Buffalos vs. Lions vs. Crocodiles

If you have time to spare you have got to check it this video! Even if you fast forward it in places, it is amazing and rivals anything from National Geographic. Dumb old buffalos, but better late than never!

100 Best Novels

Today I stumbled upon (literally, check out stumbling here) a list of the 100 Best Novels, as chosen by Random House and Modern Library. I'm embarrassed to say that I had read pathetically few out of the list - that being said, there were a lot of classics. Among the ones that I have read:

THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald

BRAVE NEW WORLD by Aldous Huxley

SONS AND LOVERS by D.H. Lawrence

1984 by George Orwell

SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE by Kurt Vonnegut
A PASSAGE TO INDIA by E.M. Forster
AS I LAY DYING by William Faulkner
LORD OF THE FLIES by William Golding
PALE FIRE by Vladimir Nabokov
ON THE ROAD by Jack Kerouac
THE CATCHER IN THE RYE by J.D. Salinger
HEART OF DARKNESS by Joseph Conrad
A HOUSE FOR MR BISWAS by V.S. Naipaul
A FAREWELL TO ARMS by Ernest Hemingway
THE CALL OF THE WILD by Jack London

15 out of 100. I'm embarrassed. But then I checked out the Reader's List - and I fared much better, I'm happy to say. Because seriously, how many D.H. Lawrence novels can one person read? So here are my reads from a list of books that didn't all get originally published while the dinosaurs still roamed the earth:

ATLAS SHRUGGED by Ayn Rand
THE LORD OF THE RINGS by J.R.R. Tolkien
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee
1984 by George Orwell
ULYSSES by James Joyce (ok, sort of..)
THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald
BRAVE NEW WORLD by Aldous Huxley
THE CATCHER IN THE RYE by J.D. Salinger
SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE by Kurt Vonnegut
LORD OF THE FLIES by William Golding
A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY by John Irving
THE STAND by Stephen King
BELOVED by Toni Morrison
ON THE ROAD by Jack Keouac
HEART OF DARKNESS by Joseph Conrad
THE HANDMAID'S TALE by Margaret Atwood
THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP by John Irving
SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES by Ray Bradbury
AS I LAY DYING by William Faulkner
THE CALL OF THE WILD by Jack London
FARENHEIT 451 by Ray Bradbury
WATERSHIP DOWN by Richard Adams
IT by Stephen King
ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST by Ken Kesey
A FAREWELL TO ARMS by Ernest Hemingway

A respectable 25 - click here to see how many you've read...

Chapeau

Maybe I just have winter on the brain right now - my feet have already become frozen blocks of ice, to defreeze sometime in the spring - and all I can think about is keeping warm. That is why I think I need this hat. And my hat, I mean Beard Head Mustache. Amaaaaaazing!

Ugghhhhhhh.

Today, something I don't like.

Is anyone else dreading winter as much as I am???

Brashley Estates

We moved into our first home two years ago this October (!) and even though I feel like we have done quite a bit to the house, there always seems to be something new that needs work and attention. I guess that's what happens when you buy a house that is 60+ years old.

So here are some of my plans, in no particular order:

A bright yellow front door, or maybe a mustard color. I love red brick and yellow together! I think it might add a little curbside appeal, but do you think it might look weird because we are in a semi-detached home?

This is something I have been working on for the bedroom. So far I've only managed to paint half the bedroom white, but once I get motivation and finish it, I would like to have a plate display on the back wall. I'm slowly collecting plates, but need about 10 more colorful ones...

I like this look too, but would need to find some really nice plates if I'm only putting up a few. So far my plates have a) a cow, b)green beans, c)carrots and d) an apple pie recipe. I need more!

We have the kitchen floor from hell. Small and very cracked white tiles cover the space, with dirt-stained grout for a finishing touch. I hate them. No matter how clean you get them, they always look gross. But look at these pretty floors! White, clean, shiny and easy to keep looking good! My mouth is watering...

Same floor look, but awesome color - I would love to do this, but only if we take down the wall between the kitchen and living room and have the grey be the main color. Don't you think this light tuquoise would be so pretty with grey walls, and white and black accents?

Again, easy to keep clean and again, mouth watering.

This one we wanted to get done this past summer but time and money but greatly underestimated. The good news is we have a plan, and we will hopefully get our new deck up next spring. Oh, and our backyard looks just like this one. Only less trees (none actually), less delicious mountain air, more weird street people, and more weeds. Ahhh home.

Yes please.

On a very gray, very gloomy and very uneventful Tuesday, there is only one place I want to be. In this bed-fort of love. And if I could get B and F there too it would be pure bliss. As long as B was quiet and F didn't bedhog.

(image via Erin Ever After)

What's your idea of bliss?

That's Hideous

I found a hilarious website called That's Hideous and it's the complete opposite of this one. While I spend time posting things that are amazing, this website is all about the ugly, weird and hideous.


Because both of our sites are somewhat objective, I thought I would share some of the things that they think are hideous, but that I like. (See what I did there?)


Velvet shoes via freshness:







Fruit Loops t-shirt via fashionably geek:



Map Dress from freshness:




I actually had a hard time finding things that I liked on their site, because everything was... hideous. Weird.

