Discovery of the Day: Dancing Brings People Together!

So this guy Matt that you see in the above clip scored the sweetest jobs of sweetest jobs. Someone paid him to travel around the world and video record himself dancing horribly with people. That's right. He got PAID to travel and dance HORRIBLY. With people who were equally as horrible. The result being one of the best clips to ever hit YouTube. There is something so universal about horrible dancing that no matter where in the world you are it elicits a smile and laughter. You can't help it. (OK...that guy in North Korea didn't look too happy but we'll forget that.) In today's age where it's easy to get caught up in politics, the bad economy, and all the ways that one guy is different from the next it's refreshing to see something so universally simple.

I particularly love that I found this clip today because this afternoon I attended a friend's chorus recital. That chours just happened to be a gay men's chorus. The author Armisted Maupin gave excerpt readings throughout while the 80+ chorus chimed in with song and dance. At the end, Maupin announced that his writings were based on his own life and struggle. And he shared that he himself had gotten married to his partner in Canada last year because it was not recognized here in the US. As of a few weeks ago, that marriage HAS been recognized in California. The audience wildly applauded. The men on stage wildly applauded. As I sat there, I truly wished that anyone who ever opposed equal rights for gay people could be there in that audience. When it comes down to it, those men on stage just want what we all do: happiness. And oh yeah, they WILL dance and sing! I for one hope they keep on dancing. I may be one straight girl but I'm ready to drop my horrible dance moves any time!! So do your thing, whatever that may be.

Discovery of the Day: My Brightest Diamond

I discovered "My Brightest Diamond" online today while I was listening to "The Hype Machine." The singer has a very distincitve voice. She reminds me slightly of Tori Amos. That same off kilter, wood nimph vibe going on. Very much girl in a fairy tale which is nice once in a while. We all need to escape sometimes.

Speaking of which today I had a vacation day and escaped myself into the woods. Mind you I did NOT have on a pair of fairy wings nor did I have a guy with bull horns chasing me...though that would have been a good story on Monday. After spending the morning running around I realized that I just could not deal with people today. So I grabbed a book and my camera and spent a lovely afternoon surrounded by trees and birds and breeze. There are times when nothing else can compare. If only to refuel before you jump back into the wilderness of modern life.

Discovery of the Day: Lee Iacocca is Pissed

I just finished reading Lee Iacocca's book "Where Have All the Leaders Gone" on the suggestion of a friend of mine. Quite frankly I don't think I would have picked up any book purposefully that has a picture of a rich old man smoking a big honking cigar on the cover of it if it hadn't been recommended. I have to say, I was pretty surprised at how pissed Lee Iacocca seems to be at the present time. Despite my preconceived notion of rich white men, Iacocca lambasts Bush and all of his cronies more or less calling them dimwits of the highest order. So right there he kind of won me over. He then goes on to lambast a whole list of folks including industry leaders, all manner of politicians, and the general public. His premise is that we HAVE NO leaders today. We live in a world where those in charge seem more interested in their own self interest and promoting a false sense of security. This can be seen not only with the handling of the war but also with the way we push children through the education system telling them "it's okay" before shoving their illiterate minds out the door to fend for themselves. As we sit back and remain complacent, other nations are rising to take the place that the United States once had as a leading nation.

The more I read and the more information I find on the internet and tv I can't help but to feel that the turning point for the United States happened a long time ago. We have become apathetic AND narcissistic. A deadly combo. It's not just the politicians...it's society as a whole. We expect to have everything and not work for it and that's that. Someone else fix the problem. We'll be chilling waiting for the reward. I'm thinking the big payday ain't coming.

Even if political change is possible in the near future, will that be enough if we don't have strong leaders throughout the community on many levels to make sure that our society is pointed in the right direction? Time will tell. But in the meantime, I'd say the time for apathy is over. So get up and start moving in some direction, any direction. If nothing else, at least it will burn some calories.

