by popular demand....

Lomo Homos.

(Jocelyn, this one's for you.)

Lomo (not to be confused with Homo)

I found a digital photo manipulation website through my friend Ran's flickr gallery, and have discovered a new love: the lomography treatment. Apparently, lomography is a both a photo technique and a philosophy. The technique revolves around a certain kind of cheap mass-produced Russian camera that takes over-saturated pictures with weird distortion, and the philosophy focuses on taking pictures in the moment, without any focus on what is "good." I have no interest in pursuing actual lomography (way too much work, when dumpr.net will do it for me!), but I am loving what the digital manipulation does to my pictures. They look grainy and bright and cool. In researching lomography, I learned, however, that it is apparently hot with hipsters, because you can buy all kinds of gear from Urban Outfitters. Weird. Richard says I need to embrace my inner-hipster. I already have the glasses.

THANKSgiving

You know me. I am not prone to extravagant displays of love and affection. In fact, my heart is firmly encased in a thick protective layer of irony and sarcasm. (My sixth grade science teacher told me I was so sarcastic that people were afraid to be my friend....maybe if the girls in the burgeoning "clique" had not been so mean to me in 5th and 6th grades, I would now be writing romantic poetry and working on my disney princesses movie collection instead of finely honing my dry wit and snarky sense of humor...but we'll never know now, will we?)
Anyway...in honor of the Thanksgiving holiday (which is Richard's favorite for three reasons: 1) it's all about food; 2) there are no presents to exchange thereby leading to inevitable disappointment; and 3) did I mention the food?), I thought I would try to lower my defensive irony, and name some things for which I am thankful this year.

1) Lucy and Richard. This has been kind of a tough year for me, and I have not always been much fun to be around, but Lucy and Richard have been great. Lucy is so incredibly smart and funny -- she is just way cooler and more confident than I will ever be, and I am proud to be her mom. Richard is the best husband there is -- supportive, helpful, a great dad -- and smart and funny too. I love them both very much.
2) My siblings. My brother and sisters are the best. We have so much fun together, I sometimes feel sorry for other people who hang out with us and have no idea about half of the things we are talking and laughing about. Awesome.
3) My parents (and my stepmother). My dad is my hero. Totally level-headed, but funny as hell (we all live to make my dad laugh -- there is nothing like it), and always supportive. My mom can be prickly, but she loves us all like a lioness, and would do anything for us. And if I don't know how to cook something, I always call her first. My stepmother Jenny is under appreciated. She is willing to help us in any way she can, and she is a great Granny to Lucy.
4) My fake family -- the Trigg-Lowry-Lebberns. I've known these guys since I was six, and I love them all to death. Even though Lindsay and I make each other a little nuts (we are very different people), she is my best friend in the world. Barbie is like my second, much cooler, mom. And Jocelyn -- what can I say? Cyber-stalking JoJo is one of my favorite pastimes. I can't wait until she is back on the east coast so I can even see her in person. It was such a treat to spend time with everyone in California this summer -- I had a blast (shout out to the whole fam: Linz, Ian, Max, Barbara, Justin, Jocelyn, Ally, and Skip).
5) My siblings' significant others, roommates, and friends. I love that they are willing to spend time with my crazy family even when they don't have to. I love Marianne, Brian, Chelsea, Andrea, and Tall Chris. So cute.
6) All my creature comforts. I am definitely thankful that I have the financial resources to allow me to be a member of the bourgeoisie. Sometimes I feel guilty that I have so much stuff, but most of the time I am just happy it's all there -- the nice house in the cute neighborhood, the pets (namecheck: Sadie, Butterstick, Fred Weasley, Chomper, Oliver, and Maddie), the giant TV and digital cable, my iPod and my iBook. Which brings me to...
7) The internet. What would I do without Facebook, Google, Blogger, Flickr and iTunes? I am a web-a-holic. Mostly I love how the interweb let's me keep up with friends that I don't often see in person (like Jocelyn and Ran).
8) Pharmaceuticals. As I mentioned before, this was kind of a tough year for me. But, thanks largely to the power of prescription drugs, I am feeling and sleeping much better. Thanks, big Pharma.

There are many more things for which I am thankful (PostSecret, podcasts of This American Life and StoryCorps, arts and crafts, books, crossword puzzles, Tom Bergeron, etc.) but I can feel the snark creeping back into my heart. So, in closing, have a great Thanksgiving. Thanks for everything. Love love. Kirsten

my 7-year old has a blog?

