“All I want is a sweet, smart, artsy boy,” I sighed to my friend, a tall Ukranian 20-something with reams of chestnut hair that swish around her knees. We rolled up our yoga mats and sighed. “We’ve gone over this a thousand times,” grimaced my friend, who–for the sake of anonymity–will go by “Scorpio.” “If there were a nerve center for fabulous, artsy men, we’d be there.”

As a busy sculptor and graphic designer who was also seeking someone to overwhelm her with creative fireworks, Scorpio, too, had become disillusioned. We’d tried the traditional routes: bars, temples, classes. All we got from bars was other people’s smoke stink and the occasional minty toothpick.
read more from "Two Gals and a Guy: How We Made the Most of Internet Dating (Part I)"

Thanksgiving is a perfect time to try something new, so why not try a new cocktail or four?  Or maybe a great Beaujolais Nouveau (before they’re all gone). Below are some sites that can help you to find that perfect holiday drink to compliment your Thanksgiving gathering. We’ve even included some non-alcoholic options for the teetotallers among us. Cheers!

Alcoholic Options

• Drink Swap
• I Drink
• Chowhound
• That’s the Spirit
• The Hostess with the Mostess

Non-Alcoholic Options

• Thanksgiving Punch
• Hot Buttered Cranberry Punch
• Pomegranate Soda
• Cranberry Bomber
• Flavor of Vermont Mulled Cider
• Cider Snap
• Cinnamon Apple Spice Hot Cider
• Hot Mulled Cider in the Microwave
• Hot Raspberry Cider

Avast ye scurvy scum! Today be Talk Like a Pirate Day!! Argh! If you’re like me, you’ve heard of this, peripherally, but had no idea what it meant or why it was so popular. According to the official website, it was basically two guys who just kind of started doing it, then Dave Barry got wind of it, and the rest is history. Behold the power of the internet!

read more from "Ahoy Mateys! Lest Ye Forget…"

In my family, birthdays were always a big deal. About a month ahead of time, my mother would start asking me what I might like, what type of cake I wanted that year (chocolate), who I would like to invite to my party, what special dinner I would subject the rest of the family to (lasagna). Being a Virgo and all, I would usually start collecting catalogs and fold over the pages of some toy I found particularly enthralling starting in January and keep a running list. Any gifts from relatives distant would be squirrelled away until the Day Of- no sooner, no later. And when the anticipation was at its peak, I’d wake up in a flurry of excitement and head downstairs to enjoy My Special Day.

As I got older, the day changed in nature. Instead of a pizza party at the roller rink, I’d go to Disneyland with a group of friends. Once I got to college, it was a boozy night out with my dormmates- at least, I think it was, I don’t remember college too well. The libations of choice changed, but the celebratory atmosphere was always the same. Like Bridezilla, but with birthdays- Birthzilla. Yes, birthdays are sancrosanct in my world, and woe unto him who tries to make my day mundane.
read more from "You’re gonna party cuz it’s my birthday…."

You know how it is – you want to listen to some music, but you’re sick and tired of all the stuff you have. Your favorite bands haven’t released anything new in forever, and you just want something new. But what? You could browse the iTunes music store, but then you only get a few seconds of each song, and how can you really judge?

Thankfully, you can just surf over to Pandora and type in your favorite artist and get your very own station with similar artists. It tells you why it picked the new artists, and you can give each track a thumbs up or thumbs down rating to guide subsequent picks. You do have to register to listen to more than a few songs, but it’s free.
read more from "Open the Box!"

Fresh produce, mild flavors and minimal prep work are the key to satisfying summertime meals. These recipes are fun and full of flavor, but won’t keep you tied up in the kitchen.
read more from "Easy Summer Recipes"

Celebrities endorsing water – how stupid has the human race gotten? Was there anyone out there stumbling around in a delirium before Jennifer Aniston’s face convinced him to consume this magical clear stuff? Has “The More You Know” campaign gotten on this apparent lack of awareness of basic survival skills? Proper oxygen inhalation starts at home. Talk to your kids about breathing, before they turn blue. *ding, ding, ding*

Wire head massagers – That tingle you feel when you try it in the store is because the Cletus who tried it ten minutes ago left behind some six-legged buddies, who are now marching down the tines into your scalp.

Doritos Blazing Buffalo and Ranch tortilla chips – The reason you have never gone to the grocery store with a craving for chicken wings dipped in yogurt is because God never intended for such an unholy union to take place. Choke on some spoiled milk while snorting chili powder and you can get the same effect for less money.

Cook-your-own-steak restaurants – One of the more fascinating consumers-as-sheep phenomena. Go out, make your own food, pay as much as you would for someone else to do it. Next up: housekeepers who charge to watch you scrub your own toilets.

Light-up bras – Because, before, that guy was looking at your eyes. No, really, you need this. Breasts too often go overlooked in our society.

GreenBunny

As you may or may not have heard, in a promotional stunt to support the upcoming July 27th, Simpsons’ movie, a few select 7-eleven stores have gone through a complete overhaul.
read more from "Apu’s Kwik-E-Mart - Mmm Squishee, Mmm Donut, Mmm Genius!"

1. Travelblog.org

 Can’t get away from your office this summer? Live vicariously through other peoples’ vacations! TravelBlog.org has the most amazing collection of photo blogs from travelers roaming all over the world. The stories and pictures are mesmerizing.

read more from "Rosebud - Five Things I’m Loving Right Now"

Today on the drive to work I heard Taylor Hicks’ single for the first time. Yes, I live in a cave, let’s move on. At any rate, the song didn’t surprise me. I could totally write for those people. Let’s give it a whirl:

*Uncertain low crooning about sense of self*
“Who am I really, I think I might suck but I’m not sure, let’s ponder it, ohh ohh ohh.”
*deep breath*
*Second verse, with a desperate shred of confidence*
“I’m giving it my all, how can I suck if I’m trying so hard, warble warble moan.”
*Chorus*
“Tell me I don’t suck, all my dreams came true when I won this puppet show, now I’ll shill for Heinz ketchup and live the dream until I blow my bank account on 250-year-old-bourbon and dabble in tax evasion, ahhh ahhh ahhhhhhhhhh.”
*bridge*
“I’ll spread my wings/let my heart soar/have other hypothetical body parts do hypothetical traveling, oh yeah, oh YEAH.”
*Chorus*
*Two second guitar solo, so the instrumentalist doesn’t rot in a 1-4-5 coma*
*Key change*
*Chorus up a half step, now backed by the entire cast of Sister Act*
*First verse, now with new-found sense of my awesomeness*
*Last word held for six minutes*

That wasn’t hard. Dianne Warren’s got nuthin’.

Greenbunny