demotivators

click on that picture to see more great posters!

my favorites include:

persistence
potential
pretension
procrastination
teamwork
wishes

christmas lights extravaganza

omg this is the best!

dad, can we PLEASE do this to our house this year?
i'm sure the neighbors would love it.

(be sure to pump up the volume before watching)

>> rockin' christmas lights movie

egg-suckin' dogs

i don't know how many of my avid blog readers realize what a HUGE FAN of johnny cash i am. i have an old flame to blame (thanks, fry) and his older brother, for introducing me to cash's deep, twangy, heart-wrenching, story-telling-genius sounds... but for that i'll be forever grateful.

so, listen to me when i tell you to dress up in all black, then go to the theater this week and see "Walk the Line".

soak in the music, sing his songs for two days... then, come back and read this nytimes article, which sums up all the criticism I have about the movie.

it's funny to have a full day to reflect upon a movie script, only to sit down monday morning and read someone else's words that exactly echo your own... that's what this article does, if you care about my opinion.

don't get me wrong - i loved walk the line. i'd see it again in a heartbeat! it's my nature to be critical, and it's my right as a fan to be selfish. i wanted to see all of cash's brilliance reflected onscreen so the world could also discover a love for him that so many of us already know.

the movie misses some of the best wit and creativity of cash's music -- it never touches or even hints about the ballads he wrote, one of the reasons why i love his work so much. his songs are so much more than just a deep voice. and his music is anything but ordinary. or boring.

who else can write songs about railroad workers, boys named sue, nights in vietnam, hangings, murder, prison... and still sing a gospel song thats rich enough to make you cry?

as a tribute and a love story, i will commend the movie. the actors were great. it was worth my ten bucks. and it definitely left me wanting more... i wonder what the chances are they'll do a sequel?

r. kelly, you scare me

last night, i was innocently working on a project while mtv droned on in the background. little did i know that once the real world: austin was over, i would be exposed to something so... so... no words can describe it.

r. kelly: trapped in the closet

now imagine, r. kelly is singing a story to you, while the story is being acted out on screen. all the characters (male or female) lip sync their words/lyrics while r. kelly's masculine voice belts them out in a weird rhythm. and that's just how it was delivered.

lets talk about the plot. or, shall i say, the ridiculous chain of events that occured among a collection of completely unlikable characters.

taken from mtv.com itself:

The extensive hip-hop opera's story concerns a man who is carrying on affair with a woman who is herself married to a man engaged in a homosexual affair with a second man. Jealousy and anger sweep through all of the characters, each of whom are committing adultery.

a hip hop opera?

i kept watching in the way you can't stop but stare at an accident on the side of the road.

i only saw chapters 1 through 5, but according to cnn, there may be as many as 22 chapters to this, um, "opera".

considering that all the characters have already cheated on each other, and one has already been shot - i'm not sure what will happen in chapters 6-22.

but, i guess that means there is plenty of time for guys to start frolicking with 14 year olds...

snap.

happy early holidays!

hooray! tis the gingerbread latte season!

goals

i had to read a book for my bookclub this month which drove me crazy -- but simultanously got me thinking seriously about one aspect of my life i really need to get serious about: my financial goals.

so, i hated the book because the author's tone of voice really drove me crazy. but i won't go into that. lets just focus on the positive... i'm trying to apply the strategies that were presented to me. i've only just begun, but its off to a good start.

phase 1: what exactly are my financial goals, for the next year? 3? 10? and how am i gonna reach them? it's time to get specific, because if i keep doing what i'm doing, there's a chance won't make it.

the book said, in more words:

- write down my top 10 goals
- pick 5 i can reach in the next 3 years (i rounded up so that it's goals to reach before i turn thirty)
- write down details. specifics.
- write down challenges that might keep me from reaching them.
- write down solutions to the anticipated challenges.
- write down steps i can take in the next 2 days to get moving on these goals.

in addition, conor and i wrote down our goals for the next 2 months, 6 months, and year.

and i gotta say, these exercises were a bit of any eye-opener. not that i necessarily learned anything new... just that it made all the little notions floating around in my head Real. why shouldn't i accomplish this stuff? it's not that hard - just takes a bit it self restraint, intelligence, and planning.

(and i think the planning thing is the key here)

it's one thing to want something and another thing to take the steps to accomplish it. so... debt-free, land-owning, car-driving, nest-egged life... here i come!

adorable

UPDATE: i fixed the links. they should work now. if they don't, it's blogger's fault.

i'm the cutest bumblebee ever.

apparently, i'm also a bumblebee that likes to eat beef jerky.

go speed racer, go!

i suck at driving games, but this is just too cute. particularly if you liked the old cartoon.

Speed Racer: The Great Plan