Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!
Cheers,
M&B

(via Martha Stewart)

Daylight Savings Time

Remember to turn back your clocks one hour this Saturday night/Sunday morning....
an extra hour of sleep!

image: Prague's astronomical clock

Hollywood Hills Home

How gorgeous is this house? Listed at $5,995,000.
See more here at www.roseandchang.com

spotted on Absolutely Not Martha

Classic Cinema Online

Want to set the Halloween mood? Check out Classic Cinema Online where you can watch hundreds of classic films....for free! From action films to westerns the site has a bunch of different categories. This week you can watch "House on Haunted Hill" or "Dracula" to get into the Halloween spirit.
http://www.classiccinemaonline.com/1/

Household objects depicting scientific concepts

see more here

Chocolate-Caramel Shortbread Cookies

i want to make these now.
how scrumptious do these look?
check out the recipe over at chez pim

Parallel Parking

via: the essential man

Euphemism of the Day:

To Parallel Park...

1. Maneuvering your car in the space between two other cars without hitting either.
2. To actively put yourself in an uncomfortable situation with the idea that you can handle it with grace. Ex. Inviting two potential love interests to the same event.
   

Grocery Store Musical

six undercover actors burst into song in a grocery store in Queens

Corkscrew Wine Jute Bags

charming rustic wine bags.
upcoming party season: perfect to wrap a wine bottle in for your hostess.
available at wisteria.com

GNO: Girl's Night Out

SUSAN B. ANTHONY AND SACAGAWEA'S
GUIDE TO A BITCHIN' GIRL'S NIGHT OUT.

By Julia McCloy & James Stefen
---

1. Don't Be Afraid To Add a Twist
First of all, you have to remember that this is YOUR time. This is your time to get out and celebrate being a woman in the most important way possible: drinking Appletinis! Or if you are a real pioneer: drinking Appletinis with a twist! That is what I, Susan B. Anthony, drink. (In fact, if you want to find a kick-ass recipe for an Appletini check the latest issue of my feminist mag: Revolution, Appendix D: The International Council of Women's Guide to Getting Wasted).

2. Listen to Your Jams
Next you have to make your iPod playlist. Girl, this is no little thing either. It sets the mood. If I learned anything from the Seneca Falls Convention, it was that you have to set a mood because it lets guys know, as you drive past in your yellow Mustang with the top down, that you are in control. An essential song is "It's Raining Men." You can even make it every other song on your playlist. Sacagawea also suggests "I Will Survive"—which is good but implies some kind of heartbreak or whatevs. So I can't endorse it as hard as she does. But I will tell you anything is better than the traditional Indian rain dance type of music she puts on her pink iPod nano. After all, we want it to rain men, not rain, obvs. Another one of Sacagawea's favorites is "Suffragette City." I can only guess that she likes it because the "oooohs" and "wham bams" in the chorus remind her of her own language. However, I checked the lyrics on the Internet and discovered that the song was written by a lady named David Bowie, who isn't even a little bit Indian.

3. Follow the Leader
You will also need to designate a leader. Sacagawea always thinks she should be the group leader because she led Lewis and Clark across America carrying a baby on her back. That is ridiculous because GNO should have nothing to do with babies and weird helpless exes. Sometimes I have to remind Sacagawea that the "B" in my name stands for "Bitch, pleez" when she starts to get on my nerves about being the leader, or tries to impress me with her long brown hair (which is clearly a weave).

4. Be Sexy (in the City)
A fun thing to do is to pretend that you are all characters from Sex in the City. I am usually Carrie, because I am a better leader. Sacagawea is Charlotte because she can be dumb sometimes. For example, I have to order drinks for her because she still doesn't know the difference between an Appletini and a Mango Margarita. So I have to say, "Girl"—which is what I call her because I don't know how to pronounce her name—I say, "Girl, I will talk to the bartender. You stay over here and stroke your weave."

One note on GNO attire: You want to be sexy, not slutty. Heels = yes. Short skirt = yes. Showing a little cleavage = hell yes. But showing a little cleavage does NOT mean pulling up your cloth shirt and getting out your breast right in the middle of the club, especially if you get your breast out to feed a baby. Sacagawea has done this on more than one occasion.

5. Be Decisive
Deciding what exactly to do on a GNO can be hard. That is why I bring a coin to flip to help settle difficult decisions. I use my silver dollar rather than Sacagawea's coin. Mostly for efficiency. It is easier to yell "heads or tails" than "face with a baby that you carry on your back like a backpack" or "you bending over to plant some corn with a baby that you carry on your back like a backpack."

