Living in Abundance

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday I am of course thinking about the things I am thankful for. And I decided today that what I am most thankful for right now is Dolly Parton. Let me explain...

Because I'm happy!

As a resident of dowtown Los Angeles I am in love with Pharrell's new music video for "Happy". In the video Pharrel walks (and dances!) his way through LA involving what look to be local residents. The video has such a great genuine feel to it, and I think it speaks to what it feels like to walk the streets of my city. I think this video is a wonderful representation of LA urban culture. And if you want more, there is actually a 24 hours version you can watch here.

Confession: I love Sci Fi

I have a confession to make. I'm a bit of a sci fi geek. And at some point I'm sure I'll post about my love of Star Trek: The Next Generation (everyone shoudl watch it!). But what's on my mind right now is Pacific Rim, a movie I just watched with D one Saturday night after the Pepper went to sleep. Luckily, D and I both enjoy a good sci fi film so it's usually easy for us to agree on a movie to watch. When I first heard about Pacific Rim I was so excited to see it. It had so many things going for it: Guillermo del Toro! Charlie Hunnan! Idris Elba! And of course, giant robots fighting giant monsters! But when it actually came out the reviews were mixed. So I lost my enthusiasm. But I'm glad I still suggested we watch it the other night because I loved it!

Girls, gender colors, and princess culture

We decided not to find out the gender of our baby while we were pregnant. And it was funny to me how often people asked "but what color clothes are you going to buy for it?". Seems to me that there are lots of colors that a baby can wear that aren't pink or blue. But we as a culture seem to have certain ideas about gender and what each gender should be. But a good reminder that these things are subjective is this article which notes that until the 1940s boys were actually encouraged to wear pink and girls blue!

Caffeine

I really enjoy a good cup of English tea. I have not taken to the taste of coffee. But my mom's British colony background meant tea was a staple in our household. And a strong cup of black tea definitely gives me the caffeine jolt I sometimes need. But, D has been encouraging me to give it up for years.

People with no kids don't know

The above video is hysterical (I particularly love his impression of the smug non-parents). The Pepper is still pretty young so I can't directly relate to the comedians stories, but you don't need to be a parent long to know he is hitting on the truth. But it does make we wonder what we have in store as our little one gets older.

Favorites from around the web...

1. Who wants to join the circus? I get the diva vibe from these cool girls too.

2. These are surprisingly funny.  The Reservoir dogs one is my favorite.

3. I would love to see these in person.

4. Very moving and emotional self-portraits.

5. A great way to revisit some of these wonderful moments.

6.  This woman is my new hero. She had me at the Snoop Dogg quote.

7. What snowflakes really look like.

8. This story is adorable. I love the world that children live in.

9. Apparently I'm 56% left-brained, 44% right-brained. Take the test!

10. I'm not a Van Damme fan but I love thinking about the marketing team that came up with this.

Photo via. I'm craving an escape to the country!