Michael Bublé Being Stalked by a Velociraptor

Bubleraptor

I like this site a lot.

I would like this site more if they depicted the velociraptor as the size of a turkey like they actually were.

The creators of this site probably think a brontosaurus is a real dinosaur!

FOOLS!

Variations on the Stanky Legg

I am not a tech-savvy at risk youth and have no idea how to embed Facebook videos but this one comes to you straight from the dirty Pulaski featuring Honorary Fly Hunnie, Laurney Lou.

"stanky legg, dun rite"

Greenfield News and Hobby

I used to frequent News and Hobby as a youngin' with my dad where he would buy my sister and me Paint-By-Numbers and engraving foils (I made one of a wolf a little while ago and you better believe that badass going to be proudly hanging in my room next year).

Now that's what I'm talking about.

I also remember an abundance of Warheads were purchased since a) they were all the rage at HC Elementary, b) they are fucking tasty, and c) News and Hobby has a quality candy selection where you can buy Warheads by the pound if you so please. And please do.

On a quest for canvas and a new paintbrush I headed back to my old stomping grounds in an effort to both support local business and bring back a flood of nostalgia. The store is exactly the same as it was ten years ago. Cluttured with airplane models and ink pots, News and Hobby is half a little boy's wet dream, half a recreational artist's wet dream.

Look at this display. There are two dogs, an unconvincing deer, and a zebra in a goddamn truck. And see that inflatable dinosaur hanging from the ceiling? Just try and tell me this place isn't worth your time or money.

Pablo Neruda

This FlyHunnie loves poetry and first encountered Pablo Neruda in eighth grade.

I was sleeping over at a friend's house and her older brother had left his junior English book out, and being my nerdy self, I decided to read it when said friend fell asleep before me.

And what lay within? 

A whole BUNCH of great poetry.

The first poem I read was "Ode to My Socks," and I was struck. Anyone who could write like that

- about socks of all things -

had me on their team. I continued on in my search for Neruda and stumbled upon "Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair."

(Holy mackerel, did I hide that from my mother. 

An eighth grade girl's first encounter with passion and sensuality is a very memorable thing, let me tell you.)

I will also always be thankful to finding Robert Bly's translations of Neruda because they led me to Bly's own poetry, another staple of the Brigid poetry arsenal.

And the thing is, they are still as fully moving and heart-breaking and pit-in-my-stomach-inducing as they were in the days before I had even been kissed.

Being fourteen and fascinated with the idea of love, I devoured those songs and odes and sonnets

like I could never be satisfied.

I'm still not satisfied. I could eat those words for the rest of my life and not be finished until ink is running down my chin.

Universality. Pablo Neruda graffiti:

These are poems I can read forever and only hope to someday understand.

I wonder sometimes if it is possible for mere people like myself, no poet, to feel things so beautiful and so deep.

Hopefully someday, I can let you know.

Some Neruda for you.

Kids With Cameras

I think the hardest thing about photography is capturing unabashed human emotion (which is why I almost never take pictures of people).

Often sought after but difficult to attain, only people with a thirst for life will find it.

This is why I adore the children of Kids With Cameras.

Sure they live in less than desirable conditions, but they understand life and the emotions that come with it more than I ever will.

They are examples of pure triumph on a planet that has forgotten them.

And armed with only a basic camera, they are setting out to share their story with the world.

(Top to bottom: Cairo, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Calcutta, Jerusalem, Calcutta, Jerusalem, Haiti)

These photos and many more breathtaking works can be found at Kids With Cameras, along with information about the organization.

Some pieces are available for purchase with proceeds going to programs which will held educate these talented kids. So if you have $200+ to drop on a print, by all means, please do.
They certainly deserve it.

Ballerinas

It's essentially my greatest life-long dream to be a ballerina.

(My cousin Morgan and I were cute and in puzzle form.)

For a long time, I was sure I had some really serious talent and would put on shows in the house for paying customers, including my parents and indulgent aunts and uncles. I often even coerced my brother and cousin Christopher into wearing leotards and tutus. There is evidence, but I am not cruel enough to share it here.

After a decade of dance lessons and a lot of work, I finally came to an understanding with my body that I was never made to be a ballerina.
If you know me, you know that I am not tall, do not have long, graceful limbs, have little to no coordination, and in short, would never be a talented dancer, no matter how many piqué turns, relevés, and grand jetés I did in class.

Let's be real here. I sucked.

So I settle for being a fake ballerina for Halloween and loving art featuring dancers, especially ballerinas.

