All good things come in threes. Mind Blowing - last edition

A Chinese druggie decides to commit suicide, planning to jump from his eighth-floor apartment window. But, first, he attempts to throw his two-year-old daughter down. Unbelievably, she is saved at the last minute.

See how the girl's savior comes to her rescue here. I will remember this man the next time I think to myself, "I can't do this!"

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Mind-blowing Part II

I will remember this man the next time I think to myself, "I can't do this!"

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Mind-blowing

I will remember this man the next time I think to myself, "I can't do this!"

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I'm gonna make you an offer you can't refuse -- Go ahead, make my day!

What is the movie you have seen multiple times -- not because your girlfriend forced you, not because you were on an airplane and would rather watch the movie than listen to the annoying lady next to you, not because ... well, you get the idea. What is the film that you watch over and over -- simply because you love it, identify with it, learn from it, etc.?

I have a couple like that. If I had to pick an American one, it would probably be Amadeus. With regards to the Russian ones, it'd be a tie between Покровские Ворота and Burnt by the Sun.

So, recommend some titles, please. In exchange for your suggestions, here is a list of 50 movies worth seeing:

In no particular order:

1 Amadeus
2 Burnt by the Sun
3 Immortal Beloved
4 The Lives of Others
5 One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest
6 The Red Violin
7 Babel
8 GoodFellas
9 Fried Green Tomatoes
10 Drugstore Cowboy
11 Taxi Driver
12 The Departed
13 House of Sand and Fog
14 In America
15 A Clockwork Orange
16 In the Name of the Father
17 The Luzhin Defense
18 My Life without Me
19 Primal Fear
20 Ordinary People
21 Amy’s O
22 Reality Bites
23 Shine
24 Sunshine (1999)
25 Vertigo
26 Where the Truth Lies
27 And Now Ladies and Gentlemen
28 All about My Mother
29 Fight Club
30 13 Conversations about One Thing
31 Blood Simple
32 Conversations with Other Women
33 Hanna and Her Sisters
34 Dog Day Afternoon
35 Central Station
36 American Beauty
37 Brokeback Mountain
38 Yana’s Friends
39 Memento
40 Pan's Labyrinth
41 Cinema Paradiso
42 Twelve (Russian film by N. Mikhalkov)
43 The Big Lebowski
44 The Godfather
45 The Illusionist
46 Paris Je T'aime
47 The Prestige
48 The Shawshank Redemption
49 The Silence of the Lambs
50 The Shining

Oh, and ... almost forgot. A couple of days ago, I saw the first American musicle I liked. Really liked. Enjoy, mein herrs:

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What I’ve learned over the Fourth of July weekend

- When a six-year-old carries an egg that’s sitting on a plastic spoon that’s dangling from his mouth, the said egg will break sooner rather than later.
- MIT graduates are geekier than you realized, even if you were already completely convinced of their supreme geekdom. They’re very fun, nevertheless. Oh, and you’ll learn all kinds of useless information you can pass on to your kids. Like… sorry, can’t remember.
- Men cannot hula hoop. At all. (Those who can look so foolish, they wish they couldn’t.)
- Trader Joe’s has the best vegetarian burgers. They’re called Masala. Mmmmm…asala.
- Don’t tell your mother-in-law your chicken recipe because she’ll steal it and tell everyone else. Now they all know to marinate the meat in Ken’s Steakhouse ranch dressing. Full fat.
- It’s not a good idea to drive around Boston at midnight on July 4th. The speed of the car (après fireworks) will be about .5 miles an hour.
- Kids are really cranky when they don’t get into bed until 2 a.m.
- Parents are even crankier when those same kids wake them up at 6:28 a.m.
- It’s an even worse idea to place your BlackBerry in your sweatshirt pocket. Although, the speed of the car (while driving back to Boston the next day to retrieve the lost phone from a kindly Portuguese woman) will be about 65 miles an hour.
- Hasidic women let their multiple female babies roam on the playground unsupervised, while they play baseball with their sons in the adjoining field. As a result, their babies are well-behaved and accident-free. And, they recognize the ice cream truck’s music at 1 and a half years old. Now, how’s that for early development?!
- Certain Russian women watch their kids’ every move. As a result, their children have more bruises than a week-old pear and more cuts than a birch tree.
- Curious children will gladly eat cucumbers when offered by Hasidic women. Those same children will always refuse the said cucumbers when offered by spiritual yet agnostic mothers.

- Being a stay-at-home mother is much harder than going to the office. Especially, when your husband is away on a business trip. Even though it’s more rewarding, you will still miss working. You’ll start to resent the glances of high-heeled business women at Whole Foods who run into the store during their lunch break to pick up some low-fat chicken. Or maybe, they’re glancing because they’re jealous, not condescending? Or, is it possible that they’re not glancing at you at all, but are only trying to see the price tag on those organic apples your kid’s head is blocking? Who knows? But, you’ll still feel crappy. Because you’re wearing clogs and jeans, and your hair is in a ponytail. Because you’ll be wondering whether those women are judging you and seeing you as someone who “aspires to be kept”. Because you don’t.

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Hooray, Hooray, It's a Holi, Holiday!

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Be nice, kids. The Man upstairs sees everything.

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The Fun'll Come out Tomorrow

If I didn't stay up until 1 a.m. last night watching a somewhat preachy fable called Night Train, this valuable real estate could have contained an interesting post. But I'm too sleepy and would rather ... sleep.

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In case animals aren't your thang and you still need a reason to smile

They want to be loved by you:


Vote for your favorite look-alike HERE. ♦DiggIt! ♦Add to del.icio.us ♦Add to Technorati Faves

Life's a Laugh

OK, sorry about the depressing photos I posted yesterday. Some uplifting ones to counteract the effect:

Many more HERE. Enjoy.

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What is Happening in the World?!

In case you have been feeling a bit sorry for yourself lately, here are some recent happenings around the globe to put things in perspective for all of us.

Afganistan

China

Honduras

Iran

China

These photos are from last week. Click on the images to go to the source.

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Little Onyx Dress

Ah, what woman doesn’t love “a little black dress”? While the term usually refers to a classic silhouette, it often evokes a tired shift. Kudos to brands that are trying to reinvent the stale concept. Barron Duquette Reese understands that, just because the word “little” is part of the moniker, your outfit does not have to be a mini. Let’s face it – there are more subtle ways to indicate the slow emergence of summer than by showcasing your panties for the world to see. For instance, take a look at this beauty from SmartBargains’ all-encompassing vaults.



This “onyx” dress is just short and black enough to qualify for the label “little black dress” that piques men’s and women’s curiosity, albeit for different reasons. Instead of the lack of length, an image reminiscent of a seashell decorates the garment to make us think of the warm weather. And, at 69% off, how can you pass it up?


Go on, join the party. While you’re there, don’t forget to pay with PayPal for an extra 20% off. With saving like these, you might just have enough cash left over for those silver shoes to go with the outfit.

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Easy Breezy Beautiful

- Sweet potato, cheese and bean quesadillas
(self-explanatory, but the cheese has to be sharp and to balance the sweetness of the potatoes)
- Chicken meatballs
(egg white, 1lb ground chicken, some Worcestershire sauce, spices, salt, ketchup, minced garlic and onion)
- Sauted veggies with ginger marinade
(no, I don't make the marinade -- Stop&Shop, baby!)

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Dancing queen, feel the beat from the tambourine...

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How is nude yoga relaxing?!

You probably already know that artists think differently from the rest of us. While you're wondering how you're going to pay your bills, lose weight, punish your children or get an extra two minutes of sleep in the morning (go to bed earlier, duh!), they're pondering how they can express themselves and find their inner peace. So, what happens next is -- they start devising ways they could get in touch with their homeostasis. Some do yoga, some do yoga in the nude... No, not really -- mostly, they just paint and glue little figurines to pieces of colorful paper. You don't believe me? I knew you were going to say that. Sigh. I have proof.

