One Dollar Sketch is a site that, you guessed it, sells sketches for one dollar. Why sell it for only a dollar (and, ahem, $1.50 to ship it)? The artist explains it like this:
"Because art is for everyone. Even those who only have four quarters have a right to be an 'art collector'. That means, even your six year olds and younger can start their own collection as early as now."
While that normally would be good enough, the site does gets a bit more interesting. The artist isn't revealing him/herself until they put up their 100th sketch as "part of a much bigger artistic venture", adding that, if you knew who the artist was, he/she would have to charge more than a dollar for the work.
The mystery has definitely piqued my interest. I've jumped on board and have already ordered a sketch (or two :x). Who knows, maybe I'll be part of some cooler, awesome plan. And maybe the artist is the next Picasso, which would be kind of amazing.
Visit their website, or their Etsy page to order a sketch.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Artwork of the Day
Thursday, August 7, 2008
How Much Are You Burning?
One night, after playing basketball for three hours in what could only be described as a sauna, I asked a friend how many calories we had burned. He said "Probably around 200." I was shocked. I've heard that typically a person loses about 100 calories per mile they run, so I guess he figured we ran about 2 miles, ergo, 200 calories burned. 200 calories seemed very little considering the amount of sweat running down my face. I did some investigating and found that the truth is I burn approximately 600 calories for every hour of full court basketball I play. This is roughly the same amount as I would burn from running an hour at a 5 mile per hour pace. Now that's more like it. Let's see how much I burn per hour in other things...
Blogging: 109 Cal
Bowling: 218 Cal
Settlers of Catan (Board Games): 109 Cal
Eating (sitting): 109 Cal
Football (tackle): 653 Cal
Golf (driving range): 218 Cal
Golf (miniature): 218 Cal
Guitar (sitting) 145 Cal
Reading Baby Korean Book (sitting): 94 Cal
Softball: 363 Cal
Table Tennis: 290 Cal
Tennis (Singles): 581 Cal
Tennis (Doubles): 435 Cal
This is how I spend most of time. If you would like to calculate how much you burn per your favorite activities go to http://www.caloriesperhour.com/index_burn.php.
Spotlight: Robert Muraine
You probably don't know who Robert Muraine is by name, but you will definitely recognize him from his dancing. And if you've never seen him dance, you will definitely remember him henceforth. He is a street dancer from Santa Monica, CA who auditioned for this season's So You Think You Can Dance, and blew the judges away with his very original style. The boy can move like he has no bones. It's kind of horrifying to watch yet utterly fascinating at the same time. Here is Robert's audition for the show:
That got him straight through to the Vegas rounds (where they pick the top 20 who will be on the show), but he ended up withdrawing himself from the competition, realizing that while he's very very good at the style of dancing he does, he wasn't comfortable with the many different types of dancing that would be asked of him further down the audition and competition process. Either way, he gave us probably THE most memorable audition in the history of the show.
So while he hasn't been on SYTYCD this season as a competitor, he returned as a guest performer a few weeks ago. And it seems that people are taking notice of his talent: currently, he's being featured in a series of Ikea Canada commercials. I hope we get to see more of him, he's so entertaining to watch!! And don't forget to tune into the season finale of SYTYCD tonight, where he may or may not make an appearance.
Thing I Want of the Day
The Ray-Ban Wayfarers have been around FOREVER, first made popular by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's. To me, they SCREAM 80s, mostly because we've all seen Tom Cruise wearing the black ones in Risky Business. They've made a comeback recently, with everyone from Chloe Sevigny to Mary-Kate Olsen to Johnny Depp donning them. I never gave them much thought until my friend Christina told me she HAD to get a pair. I supported her when we'd go sunglasses shopping and she'd try on different colors and such, but again, I've never been one for expensive sunglasses (too easy to lose, sit/step on, and yes, I've done all of the 3). Until I saw these. HELLO, purple/red Wayfarers! You are so pretty, yes you are. So what if you're not going to match anything I own, and that you run $140/pair? You are so pretty.
I'm not getting these anytime soon. In the meantime though, there are way cheap knock-offs of these shades EVERYWHERE. Check out Urban Outfitters and Fred Flare for their versions.
Slydial Helps the Socially Awkward
If calling someone makes you feel nervous, then Slydial was probably made with you in mind. This new service (available only in the US) allows the socially awkward to avoid talking to a person on the phone, and instead directly connects you to voicemail. So instead of stuttering over a phone call with your boss, leave a well-rehearsed voicemail!
Personally, I'd probably use this service if I wanted to contact someone, but didn't want to bother them, whether if it's during a meeting, a movie, or an exam.
P.S. - PLEASE do not use this service for the following: a) breaking up with someone, b) quitting your job, or c) confessing your love to someone. Those things are probably better said in person, and you definitely do not want those scenarios forever "saved" in a voicemail!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Movies Opening TODAY
Normally we do this on the weekend post, but this week all the movies being released this week are opening today, smack dab in the middle of the workweek. Wednesday is an odd day for movie openings, unless it's like a holiday weekend, and seeing that this first week of August boasts no known holidays, it is strange that no movies are being released on Friday. If I was a betting woman I'd have to say that it's because the Olympics start this Friday, which makes a lot of sense and offers the only plausible explanation I can think of. So here's a rundown of the films opening today. I don't usually rush out to go see a film on opening day (or even opening weekend), but I am DEFINITELY seeing Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 late tonight. SO EXCITED.
Pineapple Express (starring Seth Rogan, James Franco)
Should be good- written by the Superbad writing duo of Seth and Evan Goldberg. A stoner comedy, but if Harold and Kumar have taught us anything, stoner comedies can be good and not stupid. Ok maybe a little stupid, but only slightly. My favorite thing about this release is the trailer's use of M.I.A.'s Paper Planes, which is a superb song. It's actually made the song (which has been released for over a year now) jump to #3 on iTunes Top 100 songs chart since the trailer has hit online and TV.
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (starring: Alexis Bledel, America Ferrara, Blake Lively, Amber Tamblyn)
Based on the popular Sisterhood book series by Ann Brashares, the first film made a modest $40 million. When the first film was released, Alexis (of Gilmore Girls) and Amber (of Joan of Arcadia) were the more recognizable of the 4, now Blake (of Gossip Girl) and America (of Ugly Betty) are bonafide stars themselves. Makes sense that the ad campaign for this sequel has focused more on the girls themselves rather than the pants, to capitalize on all of their fame. I can go on and on about the book series and the movie and how awesome they are, which I will on a later post.
Or... you can go watch the Dark Knight again, and help it beat the record Titanic holds for box office receipts: $600 million. The Dark Knight is well on its way, becoming the fastest movie to reach the $400 million mark, so I wouldn't be surprised if Titanic finally sinks (hmmm, I'm sorry, too soon??) this year.
Heeby Guys
Many moons ago, when the internet was ghetto and everyone had their own "homepages," I ran into a gem of a site. Some guy named Scott Song wrote these really great articles that were not only informative, but very, very, funny. I'm not sure if it's just a Korean thing, but I was able to relate to every piece he wrote. The topics ranged from "Bros Before Hoes" and "Just Accept the Ride, Girls!", among others.
My favorite, however, was his article, "Heeby Guys" (later followed-up by "Sheebie Girls"). It talks about a type of person we all know. The one that is your friend, but is also pretty weird and socially awkward.
After pulling out my google-fu, I was able to find all his old articles, however, it is hosted by some random guy on a Tripod account (hey guy, 1995 called, they want their web space back! :x).
Here is the link to all of his writing, and if you click "read more", however, you'll find the Heeby article right here:
Heeby Guys
by Scott Song
Heeby guys (GUYS, not GIRLS, just GUYS). everyone knows a couple.
they are everywhere. you see them in class, on the quad, and in your dorm
(though they might not LIVE in your dorm....they just like going to your
dorm to bother you). well, regardless of what anyone says or does, there
will forever be heeby guys. and there's nothing anyone can do to prevent
this inevitability. so since we can't do anything about them, we might as
well be able to point them out so we can laugh at them together. here
goes....
