Looking at the Bright Side

So, I thought of some more good things.

1. I got a really good haircut. This seems like it should not be a very big deal, since all I had was a trim, but since the last time I had my haircut the woman cutting it actually said, "Uh Oh" and went to get the manager, it feels awesome. The guy was lovely and took almost 35 minutes to trim an inch and a half off my hair, fixed some spots that were bothering me with their refusal to cooperate, and complemented my hair's color and texture. Rule. Now it takes less time to do and, dare I say it? I think I could actually skip blowdrying on the weekend without looking like I am wearing a helmet made of sticks.

2. I now understand why 4+(-3 times -2)/2 = 5. Thank you to my algebra tutor who tried not to giggle when I brought this problem to her, unable to get the answer 5, even though the book was telling me I should. Oops.

3. Everything I own is in bloom. I've made 2 bouquets for people without totally decimating my flower crop.

4. Summer school: 2 days down, 43 to go.

5. Chris Cubeta and the Liars Club is coming back to Wilmington on August 4th.

6. I ate a nice fat steak for dinner.

That is all.

5 Things You Should Check Out

I've spent so much time in the last couple of months blogging about what makes me miserable. So here is a list of things that have made me very happy this week:

Mental_Floss I cannot get over this magazine. I'm on my 3rd issue and I keep wandering around the house saying to Thomas, "Did you know that quarantine literally means 40 days?" "Did you know that Patton was in the Olympics?" "Did you know that Japanese tourists get so depressed when Paris isn't all they'd hoped that their embassy provides counselling services?"

Fortean Times If you like Mental_Floss, you must check out its weird UK brother, the Fortean Times. I've been reading this for 4 years now--Thomas carries it in his store and brings it home for me every month. Filled with strange facts and phenomena, Fortean celebrates the strange and occult in the news, zoology and UFOlogy.

This Film is Not Yet Rated I saw this last night. Fascinating! I love documentaries and just watched the Academy Award winning Jesus Camp last weekend. Jesus Camp was really good--but this was flat out awesome.

James Kochalka Another awesome find from Thomas's store. James Kochalka is an indie comic artist turned musician who sings hilarious, hilarious songs that are catchy and fun and sometimes bear only a vague familiarity with the right key, but who cares. My favorite album is Danger Force Five, which is actually not on this website (nor is the awesome Don't Trust Whitey--this seems to be a website of his latest projects). We got his new albums on Wednesday and had a James Kochalka listening party on Friday.

Lisey's Story I've been reading Stephen King since I was 11 years old and while there have been a few missteps in the last 20 years, he is my favorite author. (I had to really consider that statement for a few minutes. There are a lot of authors I could claim as my favorite and a lot of authors that would make me look more literary. But I have loved King and wanted to be like him almost all my life. I read all his books before they go to paperback because I can't wait. Yes, he's my favorite). And in Lisey's Story, he's still got it. I was thrown off by the language initially, but by page 100, it was under my skin.

And that wraps up this week's edition of Things I Love.