Frozen Tidal Wave

Yep, frozen tidal wave...that's what I said, hehe. Go clicky clicky again and check out the set of pictures that are better than this one....they're larger and show more detail from different angle. Pretty cool.

Weird Art--Fruit Animals

If you haven't already noticed, I have a thing for appreciating random art (like the colored pencil sculpturist (no, spell check doesn't recognize that as a word, but I didn't want to call her just an artist and have the new people think she simply drew things with colored pencils). Well here's another oddity of the art world. Gawk. Praise. Roll your eyes. Then smile and move on with your day. Introducing the creator of emotional animals out of fruit:

Saxton Freymann

Brrrr!

It....is....cold.....

Enough said.

Another Search Gone Wrong

"i told my mom what i had just seen. then my mom got scared, she"

Really, people, really? I'm used to getting weird search queries and I ignore most of them, but what is up with this one? I'm assuming this is an error (like a copy/paste gone wrong) or someone looking for this site (when I searched, this page came up with having those exact words in order)....but really, how did they end up on 'my' blog? Crazy people, lol.

(On the plus side, I've apparently helped out a few other people looking for that "Dear Carbs/Love Letter" video, because I'm getting various hits there, too, hehe)

Save Endangered Species Attempt--Slender Loris

One more for the day, I'm not sure if you'll say "awww" or "uuhhh..."

A baby Slender Loris is seen in this undated handout image released by the Zoological Society of London on January 15, 2007. Scientists launched a bid on Tuesday to save some of the world's rarest and most neglected creatures from extinction. With an initial list of just 10, including a venomous shrew-like creature, an egg-laying mammal and the world's smallest bat, the programme will give last ditch conservation aid where to date there has been little or none.

And um, notice the conservation effort here. Kudos to London Zoo (again...because they're also the people who prompted my hippo posts).

Nightmare Final Exam Questions

Those of you who are currently in school or have attended in the last decade at least, will probably appreciate this one more. Stolen from DailyHaha, here's the list of Nightmare Final Exam Questions.


1. Computer Science: Write a fifth-generation computer language. Using this language, write a computer program to finish the rest of this exam for you.

2. History: Describe the history of the papacy from its originas to the present day, concentrating on its social, political, economic, religious, and philosophical impact on Europe, America, Asia, and Africa. Be brief and concise, yet specific.

3. Electrical Engineering: You will be placed in a nuclear reactor and given a partial copy of the electrical layout. The electrical system has been tampered with. You have seventeen minutes to find the problem and correct it before the reactor melts down.

4. Pre-Med: You will be provided with a rusty razor blade, a piece of gauze, and a full bottle of Scotch. Remove your appendix. Don't suture until your work as been inspected. You have 15 minutes.

5. Public Speaking: Twenty-five hundred riot-crazed aboriginies are storming the classroom. Calm them. You may use any ancient language except Latin, Hebrew, or Greek.

6. Biology: Create life. Estimate the differences in subsequent human culture if this life form had developed 500,000 years earlier, with special attention to the probably effect, if any, on the English parliamentary system circa 1750. Prove your thesis.

7. Civil Engineering: This is a practical test of your design and building skills. With the boxes of toothpicks and glue present, build a platform that will support your weight when you and your platform are suspended over a vat of nitric acid.

8. Music: Write a full piano concerto. Orchestrate and perform it with a clarinet and drum. You will find a piano under your seat.

9. Psychology: Based on your knowledge of their early works, evaluate the emotional stability, degree of adjustment, and repressed frustrations of each of the following: Alexander of Aphrodisias, Ramses II, and Gregory of Nicea. Support your evaluation with quotations from each man's work, making appropriate references. It is not necessary to translate.

10. Chemistry: You must identify a poison sample which you will find at your lab table. All necessary equipment has been provided. There are two beakers at your desk, one of which holds the antidote. If the wrong substance is used, it causes instant death. You may begin as soon as the professor injects you with a sample of the poison. (We feel this will give you an incentive to find the correct answer.)

11. Sociology: Estimate the sociological problems which might be associated with the end of the world. Construct an experiment to test your theory.

12. Mechanical Engineering: The disassembled parts of a howitzer have been placed in a box on your desk. You will also find an instruction manual, printed in Machine Language. In ten minutes a hungry Bengal tiger will be admitted to the room. Take whatever action you feel appropriate. Be prepared to justify your actions.

13. Economics: Describe in four hundred words or less what you would have done to prevent the Great Depression.

14. Mathematics: Derive the Euler-Cauchy equations using only a straightedge and compass. Discuss in detail the role these equations had on mathematical analysis in Europe during the 1800s.

