Sometimes being a fangirl isn't fun.

When we heard that fun. was coming to ACL this year, this was us.

  

Excitement turned to disappointment when we, two totally broke teenagers, saw the prices of wristbands. $225? Do they understand how many hours of babysitting that is?! But then hope shone again - we heard that they were going to do a taping for ACL Live.  So we were back to this.

Awww yeah.

 We entered the contest for tickets, and so did our parents, and our brothers, and we convinced our uncles and friends and grandmothers and strangers we met on the street to enter too, hoping that someone would take us along. We waited, with bated breath, for four days. Every time a fun. song came on the radio, it felt like an omen. But then it was announced - the tickets had been emailed. We rushed to our computers, salivating slightly.

We're disappointed too, Nate.

We went out on the town, throwing stones at people's windows, as soon as we heard we didn't get the tickets. This is really happening? We wanted to be the one to win the tickets. We felt like we were breaking down. We wanted to set the world on fire! We are young, and now we need someone to carry us home because we're losing our minds - we think it's for real this time.*

We don't know why we didn't win the tickets, because we would do just about anything for them.  Maybe even...

1. Paint ourselves head to toe in paint and walk all the dogs at Austin Pets Alive!

Maybe even pooper scoop, too.

 2. Watch all of twilight movies back to back...three times in a row.

Emotional range of a teaspoon.

3. Hold hands with our dads while singing and dancing to high school musical songs in public.

I'm the cool dad, that's my thang.

4. Babysit Veruca Salt for a week for free.

She could probably afford a wristband.

5. Wear this shirt around Austin.

Did you know we're homeschooled?

Would anyone else go to these lengths for the love of music?

-Maya & Simone

*Can anybody else identify all of these song lyrics? Comment with your answers.

P.S.  Further proof of our love (obsession): 4422739462 fun. pins.

Things That I've Been Loving Lately/How To Procrastinate More

Random things I've been interested in lately

Spoken word - like this one, which went viral, or this one.  (Accent bonus for both of those.)

Daily Odd Compliments.

Weird websites that help you on bad days or just to procrastinate.
Here is Today - a website that puts you in perspective, first for the month, then the year, then this century, etc.
Tonematrix - a big column of squares that each represent a pitch that allows you to make fun little jingles.
Eel Slap! - slap a guy's face with an eel. Over and over again.  (Oh, internet....)
Cat Bounce - watch cats bounce by with colored backgrounds that change as you watch. (Again: oh, internet....)
The Opportunity Mars Rover - explore mars in a panorama.

Videos I could watch over and over again.
Dave Franco trying to interview James Franco.  Underline on trying, as they can't stop laughing enough to actually allow Dave to ask any questions.  It's hard to explain the adorableness that goes on in this video, so you should just watch it.
Jennifer Lawrence's funny moments.  She's just awesome.  And there are now six or seven parts expanding on this one.
I somehow missed Bruno Mars hosting SNL last year and just recently watched this skit.  Here he impersonates famous musicians and it's spot on and hilarious.
Your Grammar Sucks videos by Jacksfilms. He has his subscribers send in screenshots of comments on websites that have horribly incorrect grammar or spelling and reads them aloud. There are almost 60 of these now and are amazing time-wasting videos. This one is his 50th one and as celebration he includes lots of other youtubers in a 20 minute long special.


Me being so on top of the times, I finally got a twitter last week.  Here are some awesome accounts you should consider stalking.
Bruno Mars -  he actually writes on it, not a manager, and it is hilarious.
Tyler Oakley - probably the only youtuber that is followed by Barack Obama, Jimmy Fallon, Ellen DeGeneres, and John Green.
Stephen Colbert - because, well, it's Colbert.
Seinfeld Today - what would happen in Seinfeld was still on air.
Conan O'Brien - so. Freaking. Funny.
Big Ben Clock - just look at it, ok?

~Simone

I'm Homeschooled.

I love being homeschooled. I get to work five hours a day and hang out with friends for the rest. We all know each other, we're a pretty open minded group of kids - people don't have to hang out only with kids their age, and you're totally allowed to be weird and different. Even so, we (mostly) manage to act pretty normal and blend into crowds. But I do have to admit, there are some things homeschoolers do that just flat-out say: I am homeschooled. Here are the top twenty things that we do.

