Lily Allen is P.G.

Yes, its true.
And she was looking so foxy in her GQ shoot! I was jealous. I am no longer.

Still, maybe I can get her to give me all of her clothes.

That dress would look v. sharp on me. Lily? You can keep the shoes, though I do like those, too. Seriously, Lily has some really great dresses. Where will they go? Can't I just wear them for 9 months?

I mean, whatever, but she really could've rocked her 20's minus a baby and at boyfriend-not-husband. (Hello, why doesn't anyone get married anymore? Aren't any celebrities in the DAR? I mean, Lily's obviously not, but I AM and it's a very important legacy! You can be any race, religion, etc...but you can't be born out of wedlock! It's a little silly, but its a rule. )

Have you ever seen The Patriot? Revolutionary War was not easy! Being a daughter amongst that? Not easy either! Getting married? Comparatively simple.

On behalf of my celebrity brethren, I'm sorry Ben Franklin!!!

Jamie Lynn Spears is pregnant, too.

Sigh.

Internet stardom part 1 of ?

My blog is officially the 11th resource EVER for those searching for more information about the "bend and snap" on Google.

I am so proud! It's an unexpected step in an unexpected direction! I'm still gonna keep writing about new media/St. Louis happenings though - don't fret.

It might move up in the rank, considering I'm writing about it. Google is a strange thing.

Whiteboard Hilarity - a chronicle

VTS
Originally uploaded by dgray_xplane

I just found this shot running a search for VTS on Flickr. I remember Mr. Dave Gray with his camera, and I've been honing my flickr search skillz for some consulting work I'm doing so I gave it a shot. Success! I like it how I look v. serious, even though this was a very goofy half hour. I take goofiness very seriously, I do. Flashback to good times in July!

So in case you were puzzled, VTS stands for Visual Thinking School, and it's run by XPlane, a company here in St. Louis that I quite admire. They have it every week to stay on top of their craft. I think that's such a great idea. I found out XPlane existed in a very funny/modern sort of way (a blog! an email! ) and a few intrepid email address guesses and some plane flights some time later.... I found myself at this VTS -- these folks have fun and stay fresh! A real sharp bunch.

Putting/visualizing laughter (that was our subject...found from a creative lil' exersize we'd done earlier involving post-its and some introspection) into four-five little squares was really something --- we thought we were so funny.

Elvis dressed as a pirate + the "cat attacks baby" youtube video +"endolphins" + some (established and aspiring) fluent sketchers = laughter, right? If you click on the photo you can try to see some of our "work" in the photostream and judge for yourself.

This whole drawing on the whiteboard business reminds me of the times my junior year when me, Janna and the whole Penn '04 gang would sit in our apartment and play a game called "Jumbo Nintendo" for literally 5+ hours. I love it that a CompLit major (that'd be me), a Finance Major, Neuroscience major, a Music major, Management major, and occasionally our PreMed major friend...oo, and I think our chemistry major friend, too (yeah, he was good at it...I think its b/c he was Canadian -- its my theory that they are a naturally goofy people)...would just sit around and DRAW pictures for hours. Not that art majors DO sit around and draw for hours (do they?), but here we were none of us draw-ers...drawin' up a storm!

My sister discovered this awesome "game" while working on our high school yearbook with my friend Adam. You're supposed to draw 3 pictures that rhyme... that's pretty much it. Adam, who is hilarious, and his buddies (also hilarious) invented it and really set the standard with the first example:

The rhyme? Jumbo Nintendo, Teapot Pretendo, B-extendo. !!!!

So that's the model, created by Adam and his gang...it is the epitome of nuanced and advanced Jumbo Nintendo. The rest is history. I bet they never play it anymore, but ooooh man - we still do.