15. Political Science: There is a red telephone on the desk beside you. Start World War III. Report at length on its socio-political effects, if any.

16. Religion: Perform a miracle. Creativity will be judged.

17. Art: Given one eight-count box of crayons and three sheets of notebook paper, recreate the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Skin tones should be true to life.

18. Physics: Explain the nature of matter. Include in your answer an in-depth evaluation of the impact of the development of mathematics on science.

19. Metaphysics: Describe in detail the nature of life after death. Test your hypothesis.

20. Philosophy: Sketch the development of human thought and estimate its significance. Compare with the development of any other kind of thought.

21. General Knowledge: Describe in detail. Be specific.

22. Extra Credit: Define the universe, and give three examples.

Hillbilly Barbie

Yeah, the photoshopping could've been better, but you get the idea. I wonder when we'll see this one on the shelves...

Say Awwwww......!!

I don't really have time to sit and chat with y'all, but I had to pass on this photo. Isn't she just adorable. Here's the caption:

Giant Panda cub Mei Lan who was born on September 6, 2006 makes her formal debut at Zoo Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia, January 12, 2007.

Quirky Acts of Curiosity

I'm all about the unusual....the odd....the out of the ordinary....the interesting....the curiosity satisfiers.....the--

Should I go on?

Anywho, Katie (yes, I've linked to her before) recently completed "Operation Fake Wallet" and I'd love to see if anyone else has done it before....or is now interested in doing it now that they've read about it.

You did go read it, right? *Sigh* If not, here's the gist....she planted a fake wallet with a few fake items like credit cards inside and a phone number to call. When the wallet finder called, they chit chatted a few minutes (realized she had family in the same area he lives, that he thought it could be a bomb to begin with, and commented about getting coffee together some time). It was a really interesting read (and short, by the way, so go, go, go).

I may just have to try this sometime when I get the chance....

Random Searchers

Dear Random Searcher,

When you searched for "youtube, Dear Carbs," I know my blog was not your intended destination. You'll be happy to know that I did a little digging and the video you're looking for is likely called "Love Letters," not "Dear Carbs." To make it easier for you next time, here ya go:


Love,
Quirky Jessi

P.S.-You probably shouldn't watch this when your kids are around.
P.S.S.-You probably shouldn't follow the chain of events inside either.
P.S.S.S.-You probably should just eat the carbs...

Momofuku Ando Lives On

In every college dorm room around the US (and likely other countries)....in every household pantry where a child lives....in every supermarket across the land, Momofuku Ando lives on. You may not know him by name, but as soon as I tell you that he's the guy responsible for inventing ramen noodles....and that he died on Friday....you're bound to say "awww." Born in Taiwan in 1910, he died at the age of 96, leaving behind his legacy of the cheapest meal around.

Here's a bit from an article:

In 1948, he founded the precursor to Nissin and in 1958 unveiled Chicken Ramen, the world's first instant noodle product.

Ando was inspired to develop the instant noodle after coming upon a long line of people on a cold night shortly after World War II. They were waiting to buy freshly made ramen at a black market food stall.

The experience convinced him that "peace will come to the world when the people have enough to eat," according to Nissin.

In 1971, Nissin introduced the Cup Noodle featuring instant ramen in a waterproof plastic foam container. Dubbed the "Ramen King," Ando is credited with expanding Nissin into the No. 1 company in the industry and was well-known for his dedication to his work.

And here's a beautiful piece from NYTimes, that takes the time to compare the conveniences of other quick-made noodle deals....none of which compare even in the slightest to ramen noodles:

The news last Friday of the death of the ramen noodle guy surprised those of us who had never suspected that there was such an individual. It was easy to assume that instant noodle soup was a team invention, one of those depersonalized corporate miracles, like the Honda Civic, the Sony Walkman and Hello Kitty, that sprang from that ingenious consumer-product collective known as postwar Japan.

But no. Momofuku Ando, who died in Ikeda, near Osaka, at 96, was looking for cheap, decent food for the working class when he invented ramen noodles all by himself in 1958. His product — fried, dried and sold in little plastic-wrapped bricks or foam cups — turned the company he founded, Nissin Foods, into a global giant. According to the company’s Web site, instant ramen satisfies more than 100 million people a day. Aggregate servings of the company’s signature brand, Cup Noodles, reached 25 billion worldwide in 2006.

There are other versions of fast noodles. There is spaghetti in a can. It is sweetish and gloppy and a first cousin of dog food. Macaroni and cheese in a box is a convenience product requiring several inconvenient steps. You have to boil the macaroni, stir it to prevent sticking and determine through some previously obtained expertise when it is “done.” You must separate water from noodles using a specialized tool, a colander, and to complete the dish — such an insult — you have to measure and add the fatty deliciousness yourself, in the form of butter and milk that Kraft assumes you already have on hand. All that effort, plus the cleanup, is hardly worth it.

Ramen noodles, by contrast, are a dish of effortless purity. Like the egg, or tea, they attain a state of grace through a marriage with nothing but hot water. After three minutes in a yellow bath, the noodles soften. The pebbly peas and carrot chips turn practically lifelike. A near-weightless assemblage of plastic and foam is transformed into something any college student will recognize as food, for as little as 20 cents a serving.

There are some imperfections. The fragile cellophane around the ramen brick tends to open in a rush, spilling broken noodle bits around. The silver seasoning packet does not always tear open evenly, and bits of sodium essence can be trapped in the foil hollows, leaving you always to wonder whether the broth, rich and salty as it is, is as rich and salty as it could have been. The aggressively kinked noodles form an aesthetically pleasing nest in cup or bowl, but when slurped, their sharp bends spray droplets of broth that settle uncomfortably about the lips and leave dots on your computer screen.

But those are minor quibbles. Ramen noodles have earned Mr. Ando an eternal place in the pantheon of human progress. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime. Give him ramen noodles, and you don’t have to teach him anything.

Notice the last line especially....

R.I.P. Momofuku....

A Cat's Contented Sigh, and Other Pleasurable Things

(Someone else's kitty...)

Just yesterday I was signed up for a page-a-day calendar email (because I now have an actual page-a-day calendar and it came with the code to sign up for another online) that pops up in my account every morning. I hadn't planned on paying much attention to it, and I certainly didn't plan on blogging about it (ok, so maybe that's a lie....after blogging for a bit, I think everything is somewhat viewed through blogger eyes). But this morning's caught my attention. The five things to be happy about for today are:

• red grapefruit
• crisp mountain air
• moisturizing lotion
• a cat’s contented sigh
• junk food on a road trip

I think I might like this whole calendar thing after all. It reminds me of various stories......like how out of allllll the different fragrances in Bath and Body Works, one of the little ones loved the grapefruit most. Sure, she enjoyed the holiday smells like gingerbread, cinnabun, and pumpkin pie....and she liked the flowery cherry blossom, and the traditional vanilla sugar. But in the end, it was the grapefruit she fell in love with and it was the lotion that the five year old walked out of the store with, grinning with glee.

Or how about that soft, almost inaudible sigh that a cat breathes out as it's relaxing? I can picture my own kitty, curling up on the window sill, basking in the glowing sun rays, and sighing deeply as she settles in for a midday nap. Does it get any better than that?

"Plutoed" As the Word of 2006

Ah, poor Pluto. Gone were the days where the cute little sing-song memory helpers ended in a word starting with P. "My very educated mother just served us nine pizzas" is the first one that comes up in my google search.....but now she'll just be serving nine....period. Sad.

Anywho, the tiny planet wannabe didn't lose all its fame and recognition in the process....in fact, it 'gained' publicity, and it'll now forever hold the title as the cause for the word of the year. "Plutoed," meaning "to demote or devalue someone or something"....is now being coined by wordsmiths and used by everyday people. Here's what an article from Yahoo had to say:

"Our members believe the great emotional reaction of the public to the demotion of Pluto shows the importance of Pluto as a name," said society president Cleveland Evans. "We may no longer believe in the Roman god Pluto, but we still have a sense of personal connection with the former planet."

R.I.P. Pluto....you are indeed still in our hearts as a planet, even if you've been demoted to nothing more than another space object. We won't kick you out of our galaxy....just put you lower on the totem pole. *hugs Pluto* Brrrr....

Laughing Yoga--Good for the Soul

If you never watch anything I post, watch this. From OhForFun, I present Laughing Yogi:


The phrase "laughing is contagious" is at its best right now.....and it's certainly good for you, no matter how silly it seems...(even if you don't laugh, you're gonna roll your eyes and crack a smile, just at the sheer eye-rolliness of it). I seriously don't know how he does it without....well, breaking out into real laughter, lol.

"I'm happy, I'm relaxed, I'm happy, I'm relaxed. Boo ba boo ba boo boooooooooo!" *giggles*

100 Impressions in Under 5 Minutes

100 Impressions in 5 Minutes

So it's really done in something like 4 minutes and 3 seconds, but then they add in all the credits at the end. I think it sounds even more impressive that he did it in 4 minutes, but whatever, lol. Some of them are a little off, but hey, he did *one hundred* different and unique impressions, ranging from cartoon characters of the past, to those of the present, to actors, to musicians, to....well, it's all there, and nicely put together with pictures and captions for each one. Amazing!