You know you're a homeschooler when...

1.  You average 50 field trips a year, granted that some of them are the nature walks in your greenbelt.

2.  You come to school in your PJs.

3.  You can quote the entire Princess Bride.

4.  When people ask what grade you are in, you have to think for a second before answering...and your answer varies depending on what subject you were just doing.

5.  The word "Saxon" brings you thrills of fear.

6.  Some years you do end up doing school in the summer, but it's usually just because you took a month long trip around the country while everyone else was in school.

7.  Your friends range from being way older to way younger than you are.

8.  Your locker is just a shelf in your bedroom.

9.  Lunch break is whenever you want it to be.

10.  Your social life is about as eventful as a monk's.  With the exception of your co-ops, of course!

11.  You've never gotten a real report card before.

12.  You actually enjoy reading and probably read more books in a month then most kids do in a year.

13.  When you're at a summer camp or something similar with lots of people you don't know and somebody says they are homeschooled, you are instant best friends.

14.  You probably are a nerdfighter.

15.  You judge distance of car rides by how many episodes of Mythbusters (your science 

course) it will take to get there.

16. Sometimes you wonder what going to "real school" would be like.

17.  When you see people getting on and off the school bus you sometimes make fun of them a little bit.

18.  Chores are on your school schedule.

19.   Every once and a while, you still actually use e-mail to communicate with people.

20.  And yet, you still actually act like a regular human being who is in touch with the universe most of the time.  People sometimes actually act surprised when you tell them you're homeschooled.

       Hello everyone! Sorry about my lax posting (or rather, my lack of posting), I've been sick and on vacation and everything else. Here are some funky pictures taken in my own kitchen a few minutes ago!

Sometimes foods just call out to you. Potatoes of any kind retain their subtle siren song.

 Water...Fork...Water...Fork. Bronze!

 These are purely for display. And attempt to eat them will be met with death in Gitmo.

 For a moment, pretend that the toaster cord is the outline of a new fruit, or a loaf of bread going off the upper left corner.

I've never been in a microwave before, but those who have tell me its a hot attraction.

That's when I eat them.

-Julius

Happy Labor Day!

'Murica.

Style - Thriftshops

     So first of all I just want to recognize that Macklemore has it right...

 

      ... And second of all, I want to tell you how incredibly amazing thrift stores are and why exactly you should shop at them all the time forever and ever.

Reason 1 - Going thrifting is almost like an adventure. You walk in not knowing what you will find, where you will look, and most of the time, what you are looking for. So when you do find a treasure, you feel a sense of accomplishment that can't be found at Abercrombie, and if you didn't find that one perfect piece, at least you were able to get a good laugh at all the ridiculous clothes from past decades. 

Reason 2 - Some thrift shops are FULL of old, adorable, vintagey stuff. The pink roller blades with wooden wheels, the little hand bags your grand mother would have had in high-school, and the denim jacket with all the patches. So awesome.

Reason 3 - A lot of thrift shops donate some of their profits to various charities, and by re-wearing new clothes you're keeping all that old stuff out of a landfill, and also not supporting the companies making brand new clothes in factories fueled by orphan tears in China. YAY! 

Reason 4 - If you thrift, your wardrobe will be completely original, and you will never have to worry about your friend wearing the exact same outfit again (Simone and I have encountered this difficulty in the past). Also, an incredibly unique closet will lead to a completely unique style, and who doesn't want to feel that they are a leader of a new fashion movement? Huh? 

Reason 5 - I recently bought 5 shirts at a thrift store for $25, black, high-top converse for $10, and a little sundress for $8. My point? You will save a heck of lot of money and have lots of dough left over for that Birkin right? Um no. Because after all your amazing finds at used-clothes places, you will realize that who made your clothes is the last thing that matters. 

Reason 6 - If you have the right friends, they will be impressed/jealous/followers of your very affordable, awesome, and truly one-of-a-kind style. Trust me.

