Dinner Party Talk – Oops Upside Your Head Dance

I’m guessing group dances that protect at least a small shred of your dignity, like the Electric Slide or the Cotton Eyed Joe, went out in the nineties, because this incredibly awkward “dance” to the song “Oops Upside Your Head” is what people are apparently doing now. You sit on the floor, in a line, and alternatively smack the floor, clap and pat the back of the person in front of you. Um, a thought: there’s a reason bars in NYC are so dark. Have you ever seen the floor?! Hence, I’ll call the dance, The Icky Poo.

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American Icons – The Kiss


It has been 65 years since LIFE’s Alfred Eisenstaedt snapped the photograph of a sailor planting a kiss on the lips of a nurse in Times Square. The August 14, 1945 photograph (shortly after the Japanese surrender effectively ended World War II) has become one of the most famous photographs ever made. The image is still visual shorthand that the “War is over!” Edith Shain, the woman in the photograph (or, at least, the woman widely believed to be in the photograph … read about it here!), died this week in Los Angeles at the age of 91. But the story of the picture will never die. Now, I ask you, look closely at the photograph. What’s that headlock move the sailor has on her? Shall we politely call it the kissing cradle?

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Pet Fun – June 25 is Take Your Dog to Work Day

Friday is National Take Your Dog to Work Day, so pack your pup and a bone and head to the office with leash in tow. Want to get your dog in shape before his or her big office debut? Try doing some dog squats, like this duo. (That’s really just an excuse to post a cute dog video.) But if your dog really does look great at work, enter a photo in the Professional Pooch contest on the event’s website, sponsored by the Association of Dog Trainers and DogFancy mag.

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Travel – Wacky Summer Festivals

Looking to get away this summer but Hawaii is out of your price range and visiting the in-laws (again) doesn’t sound too appealing? Check out this list of wacky summer festivals in cities (ok, really small cities) across the nation, brought to you by my friends at Women’s Day. Looks like you’ve missed the Superman Celebration in Metropolis, IL, but you should be able to make the National Tom Sawyer Days fest in party-capital Hannibal, MO.

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Life 101 – Got Milk?

It’s National Dairy Month. So, I got to spend some time this weekend with the Ulster County Dairy Princess Katherine DeWitt and Dairy Ambassador Cheyenne Faerber. And this cute 4 day old cow, Cherry. You can’t believe the cuteness. Technically, I’m told that females that have not birthed a calf are “heifers” and females that have are “cows.” (And, so you know, “bulls” are males with balls, “steers” are castrated males. Here’s a 1 week old baby cow who was born prematurely at 15 pounds. I’m in love. If dairy isn’t your thing, how about pork? Watch this tiny teacup pig play the piano. Cute!

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American Fun – Summer Solstice

June 21 (or 20, for argument’s sake) marks the summer solstice, the day when the sun is closest to the Northern hemisphere. Astrologically, it’s the first day of summer, and it’s also the longest day of the year. The Ancient Greeks would celebrate with a variety of sun-centered rituals, but here’s how I’m celebrating this evening: rooftop, sunglasses and a cold glass of something fruity. Maybe a twist on a classic, like Better Homes and Garden’s blackberry sangria, or one of their lemonade ideas. And Good Housekeeping has some boxed white wines that are perfect for summer (and actually good!). Of course, it isn’t summer in the south (my motherland) without sweet tea. Boil a couple of Lipton tea bags in a small pot of water, mix with clear, warm water to fill a large pitcher and add sugar to taste (I like about 2 cups). Be sure to stir the sugar constantly until totally dissolved. Enjoy with grandma and a porch swing. Happy summer!

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Dinner Party Talk – Moving Map

Ever wondered where everybody in your town is going? Or where they’re coming from? This Forbes interactive map makes it easy to tell. Find your county (and good luck, they’re tiny!) and if the information is available, black and red lines represent people moving in and out of the county, respectively. Looks like everyone is leaving Detroit, and, weirdly, Honolulu. They’re going to Dallas, Seattle (for the coffee, obviously) and Manhattan to name a few. According to the article, more than 10 million people moved from one county to another in 2008. That’s a lot of U-Hauls.

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Gossip! – Devo’s Cat Listening Party

Few things make me happier than Devo’s wonderfully catchy and equally cheesy “Whip It“. But the 80’s techno band, headed by Mark Mothersbaugh, has topped themselves. To celebrate the release of their new album, “Something for Everybody”, the producers held a listening party–for cats. The entire thing was livestreamed earlier this week, but you can watch the video here. Most of the cats are just doing normal cat things (sniffing, sitting), but I think the orange one may start breakdancing if you watch long enough. Thank you Devo, for being quirky and fabulous.

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Dinner Party Talk – Malena Ernman

As much as I wish I could do this, I sort of don’t. Watching this video of Swedish opera singer Malena Ernman sing (yes, sing) Flight of the Bumblebee actually makes my voice box hurt. Learning to play the original on the piano seems like a much more attainable goal, right? Sure.

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American Pets – Freekibble.com

Love feeding hungry dogs and cool trivia? For every daily trivia question you answer (right or wrong) on Freekibble.com, the site will donate 10 pieces of kibble to one of 14 animal shelters across the country. The brainchild of 12 year-old Oregon-ite Mimi Ausland, the organization has already raised over 245 tons of kibble (to be exact: 371,770,280 pieces of kibble donated since April 1, 2008). It’s a super easy way to make a difference in a dog’s life each day. Who wouldn’t feel good about that? Bookmark it, and of course, tell everyone you know!

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