Lol cats (I died a little more inside writing that)

I know I did this yesterday, but it's just too funny (or my brain is just too melted)...


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Electronics for Kids (that should be oxymoronic)

From my treasure trove, the New York Times, an article about how kids these day vastly prefer electronic toys to traditional ones. I hate this trend, as do educators and pediatricians. But apparently, kids will have it no other way. And, basic electronic devices designed to emulate adult "toys" like cell phones and computers are insufficient. They must be relatively sophisticated and functional, or kids will reject them. To make it worse, they have come up with an acronym: KGOY, which stands for "Kids Getting Older Younger." I ask you, what if we just said "NO" to the kids? I think it's awful what we have fostered this in our children (and ourselves, but at least we"re grown ups). Toy companies are making big bucks, but our kids are becoming more ADD than ever. If you over stimulate them, they will never be easily entertained. Which is a virtue, I promise.

Best Books of 2007

For those of you that like to read things on paper as well as on your 'puter, here is a link to the New York Times' best books of 2007. I love the NYT, so they're bound to be good (though I'm ashamed to admit I've read none of these). Besides, how can I read anything when my coffee tastes not unlike poop (I'm only guessing as to the taste of poop), see last post for context.

Darn Awful Coffee

Einstein's Bagels has this gimmick where they call their coffee "Darn Good Coffee," and it's the biggest lie of the year. I usually go to both Einstein's and Starbucks when I need a bagel and coffee, but this morning, I figured it couldn't be THAT bad. It is. The French Roast was actually Hazelnut (I'm not big on flavored coffee, which means I think it's disgusting), and it's so weak that it tastes like water with a splash of half and half. Which is gross.

Note: I did email Einstein's with my comment, so I am not just an idle whiner.

icanhascheezburger

If you know what that says and means, I feel better. A classmate, similarly bored during this HORRIBLE International Environmental Law class emailed me links to icanhascheezburger.com, which is also known as "Lolcats 'n' Funny Pictures," which makes me die a little inside. But I was hooked, and I gawk at the new images nearly every day. Apparently, so is the rest of the world. I have seen references to this website and it's adorably funny cat images on two websites today alone. On the one hand, I feel a little better about being addicted to a website that is pretty grotesque since everyone else is too. On the other, what is wrong with all of us?!? Are we not an intelligent people? But ohhh....just look for yourself:




moar funny pictures


moar funny pictures

Jeans, and a dream website

Last year sometime, I went to EVERY store in the mall that carries jeans. And I couldn't find a single pair that fit BOTH my non-waist and my extremely long legs. I finally found a rather expensive pair that were SO worth it because I wear them almost every single day (they are Red Engine, and made in the US). Today, I found something great. It's Zafu.com, and I for once in my life I can't wait to go out jeans shopping. Money be damned. Maybe this whole internet thing does have some good things lurking out there...

Facebook [dot com]

You can call me old, and I often feel old, but let's be honest. 25 is not that old. Anyway, because I am a big nerd, I have been more acutely aware of the new -isms that crop up among young people (to whom I am exposed because I have a nineteen year old sister, and yes, I go to keg parties at her house). The example that is the subject of this post: Facebook-isms. Walking up the stairs at the law school today, I hear a group of well-educated adults talking about the romantic status of their friends, and BP says, "Well, they were in [some town] this weekend and both of their relationship status' changed, so I think they broke up." Status, on Facebook. Half of the former relationship didn't call her to say, "wah wah I broke up with Jimmy," or something. Not even email. BP took affirmative action to find out by looking on bloody Facebook. Which I think is creepy, although I suppose I am becoming ever more guilty of this action myself. Another example of this disturbing new language: the expression "Facebooking." It's a verb now? "The other day, I was facebooking and I found this great thing where I could throw a sheep at Susie." Facebooking itself is the action that generates all these new things we do, like finding out if our friends are dating by looking online. Is this supposed to be progress? At least someone made a lot of money by making us all creepy people who won't use the phone or communicate face-to-face.

Note: MySpace is guilty of all of the same things as Facebook, and maybe more so since it's the older forum.

OMG, did you see on Susie's MySpace that Joanna is talking s*** about Mary? I, like, so can't believe that she did that. Joanna is such a b****, and I heard from Erin's MySpace that she slept with Bobby.

Whatever happened to privacy, and having some self respect for ourselves that we didn't broadcast all of this publicly?

This is a great photo...

Not photoshop. NYT.