~ Adair

You Know You Want It

"If you think a woman in a tan vinyl bra and underwear, grabbing her crotch and grinding up on a dance partner is raunchy, trashy, and offensive but you don’t think her dance partner is raunchy, trashy, or offensive as he sings a song about 'blurred' lines of consent and propagating rape culture, then you may want to reevaluate your acceptance of double standards and your belief in stereotypes about how men vs. women 'should' and are 'allowed' to behave." 
-Dr. Jill McDevitt

This quote is something that has actually been really, really concerning to me.  I am very tired of talking about Miley Cyrus.  I can't make up my mind on what exactly I think about all the madness that went down on that stage, but the one thing I know for sure is that Robin Thicke hasn't really been called out on anything.  And that is infuriating.  The fact that he has been completely neglected reflects society's tendency to vilify a woman for displaying sexuality while ignoring, or worse, condoning a man's bad sexual behavior.  Yes, I know that Miley was much more in your face with all the inappropriateness - he wasn't really involved in any of the foam finger mania - but is nobody going to address all of the things that he was saying on that stage? 

"People say, 'Hey, do you think this is degrading to women?' I’m like, 'Of course it is. What a pleasure it is to degrade a woman. I’ve never gotten to do that before. I’ve always respected women.' So we just wanted to turn it over on its head and make people go, 'Women and their bodies are beautiful. Men are always gonna want to follow them around.'”   

-Robin Thicke (in an interview) 

Blurred Lines is a disturbing song that basically validates - even encourages - rapists.  To quote Lisa Huyne (fellow blogger, Feminist in L.A.), "Basically, the majority of the song (creepily named 'Blurred Lines') has the R&B singer murmuring 'I know you want it' over and over into a girl's ear.  Call me a cynic, but that phrase does not exactly encompass the notion of consent in sexual activity. Seriously, this song is disgusting." On top of that, the song refers to "domesticating" women, along with mentioning "smacking your ass and pulling your hair" and "giving you something big enough to tear your ass in two," along with a chorus that continually repeats "I hate those blurred lines."  Having this kind of message playing on the radio all of the time is harmful.  As Eric Clapp said on his site, "viewing images of objectified women gives men greater tolerance for sexual harassment and greater rape myth acceptance and helps them view women as less competent and less human.  Certainly singing about blurred lines will at the very least reinforce a culture that already trivializes the importance of consent."

Horrifying message of the song aside, their performance is bound to live in infamy.  But, it seems, only for Cyrus.  Nearly every article I've seen has only mentioned her, and comments even on sites such as the Huffington Post are all about Cyrus, calling her "slutty," saying she "messed his song up," and that it was "embarrassing."  While I agree that the performance was very hard to watch, he was being just as inappropriate as she was, even if it was less direct.  Thicke's mother, however, seems to not understand this, even saying on the Today Show: "I was not expecting her to be putting her butt that close to my son...now I can never unsee it."  Yes, I hope that you can eventually recover from the 20 year old grinding against your fully clothed son as he sings about date rape.  

"We started acting like we were two old men on a porch hollering at girls like, 'Hey, where are you going, girl? Come over here!' ... It was great."   

-Thicke (on writing the song lyrics)

At the performance Thicke got to play the part of the dirty old man with 20 year old Miley Cyrus.  While some of her poor judgement can be blamed on the fact that she's young and was a child star, the same definitely cannot be said for Thicke, who is 36 and married with a child. Thicke plays the part well, always surrounding himself with young nearly or completely naked models, while he himself stays fully clothed.

Since the VMAs, Thicke has noted disappointment in including Cyrus (according to one of his managers) because "he thought it would be fun to include Miley, but didn't realize how much she would overshadow him. This was his big night and his big performance...he wouldn't have done it knowing what it ended up like." 

Poor Robin Thicke. If it were up to me, your striped suit would be a real prison suit. 

You know you want it.




More links to read:
http://blog.pigtailpals.com/?p=4433
Some studies:
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/02/11/objectification-suppresses-womens-desire-to-engage-in-social-activism-study-finds/
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022103108001005
http://jiv.sagepub.com/content/16/11/1103.short
A parody version where the genders are swapped:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=tKfwCjgiodg#t=80
And other random things:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/what-miley-cyrus-was-trying-to-do-at-the-vmas-vs-what-miley
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/compost/wp/2013/08/27/deep-thoughts-about-miley-cyruss-vma-performance/
http://whatrhymeswithhug.me/