Adorable baby #1

24 04 2008

Baby Ethan, laughing hysterically, sent to me a few weeks ago by mi mejor amiga, Caroline. No, it does not get old!!

And I just discovered: Little Ethan is a sellout! Used in AIG commercials. But who cares! I am convinced that the world will become a better place if more people see this video!

ADORABLE ADORABLE ADORABLE.





These are a few of my favorite things

24 04 2008

1) Sufjan Stevens. Of course he’s the first item on the list. Favorite musical artist. Of all time. I’ve said it before; I’ll say it again. The name of this blog (“Thinking Outrageously”) is in the lyrics of “The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is Out to Get Us!”. He’s my homeboy. Ha, no, I wish. But I am convinced he is my musical soulmate, and never has a finer sound tickled my eardrums. Don’t ask me to pick a favorite song; I tried once. I came up with 69. Sufjan, you are incredible. I miss your sweet sound so.

2) Travel. I cannot express my desire to trod upon as much of the globe as I am able. I’m hoping it’s just a matter of time, 18 years is much too long to stay in one country, in my opinion. I just started making a list of places I want to go but realized it’s pointless; that is a list that gets too long too fast. Better just say I’d go anywhere and everywhere, and to me, the most appealing life is that of a vagabond.

3) Birds. Primates. Animals in general. (sometimes) Including People. I like living things. We’ll start with the birds. A fond childhood memory is doing the Point Reyes Bird Observatory Bird-a-Thon once a year with my good friend Austin. We were but eight, quietly looking at birds whilst flipping through the pages of a bird book, trying to match a name with the bird we were seeing. Then of course came the obsession with acquiring a pet bird of my very own. But alas, the father is allergic, no bird for my 11-year-old self. But I am still attached to the feathered creatures, often getting weird looks from passersby due to my abrupt stops to stare intently at the sky. On to primates: thanks to a Primatology course fall quarter, I have become a lil’ bit crazy about our closest relatives. The current question: do I want to become a Primatologist? Watching primates for days and days in the middle of African jungle? YES PLEASE. I’m sure I’ll touch on the peoplewatching in another post someday, so for now I’ll simply state: I do it, I do it A LOT.

4) Times to ma-self. Sometimes I just head downtown, take a trip by myself and do whatever I feel like…write in my book on the sidewalk, walk and walk and walk, see a movie. But I tell you, there’s nothin’ better than having an hour between classes to do whatever; lay in the sun in the quad and draw pictures, bike aimlessly, perch myself on a bench somewhere and watch the people go by (here I go already, with the peoplewatching)…or what I did today (too coooold for a wimp like myself to sit outside for too long): head into the bookstore, sit in a chair, and flip through a book I haven’t paid for! I’m a longtime PostSecret fan and I recently discovered something similar: Other People’s Love Letters: 150 Letters You Were Never Meant to See by Bill Shapiro. Essentially, exactly what it sounds like: a whole buncha love letters compiled into a book. Perfect for a nosy spy like myself!

5) Art. Seeing it, doing it. Photography, drawing, painting, sculpture, music, I dig it all. My artform of choice is simple pencil drawing, it’s what I do best. Been copying some of Hieronymus Bosch’s delightfully grotesque little characters. I’m of a fan of his.

6) San Francisco Giants. I can thank my younger sister Anna for this one. She’s the biggest fan I know, and it’s rubbed off on the rest of us. A devastating discovery was no FSN Bay Area station on our cable, meaning I can only watch a few games a month. But honestly, it’s not going to be a great season; maybe I’m saving myself some heartache. But we won tonight in the 13th inning. Good job boys!





Apple hates me?

23 04 2008

SO…perhaps I’m not the delightfully frequent, impeccably interesting blogger I thought I could be. In my defense, I am having a bit o’ trouble figuring out WordPress.com. Not because it’s difficult to manage, but because I’ve made several mistakes in categorizing, etc…Plus, I’ve been giving blog the silent treatment for a few weeks ’cause the jerk neglected to post my entire post! I have forgiven but not forgotten, so I shall scrutinize your every move from here on out!

I often get into the strangest internet crazes…usually blogs of interesting and/or inspiring strangers! First it was just the many pictures and excerpts from travelblog.org. Then it was Catra Corbett, a tattooed and pierced recovered drug addict and now a vegan/raw food ultrarunner and Crossfit enthusiast who is going for the world record on the Pacific Crest Trail in a few years (side note: Ultrarunners are people who run distances, nay, races, of over 26.2 miles, which is the distance of a marathon. Most races are 50 or 100 milers or 50 or 100Ks. Unbelievable, right?!)! Amazing. Anyway, my latest blog is written by Elyse Sewell, a former contestant on ANTM Cycle 1, now a model with a penchant for quirky self-portraits and bizarre foods who circles the globe, takes most excellent pictures, and is an inspiringly quick-witted writer. Am I a stalker or what?

iTunes is treating me very oddly. As I opened it yesterday, planning on playing my newest musical addiction (The Weepies, thanks John!!!), I found all of my music library gone except for one Beck CD, one Radiohead CD, and two songs from the Run Lola Run soundtrack. Good choices, but it is a bit alarming finding I have 27 songs instead of over 3000.

But I suppose it evens out; since I set my iPod to shuffle it has been making great musical selections. I’m on the 33rd song and I’ve only skipped over one or two!