4.29.2011

4.28.2011

So Long, Michael Scott

Tonight, we commemorate the end of an era. It's hard to imagine life in The Office without Michael Scott. Over the past few seasons, we have seen him grow from a completely clueless boss to a, well, a better completely clueless boss with small moments of clarity.

Enjoy...

Life Lessons:


The Many Faces of Michael Scott:


On Not Being an Idiot:


On Wikipedia:


On YouTube:


On Birthdays:


On Declaring Bankruptcy:


On Management:


On Dunder Mifflin:


On Dancing:


On Scranton:


Wicka Wicka Wick What:


Michael Scott-isms:


"Time of Your Life" Tribute:


Steve Carrel on Michael Scott:

4.22.2011

Friday Find: Scented Shelf & Drawer Liners

Scented Shelf & Drawer Liners, The Container Store, $8.99 (sale)
Each roll includes four sheets; each measuring 18" x 24"

4.20.2011

Virtual Choir Contributors

Yesterday, I featured Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir 2.0. Today, I thought it would be fun to feature some of the artists who contributed their vocal talents to the project.

Melody Myers:



Eric Sorrow:


Britlin Losee

(Editorial Update 6/30 - Replaced video)

Courtney Lea:


Dameron Growe:



Some participants have virtual choirs of their own...

Dan Wright:

(Editorial Update 6/30 - Replaced video)

Beau Autin:


Melody Myers:


Anonymously Barbershop:

4.19.2011

Virtual Choir 2.0

A year ago, composer/conductor Eric Whitacre conducted a virtual choir. The performance of "Lux Aurumque" moved and inspired people all over the world.

 This year, 2052 people, spread across 58 countries, came "together" to perform "Sleep":

4.15.2011

4.14.2011

The Day the Soaps Died?

ABC announced this afternoon that it will be pulling the plug on two of it's three long-time daytime serial dramas - 'All My Children' in September 2011 and 'One Life to Live' in January 2012.

As a child, "The Young and the Restless", "The Bold and the Beautiful", "One Life to Live" and "General Hospital" were a standard part of my life each summer when school was out. Like old friends, I found comfort in leaving the cares of the real world behind and being engrossed in the drama of these shows. There was high romance, spectacular rivalries, wondrously brilliant super-villains and loads of comedy relief. The school year could come and go and I could pick up the shows again. No other genre can quite have the same effect or require the same dedication as soaps.

Over the last couple of years, the shows rapidly declined in quality. Look at General Hospital. Love in the afternoon has been replaced with mob violence. Stories about long-standing fan favorite characters have been tossed aside to pave the way for silly plot lines and poor editing. Entire well-written, popular families have been whacked off. In desperation, story lines have been pulled out of the history vault (butchered) and recycled unsuccessfully due to horrific writing.

Through all of that, GH will live on for the moment as Guza's pet science project, which he runs into the ground a little more each day.

On the other hand, OLTL manages to come in under-budget with fabulous writing, terrific nods to character history, enriched character relationships, flowing editing and daily cliff-hangers.

Apparently the powers that be prefer mob-o-rama 'Soparano' knock-offs.

The shows will be replaced by ill-conceived filler content that in reality, no one will watch.

Thanks ABC.

4.13.2011

Inspiration: Music

Hans Christian Anderson once said, "Where words fail, music speaks."

Music is inborn, capable of touching the soul of all people in all places.  Music is not bound by language barriers or constrained by social status.  We may not necessarily understand the sound, but we can translate the message that it brings.

To me, music is the ultimate artform, the ultimate inspiration.  Pieces like "Nessun Dorma" or "The Lord's Prayer" cover me with chills nearly every time the notes touch my ears.  Other notes, like the beginning bars of "Kashmir" bring a smile to my face.

I could go on and on, but instead, I will post just a few highlights from flickr, where the visual art meets the audible art in an understated-ly beautiful sort of way.

Flickr Roundup:







4.01.2011

Friday Find: Porcelain Hurricanes

Porcelain Hurricanes, West Elm, $19/$29/$39

Book Releases - April 2011

Releasing this month: