I'm Lovin It: Things I'm Digging This Week V. 4

What day is it?

Honestly, I've had that thought multiple times in the past week and not in a I'm-so-drunk-I'm-in-a-nacho-and-vodka-induced-fugue, I'm talking, my-head-is-spinning-what-is-going-on-is-it-Tuesday-or-Wednesday kinda place.

I've been off the grid awhile as I've tried to get into the groove of my new job and while I've been anxious and stressed, that anxiety has been a great source of restlessness and restlessness is such a great foundation for good old fashioned pointless internet surfing.

• Like I have said before, I really love animals and animal videos and this video of a baby elephant blowing bubbles is just about the cutest thing I've seen.
• I've been thinking a lot about my schedule and my time recently because I've noticed some things getting out of balance; I LOVE this article that a friend shared via Facebook about productivity and really want to try some of the things they suggested.  While I do some of the things that the author writes about already (like scheduling specific tasks for certain times), I think the idea of more intentionally scheduling freetime and spending less time on "shallow" tasks is pretty provocative, especially since I feel like I've spent years of my life the past few years, solely answering emails.
• I love Emma Watson.  Not because she can pull off a pixie like few of us can, not because she was Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter movies.  I love her because she leads with her intelligence and because she is a tremendous example of what a modern feminist is.  Her speech at the UN about women's rights and feminism is a definite must watch (and is a great contribution to a larger conversation happening in the world about feminism and women's equality right now).
• I would love to work some place that had one of these initiatives.  Sing at work?  Yes please! (I already do this, but actually having this singing be welcomed is a whole other story...)
• This Olivia Locher art project, highlighting some of the more absurd laws on record in the US (no ice cream in your pocket in Alabama...that's a no no!) is interesting...and educational.  I now know that I should not paint my yard red should I ever move to Kentucky, which is too bad, because that was certainly on my bucket list.
• Like American history?  Like documentaries?  Well then you MUST watch Ken Burns' documentary on Franklin, Eleanor, and Teddy Roosevelt.  And lucky you, it's all streaming online here!
• In another ode to America, I give you the weird shit Miss America contestants shared about themselves during the talent portion.  I think my favorite is Miss Oklahoma's.  How exactly did she discover she could say the alphabet backwards?  How did she cultivate that skill? Any why?  So many questions.
• Consider this your weekly reminder that if you're not watching The Mindy Project, you really need to start watching The Mindy Project.

Applause For...

1.) The woman walking down Amsterdam with not one, not two, but three, parrots atop her shoulders.

2.) The clearance aisle of Duane Reade, featuring condoms about to expire as well as discontinued pregnancy tests.  I think I see where this is going.

3.) The little girl who walked up to her daddy very politely and said, "Papa, your shoes are very ugly." Man, sir, they start early here and you are clearly in for many years of that to come.

I'm Lovin It: Things I'm Digging This Week V. 3

I have returned!  Vacation is almost over (just a matter of hours at this point) and I wish I could go back.  Since I was off all week, I expected to have a ton of new internet gems to share but I actually wasn't on my computer or surfing the web most of my trip (in hindsight, this is actually a great thing but still weird). I do have a few fun things to share with y'all though so behold!

• I'm heading to the Paley Center tomorrow to see some early premieres of the new NBC shows but I've I've already managed to see A to Z, with my girl Cristin Milioti and I love it. You can watch the pilot On Demand or on their official site and I definitely recommend you do so!  I'm basically subtitling this show Tracy McConnell's Revenge. It's unapologetically romantic, quirky, and charming, and pretty much gives Cristin Milioti all the goofy, great material I wish HIMYM had.
• As expected, the HIMYM alternate ending leaked early online before the DVD set was released.  I've talked about HIMYM a fair amount here (and the blog post I wrote about the finale is, in fact, my most popular post with views in the triple digits!) so I was, not surprisingly, eager to see this. I'd link something here but literally every site this has been on keeps pulling it down so I implore you to do some googling and see if you can snag a view while you still can.  Overall, I liked this version better (in that we have none of this Robin-Ted nonsense and they touch on all the twists life takes to get us to our ultimate path) though there is a little part of me that feels like this version is a little stale.  I'm curious to hear others' opinions though!
• My best friend Grace insists that we get grocery store cakes whenever I visit (I'm sure there's some tradition or reason for this dating back to college or something but I certainly can't remember it).  This reminded me to check out Cake Wrecks, one of my absolute favorite websites that I haven't read in some time.
• I love hugs and because I'm also apparently five, I love animals doing cute things so by that logic, I really love animals giving hugs (though the one with the snake is kinda making me nervous).
• I've been thinking a lot about social media and my presence on it and a friend passed along this article about Facebook Likes.  Facebook Likes/Instagrams are a tricky thing; we all want to share and be affirmed but at what point do these Likes cease to have meaning?  Why do we impose such a heavy meaning on them in the first place?  If someone doesn't like your photo, is that a sign of lack of affection?  Was your experience lessened?  (I have a friend who will take down any Instagram photo that gets less than 11 likes in 2 hours so really...what's the real reason we're posting these things?)  Is Facebook or Instagram really helping us feel more connected to one another or are we just stockpiling more surface level relationships? Interesting conversation topic for the future, I think.
• More Beyonce!  That Blu Ivy, she kills me.  Skip to the last 40 seconds for extra cuteness.
• Oddly enough, I was reading Joan Rivers' recent book on my flight home--the day before she checked into the hospital.  I grew up watching Joan Rivers on Fashion Police and what I would give to be famous and have her tell me my dress was hideous.  She was honest and brave and brutally funny and she'll be deeply missed.  If you're not familiar with her work, click on the Time article above or take a gander at some of her best lines.