Anyone up for seeing the Muppet Movie at some point? One of my labbies linked several songs from it this afternoon, including something i'm going to refer to as 'what in the heck, Ryan?', and a cover of Forget you featuring Camilla and the fine feathered gals.


Other things of note include the fact that the football part of a 118-year rivalry between my alma mater (okay, the undergrad one) and another other massive university has recently come to an end. It was a heartbreaking final 20 seconds, during which my father and i stood directly in front of the television and became, err, highly animated. Loudly. It's going to be an interesting situation next Thanksgiving; will there be some sort of non-conference rematch?

hats and cups.

Hats at which to goggle, from the Royal wedding last summer. This is another instance of not being sure how i got to this link, and being amazed at what i found there.

Also, this Toby Keith song is about red solo cups. Things to appreciate here is that it seems to be fairly straightforward and honest: okay-i'm-drunk-and-i-wrote-this-unfortunately-catchy-song-and-i'm-famous-so-i-recorded-it.

Planking

And then there's planking. i don't know that i understand the concept, and apparently that's the case with the majority of the population. i have, however, been asked to plank on a number of occasions, the most recent being for my graduate program's retreat scavenger hunt, with the accompanying questions: 'Arms straight? Am i supposed to look up? Down? What the heck?' Followed by, and i'm sure this is the case in 80% of planking incidences, "Hurry up and take the picture already. Did you get it?!"

Owling, the act of perching and staring at things? i can get behind owling - i can typically be found perching and staring at things anyway. Batmanning (hanging upside down), that one actually has some pop-cultural and entertainment purpose.

Anyway.  From the canoe trip... i still don't understand.

"(they're) asleep/ i'm wide awake"

Because really, if i can't be honest about the song occupying my mind in the blog that only 2 other (known) people read, where can i?

It's probably the weather in combination with protein purification. Yeah.

'before this river becomes an ocean...'

i'll confess to a tiny obsession with Kermit the Frog's song Not Easy Being Green (particularly the Andrew Bird version, okayit'strueiloveitalot) which makes this NY Times article about Flight Of The Conchords singer Bret McKenzie highly relevant.

Linked from Ryan today at lunch, this, and i think it should officially be his theme song. Guy can eat.

Finally, the science tattoos. i go back and forth about actually getting a tattoo (i'll get a brand or equivalent first), but having a devotion to your work strong enough to get it permanently etched to your person is something i do support completely. Compilations about these things are getting around. Last June, this online article popped up, and Kelly AT left me a fb link today about the actual book. Also, recently, the NY Times also had a slideshow going 'round, viewable here, featuring the same book.

Also, how do semi-embarrassing though somewhat applicable '80s songs get stuck in my head, apropos of nothing?

NPR posted a Tiny Desk Concert today of Goat Rodeo, a collaboration between Chris Thile and a bunch of other guys (okay, the other guys happen to be YoYo Ma, Edgar Meyer, and Stuart Duncan). i saw a notice for the collaboration sometime in the past two weeks, probably around the beginning of last week, and meant to track it down as soon as it was out.

Leastways, i was THRILLED to see it show up on the excellent NPR music website today. Tiny Desk Concerts have long been favorites, and they bring in some phenomenal musicians...

Addendum: the NPR interview. Quite taken with:  "Upon hearing this, James Taylor goes down in his shop and builds a five-by-five riser for Chris [Thile] to sit on. You think about one of the world's greatest finger-picking guitarists with a power saw in his hand."

i was a huge fan of Nickel Creek since i saw them on PBS' Austin City Limits sometime in (early?) high school, and even dragged my best friend an hour plus's drive to see them live (Floore's, Helotes, TX), and was super sad to hear of their eventual disbanding. It's been interesting to follow each of the member's careers - Chris Thile most recently of the Punch Brothers, and Sara Watkins  recently with the Decemberists.

Yeah, those are all Tiny Desk Concert links. NPR's Music division is, again, awesome.

(Screaming and clapping my hands like a 16 year old groupie at a Beatles concert...)

Apparently Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake just did a History of Rap Part 3?! YES!

Quick references: History of Rap Part 1
History of Rap Part 2

Kelly AT and James, this just settles it. Few settings for these could be as epic as out at Devil's Lake having a climbing dance party with some awesome people; you guys gotta come visit in the spring.

Also, found this article on the Times the other day.  Girl Scouts was a no-go for me, but 4H fit completely despite my being possibly the most awkward child ever. This extended to FFA in high school.  i'm grateful for the work ethics and leadership opportunities garnered there, even if the only parliamentary procedure i've used in the last 5 years was to close an otherwise-informal planning meeting with friends in the most ridiculous manner possible.

Oh, i named a desk 'tensionball' cow Mildred the other day after the dedication in Robert's Rules of Order.

One more thing: the FFA creed totally can apply to science, too. Let's try this thing:

'i believe in the future of science, with faith born not of words but of deeds, achievements won by the past and present generations of Scientists, in the promise of better days through better ways, even as the better things we now enjoy have come to us through the struggles of former years...'  (with apologies to EM Tiffany)

"bathed in the dust of diamonds like a particularly fabulous sparrow"

From here, tripped over on Friday. Continuing that arc, via Holly, this, the original Old Spice commercial. Also of interest, the making of the commercial, and it's entertaining.

Appreciated:

Nuns as corporate activists? Awesome