(On That Note)

moving!

2009-09-03T13:31:00.000-07:00

In the process of moving to WordPress for a punchier layout and a space for a pseudo-portfolio (?). There are lots of little features to play around with before I get the site up, so posts here might be scarce. Sorry, Blogger!

what she never should have worn

2009-08-31T16:14:00.001-07:00

This right here is why I love my cousin. After a lot of online gushing about how much we love What I Wore and how little money we have to replicate that style, we thought of a counter blog feature. How it all went down:

Erin: I want to be edgy and cool. I want cute clothes. I almost bought a dress on ModCloth an hour ago, then remembered that I have no money.
Me: Whatevs, rock your own style. You can use your money on better things.
Erin: My own style: currently, jeans and a horrible sweater my mom made for Colleen and Colleen didn't want.
Me: LOVE IT. I want to know what this sweater looks like that Colleen refused it.
Erin: I'll make a blog. What I Never Should Have Worn.
Me: Erin, I'm not even kidding when I say this, but that is an awesome idea.

And that's how it began. We're hoping maybe Stacy and Clinton take notice, since it's always cool to get a $5000 shopping spree in exchange for a little harassment.

warning: may cause gluttony

2009-08-28T16:49:00.000-07:00

Move over, Julia Child. My friend Mimi and I, in a fit of domesticity, made the most delicious banana bread. I'm not sure how someone could even call this a breakfast food-it had so much butter and chocolate, it was (almost) a crime. My favorite moment: Mimi takes a bite and says, "I know this might sound bad, but this would be even better...without the bananas." So much for that fruit serving.

The recipe calls for:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 tablespoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 very ripe bananas

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup plain yogurt

1 cup choc chips

3/4 cup walnut pieces

Butter and flour 9x5x3 pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt butter and add to mashed bananas, yogurt, vanilla, and beaten egg. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in separate bowl. Mix wet and dry ingredients, add walnuts and chocolate, and scoop into pan. Bake for 70 minutes, let cool for 20 minutes. Voila!

Taken from the cookbook How To Boil Water (I know, I know).

"oh, this old thing?"

2009-08-28T15:47:00.000-07:00

Found the new(ish) vintage boutique in Davis Square this afternoon, called Artifaktori. Amazing jewelry, some old cameras (!!), tons of unique clothes, and a few odds and ends (a nice looking typewriter for $30!). If you're in the area, I'd absolutely suggest checking it out. Hoping to interview the owner and maybe arrange an article soon!

Also found this amazing blog called What I Wore. The creator, Jessica Schroeder, has great vintage style and beautiful photographs of all her outfits, complete with stunning detail shots (I've included some here). This girl would make the Sartorialist any day of the week-talk about a passion for fashion. Schroeder started the blog pretty recently (March of 2008) and it's got a fantastic layout as well. She seems to get a lot of things from ModCloth, a site that is currently making me wish I wasn't so poor.

quotations

2009-08-28T11:30:00.000-07:00

Some quotations I've come across recently that I really loved:

"I sometimes think that making a film is a little bit like falling in love. At the school, I just filmed the kids who liked me and those I liked. I was thinking, 'Alex, I absolutely love you. I want to film you. I want to know who you are. I genuinely want to find out why you are here.' And so it wasn't as if I were filming somebody I didn't care about."
-Kim Longinotto on Hold Me Tight, Let Me Go

"I've always had a big passion for history...and people's lives and all the little events, how you get from A to B...all the small details of people's lives that are full of really epic qualities."
-Alfred Molina in Coffee and Cigarettes

Also would recommend taking a look at Longinotto's documentary. It follows several kids at Mulberry Bush School for troubled children in Oxford. She's been described as a filmmaker known for "creating extraordinary human portraits and tackling controversial topics with sensitivity and compassion." What a wonderful reputation to have. Ties in well with the second quotation, too, I think!

