Drunk Monkey Business

Yesterday in DC, temperatures reached up into the high 60's, which is practically 70, which is crazy for it still being February.  I have absolutely no complaints with the warm weather.  I say more of that in the days to come!  However such an early warm spell has resulted in full on Spring fever settling in.  I, and I imagine the many other DC-ers, would love nothing more than to be sitting on a patio on a warm afternoon, cocktail in hand.  I could also be persuaded to sit on a warm beach somewhere with a nice cocktail as well.

In honor of the unseasonably warm weather, the impending spring, and the hankering many of us have for a warm breeze and chilled cocktail, I give you Drunk Monkeys of the Caribbean.

Apparently Vervet Monkeys residing in the Caribbean have developed a liking for an occasional alcoholic beverage after nibbling on fermented sugar cane left in the fields.  The BBC show "Weird Nature" has been able to catch some of these monkeys in action.  Not going to lie, I kind of love these guys; especially the ones that roll around on the table towards the end.  Enjoy!

Why's the rum gone Jack? 

Because the monkeys drank it all.

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter

The trailer for Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter has been released and I saw it for the first time this morning. I've always loved American History, particularly learning about the Civil War.  I suppose that may have something to do with the fact that my grandfather is a huge Civil War buff, and it has been around as a family topic of discussion from time to time.

Honestly I'm not sure why there haven't been more movies specifically about Abraham Lincoln up until now (at least to my knowledge), and this year we are getting two of them: Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter and Lincoln staring Daniel Day Lewis (who coincidentally looks creepily like him).  I fully intend on seeing both; Lincoln for a more serious portrayal of the man, the war, the history, etc... and Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter for the whimsical ridiculousness of it.  I'm liking the trailer so far.  Totally plausible that Abraham Lincoln could not only save the Union from ruin, but also take down some bad ass vampires with a large ax as well. Didn't realize that Tim Burton was a producer on this project, which is intriguing.  Take a look below.



What do you think?

bad dates...

Happy Valentine's Day!  No, this post is not about the perils and pitfalls of a bad date; which given the fact that it's Valentine's Day, could totally be an appropriate topic of discussion.  No, rather than do that I'm choosing to write about one of the true loves of my life.  Who you ask?  Well if you didn't get the reference from my title, that'd be the one and only, Indiana Jones.

.

Yes Dr. Jones, that means you.  Ever since the first time I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark, I knew that there was something special there.  If you need to ask why, then I'm not exactly sure what is wrong with you or where you've been since Indy was released in 1981, but I'll explain anyway.

First off he's a total nerd.  He's a professor who super smart, gets super excited about things like discovering the lost city of Tanis, and gets to wear a spiffy bow tie. He finds clues in libraries that everyone else seems to miss.  It's kind of awesome too that he's a hero who is scared of stuff; not something you find all the time. Ask him to land a plane that he doesn't know how to fly; sure why not.  Ask him to come face to face with a snake?  Not really his bag. Hey, if I fell into a vat of snakes as a teenager I'd probably be pretty scared of them too. Clearly despite his fear of snakes and love of reading, Indiana Jones can kick ass.  He can throw some punches, wield his whip, get dragged by a tank, hop onto a horse and ride off into the sunset like the hero he is.  Selflessly brave, not to mention super handsome, and all in the pursuit of knowledge... or you know, the woman he's off to save (or get captured with).

So here's to you Indiana Jones! You've been making this lady smile for quite some time. 

(just stay away from the dates)

In honor of my love for the one and only Indy, I give you "Raiding The Lost Ark: A Filmumentary By Jamie Benning"  I stumbled upon it today and its pretty incredible; a sort of comprehensive commentary on "Raiders of the Lost Ark" with audio clips from the film makers, photos, interesting facts, etc... over the course of the movie. Hope you enjoy!

Raiding The Lost Ark: A Filmumentary By Jamie Benning from jambe davdar on Vimeo.

