"A little bit of this. A little bit of that. A pot, a pan, a broom, a hat. . ."—Anatevka, "Fiddler on the Roof." This is a blog about everything and nothing. A little parenting, a little humor, some poetry, news, essays, a lot of music. I don't want to waste your time, just send positive vibes into the blogosphere. Oh, yeah, my name is Sarah Torribio. Enough about me, how are you?
Thursday, June 30, 2016
Song of the Day: "Jeane" by The Smiths
This is a very obscure Smiths song and it's wonderful. It's called "Jeane."
I love the lyrics by my favorite wordsmith, Morrissey: "Jeane, I'm not sure what happiness means. But I look in your eyes and I know that it isn't there." The music is gorgeous and jangly like broken crystals and harp twangs, the kind of sound only Johnny Marr can coax from a guitar.
I love the lyrics by my favorite wordsmith, Morrissey: "Jeane, I'm not sure what happiness means. But I look in your eyes and I know that it isn't there." The music is gorgeous and jangly like broken crystals and harp twangs, the kind of sound only Johnny Marr can coax from a guitar.
< < previous song
> > next song
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Song of the Day: "Anxiety" by Preoccupations
If you're a creature of the light, I admire you and am sorry if this video is kind of dark for you. However, I can't stop listening to "Anxiety" by Preoccupations, which I think is a beautiful melange of deadpan-voiced performers like Joy Division and Interpol.
< < previous song
> > next song
Chillaxing gif of the day. . .
There's something right peaceful about this particular moving image. Snow and a streetlamp.
Quote of the Day. . .
"The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion." —Albert Camus
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
Song of the Day: "Runaway" by Aurora
Sometimes there is more than one Song of the Day. This song, "Runaway" by Aurora is a beautiful slice of Nordic ice.
< < previous song
> > next song
Song of the Day: "Eyes Without a Face" by Billy Idol
There is something so simultaneously relaxing and rocking about "Eyes Without a Face" by Billy Idol.
>> next song
Monday, June 27, 2016
Chillaxing gif of the day. .
This is an animated photo known as a cinemagraph. It was created by Jamie and Kevin and this and others are viewable on Jamie's Tumblog Fromme-toyou.tumbler.com
I think it's real pretty.
I think it's real pretty.
Song of the Day: "Mercy Me" by Alkaline Trio
Weird video, wonderful song. It's "Mercy Me" by Alkaline Trio. Lead singer Matt Skiba isn't bad to look at, bye the bye.
I've seen Alkaline Trio in concert once and seen Matt Skiba in concert twice. I feel the need to see Alkaline Trio again this year. They're shows are energetic and their audience is lively and loving.
I've seen Alkaline Trio in concert once and seen Matt Skiba in concert twice. I feel the need to see Alkaline Trio again this year. They're shows are energetic and their audience is lively and loving.
< < Previous song
> > Next song
A novel idea. . .
I've come up with an idea that might be bat-shit crazy but also might be absolute genius.
We should decide who should be the next US president via an elaborate psychological exam based on the candidates' assessment of Medieval artist Hieronymus Bosch's bizarre tryptic painting, "The Garden of Early Delights."
Global warming isn't all bad. . .
Ladies, the parasol—that most elegant of accessories—is coming back with a vengeance!
Parenting anecdote of the day. . .
Alex, 7 1/2, has found this YouTube channel called "In a Nutshell." It explains all these big concepts in six minutes through animated videos. Topics like "What is Life?"; "Nuclear Energy"; "Black Holes"; "War on Drugs" and "Ebola."
I questioned it for a minute—are these kid's topics?—but he started reading when he was 2 1/2 and is always driven to learn. There's so much that is bad on the Internet, I figure, alright, let him seek knowledge.
I came in yesterday and he was almost done with a video on "The European Refugee Crisis and Syria Explained." I thought, oh my God, I've got to start poring through the news more often, because this kid is going to know so much more than me.
To use a quote from "What About Bob?", which I do as often as possible: "We can't be expected to understand him. He's so far above us. We're like ropes on a Good Year Blimp."
I questioned it for a minute—are these kid's topics?—but he started reading when he was 2 1/2 and is always driven to learn. There's so much that is bad on the Internet, I figure, alright, let him seek knowledge.
I came in yesterday and he was almost done with a video on "The European Refugee Crisis and Syria Explained." I thought, oh my God, I've got to start poring through the news more often, because this kid is going to know so much more than me.
To use a quote from "What About Bob?", which I do as often as possible: "We can't be expected to understand him. He's so far above us. We're like ropes on a Good Year Blimp."
Booze. . .
Booze
I like to test my balance,
just a couple times a year.
There's something sort of freeing
in a glut of wine or beer.
just a couple times a year.
There's something sort of freeing
in a glut of wine or beer.
Some words need a cocktail's nudge
before they can be said.
Won't you raise a glass to me,
so I can lose my head?
—Sarah Torribio
before they can be said.
Won't you raise a glass to me,
so I can lose my head?
—Sarah Torribio
Sunday, June 26, 2016
Chillaxing gif of the day. . .
Your Chillaxing gif of the day comes courtesy of Miss Literati on tumblr. Fasten your seatbelts, becuse shit's getting cosmic.
Song of the Day: "No New Tale to Tell" by Love and Rockets
My Song of the Day is "No New Tale to Tell" by Love and Rockets.
The song is so deep, you can spend your whole life pondering it. Every day, the lyrics, a masterwork of oxymoron, will ring truer. "You cannot go against nature/Because when you do/To go against nature/Is part of nature too. . ."
The song is so deep, you can spend your whole life pondering it. Every day, the lyrics, a masterwork of oxymoron, will ring truer. "You cannot go against nature/Because when you do/To go against nature/Is part of nature too. . ."
< < Previous song
> > Next song
Etsy Shopping Find of the Day. . .
Should I be concerned that at one month shy of my 42nd birthday, I literally need these Rainbow Unicorn Bookends. It's three of my greatest passions—books, nature, fantasy—merged into one ceramic must-have item.
This set costs $40 and is available from the Binknits shop on Etsy.com
< < Previous Etsy Shopping Find
This set costs $40 and is available from the Binknits shop on Etsy.com
< < Previous Etsy Shopping Find
Saturday, June 25, 2016
Song of the Day: "Welcome to the Black Parade" by My Chemical Romance
< < Previous song
>> Next song
Today, I invite you to treat yourself to a sing-along. My Song of the Day is the absolutely wondrous rock anthem by My Chemical Romance, "Welcome to the Black Parade." It doesn't get better than this (wipes away a tear). Oh yeah, and here's the lyrics:
When I was a young boy,
My father took me into the city
To see a marching band.
He said, "Son when you grow up,
Would you be the savior of the broken,
The beaten and the damned?"
He said "Will you defeat them,
Your demons, and all the non-believers,
The plans that they have made?"
"Because one day I'll leave you,
A phantom to lead you in the summer,
To join The Black Parade."
When I was a young boy,
My father took me into the city
To see a marching band.
He said, "Son when you grow up,
Would you be the saviour of the broken,
The beaten and the damned?"
Sometimes I get the feeling she's watching over me.
And other times I feel like I should go.
And through it all, the rise and fall, the bodies in the streets.
And when you're gone we want you all to know.
We'll carry on,
We'll carry on
And though you're dead and gone believe me
Your memory will carry on
We'll carry on
And in my heart I can't contain it
The anthem won't explain it.
A world that sends you reeling from decimated dreams
Your misery and hate will kill us all.
So paint it black and take it back
Let's shout it loud and clear
Defiant to the end we hear the call
To carry on
We'll carry on
And though you're dead and gone believe me
Your memory will carry on
We'll carry on
And though you're broken and defeated
Your weary widow marches
On and on we carry through the fears
Ooh oh ohhhh
Disappointed faces of your peers
Ooh oh ohhhh
Take a look at me cause I could not care at all
Do or die, you'll never make me
Because the world will never take my heart
Go and try, you'll never break me
We want it all, we wanna play this part
I won't explain or say I'm sorry
I'm unashamed, I'm gonna show my scar
Give a cheer for all the broken
Listen here, because it's who we are
I'm just a man, I'm not a hero
Just a boy, who had to sing this song
I'm just a man, I'm not a hero
I
Don't
Care!
