Duckling Seat

Winter came somewhat suddenly to the city a few weeks ago, and since I have about 20 minutes of walking twice a day in commute, I resolved to trade in my cute flats for rain boots.

Originally, I planned to buy them in-person so I wouldn’t have to wait for the boots to come in the mail, but I was foiled by pre-season sales. For some reason, though it was pouring rain and still January, Target was stocking bikinis. Nordstrom, Macy’s and DSW sold only $100+ rain boots. Marshalls, Old Navy and Kohl’s disappointed, and before you know it, I’d been to scads of stores with no rain boots to show for it.

Finally this week I broke down and bought some boots online, and I’m so excited it’s raining right now! Soon they will be here, and though I suspect the rain will stop once they arrive, I also hope that it will continue so that I can actually use them.

Aren’t they just lovely? Too bad I lost my rainbow umbrella… I’m having to make do with rainbow polka dots — such a sacrifice! ugh.

While we’re on the subject of defining Caitlin and being cool on Facebook, here’s my photo for doppelganger week:

No, that’s not me. It’s a French pro tennis player Natalie Dechy. She doesn’t usually look like she did a Nic Cage-John Travolta swap with my face. Usually she has her own face. But this picture really creeps me out!

Being the cool cat that I am, I decided to follow the latest Facebook fad of looking up your name on Urban Dictionary. What I found was hilarious, mildly offensive and definitely worth sharing.

The definitions started out making total sense:

And then proceeded to enter the land of crazy:

Ya think some of these authors had a personal vendetta against a Caitlin in their life? Check your name on Urban Dictionary if you dare — I just learned so much about myself!

You know the phrase “nip it in the bud?”

My entire life, I’ve been saying “nip it in the butt.” That’s 22 years of people probably thinking, “Did she just say what I think she did?” and then shrugging it off and not telling me I had it wrong. Oh for lollerskates….

At least I have good company.

Back in Leonardo’s day, few artists’ works were ever seen by anyone other than their mother — actually, I guess by the time you became a decent artist, your mother would probably have died in child birth or of cholera — but I digress. Today, we have the privilege not only of attending museums filled with priceless art, but also of consuming art by thousands of amateurs who have yet to “make it” in the art world. This is part of the reason I love the internet so dearly — it’s a great equalizer. I’ve been browsing deviantART a lot lately and I discovered several photographers I love and want to share.

In particular, this artist, Jonathan Jacobsen, is only 20 years old and produces the most amazing photos.  He lives in Chile, and if it weren’t for the internet, I’d never have seen his work, and neither would you. His series “Rainbow Warriors” brings a smile to my face.

Check out his full gallery here.

I also really like this still life from Little Black Umbrella, a German photographer.

And finally, this photo from Heather Breanne, an 18 year old from the US. Her photos are kind of emo, but pretty nonetheless. Her color palette is perfect for a cold winter night.

Check out this Orbit gum commercial, it’s a dead ringer for the style of The Life Aquatic.

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YouTube Direkthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3wosOSz1lA

See what I mean?

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Wes Anderson really can’t go wrong in my book. I’m going to have to watch something by him again soon for my indie fix.

This week, I give the supreme in cuteness, combining hedgehogs and home-made bread for a fatal one-hit cuteness overdose.

For more cuteness, check out the artist’s deviantART page here.

I’ve been geocaching lately, and to be honest, I’ve been a little disappointed in the items I’ve found. I had always imagined geocaching to be like this scene from Amelie when she discovers the treasures a little boy had hidden in her apartment 40 years previous, and decides to return them to him.

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In reality, most people leave things that I doubt ever had an real emotional significance, such as mardi gras beads and stickers.

To me, geocaching should be about making a connection to a stranger and sharing with them something that really could be treasured, something with meaning.

As I’ve been pondering this and creating my first item to be geocached, I was inspired to go through some inherited treasures of my own. Over the years, I’ve collected a small trove of clip-on earrings, bracelets, broaches and necklaces from relatives who have passed, and while many are beautiful and interesting, I don’t know what to do with them.

Here are some photos, suggestions most welcome!

This is a jewelery box from my great aunt. I love the hand-painted scene, and it’s filled with the same little keepsakes many of us have — coins, stamps, odd beads, safety pins and so on. It’s sort of profound to see an entire life of tiny treasures left in the world without explanation. After we’re gone the strangest things stay behind as our testimony.

Assorted clip-on earrings.

Unique broaches — there are a few you can’t see of other types of animals.

I love the little suitcase charm, I wonder why she had it.

Clip-on earrings shaped like clocks!

Anyway, I haven’t decided how to best use and honor these little keepsakes. I’m toying with the idea of using some of them to embellish picture frames, but I just can’t decide. If anyone has neat button and bead ideas, send them along!

The Beatles, I Will

Yesterday Jeff was playing the Beatles song “I Will” to me, and the lyrics just spoke to me in a completely surprising and delightful way.

Who knows how long I’ve loved you
You know I love you still
Will I wait a lonely lifetime
If you want me to I will

For if I ever saw you
I didn’t catch your name
But it never really mattered
I will always feel the same

Love you forever, and forever
Love you with all my heart
Love you whenever we’re together
Love you when we’re apart

And when at last I find you
Your song will fill the air
Sing it loud so I can hear you
Make it easy to be near you
For the things you do endear you
To me ah, you know I will
I will

I’ve always found it to be a sweet and endearing love song, but this time it just hit me that it’s about the beauty of animals who pair bond for life.

There is a little bird singing his song, and there’s only one other little bird in the whole world that hears his song and thinks it’s beautiful. And though those two little birds may not know much else, they know they’re a pair, and they’ll be together for life. And every spring, they will sing their little bird songs together, until they grow too old to sing.

Today in the park I saw a male bird singing and displaying his magnificent flying skills in hopes of finding his mate. He was ducking and diving, swooping and swirling, and singing his little heart out each time he alighted.

I hope he finds his duet partner soon.

Lately I’ve gotten back into watching TED videos and I had a few I wanted to share. Despite being a humanities major, I have an unquenchable love of science, and these two lectures do a great job at explaining cutting edge science, and how it informs our human experience.

The first video is a lecture a primatologist gave at Stanford University about what makes humans unique from other animals, and he is both inspiring and entertaining. (skip the intro and start about 5 minutes in).

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YouTube Direkthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrCVu25wQ5s

The second video is from a neurobiologist, who talks about some of the most interesting breakthroughs in the understanding of the human brain, and how the study of the mind is teaching us more and more how connected people really are.

I love both these speakers so much, because they are both humble about how little humanity differs from other animals, but also reverent of the infinite potential we have in that small margin of difference. Their message is that we are all connected, and though we may feel we can’t individually make a difference in the world, we are morally convicted to try. Watch and be inspired!