One of my favorite books: The Giving Tree

This book reminds me of being at my grandmother’s house. It lived there along with a hodge-podge of other toys that had just always lived at Grandma’s. Like my mother’s old baby doll and the clothes my Grandma sewed for it. And the life-sized stuffed pink python my Grandpa brought my mom from a toy convention he attended in NYC in the 60s.

Cinco de Gael

Dos cosas:
1) Feliz Cinco de Mayo – por favor celebrar con Gael, my very handsome EXACT BIRTHDAY twin.
2) Interestingly, this makes me feel homesick.

“Quiero Que Me Quieras” from Rudo y Cursi

This is how I roll – er, cake

clipped from lifehacker.com Microwave an Instant Chocolate Cake in a Coffee Mug By Gina Trapani, 5:00 PM on Mon Nov 10 2008, 33,534 views Sate your afternoon sugar cravings with a dead-easy chocolate cake recipe that only requires hot chocolate mix, flour, an egg, cooking spray, and oil (all stuff you’ve got in your pantry anyway). Grab the biggest microwavable coffee mug you’ve got in your cupboard, and cover the inside with cooking spray. Mix up four tablespoons of flour and nine tablespoons of hot chocolate mix, then throw in three tablespoons of water, three tablespoons of oil and one egg. Once it’s thoroughly mixed into an even batter, microwave the whole shebang for three minutes on high. Watch how high it rises from the cup in the video below:

Brilliant, still relevant, and in my grill

Sometimes, despite never crossing your life’s path before, a thing or person or concept or otherwise will suddenly intersect your life multiple times over in a concentrated period. This happened to me recently with this brilliant Network clip. This is how it went down:

July 20
Travis played the audio clip just before taking the stage for their first concert in Russia.

July 23
My favoritist-in-the-whole-world-but-now-tragically-canceled podcast, the Bryant Park Project, did a segment which discussed the likelihood of Heath Ledger winning an Oscar posthumously. Peter Finch is the only person to have received the honor after passing, and he did so for Network.

July 25
Somewhere in my YouTube searching for the “Truth in Advertising” clip, it was one of the related videos.

And it’s really really good.

PS: how fabulous is 70’s Faye Dunaway? Faye, Lauren Bacall and Katherine Hepburn are invited to my fantasy dinner party.

Inspiration for those with a persistent creative nag

3 more volumes on YouTube

Moscow Never Sleeps

but I really should…

SUNNY!

In 1978 Boney M. made a much publicized promotional visit to the Soviet Union, which in the shadow of the Cold War made them one of the very few Western acts along with Elton John to do so. Although tracks like “Rasputin” were officially banned in the Soviet Union because of their lyrics, the band was still welcomed by the Soviet regime and this visit resulted in an enormous popularity in the entire former Eastern Bloc that has lasted for more than three decades.

Rah rah Rasputin, indeed.

Shake it to the ground

More from Merlin and some other funny guys

Russians generally think someone has something up their sleeves if they smile too much. Surely laughing out loud on the metro and on the elliptical at the gym today was in line with my “You’re American: Keep It Low Profile” tactic. I’m not proud, but all it takes is a little poop talk and I’m rollin’. And an Estelle Getty incorporation doesn’t hurt, either. Confused yet? Check it out:

Scar Jo does Waits

I might be weird for taking this much joy from steadfastly disagreeing with nearly everyone on this one, but it’s only because that never happens. Usually I find some critics somewhere that agree with my initial instincts on a matter or (chicken/egg) commentary that shapes my ultimate opinion.

Alas, this is not the case with Scarlett Johansson’s foray into the music world with “Anywhere I Lay My Head”, an album of Tom Waits songs. It has been resolutely panned by every single critic, gossip blog and magazine I’ve read. But here’s the rub: I like it. I really like it. (Sidebar: Do you think Sally fully appreciates what she’s given us?)

So her voice isn’t going to bring down any houses… but it’s good enough and the production is interesting and solid enough in its own right to make it worth adding to my always-lacking-extra-bytes iPod.

At this point you’re probably assuming some or all of the following:

1 – this blogger is a Scar Jo superfan
2 – this blogger is a Tom Waits superfan
3 – this blogger has no taste in music

But none of those assumptions are true. (Although at times my penchant for Eurotrash does jeopardize my music cred – but that’s when I invoke the “wide ranging appreciation” clause.)

If you asked me about Tom Waits before I heard this album, I would have rambled on about not being familiar with his songs, not liking his voice, and generally not understanding his appeal. Much like Neil Young, he’s an artist I feel I should like/appreciate/”get”, but unfortunately I don’t. And truth be told I haven’t tried too hard.

Alls I know is I like what SJ did here. And I know that this post has gone on too long. NEXT.