Favorite Commercial of All Time

So I'm kind of a sap and I've always loved the Hallmark commercials (even more so than their movies a lot of times). More often than not, they make me all teary and when a freaking COMMERCIAL can make you cry, well, that's saying something for the power of good advertising. Or maybe it's just saying something about me being a freak show, but I choose to go with the former.

My favorite commerial of all time actually aired when I was a kid, aged maybe 8 or 9. It is a Christmas commercial about a little boy waiting for his older brother (who he adores) to come home from college for the holiday. Except there is a blizzard raging outside and as the hours wear on, he becomes resigned to the fact that his brother probably won't make it in time. In their family, they have a tradition that the brothers sing Christmas carols together for the family on Christmas Eve. That night, the little boy starts singing "O Holy Night" (btw, my fave Christmas carol) all alone. I'm sure you can deduce what happens next, given that this is a Hallmark commercial.

The commercial aired during Hallmark's presentation of "The Secret Garden" (which is actually a fabulous movie), and even as a kid it moved me and has stuck with me all these years. I've tried finding it online several times, but until now I've had no luck. Today it randomly entered my thoughts and I decided to hop on over to YouTube to see if anyone had posted it since the last time I checked a year or so ago. I pretty much squealed out loud when I typed in "Hallmark Christmas commercial brothers" and it magically appeared. YouTube, I love you.

It Gets Better

The world needs more people like Dan Savage. In case you don't know who he is, Dan Savage is the openly-gay author of the sex column "Savage Love" which he has been writing on a weekly basis for the Seattle alternative newspaper The Stranger since 1991. The column is very frank, humorous, sometimes eyebrow-raising, and always tell-it-like-it-is. While many of the people who write in with questions for Savage are gay or lesbian, just as many are straight and the column is always entertaining and insightful which is probably why it is now internationally syndicated. Savage can be extremely crass and is often harsh in his replies to people he thinks are not thinking through their situations intelligently, and he's taken a lot of criticism for that, amongst other things (the Santorum campaign, anyone?). But he consistently makes good points about problems in our society. For example, in an effort to show how hypocritical denying homosexuals in committed relationships the right to marry is, he and a lesbian friend went to obtain a license to marry one another. He wrote of the experience, "We emphasised to the clerk and her manager that Amy and I don't live together, we don't love each other, we don't plan to have kids together, and we're going to go on living and sleeping with our same-sex partners after we get married. So could we still get a marriage license?" According to Savage, the license department manager said, "Sure. If you've got $54, you can have a marriage license."

Part of what makes Dan Savage so great, however, is his propensity for caring about others. In interviews, on This American Life, and occasionally in his column, he references his husband Terry (who he's been with for 15 years) and their son DJ (who they adopted twelve years ago) with such love that it's almost heartbreaking. One of the sweetest This American Life episodes I ever listened to was a story of Dan getting up in the middle of the night with a sick six-year-old DJ and talking to his son about why he thought his two daddies shouldn't get married. He didn't try to sway him one way or the other, but simply asked questions and let him reach his own conclusions. You can listen to the episode by clicking here and then clicking on "stream episode" (Dan is the second story, but the rest of the episode is great as well). Reading his column, you would never characterize Dan as someone who has a big heart and is an inspirational guy, but that is exactly the case. Never has it been more so than now.

In his "Savage Love" column yesterday, Dan Savage started his "It Gets Better" video project. Responding to the recent suicide of Billy Lucas, a bullied gay high school student, Dan and his husband Terry made a video for all of the LGBT middle and high school kids out there who are struggling to get through each day. In the video, Dan and Terry talk about how they, too, were bullied mercilessly in high school but how they're so glad they perservered and got through it because their lives are so much better now than they ever would have imagined. He then invited other adult members of the LGBT community to submit their own "It Gets Better" videos to his YouTube channel in the hopes that kids who may not see the point of getting through these painful years will watch the videos, have role models to look up to, and know that their high school lives are hellish but only temporary. Dozens of videos have already gone up on the site, from kids who are only a couple of years out of high school to people in their sixties and beyond all sending the same message: life will absolutely get better for you if you can stick it out just a couple more years. It's an ingenious idea that will hopefully save lives and will undoubtedly make some kids out there rest slightly easier knowing this isn't all there is.

