can we all just agree that "please visit your national parks" by oxford collapse is a fabulous song?

oh man, it's been in heavy rotation around here, and has already found its way onto more than one mix cd. like the dying californian, it's beautiful, big music. and as an added bonus, the video for it, which i embedded below, unless i didn't (i've never tried that before) has corn plants, many cassette tape-related disasters, and sheep. tons of sheep. which are grown-up lambs. (audracity, are you watching?)



so, let the video-blogging commence! and enjoy oxford collapse!

can we all just agree that the recent absence of lolcats2.com is a tragic loss to the cultural heritage of the internets?

it's also really gotten in the way of me teaching more than one person about the wonders of lolcats. icanhascheezburger is good too, but lolcats2 was really my favorite.

can we all just agree that living with a scientist can be kind of amazing?

so tonight i was talking to one of the housemates about my ongoing ankle situation, and he told me that he had a water bottle in the freezer (which i already knew about! and it amazed me! because, in addition to being a real water bottle [like hot water bottle style], it had stars all over it. yeah, sometimes it doesn't take much) and that i could use if i wanted to...and that since it is half water and half alcohol, it never freezes! but it does get really cold. and since it is water in a flexible container, it gives great coverage. massive ankle swelling, i will get the best of you yet!

totally amazing? yes!

can we all just agree that it is time for my ankle to get better?

i sprained it a month ago. i've been pretty nice to it since then. it keeps acting like it's getting way better...and then swelling up all gigantic! i already have misshapen knees. i'm not interested in another permanently angry joint. come on body, get with the program.

can we all just agree that i should really try to make sure i bring my camera with me places?

tonight mamacita and i went for a walk along the river, and the moon was HUGE. HUGE! and then later on, the sunset was incredible (i know this is because of air pollution.) there was a complete rainbow effect—i haven't seen green in a sunset in maybe ever. and i wished that i had my camera. but i didn't, so she and i will just have to remember it, and you'll have to use your imagination.

can we all just agree that new shoes are fun?

so i'm in a wedding, and i had to buy fancy black dressup shoes with heels for the occasion. mamacita and i shopped and shopped today, and we found some totally fantastic ones. they're black with tiny silver accents and wee little pinholes, and i am really looking forward to wearing them. (i rarely feel this way about fancy shoes that were not selected for comfort.) maybe if you're lucky there will be pictures later.

can we all just agree that the harry potter series is excellent?

i just finished book seven a few minutes ago. excellent. please read them when you get a chance, and don't leave spoilers in the comments. thank you.

can we all just agree that train travel can be kind of treacherous, from an auditory standpoint?

so today i took the train to visit the mamacita, and just like last time, ended up sitting very near a dude who DID NOT HAVE A VERY GOOD INSIDE VOICE!!! AND WHO HAD A LOT TO SAY ABOUT...EVERYTHING!!! LIKE HIS BROTHER'S NO-GOOD EX-WIFE WHO DROPPED OFF THEIR TWO LITTLE GIRLS AT DAYCARE AND THEN SHACKED UP WITH SOMEONE SHE MET AT A BAR!!! BUT THEN HE MET A BEAUTIFUL BRAZILLIAN [woman] SO HE'S FINE BECAUSE SHE IS HOT!!!

so then i moved.

can we all just agree that there's really nothing quite like hearing your almost-23-month-old nephew saying your name over the telephone to melt your

little heart?

here is what happened:

nephews' mama: "[nephew #1], i'm talking to auntie sarah."
nephew #1: "sarah!?"

good heavens he's adorable and i can't wait to see him again soon soon soon.

can we all just agree that roy edroso is a brilliant writer?

seriously, dudes, you should be reading alicublog every day. because if you're not, you're missing an impressive roundup of rightwing columnists, regular commentary on the "culture wars," and incredible sentences like this:

And I'm sorry, but whatever you think of the Kosovo intervention, Iraq makes Kosovo look like we gave everyone in Serbia ice cream and then flew them to heaven in a private jet.

go read it.

can we all just agree that "destroy everything you touch" is an excellent song?

we've already established the greatness of ladytron, but i would like to give a special shoutout to "destroy everything you touch." because it is excellent, and also satisfying. and i understand, but do not endorse, that particular approach to life. that is all.

oh also! you can stream or download it here! thanks, the internet!

can we all just agree that children ask profound questions?

last night, while babysitting, i was talking to kid #1, who is four. he said to me, accusingly, "YOU DIDN'T RIDE YOUR BIKE."* i told him he was right, and that i might ride it next time, and then we had a little chat about bicycles. i learned that his mom doesn't ride hers, that his dad doesn't have one, and that he rarely rides his because, as he said,

"EVEN WITH MY HELMET ON, I STILL GET OWIES ON MY KNEES WHEN I RIDE MY BIKE. SO HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DO THAT?"

and, you know? he had a good point. so i told him that sometimes we get owies on our knees when we ride bikes, and that it's okay. then he looked at me like i was crazy and asked for some pizza.

