Things that make me go... lol

There are many things in life that I find worth a giggle or two.  There are the obvious choices- Don Brash, Sarah Palin, my parents (my Mother insists that Facebook is The Facebook and my Dad pretty much thinks the Internet is heralding the coming of Satan) and the like.  We could extend this also to those people you laugh at in your head (or not, if you're me) on the street/bus/local food court.  I find the world full of people and things deserving of a hearty chortle.

The Internet, despite being the source of all things evil (duh), is full of great things that I fill my moments of boredom with.  I've recently made a few discoveries that are truly lol-tastic.

The first is Let YiaYia Say It.  You remember granny from My Big Fat Greek Wedding.  YUS.  I know, she was brilliant, right?  Well running with this same idea of the crazy ethnic granny (note- granny craziness seems to be particularly prevalent among 'ethnic' grannies- it's like you're average euro-centric family doesn't have too many crazy geriatrics)


There's also this site- http://www.buzzfeed.com/yiayia/let-yiayia-say-it that lets you write your own YiaYia sketch.  Provides endless entertainment.  I always find old people who believe in the coming of the devil and an innate evilness in human kind to be the BEST kind.  I'm just waiting for my parents to age enough to reliably establish a constant suspicion of the evil eye and the like.  IT WILL BE GREAT.

I think the relentless mockery of the Hipster fraternity is getting somewhat passe, however this site-  http://unhappyhipsters.com/ ,perfectly captures some of the more ridiculous aspects of these aesthetically driven creatures.  The commentary is always extremely glib and witty which is exactly what I like to see (below is a screen shot taken from the site)

Other sites that provide me with endless entertainment are http://www.thoughtcatalog.com/ which is always full of the musings of the sub-28 individuals of the world and covers everything from 10 foods depressed people eat and You know your childhoods over when....  If you're bored this weekend, totally check it out.  http://www.awkwardlean.com/ is also well worth a looksie, although if you like taking pictures of yourself in nightclub mirrors you won't find it as hilarious as the rest of us.  You also run the risk of finding a picture of yourself uploaded.  Awkward.  Lean.  (Haha see what I did there... awful.  I'll stop now)

I have others too.  This post feels too long.  I'll store them up and do another post at a later date.

Things I like

http://punchedandruled.tumblr.com/ 

(care of atomicamag.com)

I really enjoy the preppy vibe of this picture.  I think it avoids being completely too twee by the look on that girls face (you know which one).  I can't quite decide what she's thinking; this food is gross, who is the creep taking the picture or fuck I hate my friends.  Either way it's great.  It's also pretty fun that the bird on the right has decided to take a kip- it's clearly because her friends are dull or the effort of taking a bite of her sammie was all too much.

Also because I think I'm borderline OCD (self diagnosed) I enjoy that the colour palette is 'together'.  Sometimes when I look at things I get slightly uncomfortable if they don't match.  Not in a grandma twinset kind of way, more that I don't like looking at things that make me think a rainbow chucked up.  Although I like art that is uber colourful.  There's something about it on people though.  Just doesn't work.

words words wonderful words

Roald Dahl and Ernest Hemingway (awesomepeoplehangingouttogether.com)

If you hadn't figured out- I love reading.  It's something about the words and the smell of books.  The feel of a solid block of paper in your hands.  The marks that distinguish a book as well loved- creased with innumerable readings and re-readings. Roald Dahl is probably the first author who I had a true obsession with and in part I guess it is because I was a huge fan of Quentin Blake illustrations. 

Now that I no longer have university I am managing to read a bit more than usual (and more books of my choosing which is pretty great, I have to say).  I have recently re-read Breakfast at Tiffany's which proved to be just as dull as I had thought the first few times I read it.  Summer Crossing is definitely more to my taste although I am yet to read Capote's seminal work In cold blood.