We'll carry on
We'll carry on
And though you're dead and gone believe me
Your memory will carry on
We'll carry on
And though you're broken and defeated
Your weary widow marches on
Do or die, you'll never make me
Because the world will never take my heart
Go and try, you'll never break me
We want it all, we wanna play this part (We'll carry on)
Do or die, you'll never make me (We'll carry on)
Because the world will never take my heart (We'll carry on)
Go and try, you'll never break me
We want it all, we wanna play this part
(We'll carry on!)
My father took me into the city
To see a marching band.
He said, "Son when you grow up,
Would you be the savior of the broken,
The beaten and the damned?"
He said "Will you defeat them,
Your demons, and all the non-believers,
The plans that they have made?"
"Because one day I'll leave you,
A phantom to lead you in the summer,
To join The Black Parade."
When I was a young boy,
My father took me into the city
To see a marching band.
He said, "Son when you grow up,
Would you be the saviour of the broken,
The beaten and the damned?"
Sometimes I get the feeling she's watching over me.
And other times I feel like I should go.
And through it all, the rise and fall, the bodies in the streets.
And when you're gone we want you all to know.
We'll carry on,
We'll carry on
And though you're dead and gone believe me
Your memory will carry on
We'll carry on
And in my heart I can't contain it
The anthem won't explain it.
A world that sends you reeling from decimated dreams
Your misery and hate will kill us all.
So paint it black and take it back
Let's shout it loud and clear
Defiant to the end we hear the call
To carry on
We'll carry on
And though you're dead and gone believe me
Your memory will carry on
We'll carry on
And though you're broken and defeated
Your weary widow marches
On and on we carry through the fears
Ooh oh ohhhh
Disappointed faces of your peers
Ooh oh ohhhh
Take a look at me cause I could not care at all
Do or die, you'll never make me
Because the world will never take my heart
Go and try, you'll never break me
We want it all, we wanna play this part
I won't explain or say I'm sorry
I'm unashamed, I'm gonna show my scar
Give a cheer for all the broken
Listen here, because it's who we are
I'm just a man, I'm not a hero
Just a boy, who had to sing this song
I'm just a man, I'm not a hero
I
Don't
Care!
We'll carry on
We'll carry on
And though you're dead and gone believe me
Your memory will carry on
We'll carry on
And though you're broken and defeated
Your weary widow marches on
Do or die, you'll never make me
Because the world will never take my heart
Go and try, you'll never break me
We want it all, we wanna play this part (We'll carry on)
Do or die, you'll never make me (We'll carry on)
Because the world will never take my heart (We'll carry on)
Go and try, you'll never break me
We want it all, we wanna play this part
(We'll carry on!)
Happy Birthday to Me?
I'm going to turn 42 this year which, if you've never been that age before, sounds terribly old. Do I have to start adding young to my age whenever I say how old I am?: "As in, I am 43 years young."
Should I take a tip from Molly Shannon playing Sally O'Mailley and regularly inform people that, "I like to kick and stretch" while demonstrating my spryness?
Perhaps I'm overreacting, as when I did was about 30 and first began to experience what I called the "Ma'amity-ville Horror." That's when every young store clerk or deliveryman or rental car worker calls you ma'am.
Look for a midlife crisis posthaste. I might get a tattoo or run off with an Italian.
Friday, June 24, 2016
Weird Spam of the Day. . .
I just got an email encouraging readers to reach out to "Sad But Sexy Women." What a depressing fetish!
La Sirena de Catalina. . .
La Sirena de Catalina
She could not choose—
refused to lose
communion with the sea.
But she loved her men
and she loved her booze,
so a woman she'd still be.
—Sarah Torribio
Saturday, June 18, 2016
Chillaxing gif of the day. . .
I love this rainbow spiral gif. I feel like watching it is re-aligning my chakras!
Etsy Shopping Find of the Day. . .
I think it's too late for my son Alex, who is 7 1/2 and has lost a whole lot of his baby teeth. But I have a hankering to get this cute, deer- and flower-pattered handmade Whimsical Tooth Pillow from TheSherbetPatch shop on Etsy.com.
