Project 365 New Things: Day 31

Today, I got a Pinterest account. Well, technically I got it yesterday, but I really got into it and started exploring it today, so I'm counting it as Day 31's challenge. Deal with it.

I am sort of addicted. Pinterest is very shiny and pretty, and I find myself checking it more often than is probably good for my health and the well-being of my homework. I have spent more time looking at pictures of baby geckos today than I did when I was looking to adopt my own gecko years ago.

And now, I would like to share with you an example of Pinterest's marvelous, state-of-the-art search function. Observe:

Yes. Because if I can't find the page of my best friend, the next best thing is obviously corgis. Duh.

Farewell, friends. Good night.

~Maddie

Project 365 New Things: Day 25

The bad news is that I'm still sick enough that I had to miss rehearsal. But the good news is that I turned in all my world history homework, I'm feeling a bit better, and my right ear is no longer ringing in a way that I can only describe as a wall of gray with burgundy specks trying to block out all sensation on the right side of my head.

Because I am still sick, I didn't have a lot of options for today's challenge. After I finished the veritable mountain of work I had to do (whoot!), I was still without ideas. I was going to go on YouTube to find a 'how-to' video for something, but I had the attention span of a fruit fly, and soon I found myself watching Hank Green make mistakes on Crash Course outtakes and I wasn't learning anything (other than how hard it can be to pronounce the names of certain molecules). So, in a fit of brilliance, I decided to go to Wikipedia, click 'random article,' and write a poem inspired by the material of whatever article I got. Desperately hoping not to get an article about anything dirty and/or hopelessly boring, I embarked upon this adventure.

I got this very short article about an R&B song called "Lock and Key:"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lock_and_Key_(Klymaxx_song)

I then listened to this abominable cacophony of noise on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9B1IMVKGY8

As my ears (and eyes) were assaulted by this very poorly rendered collage of uncomplimentary colors and sounds, I penned this modern classic:

As I gaze upon the voluminous mass that is this woman's hair,
I cannot help but wonder what she could hide in there.
A teapot, a thesaurus, a pair of yellow sneakers,
A colony of starfish or old computer speakers.
This song is both musically and intellectually lacking;
If I were her producer, I'd simply send her packing.
But she'd be just fine; with a cumulonimbus of hair like that
She'd have everything she needed to bring the '80s back.

As always, lemme know what you did for today, if you're following along! If not, and if you have an idea for something new I could try, I'd love to hear from ya!

Peace and prosperity,
~Maddie

Many Famous People Are Revealed to Secretly be Time Travelers. In Other News, Grumpy Cat is Jesus.

I studied art history this year with two of my friends. I led our very own student study group in preparation for the AP Art History exam. To be honest, we all had a complete blast, and for me (at least), there were times when it didn't even feel like work, just because I love art history so much.

However, every now and then I stumbled across a very familiar face in the course of my studies. I swear, some of the paintings I found look EXACTLY like various people nowadays. Conclusion: time travel.

Now, don't worry. I intend to prove it. Observe the following photos:

This is supposed to be a self-portrait, I'll grant you, but I still think that it's actually Julia Roberts in secret. This was painted by Zinaida Serebriakova during the expressionist period, and she obviously had a run-in with the time-traveling Julia Roberts.

This portrait, Man in a Red Turban, was done in the fourteenth century by Jan van Eyck. This picture was revolutionary, because not only was it probably the first self-portrait, but the subject stares straight at the viewer, an uncommon pose for that era. Now look at this picture of Jean-Luc Picard. Admit it: the resemblance is uncanny. Many historians think that Man in a Red Turban was a self-portrait, but it was obviously just a commemoration of a visit from a starship captain of the future who shared a few futuristic painting tips with van Eyck. 

Observe: Gustave Courbet's turn-of-the-century painting and Orlando Bloom. Need I say anything more?

And last, but certainly not least: Observe this Byzantine mosaic from Daphne, Greece. Jesus is depicted as Pantokrator (last judge). His stern expression is very familiar to those of us who spend time on the internet. Yes, friends, this work was obviously modeled on none other than grumpy cat. Someday, this feline will surely be hailed as the world's first time traveling domestic animal, and I will be cheering for him on that day. Though I doubt he will enjoy it in the least.

~Maddie