1) Heeby guys are unanimously heeby. when a guy is heeby, there are
probably 100 girls who would agree. you could take a large group of girls
and if they each compiled a list of who they thought were heeby, their
lists would be almost identical. why? b/c heebiness is
universal....heebiness knows no language, sees no color, and crosses all
boundaries. even other GUYS can point out who girls think are heeby.
2) Heeby guys don't know they are heeby. if they did, they'd probably try
to stop, but since they think they are acting normal, they continue to
weird people out. at one point or another, one must do a HEEB-check and
ask, "well, if heeby people don't know they are heeby, then how do i know
that i'm not heeby?" well, read my next point.
3) heeby guys can't tell when another guy is acting heeby. see, the
reason point #2 is valid is b/c they don't know WHAT is heeby and WHAT is
not. their heeb radar is turned off. just imagine some guy that
weirds you out saying, "man, that one guy is so strange...i think he
grosses people out." you can't imagine that ever happening, right? Since
they cannot detect it within themselves, they are also incapable of
detecting it in others. so to make sure that YOU are not heeby, just ask
yourself this: can you tell when other guys are acting heeby? if so, then
you probably don't have to worry. probably.
4) heeby guys are touchy. this doesn't mean that they have to touch you
ALL the time...i mean, there are really normal people who are just really
affectionate. but HEEBY guys don't touch with affection....they touch
with INTENSITY. they may not actually touch you all that often, but when
they do....man, it feels weird. its almost as if they are receiving
energy from you by the way they grab your shoulder or wrap their arm
around you. lots of heeby guys like to hit girls, too. smack the back of
their heads, pull on their hair...you know, abusive stuff. why do they
do that? i honestly have no clue. maybe its a deep rooted sense of
insecurity where they feel the need to present themselves as being more
powerful or something.
5) heeby guys can be either good looking or bad looking. you can be a
handsome young man and still weird people out. if he's weird, the girl
doesn't care HOW good looking the guy is.
6) heeby guys are usually floaters. this means that they have no set
group of friends. some people are floaters by choice, but heeby guys are
not. they actually WANT a clique of some sort, but b/c they lack social
skills (especially with girls), they end up just kinda hopping around from
group to group, tagging along with people as they go bowling or catch
movies. his social awkwardness isolates him from the rest of the
world, and as a result, makes him appear even MORE strange.
7) heeby guys are clingy. this kinda goes along with the previous point.
they are hungry for love and affection. they are clingy in the sense that
if you show them even a LITTLE bit of attention, they will totally stick
onto you as if you guys are best buds. part of it stems from lonliness and
part of it is just b/c he is weird.
8) heeby guys come in two categories: "GUILT TRIP" and "COME TO ME".
the GUILT TRIP HEEB is the guy who always says "why don't you ever call ME
to go out? you always call so-and-so, but you never call MEEEEEEE". They
also say stuff like "why don't you ever say HI to me...you don't want to
be my friend anymore~?" they always try to make you feel guilty as if you
did something wrong or you betrayed their friendship, even though you were
probably never really good friends with them to begin with. this is the
most common type of heeb. and probably the most annoying for most girls.
the COME TO ME HEEB is the guy who distances himself from the
world and expects everyone to come to him and accomodate to HIS needs.
but after realizing that people don't always just come to HIM, he decides
to change his approach and try to come to others. this is where the
heebiness comes in. since he is not used to approaching others, when he
does do so, it is both awkward and shocking, for the girl never expected
him to approach her. and he will approach with great intesity in his
eyes....as if he has a mission to accomplish. he'll be like,
"....hi. uh.....my name is so-and-so. (then there will be an awkward
silence for 5 seconds). i like your hair. it smells good. can I stroke
it?" this form of heeb is a lot less common....and one must be
careful not to mix this up with a guy who is simply kinda shy.
i know i said i'd talk about sheeby girls, too, but i thought it
might not be appropriate. but sheeby girls are entirely different from
heeby guys. but yeah, hope you understand.
heebiness will never leave, and even after reading this plan, i'm
sure most heeby guys will continue to act heeby. isn't ignorance bliss?
well, that's it. if you are a guy, hopefully by reading this you
might be able to figure out if you are heebying someone out. if you are a
girl, then i hope you had a good laugh.