6. Be Discreet
Facebook makes GNO a little tricky, because you don't want your parents seeing you and your girls grinding on a guy on the dance floor. They will never understand even if you tell them how handsome and sweet the guy was and that he told you you smelled like his "balls after he went to Cancún." Facebook is not so much a problem for Sacagawea, who says her parents are not on it.

7. Stick Together ("Hos Before Bros")
You need to have some kind of buddy system on your GNO. When Sacagawea is holding my hair back while I am vomiting into a toilet in a bathroom where someone is doing blow it often occurs to me how much hanging out with her on a GNO is a lot like listening to Frederick Douglas eloquently argue. It really is almost exactly the same, except that Sacagawea is not a black man and she doesn't really speak English. Also, no one is arguing anything and I am just vomiting.

On your special GNO night you have to remember that you are a team. A fighting team. Like in the military. GNO is like the closest thing to war that is not, in fact, war. It is war, but with hot bartenders and super hot club remixes of your favorite songs. And just like in war you have to have your girls' backs. Or else shit can get real. I saw this war movie called The Deer Hunter and believe me, you better take care of your girls because no one wants a GNO to end with one of you trapped in a cage, forced to play Russian roulette until you shoot yourself in the head and your brains splatter out. I mean, come on. That would really suck.

8. Have Fun!
The biggest and most important thing to remember is to have fun. It is your chance to let your hair down or, in Sacagawea's case, let your weave down. As a woman, Girls Night Out is the most important thing you do. So do it right!

worst birthday ever

via: fatawesome
(click image to enlarge)

Seattle Home

How cool is this house? I'm obsessed with the black white and yellow nursery.

(via Desiretoinspire)

Generationals

a glorious revelation.

Fall

themarthablog

Visual Bach

Love this video... it's addicting.




(spotted on Black Eiffel)

9 Words that Don't Mean What You Think

Lets see how many people you can correct today.
via: cracked.com

1. Irregardless

People think it means:
Regardless.

Actually means:
Nothing

This is not a word. Now, we have no problem with making up words (if a particular scent can only be described as "fartalicious," we reserve the right to call it so). The problem with this one is "regardless" already means something isn't worth regard (that's why the "less" is there) so adding the "ir" to it means... it's worth regarding again? Who knows.

2. Peruse

People think it means:
To skim over or browse something.

Actually means:
Almost the opposite of that.

Peruse means "to read with thoroughness or care." If you peruse a book, you leave no page unturned. This makes sense when you consider the Middle English per use, meaning "to wear out or use up." Unfortunately, if you "consider the Middle English" very often when speaking, you're probably not exactly the life of the party.

3. Ironic

People think it means:
Any kind of amusing coincidence.

Actually means:
An outcome that is the opposite of what you'd expect.

So, if a porn star moved to Virgin, Utah, that would be ironic. If the same porn star bought a house in Boner Knob, Montana that would not be ironic.

4. Pristine

People think it means:
"Spotless" or "as good as new."

Actually means:
"Ancient, primeval; in a state virtually unchanged from the original."

It's therefore perfectly possible to have a pristine mountain of fossilized brontosaurus shit, but if you were to buff that mountain to a lustrous shine, it would no longer be pristine.

5. Nonplussed

People think it means:
Unperturbed, not worried.

Actually means:
Utterly perplexed or confused. It comes from the Latin non plus (a state in which nothing more can be done).

The misunderstanding would seem to stem from people making semi-educated guesses as to the word's meaning, which kind of sounds like it means "unruffled" or something like that.

6. Bemused

People think it means:
Mildly amused.

Actually means:
Bewildered or confused.

If you were to say "I was bemused by your dead baby joke," you wouldn't be saying the joke was funny. You'd be saying that you completely failed to understand it.

7. Enormity

People think it means:
Enormous.

Actually means:
Outrageous or heinous on a grand scale.

War crimes are enormities. Extra-big bouncy castles are not.

8. Plethora

People think it means:
A lot of something.

Actually means:
Too much of something, an over-abundance.

It's the difference between:

"Dude, I am jonesing to go snort a plethora of medicinal-grade barbiturates right now."

And ...

"Dude, I just snorted a plethora of medicinal-grade barbiturates, and now there are hundreds of terrifying arachnids crawling out of my penis. They all have human lips."

9. Deceptively

People think it means:
Nobody is sure.

Actually means:
Nobody is sure.

Specifically, we're talking about when the word is used with some other adjective. Like if somebody says, "The turd pool is deceptively shallow," does that mean it's deeper than it appears, or not as deep?