(And thanks to Bri for posting it on one of the forums I frequent....)

Firefoxfacts.com

Now it's no secret that I like firefox much better than IE....but I recently discovered firefoxfacts.com and even though I haven't had a chance to look through all of it, I'm in love. It has posts about all the little features users might not otherwise discover on their own. Mucho gusto! *drools*

For All the Mommy Bloggers Out There--Car Seats Fail Crash Tests

Most of the infant car seats tested by Consumer Reports "failed disastrously" in crashes at speeds as low as 35 mph, the magazine reported Thursday.

The seats came off their bases or twisted in place, the report said. In one case, a test dummy was hurled 30 feet.

*snip*

To be sold in the United States, an infant seat must perform adequately in a 30 mph frontal crash, and Consumer Reports found that all but the Discovery did so. But it noted that NHTSA crash tests most cars at higher speeds — 35 mph for frontal crashes and 38 mph for side crashes — so the magazine tested the seats at those speeds.
The rest of the story.....

I don't find this acceptable at all. Yes, I understand that they were tested at higher speeds than required for them to test, but do we really want kids to be even unsafer in their car seats as soon as speeds reach 35mph? Just how often do people drive that speed anyway....even when it's the speed limit?

It reminds me of a conversation I had with my mom recently. Ever notice how the recall flyers are usually posted in the back of the store or on the walls in the customer service area? How often do you visit 'those' areas? To make matters worse, the recalls listed are almost 'always' on children's products. I'm sorry, but is it just me who is a little disturbed by the fact that the companies who specialize in making toys for kids....are the ones who are screwing up the most by allowing products on the market before they've really been tested out that well? Seriously, I understand that sometimes things go wrong, and I'm glad they recall those things....but I'm more referring to items like the play set I recently saw that had a recall because it was discovered kids could fit their arms in a tube on it, and they were getting dislocated shoulders and such as they tried to pull their arms back out. Kids have arms....kids get curious....kids explore....kids are *playing* with these toys. Make them safe.

Or how about all the ones that get recalled because they realize there are tiny parts that can come off? Kids put things in their mouths....kids get choked....why insist on putting itty bitty parts on things that are being marketed for the same kids who are going to shove them in their mouths? Do they really not consider these things before selling toys....or do they just not care about anything except the money (because obviously only a small portion of buyers are even going to realize that the products have been recalled)?

Back to the car seats....wouldn't it make sense to test these seats at higher speeds so they can ensure their buyers that their seats are extra safe? Here's another quote that really stood out:

"It's unconscionable that infant seats, which are designed to protect the most vulnerable children, aren't routinely tested the same as new cars," said Consumer Reports' Don Mays, a product safety director.

Makes sense, doesn't it? They're constantly checking new cars and boasting about how this one is safer than that one, blah, blah, blah. But why aren't they checking the seats that are going 'inside' the cars, just as much....especially considering the infant riders are even more vulnerable and fragile than the standard adult? Kinda scary....

Velcro Up Close and In Action

Ever wonder what velcro looks like up close and personal.....and in neat colors? Yeah, me either, but now that I've seen what it looks like, I'm glad I know, hehe. Kinda cool, huh? Go here for more up close and zoomified shots.

Scribbly Map

Did I not blog about this already?? I ran across the link in my stats, and realized that I didn't even talk about the scribbly map like I had planned on.

Here, go check it out yourself:

http://eagereyes.org/Applications/ZIPScribbleMap.html

It connects all the zip codes in order to see how they match up with the state lines, etc. Pretty cool to look at, and kinda goes along with my other map post about soda names.

Sex Began in the 60s

We all know that sex is taboo...and most people don't talk about it openly (except with the select few). Your parents didn't have sex, of course (ewwww), and your children won't have sex (they better not!!).....but what I didn't realize is that it didn't begin occurring at all until the early 60s. Yep, that's right folks.....*whispers "sex"* didn't start until 1963:



Gotta love Google's search paraphrasing. Thank Dave for the wonderful discovery (.....of the picture...not of discovering the first case of sexual intercourse...).

The Evolution of Medicine

Stolen/borrowed from Health is Money:

Evolution of medicine:
I have a headache ...
2000 BC - Eat this root
1000 AD - That root is infected. Say this prayer.
1850 AD - That prayer is superstition. Drink this potion.1
940 AD - That potion is snake oil. Swallow this pill.
1985 AD - That pill is ineffective. Take this antibiotic.
2000 AD - That antibiotic is artificial. Eat this root.

Hehe. It's sooo true, though. One minute they're telling people to do this or that, and the next it's something completely different to take care of the side effects of the first one. Hell, half the meds older people take are to counteract the ill effects of the meds they take for the original problems. There's constantly a new prescription med on the market, and for everyone, there's something "natural" that another company is trying to market....and *neither one* is going to work half the time.

Labels, labels, labels galore....(and other blog news)

So I just spend the last several hours going through and adding labels to all of my posts....and taking out the majority of the hotlinked photos I could find (they were hit and miss and I probably still missed some). Several months ago I was reading a blog where she hadn't added labels and spent numerous hours going back through an entire year's worth of posts. My reasoning was that I didn't know where this blog was headed yet, so I was going to give it a few months to naturally work out its own categories. I had no idea that just a few months was going to take so long, though! It's more or less done now, though, and I won't have to do it again since I can do it as I go. It was actually kind of interesting to see how a lot of my posts fell....and especially looking back at some of my earliest entries that needed completely different categories than what I had assigned to everything else already. It seems that even in these few months, my blog has transformed into something different, and I'm still waiting for it to continue doing that.

And in other bloggie news, I cleaned up a bit on the side bar, and you'll also notice a new Amazon search box there. I just bought several books for my classes and they sound interesting enough that you shouldn't be surprised if I start talking about them here a bit....and I'll link you out in case you want to buy your own copies.

What Does 200 Calories Look Like?

Personally, I've never been on a "diet." In my world, diets are what each and every one of us consume every day....our 'diet' consists of this kind of food or that....and for most of us, it changes over time. I've never counted calories either. I've never cut out carbs or restricted myself to eating only grapefruit. I've never stopped eating entirely or only allowed myself to drink juice for 2 weeks straight. I'm also not a vegetarian or a health nut either. I love my chocolate and if I want a seconds (or thirds), I'm going to have them. Heck, I don't even work out on a regular basis any more (and I say 'any more' because I was required to in gym class)....although I do walk to and from my classes, so I get a fair amount of "exercise" in anyway....it's just part of my daily requirements because there's no other way to get there, lol.

Despite my firm belief that yo-yo dieting hurts anyone who does it....and that if people want to lose weight or get in shape, they shouldn't rely on fancy diet plans that'll cause them to quit in a couple weeks....I still found this site interesting. It has 71 snapshots of foods, broken into portions that equal 200 calories. There are plenty other things you should consider when eating foods than just calories, of course, (such as eating 200 calories of avocado is much better for you than 200 calories of butter....and much more filling, too) but it still gives a nice perspective of how much you can eat of some foods without shoving your calorie intake into outrageous numbers. Here are a few examples....although on the main site, it also tells you how many ml are in the 200 calorie portion they're showing:
(There are your avocado and butter comparisons first)
(And those are Jack in the Box fries and burger.)

Spiders on Drugs--And We Make Caffeine Legal

They only have 5 pictures total, so it'd be wrong of me to post them all here....but use one of your spare clickies today and go here. You'll see a normal spider's web at the bottom, and the other four have been fed flies on drugs. The sad thing is, the worst looking one is the spider on caffeine. Doesn't that just scream irony, as it's the only legal 'drug' we have, and yet it sent the spider crazy with its we, where the others are at least usable.

101 Best Websites for Writers

And for all you writers or writer-wannabes out there, here's the 101 Best Websites for Writers. Even if you have no desire to write, you might want to check it out anyway because there's even a site listed with a section of gifts for writers, so keep your writer friends in mind before you skip to the next entry. Don't like writing at all, but you enjoy reading? Yep, that stuff's there, too....after all, writers often times read, too.

Weird Food Cravings

We've all had them.....and no, not just during pregnancy. Sometimes they're mere nostalgic moments where you run across a dish you use to eat, and then all of a sudden you can't get enough of it (in my case, I once had a long-spent craving for this make-shift sauce I made with condensed milk, paprika, and a couple other things....very weird indeed, and was a complete accident).

