To get the full story, just click here. For more links to recent absurd stories in the media, click here. To find out—like I just did—if the latest chain mail email you got is a hoax, or if you’re just curious about urban myths, click here.
I just joined a site the evening called BookMooch which encourages members to trade books, all for free. There is no fee to become a member and receiving books is free—you just have to earn points by listing and sending books, and you then “pay” for your selections with the points you’ve earned. Of course, you have to pay for postage when you send out books but since with every book you send you’re entitled to mooch a book yourself, it all works out nicely.
When you sign up, you can create a wish list, and BookMooch will email you any time one of the books on your list becomes available. You’re encouraged to add books to the inventory from the get-go since it’s the best way to get the ball rolling: when you list 10 books, you earn one point which you can put toward getting your first book. And so on.
I listed only five books [those not requested by you mom], but within less than 30 minutes, I had one request from a Canadian member and two inquiries from American moochers. You are not obligated to ship outside your country if you don’t want to spend too much on shipping, but I decided to accept international shipping (by special request only) because with each book sent out to a foreign country, you earn 3 points. It’s a great way to get your hands on hard to find editions or books that are not released in your country of residence. If you’re in a giving frame of mind, you can donate your points to one of the charities BookMooch is afiliated with. It’s also a great way to keep freeing up shelf space… which you’ll need to make room for those latest batches of books you’ve mooched.
Illustration from BookMooch.com
I found these on a site I just discovered called CardCow.com which has loads of great vintage postcards. I thought these were cute, but the little girls all look vaguely deranged, no? Like those scary porcelain dolls with eyes that move I’ve seen used in movies for effect. Gosh. My wish for tonight is that I won’t dream about them!
Feel free to submit your own captions!
Fritz likes wearing my socks. Just not on his feet.
Mimi says: “I keep losing my toys in there!”
Contrary to appearances, she ain’t no angel…
… but she chews up angels for breakfast!
I just finished submitting these four photos and captions to Stuff On My Cat and am pretty excited about this first submission. If you’d like to see the pictures on their site, you’ll have to keep checking in regularly—they’ve got plenty of other cool pics to see. They also had these totally cool t-shirts for just five dollars each so I got the women’s t’s shown here and with shipping the total came to 15 dollars which is less than I spent for a single t-shirt on sale on the J Crew site a few days ago (Shipping not included! I know I know… serves me right). I think I’ll be rockin’ in my Kitty t’s. Did I ever mention I like 
shopping? I find just about any excuse to shop: now that I have a second cat, I need stuff that I didn’t know existed before. Like a cat scratching post and a leash and harness for instance. The scratching post I’m still shopping around for because I’m still looking for the perfect one (made with sisal and not carpeting). As for the leash and harness… I tried it on Mimi twice and she basically just sat there on my front steps for maybe an hour until this great big fluffy gray cat came over and tried to make friends with her, which is when she decided we were done with our walk. I wish I had a photo of that. With her canary yellow leash she was quite a sight.
Another thing I didn’t know I needed before was a PediPaws nail filing system for pets. I knew I needed some kind of system because so far trying to trim Fritz’s nails is a nightmare. He screams bloody murder. Then he lets out these heartbreaking mews. Then he tries to attack me. And so on. I’d find the whole thing funny if it weren’t so unpleasant. So when I saw this stupid thing advertised on TV I got interested. And then a newsletter I receive from a vet recommended it, so I just went ahead and bought it, against my better judgment. The thing is supposed to be gentler for pets than traditional trimming scissors because of the rotating nail file which is supposed to “gently and painlessly file your Pet’s nails to leave them tri
m, rounded and smooth [...] The secret is PediPaws™’ precision emery filing wheel that gently removes thin layers of nail to leave your pet’s paws touchably soft.” It seemed affordable and it came with this ‘Shed Ender’ which was supposedly ‘free’ (ha!). Once on their site, the next thing I knew they were recommending a ‘better and improved’ model that was twice the price but “because it’s more quiet, your pet will appreciate much more”. So I went for it. Like an idiot. And then while they were at it they sold me extra nail files too. So when I finally got the stupid thing I noticed that the files were awfully coarse. I had my doubts but still I tried it on both cats. First I made sure they got familiar with the thing and the noise and vibration it emits but it was a disaster. I only tried it on one nail but they howled as if in unbearable pain and when I looked at the result, sure enough the claw was shredded and definitely NOT ‘rounded and smooth’. I HATE “As Seen on TV” offers. It’s ALWAYS a bunch of crap (though it’s the first—and last—time they reeled me in). I’ll for sure be getting whatever money back they’ll let me have. But here’s the catch: that bonus Shed Ender that was just an afterthought? Is actually pretty great. I’m sure plenty of people don’t return the stupid nail file just so they can keep the Shed Ender. I considered it too but at more than 50 dollars, I think I’ve been ripped off enough as it is.
