itunes on random shows me how much i like ridiculous music.  just now ricky martin's "she bangs" popped up and i'm unironically enjoying it. 

 
from able and baker

Okay facebook has this 25 things meme going on.  I got tagged for the version with 16.  Since I made an unprompted 25 things of awesome post last week it makes me happy to make another list of 25 things about me!  But I want to switch it up a bit, so I decided to do it on the blog instead of fbook and to make it more interesting, I've thrown in one lie into the list.  .  Can you spot it?

1. When I was a little I used to try and make my choices for things that would never come to pass. Such as  names for future potential pets, or what my three selfish wishes would be if a genie came but one who said no wishing for more wishes.  (FYI: My nonexistent cat would be named ember and i'd wish for perfect health, ability to speak/understand every language and dialect in the world, ability to play every instrument in the world at a master's level).

2. My parents used to make me create a summer vacation schedule in which 3 hours each weekday were spent learning algebra, geometry, or calculus out of the encyclopedia. I counted getting the book, opening the book and finding the page as 1/2 hour.  Closing the book, putting it away, and putting away my notebook I considered 25 minutes.

3. When I was in high school I nearly flooded my high school parking lot.

4. I've gone out on 2 blind dates and really enjoyed the whole process, they provide great stories.  (Also, hook a sister up!)

5. I was scared of dogs as a little kid but denied it to everyone, especially my childhood best friend who had 3 rottweilers.

6. Some of my early childhood memories consist of my grandfather taking care of me and my brother, loading us in the green Ford truck, saying a prayer before we headed out, driving, saying a prayer of thanks for safe arrival in the parking lot, and getting out to enjoy happy meals at mcdonalds.  I also liked to put french fries in my cheeseburger but nothing beat chicken nuggets.

7. I have 1 aunt and 5 uncles on my father's side (not counting spouses); I didn't know I had an aunt who passed away before I was born until I was 17.

8. In junior high and high school I didn't think having crushes were a useful use of my emotional energy and flat out refused to have any.  It wasn't until late college to the present that I enjoyed the thought of loving characters/people from afar (read: Helo/Tahmoh Penikett from BSG also chris thile-phenomenal musician. Squeal! My love for them runs deep and true.... and perhaps unreasonable and a bit scary).

9. My friends and I met Jack Johnson in the streets of New York after eating Lombardi's pizza smothered in garlic and an ear of mexican grilled corn.  I forgot about my breath until 30 minutes after we parted ways and I had floated on cloud 9 a little.  This was before his boring latest album, maybe around his 2nd or 3rd?

10. I'm always a little afraid of mixers, clubs, dances, or anywhere where groups of people are expected to interact (or even just in public) because the weirdest, middle aged guy in the room will always find me.  For instance,  the 50ish year old guy with an eye patch, beer belly, and cane who asked me if I was single while I was at the library. (Strangely, more creepy than the guy who threw out that awesome electric bill pick up line last week).

11. I still love going dancing and usually have a great time... except for that one time this short guy bit  my shoulder( not hard, but dude! It was really, really weird.)

12. From first through 6th grade my mom had my hair permed.  I refused after 6th grade, and then in seventh grade my mom cut my hair and gave me the worst haircut in my life.  She kept trying to even it out .... and gave me this odd cropped hair that had odd sticking out parts.

13. When I was in second grade I visited Korea, and watched smurfs in Korean (in a beauty parlor, getting me and my mom's hair permed).  I was really amazed that the smurfs were bilingual.

14. When I was 5 I dressed up as a fairy princess (which meant my party dress, a chopstick wand with tinfoil star, and make up); I loved being a fairy princess but hated the make up.  The memory of the feeling of stuff on my skin stayed with me all the way through law school and I refused to wear make up until recently.  As a result I'm slowly learning how to wear it. If I show up looking like a clown, please TELL ME, it is not on purpose.

15. When I was 13 I entered into the school district's pie baking contest and won 7th place. 

16. I have played or (tried to play) the baritone sax, chimes, piano, violin, guitar, mandolin, and flute.  I regularly play none of these things, though I'm trying to be better about the guitar and mando.

17. My favorite color is blue (in most of its shades) and I have a hard time not wearing blue all the time.

18. I do not want children of my own even though I really have a lot of fun with hanging out with younger kids.

19. When I was 2 or so my mom put me on a counter or some shelf, I fell off and scraped up my face.  My dad until last year thought I got it running and tripping in the yard.  Also my dad doesn't have any idea when my birthday is or a clear sense of how old I am.  He just knows I'm about 30 and unmarried.)

20. Until I was 7 years old our backyard didn't have grass, it was a yard of small stones my grandfather put down with a big corner for a garden.  He was also the one to teach me the joys of a fresh picked, ripe tomato with a little salt. 

21. I don't remember my dreams (except for 3 different nightmares that were really scarring that I still remember); but I talk, laugh and cry in my sleep.  My poor roommates.

22.  When I was in 3rd grade I wanted to dress up as a witch for halloween but my mom didn't want to pay for the costume.  So she let me get a cheap wig, carry a broom, and then she cut out holes in a black garbage bag for my head and arms to serve as the witch's dress.

