Product Placement Category
It’s embarrassing, but I like to sing the praises about things sometimes. I think it’s a side-effect of copywriting. I’m not much of a consumer (too poor to buy, buy, buy!) but when I find a thing I like, I have to tell everyone. Listen up!
Passion
14
Mar
2006
In: Product Placement
Five years ago I heard a beautiful piece of music on Radio Nova. This was before they were doing song titles on their live stream, and since the radio station is based in Paris, I couldn’t exactly call and ask them what they’d just played. The song was an instrumental soundtrack piece, with this haunting melody that almost sounded like whales singing. It sounded lightly familiar, but I couldn’t place it.
The song has continued to haunt me. Every now and then the melody would pop into my head, and I’d curse my inability to know what the hell it was and cue it up for an obsessive listen.
This morning, while listening to some new MP3s I yanked from a friend, I heard the song again. HALLELUJAH! It’s “Of These, Hope - Reprise” from Peter Gabriel’s Passion, the soundtrack for The Last Temptation of Christ. Sweet satisfaction at last.
Meet Mr. Bento!
18
Jan
2006
In: Product Placement
Meet Mr. Bento!, originally uploaded by .Ariel.Those of you who were around during Dre and my month-long cleanse a few years ago may not be surprised by this. The rest of you may think I’m a freak (or, at least, more so than you usually do). But I’m currently obsessed with a Japanese lunchbox called Mr. Bento.
Mr. Bento is basically a big fat thermos that holds four little specialty tupperware containers inside it. It also comes with its own special bag. If you’re curious about it you can go to Amazon, or you can check out this guy’s Flickr set, which is basically a photographic tour of Mr. Bento’s guts.
Dre and my longstanding joke is that I can’t really cook food — but I’m really good at arranging it. Witness Exhibits 1, 2, and 3. I’m actually getting better about cooking — I would say I cook a third of the dinners in the house now, which is major progress when compared to my former levels of cooking 0% and desperately lapping up bowls of cereal when Andreas wasn’t home.
Mr. Bento perfectly caters to my food arranging fetish, and I’m all atwitter about the beautiful lunches I can build in his four containers. I’ve been bringing lunch from home more often (goes with the cooking more often thing — there are leftovers!) and saving a decent amount of money, but I have this ugly bag of mismatched tupperware that rattles around and oh, the obsessive compulsive in me just purrs at the thought of Mr. Bento’s logic of “a place for everything! and everything in its place!” As a child, I used to collect little boxes and containers. I never had anything to put in them, but oh, how I love little places for things.
And now, little places for my lunch!
To celebrate this burgeoning obsession with what is for all intents and purposes a lunch box, I’m launching Mr. Bento Porn, a Flickr group documenting obsessive Mr. Bento usage. And if you’re interested in joining in on the fun, I can enable that, too. Go here. Then upload your Mr. Bento porn to Flickr and tag it “Mr Bento.” Then we’ll enjoy Mr. Bento porn together.
UPDATE: The Mr. Bento Porn Flickr group is kicking ass! Over one thousand photos of awesome Mr. Bento lunches.
A Guide To Visitors
18
Nov
2005
In: Product Placement
Come hear me tell a story! Monday I’ll be sharing a story as part of A Guide To Visitors‘ “Home for the Holidays” storytelling series. If you like reading my stories on Electrolicious, you’ll loooove hearing them in person.
WHEN: Monday November 21, 6:30 doors, 7:30 show
WHERE: Jewelbox Theater at the Rendezvous, 2320 2nd Ave, Seattle
COST: $7
Today’s movie reviews
16
Nov
2005
In: Product Placement
Walk The Line
It bore many similarities to Ray: a dead brother, burgeoning fame and drug abuse, Oscar courting by the actors. That said, I enjoyed it. Joaquin Phoenix is pretty remarkable, and I love that both he and Reece sang their own songs. (more info)
Brokeback Mountain
Not nearly as prurient as I had hoped for, but wow: what an emotionally resonant romantic tragedy. Gorgeously shot. Deeply affecting. My only complaint was that I didn’t believe the aging of the characters, but that’s always tough. (more info)
Thumbsucker
A disappointment. Very well reviewed and yet … it just didn’t quite do it for me. Felt too flat and I didn’t believe a word coming out of the teenaged love interest’s mouth. But Vince Vaughn was great, acting against type as a sincere debate coach. (more info)
Jarhead
3
Nov
2005
In: Product Placement
It was a good movie, and an interesting and wry look at what happens when you train men to kill, and them leave them bored. Not overly political, but a lot of small commentaries on politics were definitely addressed. There were two military guys sitting behind me at the screening, and they gave me an extra, interesting perspective on the film. For example, when Swofford is working on his sniper skills, these guys couldn’t help but comment, “Dayum, he’s good.” Without them I would have been like, “Huh, he’s shooting a rifle.” And during an emotional scene where Swofford comes across some charred corpses and finds himself vomiting in shock, the two guys were the only ones chuckling in the theater, and they did so knowingly.
More importantly, I got three separate looks at Jake Gyllenhaal’s ass. Take a look yourself! I can’t wait for Brokeback Mountain. Oh lord. Jake Gyllenhaal could make me a very happy woman if he gave up Hollywood and started making gay porn for straight women.
