It might kill me

This has been a relatively painful month. In a matter of too few days, I will have had my yearly in-training exam, two major presentations, a certification course, and a weekend of call. Sometimes I wonder if I will ever be done draining myself in obligation to my education. Probably not. . . However, at least for this stretch, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I'm excited to have gotten another book in the altered book round robin. This one was started by a college friend, one of the most wonderful and creative people I've ever met. I only hope I can do her book justice. (Especially since it will be tight getting it finished and passed on by the end of the month.) So, that post will be coming.

For now, here's my theme song:

Smile-inducing

How can you not love this??

Nothing so heart-warming as a free-spirited skinny bearded dude wearing shiny leotards and lip-syncing in the street to Lady Gaga!

Altered Book: March

I received the first book in my altered book round robin!

The book is a collection of essays regarding women and changing roles in society. The cover was altered along the theme of women and independence, and it seemed to make the most sense to continue along that theme. I debated the best way to go about it, I liked the idea of playing with fashion throughout history, but couldn't think of a great way to execute it. So, I decided to focus instead on influential women throughout history.

I bought translucent vellum and printed black and white portraits of some of my favorite powerful female characters.

I had randomly purchased this hardware-patterned scrapbooking paper, and I loved the idea of pairing this traditionally masculine pattern with the photos of these strong ladies.

I wanted the photos to be featured like portraits, so used a circular punch to create a "frame" from either the book page or the additional paper. I used the patterned transparency to embellish the frame.

Also, I am a huge nerd and overly obsessed with detail. For as many of the portraits as I could, I tried to pair the woman with an appropriate word in the text. On the left is Rosalind Franklin, the woman whose work in X-ray crystallography led to discovery of the double helix structure of DNA (although the credit went to Watson and Crick). Her portrait frames the word "scientific." Ella Fitzgerald frames "music" and Frida Kahlo "artistic."

Here are a couple more finished pages:

Coco Chanel with Queen Elizabeth I in the background

Kathryn Hepburn and Marie Curie

Rosa Parks and Amelia Earhart (who shares my birthday!)
with Rosalind at the bottom of the page.

I think I may even have it in the mail before the April 1 deadline. I love this creative outlet, and I'm excited for whatever's next in the robin!

Honoring the 'stache

I think my current town lacks quality facial hair. My co-workers last year were admirably devoted to cultivating the perfect 'stache. (Occasionally more devoted to that than actual work.) I was nostalgically flipping through pictures, and thought, this facial hair is worth sharing.

Faces have been cropped to protect the not-so-innocent.

These men are shining examples of years and years of higher education alongside a bit of historical inspiration:

Colonel Sanders

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Sean Connery

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Burt Reynolds

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Howard Taft. The last Pres with facial hair!

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Anyone who pulls a rabbit out of a hat.

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Also, in my moustache research, I learned from AskMen.com that the top 10 moustache-wearing countries are:

10. Bulgaria

9. Hungary

8. United States

7. Turkey

6. Egypt

5. Iran

4. Germany

3. Pakistan

2. Mexico

1. India

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Some more fabulous facial hair:

Jamie Hyneman of Mythbusters 

Kaiser Wilhelm II

Walter Cronkite

Rollie Fingers

Total loss of restraint

When I used to buy CDs, I would only ever buy one at a time. I needed time to play through the entire album, really get to know it, choose my favorite tracks, learn some lyrics. Then, once I felt the album and I had reached a certain relationship level, I would allow myself to go buy another CD. (Man, I hope that's not an allegory for my love life.)

I don't know why, but I don't have the same purchasing restraint with downloadable albums. I go on sprees, almost always buying multiple albums at the same time. (Usually when I get those $5 album emails from Amazon. It's creepy how well the people at Amazon know me.)

The last few weeks, I have acquired, either from a friend or from Amazon, 4 new (to me) albums. It will take me weeks to appreciate it all. (And I'm looking forward to it like it's like Christmas!)


Two Door Cinema Club, Tourist History

I really dislike local news shows. So, if I'm up before 6 am, I catch the weather, and then immediately change the channel to VH1 for the music videos. It's mostly top 40 stuff, but better than local gardening tips and 1 year old birthday shout outs. Lately, they have been playing Two Door Cinema Club's video for "What You Know", so keep an ear out.

Here's another track I'm liking a lot on first listen:
"This Is The Life"



Cake, Showroom of Compassion

This was my Valentine's Day gift to myself. I'm really loving the song "Long Time." It's quintessential Cake, a deceivingly boppy tune with dark lyrics about two lovers living together in eternity after committing suicide.

I also like this one, a little less typical Cake and a little more grit:
"Federal Funding"



The Decemberists, The King is Dead

I waited awhile to buy this one, and now I don't know why. It's turning out to be a good album. My friend CV sold me on the song "January Hymn." It's beautiful.

In honor of this unseasonably warm Midwest weather:
"June Hymn"



Fitz & The Tantrums, Pickin' Up the Pieces

My sister introduced me to Fitz & The Tantrums. I think they have a similar style to Scissor Sisters (a great thing in my book). She's already posted "MoneyGrabber" on her blog, one of my favorites.

As a nod to the politics going on in my home state:
"Dear Mr. President"

Rolling in the Deep

I loved Adele's first abum, 19.
My favorite track from that album:

"Best for Last"



Her second album, 21, is to be released in the United States on February 22. Since I can't stop listening to her single, "Rolling in the Deep", I can't wait to hear the rest.

Cheesehead, Baby

As I've said before, I have a strangely intense loyalty to the state of Wisconsin. And that loyalty, of course, extends to the Green Bay Packers. It's a ton of fun to be a Packer fan any time. Obviously, it was even more fun to be a Packer fan yesterday evening. I love the excitement of the game, but just as much, I love the relaxed camaraderie being enjoyed with salty snack foods and beer.

It would have been amazing to be a Packer fan in my home town just a hop, skip, and a jump from GB. Instead, I had to do the next best thing, celebrate in Iowa surrounded by other enthusiastic fans of the green and gold.

This was my first chance to entertain in my Iowa City digs, and I had a great time planning for the party.

First. The essentials:

No non-Wisco beer allowed.
Only wish I could have had a little New Glarus imported for the day.

And Kaukauna cheese, of course.

A nod to Iowa:

BBQ pulled pork sandwiches.
Cooked for the first 4 hours in rootbeer. Yum!

More beverages and snacks:

Given food and beer help, but people make the party!

And to end, a blast from my early high school past. 
CWA from the last time the Packers brought the title back to Titletown.