I LOVED advent calendars as a child. Not the chocolate kind, just regular paper, with pretty pictures. I gave in and ordered myself a cute one this year.
But my dad (who knows my advent-love) has finally found a great online one. Most are really unsatisfying, but this one is by Jacqui Lawson. She makes these cute animated cards that my dad has a subscription for and sends on various occasions, so when he sent the advent calendar I knew it would be great! Not some boring pic, but a little pizzaz. Every time you click on a day, a new animation is added to the scene.
And it's indeed wonderful. I installed my husband's for him on his computer, and we both look forward to opening our digital and paper advent doors. (My husband grew up mostly not celebrating Christmas, so he doesn't know about these calendar things.)
Note to my father: Thanks dad!! And I expect to get one next year too.
Here's the lovely Lawson scene. Isn't it beauty-full? Day one was the decorating of the Christmas tree.
I've been occasionally popping in to see what Oprah's up to this season cause it's her finale. Today she picked her new book club reads, but they're books she's never read--A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations. (Penguin made this special edition--lots of profit to be had in copyright-free books. But I must admit it's gorgeous.)
I've read two Oprah picks, though not when they were announced. Both were really REALLY good. Rohinton Mistry's A Fine Balance is one of my favourite books of all time; and Barbara Kingsolver's Poisonwood Bible, which I loved but would rank higher if the ending wasn't so mediocre.
But this is the first time I think I'm going to read an Oprah pick at the time it's announced. I don't know about Great Expectations, but I've always wanted to read A Tale of Two Cities. And since I'm close to finishing the Dashiell Hammett I'm reading, it's good timing.
The only Dickens books I've ever completed were A Christmas Carol, and Our Mutual Friend--both are excellent. Judging by these two books, and the screen versions of others, I just LOVE Dickens' characters. He was able to create the weirdest, funniest, most hated, most lovable creatures.
If you like this sort of thing, you must watch the Bleak House mini-series. Oh my days. Gillian Anderson--wow. The screenplay is by Andrew Davies who's a master, he did the Colin Firth Pride and Prejudice.
Whenever Haley is let out of a room (one of them is locked up if we're out, or when we're sleeping, and occasionally to just give Haley a break) Minion RUNS to her. "HAAAALEEEEY!!! I'M SO EXCITED TO SEE YOU I MUST JUUUMP ON YOOOUUUU!!!!" And when Haley makes a move, unless Minion's dead asleep, she WATCHES her. And usually follows her.
And other times she just stares. Earlier tonight Haley was sitting on Fernando, licking his ear, and Minion just sat contentedly and watched her.
I've decided she's a speceist. She likes humans, but she sees cats are inherently superior, and she'd rather be spending time with another cat than with either of her adoring hu-mahns. No matter how much Haley hisses at her, growls, runs from and rejects her, Minion lobes her. (Unfortunately it's an Of Mice and Men kind of love.)
Here--Haley just got up, and here's a typical morning.
Minion watches her from the couch. Haley, looks sleepy. Minion crouches down and wiggles her bum. I try to warn Haley. "Watch out! Minion's got the high ground!" Minion makes a half-jump, just to startle Haley. Mission accomplished. Then they sniff each other. Then they sit for a bit. But as soon as Haley's on the move again, her little shadow begins the new day of stalking.
Still slogging my way through the "Vegan No More '10" (it doesn't have a catchy name as far as I know, but that's the name of the post that started it). No, I haven't joined Them (though my morals on this issue were, and still are, around abouts what Quasi-Vegan blogs). My thoughts tonight (erm this morning) are on more traditional vegan topics.
But first, some pictures of my favourite non-humans:
Practicing ridiculous cuteness as usual.
Here she was trying to attack Haley, so I gave her the Minotaur to beat up; but you can see her cake eyes still straying back to the true object of her Grand Passion (sitting in the green tray.)
I placed a VHS tape in her way. Here she is in a death grip with Minotaur, but peering around the tape at the object of her slavish devotion (determined to remain in her green tray.) Haley used to have one tray, which she took over when Fernando bought it (so we can never use it). But Minion kicks her out of it sometimes, so now we have a second tray which also must remain empty. She travels from one tray to the other, and back, as Minion torments her.
"Oh. But I lobes you so very, very much."
And here she has fallen asleep while sucking her thumb (aka my finger.)
Here's a picture of my favourite human, disguised as a non-human in his bunnyllama hat.
Back to our regularly scheduled program.
I just wanted to share this post, with its comments, because it's such a good example of how twisty life gets when you try to eat ethically. It begins with a discussion of palm oil, which is apparently killing the orangutans (this is old news, but I hadn't heard it -- and there are apparently many ethical problems with palm oil) - and then a discussion about which, if any, vegan margarines to use because most use palm oil.
I don't think the complexity behind the issues is reason to just sing "Fuck youuuu" and go back to eating any way you want. But I've always wanted to be an Ethical Purchaser for the long haul, so I just do it in stages.
-> Before I describe what I mean, I'll take a moment to say that... perhaps it's our obsession with food in North America that makes us focus so much on food as the main area for activism. Orrrr it's just because it's relatively easy to do? Anyway.
I use my patented Lazy Method for transitioning. I was a Lazy Vegetarian first--take one year to try to be vegetarian, give in to the worst cravings, then stop. Later I did Lazy Vegan the same way. After going food-vegan I didn't throw out every non-vegan or animal-tested thing in my home, I just worked on not replacing them as I used them up. I have "broken" my veganism at times (shoes) but that doesn't mean I will or won't again in future--the only thing I can promise is to Not Be Perfect.