wise words

2009-08-25T00:06:00.000-07:00

Oh, wow. Erik Lunsford's blog is so great, I don't know where to begin. Not a bad place to start: the latest, reflective entry "Do We Ever Go Back" looking at the push and pull between investing more time in a story (especially with memorable subjects) and embracing the next. And don't get me started about the thoughtful, Buddhist "Embrace". Lunsford uses his site to highlight the photography of others as well as his own, and offers musings on the field in general (which I think is where he really shines). His response to those who claim that journalism is "A Dying Field" really resonates (for me, at least!). I completely agree with his emphasis on developing news sites that are easy to navigate, unique and visually appealing, and dig his insistence on embracing the challenges. So what if the future of journalism looks like a scary black hole of doubt and uncertainty right now? Lunsford says "let's leap right in, then."

The opportunity to present work in new ways is richer than ever before. Sure, we're going to have to one-man-band it at times, and we may not like that idea one bit...Surprisingly, it's richly satisfying, because you're in control of the content...You are the only limitation and obstacle standing in the way, and once you realize how truly gifted we are as visual journalists and storytellers, then it could be the bottom of something heading wonderfully up.

Call me naive or overly-optimistic, but I've got a gut feeling we should be listening to encouragement like that.

robot comic!

2009-08-22T14:05:00.000-07:00

Decided to take a break from the daily comics and make a more detailed one. Still based on real-life thoughts (my overactive imagination when it comes to technology), here's the final product:

Click to get full size!

health care rally

2009-08-22T10:59:00.001-07:00

Covered a protest outside of the the Prospect Street Whole Foods Market on Friday afternoon spurred by company CEO John Mackey's Op/Ed in the Wall Street Journal. A crowd of people very upset by Mackey's call for more individual responsibility regarding health care, as opposed to Obama's interest in a government-funded public option. In his letter, Mackey encouraged high-deductible insurance plans coupled with health savings accounts as an alternative, a system that he says works well for Whole Foods employees. Protesters stressed, of course, that system is not affordable and available to all. They were also pretty riled up by Mackey's statement:

"A careful reading of the both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution will not reveal any intrinsic right to health care, food or shelter. That's because there isn't any. That 'right' has never existed in America."

Oof. Along with Mackey's previous comments comparing labor unions to herpes, he's certainly making some enemies.

An important thing to remember, though, is that Mackey's opinion is just that-his personal opinion and suggestions regarding reform, which he is free to express just as the protesters on Prospect Street are. With people boycotting Whole Foods, the company is currently trying to remind people that they don't actually have an official position on health care reform, because that seems to be a common mixup right now. Since Whole Foods is too expensive for my struggling-student budget anyway, I don't have to even worry about boycotting it in the first place. Now I'm on a health care kick, gobbling up articles and looking into different systems in other countries (spoke to a woman at the rally from the Netherlands who was interesting)!

Update: The full article from the protest is now posted, if you want to read some quotes!

human calendar

2009-08-20T23:30:00.000-07:00

A human calendar-what a neat idea. The creator cites a fascination with the idea of "gridded people" (as in The Brady Bunch) as the inspiration behind the design. One thought though: it might be even better (but more challenging) to do this as an everyday exercise instead, finding and photographing a random person (or several, depending on the format) each day holding the correct card or cards for that date. I've added the "portable" version of the human calendar to my sidebar!

blogging on blogging

2009-08-19T13:03:00.000-07:00

By now you've probably heard plenty about the new movie "Julie and Julia" with Amy Adams and Meryl Streep, maybe even more than you'd like (it's everywhere!). Aside from the drool-worthy dishes and Streep's ability to reach decibels that only dogs can hear, one of the most noteworthy things about the film is what it's based on in the first place: blogging.

Julie Powell, Blogging Queen

Real-life Julie Powell's blogging prowess is evidenced by the fact that "Julie and Julia," the book as well as the new movie, was based off of her online writing endeavors. Take a good idea, make it interesting, give it a free public viewing space...and voila! You've got yourself a career. Ok, it's not that easy. But the democratic aspect of getting your thoughts out there on sites like blogspot and wordpress still has a lot of potential, and Julie's success shows that. Where else can you get your voice heard-fo free?!

Yes, admittedly, blogging is a pretty narcissistic exercise (I admitted it!) but for aspiring writers (and others trying to get their ideas and work out there) it offers an open opportunity for all, assuming you don't get lost in the vast and overwhelming sea of bloggers (pretty easy to do).

In honor of Julie Powell's success, I've decided to include a few blogs that I find cool, with writing/work that's worth noticing. Sure, there are a lot of crappy blogs out there (let's be real, none of our lives are worth recording for others second-by-second...yes, I'm glaring at you too, Twitter). But these are some fun efforts:

The Self-Righteous Housewife: The bits about Mommy's Cocktail Hour and Foul-Mouthed Polly Pockets are my favorites. She's got spunk, and this sounds a bit like something my mother might write if she had the technological confidence to make a blog.

Savage Chickens: I like that these doodles, meant to beat office boredom, are done on post-its and star only chickens. Simple, endearing. Plus, he's made a post about "Julie and Julia." META META META.

Cabs Are For Kissing: This cabbie lets us take the driver's seat and tells all about some of the more memorable individuals who hop into his vehicle. Though long-winded at times, the writing is intelligent and the descriptions are often spot-on, as with "the drunk drop."

heat wave

2009-08-18T21:51:00.000-07:00

This weather is crazy. While trying to beat the heat, I've managed to do very little except sit in front of a fan. The few things I have to show for my productivity dip (due to lack of air conditioning) include:

Stir fry made with shrimp, green beans, onion, egg, and mango (!!!).

Catching this cool light trick on a house nearby. Don't know what caused it, but it's very whimsical.

spectator and sport

2009-08-15T14:29:00.000-07:00

While reporting on the Area 4 Neighborhood Pride Day this afternoon in Cambridge, I watched (and shot) a basketball game between a Cambridge youth team and a Medford one. The girls watching from behind the fence were from a high school team up next, and after learning a few names and asking them about the game, they let me snap some photos of them observing the boys. Once I went through the photos today, I realized I was just as interested (if not more) in capturing the female spectators as I was in the male athletes. Juxtaposed, they give a neat sort of teen girl/guy interaction from afar. The fence in this case acts as a barrier between the genders as well as between spectator and athlete. Don't want to make too many leaps, but this might be something to explore?

shakespeare gets silly

2009-08-14T09:17:00.000-07:00

To mock or not to mock? For the Orfeo Group's production of "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)"-or as they like to call it, WOWSA-there really is no question. Mock on.

I saw the show last Friday, an hour-and-a-half production that encompasses all 37 of Shakespeare's plays. While some are simply mentioned, others like "Romeo and Juliet" and "Hamlet" are performed in full...well, sort of. The comedies are condensed to make room for more parody of the tragedies (which are, as the actors tell you, way more fun anyway). Ever seen Hamlet done backwards, in fast forward? Can you imagine Othello as a rap? What about Titus Andronicus as a cooking show?

The hilarious trio of Daniel Berger-Jones, Gabriel Kuttner and Risher Reddick use their shabby costumes and graffiti-covered set to have a whole lot of fun during the show. I found myself laughing so hard during some parts that I was tearing up. Among the best moments were: Reddick in a purple wig pretending to throw up on my sister, a clever Henry Louis Gates Jr. reference, and an actor taking a seat next to one audience member to eat some brownies from her picnic bag.

The humor of WOWSA appeals to adults and kids alike, and audience participation (and targeting!) keeps everyone engaged. They've extended their show (for this weekend and the next) at the Publick Theatre in Brighton, and the laughs are cheap (15 bucks, free with a student ID on Fridays, and free for all on Thursdays).

more zd+jgl love

2009-08-12T10:11:00.001-07:00

This video for "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?" from Zooey's musical venture She & Him with M. Ward is uber-adorable and features costar Joseph Gordon-Levitt from (500) Days of Summer. Who knew these two had such slick (and sometimes silly) moves? Directed by Marc Webb, the video is what Deschanel herself calls "a nice complement to the movie."