Keri Smith is an illustrator and one creative gal. I stumbled on her list of 100 random things to do, and am totally in awe of this woman's originality. For instance, #32 is the idea to list all of the smells in your neighborhood. Since I live in an area with a lot of skunks and BBQ enthusiasts, the odors collide into an unpleasant medley I don't think you would like to hear more about. And, since I don't really know 100 uses for a tincan (I guess I could think up some, but then again, I could also use that time to get those extra sleep minutes), I thought I'd create a character based on someone I know instead (#42).

So, I went to this nifty site, pretended that it's nothing like KidZui (I'm an adult, remember?) and spent a couple of minutes playing with different versions of South-Park Ira. Since the site is malfunctioning, I couldn't save my masterpiece to show you, but She came out sooo cool. Not square at all. Go, check it out. The possibilities are endless. Your imagination is limited only by the number of hairstyles and hat designs. One question -- where are the noses?! Did the designers know about my neighborhood smells? (Disclaimer: I've never seen South Park. Doesn't anyone in the movie have a nose?!)

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In memoriam

Michael Jackson has always symbolized America to me. He was the first US singer I knew about, listened and danced to. I can't believe he is no longer alive. I'm too sad to write anything else. Here is my favorite song of his:
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Brother, can you spare a dime?

I understand that we are living in a recession, but shouldn’t there be a limit to how low a person can stoop to save a couple of bucks?! This quote is from a NYT article on restaurants’ marketing tactics; it refers to customers who prefer to visit only when they have discount coupons: “‘These guys are coming in just for that deal, and they’re not buying the soda, they’re stiffing the waiter on the tip, they’re drinking water and they’re leaving,’ he said.”

I’m all for choosing water in favor of sugary soda or sparkling l’eau de prétention, but stiffing the waiter?! If you can’t afford to dine out, then cook your grub at home, but don’t make someone else pay for your pleasure. What’s your take on this? Leave a tip via a comment.

Here’s my tip for you. Since many people have lost their “real” jobs, they’re making ends meet as waiters. You never know – there might be a writer lurking behind that apron. Here’s a prime example:

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Free Cocktails and Appetizers

So, this post is the reason you read this blog. Today, you finally get your money’s worth. (I wish…) That’s right, brother (or sister – I don’t discriminate, man). I’m gonna let you in on a little secret – just between us, girls. You ready? OK, pay attention now. What would you do if you knew where to buy Van Gogh’s art (or Mary Cassat’s – whoever rocks your boat) for a very good price? You’d buy the damn art, that’s what you’d do.

OK, now that we’ve established that you’re a smart investor, let’s play a little game. Let’s pretend that it’s 1888. You meet a weirdo in a café. He’s ill at ease, keeps sipping his water and rubbing his rumbling stomach. There are two possible scenarios.

Scenario one. You feel sorry for the poor loser and buy him a croque-monsieur. The bastard is so thankful for the kind gesture, he talks your ear off with tales of the underground art scene. You want to go home and crash, but again feel pity and accept his invitation to check out his paintings. Once you see his work, though, you realize he ain’t half bad and offer to buy some of his stuff, thus feeding him for a week or so. You part with a crumpled bill as he parts with a depiction of a vineyard. You choose it because it is the most colorful piece, one that reminds you of … well, knocking one back, etc.

Scenario two. You feel sorry for the sad loser and pat him on the shoulder as you walk past him to leave the café and go home to your soft bed. Two years later, Anna Boch becomes the first person to recognize Van Gogh’s genius by buying The Red Vineyard for 400 francs. The dude dies, his art is widely praised, and you feel stupid. Yada, yada, yada. Well, don’t be a dolt. Here’s what you do.

Go to your Yahoo! (or Google, if you've evolved) calendar. Then, create an appointment for 5 p.m. on August 20th for your date with Van Gogh in Gallery Z. Only, in this third scenario, Van Gogh is actually Mary Cassat, and Mary Cassat is actually a Polish artist named Ewa Romaszewicz. (Full disclosure – Ewa’s a close friend and her art kicks ass). Anyhow, her show ‘Real & Imagined Landscapes’ runs between August 4th and August 29th, in case you’ll be stuck in jail and unable to make it on the 20th, the date of the reception. The ad for the evening says that she uses “soft lighting and muted tones to represent emotional scenes in nature”. I say, just get your ass in there and prepare for a kick. You don’t want to miss your chance now, do you? Oh, and I’ll be there – so that’s another great reason to attend. Or not.

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Tongue-tied Tuesday

Update: Apparently, I'm not the only perverse blogger out there.

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Rainy Days are Here Again ... And Again

I apologize ahead of time to the readers who still have all their hair, but this post is for those of you with troublemakers in da house. The summer is upon us and someone needs to entertain the rascals. And, since it’s been raining nonstop – at least in my neck of the woods – you better be prepared! Yes, TV helps, but who wants their kids to tattle on you to other parents at the playground? Just imagine, “My mom lets me watch TV all day while she snacks on bon bons and fans herself”. Not the impression you want to make – catch my drift? (Yes, moms can be quite judgmental, believe it or not. Quel horreur!) But, there are only so many times you can paint flowers, build LEGO houses, mold play dough monsters and dance to Hanna Montana (@#%^&). The day is long, know what I’m sayin’ here?

That’s when KidZui comes to the rescue. I’m not quite sure what it is, but I think it’s some kind of a game system you download on the Internet (for free!) when you become desperate for two minutes of thinkus uninterruptus. (If you lock yourself in the bathroom, sit on the toilet lid and put your hands over your ears, they will still knock until you open the door). So, unless you can afford that great nanny who is a cook and a cleaner and a laundress rolled into one, you need KidZui. (Wii does not work as well because they’ll still bug you, asking for help.) KidZui is scoundrel-friendly (did Steve Jobs design it?). All you have to do is create an account for your little devils, and set them free to roam behind the monitor. (Cue the grandma who says, “When I was little, kids ran around outside, not sat indoors all day”. Shut up, grandma – you didn’t grow up in rain country. Oh, summer, where art thou?)

Your kid will have a blast creating an avatar, dressing it up and introducing himself to friends (other similar-looking avatars (the free options are somewhat limited with regards to design and individuality, but who cares? It’s what’s inside that counts, right?) The games are fun yet educational (the kids don’t realize this, so you’re all set.) You’ll be able not only to sort the darks and the lights, but also to sprinkle some cheese on that lasagna. Go on, download the game. Your secret’s safe with me.

Image via CrunchBase

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A Rambling Catty Post

I have an observation which may anger some of you. If it does, deal with it – no one, including me (gasp), is perfect (even Obama has large ears). Recently, I noticed that a myriad of people around the globe are completely bonkers over cats. I mean totally obsessed with cats. As someone who has never owned a pet (or is that politically incorrect?) -- sorry, let me try again. As someone who has never shared a house with a pet (I assume that caterpillars and random bugs living in jars on our kitchen windowsill don’t count), I can’t participate in the glee that emanates from the mouths of cute-cat photo-chainmail recipients. Cats with bows, cats with dogs, cats in beds, cats in hats. As much as I enjoy Seuss, I just shrug my shoulders and roll my eyes in an obnoxious fashion. It’s just a cat – get over it!

That’s why I was not at all surprised when my mother handed us some Trader Joe’s cookies marketed to cat people. Guess what they’re called? You don’t have to – I’ll tell you. Chocolatey [sic] Cats Cookies for People. Never mind that the package depicts a fat cat that looks a lot more like a tiger – it also reads in large letters, LOW FAT. So, as soon as I saw those magic words (OPP, you know me) I had to steal some from the kids (other people’s property no more!). At only 1.5 grams of fat per 15 cookies (9 grams of sugar), they’re way more preferable to Oreos – at least to me (I have never been able to get into the whole sugary white filling thing). So, these cookies are very similar to Oreos – sans the sticky insides. They're light, crispy and ... chocolaty. In fact, I like them so much, I think I’m becoming a cat person … only until TJ comes up with dulce de leche dog snacks.