And for the occasional thing I've cut out, there's the occasional thing I let in. I finally let honey back in after reading about what's killing off the bees, and some comments from Jae Steele's books (one re. the ethics of it locally speaking, since my alternative was agave, coming from far south - the other a letter she received from a honey farmer). But my condition is it has to be Quebec honey, so it wasn't a cost trade-off, and I've only found that at certain chains (Metro.) All the other kinds are a mix of Prairies honey and something Far Away like Argentina.
And margarine is another one I've always kept a wary eye on, just since I've tried eating less processed food. Man there is nothing more processed than margarine, and that includes the old vegan fave Earth Balance. (Right now I buy Becel's Vegan, which appeared in the large chain I mostly shop at.) But the real problem is that I love margarine. I love fat. I eat a lot of margarine, whether on bread or rice or potatoes or in baking. So the "OH it's so PROCessed!!"ness of it all just hasn't been enough to fight against "Ooh but I'd just like a nice piece of bread and margy please, thanks!" Or shortbread cookies, or baking powder biscuits, etc. And the unhealthiness of eating this much fat... no, that doesn't make the cut either.
But orangutans might do it. Not that the human suffering involved doesn't suck too. But like those cute pics of Minion, dead orangutans is my weak spot. I'm not the person who coos over other people's babies, I coo over their dogs and cats.
I still have some margarine on hand. ...I'm not sure I can go cold veg-turkey. Maybe I can allot a certain # of times per year when I can buy it and just go into a margarine frenzy for a week. And the rest of the time depend on my semi-local Canola oil (Canada), definitely-not-local-but-I-am-SO-not-ready-to-give-it-up-unless-there's-a-monkey-involved olive oil, and the other non-local oils I use in small quantities (coconut, sesame, peanut).
:-'(
It will mean processed foods with palm oil too. Probably just the croissants I like to buy.
X'-(
Oh well. Experience tells me that if I'm firm enough I won't miss it that much. ...Which brings me to another topic. But I'll write it up and stick a later date on it. Enough blabbing for now.
Kaaanyeeeee... meesa loooobe yoooou! I hadn't seen this performance from back in October. Eez very wow.
Fave line: "They said I was the abomination of Obama's nation."
Second favourite line: "I was drinking earlier. Now I'm driving." (Presumably a line about his career, rather than a message about drinking and driving.)
(The lyrics in this performance are a bit different than those below... because he omitted the part where he tells SNL to fuck off.)
I'm livin' in the 21st century
Doin' something mean to it
Do it better than anybody you ever seen do it
Screams from the haters, got a nice ring to it
I guess every superhero need his theme music
No one man should have all that power
The clock's tickin', I just count the hours
Stop trippin', I'm trippin' off the power
(21st century schizoid man)
The system broken, the schools closed, the prisons open
We ain't got nothin' to lose, ma'f-cka, we rollin'
Huh? Ma'f-cka, we rollin'
With some light-skinned girls and some Kelly Rowlands
In this white man's world, we the ones chosen
So goodnight, cruel world, I see you in the mornin'
Huh? I see you in the mornin'
This is way too much, I need a moment
No one man should have all that power
The clock's tickin', I just count the hours
Stop trippin', I'm trippin' off the power
'Til then, f-ck that, the World's ours
And then they (Go)
And then they
And then they (Go)
And then they (21st century schizoid man)
F-ck SNL and the whole cast
Tell 'em Yeezy said they can kiss my whole ass
More specifically, they can kiss my asshole
I'm an asshole? You n-ggas got jokes
You short-minded n-ggas' thoughts is Napoleon
My furs is Mongolian, my ice brought the goalies in
Now I embody every characteristic of the egotistic
He know, he so, f-ckin' gifted
I just needed time alone, with my own thoughts
Got treasures in my mind but couldn't open up my own vault
My childlike creativity, purity and honesty
Is honestly being prodded by these grown thoughts
Reality is catchin' up with me
Takin' my inner child, I'm fighting for it, custody
With these responsibilities that they entrusted me
As I look down at my dia-mond-encrusted piece
N-gga, no one man should have all that power
The clock's tickin', I just count the hours
Stop trippin', I'm trippin' off the power
'Til then, f-ck that, the World's ours
And then they (Go)
And then they
And then they (Go)
And then they
And then they (Go)
And then they (21st century schizoid man)
Colin Powells, Austin Powers
Lost in translation with a whole f-ckin' nation
They say I was the obamanation (abomination) of Obama's nation
Well, that's a pretty bad way to start the conversation
At the end of day, goddammit, I'm killin' this sh-t
I know damn well y'all feelin' this sh-t
I don't need yo' p-ssy, bitch, I'm on my own d-ck
I ain't gotta power trip, who you goin' home with?
How 'Ye doin'? I'm survivin'
I was drinkin' earlier, now I'm drivin'
Where the bad bitches, huh? Where ya hidin'?
I got the power, make yo' life so excitin' (So excitin')
Now this would be a beautiful death
Jumpin' out the window
Lettin' everything go
Lettin' everything go
N-now-now this would be a beautiful death
Jumpin' out the window
Lettin' everything go
Lettin' everything go
Now this would be a beautiful death
Jumpin' out the window
Lettin' everything go
Lettin' everything go
You got the power to let power go
More lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/k/kanye_west/#share
And the less than 2 minute "moving painting" he released for the song:
