Empty Calories

Absolutely fascinating article in the NY Times. Oh, the repercussions of the Neolithic Revolution... I just sauteed some freshly-picked dandelion greens for lunch at my farm this afternoon -- a little bitter but delish! Now if only I could get my hands on some of those crab apples... 

Well Manored.

These historical English castles and manor houses play such key roles in their respective cinematic plots! Marianne's "Dear, dear Norland!" lament as, in the movie-version, she dramatically hugs the side of the building... Elizabeth Bennet upon viewing Pemberley for the first time... The manor-wide panic of potentially leaving Downton? The buildings just exude that meritorious opulence -- and imagine how many secret passageways and chambers they must cache! 

Atonement

Pride and Prejudice (Focus Features)

Gosford Park

Jane Eyre

Howards End

Brideshead Revisited

Mansfield Park

Remains of the Day

Downton Abbey 

Pride and Prejudice (BBC)

Sense and Sensibility (Columbia)

Sense and Sensibility (BBC)

:: AD :: theguardian :: janeaustenfilmclub :: wikimedia :: tumblr :: 

#wherestheoctopus

Ah this is so awesome! Just a fun reminder how much remains unanswered in the wonderful world of science. Just how is it that despite being colorblindness -- mind you, something this eight-appendaged friend and I have in common -- this cephalopod can mimic his (her?) surroundings so splendidly based simply on patterns?! 

:: science friday ::

Destination: Puglia

All I want in life is a breezy villa with pristine-white walls adorned with dried herbs from the patio garden...

:: gardenista ::

Lavender-Happy

Lavender soda (in a mason jar, of course).

... and if you're feeling particularly lavender-happy, try incorporating this simple 

lavender-infused honey recipe into your ingredients!

Mmm... I can already smell the light wafts of lavender!

Let me write the word lavender one more time...

Plus, kudos if you source from here!

or here!

Fun at the gas station.

I can't imagine a more fun surprise to brighten my day than singing karaoke at a random gas station! They are having so much fun!

Recital room or Japanese tea house?

It's actually a music recital room/dining room designed after a Japanese tea house! How cool -- it's suspended from two large steel arms!

(architect David Jameson)

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Oh, and WyzAnt. Nuff said.

:: zinensis ::

This makes me so happy!

One last freezing rain bout in the Midwest...

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P.S. Is there something wrong with a more *ahem* interactive eating experience? Cheese, mites, and humans have happily coexisted for centuries... what's changed?

Talk about DNA as art... but how accurate can it really be given the many recent breakthroughs in the world of epigenetics? And, for that matter, are we giving up ownership of our unique genomes when we leave traces of our DNA on objects as commonplace as a straw or cigarette butt? Or does it just make it easier to identify the loser who stuck a piece of gum to the bottom of a desk?

:: sarahklassen.pinterest ::

Happy Weekend!

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Ramp harvesters need to better understand the mechanics behind rhizome development and proliferation to preserve the species in Appalachia! #cryptophytes

Food and culture... assessing conformity. Is it actually beneficial or is risk-taking better?

And speaking of ramp... (not the best encouragement, I know)

:: oliverandlilly's ::

Cooked Caption

I just came across this excerpt from Michael Pollan's new Cooked and cannot wait to read the whole thing. Definitely on my summer list! What's on yours?

To cook or not to cook thus becomes a consequential question. Though I realize that is putting the matter a bit too bluntly. Cooking means different things at different times to different people; seldom is it an all-or-nothing proposition. Yet even to cook a few more nights a week than you already to, or to devote a Sunday to make a few meals for the week, or perhaps to try every now and again to make something you only ever expected to buy — even these modest acts will constitute a kind of vote. A vote for what exactly? Well, in a world where so few of us are obliged to cook at all anymore, to choose to do so is to lodge a protest against specialization — against the total rationalization of life. Against the infiltration of commercial interests into every last cranny of our lives. To cook for the pleasure of it, devote a portion of our leisure to it, is to declare our independence from the corporations seeking to organize our every waking moment into yet another occasion for consumption. (Come to think of it, our nonwaking moments as well: Ambien anyone?) It is to reject the debilitation notion that, at least while we’re at home, production is work done by someone else, and the only legitimate form of leisure is consumption. This dependence marketers call “freedom.”

:: dinner:alovestory :: plushfeel ::

Wanderlust: Natural Tunnels

Bamboo Forest, Japan

Bonn, Germany

Wisteria in Japan

Tunnel of Love, Ukraine

:: boredpanda ::

Experiments

DIY Inspiration:


And a few less "hands-on" ventures...

Sundae party!

Gold-bottomed vintage champagne glasses.

:: fabricpaperglue :: cupcakesandcashmere :: stephanieizard ::

Who says you can't see atoms!

Coolest thing I've ever seen!
This video consists solely of carbon monoxide molecules (that's two atoms!)! 

Happy May Day!!!

XOXO, your favorite Jumbo!

:: bliss ::