...Who needs shelter from the sun?/ Not me, no, not anyone.....
BlondeStar Grab the shiny thing.
Learn English on Japanese TV
Reminds me of the commercial Learn English.(Not work safe, just so you know. Well, depending on where you work, I suppose.)
I don't know what movie this English lesson is from, but this guy doing anything is funny. Even being a dentist.
At the other end of the spectrum, CuteOverload.
And, right up my personal alley (I didn't mean for that to sound filthy, but somehow it did), the grammar police post a billboard. Like, for real.
(Who Needs Shelter?; Jason Mraz)
18 June, 2006
15 June, 2006
More Lies
...it's a mystery! - Tom Stoppard, Shakespeare In Love
From Paula Begoun's Beauty Bulletin:
You wonder whether some people have more dollars than brain cells.
On second thought, wondering is probably unnecessary.
From Paula Begoun's Beauty Bulletin:
Creme de la Mer The Essence: The High Cost of Aging Gracefully?
I wonder sometimes if the cosmetics industry simply has a sardonic sense of humor or whether it’s possible they merely don’t like women very much. How else can you explain a colossal company like Estee Lauder (which owns La Mer, along with an assortment of other skin-care companies, from Aveda to Clinque, which in combination sell an almost endless assortment of antiwrinkle and anti-aging products) launching a product that costs $2,100 and whose primary ingredient is seaweed? Or at least according to the ingredient list, it has a lot of seaweed—well, as much as 1.5 ounces can contain—along with a huge list of other ingredients.
Seaweed extract is the primary ingredient in this nonaqueous serum but which type of seaweed is unknown (there are endless types of possible seaweed extracts) so there is no way to evaluate its benefit for skin. Actually, I wonder how the FDA lets Lauder get around this generalized ingredient identification because it is definitely not part of the regulation. This product also contains silicones, emollients, more seaweed (the type is listed for this one), ingredients that mimic the structure of skin, an assortment of antioxidants, a tiny amount of niacin (in the form of vitamin B that can cause flushing, which is actually a problem for skin), and acetyl hexapeptide-3. This last is the ingredient that’s supposed to work like Botox, but of course it can’t; even Botox can’t work like Botox when applied topically to skin.
And just in case you weren’t sure the product was doing anything for your skin, they included a few irritating, skin-tingling plant extracts, including eucalyptus, lime, and citronella, to create the impression that it is doing something on your face. For this kind of money it should be doing something, but exactly what that is can’t be ascertained. Lauder has no published studies and offers no clinical evidence (other than press releases, which fashion magazines use as if they were factual information) to support the value of the product or the efficacy of the claims.
Along with seaweed, The Essence also contains an assortment of yeast extracts, saccharomyces lysate, micrococcus lysate, artemisa extract, and bifida ferment lysate. But whether or not seaweed or yeast in any form can affect wrinkles is still not known. Indeed, it is something ingredient manufacturers claim, but it is not supported by published or substantiated double-blind studies showing this to be true. Research from ingredient manufacturers is interesting, but obviously self-serving; somehow all their ingredients are always miracles. Trying to find independent research about these substances is difficult, and what does exist involves in vitro or animal studies (Sources: Journal of Burn Care and Rehabilitation, March–April 1999, pages 155–162; and Wound Repair and Regeneration, January 2002, page 38).
I could carry on about how these various ingredients are theoretically supposed to affect skin, but at some moments in my career I just have to throw my hands up in the air and say I give up, the cosmetics industry is just crazy and I have no words left to explain why. I think I’ll go get a Starbucks latte…I can’t say I understand $5 for a cup of coffee either, but at least I know exactly what I’m getting!
-Paula Begoun,Cosmetics Cop
You wonder whether some people have more dollars than brain cells.
On second thought, wondering is probably unnecessary.
13 June, 2006
Transmission: Standby
...the top let back and the sunshine shining/ Cowboy baby....
I'm back, watching the Olympics. Had a great time in Minnesota. I'll have a better post soon, but I just wanted to say hello and thanks for checking in.
It was a wedding and South Carolina. Otherwise, everything is exactly the same.