If you spent your childhood in the US (or if you are a European who’s lost his taste buds), please tell me this – do you like Oreos because they taste good or do you just like the commercials? (My favorite one is the father-son kitchen-table conversation. There’s nothing like Oreos for bonding!) Or maybe it’s the process that appeals to you – the twisting motion, the licking... Gosh, it's so hard to figure out what the right way to eat an Oreo is... So, do tell me – what is so great about Oreo cookies?! Just have some Cats Cookies for People, people!

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Happy Father's Day!

Source

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V is for victory

I fixed the feed. Ya'll can subscribe now. There is a techie in me after all. Somewhere deep inside.

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First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes X with a baby carriage. Then what?

OK, enough of this silliness with hotpants and contests. Let's talk about something more serious. Stumbled on a really great piece on love (what else matters, really?). Since I like to eat the ice cream first, here is the conclusion:

"But what about longing? Desire? The very human craving for delirious romance? Even when we know better, even when we've learned the hard way that no other person can possibly make us whole and we've entered into a conscious relationship, where does the longing go?

'Longing is a wonderful, very vital energy,' says Florence Falk. 'It's not the longing that's the problem, it's what you do with it.' As we begin to reclaim our selves and find our core strength, she says, not only is it possible to develop a real, loving relationship, but the longing can be redirected to something greater than ourselves, something transcendent.

And, says Stephen Levine: 'If another person is the most important thing in your life, then you're in trouble and they're in trouble because they become responsible for your suffering. But if consciousness is the most important thing in our lives and relationship is a means toward that end... Ah! then we are approaching paradise. We are approaching the possibility of actually becoming a human being before we die.' And maybe that is the future of love."

More here. Talk amongst yourselves. Oh, and feel free to leave your reactions in the comments. ♦DiggIt! ♦Add to del.icio.us ♦Add to Technorati Faves

I have a date with Bruno on July 10th

Note to self: wear something sparkly to the theater; consider a sombrero for headgear.

Photo credit

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Wake up your dormant creativity

Missed the last contest? Not to worry. A bunch of people emailed me that they liked the idea and want more of these. You got it.

This time, we're going to work with images, though -- too many of you sent me your responses asking not to share them. So, here are the details of the next (less personal) contest.

Take a look at the previous post. Your new assignment is to create an original image with a vinyl record. Email these to me, putting "vinyl contest" in the subject line. If I get enough of these, I will publish them on the blog and award small prizes to the best ones. You have until June 30th to get these in.

What are you waiting for? Get to it!

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A Sure Way to Become a Star

OK, I admit that this idea is not the most ingenious one, but it's so much fun! Here's what you do:

- Take your favorite vinyl record (providing you still own those -- I sold almost all of mine on a yardsale). Keep in mind that the record cover must contain the singer's photo.

- Then, pose with the record in a way that fills in the parts missing from the shot. Go ahead, let your imagination flow.

Don't want to bother? Just check out this guy's collection then. Here's my favorite shot:

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Worldly Why's

A la Providence Journal’s Mark Patinkin

1. Why doesn’t the librarian at our local branch know who Nabokov is?
2. Why are unemployed people supposed to look for work if they spend all of their time trying to file the weekly claim via the most ridiculous phone system?
3. Why do my kids need umbrellas to take a bath?
4. Why does my six-year-old think that it’s cooler to wear the short-sleeved shirt over the long-sleeved one?
5. Why is the weather always nice when I score free museum tickets?
6. Why does the non-fat Greek-style yogurt taste so fatty and yummy?
7. Why does the reduced-fat cheese taste so bland and blah?
8. Why did the radishes I planted start growing and the cucumbers never sprouted?
9. Why does the ice cream truck always arrive at the playground around dinner time?
10. Why did I major in English?

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And in the spirit of weirdness...

More kick-ass photos from another fantastic Russian photographer. Be careful, they'll forever change your perception of the Brits.



Crumpets, anyone? No? OK, here are some more photos then.


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For those who thought Thayer Street weirdos can't be beat

More here. Caution: adult content.
Once you click on the link, check out the rest of the blog. It rocks. Superb photographer.

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