Usually, though, an odd craving is stemmed from the body needing a certain nutrient, and you start craving the things the body recognizes as sources of those nutrients. For example, if you're craving salt, your body may actually be dehydrated and wanting water.....sounds contradictory, I know, but think about it. If you start eating salty snacks, your first instinct is to grab a drink while you're eating or afterward at least, right? Yep, your body knows 'exactly' what it's doing. Or, well, that's what I tell myself when I go through periods where I'm craving cottage cheese and french dressing.....or fresh honey on practically anything it sounds good on.....or homemade potato salad that is wanted at 'every' single meal for a week straight....or..........
Regardless of the causes or if they're just weird occurrences we try to blame on other things (Really, I'm not quirky at all.....my body is *forcing* me to eat carrots dipped in chili!)....I was passed this site for healthier ways to satisfy cravings. Like if you're craving chocolate, it suggests trying raw nuts and seeds, legumes, fruits, because your body may actually be craving the magnesium (Uh huh, sure...try convincing my body that the next time it sees a deliciously chocolate cake....hehe). Or if you're craving soda, try, um, mustard and turnip greens because you might actually be craving calcium.
Okay, so I'll admit, not all of them seem that appealing but others are quite logical and they'll likely come in handy. If you're wanting to chew/crunch a lot of ice, and it's not just one of your little weird habits, then you might want to bump up your iron intake for a few days....and the site lists a few examples of how to get extra iron. Oh, and back to the salty foods, it also suggests, um, raw goat milk, in case your body is actually wanting chloride. Yeah, you have fun with that. Good luck catching the goat so you can guarantee that it's nice and raw....

Dear Jessie

By now, you regulars are likely familiar with Lisa because I keep posting about her. Well here's another one. Before I left for holiday, she left me a comment on my Close Your Eyes entry. She left lyrics to Madonna's song Dear Jessie, because my name is, well, Jessi. I had never heard the song. Now I'm fairly familiar with Madonna because when I was younger, I listened to several of her songs, and then as I grew up, I became somewhat fascinated with how she is still going. And have you seen how she looks? The woman can still wear skin tight spandex and do yoga/dance moves in her own music videos! Geesh.

Anywho, not the point. The point is, I'd never even heard of Dear Jessie, much less become familiar with the lyrics. I absolutely fell in love with it. Now I'll admit, the first time I heard it, it was 'meh'....nothing special, I didn't think. Well, I was on the phone with my mom later, and I wanted to know if 'she' had heard it....she hadn't, so I played it for her, and this time, I really listened to it. Amazing. It reminds me so much of my mom that it's not even funny. She used to sing me these silly made up songs (who am I kidding?....she still does) and this is just like something she would've sang herself. Look at the lyrics:

Baby face don't grow so fast
Make a special wish that will always last
Rub this magic lantern
He will make your dreams come true for you

Ride the rainbow to the other side
Catch a falling star and then take a ride
To the river that sings and the clover that
Brings good luck to you, it's all true

Chorus:

Pink elephants and lemonade, dear Jessie
Hear the laughter running through the love parade
Candy kisses and a sunny day, dear Jessie
See the roses raining on the love parade

If the land of make believe
Is inside your heart it will never leave
There's a golden gate where the fairies all wait
And dancing moons, for you

Close your eyes and you'll be there
Where the mermaids sing as they comb their hair
Like a fountain of gold you can never grow old
Where dreams are made, your love parade

(chorus)

Your dreams are made inside the love parade
It's a holiday inside the love parade

On the merry-go-round of lovers and white turtle doves
Leprechauns floating by, this is your lullaby
Sugarplum fingertips kissing your honey lips
Close your eyes sleepy head, is it time for your bed
Never forget what I said, hang on you're already there

Close your eyes and you'll be there
Where the mermaids sing as they comb their hair
Like a fountain of gold you can never grow old
Where dreams are made, your love parade

(chorus)

Okay, so you've gotta listen to it, too....Hehe.


Thanks Lisa! (And yeah, it made me want to cry, too....more than once....)

Eating Disorders

As I skim through the site reports of my blog from the last few weeks, I'm shocked that my entry on anorexia and pro-ana/mia sites has grabbed quite a bit of attention. Aside from the few emails I received, about 50% of my recent viewers have come from searching for various things about eating disorders, including images (which I had several of). I'm interested in doing more entries on similar things, but I'm hesitant considering this was started with the intent of staying quirky. I don't mind doing a mixture of things, though, so we'll see.