I was out all afternoon (taking pictures of merchandise at Lindsay's store, Sanity, for her upcoming website launch...link to be posted soon!) and Richard and Lucy were left to their own devices. Not only did they get our Thanksgiving turkey -- a 16 pound Butterball (feel free to stop by for dinner Thursday at 4 pm) -- and new winter coats, but they also started a blog. Lucy's Black Bandanna features her latest writing, so you can expect lots of great pop songs and even a book review or two. It is pretty cool. You won't be disappointed.

life stories

Do you know about StoryCorps? It is one of my new obsessions, because I am now so middle-aged that I sometimes prefer to listen to talk radio podcasts in the car instead of music. (The other day on a trip to Dover I listened to both a "This American Life" and a "CarTalk". Man, you could blow the dust off me, I swear. Before too long I will be wearing cardigans and listening to the Glenn Miller Orchestra.) Anyway, StoryCorps is so cool, each mini-episode featuring two regular people talking to each other about their lives. These small vignettes about average (and not-so-average) lives totally thrill my inner-voyeur. There is a permanent StoryCorps recording booth in NYC, but it turns out that the mobile studio is in Philadelphia until December. I really want to go. Any volunteers to submit to my penetrating gaze and personal questions?

a private family moment, blog-style

Now that I have figured out how to post photos to my blog, it's a whole new ball game. I took this picture with my camera phone a couple of weeks ago. I think Richard and Lucy are so cute, but there is something about the whole thing that looks a little sketchy. Totally reminds me of a Sally Mann photograph (if Sally Mann's chosen photographic format was a Samsung cell phone instead of some really nice 8x10 Leica or what-have-you). Don't call Child Protective Services on me, please.

dealer?

I am thinking this might be a good business for me to get into if the whole non-profit thing doesn't work out. Not trucking, although I am an excellent driver. I want to become a "dealer in pork, the other white meat."

a top ten (or nine) list

Richard and I have had a long-standing discussion about our top ten favorite songs, and whether or not it is even possible to come up with a list like this. So much about the music that we (a royal "we") like is situational - where we are in our lives, what music is popular, and what things resonate with us. There are songs that you love and could listen to over and over again without getting sick of them, that really don't mean anything in particular. Or songs that remind you of a person or event -- where the love of the song has little to do with the song itself. Or songs that just nail an emotion or experience -- not even one that has necessarily happened to you.

I have been racking my brain to come up with a list of my Top Ten Favorite Songs -- and it has been tough. But here is what I have so far, in no particular order -- because that would be impossible.

"Wishlist" -- Pearl Jam. I like Pearl Jam just fine, but would not put them on my top ten favorite bands list. "Wishlist," however, is amazing. The lyrics capture obsessive love perfectly. Best line: "I wish I was the souvenir you kept your house keys on."

"Hands Down" -- Dashboard Confessional with Michael Stipe. I probably know three Dashboard Confessional songs, including this one, and in this case, much prefer the version with Michael Stipe to the original. This song evokes the perfect teenage summer lust so clearly -- the lyrics play out cinematically in my mind. And if you crank it really loud in the car, it is super-fun to sing along to.

"Casimir Pulaski Day" -- Sufjan Stevens. Another cinematic song. Heartbreakingly beautiful.

"Lose Yourself" -- Eminem. I am hardly a rap afficionado, but this is a damn fine song. Awesome fist-pumping lyrics. And how many people can work a shout-out to Mehkhi Phifer into their rhymes?

"Beautiful Disaster" -- Kelly Clarkson. So overwrought in every way, and therefore, unparalleled for singing along to. Kelly will always be my American Idol.

"Top of the World" -- Dixie Chicks. This song gets me every time. A clear warning not to turn into a bitter, lonely old man.

"Shaking Hands (Soldier's Joy)" -- Michelle Shocked. A charming little ditty about a morphine-addicted Civil War soldier. Richard and I listened to this album (Arkansas Traveler) non-stop on our honeymoon -- a three-week long cross-country drive. Good times.

"Standing" -- Giles from the Cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Poor Giles -- he just wanted to be Buffy's dad, and Buffy could never get that. Buffy played a big part in my family for many years. And the musical episode makes for a rollicking sing-along. Even Lucy knows all the words.

"Toxic" -- Britney Spears. Say what you will about Britney, but this song rocks. And it reminds me of the first summer we went to Camp Tockwogh for Family Camp. I challenge you NOT to dance or sing along when you hear it.

OK -- that's nine. There are so many more, so I am copping out now, before I have to make tough choices. I'd love to hear what some of your favorite songs are, loyal reader(s). Please let me know.