I do love me some Degas, but I also love me some mid-century photography.
So here!

Enjoy some lovely dancers, a lovely music video of a song about dancers, and then download said song. Then go see the band performing said song at the High Noon in the coming weeks.


Degas...



Edward Clark...


Norman Parkinson...


Patrick Baldwin...


Alfred Eisenstaedt...


Lois Greenfield...


Kim Camba...


Backstage with the Modern Dancers - Great Lake Swimmers



Enjoy the dancers. I will continue to live vicariously.

Henry Miller - Tropic of Cancer

Warning:
This post contains a photograph of female sudoriferous glands.
Avert your eyes lest the boobs cause impure thoughts!

Dear Henry Miller,
You are a raunchy old man and I love you for that.
XOXO,
Danielle
PS - Call me


I really don't know how to give this book the due it deserves.
To give you a sense of my appreciation for it: Quotes from Tropic of Cancer take up four pages of my book quote notebook. Quote-book?

In short, Tropic of Cancer is a novel about finding a way for life and decadence to thrive in the most dire of situations. Miller exposes the savage nature of mankind through a series of semi-autobiographical accounts of people (namely "working ladies") he encounters while living in a grim and filthy 1930s France. Sex and squalor, basically.

Some have called Miller a misogynistic bastard for depicting women as sexual objects and many have argued for the ban of the book because of its X(XX)-rated accounts of certain rendezvous. Those people should really stick to reading Twilight.
And now for quotes although I highly, highly recommend you read this novel novel.

"Passed me men and women ignited with sulfur, porters in calcium livery opening the jaws of hell, fame walking on crutches, dwindled by the sky-scrapers, chewed to a frazzle by the spiked mouth of the machines."

"We have no need for genius - genius is dead. We have need for strong hands, for spirits who are willing to give up the ghost and put on flesh."

"Do anything, but let it produce joy. Do anything, but let it yield ecstasy."

And, how could I forget:
"A laboratory cunt and no litmus paper that could take her color."

Her Morning Elegance

There is something about this video and song combination by Oren Lavie that just gets me.

The song is honest and poetic in my favorite way - the most is said between the lines, in what gets left unsaid. This is sounding super pretentious, especially because it's not some ground breaking musical or lyrical work. It's just a good song with an intriguing video.

The video, which is really the reason for this post, is striking and simple, complementing the song and actually adding quite a bit to it.

I'm not articulating within this post very well, but hey, I've been pretty verbose in the last few, so I will just leave you with a link to full details on the video from Oren Lavie's MySpace. I read them for you first, and I would say they are worth your 5 minutes.

Then be like me and spend a significant amount of time watching the video.
Again.
And again.
And again.

Here's the song: Her Morning Elegance - Oren Lavie.

Diane Sudyka

My hero, Charles Darwin, as depicted by Miss Sudyka.

I've said before that if humans were capable of flight, I would be the Usain Bolt of the sky. Perhaps this wishful thinking is what has led to my adoration of the super-talented Diane Sudyka. Not only is she a phenomenal artist, she volunteers at the Chicago Field Museum of Natural History working with feathered friends (albeit dead feathered friends).
Be still my heart.

Did I mention she's worked alongside Andrew Bird? She created the cover for the deluxe version of his latest release, Noble Beast and some gorgeous tour posters.
Here's a little insight into the collaboration.
Are you jealous yet? Because really, I would give my left foot to talk to Andrew Bird about microcosms.

It is hard for me to not plaster this post with pictures of her breathtaking artwork so I'll limit my pictoral additions to her renditions of a few of my favorite birds.

She has a website, a blog, and a store. Visit, read, buy.

Manic Trout

So, I really like to pretend I'm cool. And every once in a while, I find something that will help me look much, much cooler than I actually am. When I'm really lucky, I find a whole plethora of things to help me look awesome.

Sierra Bailey, thank you (THANK YOU!) for giving me Manic Trout. So much cool - all in one beautiful place. It's all hand-made and all fairly inexpensive. And, what more, the item names come out of songs. So much more legit.

Of the handful of items I've received as gifts, these two are my favorites:



These are the "Sweetest Things" earrings in "Adria." They're tiny, and it's hard to tell they aren't just plain black studs but actually little roses. All the better for it.





And my personal favorite: The "Freak Like Me" necklace in "Nicola." The charms are unique enough to keep from looking precious and are jangly enough to play with when I'm bored in class. It's a winner.

There are also prints and paintings available, and though I don't have any yet, I will definitely be ordering one in the near future. Maybe this one?





www.manictrout.com