More Serious Blogging...

Putting the final touches at a polling station in the southern city of Basra, Iraq. Iraqis will vote in provincial elections on Saturday, the country's first vote since 2005.
--via nytimes

In the Spirit of Shallow Blogging

I give you...Anti-Theft Lunch Bags

Mmmm. Go get some.

via design*sponge

Happy Birthday Husband

And by the way...

I have a thought about the presidential hoopla. Doesn't it seem a little disingenuous for all of the white, twenty-something, middle class kiddos to be so MOVED? I get that it's tremendous, I get that we are living history, and I am here to say that I am JUST AS PUMPED. 

But really? We're just now proud to be Americans? He didn't freakin' invent the Constitution, people. Or the idea that man deserves, um, freedom. And hey, has anybody ever heard of the United States Postal Service? If you can't be proud of that, then I don't even know what to say. The ability to mail a letter, with an opinion, or a check, or a report card, or profession of love, for less than a dollar? That sounds democratic. That sounds American. You know it.

I am just as swept up in the grandeur of this season, and I cried on election night with everybody else. But I'm a little sick of people making it about their own patriotism, when in reality, we are not the ones who sacrificed to make this possible. We voted, we held a little piece of the puzzle and gave bits and pieces to make it happen. But I don't think hope means much without humility. Where's the humble pie, already?

I Need a Kick Start

I'm looking for a cheap fix to my month-long writer's block, and I have two possible options. First, I'd like to discuss what's on your checklist of favorite websites to pop in to, more than just the blogs (since I can see those for myself on your OWN blog). I sometimes marvel at how much time I can spend gouging my eyes out with People.com, and then am even more amazed at the number of times I reference it throughout the day.

It's humiliating, but in this strange way that somehow still feels worth it.

So, here ya go. All the stops I make...in no particular order. ;)

*Facebook 

*NYTimes (the headlines, food section, and the "Most Emailed" list)

*SeattleTimes

*Dooce

*Idealist.org (hopefully not for long!)

*Feministing (but frankly, I have to do this in moderation, because I'm not quite that liberal...yet)

*People

*GalaBent.com/blog

*Momversation

*Etsy

*Design*Sponge

*Chow Foods

*MTV to watch back episodes of The Hills  (v. embarrassing)

Okay, now dish. Where do you go when you need some junk food for your cerebral cortex?

Love the Rug

angela adams via designsponge

What I've Been Up To (In Life Thus Far)

Bold is where I've boldly gone, as of 2008, aged 23.

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34.Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo's David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in movie theatre

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the paper

85. Read the entire Bible

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone's life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

100. Read an entire book in one day

It's funny how I felt a tad inadequate admitting all the things I haven't done (Never read the entire Bible! Never donated blood! Visited Washington but not the White House!). 

But then I look at what I have done, and I guess it's not so bad. I really did save a life once (animal cracker, toddler, Heimlich). Thanks, MaShaw, for the idea.

Ski Vail

Thanks to Anthony for this hella cool picture. He's got skills.