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scuba cat

I realize that this is freakishly nerdy, but I'm making my way through the twohundred-plus Stuff You Should Know podcasts, and I just came across this one. I thought it was cute and entertaining.  It's just a little story and lasts only 13 minutes, so if you feel like an odd little pick-me-up, give it a listen:

How could a cat scuba dive_

Someone else did a quick little video, too.

getting started with the planters...

edward sharpe and the magnetic zeros

And here's the fun band the Local Natives opened for.

local natives

We saw this band open for Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros with our friend Jim and it is one of my favorite concert memories.

liberty of london

I just want to steer all the Ladies out there to this Liberty of London for Target.  Since I've just redone our living room, I won't be getting any of this wonderful stuff, but I can look and drool over the bike and chair.  As much as I hesitate to support the big guy, Target has done a good job this time.

i'm opinionated

Okay, I guess I'm finally becoming a real life blogger.  I'm going to rant and rave about something. For real.

I've never done this before (on my blog)...so bear with me.  You'll be meeting Angry Shea.

Not so much "angry" really, as angrily perplexed.  And disappointed with the whole entire world and everything in it. 

Did anybody catch the Marraige Ref last night?  I'd never seen it, but it comes on after sweet, well-meaning comedies I like such as Community and Parks & Rec.  It was hilarious at first, because Ricky Gervais, who I think is so great, was totally bewildered by the whole idea of the show.  I could not stop laughing at his reaction to the whole thing, which was essentially my reaction as well.

“What is going on? What is going on? This is a strange program. I feel like someone’s put crack in my drink. What is going on? This is the weirdest show I’ve ever been on. It’s already weird. It’s weird that I’m here with [Larry and Madonna]. I don’t know what they’re doing up there.” — Ricky Gervais

The show, of course, invites ridiculously rich famous people who most likely spend little time  actually living with their spouses and who WE WATCH go through failed marriage after failed marriage as CRITICS and ADVISERS for "normal people" having difficulty in their marriage.  Almost worse are the obnoxious saps who actually volunteer to be criticized, just to get on TV or to talk to a celebrity (via videocam) or whatever.  I won't swear right here, but I should.

The whole thing is so saddening.  It brings out all the narcissism and detachment from any kind of real life that these uber-rich celebrities have.  It brings out the weird obsessions that we viewers have for watching people be criticized publicly.  I had actually admired Madonna as a style icon before this, but she spent the whole show criticizing people's furniture.  Very few people are as rich as you, Twice-Divorced Madonna, but buying non-leather couches that YOU prefer would apparently fix everyone's relationships.  Snotty and mean Material Girl.  She made me actually cringe.

I really like Larry David as well, but he said some of the meanest things.  He was basically anti-wife throughout the part I could stomach.  Which is fine, but he said mean things about the wives' attractiveness.  It doesn't matter if YOU are attracted to these people Larry, it matters that the husband is trying to make things work because HE is.  And I don't think those women volunteered to be judged on their looks.

Ricky Gervais was the only generous "panelist" who seemed to be masking some confusion and horror.

Ugh.  I had to turn it off halfway through because it started becoming too cruel and I felt a little sick.  This is us?  I'm only a year into my marriage, but I'd like to make it 12 or 14 years, as most of these couples have, and start making fun of all the rich celebrities who can't keep it together - on national network TV.

“They’re so moronic, I don’t even want to help them.” — Larry David

pickles

No, I'm not going to complain about how much I dislike pickles trying to get my sandwich bread soggy.

I am instead going to recommend a sweet little website to all knitters:

I'm still learning to knit, really, but I'm about halfway through Knitting for Dummies (that's me!) and am determined to start this Waffle Hat very soon!

the informant

Okay, I know I'm a little late on this, but I've been thinking about it for a while and am finally going to post some links.

I bet many of you have seen the movie The Informant from last year.  I've waited a bit, specifically because of an amazing radio program I listened to before I'd even heard of the film project.  This American Life produced a full program devoted to the story in the book by Kurt Eichenwald, the true story that the movie is based on.  The whole program is amazing, including separate interviews with the author, the executive who cooperated with the FBI, the attorneys involved, the main FBI agent, and recordings of secret price-fixing meetings.  The story, embedded with the intimacy that radio-listening supplies, plays out like a movie as you listen.  I'm going to listen to the program with my husband again before seeing the movie.

Here's the LINK.

 

Just on a side note, a revealing detail about what a giant nerd I am: I've listened to almost every single archived This American Life program, which started in 1995.  That means a total of 401 hours of Chicago Public Radio.  It's been a buoy for my brain at work; it's fairly easy to go brain dead when you're quietly tinkering around on computers for most of your life.

Other amazing podcasts to keep your brain and imagination alive (all available free through itunes):

Stuff You Should Know
and
The Moth: Life Storytelling Performances
and
Radiolab
and
The Sounds In My Head (Music)