life as i know it...

Check out this fantastic mash-up of Twilight and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

I liked the movie, but watching this and reading the commentary made me think of the male/female roles in a whole new light (I still plan to see the new movie, though!).



According to the author:

Buffy vs Edward is essentially an answer to the question “What Would Buffy Do?” My re-imagined story was specifically constructed as a response to Edward, and what his behavior represents in our larger social context for both men and women. More than just a showdown between The Slayer and the Sparkly Vampire, it’s also a humorous visualization of the metaphorical battle between two opposing visions of gender roles in the 21ist century.

...It has sparked a wide-ranging and timely online conversation about how obsessive and predatory male behavior passes for romance in too much of our pop culture.

...In the end the only reasonable response was to have Buffy stake Edward – not because she didn’t find him sexy, not because he was too sensitive or too eager to share his feelings – but simply because he was possessive, manipulative, and stalkery.

...I would like to say that the video is not intended as a stab at the fans. Rather, it’s an argument against the specific way in which romance and gender roles are constructed in the Twilight series. Ultimately, Buffy’s triumph over Edward is only one small part of much larger story: the story of our collective journey towards a world of gender equity and empowerment.

Read the full story behind the video by Jonathan McIntosh here.

Posted in: equality, feminism, videos on July 07, 2009 5 comments    

This is cool, but a bit creepy too - just like the original, I suppose! French artist Francois Macre has created an entirely a cappella version of Michael Jackson's Thriller. He has recreated every drumbeat, synthesizer note and spoken word segment using 64 different tracks.

Posted in: music, videos on May 30, 2009 0 comments    

This is the first post in a new series. It will be fun for me to share some of my favourite music with you, and hopefully you'll find some hidden gems!

You gaze down upon your newborn, sweetly snuggling in your arms as you rock her to sleep, while a soft lullaby plays in the background. As you hum along to Braham's Lullaby, it suddenly occurs to you that your child's musical tastes won't always be so innocuous.

The Wiggles! Elmo!! Barney!!!

It's enough to fill any parent with terror.

I'm a bit of an oddity, never having lost my love of kid's music. I have quite a Disney collection, and probably know as many children's songs as most kindergarten teachers. But while I can sing "The Eensy Weensy Spider" with the best of 'em, I like to think that I have some standards.

I'm a fan of Sesame Street, and I'll confess that I actually like Elmo in small doses, but you won't find The Wiggles, The Doodlebops or Barney in my house (okay, that's a lie. There is a Barney book shoved way back in our storage room).

I've always thought that kids can appreciate all kinds of music. 50s and 60s pop were staples of my music collection as a child, and growing up in Alberta even gave me an appreciation for country music. But while we play many different types of music for our one and a half year old daughter, she still seems to prefer children's artists right now. CDs have to pass our test before they get played more than once, though!

Our daughter isn't a great car traveler, and if you drove with us very often, you'd realize that the phrase I say most often in the car is "Thank God for Raffi!". I loved Raffi's music when I was little, and his music is one of the few things that can calm Claire down when she's really worked up in the car. Thank goodness his voice is pretty soothing for us too!

He's best known for "Baby Beluga", but he has about a dozen albums - all great! He doesn't have any music videos, but here are two YouTube creations:

Raffi - "Baby Beluga"



Raffi - "All I Really Need"



A new addition to our children's music collection is Justin Roberts, and I can't say enough about him! He has catchy songs that kids love, and which parents find pretty funny too. My husband even likes him! Here's a video from his new album: "Pop Fly".



...and a simple little tune from his first album: "You Got One".



Ahhh... children's music for a new generation. Because no one should have to listen to Barney.

Posted in: kids, music, Music Makers: song recommendations, videos on August 12, 2008 2 comments    

Looking at my blog stats, approximately 98% of the hits on my website for the last day have been from people Googling "most depressing songs you've ever heard."

Eeep.

Now listen people, I know things aren't all that great out there. There are wars, poverty, crime and loneliness. But for so many of you to be looking for depressing songs all at once? Yikes!! Sadly enough, it's the post I wrote that gets the most visitors!
(Update: wow, I just looked at Google and Yahoo, and I'm #3 for that search string. That's kind of creepy.)

For those of you wondering what I wrote about depressing songs, I'll link you to the post in question, a blurb I wrote in 2006 about a book called: I Hate Myself and Want to Die: The 52 Most Depressing Songs You've Ever Heard.

On a related note, this winter I was listening to As It Happens on CBC Radio, and the hosts were asking people to call in with their votes for the most depressing song. Interestingly enough, the song that received the most calls is not even on the top 25 list in the book mentioned above!

The winner: Gloomy Sunday.

Frankly, I like the song. It's gloomy, obviously, but I guess I didn't pay enough attention to the lyrics. Reading them now, it is rather creepy! The song has even garnered a reputation as the "Hungarian suicide song", due to reports (or urban legends) of high rates of suicide after listening to the song.

For your listening pleasure (posted with a warning), I bring you 2 versions of the song:

The incomparable Billie Holiday:



and a personal favourite, Sarah McLachlan.

Now, go watch Human Tetris and have a laugh!

Posted in: funny, music, videos on August 02, 2008 3 comments    

The Packaging Girlhood blog has created a list of the best and worst marketing campaigns of 2006. The list focuses on campaigns that are directed towards girls, or ones that girls were very exposed to.

There are so many negative and stereotypical images encompassed in marketing campaigns for girls; it's really disheartening. If you're interested in this topic, the organization See Jane has done some really interesting research on gender portrayals in children's media (for both boys and girls).

And (some of) the nominees are...

WORST

Dora's makeover from explorer to Princess

Bratz dolls, makeup, clothes, TV show, etc.

BEST

Dove campaign for real beauty (watch)

Maria Sharapova “I feel Pretty” Nike Ad (watch)

To read the commentary and see the rest of the list, click the links above.

Posted in: body image, fashion and beauty, feminism, kids, videos on January 25, 2007 0 comments    

Quick roundup of interesting things:

• Make sure you bring your passport when travelling to the USA
  
  
• Watch the trailer for a documentary about the backlash the Dixie Chicks got after voicing their politics
  
  
• Watch a very cool video clip - fireworks with paint! (via A Family Runs Through It)
  
  
• The Small Print Project is collecting the text of strange, silly, and overly restrictive agreements that people consent to when downloading, surfing, performing, and even purchasing products in retail stores. (via BoingBoing - good description here)
  
  
• I want a laptop so I can have one of these laptop cases!!!
  

Technorati tags: travel, passport, USA, Canada, paint, Britax, Small Print Project, laptop, Barry's Farm

Posted in: law, technology, videos on November 09, 2006 0 comments    

Free Hugs Campaign

Via IzzyMom

Technorati tags: free hugs, Juan Mann

Posted in: inspiring, videos on November 01, 2006 3 comments    

A few Halloween classics on this spooky day...

My favourite Halloween clip! Donald Duck faces off with a witch. Guess who wins?! (Link)



Disney - The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Link)



Disney - Sweet Dreams (Link)



Michael Jackson's Thriller (Link)



Disney - Lonesome Ghosts (Link)



Garfield - Scaredy Cat (Link)



Disney - Monster Mash (Link)



Happy Halloween!

Technorati tags: Halloween, cartoons, music, Disney, Garfield, Michael Jackson, witch, Thriller, ghosts, Halloween music

Posted in: Disney, holidays, music, videos on October 31, 2006 0 comments    

Click here to watch Rick Mercer's latest comedic rant on the Clean Air Act (which is actually only a Bill).

Technorati tags: environment, politics, global warming, climate change, comedy, Canada, Rick Mercer

Posted in: politics, videos on October 24, 2006 0 comments    

So the pageant moms have come out swinging.

A month after I posted about child beauty pageants, I've had a ton of visits to the post, several... um... interesting comments, and lots of visits to my personal website.

Sorry folks, I still don't buy the argument that the wigs, fake teeth and spray-on tans that some toddlers wear in pageants are like equipment for sports.

The photos, along with dozens more, were on the Total Nockouts website until the discussion on Suburban Turmoil got too hot to handle (link, link, link, link and link). I'm hardly exploiting those kids by posting their public glamour shots on my blog (with limited readership, I might add) to make a point about letting children be children.

Of course most of the girls will say that they like pageants. A 4 year old child just wants to make their parents happy, even if it means smiling on cue and wearing a wig and makeup (but it's worth noting that there are also ones who cry and don't want to perform on stage).

So many girls have body image and self esteem issues. In my opinion, girls in our society are sexualized way too young, and I don't think child pageants help the problem.

Charming Belles

National winners (some of them are so young that they have to be held by their mothers in the group photo!)

Part 1 of the documentary Living Dolls:



(Link - in case the player doesn't work for you)

Posted in: body image, kids, videos on October 19, 2006 3 comments