I get into such trouble on whiteboards. I have always liked'em. Chalkboards, too, frankly. I love those things! From drawing snarky speech bubbles over my buddies' heads in class (Adam was there -- i think his presence was a bad influence) to implying a cat attacking a baby is a funny concept...the list goes on now that I think about it. I have a complicated history.

ps I love it how finding this one random picture has suddenly sent me back not only to college, but to high school. I love flickr.
pps I also love it how I met a cat named Gabe at this VTS. He made a neat little video, and I later put two and two together (took me embarrassingly long) and figured out he wrote for Webster U's Hwy61 blog that everyone's talkin' up these days. I later heard Gabe on Topic A...a nice lil' show on the KDHX. Snaps to XPlane/VTS/St. Louis! That was cool.

For Meredith

I "made" this for my kid sister, who is hard at work on the Iowa caucuses. Everyone here in St. Louis is in Snow-Day mode, meaining they're walking around like zombies not wanting to go anywhere (myself included, i had no idea what to do with myself today)...so that must mean its time for internetting!

Don't send a lame Holiday eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

I'm particularly fond of my part. I love this movie.

Its a cool site, jibjab.com .. seems you have to pay to get more movies made, which is indeed a bummer. Ya gotta have some sort of business model, so I can't complain toooooo much now!

Birthday yesterday was blizzardy beauty. I have mostly shots of Scott, who accompanied me everywhere I wanted to go. We sang in our choir with gusto! Pictures to be popping up on flickr soon. I hope the idleness of today goes away tomorrow!

So I've been having a lot of fun lately

I'm so lucky that I have Scott here this month (my BIRTHDAY MONTH - my birthday is tomorrow, yo!). He has really been an excellent partner in crime.

I will break it down for you tomorrow or soon or something because I have to do my hair now, people!

All I want for christmas

is some lightbulbs. (and maybe some paint...or a ceiling fan. Or a toilet!)

Check it out!

So Brad Pitt's Make It Right racket in New Orleans makes gift giving easy! He's got this awesome flash illustration thing that lets you tour the house-building/art installation thing he has going and scroll over and see what you can donate. Most things are like, expensive....but lightbulbs are only 5 dollars! Buy a lightbulb in my name! Buy one in your name.

Jimmy Buffet did!

“How do we approach the issue from a proactive rather than an anti-anything perspective?”

NOLA's got something, here.

StayLocal.org

Calling all STL Geeks and Creatives

You know who you are!

So, I have some idea what I'd like to do with this place. Aside from making it my abode.

I'd like to turn it into this place ...maintaining the awesomeness of the Historic Hat Mart, (and of the 'hood) natch.

Mostly b/c I would like that place, b/c I need that place b/c I am an independent consultant and I really really like talking to/hanging out with other people. Like, a LOT.

St. Louis has lots of bloggers, more than a few "startups", and creatives a'plenty -- and more. And then probs some more after that. Surely not much less than my old hometown Philly does! What's the dif? What gives?

This is possible. I'll need some help though - I'm so darn GREEN (not in the eco-friendly way, in the like, young whippersnapper detective way).

Oh well, I'll just start doing what I can now. I'll figure out the hows as it goes.
:)

I also heard Gabe of Hwy61 on KDHX last night (I've met you Gabe -- we were at the same VTS at XPlane back in the summer!!!) - and he said our stl generation needs a place to call its own. I say we need an opportunity to have opportunity. Not to mention, StL is too regionally cliquey to hire the right people in the right places (as anyone who's job searched in any town could tell ya). But I am not here to complain... I really hope to in my life/ this blog ... do the opposite of complaining, whatever that is.

Perhaps this coworking space would offer an opportunity for the 30 somethings to get to know the 20 somethings who could get to know the 3+ universities' young co-ed college-kids=types could get to know everyone else who pays the $25 a month to have a space. Actually I know it could. I just cannot give enough snaps to Tara, Chris et al - who've been inspiring me since August 13th, 2006. (heck yeah I remember the date...or rather gmail does...which is cool...an inspiration birthday)

I'm very excited by this idea. PLUS the building is right next to really really delicious quesadillas.

So if you see this, hear this - spread the word. And then get back to me. please! :)