The Week: September 16, 2011

Rand and I just got home from our anniversary trip to Ashland, and I have a serious vacation hangover. (Fun fact: driving 8 hours in one day does not make for a happy couple. It makes for a cranky, slightly bummed-to-be-home couple). I spent half the night awake, wondering if our house always smelled like it now does. I mean, it smells fine (like berries and old wood, actually), but did it ALWAYS SMELL LIKE THIS AND WE COULDN’T TELL?

Sigh. That’s just one of the symptoms of a vacation hangover – finding things that should be comforting and familiar to be downright weird. Other symptoms include repeatedly whining, “Why couldn’t we stay one more day?” Poor Rand faced this question at least 2 dozen times yesterday (sorry, babe).

Fortunately, he had a very good response: “We have to leave Ashland early so we can go to Macchu Picchu.”

That’s right: this spoiled brat is going to PERU. Nothing like a little hair of the dog to help you get over a vacation hangover. But really, did our house ALWAYS smell like this?

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The internet is abuzz about California taxidermist Chuck Testa, and his delightful commercials. Can I get enough of it? Answer: a resounding NOPE.

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Super proud of my bro, Edward, for having the story he wrote turned into a script and made into a movie … involving a two-headed shark. I really wish they had named it Bigger Jaws, instead of 2 Headed Shark Attack, but still – Awesome.

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A beautiful and heartbreaking story of two women who shared conversation, cannoli, and (albeit at different points in time) a husband.

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Russian artist and photographer Anka Zhuraleva creates whimsical vignettes that defy physics in her “Distorted Gravity” series. (Note: link slightly NSFW – it includes nude females, though it’s tastefully done.)

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And speaking of NSFW, I’m absolutely smitten with blogger Nancy Upton. After American Apparel launched their “Next BIG Thing” contest, searching for a plus-sized model to promote new, larger sizes they now offer, Upton submitted a series of fantastic photos of her sexy size-12 self in varying states of undress, gobbling down food. Upton’s photos do a great job of ridiculing the objectifying tone of American Apparel’s campaign (actual quote from AA: “If you think you’ve got what it takes to be the next XLent model, send us photos of you and your junk to back it up”). So great a job, in fact, that American Apparel has decided not to use her as a model, despite being the resounding winner of the popular vote.

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You’ve by now, no doubt, seen the video an adorable grey-haired couple accidentally recorded of themselves as they tried to figure out their new computer (via literally dozens of people, including the always fabulous Jessica.)

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L.A. artist Claire Hummel outfits classic Disney princesses with period-appropriate costumes (check out Snow White – she gets a wonderful reinterpretation while still managing to be familiar). The rest of Hummel’s work is equally brilliant.

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Blogger Deanna’s recent post about “how to not look like ass after a flight” is full of wisdom and wit. And itsy-bitsy shoes. Check it out.

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The delightful (and occasionally sad) collection of comics at Things Could Be Worse help remind you of just how lucky you are. My personal favorite. (via the equally delightful Tami)

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The sticky, oozy aerial acrobatics involved in the mating of the leopard slug are surprisingly elegant and utterly fascinating, right up until the end (watch with the audio on).

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Enjoy the last (gasp!) weekend of summer, folks! I’m off to tackle a pile of email and an even bigger pile of laundry.