I wasn't sure about even mentioning the traffic that was brought here because of that entry. A few minutes ago, though, I was reading the blog Remaindered Random Musings and the writer listed his top 5 songs of 2006. I was surprised to see Stupid Girls by Pink there. I'd quite forgotten about the song, although at the time, I was impressed by the bluntness of it, and passed it to several people. I suppose it was more the video that caught my attention than it was the song itself, because I wouldn't have noticed half of the messages in it had I not been forced to watch the video by someone else (I didn't used to watch many videos, and still don't do it unless someone passes them to me). If you haven't seen it before, watch it now, please....and if you have, you might want to see it again anyway. (Kinda of graphic in a few places....shock value at its best)



It amazes me how Pink has always gone against the standards of the music industry. During one of my journalism classes, we were asked to analyze the lyrics of a couple songs. One of mine was Pink's "Don't Let Me Get Me" and even at that time, she was talking about how she didn't want to be compared to Britney Spears and how she wasn't going to change everything about herself, just to make it in the industry. With Stupid Girls, she set the bar even higher. Although I wasn't too fond of the little blurb about borrowing toothbrush, and the song may have even lost a bit of credibility because of it (or maybe it gained it...I don't know), it was still an eye opener for many. I'm not sure if it's more saddening...or sickening....to see how obsessed the female population seems to be with body image.
Yes, it happens to men, too. And yes, there are cultures where the image is different or where it's not as extreme. But you know what I'm talking about.....you've seen it....you may have even experienced it. For both genders, I'm sure the majority of you, at one point or another, have fretted over your thighs being too large, your abs not being tight enough, your arms being flabby, your weight going up and down, etc, etc, etc. And it's hard to miss the obsession of models to be stick thin.....or celebrities....or even everyday people who think they have to look a certain way to be desired. Worse yet, though, is when it's not about image at all. It's about control and being able to do something other people aren't able to.
But ya know, of all the research I've done....all the reports I've written.....all the people I've talked to about it....it's still not enough. I don't know if anything will ever 'be enough' to cut down the problem.....the problem that so many don't even acknowledge. I have a friend who almost died from her eating disorder, and likely would have had some of us not stepped in to get her help. She's one of the few that I've lost contact with, and I don't even know if she's living right now. She'll always struggle with it and it scares the hell out of me that she isn't surrounded by the same people who loved her so dearly and tried to help her before. As I skimmed pro-ana/mia sites a couple months ago, it was even scarier to see how many people not only knew 'exactly' what they were doing, but how many didn't realize it either........and how the majority of them had people in their lives who were absolutely clueless about what they were doing.
But before I turn this into a speech or go off into a long-winded ramble that no one will read, I'll stop here. I'll post the lyrics of Pink's song considering that's what prompted me to start this post anyway. Don't be surprised if you see more info about this sort of stuff in the future....but no worries, you'll still get all the not-so-serious quirks from me, too. Here ya go:

"Stupid Girls"

Aha, aha

Stupid girl, stupid girls, stupid girls

Maybe if I act like that, that guy will call me back
Porno Paparazzi girl, I don't wanna be a stupid girl

Go to Fred Segal, you'll find them there
Laughing loud so all the little people stare
Looking for a daddy to pay for the champagne
(Drop a name)
What happened to the dreams of a girl president
She's dancing in the video next to 50 Cent
They travel in packs of two or three
With their itsy bitsy doggies and their teeny-weeny tees
Where, oh where, have the smart people gone?
Oh where, oh where could they be?

Maybe if I act like that, that guy will call me back
Porno Paparazzi girl, I don't wanna be a stupid girl
Baby if I act like that, flipping my blond hair back
Push up my bra like that, I don't wanna be a stupid girl

(Break it down now)
Disease's growing, it's epidemic
I'm scared that there ain't a cure
The world believes it and I'm going crazy
I cannot take any more
I'm so glad that I'll never fit in
That will never be me
Outcasts and girls with ambition
That's what I wanna see
(Come on)
Disasters all around
World despaired
Your only concern
Will it fuck up my hair

Maybe if I act like that (do like this), that guy will call me back
Porno Paparazzi girl, I don't wanna be a stupid girl
Baby if I act like that (Oh, Oh-Oh, Do you think?), flipping my blond hair back (Do you think?)
Push up my bra like that, I don't wanna be a stupid girl (Yeah, yeah)

(Do ya think? Do ya think? Do ya think?)
(I like this, like this, like this)
Pretty will you fuck me girl, silly I'm so lucky girl
Pull my head and suck it girl, stupid girl!
Pretty would you fuck me girl, silly I'm so lucky girl
Pull my head and suck it girl, stupid girl!

(Baby) Baby if I act like that, flipping my blond hair back
(Baby if I) Push up my bra like that, stupid girl!

Maybe if I act like that (maybe if I act like that), that guy will call me back (that guy will call me back)
Porno Paparazzi girl (Porno Paparazzi girl), I don't wanna be a stupid girl (stupid girl)
Baby if I act like that (maybe if I act like that), flipping my blond hair back (flipping my blond hair back)
Push up my bra like that (push up my bra like that), I don't wanna be a stupid girl (stupid girl)

["stupid girl" throughout:]
Baby if I act like that, flipping my blond hair back
Push up my bra like that,
Stupid girl
Stupid girl
Stupid girl

(And some of the pictures were taken from Face the Issue. They have some basic information if you're interested. And don't be afraid to reach out to someone you think may be in trouble...or vice versa.)