It'll come in handy when Savannah, now 2 1/2 , starts losing her baby teeth. It's pretty reasonable at $10.29.
< < Previous Etsy Shopping Find
It'll come in handy when Savannah, now 2 1/2 , starts losing her baby teeth. It's pretty reasonable at $10.29.
< < Previous Etsy Shopping Find
A conversation overheard in my mind. . .
CAMPAIGN MANAGER
From now through November 3, whatever you do, don't use the word fracking.
CANDIDATE
What if they ask me about it?
What if they ask me about it?
CAMPAIGN MANAGER
From now on, it's called hydraulic-coaxing—coaxing for short. As in,"Do I think we should stop coaxing oil from the earth? No, not until we can break our reliance on foreign oil."
< < Previous conversation
From now on, it's called hydraulic-coaxing—coaxing for short. As in,"Do I think we should stop coaxing oil from the earth? No, not until we can break our reliance on foreign oil."
< < Previous conversation
Thursday, June 16, 2016
Chillaxing gif of the day. . .
I've decided to come out of the closet about just how much I like rainbows.
I'm obsessed with them. I love items that include all of the colors in the spectrum, in good old ROY G. BIV order. Red. Orange. Yellow. Green. Blue. Indigo. Violet. So pretty and vibrant and free and yet so orderly.
When I was about 10, I asked my parents for—and received—a wonderful mobile that consisted of a spiral of multi-coored hearts, sewn out of satin and affixed to a wooden hoop with multi-colored ribbons. I kept it hanging in my room for a few years, and I'd hang it again if I had it.
In fact, I've seen similar items to it on Etsy.com and may try to recreate the past by buying something nearly like it.
The reason I sometimes am shy to display my rainbow love is that it doesn't seem tasteful to certain kinds of artists and visual thinkers, the kind who have elegant and nearly white Pinterest boards, all named in uniform lower-case style, perhaps sandwiched between a character of some sort: /thought/ /garb/ /light/
But here it is. And it just so happens that my coming out about rainbows coincides with a time when lots of people are posting rainbow images in honor of the 49 souls killed at that gay nightclub with Orlando. So be it.
I embrace the gay community, by and large. People are people and there are always a few bad apples. But in general, the gay people I know are gentle, interesting and interested. They've been through some shit and have gained some empathy.
So for our Chillaxing gif of the Day, I bring you this. . .
I'm obsessed with them. I love items that include all of the colors in the spectrum, in good old ROY G. BIV order. Red. Orange. Yellow. Green. Blue. Indigo. Violet. So pretty and vibrant and free and yet so orderly.
When I was about 10, I asked my parents for—and received—a wonderful mobile that consisted of a spiral of multi-coored hearts, sewn out of satin and affixed to a wooden hoop with multi-colored ribbons. I kept it hanging in my room for a few years, and I'd hang it again if I had it.
In fact, I've seen similar items to it on Etsy.com and may try to recreate the past by buying something nearly like it.
The reason I sometimes am shy to display my rainbow love is that it doesn't seem tasteful to certain kinds of artists and visual thinkers, the kind who have elegant and nearly white Pinterest boards, all named in uniform lower-case style, perhaps sandwiched between a character of some sort: /thought/ /garb/ /light/
But here it is. And it just so happens that my coming out about rainbows coincides with a time when lots of people are posting rainbow images in honor of the 49 souls killed at that gay nightclub with Orlando. So be it.
I embrace the gay community, by and large. People are people and there are always a few bad apples. But in general, the gay people I know are gentle, interesting and interested. They've been through some shit and have gained some empathy.
So for our Chillaxing gif of the Day, I bring you this. . .
Song(s) of the Day: Lana Del Rey and David Bowie
This song, "Young and Beautiful," by Lana del Rey is like liquid melancholy and I love it. . .
. . . but Ms. del Rey's minor chord musical world makes me a bit moody. So here's a nice upbeat chaster, "Modern Love" by the inimitable David Bowie.
. . . but Ms. del Rey's minor chord musical world makes me a bit moody. So here's a nice upbeat chaster, "Modern Love" by the inimitable David Bowie.
< < Previous song > > Next song
Social media envy. . .
