Category Archives: adventures

by | October 23, 2009 · 5:02 pm

youtube clip of today: fun theory.

Oh huzzah, huzzah!  It’s Friday!  My heart is singing because I have been dreaming about sweatpants all day long and I can now see a light at the end of the long 9-5 tunnel.  But that has nothing to do with today’s YouTube clip of the day.  Silly me.

I love this video.  This should be unsurprising because I genuinely wish that my life was a lighthearted musical.  Things like flash mob dances and giant sing-alongs give me hope.  Sigh.  Anyway, I think these people are on to something.  There are two more videos from The Fun Theory, which is run by Volkswagen.  Das most clever!

Have a wonderful weekend, y’all!

[Posted by Kathleen]

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by | October 23, 2009 · 12:22 pm

quarters to spare? anyone? pretty please?

Let’s talk for a bit about how strange and awkward I am. So the washer and dryer in my building only take quarters (yeah, those kind still exist), and this always presents a bit of a conundrum for me because I, um, have yet to get signed up with a bank in DC. I know, it’s not smart and I’m wasting money on ATM fees and yada yada, but it’s the truth. This means that when I need quarters, I can’t just go to the bank and get a roll; instead, my strategy is to go begging at various CVS’s and grocery stores. For the most part, this has worked just fine. Occasionally I have to go to a few stores, but with a couple dollars here and there and the quarters I find in my purses, I can manage.

Today did not go so smoothly. I first go to the CVS across the street and the lady is like,”Sure thing! I can give you a dollar!” Um, lady? It’s 2009! It costs $1.25 to do ONE load of laundry. And rather than begging her for more, I sheepishly walk away. Then I move on to the Dunkin’ Donuts next store. They have donuts! They must be nice! As I’m waiting in line, I decide that I should probably order an iced coffee, because that’s what people order from Dunkin’ Donuts, right? The problem is that I don’t drink coffee, so I paid three dollars for a drink I can’t finish, and THEY HAD NO QUARTERS. Boycott your local Dunkin’ Donuts! Don’t listen to Rachael Ray! Also, anyone want this?

i hate you iced coffee

When you’re on your way over to pick up the coffee, feel free to pick me up an iPhone so that I can upload normal-looking photos to my blog. Thanks!

After the Dunkin’ Donuts attempt, I decide to take a break, throw in the two loads of laundry I can afford, and smoke a cigarette. (Okay, I don’t smoke. But if I did I would have totally smoked a cigarette right then.)

My next stop was Safeway. Club soda, sure! I need club soda! As I wait in line to buy my club sode, I prepare my pity plea, and when I get to the register, I lay it on Danny: “Um, hi sir! I have a favor to ask! You see, I really need to do laundry, and see, I’ve been begging all of these stores for quarters, and no one will give me any. Look, I didn’t even want this iced coffee, haha! [Shakes iced coffee in Danny’s face.] So, um, if I give you some cash, will you give me some quarters??” And Danny’s all, “Sweetheart, you know that if you give ten dollars to the Customer Service lady, she can give you a roll of quarters?” And I’m all, “HALLELUJAH SAFEWAY IS MY NEW FAVORITE STORE!!!”

I walk over to the Customer Service lady, a 60-something woman, and she’s cold teasin’ me and says, “Aw Danny said I could give you quarters? Only for a fee!” And my natural response is, “I’ll give you a kiss!”

REALLY, Mallory? You’ll give the woman a kiss? Really?

Moral of the story: sometimes, when I whore myself out for quarters, I end up hitting on grandmothers. Happy Friday to you too!

[Posted my Mallory]

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by | October 19, 2009 · 9:24 am

fine, i’ll write about balloon boy.

balloon-boy

Ohhhh Colorado. My beloved, beloved Colorado. Why do you have to be in the news because of Balloon Boy? Why can’t we just talk about the pretty mountains and the lovely people and the funky neighborhoods? Balloon Boy (but mostly Balloon Boy’s parents), you SLAY ME.

