It is cold here. Very cold. And when it is cold, we do what all sane people do - we dream about escaping to the warmth. You would think our recent trip south, just 3 months ago, would provide us with enough sunshiney, fun-filled memories to last until Spring. You would be wrong.
Kai actually kept track of our November vacation to Florida with his drawings (like a photo blog, but with way better pictures). Here he documents the vacation, which included a trip to the hospital on the second day. Yes. It was that kind of vacation.
He couldn't believe I hadn't shared his pictures already, so here we go.
Obviously an unpaid advertisement.
Our rental was *not* a 1987 Limo, & we actually hated it. So, no hearts.
Crossed out is "with my money", which it was.
Actually from Old Navy.
Yes, that last line does read "I had an awesome trip". Despite witnessing a very scary incident, a Grandma with a broken hand & a black eye, plans being tossed, & our vacation amounting to relaxing at the hotel (which is great if you're an adult, but not so much for a kid 5 minutes from theme parks), Kai "had an awesome trip". Because really, what could be better than writing & drawing on pads of paper in the sunshine?
In the most recent Presidential debate, Mitt Romney proclaimed "We took a concerted effort to go out and find women who had backgrounds
that could be qualified to become members of our cabinet. I went to a
number of women's groups and said: ‘Can you help us find folks,’ and
they brought us whole binders full of women.” Who could have known that the internet would have exploded as it did? I give you the very best Binders of Women memes.
COMMUNITY
The 4th season of Community was set to premiere on October 19. NBC decided to push it back, & the show released this video to help upset viewers understand. NBC Britta'd it.
MY LITTLE PONY MEETS STAR WARS
Artist Sheena Henderson has transformed My Little Pony figures into characters from Star Wars, & they are fantastic.
They are available at her etsy shop, & she also takes commissions, so I'm not too concerned about the lack of an Admiral Ackbar (he would make an awesome My Little Pony, wouldn't he?). The detail is impressive, & while Slave Leia is my favourite, the Lando Calrissian really makes me giggle.
THE GREATEST EVENT IN TELEVISION HISTORY
Adult Swim had been promoting this "event" for awhile...all that was known was that it starred Jon Hamm & Adam Scott, & it was being hailed as The Greatest Event In Television History. A friend sent me the video, which turned out to be a behind-the-scenes special on the shot-by-shot recreation of the opening of Simon & Simon, which ran from 1981-1989. Hosted by Jeff Probst, & featuring many cameos, it is a hilarious mockumentary on this ridiculous project that turned out amazingly well. You can watch the 15 minute special at adultswim.com, but only if you login through your service provider (unavailable in Canada). It's no longer available on YouTube (although there are poor quality recordings of the special as it aired on TV), but here's a side-by-side comparison of the original Simon & Simon opening, & the Hamm/Scott recreation. If the full video ever shows up again, this post will be updated to include its awesomeness.
*UPDATE: It's available again! The video is below the side-by-side.
THE SADNESS OF PAIN AU CHOCOLAT
...but...but...you're bread with chocolate! Why are you so sad? :(
E.T. AUDITION
The audition Henry Thomas gave for the part of Elliott has recently shown up all over the place. And now I'm crying & have to watch E.T. again.
Those were my favourite sweets of the past week. Come back next week for more goodies!
Will Twilight ever not be made fun of? Hopefully not. A few weeks ago, I shared the hilarious Bad Lip-Reading of Twilight, where we learned never to eat Edward's cake. I've just discovered Honest Trailers, so here is the Honest Trailer of Twilight, starring Vanilla & Shovel Face.
I love The Avengers Honest Trailer, as well. "Witness the excitement of Iron Man repairing a spaceship for 20 minutes."
STINGRAY PHOTOBOMB
Yes, you can see the handler behind this adorable Stingray. Does that make this photo any less awesome? No. Here's an excerpt from a letter one of the girls wrote to the Huffington Post after this photo went viral: This photo was taken five years ago in Cayman Island at Stingray
Island. We were on a cruise for spring break. The photographer
originally asked us to take a photo with the stingray in front of us,
which we did, but then afterward as a joke he put it on our backs
without us knowing! Our reactions are genuine, and the photographer
snapped the photo at the perfect time! We had no idea that the photo was
so brilliant until later when he showed us the proof. We immediately
bought it. From left to right are Sarah Bourland, Natalie Zaysoff,
Kendall Harlan.
