Interweb Finds: Plastic islands, a Burning Man photo essay & more

September 15, 2013 by Cassie
Santa Monica

Can we all raise our margarita glasses to another weekend? (This weekend might’ve had a Jose Cuervo theme going on in our apartment. I’m so thankful for the blender.) The third week of graduate school definitely kicked my butt, but since the last day to drop out with a 100 percent tuition refund has officially passed, I guess I’m sticking it out. (Ha!) In all seriousness, though, it’s been an eye-opening week with a fairly even mix of (school) work and play, including a trip to the beach, pictured above. Despite our lack of funds, we’ve had plenty of opportunities to explore L.A. on the cheap.

Without further ado, here’s what I’ve been browsing on the webz:

I wrote my first opinion piece for grad school! But it’s a grim topic. Here’s why the Montana judge who sentenced a teacher to 30 days of jail after raping his 14-year-old student needs to step down. Now.

Actor Hugh Laurie—who is British—tells us why he loves L.A. (Can’t you just hear this essay being read with a charming accent?)

The greater your wealth, the less compassion you feel for others with less. Recent studies prove it.

Rachel’s post about feeling homesick really hit…well, home. Her writing is just one of the many reasons I adore this gal.

Have you heard of Burning Man, but don’t really know what it is? This fascinating photo essay gives you a good idea of what all those “hippies” are doing out in the desert for a week.

Did you know there are plastic islands that pollute our oceans? Yeah. Those actually exist. Here’s one 19-year-old’s ingenious idea to clean up the oceans.

Erika’s Grad-itude series has sparked a lot of inspiration in the blogosphere, and in my attempt to play catch-up, I happened across her post on being grateful even when it’s hard. This girl knows how to lift spirits through her writing.

And that’s all for this week! I’ll be watching today’s Raven’s game with the West Wing (a group of Baltimore Ravens fans living in SoCal—so awesome), and then it’s writing, writing, filming, and more writing. How about you? What are your plans this week?

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Filed Under: Interweb Finds Tagged With: Burning Man photo essay, Hugh Laurie, los angeles, plastic islands

Interweb Finds: Hot air balloon rides, revealing maps & more

August 25, 2013 by Cassie
puppies in a box

Above: The moment my heart exploded. And no, I didn’t get a puppy. I can only be responsible for my own well-being at the moment, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t tempted.

Aside from singing “puppies in a boooox!” to John on repeat, this weekend was spent celebrating the wonders of Netflix, enjoying an overcast afternoon at the beach, and mentally preparing myself for the first official day of grad school (tomorrow!). Now that I have regular access to Internet again, I hope to be back to a somewhat regular blogging schedule. For now, web finds!

 

Previously mentioned Netflix subscription means I just might be able to watch all of the past seasons of Breaking Bad before the series finale. Since becoming hooked, I’ve noticed the widespread distaste for the character Skyler (and admittedly felt it myself). But Actress Anna Gunn wrote an interesting op-ed about how disturbed she’s felt over the not-entirely-deserved hate for a woman who refuses to stand by her criminal man (Thanks, Rachel!):

Vince Gilligan, the creator of “Breaking Bad,” wanted Skyler to be a woman with a backbone of steel who would stand up to whatever came her way, who wouldn’t just collapse in the corner or wring her hands in despair. He and the show’s writers made Skyler multilayered and, in her own way, morally compromised. But at the end of the day, she hasn’t been judged by the same set of standards as Walter.

Hilarious: people who believe satirical publication The Onion’s articles are real.

40 maps that will help you make sense of the world.

When Internet memes turn mean. This woman’s picture went viral in a bad way—here’s what she’s doing about it.

A gym teacher wears the same outfit for forty years’ worth of yearbook photos.

Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” slowed down by 25 percent sounds amazingly cool. (And her man voice is to die for!)

Excerpts from Annie Dillard’s The Writing Life:

One of the few things I know about writing is this: spend it all, shoot it, play it, lose it, all, right away, every time. Do not hoard what seems good for a later place in the book, or for another book; give it, give it all, give it now.

Esther and Jacob’s ride in a hot air balloon in Temecula looks breathtaking. Now I want to go.

 

That’s all for this week! Wish me luck on my first day of school (oh boy!) and tell me—what are you looking forward to in the week ahead?

Filed Under: Interweb Finds Tagged With: Annie Dillard, Breaking Bad, Dolly Parton, Interweb Finds, puppies in a box

Interweb Finds: L.A.’s oldest restaurants, a talented teddy bear & more (plus: good news!)

August 11, 2013 by Cassie

sm

Things have been pretty quiet around Witty Title Here ever since I left Baltimore for the West Coast. Aside from the amazingly cheap Trader Joe’s wine and the girl I almost fought in a public restroom, there hasn’t been much worth blogging about, quite honestly. (For the record, I waited a solid five minutes outside of the bathroom before showing any impatience toward said woman, whom I’m  pretty sure was taking a sink bath.) My apartment hunt with John took two solid weeks of open houses, broken hearts, and application fees before finding the place that would become our new home. And I’m happy to report that we finally found a landlord willing to take our money in Silver Lake, a neighborhood so cool and hipstery that I fear they’ll sense my flannel is from Target. But in all seriousness, our new neighborhood and street are so great that I can finally start to enjoy this whole L.A. experience. Move-in day is Wednesday!

In the meantime, I owe you a few interweb finds. Here’s what I’ve been reading when I’m not fighting off bathroom hogs:

 

Here’s an interview I did with Ren over at Her Silent Musings. I love her thoughtful questions (and her in general).