So if you’re reading this and you’re still thinking: “hmmm… I should try it anyway” all I can say is enjoy your Pedi Paw SHREDDER. “Another full of crap marketing ploy brought to you by the same people who also try to sell you all the other bullshit items you’ve seen on TV.”
Hadn’t checked out Married To The Sea for a while until this morning and when I did they had a banner that led me to Where Are The Dogs Humping.com. With a name like that, I knew it wasn’t going to be pretty and must admit they did manage to shock me with a few of their captions. Still I found these cute penguins shown here and I was hesitating between them and a levitating pit bull but the little black & white dudes won me over—for one thing I kept coming up with rude replies for them to say to the clipboard guy—but they were cheap shots, I decided. Do knock yourself out if you’ve got choice morsels to share…
I’ve been meaning to do a piece about Moleskine for a while, so here it is. Moleskine is a brand of notebooks made in Italy which, contrary to popular belief, are not actually bound in moleskin, but in oilcloth-covered cardboard. They have a cult following and repeat buyers mention their small size, the fine archival quality paper, the elastic band to keep the notebook closed and the sewn spine that allows it to lie flat when opened as being features that have them buying the little overpriced notebooks again and again. I happen to love notebooks and own quite a collection of them, and I might have taken a liking to these indirect Moleskine descendants, only one day, a magazine editor I was working with insisted they were a “must” for the Christmas gift section. That turned me off them, just like that. I remember with some embarrassment my Filofax days (remember those?) and how I would try to insert the words “My Filofax” in every conversation. And a good thing those days are over. That being said, if anyone was thinking of sending a Moleskine my way, I’ll certainly find a good use for it. :-) The reason I’d been wanting to talk about these notebooks to begin with is because of this wonderful website I found called the Moleskine Project [22/01/2010: now seemingly defunct. RIP). The idea of the site is to encourage artists “good and not so good” to show and promote their work. Everyone and anyone is encouraged to participate by submitting doodles and get a chance to be featured as the artist of the day. Of course the idea of the project is to promote Moleskine, so they encourage everyone to send stuff drawn on that brand of notebooks, but if you look for it, you’ll find these magical words: “Actually, you can also doodle it in some other kind of notebook. Reason? Well, some artists can’t afford themselves a real Moleskine.” Of course you can just go have a look too. You might be inspired to do your own…
Among the list of illustrious writers and artists that are touted as being great fans of Moleskine are Van Gogh, Picasso, Chatwin, Hemingway, Matisse and Céline. Haven’t heard of Chatwin? That’s quite all right. He was, among other things known to be a great English travel writer, a socialite and bisexual, but his most important contribution, according to company literature is the following:
“Moleskine’s most famous endorsement comes from Bruce Chatwin, who used similar notebooks constantly throughout his travels, and wrote about them glowingly. Chatwin’s original source of notebooks dried up in 1986, when his Paris stationer informed him that the last moleskin manufacturer, a small family-run firm of Tours, had discontinued production in 1986 after the death of the owner. The modern Moleskine is fashioned after Chatwin’s descriptions of the notebooks he used and is not a direct descendant.”
Doodles by:
Marty Harris
Mattias Adolfsson
Lapin
…Or: 13 things I love about blogging.
1. Blogging is my favorite method of procrastination and is apparently beneficial to my readers since I like to share my findings with them. My interests are varied, so that means a mixed bag usually.
2. Blogging helps me stay in daily contact with close family members who live overseas, like my mother (France) and soon my Father (Israel) who at 67 has finally decided to get himself a computer and learn how to use it so he can, among other things, read my blog.
3. I get to meet wonderful people I wouldn’t have the opportunity to encounter otherwise in “real life”, through challenges like the T13, Michele’s Meet N’Greet and by just exploring the links from a blog I like… and sometimes by sheer dumb luck too.
4. There are all kinds of challenges which encourage me to indulge in my love of blogging and writing such as NaNoWriMo (1st time, 1st win!), NaBoPloMo, and let’s not forget CyProBloMo which is on until the end of December, and which Tiv and I are co-sponsoring (is that the right term?). CyProBloMo is a celebration of creativity under many guises. Some have decided to finish the NaNoWriMo novel they hadn’t quite finished on time, others have plans to do something creative everyday, from writing poetry and essays, to drawing, to knitting to taking photographs, while other (like me) have decided to embrace all the wonderfully creative things that emerge out of unfettered procrastination. of course it’s never too late to join the Cyberspace Procrastinating Writers’ Month. You can also just show your support by getting your badge here.
5. I love that you can pop up at a complete stranger’s blog and comment on something they said or just say hi… just “because” and that everyone thinks that’s completely normal.
6. I love the incredible variety of ideas and approaches and personal missions that everyone embarks on with their blogs. For some reason, I see blogs as each person’s extensive mission statement. Some more extensive than others, depending on how verbose the blogger tends to be.
7. I hadn’t realized Technorati’s full potential, other than enabling me to obsessively check for my “authority” ranking until I realized that by surfing through popular links and their blogrolls, one can find many other wonderful blogs. I like finding something serendipitously… blogs that inspire me and make me think, surprise me and surpass my expectations. Like Rag & Bone Blog which I discovered just today, where I found a bunch of interesting things that I want to share with you all.
8. Among many other things, Rag & Bone featured these cool handmade Bingo Books and the person who makes them, Kelly McMahon. Looking up the information to include
proper credit, led me to Etsy.com – “a site to buy and sell all things handmade” (a good idea for gifts maybe?). Kelly McMahon’s, May Day Studio is also worth checking out. [If you're interested in the Bingo book, act fast! They're almost sold out - but they have all kinds of handmade goodies to offer]
9. Another post features British artist Jonathan Callan, who uses books to make his organic structures. Several more examples on R & B. You can also visit the Houldsworth gallery to view more of his pieces.
10. This image was one of several others shown from the Artfest workshop pages. I’d never heard of Artfest before, but the work shown was most interesting and when I visited their site I had a sudden urge to fly to Washigton. All the on-site accommodations for 2008 are already taken, but there’s still room if you can make your own arrangements. Now wouldn’t that be a Christmas gift I would cherish forever and ever. Not saying it to anybody in particular, just putting it out there in the universe :-)
11. Another fantastic discovery: UK artist Rob Ryan. He applies his unique style to all kinds of surfaces (mostly magazines and posters) but this one was for one of the major fashion glossies. If you could afford a cut paper dress would you wear it? Not me, I’d put it in a glass box and keep it as a sculpture. There’s lots more of his work on R & B but you can also visit his website. I know I’ll be procrastinating in that neighborhood soon enough.
12. Kent Rogowski designed a whole collection of teddy bears that were made inside-out. They are all featured in this book. Never thought I’d put the words Endearing and Creepy together, but there you have it.
13. Where else could I say Hey! Look at this! without people thinking I’m completely demented? I wouldn’t have known about this guy, or any of the others without blogging and Rag & Bone. And the beauty is… that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There are all kinds of wonderful new surprises awaiting out there… in Blogland (can you hear the harps and birds chirping happily in the fairy dust?).
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1. I have a strange fondness for ‘lost pet’ signs. Of course it always saddens me to see them because I think of worried owners and desperate pets (although poor Ling-Ling has nothing to fear anymore… now that she’s lost her head), but beyond that they’re like little snapshots into people’s lives. Very often they’re an exercise in guerilla creativity. Some of them are just plain bizarre like this one over here. I’ve been thinking about these ‘lost’ signs for a while now because I’m seriously considering putting one up myself:
LOST
ONE PERFECTLY GOOD LIBIDO
Goes by the name “Kitty”. She is our pride and joy, is very playful, and needs to get vigorous exercise most every day. When you see her you will recognize her because you will inexplicably find yourself compelled to do all kinds of strange things to attract her attention. REWARD. Call 555-2214
Do you think that should do the trick?
