i like HOUSES (part II)

guys, i don't even CARE what you think anymore. i don't even care what ANYONE THINKS anymore. THE ONLY THING I CARE ABOUT ARE HOUSES. AHHHHHHHHHHHere are some more.

oh my god you guys my friend is going to italy, and when he told me that the first thing i thought of was how much i loved the hotel we stayed in when we went there, and how much this picture reminds me of it. it was completely luxurious and is probably definitely one of the main reasons i will/want to go back to rome. look at those curtains. THOSE ARE FESTOON CURTAINS.

so another deal i have is this thing with water environments. it could be because i'm a cancer, but i don't even care what it's due to, just so long as i have water around me somehow. if i had this room, or visited it, or just was in the general vicinity of it, i would literally cry tears of joy and then get naked and pretend to be a mermaid.

on the opposite side of the scenery spectrum we have this little woodsy-lookin' place. i like it. honestly, i probably couldn't spend a lot of time in it without getting a little bit claustrophobic, but for those days where you just want to curl up in a ball and hibernate, this setting seems perfect.

this is just plain ridiculous and for that reason absolutely perfect. one of the comments below the link suggested it would be even more beautifully superfluous as a bathtub, and i agree.


one of the things i've recently come across (but seems not to be an incredibly new event) is the idea of a conversation pit. i think if done correctly, it could be like the terrestrial version of a hot tub mixed with a kiddie playpen, but without the threat of soiled pants and wrinkled fingers (sshh, that makes sense).

okay, this is walking the line between "creatively/spiritually scattered" and "straight-up voodoo", but i think if you don't look at it too hard, it's a kind of simplistically majestic. i'd halfway expect fairies to pop out around the witching hour, or whatever. whatever.

this is amazing. my grandparents had an earth-shelter house, and i could never get over the fact that it was possible to run up on their roof. this is like that times a million beautiful things.

i don't even know what to say about this picture, except that i am now rearranging my room to resemble it exactly. and that it makes my insides smile. and that
it will be mine. somehow.

okay, that's enough for now. time to go explore MORE HOUSES MORE HOUSES MORE HOUSES.

i like kids with animals

so, i'm subscribed to this indie radio station's podcast, and all the way from seattle they ship to me in the mail a file that dissolves in my mailbox and is directly uploaded onto my itunes (that's how a podcast works, right?). the files are indie songs that haven't hit the main airways yet, and probably never will, and they send me some good ones usually. their podcast where i first heard of passion pit and the band citay (sit-ay? sigh-tay?), both prime examples of the silly names little indie boys like to name their groups (other examples: starfucker? how absurd! natalie portman's shaved head? what a mouthful!). anyway, there's this band called dan le sac vs. scroobius pip, and they have this song called "thou shalt always kill". it's a pretty funny song, the kind said silly little indie boys like to quote to each other while combing their mustaches in front of their cleverly-stenciled mirrors, and one of the lyrics in the song is "thou shalt not think any male over the age of 30 who plays with a child that is not their own is a pedophile. some people are just nice."

god, ANYWAY, the point of that ridiculous segue is that i identify with that statement. not because i am a male over the age of 35, but because i too like to play with children that are not my own. actually, not so much play with them.. more like just look at them. but see the thing is, i'm not a pedophile! i just think kids are really adorable, and i kind of want one. like, to own. even more adorable that genetically beautiful children are genetically beautiful children with animals! and here are some pictures to prove my point (real creepsters, go away):

okay, so, this probably isn't the best example to start off on, but i think it still counts, because someone probably thought this was adorable in like, the ancient tang dynasty.

this is better. i predict that that boy trips in about two seconds and cries little adorable tears, which the basset hound licks off his face.

this is so cute, and i don't even like chimpanzees. but you know what, if they're happy, who are we to tell them they can't be together?

whoever invented baby elephants, thank you. they make every situation/picture an exquisitely sweet moment in time that nobody can resist. if i saw a hobo with a baby elephant begging for money, i would give him everything i had, and then probably take the baby elephant, because i'm pretty sure that can't be too healthy a lifestyle for it.