Below is Dan and Terry's video, which kick-started the project. And here is a link to an interview Dan gave to the New York Times about it. Like I said, we need more Dan Savages in this world.

It's Official.

OK Go has the best videos ever. If you love dogs, this will totally make your day.



After you've gotten your mind around how cool this video is, check out this article on the making of it.

Rock on.

New Song Obsession(s)

There are two songs I've been listening to over and over lately, and they're rather different from each other. "Lost" by Anouk is slow, beautiful, and sad. "Kids" by MGMT is definitely more upbeat and has an alternative and minor tone to it. That being said, the official video for "Lost" won't allow embedding, so click on either link above to watch it (sorry for the little ad at the beginning--totally annoying, I know). The official video for "Kids" is completely disturbing and I hate it. So below is a different one that I find a bit more palatable and which also includes lyrics. Don't even think about asking me what these lyrics mean. I'm going to guess that it's some big piece of symbolism that is far beyond me. It doesn't matter, because the song itself rocks.

The Wait is Over

I'm currently in the middle of reading this:

I'll be back when I have something to report.

Um, Awesome?

"Yes, I'd like a heart attack with a side of fries please. Oh, and a diet coke."

What is going ON with fast food these days? Is this a backlash against the organic/free-range movement? I mean, I'm the first to admit that I love me some junk food, but I wouldn't go near these things with a ten-foot pole. Lately, it seems like a never-ending competition between restaurants to see who can come up with the most wretchedly unhealthy sandwich. Here are our contenders:

First we have the so-meat-tastic-it-doesn't-need-a-bun KFC Double Down. It contains two fried chicken filets that are the "buns" of the sandwich. Between the filets we have two slices of Monterey Jack and pepper jack cheese, two slices of bacon, and "special sauce". All this can be yours for a mere 540 calories, 32 grams of fat, and...wait for it...1,380 milligrams of sodium :

A strong contender, the Double Down, but maybe not strong enough. For next we have the lactose-intolerant-nightmare from Denny's, the Fried Cheese Melt sandwich. This culinary nightmare contains four fried mozzerella cheese sticks, smothered in American cheese, all between two pieces of sourdough bread. The entire sandwich is then fried again. Of course, it's served with a side of...? You guessed it: fries! Though Denny's has yet to release "nutrition" information about the sandwich, diet experts estimate that it is approximately 1400 calories. Add in the fries and marinara sauce and you have a meal that is over 1900 calories:

Not content to sit idly by while the fast-food chains of America get their kicks contributing to the expansion of American waistlines, the Wisconsin State Fair wanted in on the action. Now, to be fair (get it...FAIR??), state fairs are not exactly known as meccas of healthy eating. However, I think this next creation is at least equally as caloric and fattening if not more so than the fried candy bars and Twinkies that have become a state fair mainstay. That would be the Krispy Kreme Cheeseburger. Sold at the Machine Shed tent, this sandwich consists of a regular beef patty smothered in melted cheese with a Krispy Kreme doughnut instead of a regular bun. For an extra dollar, you can even top it with chocolate-covered bacon! The burger will set you back 1,000 calories (without the bacon), so I figure that if you want to be efficient, simply eat two of them and you'll have reached your daily recommended caloric intake. Using up your expensive groceries with silly things like snacks or dinner? No need! Having to think about cooking a regular meal with actual vegetables? Fuggedaboudit. Pretty tempting, eh?