(Cowboy; Kid Rock)
I'm back, watching the Olympics. Had a great time in Minnesota. I'll have a better post soon, but I just wanted to say hello and thanks for checking in.
It was a wedding and South Carolina. Otherwise, everything is exactly the same.
(Cowboy; Kid Rock)
07 June, 2006
On Nakedness
...it gets so hot the end of the day/ you may find your clothes getting in the way....
*
"You know, honey, I'm really glad you feel so comfortable with your body that you take off everything the minute you walk in the house. It's just that it would be nice if sometimes, I'm not saying all the time, just sometimes, you'd wear something cute for a while. Just saying."
--S to TG, the kitchen.
*
"She's not wearing anything but that robe, Officer!"
"Quelle domage!Zat ees not true! I am wearing also zeeze two shoes, voici, un, deux, two!"
--C & NG, onstage.
*
"I am not naked! I'm wearing underpants!"
"Well, you're almost naked."
"You're naked, too, then!"
"No, I'm not. I've got on underpants and I've got my robe."
"Yeah, but you're not wearing it!"
--F & F, the dining room.
*
"Sorry I had to take my dress off before hugging you."
Oh, I didn't mind.
"Neither did I, hrm hrm, wink wink."
"It's nice that after fourteen years you still feel that way, dear."
"Well, not just that. It was the whole girl-on-girl thing."
--S & C, the den.
*
"Oh, you wore it after all."
I needed something to pin the robe to. If I flash somebody, I want it to be on purpose.
--P & NG, the greenroom.
*
So, how naked are YOU today?
(Strip; Adam Ant)
*
"You know, honey, I'm really glad you feel so comfortable with your body that you take off everything the minute you walk in the house. It's just that it would be nice if sometimes, I'm not saying all the time, just sometimes, you'd wear something cute for a while. Just saying."
--S to TG, the kitchen.
*
"She's not wearing anything but that robe, Officer!"
"Quelle domage!Zat ees not true! I am wearing also zeeze two shoes, voici, un, deux, two!"
--C & NG, onstage.
*
"I am not naked! I'm wearing underpants!"
"Well, you're almost naked."
"You're naked, too, then!"
"No, I'm not. I've got on underpants and I've got my robe."
"Yeah, but you're not wearing it!"
--F & F, the dining room.
*
"Sorry I had to take my dress off before hugging you."
Oh, I didn't mind.
"Neither did I, hrm hrm, wink wink."
"It's nice that after fourteen years you still feel that way, dear."
"Well, not just that. It was the whole girl-on-girl thing."
--S & C, the den.
*
"Oh, you wore it after all."
I needed something to pin the robe to. If I flash somebody, I want it to be on purpose.
--P & NG, the greenroom.
*
So, how naked are YOU today?
(Strip; Adam Ant)
04 June, 2006
Blended Goodness
...Baby you can drive my car/And maybe I'll love you....
He catches my keys neatly.
The silver one unlocks The Club TM.
"You're kidding."
Stay in the neighborhood, okay? Don't drive too fast.
"You're kidding, right?" His young face wears a stunned expression.
Your mom said it was okay.
"You're kidding, right?" Still stunned.
Go on, take your friends. Have fun.
"You're kidding, right?"
Not kidding. Don't you want to?
His friend is watching us like a tennis match. "Why, what kind of car is it?"
"Sure, I want to. But- you're not kidding."
The convertible. He knows how much I love it. Go on, get out of here. There's room for all four of you.
Still stunned, he goes, his older brother and his older brother's best friend and his older brother's girlfriend with him. Score one for the little guy.
"She's crazy, " his mom remarks. "I think you need a refill on that daiquiri."
Look, somebody tried to steal it a week ago. I just- you know, everybody should have as much fun as they can while I've still got it. I'm amazed at how many of my friends have never ridden in a convertible. It's so sad. So these guys, they'll- oh, no, I haven't finished this one yet....
She refills me anyway.
Okay. Why is Angel walking around with a shotgun in her hand?
"That's not a shotgun."
Looks like a shotgun. She's wearing one leather glove. She's nine. That is just wrong. It's not a shotgun?
"I think it's a rifle."
