While I wonder what types of evidence and indicators the conductors of this study used to determine where the best and worst countries for moms to live are, I did find it pretty eye-opening and wide-ranging.
Funny how different the lives of people on the same planet are. Maybe I’m easily astounded, but this is a pretty large gap.
(Click on the title to see the PBS article!)
dedicated keepers at the david sheldrick wildlife trust’s nairobi elephant nursery in kenya protect baby shukuru from the cold and rain, and the risk of pneumonia, with a custom-made raincoat.
photo: michael nichols/national geographic
Talk about compassion for all creatures!
(Source: self-romance, via arreter)
As my fellow soon-to-be-graduates all furiously job search and study for the various post-grad exams that will apparently guarantee them a better future than the majority of our lot who will end up working the late shift at a local In-N-Out burger, I’ve got my own scheme in the works.
Rather than deal with all of this stress mumbo jumbo, I’m taking the high road! I’m going to “borrow” my dad’s ‘91 Volvo station wagon, pawn off my belongings to whomever will take them, and head east! Somewhere in the desert, I might wander into a big hair beauty parlor and request that they manipulate my locks, add a lilac tint, and leave me resembling one of Frenchie’s pre-beauty school drop-out mishaps.
With my dazzling new look, I’ll motor off down another road—preferably one loaded with a tantalizing selection of shacks that didn’t quite make the cut to be featured on the most recent episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
Assuming I haven’t died of food poisoning or from a fried food induced heart attack, I will press on. Hauling ass to the Midwest does not sound all too appealing, but at the very least I’d find myself in the company of old friends and exchange some witty banter for a few nights’ stay on a nice, sunken-in 20-something’s couch.
On the off-chance that my car doesn’t burn out with a putt-putt and a “Did you seriously think this was a good idea?!”, I will take my whistle blowing and half-hearted singing talents all the way to the Big Apple. I once read a book for a sociology class that detailed the lives of homeless street vendors in NYC, so I feel pretty confident that I’d have a competitive edge against all of the other grungy street acts. I’ll burst out my best rendition of “Set Fire to the Rain” until someone pays me to stop.
Finalement, I will meet a high-class French businessman whom I will accompany back to his country home à Provençe. From there, I will eat marvelous food, meander with my thoughts through fields of wildflowers, and have many garden parties.
If this sounds to you like a bad idea, or if you might have any suggestions pour moi, please keep them to yourselves. (Unless you’re here to offer me a job—I’ll take it!)
Seriously, music is my lifeblood. Every single day, my morning starts like this:
1. Open Eyes
2. Put on glasses (optional step)
3. Start playing whatever music I dreamt about
4. Take mah meds
My roommate Aine once commented on the fact that Addie and I are literally always listening to music AS IF it were a bad thing. I was shocked and horribly offended of course.
After months and months of anticipation, my music wet dreams are about to come true; the magical Coachella Valley Music Festival is but 5 days away!!!! True to character I have been listening to as much new music as I can cram through my ears, so I figured I’d give my overworked brain some breathing room by linking some of my personal favorites from this morning. (Click on the artist names for my favorite tracks!)
Justice: Because, duh, I LOVE THE FRENCH. Plus, the “On’n’On” video is insane!!
Breakbot: Baby, I’ll always be yours (he’s French, too…heh)
GIVERS: They’re going to help me fulfill my IndieRock dreams
SebastiAn: For that deep, electric feel. So #sexual. Also…#French
Beirut: These guys have a seriously unique sound. I’ll admit the first time I heard Beirut, I was like “wtf these alt music weirdos have gone toooo far.” But after careful re-evaluation, I’ve realized that their melodic big-band beats are just epic as sh*t.
Girls: They’re actually two boys. They have an amazing talent that makes you feel old school classy. Where’s my brandy?
…And that’s all for now. Time to go get my gym on! Really, what’s Coachella if you don’t look #hawt in all of your festival fits?!
—Bob Marley
I’ve been on sort of a health kick this year, which means that I’ve been doing a lot more running. The most difficult part of this? Getting my brain to STFU.
Aiiiiight, yeeuhhh I’ve got this! I love running. I can run so well. This is the only sport I can actually do. Woops, forgot to reset my incline! Don’t want to hurt my knees, let me just fix that. There, much better! What other features does this baby have? Whoa I can run Mt. Kilimanjaro right now? Right here on this treadmill? Hell ya I want to do that! I’ve heard that interval running is the real way to loose weight. Plus it’s good for your heart and shit. Okay, mountain, let’s go!
Hmm…this tiny screen sure is hurting my eyes. OH! Perfect, there are eight televisions right in front of me! What do we have here? WTF? People still watch Teen Mom? UGH, Chopped is on over there…man I really picked the wrong treadmill…oh well, I guess trashy TV is popular for some reason.
Oh snap, this is a lot more difficult than I remember. Didn’t I just run three miles last week? Well at least I’ve already ru—wtf? It’s been HALF A MILE?!?! Kill me now. Okay, stay focused. Or should I focus at all? Oh god, what if I stop paying attention and suddenly fall off this treadmill?!
-Ten Minutes Later-
Damn, I was being such a little bitch ten minutes ago. This treadmill ain’t got nothin’ on me! Let me just increase my speed and incline…OH GOD TOO FAST. *beep beep beep* Okay much better. Ehh, I should be studying right now. I wonder what I’m going to make for dinner…Ew I hate this song! Stupid iPod. When is Apple going to install a “psychic” app? Clearly I don’t want to listen to Bon Iver while I’m getting my run on!
-Five Minutes Later-
Am I done yet? Ugh, I’m over this. In five minutes I’m just going to stretch. Or pretend to do some push-ups. Or just make fun of the people who look silly. Muahah, I knew those mirrors were good for something. At least I broke a sweat. Ohh maybe I’ll get froyo after this! Wait, NO. Just water and exlax until prom. I mean…what? **End workout**
Really—dancing makes everything better. Especially when done with people who make you happy. My sorority always participates in this dance-off philanthropy event and we started practice today. It’s funny, because I’m horribly uncoordinated and generally terrible at coordinated dancing but I had so much fun tonight! I swear I was on an adrenaline high for over an hour afterwards.
On an unrelated note, I’ve started interning for a non-profit in Sacramento and am totally loving it! A friend helped me land the spot (thanks Sarah!), and even though the aspect of networking totally horrifies me for some inexplicable reason, this wonderful opportunity has definitely demonstrated its benefits. Plus my boss listens to marvelous music in our office. Score!
Back to dancing, a few weeks back my friend and I tried to buy our tickets for the springtime music festival Coachella. To our dismay, they sold out SO fast :( Later that day, my roommate came home and gave me marvelous news: her family had purchased tickets on layaway in June and rather than letting her brother bring two friends along, he gets to invite just one…meaning she got to invite one of her own…meaning I GET TO GO! So joyful! I’ve been prepping my earbuds and my dance moves. I cannot wait to strut my stuff along with thousands of other people in warm weather :D
Flaky Profiteroles with Blackberry Mascarpone, Chocolate, and Pistachio
Holy smokes, I must make these. I can’t even look at them…
