Palestinian Protesters at Israel Block Party

The Texas Hillel's 12th annual Israel Block Party was tonight on the South Mall, but not everyone was having a good time. There were several protesters on the South Mall steps holding signs and chanting "free, free Palestine."



the Israel Block Party had tents focusing on Israel’s culture, environmentalism, society, government, religion, and technology. A hookah hut, drum circle and a marketplace with traditional Middle Eastern cuisine were set up for attendees.

Protester Molly Odintz said the celebration of culture wasn't what the protesters had a problem with.

Three policeman were also on the South Mall in case things got out of hand. Although as far as I know it never did.

note* I realize this isn't much of a news story, I just snapped it on the way to class and I regret not talking to someone from the IBP, but I was already late. I left a message with the Texas Hillel, we'll see if they have anything to add.

Life is a Plastic Beach

Gorillaz are releasing a new album after five years entitled "Plastic Beach," and they're doing their fans a favor and streaming the entire album a week before the official release. I couldn't tell you how far in I am, but I like it so far. I've heard Snoop Dogg, Most Def, Super Furry Animal's Gruff Rhys, Little Dragon, Lou Reed and Bobby Womack are all contributing. Check it out on NPR.

It's true

I hope you guys have a good weekend. I'll be rotating the tires of someone I love, and I hope you are too.

Lenten promise: Day 7

I'm going into day 7 of my declaration to give up making fun of people for Lent, and I'm about as good at this as Heidi Montag is at not having plastic surgery. (Does that count? She is a celebrity. they're fair game I think.) I've staved off making fun of people all together, but unfortunately I'm only at being able to keep my mouth shut 1 out of every 10 times a caustic thought comes into it.

My younger sister was in town this weekend, so we were out and about in Austin every day and I'd catch myself pointing and shouting "Oh my God, look at that guy's..." at which point I would stop and it would be too late because she would know I was gawking at his skin tight jeans with a waistline that was far to low causing it to cup under his bulbous ass like a balconetta bra. Obviously, this is just as damaging as following through with the sentence.

This Lent is going to take a lot more effort than I've ever put into it, but it's going to be a process. It would be fairly impossible for me to stop making fun of people cold turkey; it's a mental habit and it's something I do in regular conversation without having to stop and find ways to insult someone.

It worries me that this is so hard for me. Have I been using degradation as a crutch for entertaining other people or keeping a conversation alive? I think the answer is yes, and that is a problem.

I'm fairly certain it's something I'll eventually able to control, but it will come in phases. I told my sister this weekend, it's going to take me realizing every time I make fun of someone (which will probably take place after the fact), and then I have to realize BEFORE I'm about to say it and be able to control that. It's pretty hard, mental habits are not like physical habits where you can just cease contact with the stimuli if it were candy or cokes. No, it is everywhere for me. You will know I've succeeded if the next time you see me I don't talk much, instead I just sit and bite my lip probably mumbling to myself.

I Art Boobs event

Last Saturday I went to a fundraiser called I Art Boobies hosted by the Breast Cancer Resource Center. The boobathon was at the Blue Theater on the east side of Austin, which I was surprised to find out I'd never heard of because it is such a great little venue. The show was hosted by Lauren "Rainbow Girl" Lunsford a social activist from Tulsa, and had all kinds of things to see like nude model painting, boob inspired art and some kinky live burlesque shows. Of course, I took plenty of pictures and I'm impressed if you even took the time to read this instead of scrolling straight to the boobs.

Blue Theater off of Airport

Boob cupcakes for everyone!

These are two examples of some of the art on sale. It's a cast of an actual woman's torso.

These are from the body painting. "Rainbow Girl" is doing the painting, which i have to confess most of which were pretty hokey. Nothing was particularly stunning just flowers and heart. Most of it looked like it came out of my fifth grade spiral. I was not surprised to learn she didn't pick up a paint brush until she was 30.

The cabaret show was really enjoyable; this was a bull fight themed performance.

Then each of the girls performed a solo burlesque.