was a three-headed dog in the harry potter books? actually, who cares.

that's me. no really, that's me. me and my penguin friend, pengy.

it's also funny when animals freak kids out. case in point:


however, the other way around is not funny, and just mean:

see? what a rude little child.

in conclusion, i am not a pedophile. come on, scroobius. let's go.

i like filters

camera filters: what are they? where did they come from? who do they benefit? who did they vote for? where can i find one?

all these questions and more are going to be answered in today's highly technical blog post, brought to you by the left side of my brain.

first, let's get straight to the heart of the matter:
1) q. what are they?
a. filters are photographic accessories that, when used properly, can allow the photographer to alter or fine-tune the picture being taken. made out of either transparent glass or plastic, they come in handy whenever environmental conditions are not entirely desirable, or just not what you're looking for (i.e., not cool enough). filters either are screwed on the front of the lens (called the lens thread), or utilized via a lens mount, which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like (for the hearing impaired: a little holder thing into which the filter slides). they do a bunch of different things, including but not limited to:
-polarizing
-illusionizing
-color correctizing
-uv reduzing
-automatically making you look professional-zing

2)q. where did they come from?
a. uh, i think britain. the earliest record of existence i could find was an article describing how this one british guy was like, "it's all about primary colors, y'all."

3.)q. who do they benefit?
a. anyone. anyone in the world, ever. have you ever looked at a neat photograph and thought, "that looks neat"? someone was probably using a filter for it. you're welcome.

4.) q. who did they vote for?
a. sources say they voted for ross perot, but i heard a rumor they wrote in jay z. believe what you want.

5.) where can i find one?
a. i don't know. your camera store? online? i'm not your mother.

...yeah, that wasn't very technical.

more or less.

I like Barbershop Quartets

I have to get something off my chest. I really don't like musicals. The songs get awkward, especially when they're not well known show tunes. Regardless, I usually end up seeing several every year.

Last Sunday I caught Zilker Theatre Productions' performance of The Music Man. Compared to last year's rendition of Beauty and the Beast, the show was abysmal. None of the actors were really at fault. The plot moved slower than a slowpoke walking through a molasses factory in a very slow way.

Fortunately, there was a creamy center of redemption in this cyanide-laced twinkie. In fact, this high fructose nugget was partitioned into little chocolate and vanilla sections.
The Chocolate: Unintentionally funny references to author Honoré de Balzac. I don't think I need to spell that out for you.
The Vanilla: Prominent use of a barbershop quartet.

Barbershop quartets are remarkable for a few reasons.
Men are generally oafish and unappealing. Look in any men's magazine. It's full of women. Look in a women's magazine. Also full of women!
That's why it's so surprising when you get an acoustically pleasing product out of four otherwise uninteresting individuals.

Clip from a film version:


I don't think I'm the only one who enjoys this. Youtube commenters eat this stuff up:

maverick6589 (3 weeks ago)
the chord at 3:01 literally made me jizz in my pants

And finally, a funny one:

i like HOUSES

alright guys, it's time. i've been saving this post up for a while, but now it's too much to handle and i'm going to unleash it into the world.

i really, really like houses. i don't really know what else to say, but it's not because i can't think of anything, but rather, i could say so much that i don't know where to start. houses, to me, are like the mecca of comfort. depending on the furnishings, a house is capable of going beyond its four(+) walls and becoming a place of unlimited possibilities, but my house has always been a place for me to recharge. a retreat, of sorts. for that reason, i love cozy little cottages and snug dens; basically, any place with warm lighting and a close-knit feel. i've taken to finding pictures off the internet of the houses/rooms i like, and here are some (read: a lot).

i love how this is done. often, a somewhat futuristic style like this ends up coming off as cold and medical, with lots of metals and whites, but this is a beautiful example of how modern/unconventional choices can still be comfortable.

