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I'm into podcasts - mostly of the NPR variety. I have recently lost my Ipod Shuffle and it has truly been a painful withdrawal. My ears yearn to have drone-like voices telling me the latest updates on news, film and books only to be replaced by a thunderous silence... it's agony.

One of my more recent subscriptions is to the Planet Money podcast.


Planet Money started as a special episode of This American Life that attempted to explain the housing crisis (more on that here). It has since grown into the world's most depressing (and often pretty dense and boring) blog, twitter and podcast. I am not into finance and it is all quite over my head. P.M. claims it's trying to make it easy to digest, but it still bores the snot out of me and/or leaves me terrified. That being said, yesterday's podcast was really awesome. Haven't you ever wondered - just what IS money?! You actually probably haven't - I know I didn't think much about it. The professor they speak with is English (read: easy to listen to and smart-sounding) and has a facinating take on just what money is and what it isn't.

Click here to take a listen.

Doggy Daily News: Day 2

Alright, people. I understand that you may not care to hear about the dog 24/7. I understand that being so obsessed with the dog makes me one of "those people". So, I will do my best to provide you with a non-dog related entry for every Droopy update. It's going to be tough, but I'm up for the challenge! If you are sick of dog news, stop reading now!

Droopy the Dog!

When I got home from work yesterday, the Droopster had been in his crate for 2 hours. He was wound up and ready to walk! We took an extra long walk through the park, which he loved. He likes leaves and tall grass... that must be where the good smells are! When we got home, our friends Mary Beth and Erin stopped by to meet Droops and to order in some dinner with me.

After they left, I attempted the seemingly impossible: giving Droopy a bath. The reasons for this were two-fold: A1) he was really smelly from the shelter and B2) he has been shedding like a maniac. I read that beagles shed seasonally and that stress can make it worse, so you can imagine what the apartment looks like right about now. Droops has avoided the bathroom since he heard me taking a shower yesterday, so he figured out what was up right away. I only filled the tub with an inch of water and then kept the faucet on low while using a plastic cup to get his fur damp. He kept his face on the ledge of the tub the whole time and one paw at the ready to hoist himself out if I gave him an opening. Other than that, there was no whining or barking, which rocked.

alex's parents gave us a little bottle of dog shampoo to use and it worked really well. We have an old bristle brush which works really nicely to remove old fur. He actually likes being brushed (probably because it feels like petting) - yet another bonus. Long story short - he looks so much better! His coat has a good shine to it and he doesn't stink. We had a great walk this morning as the sun was rising and he ate the breakfast I laid out for him. Progress all around.

Tonight's adventure: trying to find dog treats that he likes....

I'm Sorry, Did You Just Say Something?

Also, this video had to be added... mainly because Droopy's name always makes me think of Joe Lieberman, and then I get grossed out!

Huge news!

WE'RE DOG OWNERS!

From Droopy the Dog!

Please welcome Droopy to the family (and please note that he came with that name). We adopted him from The Anti-Cruelty Society.

The D.L. on Droops:
He's a beagle/ basset hound mix
He's approx. 5 years old
He sheds (boo!)
He gets along really well with other dogs
He doesn't yelp or growl - he's a super chill guy

So where's the love?

My life has been super frantic lately, so I don't have time to ponder and write introspectively these days. This is why I keep serving up videos, as they are the internet's bright, shiny distraction for us all. That being said, this is one of my favorite songs and I had never seen the video before, so... here you go!



In other news, I'm heavily considering applying to a graduate program but I need to come up with an essay topic. Any thoughts from my four readers?

Two things...

1) Does this imply that there's alot of semi-incestuous behavior among Miami students?
2) Who wants to bet ten bucks that someone mailed those shirts in to try and get Miami on SNL?

Blow me....a kiss!

Never Say Never!

As a person who really doesn't want to have kids and as a person who really has no desire to live in France, the following video has definitely made me seriously review my stance on both counts:


Once upon a time... from Capucha on Vimeo.

Although still not convinced, I am bowled over the by the cuteness.

hooray for lesbian crushes

Oh, Joe!

Ladies and gentleman - Droopy Dog...er... I mean, Joe Lieberman.

more words!

today's word is

a priori - not derived from experience; deductive; lacking proof; arguing from general principle to expected effect

yay words!

Words!

My vocab has really been suffering lately. This is a paradox, as I have been reading about 1,000 times more content on a daily basis thanks to my best friend, Google Reader. While rushing through my 300+ Reader updates per day, I keep stumbling across many words that I should admit I'm not 100% clear on. In an effort to forge through the content, I tend to just pass them over. Well, NO MORE, friends. I am going to make an effort to expand all of our horizons.

That being said, Today's New Word is:


Profligate : Recklessly wasteful; wildly extravagant -OR- Given over to dissipation; dissolute.

Maybe "Mandate" Is aGoing Out on a Limb...

You Said It

From the Washington Post, quoting John Weaver:

"If you had told me two years ago that John McCain would end his active national political life perceived by many as the candidate of the special interests tied to lobbyists; that many people considered his campaign dishonorable and focused on small things; that he wasn't seen as presidential and the right person to have in a crisis; and that the broad center in American politics had turned against him, I would have laughed in your face," said John Weaver, his longtime friend who resigned from the campaign in a power struggle last year.

"That's not who he is," Weaver said. "But that's the campaign that he chose."

"The Palin pick was a base pick in a non-base election," Weaver said. "In this media world that we live in, you can't take someone who has not had any exposure, who had not had any vetting, public and private, and strap her to a rocket."

While you have heard me say similar comments in the past, this really sums it up for me!

(Thanks to Jezebel for the tip)

And the amazing continues...

I still don't believe that Indiana went blue! I didn't think it would happen - but I'm definitely not surprised about how close it was...

Obamarama - Yes, We Did

Yup! I was there, people. And it was the greatest. Having said that, I am exhausted beyond all explanation. I will be happy to recount the evening for you in the days ahead, but I'll just start by saying that I am proud of what the campaign was able to achieve and I so look forward to moving our country ahead.

That being said, I want to point out that CNN tried just a liiiiiittle too hard to sexy-up the election returns. I love me some Will.i.am , but beamed in as a hologram? Even Anderson Cooper is like "this is absurd".

FINALLY!!

We get to count the votes tomorrow, ya'll. And I, for one, would like the thank Mrs. Banks for fighting for suffrage in England, whereupon she inspired countless American women to fight for our rights... militantly!

Get Angry, ya'll

Expect the worst from your state and do everything you can to make sure your vote counts!! Get mad and take action. Our future is in your hands: