Sea and Land by J. W. Buel, 1889. Do you even know how much this is my thing? Or how much I want this book, and to embroider plates from it? A LOT. My favorite was probably the Japanese spider crab, which turns out has recently been fascinating my brother as well. Oh, and it’s very real.
SCIENCE figures out what really causes ice cream headaches. In the comments, admit it if you’ve had one in the last half year even though you’re a grownup.
Hey, I missed James Brown’s birthday! Here, have some dancing lessons. Just be careful on what life lessons you take from the man.
Girls Gone Wild: Female Sex Addiction and the Internet at The Fix.
Readers looking for titillation will instead find a thoughtful piece written by a sex addict (yes, that’s a real thing). I’m not a huge fan of The Fix being as its for-profit motives mean well, what you might think. But this was a good article.
“The greater your shame, the more you do the thing that gives you shame. You feel bad about yourself, you’re lonely, you feel low self-worth, you don’t have enough endorphins to make yourself feel good, so you go back to the addiction because it pleases you and punishes you at the same time.”
“Talking About Independent Learning” at Natural Life Magazine: a schooled and non-schooled young adult discuss the differences in their learning environments. What a beautiful interview. “Maybe self confidence is something that doesn’t need to be built as much as it needs to be protected.” I’d say the same for critical/”free” thinking, compassion, and work ethic… you know, those things people are often saying need to be drilled into kids.
I feel kind of chagrined that my husband did not mow the lawn before putting up our “Obama – Biden” sign – but I’m not irritated by this because, did you hear the part where I said he mows the lawn? Still, I’d like to look a little more “respectable” and less, oh, “welfare-recipient lazy Democrat”, and lawn care being a source of pride for many in Grays Harbor, I fear we fail in this regard.
I should confess here that I have never once mowed a single lawn (princess alert!) except one time, pregnant with our first child, when my husband taunted my expressed desire to cut our knee-high backyard with our old school push mower. For some reason (pregnancy hormones?) I took this as a slight and proceeded, in the sun, red-faced, to finish the job. It looked horrible of course, like my cat’s shabby ass when she’s been chewing on it during flea-season. Turns out those non-electric mowers are meant for the types who apparently always have short, trim yards and just walk about going snip-whisper when it’s 1/4″ above code (I picture some foppy overly-posh kind of a lifestyle when I think of this). In any case one of the reasons I haven’t mowed a lawn, besides being disinclined in this regard, is my fear of those whirling blades and rocks or whatever they might dislodge. Directly at my eyes.
Yesterday a woman stopped over for help with her sewing machine. On walking in she exclaimed, “What a beautiful home!” I was a little surprised, because I felt my home looked a little messy and disorganized (including children in underwear, not in school, playing on the floor) but I said, “Thank you.” My home has been complimented on its order and appeal but what most people don’t realize is their experience is not one of “nice things” but one of “less stuff”. Now, I’d been to this woman’s house and it was full of furniture, clutter, dogs and dogs’ detrietus – in other words, a typical American dwelling. Oh and I must say, a tremendous amount of McCain Palin signage in the yard… something I almost brought up because I have been loving political discourse lately. But I was first concerned with A. getting her machine fixed if I could, and B. getting my kids dressed and out on the bike.
Now that I think about it, in light of my ever-pressing desire to simplify, I guess one solution for the lawn is, possibly, pouring a ginormous slab of concrete.
Here’s what’s funny about the internet. On one hand we say it’s this utopia where anyone can speak their mind and we can (supposedly) engage in discussion, and it’s great, and it brings so many minds together where otherwise they could not meet. But if a celebrity / actor / comedian / whats-it speaks their mind I’ve also seen many deride the “non-expert” who dares to air his views. It’s hard to stomach the sometimes lightening-fast information and opinion ping-pong ball on Youtube or whatever, but it doesn’t mean we can’t take a minute to digest the words of another human being. And keep in mind I say, “digest” – not assimilate, repeat mindlessly, or use in lieu of seeking out more information. Who do I talk to, live next to, work with, live with, love with? Non-experts. They’re experts only on themselves, their perspectives, their opinions – but they’re my neighbors and fellow citizens. Mr. Damon, although I’ll never meet him, is an American too – just like me.
I pretty much agree with every single thing said here, although the interview clip doesn’t get to key points I might press – one of which is how poor of a job McCain himself is likely to do even if he doesn’t pass the torch. I am mostly relieved to see others – journalists of all caliber, celebrities and non – starting to talk about how we really, really need to think about the fact Palin is in the ring at all – for the massive responsibility of leadership of our country.
I truly hope Mr. McCain has forfeited the Oval Office with this poor choice.
