Sunday, November 21, 2010

Brianna: From My Side of the Bridge...

Good morning, everyone! It's almost 11:00 AM here in Home Country, which means that it's almost 2:00 AM for my friends in Beijing (and yes, if you were wondering, I do have friends in Beijing).


I have a lot to talk about today. I mean, not much has happened for me since Thursday. I still haven't seen the new Harry Potter movie, and by the time I get around to it (what with Thanksgiving and school and all) everyone will be like, well THAT'S old news. Come back when you've seen a movie actually worth our attention.


Which is why I'm choosing now to talk about 127 Hours. I saw it before it came out, at the Denver Film Festival (along with Black Swan and Rabbit Hole, but those aren't even a little bit out yet), and I think it is definitely one of those movies everyone must see. I must warn you, it's a little graphic. 


It's about Aron Ralston, a man from my side of the bridge who fell into a canyon in Utah and was trapped there for five days until, well...I'm not going to ruin it. 


Although if you have any idea who he is, it's already been ruined for you. (Let me give you a clue: saying let's give Aron Ralston a hand! when he comes onstage is definitely not a good idea.)


So, yeah. Your goal for the week: see 127 Hours. You will definitely not regret it, unless you're the squeamish type. Then maybe.


Oh, and did I mention that Aron Ralston is played by James Franco? He's incredible. In fact, beside's Danny Boyle's wonderful directing, he is pretty much the reason you should see 127 Hours.


Moving on, I wonder if you remember me mentioning Yay! Every Day! last time I posted. 

Basically, Yay! Every Day! is a website where people post their drawings, paintings, photographs, videos...you know. Almost anything works on there, and if you spend a lot of time surfing it (or even a little of time) you can find some very valuable pieces of work. If you're interested, either check out my previous post or go to the website yourself and click "Random". All you have to do is keep refreshing and you'll never run out of stuff to look at.

Anyway, I picked two more of my favorites and decided to post them. The source is beneath them (in case you're interested):

http://www.yayeveryday.com/post/6495

http://www.yayeveryday.com/post/957

And here's a poem, to make you think.

Dog's Death
by John Updike

She must have been kicked unseen or brushed by a car.
Too young to know much, she was beginning to learn

To use the newspapers spread on the kitchen floor
And to win, wetting there, the words, "Good dog! Good dog!"
                                                                    

We thought her shy malaise was a shot reaction.
The autopsy disclosed a rupture in her liver.

As we teased her with play, blood was filling her skin
And her heart was learning to lie down forever.

Monday morning, as the children were noisily fed
And sent to school, she crawled beneath the youngest's bed.

We found her twisted and limp but still alive.
In the car to the vet's, on my lap, she tried

To bite my hand and died. I stroked her warm fur
And my wife called in a voice imperious with tears.

Though surrounded by love that would have upheld her,
Nevertheless she sank and, stiffening, disappeared.

Back home, we found that in the night her frame,
Drawing near to dissolution, had endured the shame

Of diarrhoea and had dragged across the floor
To a newspaper carelessly left there.  Good dog.




Have a wonderful day! 

Brianna




Friday, November 19, 2010

Paper Clip: NaNoWriMo, Daily Science, and Product of the Day

A lot of people are asking me, "Hey Paper Clip?  You're a writer, so what are you doing for National Novel Writing Month?"  Apparently, that's what November is.  Since when?  That's what I was wondering!  Apparently everyone and their semi-half cousin is sitting down and penning long, tedious sentences of angst and humor.  What was I talking about?  Oh yeah, right, what am I doing.

Good question, audience.  My answer is 'nothing.'
Don't get your panties in a fit, audience.  Yes, I'm casually working on a few short stories.  I'm just not obsessing like everyone I meet over how many words I'm behind, or that Mrs. Jones across the way is ahead of schedule.
On a side note, that really is a good song, isn't it?  Me And Mrs. Jones?

What do you think, Newton?

 "Well, Paper Clip, I say that Mrs. Jones is ahead of way more things than just her NaNoWriMo word count!"

Oh, Newton, what am I going to do with you?

Why NaNoWriMo as an abbreviation?  How the hell are you supposed to pronounce 'NaNoWriMo?'  Would you just say it as 'National Novel Writing Month?'  Wouldn't that defeat the purpose?

TRANSITION!