the grandma in me loves this old-fashioned look. the books and the pillows are perfectly paired with the old pictures on the walls, but i also admire the metal-looking lamp, which keeps this style in the twenty-first century.

again, the warm lighting and rounded lines wins. actually, i'm not exactly sure if i like this whole room. the style seems a little bit confused as which direction it wants to go (the island-ish prints on the couch? the spiky plant? the egg light?) but i think it more or less works.

so this isn't a room, per se, but i'm more taken with the feeling behind the picture. i love the way the colder colors are warmed up by the natural light. very simplistic and rustic, in a way.

so, in contrast to the closed-in, cozy look, i also love huge, open areas. when the two are combined, it's beautiful.

so, maybe i still have an inner child, and maybe it's always been in love with canopies like this. this looks like a treehouse, too. and a round bed? perfection!

i absolutely adore the openness in this, and the closeness with nature. and it looks so easy to construct! why don't i have one?

there's not really a style i'm looking at here, but the spirit. the spirit of, "can this be every day?!" in other words, houses should be fun.

gorgeous lighting, here, and excellent color choices. actually, i'm not sure if the yellow is because of the lighting, but either way, it's well-done. the umbrella light fixture is a cute touch too.

again with the canopy. like the cleanness of this as well.

if i had a crazy aunt, i'd imagine she'd live in an apartment like this, and we'd be best friends.

i love everything about this picture/room. it's beautiful, natural, and eclectic, and i would like to live there right now, please.

this seems like a modern-day rapunzel tower to me. it's sparse, but in a way that suggests a desire for simplicity, instead of a lack of resources. oh hey look, a canopy too.

interesting angles, and a very unique wall decoration. i'd imagine martha stewart would own something like this. or alice in wonderland. not sure why.if this house were mine, it would be the end of my social life. i'd sit here forever looking dreamy, refusing to leave my spot on the comfortable couch, and waste my life away. but it would be great.

this is the ultimate in coziness. bent ceilings make everything better.

okay, i'm kind of tired of posting pictures, but you get the gist of it. blah blah blah, my life goal is to own a gorgeous house. the end.

i like OJ

this isn't a joke. this isn't child's play. this isn't something you can forget about. this is SERIOUS. this is FOR REAL. this is the kinda shit you read about in the paper. we're talking headlines. we're talking MAJOR headlines. and you know what the best part is? it's NOT GOING AWAY. do you think i can do this every day and stay sane? do you think i don't know what this is like? i have to LIVE this. EVERY DAY. and sometimes it scares me. it scares me, because i don't know what's next. sure, i can do this today. but what about tomorrow? what about the next day? what next? no, don't look at me. don't smile. don't act like you care. you DON'T care. ORANGE JUICE is SERIOUS business, and you can't handle it. YOU CAN'T HANDLE IT. so just go back home, go back to your STRAWBERRY BANANA juice and just forget what you've seen here. BECAUSE THIS IS RAW.


seriously, we're talking like 4+ cups a day.

i like paint

i want a room of every color.

I like Iranian Protesters

And by protesters I mean the women. The real reason that Ayatollah Khamenei and the Lyrical Clerical Brohans keep such tight political and social control over the populace is not to preserve islamic ideals, but to hide a formidable cache of weapons-grade babetonium.

Only boy band-turned-theocracy in the Middle East

How attractive are these people? Let's ask current president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

"Daaamn, girl."

"In Iran, we don’t have homosexuals like in your country. We don’t have that in our country. In Iran, we do not have this phenomenon. I do not know who has told you that we have it."

---Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaking at Columbia University

That should be enough proof for anyone, but I've included some visual aids below.

Simmering political anger has boiled over the crockpot of oppression, giving the West a rare glimpse into the zesty rice-based stew that is Iran. Check it out.

I like my women how I like my congressional districts: politically active.

"Wanna go see a movie later? Throw rocks at shit? Sounds good. Pick you up at 8".

Westsiiiiiide!

Suitors beware. Approach one of these pretty Persians and receive a dildo beating from the state police.

No gays here.