Introducing

...the happy picture of the day.

Why Mormons Build Temples

Chicago River

The Chicago River is dyed green each year for St. Patrick's day.

The tradition started in 1962, when city pollution-control workers used dyes to trace illegal sewage discharges and realized that the green dye might provide a unique way to celebrate the holiday. That year, they released 100 pounds of green vegetable dye into the river—enough to keep it green for a week! Today in order to minimize environmental damage only forty pounds of dye are used, making the river green for several hours.

Not nearly as cool as an entire river being green, the south lawn fountain of the White House is also gushing green. Michelle Obama ordered the verdigris waters out of nostalgia for her former Chicago home.

Today may be the day for the wearing of the green, but if you're really hip, here's a tip-- wear ORANGE.

Reality Check

Leprechauns? Don't exist. The Brawny Man? Totally does. Last night someone tried to tell me he was imaginary, but no. NO no no no. He exists. I checked to make sure. 

Did I Mention?

Did I forget to tell you all that I made the best cinnamon rolls in the world last week? Because I did. Cinnabon had better run and hide because I've mastered their          ...softenedbutterbrownsugarcinnamonpastedsprinkle 

trick, and I do it better. Mwahaha. Oh yeah-- and the icing? That was perfect too. Room for improvement? Not much. 

Be More

The best part about life is that it's never too late to work harder; it's never impossible to succeed beyond past achievement. No matter what you once were, rise above it tomorrow and become more. 

June 6, 1944, Ike Gives the Order of the Day.

Here's a picture that says more than just a thousand words. 

photo from National Archives and Records Administration

can you say ALLITERATION?

"This Vichyssoise of Verbage Veers most Verbose"

We are a great nation

"Aren’t we the people who brought the world the light bulb, the car, the telephone, the movie, the assembly line, the artificial heart, the computer, bifocals, the sewing machine, the refrigerator, the internet, air conditioner, safety pins, the television, cash registers, crayons, power tools, the oil well, the water tower, the popsicle, blue jeans, the elevator, the repeating rifle, the laser, polio vaccine, microwave ovens, the copy machine, fiber optics, cotton candy, and scones?"

--Glenn Beck

"Cotton Candy and Scones!"*

My sister Alicia recently posted on her blog about what Glenn Beck's been talking about and will talk about on his show tomorrow, and after reading up on it I became very excited to hear what he has to say. [Fox News Channel at 5pm ET.] He'll be broadcasting something called We Surround Them. If you'd like more info on the program, or the Nine Principles and 12 Values he is sharing, visit his website. Glenn Beck really has a gift for putting it plainly; I think it's a great way of helping people see clearly. It allows us to rediscover our own opinions--whether we agree with him or not.

Also, if you are a fan of that Glenn Beck "whoa" factor (I know I am!) you might want to read these as well:

Dear IRS

Stu on the Border

March to Socialism -- Regulating Church

Adella the Athiest in Orlando

*Glenn Beck spoke to a very large crowd during the 4th of July "Freedom Festival" in Provo Utah in 2008. "Cotton candy and scones" were the last two things at the end of a very long list of things Americans had invented over the years. In fact... I can't resist, I'm going to do another post.... hang on a sec

Well Deserved

I almost posted about these costumes when I saw the movie months ago, but decided that nobody would actually care about them, so I hesitated. However, I still had the file and decided to post them. Good thing too, they're lovely! Please note the ruching on the day dresses, and observe the button holes on everything-- that my friends, is called detail. 

Rarely do the Oscars give the golden boy to the movie that deserved it; this year they rightly chose THE DUCHESS for best costume design; every wardrobe piece was perfectly suited to each scene and character, and was beautiful period work as well, the hats too. (The wigs were also good, but "Amazing Grace" still takes the cake for wigs, the exception being Georgiana's towering wig! That really was a piece of work. Anyway.) 

Before I forget, I must mention three more things. #1. The soundtrack is unforgettable, stunning work that I loved just from the trailer. #2. There is more emotion in this movie than most I've seen in the last three years. #3. I cannot bear to see this film again. Its thematic storyline is awful, horrible, no good, very bad, depressing, and tortuous. That being said, it is an excellent piece of film: well executed, witty, and dramatic. 

Reaching high vertically (importantance) and horizontally (perfection), THE DUCHESS scores high on the J. Evans Pritchard, PhD scale. "Showing the [movie] to be truly great..." 

OPEN PICTURES IN NEW WINDOW TO VIEW LARGER. ELSE YOU WILL MISS THE POINT OF THE EXERCISE BY NOT SEEING THE DETAIL WORK. THIS MEANS YOU!

LUMBERJACK TWILL!

I'm a sucker for Lumberjack fabrics. Especially guys in Lumberjack shirts, (all hail the Brawny man!) though I also like to wear them myself. I do love plaid. Can't you see me buying one of these?


Retro Vintage Lumberjack, from Superdry.

The White Desert, Egypt

The White Desert, a vast expanse that starts at the western bank of the Nile and continues well into Libya, is the desert of deserts. Covering a total of 2.8 million sq km and bordered by Libya in the west, Sudan in the south and the Mediterranean in the north, it is a world of desolation and beauty -- and one of the few places in Egypt where you can go for days at a time without seeing a soul.

Rich in calcium, the White Desert was once a sea-bed. Nowadays it is famous for its monolith chalk deposits, carved into striking irregular shapes by the wind. To top it off (no pun intended,) sand dunes there frequently measure at 110 Meters or more. Is it real? It doesn't look real. My only question is why nobody's ever filmed a movie in it.

New Musical: IN THE HEIGHTS

People frequently ask me what I'd want to see if I went to Broadway. This year my answer is IN THE HEIGHTS. Not just because it won the Tony Award for Best Original Musical 2008, but because this is the type of show that should be made more often. And the quality of choreography might have something to do with it....

Memo, Harry Connick Jr.

Harry Connick Jr. played opposite Kelli O'Hara (my favorite person currently on broadway) in the recent revival of "The Pajama Game." This is a clip from that production where he sings a duet with himself using a memo machine. The song is called "Hey There."

Once Harry got his hands on it the song became  f a b u l o u s.  Hey there, indeed.  Anyway, the embedding is forbidden (sorry) so just double click and away to youtube you'll go. 

Fur vs. Leather. Objections?

"People are more violently opposed to fur than leather because it is safer to harrass rich women than motorcycle gangs."

I read that quote today and couldn't stop laughing. Personally, I think people object more to fur because furry animals are more cute and cuddly than say, heifers. But that's just my guess.