Category: video

Christmas Recap

We’re finally getting back into the swing of things. E came down with a cold over Christmas that morphed into what I think was Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (SUCH a charming name). Last week he developed a few little sores around his mouth but other than that seems to have been spared other symptoms.

As soon as the sores appeared and I suspected HFMD we quarantined ourselves at home so as not to spread it around so New Year’s was pretty quiet. N and I watched The Wire on DVD and snacked on cheese, summer sausage, and a shrimp tray from Costco. When we kissed at midnight I realized that it was 10 years ago exactly that N purposed which made me feel kind of warm and gooey inside (ten years!)

Even with being under the weather E had a nice Christmas. We got him a few things and our family and friends sent him some thoughtful gifts that he had a lot of fun unwrapping. He has been really into robots lately so this Alphie robot that my parents sent was a big hit.


Watching E’s face light up when he saw everything in the morning was a lot of fun.

N really outdid himself this Christmas…he got together with my thoughtful SIL and BIL (who works at Adobe) and got me a copy of the Adobe Create Suite Master Collection! It’s amazing to have a copy of the latest full suite of programs like Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Flash, etc… I like to tinker with design programs but since I’m just an amateur I could never afford the $$$ it would cost to purchase the suite retail. So I was really thrilled and grateful to N and Miranda and her husband for setting this up. I can’t wait to dig into it and see the updates Adobe’s made to the programs.

As awesome as that gift was N had an even bigger surprise waiting for me under the tree. (But it deserves its own post later.)

E Rocks Out

E knows this Free Design song, “I Found Love,” from the tv show Yo Gabba Gabba. We have the original song on CD and the other day when it came on it the car as we were pulling into our driveway E started rocking out.

(I neglected to turn my phone sideways to film it so unfortunately the video is long and skinny instead of wide.)

Here’s the segment from Yo Gabba Gabba that E learned the song from. The animation is really cute and goes well with the music.

Watch and Wonder

Thank you for all the kind wishes, everyone. You guys are awesome.

And now for something completely different:

In case you don’t know, Sandra Lee has a show called Semi Homemade on the Food Network. She specializes in using store-bought ingredients to make gimmicky dishes. Most episodes of her show feature themes complete with elaborate “tablescapes” and crazy cocktails (she’s big on the booze).

It’s not that I’m against using shortcuts: I use a lot of canned tomatoes in dishes and I think cake mixes are God’s gift to home cooks. And in theory anything that gets people cooking at home instead of going through a drive-thru is a good thing.

It’s just that some of her ideas are just plain strange (e.g. the ice cream baked potato).

Hello, Scholars!

So…I didn’t get to making a Cookbooks on Trial meal this week…sorry! I was planning on doing it last night but ended up working after E went to bed and by the time I looked up and realized I was hungry it was after 10pm. So N and I had quick salads for dinner which was actually nice.

I normally don’t like to post two videos in a row but I just saw this video over at the Huffington Post and thought it was funny. It’s a parody of those great Old Spice commercials promoting BYU’s library. I spent myself many an hour studying there back in the day (Sadly, it was before they had a “snack zone.”)

No Atlantis too underwater or fictional!

We’re still playing catch-up today. E’s is over feeling feverish and puke-y and has moved on to be obstinate and whinny. But my shoulder is feeling better and my elbow doesn’t hurt any more and is instead developing a somewhat alarming-looking scab–so, good news! Now if I can just get caught up on laundry and my reports for work we’ll be good.

Anyway, I wanted to post this video even though you might have already seen it. I guess Oprah is having a contest where people submit videos and then she’ll pick a winner and give them a tv show. I think they should give it to this guy, Zach Anner.

Toothpick Masterpiece

As someone who “hearts” art but hasn’t really studied it in depth I often find myself drawn to folk artists–people who aren’t formally trained but feel a need to create nevertheless.

Scott Weaver is 3rd generation San Franciscan who has built sculptures out of toothpicks since he was 8. He’s spent over 3,000 hours creating his masterpiece, Rolling Through The Bay, a 100,000 toothpick sculpture of San Francisco complete with functioning streets through which ping pong balls can roll. It is amazing.


(Found via Apartment Therapy > The Experts Agree)

I’ll admit it–I cried a bit.

Sorry about the lack of an installment of Cookbooks On Trial this week. Between getting home from our trip late Monday night and having a ton of work to catch up on at the office I’ve been swamped. But it will be back next week.

But in the mean time here’s a great video for your Friday: it’s of a baby hearing his mom’s voice for the first time after he received a Cochlear implant. I found it very touching and teared up a bit. The joy on his face is so sweet.

Have a great weekend!