Discovery of the Day: The Stache is Back

Weezer just came out with a video for their brand new song "Pork and Beans". Great song. Great band. Pretty cool video. If you like Weezer chances are you are slightly nerdy but think you are cool. If you are slightly nerdy and think you are cool chances are you watch a ton of YouTube videos. If you watch a ton of YouTube videos and like Weezer you will be in a state of giddy delight over this video.

Despite all that is going on in the video though I can't get over Rivers Cuomo's moustache. How can you not be transfixed by it. Seems like more and more cool guys are sporting staches (Brendan Flowers from the Killers, Jemaine from Flight of the Conchords). I ask you this seriously gentlemen. WHY?!? Is it supposed to be ironic? I appreciate the commentary but I have to say, the staches are pretty repellent. Please do us a favor and bury this new fad. You are geekishly cool just the way you are.

Discovery of the Day: Maybe my Paranoia is Justified!

So I did wind up watching the "7 Ways the World Might Be Destroyed" documentary last night. Fortunately I missed the bottom 4 so I mananaged to stave off a few paranoid thoughts last night. So here are the top 3 ways the world might soon be destroyed:

#3) Nuclear War - at this point probably unintentional (though with the kooks in office who knows these days). For example, Russia's surveillance equipment may faultily show that we have sent an attack. They have to react within 15 minutes so they counterattack. Before anyone can realize it was all a technical error half the world is destroyed causing further mayhem that leads to overall destruction. YEAH!

#2) Germs/Bacteria - This really freaked me out. Understandably there are strains of viruses that can't be controlled (as in the monster flu I thought was killing me in February) but then there is the whole other matter of terrorists using technology to research deadly viruses and then planting infectants out in the civilized world. So now I want to walk around with a face mask and load up on canned goods in the event it's already begun!

#1) Global Warming/Climate Change - Of course! And the beautiful kicker that was repeatedly stated as sweet music played atop shots of cuddly polar bears and arctic tundras is that we are doing this to ourselves as we speak. The ice caps are going to melt. The sea level is going to rise displacing millions of people. Areas that aren't under water will suffer drought and the world will plunge headlong into civil unrest as everyone fights to capture the last of the resources. But Al Gore says we won't be totally screwed if we just start riding bikes and recycling. I don't know kids. I'm thinking of finding myself a high mountain and setting up camp.

The odd part is that I scoffed a bit at the extreme climate changes that the scientists say are occuring. I mean, can't we just say that the extreme weather is just random and will even out over the course of time? Then today I am sitting at home and start hearing a racket outside my door. It is raining incredibly hard and (as I discover in my mad dash to close the sunroof on my car) bits of hale are falling from the sky and bouncing off everything. OK Nature! I get it! You win. We screwed you over. I am a believer!

And in case that wasn't enough..here's a littler docu-blurb about what will happen to your body if we all get sucked into a black hole. Happy Sunday!

Discovery of the Day: Movie Rentals Are Flipping Expensive

So I was supposed to go to a friend's graduation party today but decided to stay at home instead because a) I have a sore throat, b) the party is a bonfire, c) it's supposed to rain all night long, and d) I don't feel like being wet, snotty, and miserable all night long. I'm a bad friend. I admit it. Instead, I decided to get a frozen pizza and curl up at home with a good movie and my loyal cat. It's been about two years since I went to a video store to buy a movie because I always get them free at the public library. I just happened to have no movies come in this week so I decided to be frivilous and go to Blockbuster. I figured I would get a few movies so I could make a night of it. I asked the nice lady who worked there how much the new releases were. $3.71 per movie!! When did that happen?!? Am I just a cheap old woman now or does that not seem really expensive. I might as well go to an actual movie theater for that much money! Needless to say, being the poor woman I am I only got one movie. The History Channel has a feature tonight on seven ways the world may die so I think I'll curl up and get myself paranoid instead. I'll keep you updated on my best apocalyptic theory...though death by chocolate would be my preference. "And lo the skies opened and spewed forth torrents of dark chocolate that did cover the planet smothering all in it's delicious goodness."

Discovery of the Day: New Flight of the Conchords Video

Happy Day! There's a new video from my favorite New Zealanders, Bret and Jemaine. The guys are sporting some old school roller skates and kickass polyester in a new version of "Ladies of the World". How could any lady resist a man who can do a split on wheels? Even though Jemaine looks a little too effective as a 70's dude with that big mustache and fluffy hair I still think he's motherflipping adorable. Love em!

Discovery of the Day: I'm Over Hillary Clinton

OK...here is where I get a little irritated. I understand that we are in one of the biggest marches to the presidential nomination in decades if not in a lifetime. I followed the nomination processes when they all started. I went and voted in Ohio for a nominee. I believe in being informed about the process. For God's sake, I worked as a voting booth peon for 13 hours straight a few years ago with 108 year old women. I get it. But I'm so sick of the bid for the Democratic nomination I could scream. I turned on tv last week to get information about the hundreds dead in Myanmar and all I get is analysis of Barack. I turned on my tv last night to get information about the hundreds dead in China and all I get is a bunch of people excitedly saying that Hilary is going to win West Virgina. And all I can think is "SHUT UP!!!!" There are more important things to focus on in this world that do not involve super delegates in any way. Can we not switch the focus a little so that we don't become this monotonous drone of unsurprising information.

Here is why I'm over Hilary Clinton. I don't necessarily have anything against her. I went to a Barack speech a few months ago and, though I found him very inspiring, I do have my doubts about him as well so I'm not a die hard Obama fan either. But if Hilary cares so much about this country, if she cares so much about the working class people like she says she does, why doesn't she give up. Does it shows she has "pluck" to go on even in the face of surely unsurmountable obstacles? Sure it does. It'd make for a great Lifetime movie. But lets look at all the people who are supporting her, who are giving her thousands of dollars to finance her dramatic drive that will end in her saying "Gosh golly, we sure did try!" How about saying that now and saving these working class people the money it would cost to drive to her rallies. At $4 a gallon, that could feed a family for a month! I'm frustrated to see once more how the "working" people are duped into supporting political machines that lead nowhere. If you love your country, then admit you tried and stop wasting everyone's time and money. Maybe then I can actually watch CNN for some actual news instead of disgustedly turning the channel and being forced into another episode of "The Hills". No one wants that.

Discovery of the Day: I Don't "Get" One Hundred Years of Solitude

Ok...I get it. I just don't "get" the "get" everyone else is "getting".

I recently grabbed a copy of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's supposedly earth shatteringly brilliant novel One Hundred Years of Solitude from our library collection to amuse myself while hiding from students during my lunch break. I'd been wanting to read it for a while since I'd seen it on every modern classic Top 10 list forever. I briefly hesitated when I saw the cover was bedazzled with an Oprah Book Club Choice sticker. I have delved into the murky waters of the Oprah Book Club before and it is a somber world indeed. But I gave it the benefit of the doubt as I ripped open the corner of my Ranch Doritos. Alright...starting out good. A little modern day mythology. Lots of crazy characters. Forging a new beginning in a savage land. I can dig it. After a few more days worth of p b & j sandwiches I started feeling a heaviness descend upon me. Is it just me or does this book sorta suck? I get the whole history repeating itself theme, I do. But, Good Lord, how many depressed men named Aureliano can a girl keep track of? How many dead ghosts can walk through the house reciting long lost Sanskrit passages? How many times can incestous relationships pop up before you start saying "ewww!"? It just all seemed like a big chaotic blur of dysfunctional family drama enough to keep Jerry Springer in business for decades.

Far be it from me to disagree with all the critics who claim this book is singlehandedly the savior of modern literature. Maybe y'all are seeing something I don't. But for now, I just don't "get" it. Oprah strikes again!!

