Koala Saturday

5 Pic Friday

Stay with me as I follow a chain of logic. I just watched Murder on the Orient Express, a great mystery starring Sean Connery...

...and written by the great Agatha Christie...

...who sold more novels than any other author. I'm talking about billions of books. If she had gotten into politics she could have sold a lot more, like Chairman Mao...

...who has been delightfully satirized by this chair. I'm not sure I would sit in this though. Of course we all know Mao followed the teachings of Karl Marx...

...as did many Soviets, according to this AP photograph. Marx studied at the University of Berlin, which is not to be confused with the Free University of Berlin and its killer library...

...shown here. Would anyone not want to study in a building this awesome? They must have well read graduates.

Banner Time!

I've said it once, I'll say it again: I love fourfour and Rich Juzwiak. We here at JOP talk a lot about our banners and we try to keep them fresh (thanks mostly to Susan and Joe...I mean Paddles), and Rich's banners are just so inspirational. He recently posted all his banners ever, blowing my mind, and so here are some of my favorites.

By the way, Rich's posts are all over the place: super good movie reviews and mixes (follow the link above), ANTM recaps, and Pot Psychology, which I also love. Pot Psychology is not actually on fourfour but it's more than worth your time. Get ready to learn!

What the Heck

This movie a) made me dislike Anne Hathaway more than I do already b) made me want to cap myself after 18 minutes.

CrUsH ALeRt

I like the Up series so much!! I just finished 21 Up, and Nick (aka Nicholas Hitchon, look him up) has completely surprised me by becoming a crush alert. He's by far the most down-to-earth, attractive--think Andy Samberg but less apey, more thoughtful--member of the group* and then I just read he's a professor at Wisconsin-Madison, which was my #3 choice for grad school--I could have been so close to maybe running into him one day!

PS: wtf is up with John in 21 Up?? He's acting high and it looks like he tweezed his unibrow halfway through. Plus he's always been shady and self-conscious, like he knows he's an a-hole but he thinks it's your problem

*FYI, the Up series are films about a group of British kids at ages 7, 14, 21, 28 --> 49 (most recently) and, I hope, for the rest of their lives. The focus is on class differences and belief systems, but the real fun is just watching them grow and change. Also some of the upper-crust kids are hilariously out of touch with the world. These are awesome documentaries and completely riveting.

NC State Fair

YAY!!! I love the tallest Ferris Wheels. I love the fried dough. And I adore the Village of Yesteryear. What is your favorite part of the Fair?

Gel from Heaven

Do you guys know what this stuff is? Seth Fisher generously brought me back 2 tubes from his trip to France earlier this year, and it's re-fueled an old addiction...an addiction that left me crying, by the side of the road, and 50 pounds heavier, once upon a time.

Just kidding, but it is hard to stop with this stuff once you get started. Picture this: vanilla, chestnuts, sugar, water. In a paste, but there's nothing to it so it looks like a gel. Stir it into your yogurt. Fill a crepe with it! Slather some on a cookie. Eat it from a spoon! Things get out of hand really easily!

I know it's a little early, but if anyone's wondering what to get me for Christmas, they're selling it on Amazon. Shipping is $5.00, so you might as well get 3 or 4 while you're at it. Just saying!

5 Pic Friday

It's time to start thinking about Halloween options.

Prince

Roman Polanski

Indiana Jones

Paul McCartney

Darth Vader

Safety first!

Here is a public service announcement (PSA for short) from me to you: look out for bikes and scooters on the road!!

This morning, I was scootin' along, obeying all the safety rules, when a stoplight turned green--nobody had a left turn arrow--and I scooted across the intersection and 2 separate cars tried to turn left onto me. The first one was an over-hasty minivan (I thought), and after I yelled at her I continued on my path...but the car behind her was already turning left, too! And he slammed on his brakes, stopping short about 3 feet from my left thigh. I yelled at him a little bit and he kept looking up at the light behind me, hoping for a green arrow to magically appear. I'd actually hoped I was in the wrong, so that this situation would be easily avoided next time (that I was in control and could fix it), but no. I was right. Which is scary.

WHAT THE HECK PEOPLE. Look ahead for smaller vehicles. Don't accidentally kill someone just because it's too much trouble to look around!

Ben Keough

It's crazy to me that Elvis has a 20 year-old grandson...and that he "rocks" "guyliner" (Ben, left). At first, I was like, who is his mother?? Obviously Lisa Marie. Even more crazy is how much he resembles Elvis (center). AND the guy that played Elvis in the TV movie Elvis and Me (Dale Midkiff, right).