7 Different Languages

This skit made me laugh so hard!:



From The Catherine Tate Show.

Animated Candy Bowl

This is a big hit in my office this week. I got it at Target--a bargain at only $14. You fill it with candy, and then when someone reaches to take a piece, the animated hand grabs at you suddenly, and yells something. It's either, "Gimmie a hand!", "Not that piece!", "It's mooooving!"...there are a few additional phrases which I can't remember now.

The voice was reminding my co-worker of someone, and she finally placed it--Ren, of Ren and Stimpy. It's a very obnoxious candy bowl.

I Would Like to Thank the Academy...

Thank you to Dana of Philly Collector for bestowing upon me a Most Versatile Blogger award! Dana has an amazing collection of dolls which you can check out at her blog. Here are seven facts about me:

1. My favorite color is pink.
2. My favorite appliance is my Kitchen-Aid mixer.
3. I finally started watching Mad Men.
4. I didn't think I'd enjoy working in a hospital, but it turns out I do.
5. I love thunderstorms.
6. I hate milk.
7. Recent discovery: people are more impressed by grace than by perfection.

Thanks for the shout-out, Dana!

Nazi Zombies

Dead Snow is a movie about nazi zombies in the snow. If you're like me, that's all you need to hear before running to the computer and putting it at the top of your Netflix queue. If you liked Shaun of the Dead, you'll definitely like this movie too. It's funny, gross, scary, over-the-top, and totally implausible, everything that a good zombie movie should be. And it's Norwegian, which makes it extra fun (unless you hate reading subtitles). I thought it was fun to hear what Norwegian sounds like, especially with all the English phrases that they use (like, "Beer!").

I think pacing is important in a movie like this--the creepiness should build slowly, before all hell breaks loose--and Dead Snow has excellent dramatic pacing.

Happy Halloween!

Donuts & Apples

Last week at work, someone brought in two boxes of Krispy Kreme donuts. A week or so later, someone else brought us a bowl of apples.

The contrast in everyone's reactions was truly striking. The donuts triggered a very intense reaction--interestingly, mostly negative. The most common response was, "Oh no! Donuts!", followed by much discussion, longing, craving, giving-in or not giving-in, and just a big brouhaha in general. Despite the proclaimed negative response, those donuts disappeared fast.

It reminded me of when Deebo sees a squirrel or bird outside the window. He reacts with a mixture of horror and aversion, and intense attraction.

On the other end of the spectrum, the poor bowl of apples elicited exactly no reaction whatsoever. They were the Ralph Ellison of the food world. A few people apathetically gazed at them, said something like, "Oh. Apples..." and then walked right past. A few people did eat them, but not with anywhere near the same fanfare generated by the donuts.

Interestingly, a couple of people actively disliked Krispy Kremes, deeming them "too sweet" and expressing a preference for other kinds of donuts. And I found out that two of my co-workers are allergic to uncooked fruit, which is an allergy I had never even heard of before.

In conclusion, apples: respectable but somewhat dull, like Jackie Kennedy. Donuts: exciting but dangerous, like Marilyn Monroe.