The peacock routine was to "Girl from Impanema," it was great.

The performer with the strawberry champagne did a weird techno themed burleque. It was very fast a neurotic. She wasn't the sexiest of performers either–more blue-collar than high class. And I've seen enough of Dita Von Teese's performances to be really disappointed when she didn't pour that big glass of Andre on herself at the end.

Contemporary Claptrap?

There's a good possibility that I change the name and picture on my blog more often than I update it.

bellybutton Lent

For the first time in at least a couple of years I'm going to take part in Lent again. I'm not particularly Catholic anymore– I don't much identify with any particular sect of Christianity these days–, but I think fasting and Lent are just generally good for you as a person; they serve to strengthen your conviction of will and resist temptation. Seeing as how I regularly over draw my bank account buying candy and alcohol my will power muscle could use some toning and definition. But I've given up food and drinks every Lent since I was a tot, so I'm trying something more original, difficult this year.

I am giving up making fun of other people. It's going to be a hard trial because someone needs to tell those idiots what's wrong with them, and I'm naturally really good at it! However, I have to step down from the position for a approximately a month and let someone else take on the job (I'll put out an application shortly.) so I know what it feels like to sacrifice doing something I love dearly.

That's all, I just wanted to declare it and make it official. I'm fairly certain I will update you on how hard and miserable this is for me, don't even worry your pretty little heads about it.

FML, I just got a ticket!!

Ok Let's talk terrifying here for a minute. Am I the only one who thinks this ban on texting while driving in Austin is terrifying? I understand it's for good reason, I do, an APD senior officer says "teens that text message and drive are 23 times more likely to have an accident."

And really, if I'm honest, I'm guilty of texting and driving, which I don't believe is safe or a good idea at all, but what I'm not so sure about is how police officers are going to enforce the new law.

The KEYE article above says officers are looking for people who swerve, tailgate, drive too fast, or people who they spot looking down. Texting and poor driving skills don't always work in conjunction. Does this law make it possible to get a ticket for bad driving habits and have texting cited as the cause because a driver was looking down? I have to look down to change my CDs or for any number of reasons besides texting.

How do they prove a driver was texting? Sure, they can prove you're texting by looking at the time on your most recent text message, but I can also delete that message in two seconds flat; Is it worth their time to look through my phone record at AT&T? I'm not wild about the APD being able to look into my text record at will either.

For a crime that's punishable up to $200 it seems severely faulty to me and kind of a waste of time on their part. I'm hoping it more of just a scare tactic than something that will actually be put into practice.

I wish he saw more in me than just brains

This video is great.



I saw Regina Spektor at ACL a couple years ago and really wished that I could see her in a smaller darker venue; onstage playin' her piano she is adorable and humble and all around loveable . I imagine she would be great in a more intimate setting.


.... and then there's this video.

You're a virgin who can't drive

The middle school part of me that lies dormant most of the time really likes these animal clutches from Tsurubride at Etsy. They remind me of animal backpack purses and Clueless. They are surely fun if nothing else.

Unusual Storage Ideas

I am a big fan of good interior design, but I usually have neither the funds nor the time to ever really have fantastic apartments. However, Christmas break always ends up being the time when I get antsy enough to fix up which ever apartment I'm inhabiting at the time. Last Christmas I made the Kitchen Rainbow, this year the apartment I live in is about 500 square feet and has zippo storage space, so I'm looking for some creative ways to store my junk. I found some awesome ones on Apartment Therapy today for inspiration. I'm thinking I might could actually make the suitcase one; it seems pretty simple.

There's going to be some changes around here

Recently I've been feeling like my blog lacks certain... direction, if you will. I am going to try to implement a new category system, which will hopefully keep me updating on a regular basis and supply some consistency around here.

Here's what I'm thinking: I'll have a category for each day of the week (listed below) and weekends will be for updates and pictures on whatever it is I do on weekends.

Categories are tentative and will be subject to change as I develop them. :)

Music/Movie Mondays
Terrifying Tuesdays
Wonderful Wednesdays
Thoughtful Thursdays
Fashion Fridays

Out of 14 followers one of you has to read this semi-regularly. I'm counting on a little feedback here, kapeesh?