This bear will make your day.

Here’s an amazing tour of an orbital lab.

According to this post, all of those animated Pixar movies we love are connected in a very interesting way.

You’re welcome and I’m sorry. The chicken you and I both are eating is contaminated with arsenic.

So cool: This abandoned Walmart is now America’s largest library.

I don’t know about you, but I love the Pastafarian religion. (You can be religious and still appreciate the humor here, am I right?)

As an L.A. transplant, I had to include this list (especially since I intend to cross off a few items): Los Angeles’ oldest, thriving restaurants.

 

And that’s all for today! I have a lot on my plate this week, what with moving in and all. But I can’t wait to give you a tour of the new place and hopefully have much more to write about now that I’m finally establishing myself in an L.A. neighborhood. Until then, have a great week!

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Filed Under: Interweb Finds Tagged With: Interweb Finds, los angeles original restaurants, orbital lab tour, pastafarian, walmart library

Interweb Finds: Self-portraits on drugs, advice on success & more

July 7, 2013 by Cassie

By the time most of you read this, I’ll be strung out on Vicodin mourning the loss of my nonessential and expensive-to-remove wisdom teeth. Hopefully I don’t come to know regret and despair like this chick. But if you see any crazy tweets from me tomorrow, just know it’s the Vicodin talking.

So yes, I’m back from a wonderful and sunny family vacation, and now it’s time for surgery, rest, and then the last bit of packing. Here are this week’s links to make your Monday a little more special:

Awhile back, I answered a few questions for Aimee about female empowerment, living simply, and more. Check out the interview on EcoGrrl.

An eye-opening recount of the recent anti-choice legislation hearing in Texas from a pro-choice supporter:

“If Republican Pat Fallon, for instance, gave a shit about the life of the fetus, he wouldn’t have spent the entire eight hours of debate sneaking potato chips from a manila envelope, doing bizarre little dances from his chair, and brandishing a yardstick like a play sword to poke his buddies in the butt as they walked by. But Rep. Pat Fallon wasn’t actually fighting for the life of anything but his own political career. And all he had to do to accomplish that goal was to ignore every logical argument, compassionate plea, and harrowing anecdote delivered that night, just plug his fat little ears and pretend he was back in the frat house. Mission accomplished.”

Both fascinating and terrifying—self-portraits by an artist who used a different drug every day.

These dresses move and light up when you look at them. (Creepy and beautiful!)

Feel like a nap after that crab-stuffed salmon dinner? Resist the urge. Walking after a meal is good for your digestion.

51 entrepreneurial women in the music business offer up their advice on success. Though some of it is specific to the biz, the messages behind their words are universal.

Seven brutally honest rejection letters.

This video will blow your mind. Look what happens to salt when you put it on a surface and alter the vibrating frequencies.

That’s all from me for at least a couple of days. I’ll be posting up in bed while John lifts all of the heavy stuff into our shipping container. Convenient, no? Happy Monday!

Filed Under: Interweb Finds Tagged With: advice on success from women, EcoGrrl interview, Interweb Finds, Texas abortion law

Interweb Finds: Strong females, Gizooglin’ yo ass & more

June 9, 2013 by Cassie

And the countdown continues. In exactly five weeks, we will be loading up the car for the cross-country trip ahead. I feel like I’ve already exhausted the use of the word “surreal” over the past several weeks. So much to do.

It’s been a little while since the last edition of Interweb Finds, so without further ado, here are some of my favorite reads from the past couple of weeks. (And in case you missed last week’s post, don’t forget to check out John’s new album.)

This collection of close-up photography of bugs is insane. You almost forget that bugs are disgusting (’cause they actually look pretty cool).

If you haven’t already seen me raving about it on Twitter, you’ve GOT to check out Gizoogle. Your blog (if you have one) will instantly become WAY funnier and more gangsta when you enter it in this ghetto-translating search engine. Here’s how Gizoogle translated a recent post of mine:

“Yes, I’m excited—elated—to be makin dis dunkadelic trip wit John. Da freshly smoked up car, biatch? I’m up in love. But these decisions we’ve made dat may seem easy as fuck n’ carefree on tha outside is straight-up tha result of a shitload of patience n’ sacrifice, n’ there’s a shitload of mad bullshiznit n’ even mo’ sacrifice up in our future ta straight-up sustain dis “California dreamin’” gamestyle we want.”

A satire reinterpretation of nice guys and the “friend zone”: Why do guys always put me in the girlfriend zone? Genius.

More female humor—How to write a strong female lead.

“Before you start, you must ask yourself this question: “Am I a male?” If the answer is yes, then you have nothing to worry about: males are generally better at writing strong female characters. If the answer is no, then unfortunately you are a female and this might be more difficult for you. Having first-hand knowledge about what it is actually like to be female can only hurt you in this process: you might write a character that is too realistic.”

This Venice Beach house tour is PERFECTION.

Tired, outdated floral prints given new life in these melting canvases.

How to visit L.A. on the cheap from Anna at And Then We Saved. Anna also introduced readers to this awesome rewards program designed to help pay back student loans.

 

That’s all for this weekend! Exciting posts up ahead, including a Q&A with some L.A. ladies who know where all the cool places to hang are. Stay tuned!

Filed Under: Interweb Finds Tagged With: and then we saved blog, Apartment Therapy house tour, girlfriend zone, gizoogle, Interweb Finds, strong female lead
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