How Stuff Works

My regular, run of the mill Wednesday got so much better when I saw HowStuffWorks.com's two articles today on:

HOW INVISIBILITY CLOAKS WORK

and

HOW LIGHTSABERS WORK

Just the fact that someone took the time to put these articles together about lightsabers and invisibility cloaks is just delightful to me.  Enjoy!

A Time of Hope

Ever since I started listening to podcasts, "The Moth" has been one of my favorites.  The Moth is a non-profit organization dedicated to the "art and craft of storytelling."  They hold forums where thousands of stories have been told by individuals, live and without notes.  There are stories told that make you laugh, make you tear up, make you think, make you reflect on your life or the experience of others. They entertain.  Being in general a lover of good storytelling the podcast had me hooked from day one.

Their most recent post I found particularly interesting.  Guest Andrew Solomon spoke at the New York Public Library in 2010 at one of The Moth's forums about his experience researching the resurgence of art in Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban.  I found his story touching, interesting and full of hope.  For those of you who have listened to The Moth before, I hope you enjoy this one as much as you have others, and for those of you who haven't, I hope that this one hooks you just as I was hooked three years ago.  (Click the Link below...)

Andrew Solomon, A Time of Hope

By Leaves We Live

I know its been awhile, but here I am again, hoping to be better at posting more often. 

Today one of my favorite online "personalities" Ze Frank, who I've written about before, posted a link to this article, and I just really felt the need to share it as well. 

If you take a look you'll see it is about a series of a paper sculptures left anonymously in "support of libraries, books, words and ideas" in various libraries, cultural centers, book festivals, etc...  around Scotland.

The sculptures themselves are pretty incredible, and what they are all about is pretty incredible too.  So here is to good storytelling, to the writers that inspire, to the readers who enjoy, and to the anonymous artist for their beautiful work.

Here are a few of my favorites...

"Nothing beats a nice cup of tea (or coffee) and a really good BOOK, except maybe a cake as well"

"a gesture (poetic maybe?)"

"A gift in support of libraries, books, words, ideas..... and all things *magic*"

Fall-ing into Sports

It’s almost fall. I’m not entirely convinced that we’ve seen the last of summer. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to wake up to another 90 degree day here in DC, but yesterday’s high in the 60s was for sure a sign that cooler weather is on the way. I will say that I’m a fan of Fall. Crisp evenings, apple pie, school supplies, boots, pumpkin spice lattes and hot apple cider. Love it.

I took advantage of the cooler weather last night and walked back to my apartment instead of taking the metro, and on my walk listened to one of the podcasts I check out regularly called Radiolab. The title of their most recent episode was “Games,” and it discussed what is it about games that we love so much, why we become fans, why we might root for an underdog, how we play with the rules, and why a game can be something we get so invested in. You can check it out here:



Fall is the time of year when baseball is winding down, football is gearing up, and for one reason or another, sports in general seem to be more on my mind than usual. I have to admit I was never a huge sports person growing up, possibly because I wasn’t ever very good at sports. In my twenties I’ve become much more of a sports fan, possibly because I’m not in danger of being the last one chosen at recess for a team. Regardless, these days I just love a good evening at the ballpark or crowding into a friend’s living room to watch a football game. My inner-artsy 13 year old’s jaw would most likely drop, but hey, its fun, and I'm not one to question what's fun.

Listening to the podcast last night got me thinking about the idea behind games. In the episode when asked why he believes “sports fandom” carries almost immeasurable value, guest Stephen Dubner very succinctly says:

“It’s a proxy for real life but better; you know, it renews itself; its constantly happening in real time; there are conflicts that seem to carry real consequences, but at the end of the day don’t; its war where nobody dies; it’s a proxy for all our emotions and desires and hopes; I mean heck, what’s not to like about sports?”

Really a lovely way to put it. I will also add, at least for myself, that I have some very fond memories of nights spent with my college friends drinking beer, eating chicken, and using sports metaphors to explain our love lives. I also love how sports are an occasion for friends and/or family to come together to hang out or play like they were kids again; an occasion to kick back and share a pitcher and wings while watching a game even if the company you are with is rooting for the opposing team. It's an occasion to have fun, and hey, if it's that alone that makes a game important to you, it's more than enough.