(Thanks to CS for showing me this one!)

Also, if you can tear yourself away from Deschanel's indie charm, you might find that the Him of She & Him produces some great stuff on his own. Here's one:

better than the brady bunch

2009-08-10T20:19:00.001-07:00

Went to a concert for the first time in months and manohman was it an experience. A new find recommended by my housemate, we caught Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros at TT the Bears in Cambridge.

A folk-rock band from L.A., the Zeros are a pleasant throwback. The ten members packed themselves onto the (very small) stage-what a feat! It became clear from the first song that the Zeros are just one big, happy hippie family, the accordion player in a sort of trance and lead man Alex Ebert prancing around shirtless with his messy hair flopping over into his eyes. My only major complaint about the show? It should have been done in a field, with circle dancing and flower crowns.

My two favorite songs from the lineup were their hit "Home" (Jade Castrinos' voice opposite of Ebert is lovely) and the bouncy "Janglin." Listen for yourself!

My housemate described the concert as "creative chaos" and I think the phrase fits the band. Band isn't even the right term. As one of the musicians states in the LA Times, "We're a kind of art troupe that plays music."

It's also worth taking a look at this bizarre video (part 1 of an eventual 12) that represents Ebert confronting the middle name given to him by his father, a Native American word that means "devil." Apparently that's his father chanting in the beginning, presumably holding little drooling Alex. Creepy.

vanishing venice

2009-08-05T09:22:00.000-07:00

This National Geographic article, "Vanishing Venice," is worth a look. Newman's descriptions of Venice as a sort of paradox, balancing between water and land, "fairy tale" and "tourist trap" are poetic, accurate, and so well-written. Newman really captures the inevitable love affair that results from seeing the city. The feature is full of metaphors that try to describe the fantastical theatrics of Carnevale and nostalgia for the city's gilded past. It's a bit long (9 pages), but stick it out to the end and you'll hit the modern-day Romeo and Juliet story that really pulls together the theme: "Beauty is so difficult." Newman's piece tugs desperately at Venice, very aware of the aqua alta that threatens to destroy it.

I was excited to see that Jodi Cobb's accompanying photos include one of the drag show in piazza San Marco (which I went to! the emcee was a drag version of Queen Elizabeth!). I never did get close enough to take any pictures. My own attempt at capturing Venice can be seen here. Rich colors, costumes, and textures galore. Here's to hoping we can hold on to that beauty as long as possible.

summer mixtape

2009-08-05T01:20:00.001-07:00

Way to go Grooveshark. This embedding playlists thing is very cool. Here are some songs I'm listening to right now. Some older, some newer, but all fresh (and summer-sounding) to me.

living, comically

2009-08-05T00:04:00.000-07:00

So thanks to an online comic strip recommendation (thanks KC!) I've started a new little project. The comic, American Elf, is a daily thing done by artist James Kochalka that chronicles his everyday life. Family, friends, and his hometown of Burlington, Vermont are featured in the drawings. I'm still kind of adjusting the punchline-less quality of most of them, as his tidbits from daily activities are usually nothing stellar. It's this banality that actually makes his stuff intriguing, in a weird sort of way. After all, life isn't scripted and not every day is exciting or unusual. I'm trying to embrace American Elf's style by starting my own very simple comic journal/sketchbook, which I'm calling "Living, Comically." It's been a neat way to record some of the small moments of each day, and I have a feeling it'll be entertaining to look back on if I actually keep it up (check out a sample below!). Recording life in pictures is fun. Try it!

vertigo from a great height

2009-07-29T14:37:00.000-07:00

Watched Hitchcock's masterpiece "Vertigo" on the roof of an apartment around Central Square. This shot doesn't quite capture it, but there were beautiful views of the Boston skyline and bats swooping overhead later in the night.

(5) things i loved about (500) days of summer

2009-07-29T14:09:00.000-07:00

In no particular order:

(1) The Music

The soundtrack is reason enough to love the movie. It's sweet, hipster, and downright wonderful. The story plays out to the tunes of Regina Spektor, Feist, The Smiths, The Temper Trap, and that unbelievably catchy Hall and Oates song that I've suddenly been hearing everywhere and CANNOT help dancing to.

(2) Summer's Wardrobe

Yes, Zooey Deschanel might be the cutest person on earth. A lot of the movie is dedicated to zooming in on her baby blues and showing off her amazing collection of vintage clothing. Still, I'm jealous.

(3) The Blackboard Wall

Joseph Gordon Levitt's character has an apartment with a gigantic blackboard, and being an aspiring architect, he at one point covers the entire thing in a cityscape. In my opinion, it's one of the best scenes-visually at least.

(4) The Expected Vs. Reality

There's one particularly clever scene where the audience gets a split screen of Tom meeting up with Summer (in the latter and more troubled part of the relationship) that shows Tom's "Expected" view and "Reality." So true to life and so well done.

(5) The Narrator's Role

At first that pesky voice behind the love story (oh, wait, sorry! "story about love") is a tad irritating, but overall I think it really works well to keep the movie from taking itself too seriously. Some of the more sarcastic comments really make the movie. I won't give it away, but the writing on the screen at the very beginning of the film is hysterical.

That's the beauty of (500) Days of Summer: it's cutesy, sure, but still able to laugh at itself.

just one of the guys

2009-07-29T13:15:00.001-07:00

So the big story in Cambridge for the past week or so has, of course, been the Henry Louis Gates arrest. It spread like wildfire within what seemed like an hour, starting as just one article and becoming hundreds all over major news sites. I don't think anyone has ever read the Cambridge paper more!

It's really hard to pick sides on the issue, at least from what I've read and heard. From the police report to the recently released 911 tape, a lot of details regarding the incident seem unclear. The other day, I went out to get some "man on the street" reactions from Cambridge residents. The opinions ranged from calling the incident a "black mark" on the Cambridge police, to accusing Gates of "playing the race card," to describing the hype as an overreaction and backing up both Gates and Crowley as stand-up guys. I do agree that in light of the situation, the Cambridge police training and protocol regarding racial profiling should be reexamined, and there's no doubt that racial profiling is still a problem across the US today, whether or not it is specifically for this case.

One thing I do want to comment on is Obama's role in all of this-undoubtedly part of what made it into the overwhelmingly publicized story that it is. The president unfortunately chose his words unwisely when he said the Cambridge police acted "stupidly," leading to a media frenzy that didn't make Obama look so hot. But even more interesting was the way he handled the aftermath of his comment-in a way that is, I think, both absurdly entertaining and incredibly humble. The president personally called up Sergeant Crowley (who was just chillin' and having a Blue Moon in a Cambridge pub) to make amends, and arranged a reconciliation beer with Gates and Crowley at the White House. Talk about just being one of the guys.

Kudos to you, Obama, for a) making me laugh throughout this media madness, and b) being so damn cool about your mistake.

All I have left to say is: how can I get in on that White House beerfest?

The Colbert Report

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Tasers

technologically-challenged

2009-07-27T11:57:00.000-07:00

After my visit home, I thought I had brought everything back with me to Somerville. A few days later, my phone battery started dying and I realized I had left my phone charger in Central Massachusetts. FML.

I'm currently (and temporarily) using a Verizon LG model so old that the woman on the phone who helped me program it with my current number jokingly bragged that "one of the newest features on that phone is gray-scale graphics!" Great. It takes me about 10 minutes to type out a text on this thing, the screen is green-tinted, and there is no small screen on the flip cover to check the time. I'm going to try to pretend that it's vintage. Or hipster. Or something. That's right, decade-old phones are so in right now.

Hey, at least I'm not carrying around one of these babies:

overheardinmyoffice

2009-07-27T11:26:00.000-07:00

Inspired by the ever-entertaining original, here are some snippets overheard in the newspaper office. Most of them from one crazy (hilarious) day and straight from the intern's ears.

Staff Writer: "Ok, I have to leave. I'm not talking to anymore people about anymore things. Talk to my hand!"