Last, but certainly not least, Burger King decided to up the ante. Don't you hate it when you just can't decide if you want a burger or pizza? Well, those days are over. Now just head on over to the New York BK Whopper Bar where you can order the Burger King Pizza Burger. What might a pizza burger consist of? Glad you asked! Burger King has laid four quarter-pound whopper patties (for the math-disabled among us, that would be a full pound of beef) on top of a nine-and-a-half inch sesame seed bun. The patties are then covered in pepperoni, mozzerella cheese, marinara sauce, and "pesto-flavored" mayonnaise (unfortunately, there don't seem to be photos of this particular artery-clogging food-substance on the Nets yet so you'll just have to use your imagination). To be fair, Burger King says that this sandwich is meant to be shared. But come on--do you really think there aren't people who will attempt to eat the whole thing themselves? Mmmm...2,520 calories...heart stopping. Literally.

I'm fairly certain that calories entered my body from simply looking at photos of this stuff. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I need to eat some broccoli.

I Know This Much Is True About Park 51

1. It is not a mosque. Technically, a "mosque" is a Muslim holy place in which only worship can be conducted. Instead, Park 51 is a proposed community center for anyone who wants to use it (not just Muslims) containing a culinary school, a swimming pool, basketball courts, a bookstore, a performing arts center, a childcare center, and an Islamic prayer center.

2. The center was originally called Cordoba House, meant to invoke 8th-11th century Cordoba which the project's sponsors considered to be a model of peaceful coexistence between Christians, Muslims, and Jews. When opponents of the project started attacking the name, claiming it was actually referring to the Islamic conquest of the Christian city of Cordoba (which is historically inaccurate), the project's developers changed the name to Park 51, a name they say embodies the city and culture of New York.

3. Park 51 will not be built on Ground Zero. It will not be built next to Ground Zero or even across the street from Ground Zero. It will be built more than two blocks away. In fact, due to other buildings obstructing the view, one will not even be able to see Park 51 from Ground Zero. You know what is planned to be built on, or rather IN Ground Zero? The One World Trade Center website says that, "The below-grade concourses will include approximately 55,000 square feet of retail space..." A mall. They're building a mall where over 2,700 people died in terrorist attacks. Where are the protests over that?

4. Islam is a peaceful religion. The vast majority of Muslims are moral, caring people who abhor the acts of terrorists done in the name of their religion. Lumping them all together as one group that should be condemned and feared is akin to equating all Caucasians with the Klu Klux Klan. It's simply not true. The fundamentalist Muslims who attacked the World Trade Center were extremists who misinterpreted the religion and then held up their misinterpretations as cause for their actions. Many Christians have also done abominable things in the name of their God, yet we don't condemn the entire religion or all of its followers. We recognize that the people who twist the faith and use it as an excuse to do terrible things are mentally ill and do not represent the majority.

5. America sets itself apart from so much of the rest of the world by priding itself on the fact that it accepts and encourages people from all walks of life, all races, and all religions to build a fulfilling life here. In practice, this has been far from true. From Native Americans to African Americans, women, to homosexuals, there is a significant history of discrimination in the United States. Millions of people have worked unbelievably hard to overcome much of this history. It would be an insult to the American citizens who came before us and fought for these freedoms if we were to backslide now and condone the hateful behavior of those who want to oppress a group of people in this country who have done no wrong. In America we stand up for people when we see a wrong being perpetrated against them. We take a stand against injustices. We treat people as we would want to be treated. In America, there is no room for people who go against these ideals.

6. Rather than see the building of a Muslim community center so close to Ground Zero as an affront to the atrocity that happened there, it is possible to see it instead as an extended hand. This could very well be the New York City Muslim community reaching out to other New Yorkers by saying, "This was a terrible thing that happened, to you and to us as well. We are also New Yorkers. We're trying to create a space that everyone can use and enjoy. In doing so, we want to revitalize the area and make it once more a place for happiness rather than sorrow." Muslims creating a place near Ground Zero where New Yorkers can learn, play, and thrive seems to me like a way to tell the extemists that they have not won and that with the help of Muslim-Americans, New York City has not been defeated.

7. The terrorists that attacked our country on 9/11 did so in the name of oppression, fear, and intolerance. What better way to honor the victims of the attacks than to do exactly the opposite of what the terrorists wanted? Bringing together the proverbial melting pot of religions, races, lifestyles, and ideas in a community of acceptance and tolerance would seem to be a pretty big slap in the face to those who, like the terrorists, propogate hatred, division, and oppression.

8. The reason Obama is supporting Park 51 is not because he's a Muslim. OBAMA IS NOT A MUSLIM. He is a Christian man who takes to heart the values of his religion, values of acceptance, tolerance, and unity. It's not hard to see how hatred and fear that leads to the suppression of a group of people can, when condoned, breed ever more hatred and fear leading to ever more suppression. It is this kind of vicious cycle that leads to atrocities like the Holocaust, the Sudanese genocide, and the Tutsi-Hutu conflict that resulted in the Rwanda genocide in 1994. These examples may seem like exaggerations of where we might be headed if the opponents to the community center win, but it doesn't take long before small steps in the direction of hatred turn into giant leaps.

9. The reason now given for the justification of the invasion of Iraq is that we were able to take down Saddam Hussein, dictator and leader of an oppressive regime that made life terrible for the people who lived in Saudi Arabia. Those people are Muslims. Why is it ok that we can give thousands of American lives to help the Muslims living under an oppressive regime, but it's not ok for those same Muslims to build a community center in New York City? Are we not participating in just another form of oppression?

10. I know my blog posts are not usually even close to being this serious, but this issue really has me all hot and bothered. Because denying a peaceful group of American citizens the right to improve a run-down and empty part of town simply because of their religion is not right. It's not noble, it's not honorable, it's not reasonable, and it's not constitutional. You know what is right? Looking past the needless fear and hatred to the fact that we're all just people who want the best for our country and ourselves.

I Couldn't Make This Up

On the way back from Akron, my friend Whitney (who rode with me to and from Columbus, where she's from) noticed a little restaurant across from a gas station where we'd stopped to fill up. Hey, it could have been worse: when she first looked at it she thought it said "Creamy Weenie"...

Road Trip!

Copious amounts of wine, a baby, the zoo, good food, and awesome cousins (well, an awesome cousin and his awesome wife--I don't have married cousins). What more could I ask for? Akron, Ohio, I'll be back.

Birthday Party

Today was my neighbor Amy's dog Keeva's seventh birthday. If you recall, last week was Clara's birthday. Clearly, the only logical thing to do in this situation was to have a dog birthday party. So we did. Dog cake (recipe here--but a word of warning: mixing the batter of this cake, which includes canned meaty dog food, will make you gag multiple times) was made for the canines, and Funfetti cupcakes for the humans (mmm...). The dogs were UBER-EXCITED even before they knew they were getting their very own birthday cake. They stuck to us like glue the whole time we were making it. And then? When they each actually got their own paper plate with a piece of cake on it (frosted with peanut butter, no less!)? Let's just say a new world opened up to them. A world of meaty cake. And that, my friends, is a world that should be denied no one.

The birthday girls, waiting patiently as their cake bakes.

Pretty sure this qualifies as a masterpiece (the sevens are because they turned 7 years old, and yes, we used Snausages for candles because we're brilliant like that)

After we sang the Birthday Song, Amy presented the girls with their pieces of cake

Nom nom nom...

With cake this good, it's hard to wait for your second piece
to cool off

When Watching "The Hills" Comes Back to Bite You in the Ass.

While it's not rare for me to do embarrassing things, I generally know they're embarrassing at the time they occur. You know, that time my high school boyfriend's mom walked in on us? Or that other time when my ankle gave out and I fell flat on my ass in front of a fancy restaurant with a giant picture window...facing me. Oh, and then there was that time when my mom came to visit and when I went to introduce her to two of my new friends here in grad school, I completely blanked on the name of one of them (I am ter.ri.ble. with names) so I only introduced one and completely ignored the other. LAME.

Today, however, I got to experience latent embarrassment, and friends, let me assure you that it is not any less humiliating. The story is this:

Several months ago, I went to a party hosted by my friends Jessie and Eric at their house. Prior to this party, Jessie had taken a writing class where she met a girl with whom she ended up becoming good friends. I'd only met this girl one or two times prior to the previously referred to party. I knew she went by two initials, and that the first one was "L." So when I saw her at the party, I went up to her and said, "Hey there! It's "LC", right?" She kind of smiled and mumbled something but I didn't really hear her. So I just went bumbling on with my oblivious self, not thinking anything of it. Until today. When Jessie put up a post on her blog congratulating LK on her engagement. LK, you guys. Not LC. But you know who IS LC? That's right: Lauren Conrad. So not only did I not get her name right, but I called her by the name of a vapid, spoiled, generally-watched-by-teenagers reality star. And in doing so, I also outed my "Hills" watching ways.

Damn you, guilty pleasures and being bad with names combination. And congratulations, LK. ;)

Kids these days...

really amaze me sometimes. This, my friends, is truly brilliant. It's getting a lot of press lately, and I 100% support the cause. The Flickr feed devoted to the project is also fantastic. If the younger generation really is made up of these kinds of people, I can't wait to see what the future's going to look like.



Check. It. Out.

I think I need one of these next Halloween.

How SICK are these costumes?! And how about what it took to learn how to move so authentically? In a word: badass.

Farmer's Market Flowers

I had to get them--the sunflower reminds me of home. :)

Champaign County Fair: On a Stick.

Happy Birthday to The Beara

Here's to six years of co-habitating bliss. :)

Eating her birthday Frosty Paws

Ahead of the Game

Call me crazy, but anyone who uses the words "libraries" and "cupcakes" in the same sentence makes me swoon. Not to mention, I am apparently on the cusp of being smack in the middle of a new pop-culture craze. Maybe all this grad school work will be worth it after all (not for the career, mind you, but for the cool factor).

Taking Matters Into My Own Hands

So, as we all know, I broke my foot exactly two months ago today and have been hanging out in Kansas with the parental units ever since as it's very hard for me to get around in my apartment by my self on one foot (longest. sentence.ever.). Three days ago, I called the local Express Care/Minor Med place to see if they had the capability of x-raying my foot to make sure it's healed and then taking off my cast. They assured me they did and that the doctor who took care of such things was only in the clinic on certain days of the week, today being one of those days. So, this morning at approximately 11:30 am, Dad and I drove to the clinic, checked in, and waited. And waited. And waited some more. Wait. Ed. Lots of waiting going on here. Oh, and did I mention that there was this mother and grandmother with three extremely obnoxious, highly energetic, and LOUD children waiting about five feet away from us the whole time? I mean, I love kids. I really, really do. So if I think a kid is annoying, you probably don't want to be in the room with him. Let alone three of them. Approximately two hours later, I was called to the back and x-rayed. Shortly after that, the doctor came in and told me it looked like my foot was healed and they would be coming back with a cast-cutter shortly. WOOOOOO!!! I was PUMPED!!! So I did some more waiting. Wait, wait, waiting. And then I waited some more. And finally, the doctor came back and said "Well, I'm really sorry, but we don't seem to have a cast cutter after all." Um, excuse me? I just WAITED FOR 2.5 HOURS SO THAT YOU COULD NOT CUT THE CAST OFF MY FOOT?! Yes, that was pretty much the gist of it. But they would be happy to refer me to an orthopedic person in town, but good luck getting in this week. But we'll be back with that referral. And then came--you guessed it--some more waiting. About another thirty-minute's worth. For a crap piece of paper I wasn't going to use. Because you know what? I had decided to cut the damn thing off myself. Which is exactly what I did. I came home fuming, grabbed a pair of scissors and some pruning shears, enlisted the help of my parents (who were not so sure we should be commencing with the medical procedures without a license but quickly acquiesced when they saw the level of my anger), and about 15 minutes later... my foot, along with my by-now-extremely-hairy-leg, was free!! FREE!!!! Two months of rolling around on a knee scooter? Over! Having a really terrible itch that I can't scratch because it's covered by my cast? Finished! Done! Goodbye! See ya, cast!

What have we learned today, boys and girls? That with a little will-power, anything is possible.