And just because, here's one more animal photobomb, this time a sloth. *squeal*
21 YEARS
Cory McLeod's parents took a photo of his face every day, for 21 years. Watch a person grow in this fascinating time-lapse video.
WALL TENTACLES
My Sister-in-Law brought this to my attention last week, which I think was kind of cruel because why didn't she just order it for me? You can't just say "Hey Lisa, this would look cool next to your dragon head!", & leave it at that. It's only $3500! Take in its beauty:
Check out more of this artist's work at ArtAkimbo's Etsy shop (where there are also smaller versions for around $250 - I'm not suggesting everybody should pitch in, but that's kind of a great idea & I would like it in purple.).
HISTORY OF TV THEME SONGS
Jimmy Fallon recently had the cast of his new show (Guys with Kids) on, & they presented this ambitious medley of TV theme songs. Sadly missing is the Growing Pains theme song, but it is well done, & you can't help but smile.
So, show me that smile again (oooh, show me that smile).
Those were my favourite sweets of the past week. Come back next week for more goodies!
I need to have one of these in my life. The fact that I am useless with a needle & thread is not the real issue here - choosing which one I want the most is. So what if I never actually use it?
Boba Fett Fat Cat
Indiana Jones Fat Cat
Check out Fat Cat Crafts' Etsy page for more designs featuring Dr. Who, Star Trek, Super Mario, & more.
TESLA VS EDISON
General Electric recently began a marketing campaign using Thomas Edison, based on the Ryan Gosling Hey Girl meme.
Brilliant, you say. Sure, if you aren't aware of Thomas Edison's jerktastic history of stealing other people's ideas. Edison was a founder of GE, so it's obvious why they are using him in their ads, but for an internet campaign (when the internet kind of hates him), it seems ill-advised. Anywhere these memes are posted, you will find comments that amount to "Edison was a douche. Nicola Tesla FTW!"
I didn't know anything about Tesla until I saw The Prestige, which made me want to find out more (because if David Bowie plays you in a movie, you must to be a special kind of awesome).
My favourite explanation of Tesla's awesomeness is this comic from The Oatmeal. Please, please, please read it. Then read about this campaign to build the first Tesla Museum on the New York property where Tesla tried to, you know, provide free wireless energy for the entire planet. Just another day for Nicola. The project's goal was $850,000 - just enough to buy the land. To date, $1,250,925 has been raised (more is still needed to build the actual museum). I told you the internet loved Tesla, right? Donate here.
THE WIRE: RPG & LEGO VERSIONS
College Humor has created another imagined RPG, as they did with Game of Thrones & several other series. This time The Wire gets spoofed, & you can watch it here with a bowl of Honey-Nut Cheerios & whiskey...but if you haven't seen all 5 seasons of this incredible show, stay away until you have! There are as many spoilers as there are bodies in the vacants.
Also watch this LEGO version of The Wire. Shiiiiiiiiiiit, it is awesome.
CLOCKWORK - K'NEX BALL MACHINE
When I showed this to my son, he said "It's amazing how talented some people in this world are." Creator & YouTube user Austron says this project "took 8 months to build, has over 40,000 pieces, over 450 feet of
track, 21 different paths, 8 motors, 5 lifts, and a one-of-a-kind
computer-controlled crane, as well as two computer-controlled
illuminated K'nex balls."
Love it.
BUDDY GUY & JONNY LANG
This past week, my husband & I saw blues legend Buddy Guy in concert with Jonny Lang. Buddy Guy is 76 & it was a treat to see him play & interact with the crowd. Here's a video that someone uploaded from the concert - Hoochie Coochie Man, including Buddy scolding the audience at the 2:20 mark:
Jonny Lang blew us away. If you're not familiar with his later work, you probably remember the teenager with the skill & voice of a blues veteran in 1997, when Lie To Me came out. Now he's in his 30s, & the passion he sings with makes me wonder if he's this intense in his every day life. No videos from our show have been uploaded yet (although enough people were recording with their phones, so come on, people!), but here's a song he played that's been stuck in my head since:
So great. If you have a chance to see them live, GO!
Those were my favourite sweets of the past week. Come back next week for more goodies!
These are the things that I think are great. So great that I want to sing about them.
HOGWARTS TREE HOUSES
J.K. Rowling has been given permission to build Hogwarts-inspired tree houses for her 2 youngest children. 40' tall, on stilts, complete with a rope bridge, secret tunnels & an owl post. After looking at these plans, I am not ashamed to say that I am jealous of these kids.
