LKL’s Blog

Here are some links to help you celebrate with your beloved.

French love language
French terms of endearment
Spanish love language
Vegetarian aphrodisiacs

So you’ve probably seen the Sound of Music Train Station Dance video – if you haven’t, you should. Nevermind that it’s a publicity stunt – it’s touching and funny. Even though it’s planned out, there are obviously some random people who jumped in to join the fun.

It reminds me of the IMAX movie theater at Six Flags Great America (Gurnee, IL). I grew up near there and used to go all the time, and before the movie started there was always this long ad for Chevy. In fact, I’m not sure if it was actually a commercial or just the logo up on the screen, but there was this song, “The Heartbeat of America,” that played for a while – 3-5 minutes, maybe? – and it had an intoxicating effect on the audience. After a minute or two, men, women, young, and old would all start swaying, and then clapping hands to the beat, and sometimes even sing. It was great. I don’t remember any of the movies I saw there, but I sure remember those audiences that spontaneously joined in with the music.

Nice Carnaval is the largest winter event on the French Riviera. In 2009, Carnaval de Nice took place from 13 February to 1 March, and the theme was Roi des Mascarades (King of Masquerades). With 20 tall floats (up to 14 meters / 46 feet high); 20 flower floats; 200 “big heads”; and countless dancers, musicians, and other participants – not to mention tens of thousands of spectators, it was a fun and crazy celebration. To join the fun, check out my photo gallery: Nice Carnaval

Forget standing out in the cold waiting to see if a groundhog is afraid of his shadow – let’s celebrate Crêpe Day instead. The French traditionally flip crêpes while wishing for prosperity while Americans celebrate Groundhog Day – which one sounds more fun to you?

Just started playing a game called Travian that I really like. It reminds me a bit of Sim City and Civ, but cuter and with more hand holding. You start with a plot of land and have to develop it to produce land, metal, wood, and food. You can also war with neighboring towns if you’re so inclined, but right now all is at peace chez moi.

Do you ever use any of those great Seinfeld expressions like “regift” and “low talker”? You won’t find them in the American Heritage Dictionary, but there are some websites that aim to fill this gap in our cultural lexicon.

The Jerry Seinfeld Dictionary of Terms and Phrases
(Thanks to Mike Durrett at About Humor for this one)

The Seinfeld Dictionary (searchable)

Seinfeld Dictionary (short listing but allows additions)

Very cool and inspiring videos: Matt Harding dances in dozens of countries in the space of just a few minutes: Where the hell is Matt? His newest video includes a bunch of people dancing with him, which is even cooler.

I love reading the funnies. I’m subscribed to three separate services which send my favorite comics by email every day. I thought I wouldn’t enjoy reading them online as much as I did in the newspaper, but in fact email funnies are better, because I don’t have to even catch a glimpse of the ones I hate. (I remember reading a funny little tidbit by some guy who felt the same way – how just seeing a comic he hated drove him nuts. Can’t remember who it was.)

Anyway, some of my favorites, in no particular order, are Sherman’s Lagoon, Dilbert, Get Fuzzy, Pearls Before Swine, Monty, The Duplex, (Th)ink, Calvin and Hobbes (even as reruns), and Bliss (which I really miss!) I recently started reading Six Chix, Tod the Dinosaur, Pardon My Planet, TOBY, Frazz, and Graffiti, but I haven’t made up my mind about them yet.

As of today, I’m also a fan of Suzy Becker, whom I learned about from Hilary Price, cartoonist of Rhymes With Orange. So thanks for that, Ms. Price!

When I was a kid, I *loved* Garfield, but now it’s part of the can’t-even-stand-to-catch-sight-of-it group.

While we were in New York, we saw two completely different shows, and both were excellent.

Next to Normal is about manic depression, and while I wouldn’t have thought that a musical would be the best way to discuss such a serious subject, I thought it was a fantastic performance. The music was terrific, there were a couple of totally unexpected plot twists, and it was quite dark and funny to boot. I wish I’d managed to blog about this sooner, because it has already closed.

Jump on the other hand is for the kid in everyone. A Korean family in which every member is essentially a martial arts expert has to deal with two burglars. There’s very little dialogue – the story is told through action and mime, and every cast member is incredibly talented in martial arts, acrobatics, gymnastics, and/or dance. There are some great “special effects,” and it’s absolutely hilarious. If you like The Matrix, Jackie Chan, or the Three Stooges, you should see it. If you love all three, then you won’t want to miss this for the world.

Even if you don’t speak French, this is kind of fun. See how well you know how to use French terms like déjà vu, carte blanche, and je ne sais quoi in English with this quiz: French terms in English