A Ten-Toe Salute!

Happy Fourth of July, from my mom and I's feet.

New Song Obsession

I just heard this on "So You Think You Can Dance" (don't hate--I'm not ashamed to admit it's one of my faves) and oh, the lyrics. Whenever you think someone couldn't possibly create a more beautiful combination of words, you get hit over the head with ever more gorgeousness.

Visitors

Remember this post from back in April? Well that little baby is now 2.5 months old and came to my parents' house for a visit this weekend (along with his parents, my cousin Ryan and his wife Ryan). Graham is adorable and full of gummy smiles and baby coos. And while Ryan (my cousin) thinks he smells like salt n' vinegar potato chips (which, if it were true, would make me want to eat him in one bite because come on, smily baby AND salt n' vinegars?!), I think he smells exactly like cute baby. Which is fitting.

Animals. They'll get ya every time.

Ok, so those of you who know me at all know that I am a die-hard animal lover. I'm guessing most of you remember the Christian the Lion video (the one that makes all but the most stone-hearted teary every time you see it)? Well, here's another one in the same vein. This one is about Kwibi the gorilla, and what he does when the man who raised him for five years goes back to find him in the African jungle five years later. Again, break out the Kleenex.

"Blame it on the Twain, yeah, yeah..."

My dad drove me up to Champaign last weekend for an all-day on-campus web design class to kick off the online version of said class for this summer. It's a fairly boring and uneventful eight-hour drive each way, so we decided to add an adventure on the way back to Kansas by stopping in Hannibal, Missouri, childhood home of the beloved Mark Twain. Hannibal is a cute little town, but it's clear that its main source of income comes from capitalizing on its heritage as the Twains' former town of residence. Everything there was Twain-ed out from the Mark Twain caves, Mark Twain Lake, and Mark Twain Dinette to the Mark Twain bookstore and TwainTown (I'm not even sure what that is, considering it was the sign on a storefront, but I'm guessing it was one of the many Twain gift shops). It was Twainapalooza! Twainpochalypse! A town of epic Twainportions!

Not only did Dad and I get to tour Twain's boyhood home (and let me tell you, I literally crawled up and back down fifteen wooden stairs on hands and knees because I wasn't going to let a little thing like a broken foot rob me of the chance to see the second floor of Mark Twain's house), but we also toured a replica of Huck Finn's house, as well as the Mark Twain museum, which was really interactive and pretty impressive. I could have stayed there all day long, checking out all of the other little shops in town (it was like stepping back in time), but we had to get home. So after a refreshing root beer float in the Mark Twain Ice Cream Parlor (where we sat next to two little boys, one schooling the other that the only way to play Tic Tac Toe is "fair and square"), I beat back my longing to take a horse-drawn carriage tour of the town and we got back in the car to finish our trip, visions of literary wonder dancing in our heads.

The Mississippi River, which never ceases to remind me of Huck and Jim

We stopped for lunch on the way in at the Mark Twain Dinette. They had the most delicious homemade root beer I've ever tasted.

A sculpture of Twain and all of his literary characters. This was supposed to have been made into a life-size sculpture to honor Twain's 100th birthday in 1935, but no one could raise enough money during the Depression to make it happen.

The Huckleberry Finn House

Room One in the Huck Finn House. The ceilings were super low, even for the vertically challenged like myself.

Room Two in the Huck Finn House

Twain's boyhood home is on the right.

Inside Twain's boyhood home

Strangely, even though he only lived there as a boy there are adult statues of Twain in every room in his house.

This quotation hits me right in the happy spot...

A really cool (and really old) drug store in downtown Hannibal

Twain's father's law office

Tom Sawyer's Fence, which has been signed by many tourists (I had no pen so sadly, I wasn't one of them)

Downtown shops--you can see TwainTown on the right

The Becky Thatcher House

The Mark Twain bookstore

A horse and trolley contraption will take you on a tour of downtown Hannibal. The ice cream parlor my dad and I went to is to the left of the horse and trolley.

Tom and Huck