types to try if you’re brave enough.

Janssen’s homemade ranch dressing recipe contribute to my goal to buy and eat less processed food.  Thanks, as always, m’dear!

And talking of food, would you use this?

And that, as they say, is that!  What are you up to this weekend, kittens?  Margot and Wrench are checking out wedding venues (she’s already bought a dress and it kills me that I can’t show you guys pictures!), I’m taking on some shopping assignments for J. (a sacrifice, my dears, but the things we do for love), and I’ve got a godfamily dinner on Sunday.  Apart from the weather, which turned snowy and cold very suddenly, I’m happy as a clam.