Two more daquiris later (for a grand total of four) bosom sticky with saliva and chocolate brownie, toes coated in wax, arm and torso drenched in Diet Coke, I'm ready to limp home.
"I'm going to say something inappropriate."
I've been drinking daiquiris, and YOU'RE going to be inappropriate?
I love inappropriate. What is it?
"Well, since I've recently licked chocolate from your breast, it's kind of a come-down. I'll tell you later.
We ride, topless, watching lightning, at one or two miles below the posted speed. Fortunately, it's a short drive. The rain comes pounding down, washes me clean and cold, just as I've put the top up.
This was to have been a cute little family barbecue. With the kids. You know, tame. Or so I expected.
Guess it depends on who's pouring.
(Drive My Car; The Beatles)
He catches my keys neatly.
The silver one unlocks The Club TM.
"You're kidding."
Stay in the neighborhood, okay? Don't drive too fast.
"You're kidding, right?" His young face wears a stunned expression.
Your mom said it was okay.
"You're kidding, right?" Still stunned.
Go on, take your friends. Have fun.
"You're kidding, right?"
Not kidding. Don't you want to?
His friend is watching us like a tennis match. "Why, what kind of car is it?"
"Sure, I want to. But- you're not kidding."
The convertible. He knows how much I love it. Go on, get out of here. There's room for all four of you.
Still stunned, he goes, his older brother and his older brother's best friend and his older brother's girlfriend with him. Score one for the little guy.
"She's crazy, " his mom remarks. "I think you need a refill on that daiquiri."
Look, somebody tried to steal it a week ago. I just- you know, everybody should have as much fun as they can while I've still got it. I'm amazed at how many of my friends have never ridden in a convertible. It's so sad. So these guys, they'll- oh, no, I haven't finished this one yet....
She refills me anyway.
Okay. Why is Angel walking around with a shotgun in her hand?
"That's not a shotgun."
Looks like a shotgun. She's wearing one leather glove. She's nine. That is just wrong. It's not a shotgun?
"I think it's a rifle."
Two more daquiris later (for a grand total of four) bosom sticky with saliva and chocolate brownie, toes coated in wax, arm and torso drenched in Diet Coke, I'm ready to limp home.
"I'm going to say something inappropriate."
I've been drinking daiquiris, and YOU'RE going to be inappropriate?
I love inappropriate. What is it?
"Well, since I've recently licked chocolate from your breast, it's kind of a come-down. I'll tell you later.
We ride, topless, watching lightning, at one or two miles below the posted speed. Fortunately, it's a short drive. The rain comes pounding down, washes me clean and cold, just as I've put the top up.
This was to have been a cute little family barbecue. With the kids. You know, tame. Or so I expected.
Guess it depends on who's pouring.
(Drive My Car; The Beatles)
02 June, 2006
Juxtaposition, Again.
...the sweetest flower that grows/ You may search everywhere, but none can compare....
I'm here at Crazy Ray's, where Ray will give you a hundred bucks for any heap you can drive, push, or entice by sorcery to his lot. It's three blocks from the landfill. It's an industrial area, and none too pretty.
But what I smell is wild honeysuckle and sweet briar rose.
Ain't the beer cold, hon? *
(Wild Irish Rose; traditional Celtic)
I'm here at Crazy Ray's, where Ray will give you a hundred bucks for any heap you can drive, push, or entice by sorcery to his lot. It's three blocks from the landfill. It's an industrial area, and none too pretty.
But what I smell is wild honeysuckle and sweet briar rose.
Ain't the beer cold, hon? *
(Wild Irish Rose; traditional Celtic)
01 June, 2006
Wednesday Wonkage
...I drive on her streets/ 'cause she's my companion/ I walk through her hills/ 'cause she knows who I am....
A scrim of haze blurs the city skyline as I crest a hill. Also before and after, presumably, but I only noticed and can confirm 'as'.
I love this weather. It's not juicy enough to send to PostSecret, but I am secretly in favor of a BG&E rate hike, because it gives me a damned good excuse to not turn on the air conditioner. I shiver in winter, though not so much this year (extra-mild, wonder what that forcasts), and I just hate shivering in the summer. I have gotten good at remembering to bring a sweater to the mall, the movies, or the grocery, but having to do so annoys me in that niggling low-grade fashion which is so irritating that it eventually triggers an explosion of rage with no apparant catalyst.
