Links 2/17

A links post with a one day delay. I’ve officially started on a two week break (but can’t get too excited because we have two exams the week we get back) and I’m debating whether I should go to The Catacombs today or take a joint trip to Maison de Balzac and the Monet Marmottan Museum. It’s a rough life full of hard choices.

• Yara Shahidi was on Stephen Colbert, is turning 18, having a voting party, and is an amazingly well-spoken individual. I know it’s a cliche to say this, but we need more people like her in the world.
• In spite of my issues with The Shape of Water, I do think it’s a bit unfair to sum it up as ‘the film where the woman has sex with a fish’. That being said, someone designed a dildo inspired by Fish God. You can find anything on the internet and this is why we don’t deserve nice things.
• The inspiring knitwear of Prabal Gurung’s Fall 2018 collection.
• The Obamas’ official portraits have been unveiled at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. They’re both pretty amazing, both from an historical and artistic standpoint.
  Buuuut: here’s a counterpoint and a deeper reading.
• Wisecrack on how Monty Python shaped modern comedy (via postmodernism, the comedy of the absurd, and political satire).
• A thought-provoking personal essay about an ‘accidental wedding dress’ and accepting that life rarely/never comes with the closure of a settled and final happy ending.
• Similarly, this comic on the numerous ways to fill your heart and live a meaningful and love-filled life.
• A surreal video of a very fluffy doggo swimming underwater.
• The Louvre has created a Valentine’s-inspired Pinterest board. I’m particularly in love (no pun intended) the Antonio Canova’s sculpture of Cupid and Psyche.
• I’m not planing on watching the newly reimagined/animated Peter Rabbit film ever, but there’s been a bit of a kerfuffle about a scene involving food allergies. I don’t think there’s much to be upset about but part of the reason I am steering clear of the film is that even from the trailer it struck me as being crass and mean-spirited. And I wasn’t even a Beatrix Potter kid.
• And… a Disneyland social club is being sued for using ‘mafia-like’ intimidation tactics. What even is this world and what are people? Watch out for the White Rabbits or you’ll be swimming with the… flounder?
• Reaffirming my goal to spend less time on my phone and computer.
• I didn’t cry at this animated short, but I won’t lie- it did give me the feels.

New Year’s Resolutions

I’m too lazy to do a straight up transcription, so here’s a photo.

I don’t usually make resolutions because the bleak midwinter seems like a terrible time to stress out over lifestyle changes, but I was feeling a bit inspired to take a more holistic view of the process and this is what I came up with.

Do you have any resolutions?
If you could pick a month for the year to start,which would you choose?
I would go for April or May, when it starts warming up in this hemisphere. Or July, because my birthday really is what the year should revolve around.

Friday Links 6/2

Happy first Friday of June! It’s hard to believe we’re almost halfway through 2017 already.
And as I know you’re wondering, a brief update my spring summer resolutions:

1. Yoga everyday: Successful, but mostly because I’m zealously practicing upside down tree pose (aka, a handstand)
2. Dry brushing: Also successful- I’ve dry brushed once every day.  It’s been good for my skin I think, especially because it helps me remember to moisturize.
3. Daily meditation: Failure. I haven’t meditated since I posted indicated my intent to do so.

And the image above is my new monthly desktop background. Alright, I think that’s all the updates.

Oh, no it’s not, I lied. Excitingly, this May that just ended was the highest-viewed month that List Mimsy has had, tallying at over 1,000 views. Thanks everyone!

Smiles of a Spring Semester

I’m leaving on Friday (in all likelihood) for my final semester of university.  As always, I have very ambivalent feelings about my triumphant return.  Less free time is both a good and bad thing, though I’ve never had a hard time keeping myself occupied.  More dancing is also a mixed bag, as is nearing the end of my university experience.  For someone as… insular as I am, even being around my friends comes with conflicting feelings.

And an aside: The title of this post references Smiles of a Summer Night, an Ingmar Bergman title.  And I haven’t seen it and never will because I simply can’t bear with Ingmar Bergman.  I’ve tried many times.

I’m in a mad dash to catch up on 2016 movies.  I recently caught The Neon Demon and have Allied playing in the background as I type this.  I’ve decided it’s not worthy of my full attention (but more on that in a future post).

I’m thinking about what my goals should be for this coming semester, after having completely failed at my fall semester ones (namely dance more and see more of people that I’m going to miss post-graduation. And of course, those will be carried over (in some form) to this semester.