Passion
14 Mar 2006 In: Product PlacementFive years ago I heard a beautiful piece of music on Radio Nova. This was before they were doing song titles on their live stream, and since the radio station is based in Paris, I couldn’t exactly call and ask them what they’d just played. The song was an instrumental soundtrack piece, with this haunting melody that almost sounded like whales singing. It sounded lightly familiar, but I couldn’t place it.
The song has continued to haunt me. Every now and then the melody would pop into my head, and I’d curse my inability to know what the hell it was and cue it up for an obsessive listen.
This morning, while listening to some new MP3s I yanked from a friend, I heard the song again. HALLELUJAH! It’s “Of These, Hope - Reprise” from Peter Gabriel’s Passion, the soundtrack for The Last Temptation of Christ. Sweet satisfaction at last.
Meet Mr. Bento!
18 Jan 2006 In: Product PlacementMeet Mr. Bento!, originally uploaded by .Ariel.
Those of you who were around during Dre and my month-long cleanse a few years ago may not be surprised by this. The rest of you may think I’m a freak (or, at least, more so than you usually do). But I’m currently obsessed with a Japanese lunchbox called Mr. Bento.
Mr. Bento is basically a big fat thermos that holds four little specialty tupperware containers inside it. It also comes with its own special bag. If you’re curious about it you can go to Amazon, or you can check out this guy’s Flickr set, which is basically a photographic tour of Mr. Bento’s guts.
Dre and my longstanding joke is that I can’t really cook food — but I’m really good at arranging it. Witness Exhibits 1, 2, and 3. I’m actually getting better about cooking — I would say I cook a third of the dinners in the house now, which is major progress when compared to my former levels of cooking 0% and desperately lapping up bowls of cereal when Andreas wasn’t home.
Mr. Bento perfectly caters to my food arranging fetish, and I’m all atwitter about the beautiful lunches I can build in his four containers. I’ve been bringing lunch from home more often (goes with the cooking more often thing — there are leftovers!) and saving a decent amount of money, but I have this ugly bag of mismatched tupperware that rattles around and oh, the obsessive compulsive in me just purrs at the thought of Mr. Bento’s logic of “a place for everything! and everything in its place!” As a child, I used to collect little boxes and containers. I never had anything to put in them, but oh, how I love little places for things.
And now, little places for my lunch!
To celebrate this burgeoning obsession with what is for all intents and purposes a lunch box, I’m launching Mr. Bento Porn, a Flickr group documenting obsessive Mr. Bento usage. And if you’re interested in joining in on the fun, I can enable that, too. Go here. Then upload your Mr. Bento porn to Flickr and tag it “Mr Bento.” Then we’ll enjoy Mr. Bento porn together.
UPDATE: The Mr. Bento Porn Flickr group is kicking ass! Over one thousand photos of awesome Mr. Bento lunches.
A Guide To Visitors
18 Nov 2005 In: Product PlacementCome hear me tell a story! Monday I’ll be sharing a story as part of A Guide To Visitors‘ “Home for the Holidays” storytelling series. If you like reading my stories on Electrolicious, you’ll loooove hearing them in person.
WHEN: Monday November 21, 6:30 doors, 7:30 show
WHERE: Jewelbox Theater at the Rendezvous, 2320 2nd Ave, Seattle
COST: $7
Today’s movie reviews
16 Nov 2005 In: Product PlacementWalk The Line
It bore many similarities to Ray: a dead brother, burgeoning fame and drug abuse, Oscar courting by the actors. That said, I enjoyed it. Joaquin Phoenix is pretty remarkable, and I love that both he and Reece sang their own songs. (more info)
Brokeback Mountain
Not nearly as prurient as I had hoped for, but wow: what an emotionally resonant romantic tragedy. Gorgeously shot. Deeply affecting. My only complaint was that I didn’t believe the aging of the characters, but that’s always tough. (more info)
Thumbsucker
A disappointment. Very well reviewed and yet … it just didn’t quite do it for me. Felt too flat and I didn’t believe a word coming out of the teenaged love interest’s mouth. But Vince Vaughn was great, acting against type as a sincere debate coach. (more info)
Jarhead
3 Nov 2005 In: Product PlacementIt was a good movie, and an interesting and wry look at what happens when you train men to kill, and them leave them bored. Not overly political, but a lot of small commentaries on politics were definitely addressed. There were two military guys sitting behind me at the screening, and they gave me an extra, interesting perspective on the film. For example, when Swofford is working on his sniper skills, these guys couldn’t help but comment, “Dayum, he’s good.” Without them I would have been like, “Huh, he’s shooting a rifle.” And during an emotional scene where Swofford comes across some charred corpses and finds himself vomiting in shock, the two guys were the only ones chuckling in the theater, and they did so knowingly.
More importantly, I got three separate looks at Jake Gyllenhaal’s ass. Take a look yourself! I can’t wait for Brokeback Mountain. Oh lord. Jake Gyllenhaal could make me a very happy woman if he gave up Hollywood and started making gay porn for straight women.
Hey there. I'm Ariel Meadow Stallings, a native Seattleite who's written my way up and down the Left Coast. Electrolicious is where I post daily randomata, but I also write for a living. My first book, Offbeat Bride, was published last year.
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