My Brain Today
Posted by Troy | Filed under Culture, Thoughts
Bothersome
- The Superbowl
- The Bachelor/Biggest Loser/American Idol/Golden Globes/etc
- Jay Leno
- iPad
Interesting
- Health Care
- Romans 12
- Haiti Aid
- Grain Edit
- Destination Truth
- Animoto
Obsessed
- Worst Cooks in America
- Lost
- Vampire Weekend
- (500) Days of Summer
- Super Mario Wii
- Independent Lens
- Unitasking
Don’t forget to follow Strong Odors!
Tags: original illustration
(500) Days of The Smiths
Posted by Troy | Filed under Culture, Film
(500) Days of Summer is the best thing I’ve seen in a while.
The title sequence alone is a great reminder of why I love movies.
But I think what really made me love it was how familiar it was.
Eerily so.
Tags: Film, Music, original illustration, The Smiths
Jesus vs. the Democrats
Posted by Troy | Filed under Culture, Faith, politics
I see it pretty regularly, but on mornings like today it becomes especially hard to bear.
When Scott Brown took over Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat last night, half the nation cheered (and half the nation grimaced).
I have no problem with that.
Tags: Faith, original illustration, politics
Handmade Baby Cardigan and Other New Items
Posted by Troy | Filed under Fashion
I think this Baby Cardigan from Buckets of Moonbeams is really super-fantastic.
I keep trying to get my wife to raise her prices, but she thinks anything she creates should be affordable to anyone… not just the super-rich.
(we define super-rich as anyone with a regular salary)
I think that is quite honorable.
She’s been working like mad on custom orders lately, so new items in the shop have been delayed until now. If you’re interested in a custom order (like a sold shop item or color variation) you can contact Noël via her Etsy shop.
All her new items are super-cool, beautiful and well-constructed.
Check them out today before they are gone!
Tags: buckets of moonbeams, etsy, Traverse City
Vampire Weekend: Contra
Posted by Troy | Filed under Music
Can’t… stop… listening…
Vampire Weekend is like an underground zit.
and that’s the simile of the day.
Tags: Music, vampire weekend
Falafel with Cucumber Sauce and Homemade Pita
Posted by Troy | Filed under Last Night's Dinner
Do I even have to say that my favorite part is the cucumber sauce?
This is a cool recipe and a great way to entertain guests with a really pretty dinner (my photo doesn’t do it justice).
In the past we’ve used packaged pitas, but this time (and maybe from now on) Noël made her own thanks to a book (with a fabulous cover design, I might add) given to us from one of our most boisterous Lebanese friends.
Tags: Last Night's Dinner, Mediterranean
In the Year 2000
Posted by Troy | Filed under Fashion
Remember when the world ended?
Everyone stock-piled cans of beans and Bibles in their crawlspace?
I don’t really remember that New Year’s Eve…
Did I flinch the moment that ball dropped? Run to check the computer to see if the interweb still existed?
Honestly, I probably went to bed early (as was my sad New Year’s tradition)
Part of me wonders if we’d be better off now if Y2K had actually been the catastrophe some originally hypothesized.
Regardless…. what started out as a concept for a hand-lettered shirt design turned into a modern letters/shapes experiment that is somewhat of a departure from my typical style but turned out pretty unique…
and a representation of both what might have been and what actually was.
(if you can’t see it… it’s a Y, 2, and K centered and stacked on top of each other… cool experiment)
Please go vote on Design by Humans today. Thanks.
Tags: design by humans, t-shirts
Matt Pond PA Makes Winter Better
Posted by Troy | Filed under Music
Don’t forget to listen along with the Strong Odors playlist——>
Winter is long in northern Michigan.
Really long.
It starts snowing around Thanksgiving and doesn’t stop until after Christmas.
This is followed by another 31/2 months of sub-zero temps, wind-chill factors, and of course more snow.
(usually in the form of 20-inch dumps)
It’s usually safe to put the shovels and boots away once May rolls around.
It can get a little depressing.
Thank God for Matt Pond and Sun Kil Moon and Sigur Ros.
Winter would defeat me if it weren’t for them.
This album was originally released as a free EP (titled Freeep) on the band’s website and later re-released as Auri Sacra Fames.
which means “the cursed hunger for gold”
Love that.
I’m looking forward to a new full-length release from these guys sometime in March…
good timing I think… because that is right around the time full-fledged cabin fever sets in.
What tunes get you through the winter?
Tags: depression, matt pond pa, Music, winter
Six Benefits of LEGO Play for Children with Autism
Posted by Troy | Filed under Autism, Kids, Parenting
When my kids were finally old enough for LEGOs, I was glad.
Pretty much everything about LEGO is awesome.
What was interesting (though not totally surprising) was how beneficial LEGO play seemed to be for my 6-year-old who has autism.
Interestingly enough, some serious studies are now being done to develop LEGO-based therapy for children with autism.
It makes a lot of sense:
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Autism, kids, lego, original photo
