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Album Stream: Ryan Adams, Easy Tiger

BuzzSugar — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 15:31:34 PDT

Ryan Adams is one of those love-him-or-hate-him artists, and I tend to go both ways, depending on what the insanely prolific singer-songwriter is doing at any particular moment. I find some of his rock-oriented albums annoying, but I dug a lot of the songs on the country-leaning Jacksonville City Nights.

Tomorrow, Adams releases his eighth solo album, Easy Tiger, which you can now stream in its entirety online. At times, Easy Tiger sounds almost like easy listening, but the collection also contains some more traditional rock and alt-country offerings, like the bell-laden electric anthem "Halloween Head."

I'm particularly fond of this pretty ballad "Two," which - naturally - is the second song on Easy Tiger. Listen to the album and tell me what you think about Adams and his latest incarnation. To listen to "Two,"

Jon Snow Heads North in Latest Game of Thrones Production Diary

Kristy Korcz — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 04:38:11 PST

Jon Snow in the snow? Yes, please. In the latest Game of Thrones season two production diary, the crew heads to Iceland to shoot scenes that would be North of The Wall. Fun fact: there won't be any CGI effects used to create this area of Westeros, as the barren, freezing, and windy landscape of Iceland is exactly what the doctor ordered. Let the countdown begin for season two!

The Burden of the Working Mom: Fact or Fiction?

LilSugar — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 08:33:40 PST

If you've been part of an office environment while pregnant or as a parent, chances are, you've faced challenges (and some judgments, too) that are nonissues to your co-workers. In a recent article for Forbes.com, Victoria Pynchon states her case for the working mom, admitting frustration when her "mom employees" would have conflicting obligations but also noting that she now realizes that it wasn't necessarily their fault. She writes:

As I look back on the problem for both me and the working mother, I realize that my law firm simply failed to take into account the existence of working mothers on my team when planning my staffing needs. This was not rocket science. There was plenty of work for women to do at home if they had to relieve a babysitter or pick up a child at 6 p.m. If I needed a live, warm body in the office, better management on my part and better support from HR could easily have solved the problem.

According to a set of statistics presented by Dina Bakst, cofounder and copresident of A Better Balance: the Work & Family Legal Center, absences because of illness, injury, or medical problems are often two to three times as high as absences because of "child care problems, other family or personal obligations, civic or military duty, and maternity or paternity leave."

We want you to weigh in! Share your workplace experience by voting in the below poll.

Glee-ful Highlights From Episode "Heart"

Lizzie Fuhr — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 07:38:32 PST

It's Valentine's Day at McKinley, and everyone gets in on the action in this week's episode of Glee. For the lesson, Mr. Schuester wants everyone to choose a great love song to perform, which means a lot of the action takes place in the relationship department. Finn and Rachel try to get everyone excited about their upcoming nuptials; Brittany and Santana deal with scrutiny of the nature of their relationship, and Mercedes and Sam may love each other, but they just can't seem to get it together.

At first, I was pretty excited that "Heart" was going to be an episode full of musical numbers, but it feels a little plot driven for my taste. Regardless, there's a lot happened this week, so get in on all details after the jump.

Scarlett Johansson Wears a Bikini For a V-Day Cruise With Nate Naylor

Allie Merriam — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 06:51:01 PST

Scarlett Johansson wore a bikini yesterday for a boat ride with her boyfriend Nate Naylor. They were joined by some friends for their voyage out on the ocean, and the group was seen opening bottles of wine and fishing. The couple are off enjoying a week-long getaway in Hawaii, where Scarlett was seen in a teal bikini Friday. Nate and Scarlett have reportedly been dating for six months, but they just went public as a duo earlier this month. He was by her side for a sweet day-date two weeks ago, but Scarlett brought her brother Hunter along as her date to an Obama fundraiser she cohosted with Vogue's Anna Wintour last Tuesday.

First Look at the Doctor Who/Star Trek Comic Book

Kelly Schwarze — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 05:20:50 PST

Last week a rumor floated around the Internet that two science fiction powerhouses, Doctor Who and Star Trek would meet in an epic comic book pairing. Now, there's confirmation that Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation² will reach store shelves in May 2012.

This is the cover of the first issue in an eight-part series following the Eleventh Doctor, Captain Jean-Luc Picard, and his Enterprise crew as they save the galaxy from an evil alliance. Written by Scott and David Tipton and featuring fully painted artwork by J.K. Woodward, the debut issue pairs familiar villains the Borg and the Cybermen in an attempt to destroy humanity.

If the first issue in this crossover series includes some of the most popular villains, we can't wait to see what other frightening forces will make an appearance in the remaining seven issues. The Weeping Angels? Q?

No Girl Scout Cookies? Make Your Own Thin Mint Body Scrub

Miriam Lacey — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 05:17:00 PST

It's Girl Scout cookie season, and across the USA echoes the resounding crunch of Thin Mints. If you can't get enough of their chocolate-y, minty goodness, here's a super easy DIY scrub that has all the things you love about the cookies and will leave your skin looking, feeling, and smelling sublime, too. To whip up your own Thin Mint scrub, just follow our recipe below.

How Supermodel Miranda Kerr Got Her Prebaby Body Back

Self — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 04:17:28 PST

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Self here on FitSugar!

Sure, your chances of becoming a Victoria's Secret model may be as remote as winning the lottery, but looking like one is an entirely different story. When Miranda Kerr needed to tone up fast after giving birth to son Flynn with actor Orlando Bloom, she turned to FITiST celebrity trainer Andie Hecker to whip her back into supermodel shape.

"She came to me shortly after Flynn was born so we needed to I focused on pulling her abs back to Victoria's Secret model-flat and strengthening and toning her arms so she could easily and safely tote her growing baby around," says Hecker, founder of LA-based dance studio Ballet Bodies.

Their workout routine consists of Pilates fused with ballet techniques, a fat-blasting combo that burns 300 to 500 calories per workout. "Ballet Bodies is a classical ballet-based workout," she explains. "It's actually a workout that utilizes true ballet fundamentals placed atop Pilates, traditional personal training, and various cardiovascular activities such as jumping and kicking."

To do Kerr's postbaby arm workout at home, incorporate these four moves into your regular workout four to six times a week. Add one- or two-pound hand weights for "optimum muscle exhaustion and results." Get the workout after the break!

Your Pet Could Be Our Pet of the Day!

Sara Yoo — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 04:00:00 PST

Your pup may not be at Westminster yet, but he's destined for stardom. And your kitty is too pretty to be kept from the world. So submit a photo (or two or more) to PetSugar's Pet of the Day group, and maybe you'll see them among the glittering lights . . . on our homepage!

What I've Learned From Baby Number Two

Rebecca M Gruber — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 03:15:00 PST

We're excited to share this post from our partners at BabyCenter! Every week, we will be bringing you the best parenting and lifestyle stories from the experts at BabyCenter, including this post from Carolyn Robertson about lessons learned from a second child.

Motherhood has been a very humbling experience so far . . . which is a nice way of saying it’s knocked me on my ass many times over. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve been midconversation with another grown-up and suddenly realized that (a) my breasts are leaking, or (b) I have a crusty old food stain on my shirt, or (c) I am decorated with Little Mermaid tattoos and sparkly dinosaur stickers and Phineas & Ferb Band-Aids.

I assumed, though, that I would have a much better handle on things the second time around. Sleep issues, tantrums, separation anxiety, potty training: been there, done that, bring it on. And then I met my second daughter.

Here are a few things that I’ve learned from baby number two:

Sleep training doesn’t always work: I was one of those moms who swore by sleep training. CIO works, I’d tell my mom friends. It’s not fun, but if you stick with it, it works. My oldest, after all, started sleeping through the night and never stopped after we let her cry it out at 6 months old. Well, it turns out it doesn’t always work, after all. I did everything exactly the same with Amelia, but at 21 months old, she’s still not a great sleeper.
Sometimes babyproofing really is necessary: I read in some baby book that we do our kids no favors when we babyproof the home - they have to learn limits, after all. Made sense to me! So with our first, we did the bare minimum (baby gate on the stairs, potentially poisonous stuff out of reach) and took care of everything else with a firm “no touch!” and gentle redirection. Worked like a charm. We figured we’d do the same with our youngest, but as it turns out our little angel loves to body slam the window screens and climb into the fireplace. Everything - everything - goes in her mouth. We tell her "no," we redirect, and she laughs and becomes that much more determined. Our house is now so childproofed that even I have trouble getting into the kitchen cupboards.
No two kids are the same: My first is shy and cautious - my second would run into traffic to hug a stranger. My first is sensitive and gentle - my second is a crazy little steamroller. They are different in every way imaginable, and I’m starting to see that all those tried-and-true tricks that worked for one probably won’t work for the other.

One last thing I’ve learned? You really can love another baby as much as you love your first. I harbored secret fears that I would never be able to love any other child with the depth and intensity that I do my older daughter. I was wrong.

What did you learn from your second - third or fourth - child?

More great reads from BabyCenter:
What does a stay-at-home mom do all day?
Is Strawberry Shortcake looking a bit trampy these days?
Five children's books that celebrate Black History Month
Seven adorable mobiles for any nursery
Is a 6-year-old too young for boarding school?