This week, by special request, The Political Animal includes a tiki bar reference, and slips me a little Dick. He's been really good at that, which I appreciate, though I confess to being partial to Tim Kreider's Dick. I especially enjoyed Li'l Nixon (see Archives, 4/12/06) and the accompanying triviata.
We missed it, you guys. It was towel day, and has been every May 25 since 2001. If I hadn't read about it on Wil Wheaton's blog, I still wouldn't know.
And of course, Wil Wheaton would have reason to know about Kirk vs. Picard, though knowing his irritability regarding William Fucking Shatner, I'm a tiny bit surprised he posted it.
So but the point is, geeks rule. And YouTube also rules, because it permits people to share things like this Giraffe Mocumentary. That Joel Veitch, he's a genius.
On to some dry but mind-bogglingly useful sites.
Do you know where your predators are? (For the three families in America who have not already discoverd this site.)
Are you having trouble getting to work? Now, how you would use this site while driving is baffling, but if you're the sort to check the 'net before leaving the house, I suppose it might help. But if you're the sort to check the 'net before leaving the house, chances are you already know alternate routes and have built in two extra hours so that getting caught in a jam is just not a problem.
Girls, do not dispair: I've got a link especially for us. Yes, with this weather, I too have been having mascara issues, so I went to the Cosmetics Cop herself to find a good waterproof one. Product reviews are helpful! Advertisments are misleading! Beauty products are fun!
And this, while not exactly useful, is at least informative. Also not as dry as the previous triad, though I hate to think of it as 'wet'. It's Facts on Farts.
Enjoy.
(Under The Bridge Downtown; The Red Hot Chili Peppers)
A scrim of haze blurs the city skyline as I crest a hill. Also before and after, presumably, but I only noticed and can confirm 'as'.
I love this weather. It's not juicy enough to send to PostSecret, but I am secretly in favor of a BG&E rate hike, because it gives me a damned good excuse to not turn on the air conditioner. I shiver in winter, though not so much this year (extra-mild, wonder what that forcasts), and I just hate shivering in the summer. I have gotten good at remembering to bring a sweater to the mall, the movies, or the grocery, but having to do so annoys me in that niggling low-grade fashion which is so irritating that it eventually triggers an explosion of rage with no apparant catalyst.
This week, by special request, The Political Animal includes a tiki bar reference, and slips me a little Dick. He's been really good at that, which I appreciate, though I confess to being partial to Tim Kreider's Dick. I especially enjoyed Li'l Nixon (see Archives, 4/12/06) and the accompanying triviata.
We missed it, you guys. It was towel day, and has been every May 25 since 2001. If I hadn't read about it on Wil Wheaton's blog, I still wouldn't know.
And of course, Wil Wheaton would have reason to know about Kirk vs. Picard, though knowing his irritability regarding William Fucking Shatner, I'm a tiny bit surprised he posted it.
So but the point is, geeks rule. And YouTube also rules, because it permits people to share things like this Giraffe Mocumentary. That Joel Veitch, he's a genius.
On to some dry but mind-bogglingly useful sites.
Do you know where your predators are? (For the three families in America who have not already discoverd this site.)
Are you having trouble getting to work? Now, how you would use this site while driving is baffling, but if you're the sort to check the 'net before leaving the house, I suppose it might help. But if you're the sort to check the 'net before leaving the house, chances are you already know alternate routes and have built in two extra hours so that getting caught in a jam is just not a problem.
Girls, do not dispair: I've got a link especially for us. Yes, with this weather, I too have been having mascara issues, so I went to the Cosmetics Cop herself to find a good waterproof one. Product reviews are helpful! Advertisments are misleading! Beauty products are fun!
And this, while not exactly useful, is at least informative. Also not as dry as the previous triad, though I hate to think of it as 'wet'. It's Facts on Farts.
Enjoy.
(Under The Bridge Downtown; The Red Hot Chili Peppers)