Discovery of the Day: Coldplay Doesn't Suck Live

I've had my doubts. I've seen clips of Coldplay live before and have gauged them high on the cringe factor. There's something about a sensitive singer/songwriter with a high voice that really can go either way. If it's good, it's good. If it's bad I want to put my head in the oven and spare us both the humiliation of hearing more. I've been on the fence with Coldplay as well. I really like some of their songs and others..well..I just kinda want to sit Chris Martin down and tell him he doesn't have to use a rhyming dictionary when he writes his lyrics. Then again, I'm a broke librarian and he's rolling around in piles of money so what do I know. I have to say though, this clip from their 2003 Live DVD is very addictive. Nice and simple...and not TOO rhymey (is that a word? And what does IT rhyme with? Limey? Get on that Mr. Martin.)

So I tip my hat to Coldplay today. You don't suck live. Kudos.

Discovery of the Day: I'm Movin On

As opposed to Movin' Out by Billy Joel. Though I must say, I saw Billy in concert a few years back and he's still the man...despite the fact he kept humping his piano all night long. Not sure what that was about.

Anyhoo..I digress. My discovery of the day is that I have officially moved on. I met a group of former coworkers last night for drinks after having left my workplace earlier this year. Previous to leaving, I had fallen into that rut that we all get into after working at any place for a long time - talking about work whenever more than one person is gathered as your blood pressure rises and your heart races and you get progressively more pissed off over such things as a faulty postage machine. It got to the point prior to leaving that if I thought about some things too long I thought I might actually spontaneously explode. As I walked out the door my final day, I wondered how I would feel about the place that had taken up so much of my time for a good portion of my adult life. Sitting at the table watching former co-workers carrying on with the same old conversations I realized that I officially don't care. Not that I don't care about the place or the people. The place and (a few of) the people will still hold a special place in my heart but it no longer belongs to me. I've moved on to a whole new bunch of people and places and undoubtedly future problems. And I love it!

So go ahead and rock out with your fro Billy cause I'm raising a glass to my former frustrations. May they rest in peace.

Discovery of the Day : The Books

Sometimes when wandering aimlessly through the ever odder side trails of YouTube world you can run across some pretty amazing stuff. Today, I stumbled upon some videos from a band called "The Books". Being a librarian I felt it my duty to check them out (no pun intended). I can't say their songs are good. I can't say their songs are bad. In fact, I can't say their songs are even songs. Or music for that fact. But I was so intrigued that I went to their website (http://www.thebooksmusic.com/) and just spent about an hour in a Pink Floyd like trance listening to their recordings. Happy. Peaceful. Fish. Ahhhhh.....

Discovery of the Day: Wendy's Snack Wrap Meal

Having been a college student for 7 1/2 out of the last 15 years of my life (hey, I went back to get my Master's...cut me some slack!), I know a thing or two about fast food. The beauty of the Big Mac special sauce, the ideal amount of vinegar to slather on the Hamburger Station fries, the perfect cheese to nacho ratio. Now that I'm a full fledged working adult I am trying to grow up a bit. Which somehow translates to bringing peanut butter & jelly sandwiches to work everyday. Hmm...the adult becomes the child? I digress.

Anyhoo, having overslept the other day leaving myself no time to pack lunch I found myself wandering into fast food world again. I decided on Wendy's because it was in the opposite direction of the most dreaded mall (ugh!). I was getting ready to order my usual Single Special when what do I see? A Wendy's Chicken Snack Wrap Value Meal in not one but three varieties. Consisting of tasty tortilla wrapped chicken, small fry, and small drink. For $2.99. SOLD!! I have to say, it was the perfect size for my lunchtime food needs. And quite tasty. Though probably not nearly as healthy as I'd like to think seeing as it was drenched in Ranch dressing. But beggars can't be chosers.

Thank you Wendy's for bringing me my enjoyment for the day. Though I have to ask...when did a medium drink turn into the size of a two gallon trough bucket. Does ANYONE need to drink that much Cherry Coke?

P.S. As I was considering whether to stay or go after my delicious chicken wrap experience what song do you think comes over the piped in music speaker? "You're Beautiful" by James Blunt. I'm not even lying. I took it as a sign and left. So it's war is it? BRING IT!!