Brought to you by the Peabody Essex Museum, these step by step videos on such favorites as the Phoenix and the Water Lily make you want to run out and buy a pack of colorfully patterned square-shaped paper.

Think you have good drinking stories?  Not compared to these 5 guys.

#1 is kind of my wet dream.

(via Coudal.)

Nikka Costa’s got a new single and, as per usual, it rocks. This chick has totally got it goin’ on. She needs to get to the east coast pronto so I can stalk her out. Go listen to Denial Twist immediately.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbvSms-1yj4&rel=1]

To see his other work, go here. (Thanks, Danny.)

Thanks to BreakUpEmail.com you no longer have to put any real thought into the breakup conversation.  It’s as simple as checking the appropriate boxes and an email is generated and ready to be delivered.  There are even clever sign off lines such as “I hope maggots devour your testicles” and “I won’t miss your ugly face” to really go out with a bang.  So head on over, end things in the most painless way possible (for you anyway), and enjoy your new singleness.

I offered to cook Christmas (Eve) dinner for my family, with much apprehension from them all (”There’s a possibility of tofurkey?!”).  I know I know I know.  What is wrong with me?  How can you possibly be a VEGETARIAN on CHRISTMAS?  What about the HAM??  Ridiculous.

However, I just found that is quite simple and delicious to eat animal-friendly.  With a little help from epicurious, I managed to whip up a delightful menu that happens to be (mostly) healthy.  And my family is super excited to eat because of the fact that it looks and smells awesome.

What did I make?  Cranberry sauce from scratch, Two Potato Gratin, and a medley of vegetables with garlic and sage as an antipasto.  For the cranberry sauce, I actually used half cranberries and half currants because there was only one container of cranberries left at the grocery store, but it worked really well because they have similar textures and flavors (sour!).  For the potato nonsense, I substituted heavy cream for light cream, also because I couldn’t find it at the store (WTF Price Chopper?!  Stock your shelves, it’s Christmas!), and vegetable broth in place of chicken (duh).

Ok, my father cooked a ham as well, but I think we’re all pretty happy about not being subjected to the usual mashed potatoes from a box and whatever that jello-like substance is that comes from a can labeled “cranberry sauce.”   It’s a much happier holiday.

I am absolutely horrible at getting them.  Which is ridiculous.  How can you be bad at something that requires virtually no energy or brain power?  And I’m a hand model for crying out loud.  I don’t know.  But I do know this: that I manage to ruin it before I’m out the door of the salon.

The other day I went to a salon to de-stress from the holidays.  I usually prefer to just get my toes done (for said reason above), but seeing as it’s winter and the only way I can justify spending the money on prettifying something that will be shoved under layers of socks and boots is if the fingernails that will be carelessly holding a wineglass and shoving finger foods down my throat happen to match.

So I got a pretty dark plum purple color since that’s what color my tree ornaments are and seeing as I’m in the matching spirit… well, you get it.  As it was drying I was getting excited that I would have nice pretty nails for the holidays.  That is, until I had to put my boots on.  Which gave me a minor panic attack.  Not just boots, but socks, too.  Flip flop season is long gone, no more drying on the go.

I managed to get the socks on without doing any damage to the freshly dried, possibly still tacky, polish. One boot on without any problems.  Second boot and the entire left thumb is ruined.  And as I’m full of useless facts, I know that your thumbs are the most important fingers as that is what people mostly see, so you’d better keep them looking spiffy!  (I learned this when I was trying to quit biting my nails.  Again, useless information.)

I know I should’ve asked the manicurist to fix it, but I also know I couldn’t sit under that hand dryer any longer.  And that I’d screw it up digging through my bag or similar within 30 seconds.  Needless to say, my left thumbnail has been staring me down all day and taunting me.

I know this is ridiculous and petty, but I feel it’s reflective of myself right now: slightly impatient and a bit clumsy.  Maybe I should work on that.  If nothing else, it wouldn’t hurt my hand modeling career.

I do it about once every 4 years, buy 3 pairs within a month, and don’t think about it again until they are falling apart, regardless of new styles and trends (and I do love fashion).  Well, I have been in the “falling apart” stage for oh, probably a year now.  Basically since I came back from Italy 5 pounds lighter with every pair that still fit ruined from the evil apparatuses that the Italians believe to be washing machines.

I’ve asked every person that is remotely the same shape (I have a booty) and size (petite) as me where they buy their jeans, had said friends go with me for help and support, and still found NOTHING.  Not even after a few drinks (lowered standards need not only apply to dating) and help from a fabulous gay man, did I find anything at the enormous and super expensive Diesel store in midtown.  I was willing to shell out over 200 bucks for some denim and nothing.  Niente.

Last night in a fit of panic I ran directly to Urban Outfitters after leaving work in hopes of livening up my closet (I believe that this denim thing is contagious and has spread to the rest of my wardrobe).  And guess what?  That’s right.  I FOUND JEANS!!!  And not just any jeans.  SKINNY jeans.  To be more exact, Cigarette jeans (yes, I feel fancy when saying that).  The trend that I thought I would forever have to live without and pretend to believe was just a hipster fashion and that the “hipster” trend itself would soon fade and be replaced by something more “Amy-friendly” (like, say, the “oompa-loompa” phenomena??).

Anyway, these are the jeans I bought.  They are very long, but I’m not going to bother hemming them because the lighter interior makes for a sweet cuff.  And when I stick them in my knee-high boots (another trend I succumbed to a couple of years ago after laughing at), they don’t bulge out everywhere.  The best part?  $49.  Suck on that, Diesel.

Today I started stumbling while wishing and hoping that I’d find something that would inspire me to write something that would drive tens of thousands of people here so that maybe, just possibly, someone somewhere will want to buy ad space from me.

What I stumbled into is this cool guy who is allowing blogger’s to get free ad space by mentioning his blog and the fact that he is doing this. Good marketing scheme? Well, he’s having other bloggers push his site - for free - so that they, in turn, can get their site pushed for free. I’d say it’s a GREAT plan.

My new headphones came and I am happy to say that they are pretty much the most awesome thing that has ever covered my ears. They’re comfy, they fold up nicely to throw in my bag, and they’re hot pink!  No more earbuds for moi, I’ve officially converted.