both monstrously cute, and not overwhelmingly so

If you have wandered over to the kitchen and glimpsed Liz and I grinning maniacally, seemingly in cute overload, here’s why: indie darling Feist has adapted her hit “1234” for Sesame Street, converting a song about rejection and heartbreak into a ditty that celebrates counting. Yes, counting to the number four. Somehow this is both monstrously cute, and not overwhelmingly so.

Feeling light on commentary/content today, so here’s an internet recommendation: Garfield minus Garfield. When Garfield himself is removed from Garfield comic strips the result is a surprisingly stark portrait of loneliness and isolation in our post-modern society. Hilarity ensues.

Summer Anthem: We were never going to make it through the summer without hitting on some Brazilian songs. I mean, Rio is hot year-round. And Brazilian songs (and cocktails) are so good, it’s hard not to dance to them (it remains easy not to dance to them well.) Check out these joyful folks: Novos Baianos.

Summer Anthem: I bet a lot of you read this on blackberry and never click on my meticulously well-chosen hyperlinks. I may need to find a way to better package these songs so that you all can hear what I’ve been prattling on about. Until then, for those of you that do click, here’s Curtis Mayfield’s Move On Up, totes an awesome song to go running to. Also, to write Carly’s Corner to.

write this with all the madness in my soul, HRF.

Goodbye Lilli – No teary farewell here, just very good wishes. Good luck in law school, I hear it’s a lot of fun. I always enjoyed our camaraderie in assistantship, and the associated absurdities thereof. I’m sure Mike is despairing over the break-up of the well-entrenched University of Michigan cabal here at HRF. Plans to make the wolverine our mascot are on hold (like the wolverine, we are extremely strong for our size.)

Summer Anthem: On Tuesday morning, before work, I went running and listened to this song, BORN TO RUN, on repeat the whole time. I wondered why it was not thirty minutes long to better motivate me. Anyway, I felt super American listening to it. But not unpoetic: I write this with all the madness in my soul, HRF. It also occurred to me that the music video accompanying the song should be a video of me running in Brooklyn. This would be the most boring video ever.

Summer Anthem: I just saw my friend’s band play this week, and they were incredible. You know, these kids today really love disco. Sorry to link to myspace, but the Phenomenal Hand Clap Band is not well represented in fan videos on youtube. Yet. Check out “All of the Above”.

If you are feeling sad, this might make you feel better.

What a nice bunch of young people we ourselves must seem like.

HRF was on display to hordes of young impressionable people this week. I participated in two panels yesterday, first for Princeton interns and later for a group of high school students. First, this made me realize just how young young people are. Today’s 16-year-old never co-existed with the Soviet Union and was born the year Wayne’s World came to movie theaters. He or she was born into a world where Beverly Hills 90210 had already exhausted most of its best plot lines. Actually, it’s no wonder 1990s nostalgia is all the rage these days, to the detriment of contemporary fashion. The immediate post-Cold War and celebration of extended adolescence that characterized that decade were kinda fun. Plus, hyper-color shirts. Anyway, more important, it was, as always, a pleasure to hear my colleagues speak with grace and passion about their work here. Thanks again to the women who volunteered to speak to the group of high school girls: Sharon, Ruthie, Niamh, Lisa Besa, Parastou, Krista and Sofia, it was great fun to listen to you talk about yourselves particularly, and your work here. It’s nice to still be learning about HRF more than two years after starting here. Not jaded yet. Despite the early start time, that Princeton presentation went pretty well, says Cynthia (eternal cheerleader), with Andrew registering as most eloquent and prepared, Kes as funniest (his co-panelists could barely keep it together, predictably), Michelle best performance by an intern, Sofia & Melissa, best team (and you didn’t even steal my torture-related thunder!), and Lilli, best timing. What a nice bunch of young people we ourselves must seem like.

Summer Anthem: A recent classic, totally catchy, imminently danceable (if you are into that kind of thing after a few): Hips Don’t Lie. I didn’t think hips prevaricated, but now I’m certain they do not.

Looks like this weekend, while not lasting as many days as last, will be sunnier. Go forth, be outside, and enjoy!

200gr8?

So, we are halfway through 2008 already. I was hoping this year would live up to the “clever” moniker I assigned it: Two thousand GREAT (200gr8). (Get it?) Time for some reflection. Is it really 200gr8? Is it gr8? Accepting as a given that there’s a lot of tragedy in the world, let’s analyze:

Pros: 2008 is Not 2007, and its non-2007ness cannot be overstated; I’ve done some wonderful traveling; Emergence of Carly’s Corner as cultural norm at HRF; Brooklyn is awesome; Summer is awesome; Has being outside always been this much fun? Excited to be working with Sharon and Jordan on ETET08!; Cozy, perhaps even dorm-room-like new work space with Liz Jordan; Primary season is finally over; Presence of mini-basketballs throughout the office adds sense of whimsy to our day (and improves hand-eye coordination); 30 Rock has improved the quality of my life; Facebook is really taking off.

Cons: Life isn’t always perfect, and twists of fate are often humbling; Sometimes my dreams are rebuffed; Humidity; Apocalyptic weather patterns; No emergence so far of a 2008 summer anthem, so I guess we’ll just have to listen to the old ones I keep highlighting; Facebook is really taking off.

Score: Looks like it’s a pretty great year so far. But let’s see if we can pick it up a bit in the second half. Apologies for this sunny demeanor, not sure what’s come over me.


Because 2008’s summer anthem candidates are slow jams, largely, let’s go with this classic. So sorry I wasn’t a brown-eyed girl… I just always liked the idea of being overcome just thinking about something. Just like that.