That sad-budget moment when your friends are posting pics from exotic vacation getaways and amazing restaurant meals and you're at home, like, "Mmmm, mmm. Dinner!"
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
What kind of 42 will I be?
I'm turning 42 on July 17.
I aways like to acknowledge my coming age, sometimes to the point of cutting an age short. Because I don't want to be shocked or freakout on my birthday.
I don't want to have a big mid-life crises. First, I've had just about enough crises in general. I'm medicated. I'm doing the work. I'm open to groundbreaking new ideas, like the trampoline exercise program I have been for two months, since my mom bought the kids one of those trampolines with a net around it.
I jump alone. I jump with Alex, 7, and Savannah, 2. And just maybe, tonight, when the light way up high in the back casts my shadow from my vantage on the trampoline onto the white wall behind me, my shadow will look a scoach less chubby than it did the first night I got on the trampoline.
People who are 42, ad older, can be hot and healthy. I know women like that. I'm friends with them. And then there are the celebrities. Cameron Diaz, 43, comes to mind.
But the 40s can also be, for some people, when it all seems to fall apart. I found out yesterday that a longtime friend of mine—we'd admittedly kept it virtual in recent years—died. Our birthdays were a day apart and the same year.
She had battled a terrible disease, cystic fibrosis, for most of her life. Still, she was 42. I wish she was around because she was a cool girl--a redhead who loved reading and with a wry sense of humor. Or woman, I guess. Certainly at 42, you're a woman.
Also yesterday, I reconnected with a high school friend. He had drifted away but he's among the first friendships I've been rekindling that were once mutual with my ex-husband. I don't mean to be mysterious. My ex-husband went to my high school and so did one of his best friends. We had a Facebook chat.
I asked after his sister and found out that she, who in high school was a punk rock Filipina bad-ass, is recovering from a stroke. She is about 43.
I don't know the circumstance. And I wish her well in her recovery. Maybe we will reconnect as well.
Then, today, I interviewed the head of a new local dementia facility. She is perhaps my age. As it turns out, she was inspired to work with people with Alzheimer's disease ad various sorts of dementia, because her mom has Alzheimer's.
Her mother, who she says is at the end of her life now, got Alzheimer's when she was 42 and was diagnosed when she was 47. It's not just an old person's disease, I'm told.
But here I am, just shy of 42, and wanting to be as youngish and healthy as I can for my age. Not like plastic surgery youngish—not that I judge. I just can hardly afford a container of skin cream at the moment. But fit, feeling good in my clothes and able to keep up and active with my still very young kids, Alex, 7, and Savannah, 2. And I still want to be attractive to men. What if I meet Viggo Mortensen?
I know. Some things you can't control. But this year, I promise myself and anyone who clicks by this blog, I will move a lot. I will get on the trampoline. I will get in the pool and in the ocean. I will use the gym membership I'm paying for.
Because I don't know what 42 is exactly, but I'd like it to be a positive thing.
I aways like to acknowledge my coming age, sometimes to the point of cutting an age short. Because I don't want to be shocked or freakout on my birthday.
I don't want to have a big mid-life crises. First, I've had just about enough crises in general. I'm medicated. I'm doing the work. I'm open to groundbreaking new ideas, like the trampoline exercise program I have been for two months, since my mom bought the kids one of those trampolines with a net around it.
I jump alone. I jump with Alex, 7, and Savannah, 2. And just maybe, tonight, when the light way up high in the back casts my shadow from my vantage on the trampoline onto the white wall behind me, my shadow will look a scoach less chubby than it did the first night I got on the trampoline.
People who are 42, ad older, can be hot and healthy. I know women like that. I'm friends with them. And then there are the celebrities. Cameron Diaz, 43, comes to mind.
But the 40s can also be, for some people, when it all seems to fall apart. I found out yesterday that a longtime friend of mine—we'd admittedly kept it virtual in recent years—died. Our birthdays were a day apart and the same year.
She had battled a terrible disease, cystic fibrosis, for most of her life. Still, she was 42. I wish she was around because she was a cool girl--a redhead who loved reading and with a wry sense of humor. Or woman, I guess. Certainly at 42, you're a woman.
Also yesterday, I reconnected with a high school friend. He had drifted away but he's among the first friendships I've been rekindling that were once mutual with my ex-husband. I don't mean to be mysterious. My ex-husband went to my high school and so did one of his best friends. We had a Facebook chat.
I asked after his sister and found out that she, who in high school was a punk rock Filipina bad-ass, is recovering from a stroke. She is about 43.
I don't know the circumstance. And I wish her well in her recovery. Maybe we will reconnect as well.
Then, today, I interviewed the head of a new local dementia facility. She is perhaps my age. As it turns out, she was inspired to work with people with Alzheimer's disease ad various sorts of dementia, because her mom has Alzheimer's.
Her mother, who she says is at the end of her life now, got Alzheimer's when she was 42 and was diagnosed when she was 47. It's not just an old person's disease, I'm told.
But here I am, just shy of 42, and wanting to be as youngish and healthy as I can for my age. Not like plastic surgery youngish—not that I judge. I just can hardly afford a container of skin cream at the moment. But fit, feeling good in my clothes and able to keep up and active with my still very young kids, Alex, 7, and Savannah, 2. And I still want to be attractive to men. What if I meet Viggo Mortensen?
I know. Some things you can't control. But this year, I promise myself and anyone who clicks by this blog, I will move a lot. I will get on the trampoline. I will get in the pool and in the ocean. I will use the gym membership I'm paying for.
Because I don't know what 42 is exactly, but I'd like it to be a positive thing.
A question for the ladies. . .
Is anyone else still saving themselves for Jake Ryan, of "Sixteen Candles" fame, even though he's a fictional character? Even after having kids? And even as you inch toward middle age?
Website of the Day. . .
Oh baby, it's a wild web. There is so much out there.
I thought I would begin sharing the sites that I am a part of, because in a world of information overload, word-of-mouth, curation and recommendation is important.
I'm absolutely loving the music site LetsLoop.com, because it lets me aggregate the music I like and find new music, both via the site's suggestions and through the trending loops. The former might include a single song or be an entire playlist expressing the looper's preferred musical genre of mood of the moment.
Getting turned on to tunes is important, because I don't want to get stuck in that sense that nothing is as good as the music from my youth—although my new wave and alt-rock and grungy old favorites still hold up.
First of all, there's a lot of music from my youth and earlier I never listened to. For instance, I'm just now delving into The Strangler's catalogue as well as that of a group called Built to Spill.
This song is kind of an epic think piece that slows down time for the listener called "Randy Described Eternity."
There is also a lot of wonderful new music out there. Big discoveries for me last year were that I liked Foster the People very much, as well as some newer electronic music from the minds of people like Grimes.
If you didn't know, in the song "Genesis," Grimes' refrain is "I Am a Bag of Hearts." I like the fact that although she is from Canada, her music has no sense of place. It's as though it came from another planet.
The Portland band Pure Bathing culture is also doing it for me nowadays.
Listening to music is pretty much an everyday thing for me. I brings me happiness, solace, inspiration and makes me boogie.
My personal LetsLoop account is a work in progress, rather than a fully realized rabbit hole down which you can go. But it notes right near my profile photo that I am a fan of The Smiths, Weezer, Bob Marley, The Beach Boys and David Bowie. That's a pretty good start!
Want to join me on the site? Here we go loop de loop!
I thought I would begin sharing the sites that I am a part of, because in a world of information overload, word-of-mouth, curation and recommendation is important.
I'm absolutely loving the music site LetsLoop.com, because it lets me aggregate the music I like and find new music, both via the site's suggestions and through the trending loops. The former might include a single song or be an entire playlist expressing the looper's preferred musical genre of mood of the moment.
Getting turned on to tunes is important, because I don't want to get stuck in that sense that nothing is as good as the music from my youth—although my new wave and alt-rock and grungy old favorites still hold up.
First of all, there's a lot of music from my youth and earlier I never listened to. For instance, I'm just now delving into The Strangler's catalogue as well as that of a group called Built to Spill.
This song is kind of an epic think piece that slows down time for the listener called "Randy Described Eternity."
There is also a lot of wonderful new music out there. Big discoveries for me last year were that I liked Foster the People very much, as well as some newer electronic music from the minds of people like Grimes.
If you didn't know, in the song "Genesis," Grimes' refrain is "I Am a Bag of Hearts." I like the fact that although she is from Canada, her music has no sense of place. It's as though it came from another planet.
The Portland band Pure Bathing culture is also doing it for me nowadays.
Listening to music is pretty much an everyday thing for me. I brings me happiness, solace, inspiration and makes me boogie.
My personal LetsLoop account is a work in progress, rather than a fully realized rabbit hole down which you can go. But it notes right near my profile photo that I am a fan of The Smiths, Weezer, Bob Marley, The Beach Boys and David Bowie. That's a pretty good start!
Want to join me on the site? Here we go loop de loop!
Etsy Shopping Find of the Day. . .
I have seen this sign before. Someone snapped it--in China, I think, but please correct me if I'm wrong—as an example of a "sign-fail" and it went viral.
It's trying hard to give a message to English-speaking tourists: "Do not walk on the grass." It came out wrong but somehow right. It's actually a sort of profound message. Plants have feelings too. And it's something I actually believe.
Well, now you can have this sign for your own. This cute lawn sign, "Do not disturb. Tiny Grass Is Dreaming," is available to all, being sold at the SignFail shop on Etsy.com for $18.50. I want it. Gimme!
< < Previous Etsy Shopping Find
It's trying hard to give a message to English-speaking tourists: "Do not walk on the grass." It came out wrong but somehow right. It's actually a sort of profound message. Plants have feelings too. And it's something I actually believe.
Well, now you can have this sign for your own. This cute lawn sign, "Do not disturb. Tiny Grass Is Dreaming," is available to all, being sold at the SignFail shop on Etsy.com for $18.50. I want it. Gimme!
< < Previous Etsy Shopping Find
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Success through cats. . .
So my blogger account gives me these nifty metrics where I can see how many people have stopped by my blog. And from what I can tell, at least from the chart, the answer is cats.
The more cats I post, the more clicks I get. Even the shape of my chart looks like the top of a cat's head as it peers over a little wall.
And since I am a business-minded gal, I am going to take the hint.
The more cats I post, the more clicks I get. Even the shape of my chart looks like the top of a cat's head as it peers over a little wall.
Instead of a dark lord, the Internet will have a dark queen! All will love me and despair.
Epigram of the Day: "Rough Day" by Sarah Torribio
*Note: This was written the week of the shooting at the gay nightclub Pulse in Florida,
which claimed 49 lives.
On the persona poem. . .
A persona poem is when you pick another
person—a celebrity or the mother who deserted you or the one who got
away—and write in their voice.
You can be anyone: Dr. Phil, George W. Bush, Cookie Monster,
Simon Cowell, Batman’s The Joker, etc. The sky’s the limit.
It can be fun to take someone who is
misunderstood or judged or stereotyped in some way, and let your poem serve as
an explanation or a defense or even as a boast.
Writing a persona poem can be like
putting on a costume. It gives you a chance to try on accents and
mannerisms and ways of thinking.
The following is one of my persona poems.
I made
the fireworks
Let God claim the night—
limp piece of construction
paper pin-holed with stars
that made Greeks sprawl
like kindergarteners playing
at dot-to-dot puzzles, naming
constellations, finding solace
in their thrice-flawed deities
limp piece of construction
paper pin-holed with stars
that made Greeks sprawl
like kindergarteners playing
at dot-to-dot puzzles, naming
constellations, finding solace
in their thrice-flawed deities
I made the fireworks
But you knew that, didn't you?
Those nights you mouthed
the shape of wonder, when heaven
cracked raw into a thousand
But you knew that, didn't you?
Those nights you mouthed
the shape of wonder, when heaven
cracked raw into a thousand
wildfire petals, fire-escape
banquets,
suicide planets, lava-flow spankings
and ohhhhh…
that final lightning kiss
Let God, workmanlike set-painter,
smile at the darkness, counting his
sleeping flock like a boy palming
marbles
one
two
three
Because after he starts to yawn
I get the party started waist-deep,
set sparklers to fizzing, flickering
M.o.r-.s-.e code thoughts sulfuric
with independence, summer
soliloquies
No taxation without yay no school just
one more helping of potato salad maybe
I’ll call in sick tomorrow I can already
feel the hangover I can't believe he’s
kissing me will she really meet me
underneath the pier?