 I also have tried some new authors this year, pretty amazing for me because I am prone to being set in my ways.  Also I think most book covers these days are sub-par so I'm kind of repulsed when I go into bookshops more often than not.  I know you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but I do.  It's bad, I know.  David Vann's Caribou Island is one that made it past my ugly radar which is fortunate because I think it's a gorgeously dark read.  I enjoy writing that is slightly off-beat if not a little grim.  I think it's because it can be more difficult to be gentle and beautiful when the subject matter isn't material that immediately lends itself to such description- I value the artistry/skill that an author has to employ to successfully write in this way.   I'm not one for romances or comedy in novels, in part because I think it's difficult to do particularly well.  But mainly because, let's be honest, reading sex scenes is completely weird.  Maybe I'm just a prude...

Next on my reading list are some non fiction books, I don't quite know what genre they fall into- I discussed this with a friend just yesterday.  I guess popular philosophy (?).  The first is a book Let's talk about love that examines the whole notion of taste and what is good and bad etc.  I'm also going to give Cruel Optimism (Lauren Berlant) a read.  I'm on the lookout for some good fiction too.  I feel like I should read the Alexandria Quartet because it is the 'done thing' after all.

I watched the documentary Grey Gardens last night.  That is a whole lot of crazy. 

Oh me oh my it's so chilly

So I said I was getting back into this very slowly.  Although don't think that I anticipated my reintroduction into the blogosphere would be quite as slow as it has been.

I wish I could say it has been because I am constantly busy and overwhelmed by a spectacular life that means I simply have no time to blog.  This, however, is in no way the case.  My friend asked me at dinner last week "So what do you actually do with your life?".  There is no positive way to interpret this comment.  I am becoming a hermit.  My life mainly consists of being cold and/or bored, watching documentaries, researching penguins and cooking. 

Last week my flatmate said "Yeah your cooking's getting better.  I mean at least we'll actually eat your food".  I've never found my own cooking inedible.  I worry that I have a retarded palate.  Or, my flatmate is just a bitch- thoughts? (Personally I maintain I saw devil horns emerging from her temples.  True story)

I made a roast chicken last night and risotto and Gwynnie's caramelized Brussels sprouts (check out http://www.goop.com/ to try).  Ooo and also bread and butter pudding with white chocolate bits (a recipe I stole off my big sister)- it uses croissants instead of normal bread/brioche.  Needless to say it has pretty much zero nutritional value and large amounts of artery filling fat.  It was pretty nom.  The flatmate who previously criticised my food wasn't at home so I don't actually know for sure the state of nomness of the meal (for aforementioned reasons- retarded palate etc).

Lots has been going on recently that I guess I have opinions on- Slutwalk and Alisdair Thompson.  Lots of other people seem to be having a good deal to contribute to these debates so I guess all I will say is this-
1.  I have no desire to reclaim the word 'slut' as a term for empowerment of women
2.  Alisdair Thompson is pretty much an ill-articulated individual who probably didn't mean the things he said.  In saying that- it doesn't mean that what he said was inexcusable.

On an entirely different note, UMO's new album is great (rad?).  Really it is.  I'm a huge Mint Chicks fan so the whole vibe of this album is definitely something I appreciate.



Given the title of this post I should mention that f*ck it is cold this morning.  I had to sock AND slipper it this morning to keep my feet warm.  Thermals, hideous as they are, have been reintroduced to my life.

I'm such a rebel at work I sometimes read recipe blogs instead of writing contract documents.  I also twitter and blog as well, which, you know, strictly speaking isn't particularly good either. 

One of the things that has changed since we last spoke (as in last year, not just last week) is that I've moved out of home.  My sub-par culinary skills have had to undergo a rather rapid upgrade- for the sake of myself and also the flatties who might be forced to eat whatever mush I might be capable of producing. 

I've had some mild successes- Bran muffins and Chilli con Carne.  Corn Bread was pretty much a failure.  I don't like to talk about it.  I've also burnt two pots so far.  And set fire to a fry pan and then also a tea-towel. 

Anywhoo I've found this super cool blog about food:

http://cannelle-vanille.blogspot.com/

It has the most spectacular photos of the most scrummy of recipes so I'm hoping to attempt to recreate them this weekend.

Oh shit, I just got snapped writing this.  AH.

I best return to the toils of working life...