Starbucks Via

Has anyone tried Starbucks Via yet? What do you think?



I bought some today and I'm going to try it tomorrow.

UPDATE: It was okay. Fine. Nothing amazing, but not bad either. I mixed it with cold water (because I like iced coffee) and I was a little disappointed by how long it took to dissolve. I'm going to mix it with milk tomorrow.

Jack's New Sword

I just got back from a trip to Seattle and San Francisco and bought Jack this shield and sword while I was there.



No, really... it's a sword.

(Btw, my sister is not happy I bought him his first weapon.)

Help Find Shadow a Home!

Hi everyone! One of my internet friends named Jane needs to find a home for her cat Shadow. Jane just had a baby and Shadow isn't adjusting very well. Jane's devastated to have to find him a new home, but it's for the best of the baby. Here are some pictures of Shadow...





...and here is what Jane has to say about him:

Shadow's a big lover boy who loves to snuggle and sunbathe. He's good with other cats and dogs, but would prefer to be the center of attention and be in a home where he's king of the castle without any other furry friends. Because he's such a big boy (approximately 18 pounds), he doesn't know his own strength and is not good with little children.

Shadow has slightly elevated liver functions and takes a half a pill to keep them regulated daily. These pills are very inexpensive and he takes them very easily without putting up any kind of a fight. He loves to snuggle and purr. I would love to find him a new home where he will be loved on and cared for. If you're interested or know of anyone who may be, please let me know!

You can reach Jane at janebrauscher (at) gmail (dot) com. She lives in the Dallas area.

Naked Men

A friend of mine has two daughters, ages 5-1/2 and 7. Her husband was getting into the shower when both girls walked into the bathroom and saw him naked. The 5-1/2 year old pointed to his penis and goes, "What's that?" Her 7-year-old sister answered, "That's a penis." The 5-1/2-year-old said, "I know what that is—what's the brown stuff around it?" The 7-year-old goes, "That's vagina hair, dummy."

Roman Polanski

This made me ill.

From the Hollywood Reporter...

Debra Winger, who serves as president of the Zurich fest's jury, on Monday demanded Polanski's release and criticized Swiss authorities for their "philistine collusion" in arresting Polanski as he entered the country.

"This fledgling festival has been unfairly exploited, and whenever this happens the whole art world suffers," Winger said in a statement on Monday, standing together with the other four international jury members who wore red badges reading "Free Polanski" as they announced plans to continue the fest.

Um, Debra, being a great filmmaker doesn't give you passies for raping a child, so please just. shut. up.

The other thing I hate are people who say this case should be dropped because it happened so long ago.

(However, if the victim asked the DA's office to drop it, then they should drop it.)

Love Letter to Chumley

Dear Chumley,

As you may have heard, my mom and I are coming to Seattle in a few weeks to visit you. I had my brother Elvis take this picture of me so you know what you're in for.



I hope you like it.

I can't wait to see you, my love.

xoxo,
Beverly

Tilt-Shift Photography

Tilt-shift photography is a creative and unique type of photography in which the camera is manipulated so that a life-sized location or subject looks like a miniature-scale model.

— Smashing Magazine

You can create it with a special (and $$ pricey!) lens like this...

Or you can create a fake one by manipulating a picture you've already taken in Photoshop. Directions on how to do that here.

Here's a picture of Jack and Nora in their monster truck that I took at the beginning of the year:




And here it is after I manipulated it to look like a tilt-shift photo in Photoshop:



Click here to see it larger.

Isn't it neat? They look like they're in a matchbox car.

Click here to see 50 awesome examples of tilt-shift photography.

I need to go out and get some good NYC street pics so I can create more!

I Taught Jack To Say Something New

I taught my nephew Jack to say this from Karyn Bosnak on Vimeo.

9/11

Thinking of those who lost their life on 9/11/01 and the many people whose worlds will be forever changed because of it.

Gertrude Maxwell

I'm helping my mom put together a brochure for Save-A-Pet's Guardian Angel program and I stumbled across an awesome video of Save-A-Pet's founder, Gertrude Maxwell. Here she is:



She's 98 years old now and is still fighting for animal rights, God love her. She just had a bill passed in Florida (the Gertrude Maxwell Save A Pet Act) that will provide funding to small shelters throughout Florida for the purpose of spaying & neutering.

Anywho, you MUST watch this video. She's absolutely fantastic.



PS - If anyone reading this works in printing, we're making tri-fold full-color brochures and will be looking for a good deal on printing. E-mail me if you think you can help! Thank you!

Working Out

I gotta tell you... I usually hate working out, but these aerobics classes I've been taking have really been making a difference!

First, I feel them so. much. more.