Let God embrace the quiet that turns
crickets into tiny Yo Yo Mas and
cradles
the whispers of Spanish moss,
hanging
long-faced in willow-bough
confessionals
Because the cannon-fodder stalactite
shatter
Harley ice crack musket boom of
dynamite
compressed, ejected, shot, thrown
long
sounds like the crash after my dark
celestial
stage dive, that leap that made the
hottest
chapter in that thumping-good
best-seller
And, you know, it’s worth it every
year
I’m the King of Fireworks, the
Chancellor of the Cheer
—Sarah Torribio
Etsy Shopping Find of the Day. . .
I have no idea what I would place in this sweet little alcove, but I suddenly have a hankering for a Sunburst Mini Altar from the My Mind Garden shop on Etsy.com
< < Previous Etsy Shopping Find
< < Previous Etsy Shopping Find
Song of the Day: "Carey" by Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, take me away! "Carey" is such a fun and romantic song.
< < Previous Song
> > Next song
Monday, June 13, 2016
Gratuitous cat photo of the day. . .
Even better, this one's an animated gif. It gives me a good feeling.
Sunday, June 12, 2016
Song of the Day: "Daydream Believer" by The Monkees
How many hours did I spend as a kid, watching "The Monkees" TV show (in reruns) and listening to a Best of the Monkees record my sister and I somehow acquired?! It's a great band, as evinced by their "Daydream Believer.
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> > Next song
Etsy shopping find of the day. . .
This set of edible wafer paper, part of the Vintage Vargas Pinup Girl Heart Card Series , is amazing. A great gift for him (whoever he is), or her if she's into pinup and retro culture.
According to the description, it binds to your cake frosting or fondant or to the top of cupcakes and cookies, etc. At $14 for 13 cards, it's an pretty affordable way to amp up your next party or soiree.
These are sold at the Queen of Tarts Wafers shop on Etsy.com
< < Previous Etsy Shopping Find
According to the description, it binds to your cake frosting or fondant or to the top of cupcakes and cookies, etc. At $14 for 13 cards, it's an pretty affordable way to amp up your next party or soiree.
These are sold at the Queen of Tarts Wafers shop on Etsy.com
< < Previous Etsy Shopping Find
Saturday, June 11, 2016
Friday, June 10, 2016
A conversation overheard in my mind. . .
"This song is for all of those men who insist they can't dance and, in some cases, actually cannot. It's called 'Don't Bother Getting Up (When I'm Getting Down).'"
Strangely Satisfying Post of the Day. . .
There is something strangely satisfying about this image, taken from a Buttercream Ruffle Cake Tutorial.
Thursday, June 9, 2016
Song of the Day: "Disappointment" by The Cranberries
How do I feel about the results of Tuesday's primary election?
< < Previous Song
> > Next song
But onward and upward. (Cue Casey Kasem voice) "That was The Cranberries singing 'Disappointment' off their second album, 'No Need to Argue.'"
Actually, if you haven't checked it out, that entire album is a revelation.
> > Next song
But onward and upward. (Cue Casey Kasem voice) "That was The Cranberries singing 'Disappointment' off their second album, 'No Need to Argue.'"
Actually, if you haven't checked it out, that entire album is a revelation.
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
Song of the Day: "Here You Come Again" by Dolly Parton
I've gone off on a Dolly Parton tangent. In this day of primary election hangover, when I may or not have been disappointed by the outcome, somehow that country western queen is keeping me optimistic.
And now I present as my Song of the Day, Dolly Parton singing, "Here You Come Again."
And now I present as my Song of the Day, Dolly Parton singing, "Here You Come Again."
< < Previous Song
> > Next song
Etsy Shopping Find of the Day
I just liked Dolly Parton on Facebook. It was almost as satisfying as voting.
*image courtesy of the SpottedowlCandles shop on etsy.com
< < Previous Etsy Shopping Find
*image courtesy of the SpottedowlCandles shop on etsy.com
< < Previous Etsy Shopping Find
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