Now, seeing as how it is a Terrifying Tuesday, check out this mess.


Japan is apparently offering to create robotic dopplegangers to be sold at a department stores for 139,000 Euros. The robots are an exact silicone replica of the recipient with speech based on recordings of that person's voice. So far there are only two on sale and they don't walk (yet).
How can no one see this is a terrible idea?! This is how movies that end in the destruction of the human race begin. Just because you can Japan, doesn't mean you should!


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1235994/I-Robot-Buy-android-double-Christmas.html#ixzz0b8qszAQT

Sears 1934

On this most holiest of shopping days I thought I'd share some neat pictures from a Sears catalog in 1934. It's interesting how gorgeous and aesthetically pleasing these are versus the catalogs now.








On this most holy of shopping days I thought I'd share some pictures and excerpts from a Sears catalog in 1934.

Pictures found via Lileks

Wowza!

Katy Perry, I will always love your sense of judgement. This is a picture from when she hosted the European Music Awards or some nonsense.

Likely Story

When asked to draw a picture of what they wanted to be when they grew up, second-grader "Sarah" turned in the lovely drawing shown below.

Needless to say, the teacher was a bit surprised -- Mrs. Smith had always seemed like such a conservative woman. So she sent a note home to the girl's mother asking for clarification as to the picture's meaning.

(Here's the reply the teacher received the following day) Dear Mrs.

Jones, I wish to clarify that I am not now, nor have I ever been, an exotic dancer. I work at Home Depot and I told my daughter how hectic it was last week before the blizzard hit. I told her we sold out every single shovel we had, and then I found one more in the back room, and that several people were fighting over who would get it. Her picture doesn't show me dancing around a pole. It's supposed to depict me selling the last snow shovel we had at Home Depot. From now on I will remember to check her homework more thoroughly before she turns it in. Sincerely, Mrs. Smith

I found this picture and story via The Blue Kimono

Decisions, Decision

I can't decide who to be for Halloween. Input would be appreciated. My choices are as follows:

Charlie Chaplin

A Dead Chimney Sweep

Karl Lagerfeld

A VALEDICTION FORBIDDING MOURNING

For some reason I got to thinking about this poem by John Donne today. It's probably one of the sweetest love poems I know, and I'd like to work it into a tattoo some day.

A VALEDICTION FORBIDDING MOURNING

AS virtuous men pass mildly away,
And whisper to their souls to go,
Whilst some of their sad friends do say,
"Now his breath goes," and some say, "No."

So let us melt, and make no noise,
No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move;
'Twere profanation of our joys
To tell the laity our love.

Moving of th' earth brings harms and fears;
Men reckon what it did, and meant;
But trepidation of the spheres,
Though greater far, is innocent.

Dull sublunary lovers' love
—Whose soul is sense—cannot admit
Of absence, 'cause it doth remove
The thing which elemented it.

But we by a love so much refined,
That ourselves know not what it is,
Inter-assurèd of the mind,
Care less, eyes, lips and hands to miss.

Our two souls therefore, which are one,
Though I must go, endure not yet
A breach, but an expansion,
Like gold to aery thinness beat.

If they be two, they are two so
As stiff twin compasses are two;
Thy soul, the fix'd foot, makes no show
To move, but doth, if th' other do.

And though it in the centre sit,
Yet, when the other far doth roam,
It leans, and hearkens after it,
And grows erect, as that comes home.

Such wilt thou be to me, who must,
Like th' other foot, obliquely run;
Thy firmness makes my circle just,
And makes me end where I begun.

Babies should be more careful

One of the things I find funniest in life is when grown ups or animals knock over little babies. I found this picture today from Joanna's Blog and then I decided to look up videos of babies getting knocked over by dog. There short don't worry.

Ms. Jones if you're naughty

This is one of the most bad ass pictures I have ever seen. Someday it will be on impossible cool

Picture this