Three Things That Have Been Making Me Laugh Lately

1. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the greatest video in the history of the internet. I'm not even joking. It will be the best fifty minutes of your month. Nay, YEAR. I present to you...
"Mr T's Be Somebody...or Be Somebody's Fool"





So back in the 80s, Mr. T filmed a motivational kid's movie called "Be Somebody." Essentially it's Mr. T singing along with a bunch of kids in various skits based on concepts like "Shyness," "Styling," "Treat Your Mother Right," "Breakdancing," and "Anger." It's one of the funniest things I've ever seen. You will love it.  Some sample quotes...
"Everybody's gotta wear clothes. If you don't, you could get arrested."
"Anger...use it, but don't lose it."
"Do you know me? Of course you do, 'cause I'm famous!"
"In her mustard socks and ketchup sash, she's a real hot dog."
"Friendship is like a clear day; you look forward to it."
"Everybody has a rap inside them. You just have to find it."
(Special cameo appearance by Fergie!)


2.  My parents recently chaperoned a youth dance. I got this text from my mom that said, "I'm learning the Cuban Shuffle!" I was like, "Mom, I think you mean the Cupid Shuffle." Dad, who is becoming increasingly tech-savvy, captured the moment on video and actually uploaded the clip to youtube. Those of you who have seen me dance have to wonder no longer about where I inherited my mad skills. (Or the opposite of that.)





3. Finally, here's an oldie-but-goodie. Steve Carell's "Germans Who Say Nice Things."





"Mr. Holland's Opus is the feel-good movie of the year!"


What's been making you laugh recently?

PoP, The Long Overdue Edition 24

Let's get down to business!
Obviously if I reviewed everything from the past three months, it would be David Foster Wallace-length, so here are my two favorites from each category.


Books
Currently reading: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Two Faves
Divergent by Veronica Roth
The concept isn't terribly original (girl chooses one of five factions that she has to belong to for the rest of her life) and the writing is particularly lyrical, but boy howdy if I didn't enjoy the story. This book's three greatest strengths were the characters, the action, and the romance. I love that it's set in some futuristic Chicago and I love how the Dauntless faction is like some sort of Gryffindor-gone-rogue. It also has the strongest set-up for the next two books. Divergent only came out in May--I fully expect it to become huge over the summer. (And it's not like how huge it becomes should determine how good of a book it is or provide any sort of reason for you to read it. It's good enough that I anticipate that it will garner hype.) 


Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares
Absolutely devastating and unspeakably gorgeous--a very fitting conclusion to the Sisterhood. I didn't realize how much I missed the girls until I started this book. Prepare yourself for tears. That's all I can say about that. (And there are plenty of reasons to smile through the tears, so don't let that deter you.) It was so worthy of the sleep I lost by staying up to finish it in one night. 


Music
Currently listening to: Lover Boy by Brett Dennen
Two Faves
21 by Adele
This album helped me through a rough spring. I especially love how the songs go through the five stages of grief. You've already heard "Rolling in the Deep" and "Rumor Has It"--now listen to "Set Fire to the Rain."


The Belle Brigade by The Belle Brigade
The names behind The Belle Brigade are the grandkids of John Williams--I can't speak for their parents, but musical talent is sure in their bones. This is a newer one to my rotation, but I adore it. Listen to "Sweet Louise."


Movies
Currently waiting for: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part Two (Two more days!)
Two Faves
Super 8
I can't think of the last time I had as much fun at a movie as when I watched Super 8. I marveled, gasped, and giggled at all the right places.


Midnight in Paris
Okay, so...fine. I also had a great time at Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen's latest offering. The whole movie is built on the pop culture references of the 1920s--no wonder I loved it, pop culture fiend that I am. In the future, though, I would ask that there be less "harpy fiancee" and more Zelda Fitzgerald/Marion Cotillard.


TV
Currently working on: Friday Night Lights
Two Faves
Freaks & Geeks
Almost, almost, almost done with a re-watch. I have one disc left, but that got neglected in favor of Pottter-mania. It's as wonderful and cringe-inducing as the first time I watched it. (I wrote a review of the "Garage Door" episode here.)


Sherlock
Maybe a little late to the boat on this one--I think I watched it three months ago? Anyhoo, Benedict Cumberbach's Sherlock paired with Martin Freeman's Watson made me positively giddy. If you have somehow let this three-part series (with more to come, fingers crossed!) slip by, you need to change that post haste. The game is on!

You Had Me At Meat Tornado

Welcome to another edition of Street Food Friday-procrastinated-until-Sunday! I know that you probably think this is all my blog is these days and I wouldn't blame you as that would appear to be the case. But I have stuff to blog about and you will hear about it soon enough, my pretties.

Meanwhile, back in Hipster-ville, I've been reading and watching Harry Potter at every free moment and also eating at yummy food trucks. (Sidebar: Over at BDH, I'm organizing a Harry Potter commemorative project. Check out the details here!) On Friday I checked out Torchy's Tacos with Elisabeth. Torchy's is something of a Texas institution--there are seven locations in Austin alone, with more in Dallas.

I think this time I'll let the pictures tell the story.

This is the Torchy's truck at 1311 South 1st Street. They claim that their tacos are "damn good"--their words, not mine.

 Well aware of the blistering Texas sun, they provided water while you wait. 

Also in an effort to beat the heat, so to speak, the spot of land had a covered patio. Elisabeth and I chose to sit in the fancy gold chairs. Really, how could you not?

This was my order--I got the fried avocado taco and it was just as tasty as you would expect fried avocados to be. (Seriously. Life-changing.) I liked that it was a great vegetarian option, but they had a barbacoa pork taco that looked terribly tempting. The Lala's Lemonade is made in Austin with nothing but lemon juice, cane sugar, and water. It was sweeter than your typical lemonade, but I liked that. I paid $3.25 for the taco and $2.00 for the lemonade, which is very reasonable for street food.

I got down on my knees to get a good grackle picture even though they are the MOST ANNOYING BIRDS ON THE PLANET. Elisabeth mostly made fun of me and then tweeted about it. 

Elisabeth got the sausage breakfast tacos. You guys, I always knew about breakfast tacos as a general concept, but never really experienced them until Texas. (Breakfast burritos, yes, but not breakfast tacos. Those are an entirely different animal.) Anyhow, they are fantastic and I recommend eating, like, two or three at a time.

The night ended with "Little Nookies," which is a really adorable way of saying, "We fried chocolate chip cookie dough in cornflakes!" As delicious as you might anticipate, but my favorite part was the maraschino cherries. Man, I could eat those things by the jar. 

Consensus: Visit Torchy's if you're looking for an authentic Austin experience or if you're craving breakfast tacos. (Also know as ALWAYS.)

Torchy's can be found all over Austin and online. (Twitter | Website | Facebook)