Category: Screens

Red Carpet at the 2014 Grammys, Meh Edition

Did you watch the Grammys? Why did no one wear anything insane or do anything ill-advised? Rock stars are not what they used to be.

I posted some of the more intriguing outfits over on my Facebooks. Please join us if you’d like to discuss:

Taylor Swift and whether she’s running for office.
Katy Perry in her musical-themed pageant dress.
Colbie Caillat and whether she is the absolute best or attempting to hide a neck brace.
Ryan Lewis and Macklemore whose grandpa style continues to dominate.
Madonna and child.
Cyndi Lauper and how you kind of want that poncho dress.
Kacey Musgraves in her dress that looks like a Photoshop filter. And her illuminated boots that will be mine. Bring them to me.

Photo by Getty Images.

Web Crush: Pip Lincolne of Meet Me at Mike’s

Pip Lincolne is an Aussie writer and artist who blogs at Meet Me at Mike’s. I got to meet her as part of my Go Australia trip. I asked Claire Robertson of Loobylu, “Who should I meet up with, now that you’re not in Australia anymore?” And she suggested Pip.

PIP LINCOLNE is beloved because:

• She’s intentional. Pip engages in little self-tuning projects. While I was there, she was working on being kinder to her body, and considerate of how her actions affected people in her family or online community.
• She’s curious. This is such a big deal to me in a person. Pip is always learning about this or that, and sharing what she hears.
• She has a sweetness about her. Her Softies for Mirabel project delivers handmade toys to kids in need. And the project feels like an extension of her — a person who likes to make things and give little gifts.

From Meet Me at Mike’s:

“I like it that having a blog or reading blogs reminds you that life can change all the time. That you can be interested and inspired by different things on different days. That the search for things that excite or inform or impress or motivate you can be undertaken on a regular basis. That looking for things that pique your interest is a perfectly valuable thing to do. That today’s view doesn’t have to be tomorrow’s.” Read More

We had a fancy dinner together as part of my trip, and she made me feel lucky to still be making friends as a grownup.

Valentine’s Day Ditty

This one has a good beat, and you can dance to it. Or you can just hum it tunelessly to yourself over a cocktail. Tess is a veritable Sondheim of text messaging.

Happy Valentine’s Day, lovelies. May your successes be legend and your disappointments ever a surprise.

Kids TV Shows You Should Watch

Now that Hank is three, we let him watch TV. And when he was a toddler? We let him watch TV. And when he was a tiny baby who woke up at 3 a.m. and wouldn’t go back to sleep? We turned on the TV that’s supposed to distract cats with shiny things twisting in the wind. Worked like a charm.

I realize this makes us monsters in certain circles of liberal San Francisco parenting, but those people have more energy than me. Since TV can be awesome, I have not put it high on my list of things that might turn my child into a serial killer. I keep a close eye to make sure he’s kind to small animals, advise him strongly against smacking anyone, and let him watch Backyardigans when he says please.

The folks at The Hub asked me to write a post about the kids shows we like, and my brain went fuzzy with the possibilities. I decided to focus on the shows we’re all willing to watch together:

Yo Gabba Gabba
Hey look! Your Burner friends got together, called some Indie Bands, and made a kids show about music, dancing, and not throwing hard things at other people’s heads! Introducing childless friends to this show is one of the most awesome things about becoming a parent. We’re like, have you seen this? And then we show them the song about not biting your friends. We’ve noticed a dramatic decrease in biting at our cocktail parties.

Wonder Pets
This show features a trio of classroom pets in mini operas — they fly around the world saving other animals, singing to the tune of classical music compositions and other musical genres. The characters have actual personalities, the little girl duck in particular. She’s well meaning and witty, but stubborn, and a little self focused. In other words, instructional first-girlfriend material.

Fraggle Rock
Try to criticize anything Jim Hensen did, it’s like spitting on the flag. Fraggle Rock was my favorite as a kid, I knew all the songs by heart, so I’ve tried to force it on my kid. As a result he’ll only watch a single episode over and over, the theme of which is that you should let your friends help you. Hank’s takeaway is the single hubristic song in that episode called, “I Can Do It on My Own!” And that refrain has become his rallying cry whenever we’re plugging something in, using knives in the kitchen, or juggling chainsaws.

Still, as long as he’ll cuddle me on the couch while we’re watching, I’ll take it.

http://thirdparty.fmpub.net/placement/356346?fleur_de_sel=%5Btimestamp%5D

About.me is Your Web Calling Card

My friends Ryan and Tony were part of the team that recently launched a beta for About.me, an online calling card that lets you collect all your identities and content streams. I spent a few minutes making a profile for myself, and I think the concept is smart. Such a simple idea, I can’t believe it doesn’t already exist.

If you’d like your own about.me profile, sign up here to stake your claim, and they’ll send you a note when the service is open to everyone.