For my liebchen...

Sorry for when I'm crazy... you give me love.

Go on. Let the excitment happen.

Sweet Pete, I love museums and libraries.  They're always just so beautiful.

Here are a whole bunch of super pretty libraries:

 http://www.buzzfeed.com/mattortile/49-breathtaking-libraries-from-all-over-the-world

This is what my nightmares look like.

Brilliant man.  But his poor little ear freaks me out.

Stupid Life. It's just like this:

Fruitvale Station

I have high, but perhaps displaced, hopes that this movie will shed some light on some terrible things happening in our country, especially in light of recent events and rulings.

Forest Whitaker and Octavia Spencer are national treasures, and word is that Oakland local first time director and writer Ryan Coogler is an ace.  I lived in Oakland for more than 5 years, and it needs some love, some scrutiny, and some change.  But, like most cities with issues in the States, it just needs some attention in order to bounceback and thrive (see my other home, Pittsburgh, PA).

It is an amazing city, and each neighborhood is unique and beautiful and full of amazing people and thriving community love.

Let's look at some stats on the California poverty rates:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/14/california-poverty_n_2132920.htmlhttp://www.ppic.org/main/publication_show.asp?i=261

http://www.ppic.org/main/publication_show.asp?i=261

And let's look specifically at Oakland (this one has an interactive map!)

http://www.city-data.com/poverty/poverty-Oakland-California.html

And here is the trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ceVVVils8z4

Sharknado Vine - Hot Chainsaw Action!

Everything that is great about the world is in this video:  https://vine.co/v/hZB0Q6v3jex

Week 1: 14 Weeks of Sh!t

So, my darling husband thought of this a few years ago when we were bored and melancholy with the long Pittsburgh winters, and were burned out on streaming Netflix.  He made "13 Weeks of Shit" to keep us entertained.  He had a bowl full of pieces of paper, on which were written a weekend activity, and a brunch/dinner option.  Each week I got to blindly pick one from the bowl, and we would venture out that weekend following the card's instructions.

It was great fun, and we were pleased and entertained all winter.  The man is amazing.  They were a great 13 weeks.

Then our life, as it does, got quite busy again with plays and musicals and travel and work and such madness, and the 13 Weeks of Shit became only a fond memory.

(I should probably mention here that my darling husband is an arts & theater teacher.  It will make more sense soon.)

This past Christmas (2012), we had our dear friends visiting from California (who didn't know about 13 Weeks of Shit), and my last gift from Mr. Husband was a smallish heavy box.  I opened it, and pulled out the large, handmade, creation that was inside.  It was a giant pile of steaming poop.  Beautifully crafted, by the way, by my darling husband.  Our friends were obviously quite confused.  The top part of the poop lifted away and inside were 14 (he had upped the ante from the last series) pieces of paper, each with it's own new activity and dining experience, and written with the wry inside humor that makes us "US".

Seriously.  The best husband in the world is all mine.

So, after getting through musical season and our June travel, here we are, embarking on 14 Weeks of Shit.  They won't run concurrently, but they will be absolutely amazing.

And here, in all of its glory, is Week 1.  We'll be going to The Mattress Factory and James Street on Sunday (where, incidentally, we had our first date just 10 short years ago next month).

I normally dislike tiny nature creatures, but this little guy is super cute, and if you follow the Flickr link in the article there are so many amazing pictures of things that I hope never fly into my car while I'm driving.

http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1112682373/poodle-moth-real-082712/