In case you’ve been living under a rock, let me update you on the story (from memory, without sources, because I’m lazy): for one whole day everyone was terrified because they thought an adorable little boy whose family was on “Wife Swap” had floated away in a giant fake UFO. People spent all day staring at the Colorado sky and wondering, “Is this every kid’s dream, or every kid’s nightmare?” (My answer? Dream, assuming he lives.) Then the balloon/fake UFO landed near the Denver International Airport, and Balloon Boy wasn’t inside. Everyone was all “Ohhhh shit. Did he fall out?” But as it turns out, Balloon Boy didn’t fall out. Instead, he was hiding inside a box in the attic, because his dad was mad at him for playing with the giant fake UFO, or so they said. Then, in an interview, Balloon Boy provided a very suspicious response to the question of, “Why didn’t you come out of the box even when you heard people looking for you?” He answered: “You guys said that, um, we did this for the show.” (Okay, I swiped that quote from a NYT article. I’m such a legit journalist.) In the end, everyone realized that we were dealing with some bonafied crazies, and that the entire thing was a publicity hoax, allegedly because the family was making a bid for reality show stardom. Now we hate Balloon Boy’s family, because they toyed with our emotions.

Falcon-Heene-famil_1503209c

Seriously, though. I think that’s why everyone is mad. The Heene family’s story elicited all sorts of real emotions from people across the country — from fear to excitement to sympathy, surely, for that little boy (not least because his name is Falcon) — and then stomped all over them. The situation sort of mocked us: “GOTCHA GOOD, suckers! It was all a hoax!” No one wants their emotions messed with. One time, Korean Correspondent Walshy (who is currently hanging out in my apartment while I’m at work, courtesy of a cancelled flight from our beloved United Airlines) told me that she didn’t get into the study abroad program that she wanted, and I felt awful and comforted her and then she was all, “BAHAHA, kidding! I got in!” I’ve still never forgiven her.

baloon boy 2

The point is, we Americans don’t like to be tricked. And that the punishment for tricking us might be felony charges. Lesson learned!

[Posted by Mallory]

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by | October 2, 2009 · 6:27 pm

today is a google holiday, hooray!

Sooo I’m sitting here on the couch of our Korean-in-looks-alone correspondent in the apartment that she shares with the worst guest blogger ever, Shannon Marie. We are eating all sorts of delicious foods and drinking red wine out of Christmas wine glasses at 5 p.m. because I’M IN CHICAGO, so why not? (And even though Chicago doesn’t get to host the 2016 Olympics, and even though it got kicked out first, and even though Bad Guest Blogger Shannon volunteered for the bid, it’s still a cool city, okay?)

But there’s another reason to celebrate: it’s a Google Holiday!

Today’s Google Holiday: Gandhi’s birthday! Today would have been Gandhi’s 140th birthday. Celebrate by being kind to your friends, flashing the peace sign often, and rocking a moustache, if you’re so inclined/capable.

What we were Googling: aaron carter lyrics saturday night

Picture 2Peace, love, and Chicago deep dish.

[Posted by Mallory]

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by | August 19, 2009 · 11:58 am

and i need you now tonight.

This is one of the greatest things I’ve ever seen on the Internets:

For a better understanding of “Total Eclipse of the Heart”:

turn around

Thank you, Koufukuron. Click here for a larger, easier-to-read version.

True story: at my high school, seniors were allowed to go off campus for lunch. When you drove back into campus from your sweet ass lunch at Quizno’s or the cheap Mexican place, you would drive by all of the lowly underclassmen eating outside. Most seniors would take this opportunity to blare some sort of rap muuuuusick (what was popular then? Usher? Outkast?) and my friends and I vowed that we would never be that obnoxious (or at least not that particular brand of obnoxious). Instead, we would blare ridiculous, embarrassing music, like — you guessed it — Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” Those were the days.

Let’s all reminisce, shall we?

Or check out the literal video version, because it’s amazing.

[Posted by Mallory]

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by | August 19, 2009 · 11:13 am

study proves gamer stereotypes are true.

This just in from the Department of Things that are Unsurprising:  A new survey shows that the average U.S. gamer is overweight, 35 years old and depressed.

This study was conducted by the CDC in the Seattle-Tacoma area.  CDC’s Dr. James B. Weaver said,

“Health risk factors, specifically a higher BMI and a larger number of poor mental-health days, differentiated adult video-game players from non-gamers,” he said. “Video game players also reported lower extraversion [sic], consistent with research on adolescents that linked video-game playing to a sedentary lifestyle and overweight status.”

Image from vortexgames.com

Image from vortexgames.com

Does anyone else find this to be really disturbing?

Last weekend I was in Indianapolis for a wedding, which fell on the same weekend as Gen Con Indy– a gaming convention.  Walking around, our high heels and party dresses were a stark contrast to the sea of gamer costumes: elves, pirates, warrior princesses.  Not to go all Carrie from Sex and the City on you, but I couldn’t help but wonder–besides the costumes, what is it about gamers that really sets them apart from the rest of us?

While we non-gamers are surely not to blame for the natural chemical imbalances that lead to depression, what is our role in ostracizing gamers from mainstream society?

Perhaps we lack the imaginative spark they manage to hold on to, and we mock them for it.  That being said, there must be another outlet for imagination and creativity besides a video game.

We all understand what it’s like to feel comfortable in a community of like-minded people.  (My comfort zone is other political wonks and campaigners who, to some, may seem like weirdos. Unlike gamers, however, we tend to be painfully extroverted.  It takes a certain kind of person to actually like knocking on doors and talking to strangers.) And if the study had said the average gamers were mostly happy and healthy, I would say “live and let live” and then make a crack about how they probably still live in their parents’ basement.

But that isn’t the case.  We now have data pinpointing a distinct community of people who are depressed and unhealthy.  Now we just need to figure out what to do and how to reach them.

[Posted by Kathleen]

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by | August 18, 2009 · 4:12 pm

mysterious letters: a lovely (creepy?) project.

People, I don’t know what’s come over me, but I can’t stop posting about warm-and-fuzzy stuff. Yesterday I had a slow day at work and organized the shit out of my Google Reader, adding tons and tons of blogs, mostly courtesy of the lovely and tiny Susnan. It was via one of these blogs (thanks, design*sponge!) that I stumbled upon the Mysterious Letters project. The people who started the project, Lenka Clayton and Michael Crowe, explain it as such:

In April 2009, we sent a personal, handwritten letter to each of the 467 households in the small Irish village of Cushendall. We hoped these unsolicited letters would prompt neighbourly discussion, spreading across the town, promoting community curiosity.

Lenka and Michael saw this as an art project, and that’s it. Pretty simple. Here are a few sample letters that they sent to the people of Cushendall:

letter 1

letter 2

And my favorite:

letter 3

Perhaps it’s all the warm-and-fuzziness taking over, but I thought this project was nothing but adorable. This clip from a local news program (worth watching if only for the accents, eee!) shows that locals had a different reaction to the mysterious letters. In fact, most of them were at best confused and at worst creeped out and concerned for their safety. I see their point, though I do love the idea in theory. As the anchors say at the end of the clip, Lenka and Michael plan to expand their project and eventually write these letters to everyone in the world. A bit ambitious, maybe, but I’ll be looking out for mine!

What do you think, dear readers? Lovely or creepy? What would you do if you got an unsolicited handwritten letter from a stranger?

[Posted by Mallory]

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by | August 12, 2009 · 11:29 pm

hump day cry face, super sized.

Guys, did you think I forgot the Hump Day Cry Face??? That could be because I almost did, but it’s only before midnight here in fair D.C., so there’s still time! And I’ve got a good one for you. Here’s the description this week’s Cry Facer sent along with her photo:

This gem was captured via iPhone in a McDonald’s I had to drive TWENTY min off the highway to because I was lost but NEEDED it.