*THIS IS HOW HE TALKS. HE IS FOUR.

can we all just agree that it's a real bummer when your compy gets overwhelmed?

i have a bunch of fun fotos that i want to post, but compy 3000 has been kind of stressed out lately, so i haven't been able to upload them. bummer.

can we all just agree that sometimes, one telephone call changes everything?

ridiculous. interesting. fun?

can we all just agree that new bikes are exciting!, no matter who's getting them?

yesterday i went test riding with the dad. he's been on a 40-something pound steel beast with shifters on the downtube for the last several thousand miles, but we were looking at some pretty, shiny, partly-carbon brand new bicis (for him at least; the saleswoman was kind enough to send me out too so that i wouldn't have to sit and wait, but i was on a slightly too-small commuter bike that just fit funny [but not ha ha funny] all the way around.)

so we were riding around near the bike shop, and he kept saying, "this feels way better!" "this bike is great!" and other related things. because yeah, if you go from a clunky steel frame to a 20 pound one with sweet shifters in the brake levers, of course it's going to be overwhelmingly awesome.

and i got to be there. sweet!

can we all just agree that i'm a poet, and i don't know it?

"the grass is always greener /
and i'm a total weiner"

thanks to audra for catching my poetic brilliance.

can we all just agree that cupcakes are fantastic?

somehow, they're a lot more fun than a comparably-sized slice of cake. something about their portability increases the deliciousness factor pretty dramatically.

can we all just agree that sometimes mysterious things are happening underground?

this is what i saw when i decided it was time to pick several carrots that had been growing close together in my garden. i wish i had been able to include the stalks, which were really long. i thought, though, that it might be more interesting to show a closer view of the carrot situation. check it out! i'm not sure what this most closely resembles to me. is it a heartwarming display of carroty affection? or is this one of those times when the phrase "food porn" comes closer to really meaning it? anyway, no matter what it looks like, it's exciting to think that i grew this myself, and now i can eat it. hooray for urban gardening!

can we all just agree that built to spill is fantastic?

i know i've mentioned it before, but i have additional evidence. from "you were right":

"you were wrong / when you said
everything's gonna be alright."

word.

can we all just agree that it's wonderful to catch up with good friends...

but that it can be even more exciting when they say funny things that even rival audra?

like this:

"...it is pitch black, and i mean that in a scientific way. there is no electromagnetic radiation whatsoever."

thanks, joe!

can we all just agree that finally adding photos to the pincurls instruction post is kind of exciting?

because i did! check it out! and give it a try! i mean, if you want to.

can we all just agree that citizens here & abroad is a fantastic band?

i heard them last year on college radio, and scribbled a note to myself on the back of a gas station receipt that said "citizens here and abroad drummy dreamy pop" and i stand by that characterization (though i would like to take the opportunity to express my concern at my occasional habit of writing on gas station receipts while driving. that's unsafe.)

two songs from their album entitled "waving, not drowning" have been on heavy rotation around here. they are called "accelerator" and "in the dark," respectively, and i feel they are deeply relevant to my life experiences in a way that i am not going to explain to the intertubes.

i will, however, point you to http://www.citizenshereandabroad.com, where you can learn more about citizens here & abroad yourself, and even download some free music. including a joy division cover. how is that?

can we all just agree that "the sneeze" is a great website?

check it out, dudes! worthy of special attention is "steve, don't eat it!"

can we all just agree that cryptic calendar entries are even worse than confusing lists?

my calendar says "rr" next saturday. what on earth does that mean? i have absolutely no idea, and it's driving me crazy. also, what if i forget to do something that i promised to do? what if it was going to be really fun? please, dudes, help me out. if you solve the mystery in my comments section, i will be eternally grateful, and may even make you a mix cd.

update: i figured it out. it was more of an "i'd-like-to-go-here-maybe-if-i-put-it-on-the-calendar-i'll-actually-round-up-some-folks-and-go" kind of thing and less of an "i-promised-to-do-something-today" kind of thing. i didn't manage to go, but the summer is still young. yes.

can we all just agree that summer camp is wonderful?