Almonds, yum yum

Almonds are delicious. They're good for you and taste good and that's all I really care about. But even better than almonds are what can be created when you get creative with them.

Almond Breeze, be still my heart. Anyone who knows me knows that I looooove my almond milk to an extent that is probably unnatural. A bowl of cereal and some almond milk and I'm the happiest kid on the block. Most people don't seem all that receptive when I tell them how fantastic it is, but they are missing out! It doesn't have that gritty texture that you find in rice and soy milk, and it's gd delicious. Just try it, you can thank me later.

Almond tea. Two words: life changing. Again, people don't seem to get it when I tell them, but this tea is what dreams are made of. It is delicious and the best tea I've ever tried. So just stop fighting it and try it already.

Almonds = good.

Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling

This story obviously caught my eye because it involved cheese. Then I saw the photos and I couldn't not share, they are that amazing.

May 25th of this year marked the annual Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake near Gloucester, England. In a tradition that dates back at least 200 years, groups of faceless competitors chase an 8 pound round of Double Gloucester Cheese down an extremely steep and uneven hill, with a gradient of 1:1 in some spots. Thousands of spectators gather to watch the 9 races, and to celebrate the winners and console the losers afterwards. Injuries such as broken bones and concussions are commonplace, but the event continues to grow in popularity. The prize for the winner of each race? The round of cheese they were chasing, of course.

iPhoning it in....

Because I love Etsy more than most things, I'm always dying for an excuse to troll the site and find new and exciting handmade goods. These iPhone cozies are no exception, and they *almost* make me happy to have a phone that I have to answer every time it rings. Almost...

(via Chuka)

(via yummypocket)

(via onaroll)

(via TrackandFieldDesigns)

(via yummypocket - this one's definitely my fave!)

Love It.

How have I never seen this video before??

Oeuf

In my perfect world, everyone would wear these amazing mask and tail sets from Oeuf. I think the racoon one is my favourite.. which one would you wear if I forced you to?

Facebook Fools

A great discovery from my new favourite website, Passive Aggressive Notes.

Let this serve as a warning to everyone - be careful, Big Brother and all his friends are watching!

Signage

After this note appeared on the toilet seat at work, I got to thinking about the notes and signs that people make to avoid having awkward conversations. Obviously, the fact that someone would tape a sign to the bottom of a public toilet seat is amazing in itself, however I understand the desire to avoid confrontation in the workplace. So I trolled around looking for photos of similar signage, and I realized that this toilet seat was nothing in comparison to the ones I found... and that scares me...

(This one is from a hospital...you would be amazed by the number of booger notes I found, this one being my favourite because it was a whole wall, and not an isolated incident. And having a good friend who dated a serial booger wiper, I can appreciate the trauma and the necessity to leave a passive aggressive note.)

(Ok so a lot of this is disturbing, but boils??? EAR DISCHARGE??? Blecccchhhh)

(Uhmmmm.....)

(8:42, the perfect time for non-banana pastries....)


(Wow, really? Really people??!!)

(Umm, check, check, is this thing on? Anyone? Anyone?)

(images via passive aggressive notes)

10000 Views!

Thanks to everyone who has viewed, and continues to view my blog!

And a special thanks to those who comment, it's nice to get the feedback and know that there are people out there!!

I like you!

Twitter

I don't pretend to understand Twitter. I'm still trying to come to terms with cell phones and having people reach you all the time, let alone people knowing when you're drinking coffee or taking a crap. That being said, this is brilliant.

Justin is 28 and lives with his 73 year old dad. Justin Twitters the everyday stuff that his dad says. It's funny and worth checking out if you need a laugh today.

http://twitter.com/shitmydadsays

Ummm...

Must. Watch. This. It's only 41 seconds so you have no excuse. I'm all at once amazed, bewildered, confused, scared, and trying not to laugh.

(It's been pointed out to me that some of you don't understand what's going on, so I will just tell you. The man singing gets his mic stand knocked into him and he swallows the mic. True story. Now watch it!)

Where I Will Not Be Trick or Treating...

This house is down the street from ours. They say that a picture's worth a thousand words, so I will say no more. Except that it's even scarier at night cause it's all lit up. That's it.

In Da Hood

I love my neighborhood. There are so many interesting people, places and I'm always finding new and often bizarre things that make me smile. I've been wanting to take photos of my favorite neighborhood sights for a while, and today was the perfect day.

I knew it was meant to be when I walked past a house that has a lawnmower in the driveway with a sign on it that said "R.I.P. 1977 - 2009". I love it! Sadly, the mower was gone when I returned a few hours later with my camera, but I did get some other great shots. Enjoy!

I've always wanted to go to a Garag Sale!

I loooooove this house! The photo doesn't bring justice to the great bright blue color, and the gorgeous red flowers, but you get the idea...

I am in awe of the people who did this. No yard? No problem! I love a makeshift garden! Totally random and totally awesome.

Everyone's favorite is the "Color Tats, Pro $25" - not a great photo and definitely something you have to see to fully appreciate. I really hope no one is actually getting inked there, based entirely on the artwork of the sign.

And lastly, the musical fence. Should we do a white picket, chainlink or wooden slats? No, scrap that - let's do music instead!

I loooooooove this neighborhood!