There’s more to that story, but I’m a good friend and will keep that to myself. Onto the photo:

mouse cry face

She’s phenomenal, right? I planned to link to another photo of this fine lady doing another excellent CF, but turns out I haven’t posted it yet! I’m both ashamed of myself and thrilled that I have another gem to post, maybe next week. It’s like a double cheeseburger, but of CRY FACES.

[Update: Never mind, FOUND IT!]

In other news, I smashed my thumb rull hard with a hammer today while doing a little Bob Villa-ing around the apartment. Please join me in praying that my thumbnail doesn’t fall off.

[Posted by Mallory]

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by | August 5, 2009 · 12:13 am

hump day cry face is BACK!

Guess how long it’s been since a Hump Day Cry Face? A MILLION YEARS, that’s how long. Many people in my life have been reminding me that I suck at promoting my own Cry Face cause by doing a way better job than me of promoting my Cry Face cause. (This month, I’m bad at blogging and Cry Face. It can only go up from here!)

I’ll post some photos of my most loyal supporter next week, but this week, let’s take a look at an amateur Cry Facer, who was educated by some of the best fake best friends from home ever. I’ve been told that he wants to remain anonymous because he is an extremely important person, so let’s ignore silly things like names and focus instead on the CF:

cry face crittahs

Aw, Cry Face, I’ve missed you. Thanks to the original Critters for the tip and the constant support. When Cry Face makes it into an a book that sells at Urban Outfitters, you’ll get a shout out.

[Posted by Mallory]

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by | August 4, 2009 · 11:53 pm

oh, oh, the places you’ll go.

Soooo hey there strangers. In the past I’ve read a few blogs where the person writing said blog is all, “Oh my god, I am going to be so busy this month, look at my schedule,” and then proceeds to list everything they’re doing for the next four weeks. Which is, of course, the bloggy equivalent of an away message listing all of the papers you have to write. Which is, of course, REALLY irritating.

But people, I have been busy. And some people are good at being busy and still managing to do things like write on their blog and exercise and eat things that aren’t brownies, but it has become clear that I’m not that kind of person. Luckily, I’ve been good busy. As in, have gotten to go on several great trips to places I love and have done nothing about which I can complain. Still, the bloggy guilt has been weighing on me in a major way.

I mean, I got to spend a weekend here.

I mean, I got to spend a weekend here.

Most recently, I got back from a sorority reunion trip to Portland, Maine, where I went lobstering and cocktailed too much and ate too much and generally had too much fun. I got back to D.C. from that wonderful trip at 7:30 a.m. yesterday, and then I went back to my apartment and moved to a new apartment. And by moved I mean packed the rest of my stuff into trashbags and carried pillows while a sweaty Frenchman and a sweaty Bostonian carried my couch into their truck. Mmm, hiring movers. Then I packed another suitcase and now I’m in New Mexico for my very first grown-up business trip.

One of the perks of grown up business trips is that you get your own (!!!) hotel room. I am inordinately excited about this. It may only be a Holiday Inn Express, but I have my own teevee and my own bed and I can take over the whole sink AND I have free wireless. Did I also mention that I know no one in New Mexico, so at the end of the day I have no choice but to snuggle in my bed and blog? Yeah, that’s kind of nice too.

I’m not sure what the point of this post is, except to confess my guilt about the lack of blogging (three cheers for stubborn Catholic guilt!), and, in some way, to see in writing how cool the last month has been for me.

I often think about this concept: what if, ten years ago, someone gave you a snapshot or a brief video of a moment of your life right now? And you had no context and all you could see was what was going on right then and there, and wonder, “How on earth did I get there?” I had one of those moments tonight. I mean, I was sitting in a circle with a bunch of amazing people at least 15 years my senior in Albuquerque, New Mexico, passing around some sort of tribal object and talking about our hopes and aspirations for this workshop we were attending. What would 13-year-old Mallory have thought about that? I bet she’d be confused, and very, very curious.

Which is to say, you can’t imagine all the good things coming to you. You really can’t. (And yes, I did read that on the flap of a box of Sun-Maid raisins.)

[Posted by Mallory]

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