If you're not sure, don't feel bad. The American Heritage Dictionary asked their word experts and they said they had no idea, either. So ... nobody knows.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Birthday shout out to my wonderful Dad! I love you!

Vegetarian Chili

Can't wait to try Anna's (of Door Sixteen) recipe! This looks amazing.... the chili is the soup above on the right

Anna’s Vegetarian Chili
serves 6-8

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 medium carrots, chopped
4 cloves garlic, diced
1 large yellow bell pepper, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeds removed, diced
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 tbsp chili powder
28 oz can crushed tomatoes with basil
14 oz can black beans
14 oz can kidney beans
1 cup corn kernels
1 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup bulgur wheat
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Heat oil in a large pot. Add onions, carrots and garlic; sauté until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add yellow pepper, jalapenos, celery and chili powder; cook another 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, beans (with liquid), corn, salt and spices. Bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in bulgur wheat. Cover and simmer at least 30 minutes (I usually let everything simmer for a couple of hours to let the flavors really develop, but it’s okay to take it off when the veggies and bulgur are soft), stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Just as you’re taking the chili off the heat, stir in the balsamic vinegar. I know it might seem weird to put it in, but trust me—it really does make the chili taste extra amazing.

YUM!

Simplify

(via DesignisMine)

Character is how you act when no one is looking.

How to Crack a Master Combination Lock

Interesting FYI ... if you have some spare time.

see larger photo here

(via Lifehacker)

Belle and Sebastian

Perfect Sunday Morning Music

DIY Reed Diffuser

Homemade Reed Diffusers
Instead of candles or chemical based air fresheners, try making this reed diffuser using simple oils and and a few items. glass bottle with narrow neck + reed disffusers/bamboo skewers + your favorite combination of simple oils... (via Tipnut )

• Mineral Oil, Sweet Almond Oil or Safflower Oil: Select a combination of your favorite essential oils and add as many drops to the carrier oil (Mineral Oil, Sweet Almond Oil or Safflower Oil) as you need to achieve the fragrance you’re after (a good amount to start with is about 12 drops of EO per 1/4 cup of oil). Next add a splash of vodka to help the oil travel up the reeds better. You could also mix the carrier oil with your favorite perfume instead of essential oils (no addition of vodka will be necessary if using perfume).
• Vodka, Essential Oils & Water: Mix approximately 12 drops of essential oils with 1/4 cup of water then add a splash of vodka. The alcohol helps the essential oils bind with the water. This method will evaporate faster than using oils, but still works.
• Liquid Potpourri: Liquid potpourri can be used in place of reed diffuser oil, you should be able to find this in the candle or crafts section of a department store (like Walmart).

What Could
Have Been.

BY COLIN PERKINS

- - - -

The Life My Mother Planned for Me

A+

NYU

Ph.D.

HMO

IRA

The Life I Planned for Me

NFL

L.A.

ESPN

MVP

VIP

Double D

USA! USA! USA!

The Life I'm Living

ADD

GED

DUI

IHOP

SOB

WTF

Michele Maule

prints by michele maule

A tour of the deepest cave in the US

Lechuguilla Cave is part of the Carlsbad Caverns Natural Park in New Mexico
Since it was discovered in 1986 over 120 miles of passageways have been mapped!
The cave is not open to the public.

(via Boing Boing)

The Amazing ::: Dragon

Think the Allmans Brother's, "Melissa"

Dragon - The Amazing

The World of Tomorrow (If The Internet Disappeared Today)

It's the not-to-distant future. They've turned off the Internet. After the riots have settled down and the withdrawal symptoms have faded, how would you cope?

check out the rest of the submissions here

The Baby-Sitters Club: The College Years

BY GRACE DOBUSH

- - - -

Claudia Goes to Class Wearing Sweatpants With Words On the Backside

Kristy's Softball Friends Don't Buy it That She's Dating a Dude

Dawn and the Unpaid Internship

Stacey Unsuccessfully Hides her Purging

Mary Anne and the Free Credit Card T-shirt

Dawn Gets Into a Heated Discussion On Post-structuralism

Mallory and the Trouble With Unaccepted Transfer Credits

Claudia and the RIAA Subpoena

Mary Anne Narcs On Her Roommate

Fleabag

Fleabag Collection

Fleabags are ideal Fleamarket totes
Friends and family have used them for
Weekends away,
Trips to the beach,
Jaunts to the grocery store
And to carry anything numerous or unwieldly.
They are sturdy and made of eco-friendly materials.
Organic Cotton/Hemp Canvas
Vegetable-Tanned, American and Italian Leather
Water-Based Ink
Locally Made in New York
By Hand
In Limited Edition

fleabg.com