Pabst Blue Ribbon

In a NYT article about high-end catering and hostessing in Washington, D.C.:
"In that sense, catering by Costco is a style statement, like drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon beer."
It's known by some as reverse chic, and since I've never achieved chic, I'd like to think that maybe I could be considered reverse chic. Better than nothing, right? I have always been a PBR drinker, and a Costco caterer. Ahead of the curve? Behind the curve? Reverse chic. I like it.

Obama, Hillary, and Red Lady

So, after much deliberation, I have decided that I am a Hillary supporter for '08. What's wrong with Obama, you ask? He does not support the repealing of the 1872 mining laws, which is a MAJOR problem. These laws allow large corporations to buy public lands for $5 an acre (yes, that's right, even today), and then mine the hell out of them. They are seriously outdated laws, and Obama has publicly stated that he does not support the repeal of them. Hillary would likely do so. That, for me, was the deciding factor.

Why do the 1872 mining laws matter to me? I am from Crested Butte, in which our Mt. Emmons (aka Red Lady) had one of the richest molybdenum deposits known in the world. Kobex Corporation wants to mine the moly, and has begun the permitting process to do so. Why now, you ask? Well, a few years back, they bought the property for $5/acre. From the public. And Bush supports this law. So does Obama. Obama = Bush when it comes to my home town, and a mountain that I saw looking out my bedroom window as a child. Which would subside if mined. That is NOT cool. Plus, it would ruin Crested Butte, which would revert to a mining town, and the tourism economy would likely tank.

A little Irish cultural tidbit

From my favorite medium, NYTimes.com, a great article about a gentleman who wrote a book on slang. American slang, he says, is derived from Irish Gaelic. Being Irish, I rather like this theory. Plus, it's a linguistic topic, so let's just say I'm smitten. Dude (from the Irish 'duid'). It's an interesting etymological undertaking, and I'm pleased because I feel like we always figure that slang comes straight from our more formal language, and is just colloquialisms of the grammatical and proper form. But it's not that way! In fact, it's far more interesting. My personal favorites of the examples cited are 'grifter' and 'dork.' To think they come from Irish Gaelic!

Absinthe

Absinthe is finding its way back into the United States, legally, and with the traditional old wormwood-containing recipes. For those of you who think that absinthe is hallucinogenic and exclusive, you can have your fun. I for one like some absinthe, but have never found it to be particularly hallucinogenic. I do, however, like this NYT op-ed about it, and its bohemian mystique. That is, after all, the greatest part about absinthe-it's links to great modernist artists, many of whom hold the status "favorite" in my book. Ensconced worshippers beware, it does debunk the theory that wormwood is such a powerful drug. Absinthe is great, but it's mostly just a super charged liquor, not a magical green-fairy producing substance. I think it was a natural predisposition to departing lucidity that produced those tales we hear, and not anything inherent in the liquor. But, like I said, it's still great stuff, and now we can get it stateside.

WGA Strike

So they are probably overpaid, but I totally support the WGA strike. Mostly because it is a showing of union solidarity, and how unions give workers the ability to engage in collective bargaining, and therefore not get totally screwed. Like Wal-Mart workers. In this same vein, I am proud of Governor Ritter for taking a risk and opening the doors to more unionization in Colorado. I mean really, is it so bad to pay people a living wage?

Concealed Weapons

Yesterday on the CU campus there was apparently an "empty holster" protest which basically advocated for more concealed weapons rights. I strongly oppose concealed weapons (and firearms in general), and this article supports my position. If we didn't carry firearms, or at least legislated so that far fewer people did, I think that this sort of needless violence would decrease. I hope the protesters, who so want their concealed weapons that they organized a protest, are reading the news today and seeing what is happening just down the highway. With concealed weapons. That is all.

Food

This is a great article (op-ed, of course) in the NYT about the farm bills that subsidize farmers in the US. I always knew that these bills were outdated and made the rich richer, but I didn't know much about them. I like this author's slant that we are subsidizing high fructose corn syrup in a country laden with cases of diabetes and obesity. Basically, we are subsidizing the terrible way Americans eat, and with reform of the farm bill, we can change the way we eat. Change to a system in which we eat what are now "specialty" crops, such as carrots and green beans. The point is that high fructose corn syrup (the corn that produces it) is a staple of our diet, and other veggies are specialty foods, which is a twisted view of any kind of diet. Just another reason our politics are f***ed.

Puppercrombie and Bitch

There is a store in the Highlands called "Puppercrombie and Bitch." Their slogan is "Where bitch is not a bad word." If I had a dog, I would SO drive down to the Highlands for my DIY dog wash and treats.