45 minutes on a treadmill vs. a 45-minute aerobic class... even though I sweat like crazy on the treadmill, I don't feel anything the next day. The aerobics classes on the other hand... I hurt the next day (in a good way), but not so much that I don't want to go back. Going back actually eases any pain I may have because I'm forced to stretch and use my muscles again.

And second, the biggest thing for me... I took a class Saturday and didn't take one Sunday. I should've taken one yesterday but I didn't and I'm angry at myself today because I feel like I missed out. But I don't just feel guilty—I feel kind of gross. Like, I must take one tonight because I know it will make me feel better.

You know how people always say the more you work out the more you'll want to? Well, I've been working out for over two months now and that hasn't happened to me yet. (Well, at least it didn't before I started taking the classes.) I think it's because I was bored with the treadmill, elliptical, etc. With the classes, the more I take the more I want to go back. And not just because I'm losing weight and my clothes fit better—I want to go back because I feel stronger.

Anywho, I haven't weighed myself in a while. I lost 15 pounds initially and then plateaued, which I think happened because I gained muscle. Since I'm pretty sure I'm going to gain some more muscle, I'm not going to weigh or measure myself until Labor Day.

My point in telling you all this is TAKE CLASSES!

Working Out

I took a Pilates lesson about a month ago and, in the middle of it, the instructor was like, "You're funny!"

"Um, I didn't say anything," I said, because I hadn't.

She kept saying it throughout the entire lesson... "You're funny."

"Still didn't say anything..."

Anywho, I've been trying out different classes this week and I'm starting to realize that I look funny when I work out. I'm not very coordninated, definitely ungraceful, and I close my left eye a lot when I'm straining to do something. I kind of look like Popeye.




This morning during another class the instructor was like, "Are you having fun?" No one said anything because she was kicking our butts, so she pointed to me and goes, "She's having fun in the back!"

Penis Maracas

Earlier today:




And now, a conversation from a few minutes ago:

--- Start conversation ---

"I don't understand."

"Don't understand what?"

"The penis maracas. I don't get how they work."

"You hold them by the shaft and shake the testes—what's there to get?"

"Oh, now I see..."

--- End conversation ---

Beverly Fell Off The Bed

Beverly rolled onto her back to stretch today and rolled right off the edge of the bed. I tweeted about it (I twatted it up!) and a lot of people expressed their concern for her well-being. She's okay and wanted to make this video to let everyone know.

Beverly Says Thank You from Karyn Bosnak on Vimeo.

UPDATE: Elvis' Thoughts on Beverly's Video

Elvis' Thoughts On Beverly's Video from Karyn Bosnak on Vimeo.

"Elvis wants everyone to know that he did not fall off the bed today.

In fact, he's never fallen off the bed because he's not an uncoordinated canine with a belly the size of Buddah.

Whenever he wants to lie on his back to stretch, he first examines his surroundings -- carefully noting his proximity to the edge of things -- and then only if there's enough room to do so, will he attempt to roll over.

Elvis thinks that Beverly is trying to win you over by looking cute in her video and said that if you fall for her ruse, you're probably just as feeble-minded as she is."

Born To Love Gap - Part 3

Yay! Free jeans! Yay!

So anyway, after being chosen to be a Gap Brand Enthusiast, I planned my "Born To Fit" party to take place last Thursday evening. I was supposed to invite about fifteen people, and while I can fit fifteen people in my apartment, I wasn't sure how comfortable we'd all be. And also, even though I'm less than three miles from Manhattan, the thought of going to Brooklyn frightens people. Because of these two things, I asked my friend Cristin if I could have the party at her apartment. Not only is her place larger than mine, but she lives in the West Village right by the West 4th stop, so it's much easier for everyone to get to. She said yes. With the date and location finally picked, I sent out these super-cute evites:




As the day of the party grew near, Justine sent me two big boxes of goodies. In addition to a gazillion pairs of 1969 jeans, she sent me snacks, including little bags of M&M's that said, "Born To Indulge" and "Born To Love"...




Microwave popcorn that said, "Born To Pop"...




And a super-cute snack bowl to hold it all that said, "Born To Snack."




She also sent a camera that said "Born To Smile"...






And my favorite. thing. ever... a Flip Video Mino HD video camera with the 1969 Gap logo emblazoned across the front and "What were you born to do?" printed at the top.










The last two things were sent so I could record the party and blog about it. When you think about it, it's kind of a brilliant marketing campaign by Gap, don't you think? Send a bunch of awesome things to 150 bloggers across the country and let them run wild with it. Loves it.

In addition to the jeans and goodies, also in the box were two $50 gift cards that I could either give away at the party or on my blog (I chose my blog because I love you!) and a bunch of gift certificates for free jeans redeemable at any Gap store for people who couldn't find the right size/style jeans at the party.

Part 4 coming soon: My "Born To Fit" party... with pictures!