Marcel the Shell With Shoes On

I have just discovered the Marcel the Shell With Shoes On videos, and they are the best new thing in the world today. Marcel is hilarious and just too adorable for words. Also completely unexpected (he hang-glides using a Dorito and wears a lentil as a hat). I love it. I was introduced to Marcel by a couple of friends also love the videos, so perhaps I was predisposed to enjoy them, but you should them out for yourself. 

Beta Wolf Behavior

Posted at 8:24 PM, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2009

I was talking to Kate Bornstein the other day (yup, that Kate Bornstein. Yeah, I know, that’s kinda the coolest thing I’ve ever been able to say). She mentioned something she called “beta wolf behavior” – a survival mechanism, a way to protect oneself in a hostile environment. Essentially, beta wolf behavior is making oneself really vulnerable and inoffensive, like a really cute puppy, rolling around on its back and exposing its belly — “I’m vulnerable; I’m showing you my throat, and you could kill me, but you don’t want to because I’m just so dang cute! You don’t want to hurt me because I’m just so cute and adorable.”

The Little Things Make Me Smile

I’ve been feeling a bit out of sorts for the past few days — stressed about job searching and deeply missing people in Chicago, mostly — and so I decided to make a list of things that make me happy. More than that, I decided to compile a group of photos from the past week or two (not just of people and places that I miss) that make me smile. 

Makes Me Smile: The Senior Steps

The Senior Steps

The Senior Steps are a tradition at Bryn Mawr. I mean, they’re an actual, physical set of stairs at Bryn Mawr (the ones underneath the Taylor Tower) — not just the abstract concept that “tradition” might bring to mind — but they’re so much more than mere steps.

Makes Me Smile: Busch Cookies

Share something that makes you smile.

I love cookies. Crunchy cookies, cakey cookies, chewy cookies — all kinds of cookies make me happy. Some cookies, however, are not only delicious but are also close to my heart for sentimental reasons. Busch cookies are a prime example.