2. Do you ever do laundry? Do you ever need to fold t-shirts? Do you not fold them and just scrunch them up in a ball because it’s too much trouble instead? This video will change your life. Seriously.
3. The following probably won’t change you life, but it will provide kinda weirdly relaxing background noise to it. iSerenity offers “ambient sound environments at your desktop for relaxation and solitude” with “31 sound and image environments to choose from, and counting.” Featured are Highway Hiatus, Pencil Parade: “Another environment that is good for study or work. When was the last time you picked up a yellow #2 pencil. Try it, you might find its like trip down memory lane (sic). Of course, elementary school memories are tough for some to relive.”, Fan Air: “We had several requests for the sound of a fan, so here it is. This ones a little subtle You may have to turn up the volume a bit. Think cool breezes blowing across your face. Pretend your in a bungalow out on the islands with the wash of the window fan lulling you to sleep. Or whatever…”
Or whatever indeed.
I’ve got a lot on my plate what with the two thousand words I need to write today for NaNoWriMo, and the endless hours of procrastination which precede the actual writing (which only actually takes a couple of hours). My excuses are many, with “I need to get in the right frame of mind” and “I can only write after dark” as my two main standbys. For the past few days I’ve also come up with “but I don’t like my characters” and “there’s no story to speak of” then “I have no idea where this is going” and finally “I didn’t set out to write something that sounds so formulaic” (if you’d like to read some excerpts, just visit fifty thousand words. Those are all very flimsy excuses I am told, not to mention completely unoriginal ones, since most every writer has gone through the same misgivings and used similar tactics. But I can’t imagine for the life of me what they found to procrastinate with before the advent of 1. The internet 2. Blogging 3. Stumble Upon. Here’s a little roundup of 5 interesting selections I found thanks to the latter:
1. Is it art? Is it some weird torture device? I bet you didn’t really have any idea what that image up there was, did you? It’s actually a close-up of a Japanese manhole. Apparently the Japanese put a lot of artistry in their manhole designs, which are 
incredibly varied and imaginative. I discovered these thanks to Pink Tentacle. There are very nice selections on the blog, and hundreds more on Flickr.
2. Squashed Philosophers: this site offers Glyn Hughes’ condensed and abridged works of the major philosophers which have shaped western thinking. I like the little graphic device they use to show you at a glance how much of the work, percentage-wise, is presented and how long they take to read. For instance, Plato’s The Republic (355 BC) takes 61 mins. to read with 12% of the work edited, while Albert Einstein’s Relativity (1916) only takes 20 minutes to read, with only 8% of the complete work featured. Still too much time? You can read all of Epicurus’ (300BC) Sovran Maxims in 5 minutes flat. I’d say it’s a good introductory course for armchair philosophers like me and probably a great “cheat sheet” for students who don’t have time to read the entire works (do they ever?)
3. Virtual Dali is a great little online museum. Personally, I was never a big fan of Dali’s, until I went to the Dali museum in Paris, where the paintings were beautifully presented and I got a better appreciation for the range and incredible imagination he had. Then again, everything looks better in Paris, imho. The virtual museum showcases a very large selection of paintings, with works grouped by period. There are many photos of Dali displayed and the site itself had a little surprise or two… worth the detour.
4. The BBC’s Surveys and Psychology Tests: They have a large selection of tests you can take online such as; exploring your memory, determining your brain’s sex, art and personality, and a one which helps you determine whether you have what it takes to become a millionaire. The tests range between 2 and 20 minutes.
5. Ansiform: a collective that releases ambient electronic music to download for free. You can also subscribe to receive their podcasts, and all their music is free to copy and distribute. As they say on their site: “the ansiform flavor of ambient is unobtrusive, beatless, finely textured, and stable. many tracks in our collection demonstrate inspiration drawn from disparate genres such as noise, dub or pop music. it’s ideal for sleeping, meditating, and cleansing the aural palate.” I’ve been listening to some of their tracks as I was writing this and while it’s not exactly transporting, I can say it’s good music if you like having something unobtrusive and relaxing in the background as you go about doing other things like… blogging or writing the worst novel ever in all the history of humankind, for example. :-)
