I Dreamed a Dream

I tend to avoid shows like [sic] Britains Got Talent. But the partner showed me this video. Follow the link. The video below is just an interview with her. You really should hear her whole rendition of "I Dreamed A Dream."

It's fairly surprising. The singer, Susan Boyle looks like someone's frumpy great-aunt. And to be honest, when she was talking about her cat in that accent I got the impression she hadn't been out of her little village in a long time, if ever. 

Then she started singing. Just thinking about it gives me chills, those deep-down crawly goosebumps that start somewhere in the center of your spine and slither down your legs. Elaine Paige indeed. Susan Boyle has a simply amazing voice. 

Something Funny

Lindy West of The Stranger composed a list of all the different kinds of people there are. It was a little bright spot in my day. You should read it too.  Here is a sample:

People Who Don't Believe in Evolution but Love Antibiotics

Seriously? Either you believe in science or you don't. If you want to say sentences to me like "God made the earth 29 years ago out of Billy Graham's stool" or "Every time you take the morning-after pill, Satan has two orgasms," then go ahead and stay away from Dr. Syringey O'Medicine, MD, from here on out. Because you know that pill that made your strep throat go away? Science invented that. For you. Hey, why don't you just pray for God to take care of that root canal? I'll tell you why: Because God didn't go to dental school, because dental schools don't admit people who DON'T EXIST.

Here is the whole thing. And thank you Lindy West for make my day a little nicer. And thank you for reminding me why I read The Stranger online even though I'm not from Seattle not quite confirming everyone at The Stranger's fears that no one not from Seattle and even some from Seattle only read The Stranger because of Dan Savage which is not true because I'm the negative example and I love your work. 

A Cure for All That Pesky Time You Have on Your Hands

My ex clued me in to the existence of another user-generated site where people air the unfortunate circumstances in their lives. (Think PostSecret for unfortunate coincidences.) FMyLife is a place where everyone can talk about the shitty little things that wreck their days. Some of them are sad; most are hilarious. It's a great place to blow a few hours when you need a laugh, or especially when you feeling like your life is absolute crap. It's nice to see somebody else is having as miserable a time as you are. 

From their FAQ page:

Fmylife.com is a weird and wonderful addition to the web. It’s a collection of everyday anecdotes and stories likely to happen to anyone and everyone, sent to us exclusively by our users, which we then publish on the site. This is a space where you can let it all out and unwind by sharing the little things that screw with your day, and maybe realize that you are not alone in experiencing day to day crap. Posts start with 'Today' and end with 'FML'. The site is meant to be fun to read and can be enjoyed on a daily basis.

Apparently this is an English-language export of a French site. Don't you just love the French sense of humor? And the English argue that the modern French don't contribute anything to world culture. 

interesting

Back when I was still doing time as a high school teacher one of my students did a project on graffiti as an art form. In his argument graffiti had its own set of standards and tenets. Through his passion about his chosen medium I began to understand the difference between tagging and expression. One, simply marking ones territory and often no more evolved than a dog pissing on a bush, the other something intelligent, edgy, and beautiful. 

Then last year a friend introduced me to Banksy, a semi-anonymous guerrilla graffiti artist from the UK. His (or her - I have no idea) often biting political commentary made me laugh, nod my head in sad agreement, and get angry. His quirky aesthetic combined with a sharp sense of irony make his works well worth checking out. Of course, the establishment has now embraced Banksey, so I'm not sure if his work will continue to be so raw and engaging. Celebrity so often leads to watering-down among artists. 

Today I discovered the American graffiti artist and director, BLU. A nice combination of my love for animation and my appreciation for good graffiti. Check out this (somewhat creepy but thought-provoking) animation called MUTO. It was created on public walls in Buenos Aires and Baden. 

Eat Her

I saw this blog called getthatlook over at Slog and immediately thought of Ad Astra. 

My only complaint is the use of @'s in place of o's. It makes me want to pronounce it "get that laaaack." 

I should warn you some of the posts are NSFW. Some are utterly bizarre. Some of them are so cute they could induce a diabetic coma. Some of them are delicious. The captions are marvelously sarcastic. 

Don't worry, if you go back into the archives far enough they start just being about lamps, so you won't waste too much time on this one. Enjoy.

Interesting

Have you ever had just one more thing to say after the end of a relationship? Well ladies and gentlemen and the rest of you, here's your chance.

I'm Sorry, X:

But you don't have any idea where my cl!t is, do you? 

--X

Inspired by the always entertaining sometimes disturbing Postsecret, a similar blog has been set up solely for the purpose of getting in that last barb. I'm Sorry, Love is ready and waiting for your anonymous last words to your exes. 

Holy Citrus

I discovered this little slice of genius today from Nick Fox-Geig Animation:

Some of the other videos are worth checking out as well.

Sita Sings the Blues

Via BoingBoing:

Do you like free things? I like free things. Do you like Indian culture? I like indian culture. Do you like genius animation? I like genius animation. Do you like images of people playing Vina (Indian stringed instruments) with their intestines? I like meatloaf sandwiches. 

Then you should watch Sita Sings the Blues by Nina Paley. It is absolutely amazing. Actually I'm only at the 20 minute mark but I'm enjoying it so much I decided to share it. 

Nina Paley / CC BY-SA 3.0

A better version also can be downloaded here or here, or you can organize screenings for free because it's under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. Details about that can be found at the Web site.

Silly Commenters, Satire is for Thinkers

Sometimes the comments section in a video is more hilarious than the video itself. Case in point this recent video from EdwardCurrent:

One in five commenters has not bothered to read the category. And you wonder why criminals like George Bush get elected to office in the US.

Why Can't We Be This Inclusive in the US?

Via Transgriot:

Check out this great commercial for a bank in Argentina. 

Misogyny in the Park with George

Via Boing Boing:

I'm sorry, I just needed a little bit of funny to break up the horrible inhuman tragedy that is Valentines Day. It's from a BBC show. 

Enjoy.

When I Was Your Age Cigarettes Were Made Out of Paper and Tobacco...and They Caused Cancer

Genius! 

The folks over on Slog posted an item about the Electronic Cigarette, or (get this) the E Cigarette, from a company called Smoking Everywhere. Their Web site includes a how-to video:

Another company, Green Smoke also has a site here. I'm sure there are others. 

Dear god, why didn't I know about this before I tried to quit smoking? Hell, why stay quit? This makes me want to smoke again. But hey, I can smoke and not smoke at the same time. And nobody has to know. There's even a little light on the end that makes it look like a real tar, carbon monoxide, sixty chemicals known to cause cancer type cigarette. And you can even blow smoke! But it's harmless vapor! No more bitching about second hand smoke. No more hacking one's lungs out every morning. No more tar colored teeth. 

I haven't been able to find the down side yet, other than you have to charge the thing. But I can handle that. Half of my life these days has to be plugged into the wall at night so I can use it again tomorrow. Is this the cigarette of the future? I'm all excited. Smoking was totally my favorite thing in the world. And I hated like Hell having to quit. Now I can start a new habit. Hooray for addiction!