Go check this story out over at American Chemistry.  It's quite interesting, if you like Chemistry.  Like this:
My hat's off to you if you get this joke.

TRANSITION!

I'm going to start doing a 'Product of the Day' section as well.  These consist mainly of things that, if I didn't penny-pinch so much my palms have become raw, I would buy in a heartbeat.
And now onto the first one!  Newton, drum roll please.


DRUM ROLL!


For the Ghostbusters fan in your life.  Go and grab yours at ThinkGeek.com for $19.99!

I can totally see myself munching on these while star-gazing.  They would offer all of the energy and all-around awesomeness needed to see the darkest nebulae.

So that's it for me.  Paper Clip saying, 
"May all your papers be clipped!"

Up, up and AWAY!!!!!!!!!!


Thursday, November 18, 2010

Paper Clip: Hello, Internet!

So this is my blog.  Here, you can expect the most awesome things found on the most obscure slices of the internet.  And Science.  What would my blog be without Science?  What do you think, Newton?





"I'd be careful, Paper Clip.  The margin for error is ASTRONOMICAL!"








Shut it, Newton.  You're too feisty for your Solar Filters.

TRANSITION!

Here's something....

"NEWLY DISCOVERED PLANET ADOPTED BY MILKY WAY"


Apparently, Scientists have discovered a planet adopted by the Milky Way.  Our galaxy and the planet's home residence once collided, and we came out as the Ali of the 'Great Debase in Outer Space.'  The planet, dubbed HIP 13044b has now been floating around in our neck of the woods since it had the mad skills to abandon its host star and hunker in our bunker.

Read the full story at Discovery News here.  Do it.  Now.

TRANSITION!

On a side note, there has just been big news for Beatlemaniacs everywhere.  The Beatles are now on iTunes! The two Apples were able to put aside their difference and get a lot of what it takes to get along together.  While money can't buy you love, it can buy you Beatles for $1.29 a song.  Maybe it's my inner-cheapskate talking, but that seems a little rich for my blood.
Ha!
Like that would keep me away from my Beatles.  I've already gotten three albums.  I have been happily and crappily singing along all day long to Hold Me Tight, All My Loving, and Julia to the point where I think my iPod is looking up rates for Cruise Vacations.

TRANSITION!


Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 premiers at midnight tonight, and for those of you who don't have wand and cape ready, you can chill with me, Paper Clip while I sit gloomily at home and cry my eyes out at the series being almost over.  Seriously, I've known these characters longer than I've known some family members.  And now they're grown up.

Best character?  Definitely Luna Lovegood and her father Xenophilius.

I see a lot of Luna in myself.  We're both crazy.  If you haven't already gathered that.

So that's it for me, remember:  May all your papers be clipped.

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!

Brianna: First Post EVVVER!

GOOD AFTERNOON!! (or morning or evening or night time, depending on where you are) Here in Home Country it's actually 5:00, meaning afternoon is pretty much over. It's already dark out! Isn't that crazy?

As you may (or may not) know, this is first post to ever appear on We've Come to Talk to You About Cheeses. This is being written by the incredible BRIANNA. If you don't know who's who yet, please be sure to read Brianna's profile and Paper Clip's profile. They'll tell you all you need to know!

Let me just start by saying how important of a day this Thursday is! Not that I did anything particularly interesting (mostly just school, bleh), but at 11:59 tonight thousands of people will be settling themselves into theaters all over the country (well, it'll be 11:59 here, but when it's 11:59 here it's 10:59 in California and 12:59 in Missouri and 1:59 in NYC. You know time zones) to watch the new Harry Potter movie!!

But that is totally not the point of the first post. I just thought I should mention that, make it known to the world that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One is going to be released tonight. I know so many people who've had their tickets for the midnight showing since August-ish, I couldn't help hearing about it all day. I can't imagine what's going to happen next summer when Part Two is released.

But, anyway, the reason I decided to post was to talk about this wonderful website called Yay! Every Day. It's basically where people can post their drawings, photographs and videos. You won't believe how many hours I have spent on there looking at other people's work.

There are thousands and thousands of things on Yay! Every Day, and I've seen quite a few of them, but these are three that I liked the most:




I'm not going to explain why I think these are so brilliant, I think I'll leave it up to you to decide why they're incredible. If you want to see the source, they're posted beneath the pictures.

Well, that's all for today. Have a lovely evening (or morning or afternoon or whatever time it is where you are).

Brianna