Maybe the smaller house will be stocked with Butterbeer & treats from Honeydukes. How I wish I could apparate.
STAR WARS ART - AMANDA VISELL
Artist Amanda Visell has created Star Wars wooden figures, complete with boxes to display them in, or next to. They are pretty much the most adorable things ever. I mean, Princess Leia comes with a comb & a mirror.
See Amanda's whimsical Star Wars series here, & spend all day looking at, & maybe purchasing, her beautiful art - paintings, sculptures, & figures - here.
LEGO'S 80th ANNIVERSARY
Recently LEGO released a short film to celebrate its 80th Anniversary. The film tells the story of the Christiansen family behind the Danish company, & of the struggles & persistence that resulted in what is arguably the greatest toy ever. (I say "arguably" to be fair, but if you actually argue with this, I don't think we can be friends.) Of course, being a LEGO-lover, I already knew much of this incredible story, but there are details that were new to me (I knew that LEGO got its name from the Danish phrase meaning "Play Well", but I didn't know what LEGO coincidentally means in Latin: "I Put It Together"). The short film is beautiful, charming & touching. I love that it includes a reference to the photo taken of the 3 generations of Christiansens who have run the company, Ole, Godtfred & Kjeld. Well done as always, LEGO.
SAN FRANCISCO KINETIC TOOTHPICK SCULPTURE
Scott Weaver has been working on this toothpick sculpture of San Francisco for 35 years. 35 years. For detailed photos of each section, & a video of ping pong balls moving through the sections (explained by Scott), go here. The man loves his city, & would be a great spokesperson for Elmer's Glue, as he says it's the only glue he has used. 35 years!
A-HA - TAKE ON ME
Yes, I'm aware it's not 1985, but I feel this must be shared. On Saturday I was at a wedding & found out that a 21 year old acquaintance of mine did not know this song. At all. Not even from an 80's-themed party or anything. She didn't even know the iconic video, & I practically acted it out on the dance floor. Clearly, there needs to be a resurgence in the popularity of this song & video. Share it with the young people in your life, immediately.
Be sure to check out the literal video version of Take On Me at funnyordie, & if you've never seen a literal video version, you MUST begin with Total Eclipse of The Heart. It is the best thing the internet has come up with, IMO. I still think "Fonzie's Been Cloned" & "Mullet With Headlights" would be amazing band names.
Those were my favourite internet sweets of the past week. Come back next week for more goodies!
These are the things that I think are great. So great that I want to sing about them.
BREAKING BAD ART
I could waste hours on etsy. Not being a very crafty person means that crafty people amaze me. Sometimes I just click & click, letting the site lead me where it will. The other day, I searched for Breaking Bad items, & I love what I found.
This is a guy who is passionate about his food. The original YouTube review is pretty amazing, but this songified version makes me laugh, dance AND sing along. I've watched it at least 5 times. Dayum, Dayum, DAYUM!
STEPHEN WILTSHIRE
When I first saw this, it was being shared with the added statement "Can't be real". It's not that hard to do a little research before speaking, people. Stephen Wiltshire is an autistic artist with a passion for architecture.
Aerial of Toronto
Even more amazing is that he is considered a savant in 2 areas (visual art & music), which is something only recorded once before. His story is fascinating - read more & buy his prints & books at his official site.
GUY THINKS HIS SISTER IS HOT
I didn't want to watch this, but after 3 people sent it to me directly, I broke down. So trust me, & watch it - it's not what you think. Or maybe it is...
Now watch it again.
COMEDIANS IN CARS GETTING COFFEE
I've just discovered this new series by Jerry Seinfeld, "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee". Even though I had seen his tweets about it, I never really got it. Which makes me dumb, because it is as literal as a title can be. It took a tweet from Elijah Wood, calling the series "inspired", & then I had to watch it. (I don't know what it is, but Elijah Wood seems very trustworthy to me. The hours I have spent watching the Lord of the Rings special features have taught me much about movie magic, but also that Elijah Wood is incredibly articulate, well-informed, & a cool guy. I'll believe anything he tells me.)
Make yourself a coffee & watch the 4 short episodes of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee here. The latest episode with Alec Baldwin is fantastic, but I am partial to the Larry David one, because Larry David. Enjoy the promo for the show which features AN AUTHENTIC SPIT-TAKE.
Those were my favourite internet sweets of the past week. Come back next week for more goodies!
