Week 17: Pinterest Project

On Week 17 (way back in April), I had to run to Michael's for a non-fun, non-crafty reason (specifically, I had to buy 5x7 envelopes for work), but when I took a lap around the store, I found some inspiration in the toy section. Technically, I didn't so much find inspiration as I was reminded of something I had pinned a while back. You see, according to whomever decides these things, brass animal figurines are the hotness right now. Meaning - if I were the type of person who "styled" her home (and, trust, I wish that I were), I would definitely have some sort of a brass animal figurine placed just so on my credenza (naturally, I would have a credenza), or bookshelf, or coffee table...

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Apparently however, these delightful, albeit totally nonfunctional, brass animals (branimals?) are pricey, so the internet is full of examples of people making knock-off versions. This is all to say that when I spotted a rubber giraffe in the clearance bin at Michael's, I knew that he should come home with me. This wasn't the first time I have turned a Pinterest pin into reality, but it was the first time for this particular craft (if you can call it that), so I decided that it could count for my new thing of the week. Now, pay attention because this is a blink and you'll miss it type of "craft."

Start with a giraffe. My giraffe is called Melvin, but I don't think it matters if your giraffe has a different name.

Introduce him to some spray paint.

 

Go to town.

Place Melvin (or Phyllis or whatever...) atop a pile of books and call Elle Decor or House Beautiful to see when they would like to come over for the photo shoot.

Week 16: Country Concert

I'm not sure why keeping up with this has been such a struggle lately. I suspect it has something to do with the fact that I am easily distracted... I have started to write this a half dozen times, but then a thought buzzes by and I am off on another tab working on something else. Well, sometimes working, sometimes looking at photos of micro piglets hugging strawberries...thanks, Jaime!

{I mean...seriously. Have you ever?}

My friend the internet does present some unique hazards that are particularly dangerous for someone with my highly distractible nature and desire for constant innnnpuuuut (Johnny 5? Anyone?). See. Right there. I just did it again. I felt the need to verify that I am correctly remembering the adorable robot from the '80s classic, Short Circuit, so I turned to YouTube and lost four minutes watching clips. It's a problem. I really do identify with Mr. 5 though, which is, of course, an issue in itself.

                          

Annnnyway, point is, I am going to try to update more consistently because I really do like being able to look back and see what I was doing and thinking at this time last year or two years ago. For example, I'm sure that when I look back on this particular post in a year or two, I will be proud to reflect on the amount of time I once spent thinking about the ways in which my life and personality overlap with that of a fictional eighties robot... Moving on.

I have actually kept to my New Year's goal of doing something new every week, so I have some catching up to do. So, after a ridiculous digression, here's a brief summary of my new thing for week sixteen, which was like a month ago at this point... On April 15th, Tom and I went to see the Zac Brown Band in Irvine.

This was the first time I had ever seen this band, but it was also the first country show I had ever been to, a fact that I find rather surprising considering the amount of Garth Brooks and Mary Chapin Carpenter I listened to in high school. Although, at that time, I am pretty sure that I kept my country music habit on the DL (do people say that anymore) while trying to convince myself that I liked the Grateful Dead more than I actually did. I have matured since then and am now an out, if not quite proud, country music listener. The guitarist plays Yamaha, so we had killer seats.

Now to be totally honest, the Zac Brown Band is not that country. Imagine if Lynard Skynard and Jimmy Buffet had a love child and that love child grew up to form a band with his college buddies...it's kinda like that. They sound something like this:

                           
And this:

                          
So, yes, I realize that this is more pop than country, but their bass player is legit.

{His beard alone has to give them some serious southern street cred.}

Anyway, the show was a lot of fun, and I would definitely see them again. There was plenty of bopping and stomping to be done, plus they played The Devil Went Down to Georgia, and that's always a good time.
                              

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I fell off the blogging wagon again. Oops. Clearly, I need a a better sponsor. Or more self discipline. Anyway, I miss it, and I have some catching up to do, so, I will be back shortly.  In the meantime, here is yet another example of the awesome that is the world wide web.

People doing the conga? The worst. Baby bears doing the conga? Amazing. Without the internet, I might have gone my whole life without seeing a sleuth (collective noun for bears, look it up) of bear cubs turn grooming time into a conga line. Turn the sound on if you want the full effect.
           
Is that a forty second vacation or what? God bless the internet.