23. I often go to concerts, plays, operas, and other events by myself because I'd rather go alone than bring someone who isn't into these types of things.  I have this overwhelming feeling of responsibility if I ask someone to go to something and they don't enjoy it that it stresses me out, so I just prefer going to the less popular thing by myself.

24. I was in a spelling bee in 5th grade and lost in the 2nd round by trying to spell the word "address"... I blanked when I saw the audience in the auditorium and I was very embarrassed.

25. I've rolled out of a moving car and scraped up the right side of my body.  My brother, who was with me, also flew out of the car but didn't roll, he ended up with a bleeding head.  A small wound, but head gashes bleed a lot.

1. NPH
2. That time of day when the sky is all red and orange and purple and gold
3. music at the largo
4. friends
5. dancing the night away
6. Joss Whedon
7. tv watching parties
8. mash ups
9. comics
10. xkcd
11. comfortable shoes
12. Helo aka Tahmoh Penikett
13. chocolate
14. friends who make desserts and who share
15. hummus
16. friends' babies
17. diet coke
18. fun roommates
19. my mom's mandoo
20. my mom
21. sleep
22. waking up naturally because there's no more sleep left in ya
23. last minute trips
24. rock band
25. puns
26. snowy days + warm snuggly bed + tea/hot chocolate (i miss this about east coast)
27. singing really loud by myself in the car on the way to somewhere
28. art
29. peonies, mums, daisies
30. chick flicks

i like to check the "people you may know" tool on facebook, not to add people but to see whether my circles of friends intersect.  Generally it's pretty straightforward ... the mutual friends are all from one self contained circle or another (church, or law school, or college or whatever).  But on occasion I find a person or two where the mutual friends are all from very different circles.  Yesterday, there were two people on the "you may know" suggestions where the mutual friends were individuals from three non-overlaping circles.  So fun! 

as you can probably tell... I'm easily entertained.

These pics are not my own, they belong to a dude named eric yang who generously said i could use the pics.

Sunday night I stepped out and checked out Sharon Jones and the fabulous soul sounds of the Dap Kings.  Sharon Jones is a soul singer who was discovered several years ago... I first heard their cover of This Land is My Land, This Land is Your Land, super funktastic.  Funk crosses all boundaries, I even heard Sharon Jones while I was in Finland.  Awesome.

She's got major stage presence, she doesn't walk across the stage... she STRUTS across the stage, and has struttin music.  I want struttin' music too.  Also, she's turning 53 this year.  When I'm 53, I hope I can strut like she does.  She also has a lot of fun with the audience, pulling people up dancing and singing with them.  So fun!  Although what's funny is that soul music isn't exactly the most... age appropriate for a kid, she actually stopped herself when she realized that the song she was singing... was not quite right for a kid (see pic above, that's her leading him off after she realizes what she's singing - think that arrested development scene when michael realizes that maybe he shouldn't be singining afternoon delight with his niece. Sharon brought him back up later for a different song with the lyrics changed to make it less creepy).

The only negative is the space.  I am not a fan of club nokia, it has this cluby loungey feel to it that is not cool. plus no seating.  I've decided i'm way too old to stand around but I'm not too old to bust a groove when the funky soul sounds of the dap kings starts to flow.  I mean when I'm 53 I'm gonna try really hard to be dancing the night away.

heck, when i'm 29 i'm going to try really hard to dance the night away.  Man I love good soul, makes me want to boogie. 

Okay maybe not really, but I've always wanted to be.... sadly reality falls quite short of the ideal....
but i thought it might be fun to chronicle a few of my "efforts".

1.  Photo message/doodle frame.

Here's the original:
 
I love this idea! an interactive frame! doodles! notes! but so expensive and wasteful as it's essentially a  big post it pad with a frame backing. I would go through it so quickly.

And above is my makeshift effort. yeah. i know. martha stewart i am not...  But I basically turned a whiteboard I got for 99cent Christmas (another story for another time) around to hide the "Pixar Cars" branding, cut up a place card holder, and taped the holder corners down and found a fun picture.  I like it... although it has a bit of a sad DIY feel about it, like I couldn't be bothered with the next step.

  2.  Nike Plus Pouch.

From here if you want the real deal.
See that pouch? it's to hold the little Ipod Nike Plus sensor pouch.  But I didn't want to spend the $6 for  a pouch to attach to my shoe (nevermind the fact I had spent 25$ for the privilege of tracking my running, though it's fairly easy to figure out, sigh).  So I decided to make my own...

Can you see what that is? I basically cut up and sewed a sock that didn't have a mate to work as a pouch, but I didn't to go that extra mile to sew it up all pretty, I just threaded it through my laces.  Eh, it works.

Well anyway, that's my effort to be crafty and save money.  It's a bit unfinished feeling, no?  I've never quite had the patience to make my efforts move that extra step to go beyond functional and into actually nice.  I would like some help with my next functional craft, though, if anyone has any hints. There's this thing called the R-strap that basically is a crossbody strap for your camera where the camera is connected by a single point so that it can slide up and down the strap without moving the strap.  I'd like one myself... there are a few diy versions, but they all miss the central point of allowing the camera to freely move up and down the strap.  anyways... If you guys have any thoughts to how to rig something like that using our wits and skills I'd really appreciate any suggestions!

a few pics plus commentary.