Editor: "Why do you want to leave here? It's the most awesome place in the land!"

Editor: "That's my facebook status update. Job drives me to drink. So does breathing though. And talking to stupid people."

Editor, almost to himself: "What does FML mean?"

Everyone in the office: "FUCK MY LIFE!"

Editor: "We like words! I can haz journalism? I can haz copywriter?"

Staff Writer, singing: "And I am living in a material world..."

Editor 1: "Why is the blog being GAY?!"

Editor 2: "Don't be homophobic! Don't be bloghomophobic, now!"

Editor 1: "Please. I'm the biggest fruit fly there is."

Editor: "Imma call up Michelle [Obama] and be like 'hey gurl hey'."

Me: "If the crazy lady tries to call you again on my phone, what do you want me to do?"

Editor: "Say that I'm dead."

informed scribbling

2009-07-23T10:40:00.000-07:00

Ok. So DoodleBuzz might just change the way I search for news. Who knew you could get important information about anything from Obama's healthcare plan to the newest Apple products by creating amorphous shapes? With this new interface, you choose a topic and scribble on the screen to get results. Doodle a bit more and you get excerpts from headlines that interest you. The result? Cool maps of stories that, well, just look neat.

It may not be the most practical way to catch up on events, but who ever said practical was fun?

the most boring place

2009-07-23T10:12:00.000-07:00

Visited home early this week-yup, in good old Upton, Massachusetts. Once upon a time we were voted the Most Boring Town in Massachusetts by KISS 108 Radio. It's true, we're pretty out in the boonies with a population of just over 6,500. My high school resembles a very large barn, and so did the Italian restaurant I worked at for a few years. As much as I complain about there being nothing to do out in Upton (aside from the surviving drive-in movie theater...which is technically the next town over) I thought I'd throw in some photos that show the beauty in this "most boring place."

I've also realized that when I take the train home from Boston, I make the conscious decision to sit so that I'm facing the opposite way of the train's movement. It feels like I'm literally going backwards in time. It puts me in a nostalgic mindset, and I kind of like that.

short stuff

2009-07-20T10:48:00.000-07:00

My editor mentioned the One in 8 Million series to me the other day, and wow, am I impressed. I can't believe I missed this on NYTimes-they've got quite the collection of profiles already. Another example of the type of reporting I love the most-quirky, human stories. I've made it through some of the slideshows already (did I mention the layout is just as impressive as the concept?!) but still have a bunch to catch up on. I love hearing the voices of the individuals too. It really makes the story feel more intimate.

At the Chronicle, we've started up our own little series based off of this model and others that we're calling "In Short."I started off the first one with the hippie puppeteer in Harvard Square (pictured above), and it turned out to be one of the most read articles on the site for a good week or so. Brainstorming some more "In Short" targets, but I want my next one to require a little more digging!

soap photography: a hidden world

2009-07-19T19:37:00.000-07:00

Featured on PDN's Photo of the Day, the photographer Bogdan Chesaru captures soap bubbles up close. He shines a studio light on a film of soap to get the cool shapes you see in the example below. The result resembles something out of Willy Wonka. Take a look at these psychedelic beauties for yourself on his website.

better than a liger, a bicycart

2009-07-19T19:28:00.000-07:00

Spotted a perfect combination. Yup, this vehicle manages to be both a bike and a shopping cart. I saw someone riding this fantastic thing in Davis Square. At first it looked like he was pushing a shopping cart down the road VERY fast, and then I caught the bike portion as he passed.