Ah, More Wonders of Firefox

I went home for 3 weeks over the Christmas/New Year holiday.....and by the way, I hope Santa brought you everything you wanted, and that you'll accomplish the rest during the next year on your own. While I was away, I used my mom's computer instead of my laptop because of the hassle of switching internet connections (not as simple as removing the cord and placing it here). When I got home last night, I opened up firefox, restored my last session, and had a lovely 15-20 tabs open (I closed some of them because when my school's connection asked for its password, it wouldn't take me back to the site I had been on, and I obviously didn't remember myself)....and not my regular set of tabs that I glance through several times a day, but rather, tabs that I still needed to decide what to do with, including several to blog. Many of them, I had long forgotten about, but I'm going to give a quick run-down and then I'll be back to actually post about the ones I'm still interested in:

Tabs:

1.

A song that a friend on a forum introduced me to. I couldn't stop listening to it every so often, and I'm still not sure what I want to do with it. It's 8 minutes long, and I may have mentioned it here before, but if you've got the time, go ahead and watch it. (And it doesn't matter that it's in a language you likely can't understand.)

2. Google search for Dr. Seuss' Mulberry Street.

3. My blog.

4. YouTube's video of Papa Don't Preach.....Madonna's, not any remake.

5. Emetophobia Forums. A friend had asked me to check them out and possibly join because she suffers from emetophobia (the fear of vomiting). I, on the other hand, got used to vomiting on a fairly regular basis when I was younger because of various reasons, and it doesn't really bother me. I didn't like it, but there was nothing I could do about it, so I adjusted and then didn't think about it until the problems were fixed. Since it doesn't phase me any, she wanted me to check out the opposite extreme. Again, I'm still not sure what to do with this because there's really no purpose for me joining, but she suggested it, so maybe I should....

6. YouTube's Dear Jessie. This one I'll be back to explain in the next post probably.

7.
8. The link I got ^ that from. http://www.jennifermaestre.com/pencil_show.html She's absolutely amazing.....they're all sculptures made out of just colored pencils. View them up close.

9. http://www.jennifermaestre.com And then I discovered that she had an entire collection using other things like nails and beads in similar type sculptures, so I left that open to post here, too. I was going to do an entire review on her, but I think this is sufficient enough. I just can't imagine how many tips she broke and had to either resharpen or toss out. That's *a lot* or color pencil tips! (And how many tips could she sharpen out of a single pencil? Hmmmm.)

10. http://eagereyes.org/Applications/ZIPScribbleMap.html We'll come back to this one.

11. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_Lolita I think I had this one open to discuss on a set of forums, but meh, I don't know now, lol.

12. http://www.sellyourcell.com/default.php Sell your Cell. For those old phones you don't know what to do with, they'll give you a few bucks (more, depending on just 'how old' they are....the newer, the better). Seemed neat, but again, it was sorta just sitting there, waiting for me to decide what to do with it.

13. Amazon.com I was reading a review of a book.

14. A picture of me (hehe....I still haven't decided yet if I want any pictures of myself or family here....it's not hard to track me to/from other places that have identifying info connected, but that doesn't mean I want to directly link me/them here. We'll see, I suppose....gotta figure out where I want this blog to go first).

15. A funny, but semi-inappropriate photo. I'll likely be talking about this one again, too.

16. One of my site counter thingys....except I don't use it for counting people, but rather, to look at the 'other' stats it keeps. Fun, fun.

Have I mentioned lately how much I adore Firefox, by the way? Had it not saved those for me, there are very few I would have remembered to check back with (there were a couple more on my screen that I closed last night, too, but I took care of those while on break). I like being able to have all those open in a single Firefox window, too, instead of what I used to do with a million pages open.....and it doesn't slow my comp down even in the slightest, so even better! Me gusta, me gusta, me gusta!

The Quirky People in Jessi's World

Alrighty, I told you I would do it. I didn't realize I'd do it this soon, but hey, whatever. Why waste any more time when I wanted to do it anyway, right? And I can always do another one later....again, like I originally mentioned in the first post about it. So here it is...my own version of the x365 challenge.....The Quirky People in Jessi's World. I have about the first month's worth ready, whether actually typed up and saved in Blogger, or jotted down in my planner....but who knows how long I'll keep on top of it. Wish me luck with staying with it the entire year. Weeeee!