The next day, I saw it parked outside a house on my way downtown. What luck! Excitedly texted my friend to let her know I had pegged down the origin of the shoppingcartbike and snapped a photo. I want to know a) how this was made, and b) where the cart came from. I am now convinced it's possible to go grocery shopping without a car. What a wonderful invention.

sun, surf, and sculptures

2009-07-19T19:22:00.000-07:00

Got to check out the Revere Beach Sand Sculpting Competition on Saturday with a friend. The artists got lucky with the weather-it was a beautiful (but sticky) day, and the place was packed with people. My favorite was definitely the "Mirror" one, with two people and what I suppose was a cracked mirror. It's pictured here, along with some other shots I took. Still have to make it one more stop to Wonderland, the T-stop at the end of the Blue Line. But I'll save that pilgrimage for another day.

don't bleep it out

2009-07-16T13:03:00.000-07:00

A recent article in TIME says that cursing actually does help ease pain. A study done at a British university shows that those who swear can withstand discomfort for longer, and have a duller perception of pain intensity. Hell yes! Let those f-bombs fly, then.

joy! happiness! glee!

2009-07-16T12:36:00.000-07:00

A friend introduced me to this upcoming show, and after watching the pilot, I think I'm already hooked.

"Glee" premieres September 16th and might just be the next big hit for TV. The characters are refreshingly quirky, for one. The club itself is a mixture of misfits-plus the football team star, who has a secret singing talent. His cheerleader girlfriend is head of the Abstinence Club, a great little twist. Jayma Mays plays a germaphobe teacher who seems far better fit for glee club leader Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) than his own, Pottery Barn-obsessed wife.

And if the fantastic characters and actors aren't enough, there's the music. Oh, the music. The numbers featured in the preview episode were used sparingly enough that they really packed a punch. Watch the a-capella version of "Don't Stop Believing" at the end of the pilot and I guarantee you'll feel giddy. If you're not grinning by the time the stage lights go off, I can't imagine you've got a soul.

"Glee" reminds me of the short-lived "Pushing Daises" (R.I.P.). (In fact, Kristin Chenoweth is joining the cast). This show is just the right dose of sugar. I'll be watching in the fall!

like to run (errands)?

2009-07-16T12:14:00.000-07:00

We're running a story on RunMyErrand.com at the Cambridge Chronicle, and after overhearing a runner being interviewed, I did a little research on my own. The service sets up "runners" with people who need help with their everyday tasks-anything from laundry to shopping to wedding preparations. The errands are between $7-$15 and can be completed by anyone who has passed the application process and is in the area, willing to help.

Although at first I thought it was a little weird (and sad...really, we can't even do our own dry cleaning these days?), I've started to warm up to the idea. In today's struggling economy, RunMyErrand provides people with a connection that could give them a little extra cash. And honestly, for the unemployed, even a little helps. Being one of many in need of some extra cash, I applied to be a runner. Fingers crossed!

riding the rails

2009-07-16T11:59:00.000-07:00

Found this beautiful photoessay on Getty's fantastic Reportage site and am head over heels in love with it. It's by photographer Ben Speck and exemplifies what, to me, great documentation and photojournalism is all about: seeking out unique people and surprising stories that capture readers and make them think about things outside of their familiar lifestyle. I like the way that he explores the subculture and even takes part in it himself (dangerous but exciting!). That's what I'd like to strive for-having the guts to really immerse myself in a story and report on the offbeat individuals and lives around us, ultimately trying to make them just that much more accessible and relatable for everyone else. I think we can really learn from that type of journalism. It's something that goes deeper than simply reporting the quick facts.

wild things

2009-07-16T11:47:00.000-07:00

While seeing the newest Harry Potter in theaters, I also caught the trailer for Spike Jonze's Where the Wild Things Are. And let me just say, this movie looks stunning. Based on the popular-and beautifully illustrated-children's book by Maurice Sendak, the film takes the story to the big screen in a really big way. The creatures are gigantic, detailed, gorgeous and as a bonus, the trailer features "Wake Up" by The Arcade Fire. Watch it and it'll make your heart melt, I promise.

why, hello there!

2009-07-16T11:32:00.000-07:00

So you've found me on the great vast Internet. Welcome to this blog space, a forum for sharing things like: Movies I'm Watching, Recipes I'm Trying, Songs I'm Listening To, Articles I'm Reading, and Random Things I'm Thinking.

Here's to hoping that some of them are inspiring, relatable, or just plain fun. Read on!