holy sick day, batman!

I went away over the weekend and came back feeling under the weather. A sick day was in order. I have been amusing myself with clips of the 1960s Batman. Christian Bale is something, don't get me wrong, but there is seriously something to be said for bright colors and camp--that something is "BAM!"


Other entertaining things on the internet:

• A Smart Bitches contest to come up with a hotel room based around a couple in the vein of the rooms at Nora Roberts' Inn Boonsboro. Talk about a romance loving decorative arts student's dream! I chose Polly and Tom from Louisa May Alcott's An Old-Fashioned Girl, one of my all-time favourites. There are tons of fabulous suggestions--I'd hate to be the one judging!

• If you love telegrams as much as I do, check out Telegram Stop. Simply write a message and provide an address, and they send it in the form of a telegram--"STOPs" and all!
  

• Yesterday I fell in love with "The Abominable Charles Christopher," a weekly webcomic about a simple-minded, cowardly Yeti which features a fantastic supporting cast of woodland creatures. At turns hilarious and sweet, I read all of it in one go and literally went from laughing out loud to crying in a matter of minutes. Plus? The art is GORGEOUS.

• Also a webcomic, for fans of classic horror and stories that mess with your head, I recommend Lovecraft is Missing. Fewer woodland creatures than The ACC, but makes up for it with elder gods and the like. Art is equally (if differently) fantastic.

• Austin Kleon creates poems using newspapers and a sharpie. Love, love, love it.

Ps: I got the job I interviewed for this weekend (hence the trip)! More details closer to go time, but suffice it to say that I'm pretty excited for this summer.

five senses friday

Taking a cue from Abby's genius idea, this is a sort of "best of" for my week based on the senses. Abby's got a list of all of the bloggers playing this game today, so for more, check her blog!

taste:
Mom's Irish Soda Bread (recipe here)

sight
Harry Potter covers in the style of classic Penguin books (sadly, fictional)

Kent Henderson's fantastic photos

My new favourite webcomic, Dovecote Crest (recent DRAMATIC PLOT TWIST)

touch:
The lava stone massage lucky Marley's hubby treated her to.

smell:
Glimpses of sweet spring in the air earlier this week.

Chips and vinegar from my end-of-midterms celebratory meal at the Elephant & Castle.

hear:
Talk by co-curators of the newly opened Greene & Greene exhibit at lunch today.

The FotC song G got stuck in my head during a midterm, which then morphed into something very different.

photo by neil krug

now now now

Hello internet, how is your 2009 so far? Mine has been very relaxed. Since school doesn't start until the end of the month, I've reverted to my high school gamer state and burrowed in with a new sequel to a favourite game--it's like reading a good book with puzzles, pretty music, and visual stimulation thrown in!

Many of you might be missing 2008 already, though, and I totally understand if you are! Lots of things happened this past year, good and bad, and there are plenty of ways to reminisce. There's Dave Barry's annual (and hilarious) Year in Review, complete with Richard Thompson's fantastic illustrations. JibJab also has its Year in Review up, with fewer words and more singing and silly-looking Sarah Palin than Dave's:

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

But maybe you're done with 2008, internet. Maybe you're ready to move on. Every January 1st, one of the first things I do is check out the Washington Post's List, and this year was no different. I myself am very ready to embrace a year with Garfield Minus Garfield, even if I am apparently leaving grandpa sweaters and Twitter behind.

Well, ready or not, off into the bright future we go! The above shirt from TypeTees is a perfect new year sentiment, don't you think?

if only

Earlier this week, when I was struggling to put together a paper about Siegfried Bing and desperately trying to think creatively (it felt like I was hitting my head against a wall, seriously), I turned to the internet. After doing every Washington Post crossword puzzle in the archives, plus those from the LA Times and the Palm Beach Post (of all things), I was still doing the head smackeroo. Joanna's gift guides started me thinking about what I would give my loved ones if I had all the money in the world. Well, not all the money. Just, you know, some. It did the trick! So off and on all week, I've been constructing these little guys. I'm rather proud of them, so I thought I'd share. First off, my ladies:

For the friend of 18 years standing, who wrote me notes with pictures on graph paper and goes to Paris when she has a long weekend: the Secret Joy Dress from Anthropologie (for that classy Twinkie look), Charlotte necklace from Luxe Deluxe (because working impossibly long hours doesn't mean you can't also be impossibly cute), and Miller Headband from A Farmer's Daughter (because if anyone can pull off a feathered headband it's this lady).

For the bestest girl hardheaded workaholic who bakes gourmet meals for herself and leaves messages on my machine for my dog: the Easton Shino bag from Kate Spade (to replace the old black bag she doesn't like), the Personal Library Kit from Fred Flare (to replace the old return address label method), and the Morning Glory Duvet in green from Anthropologie (because it matches her vintage painted bookshelf and the throw with the giant Schnauzer face on it seriously creeps me out).

For the first of the two ladies who've made grad school so far bearable, the Quaker girl with the miniature obsession: a subscription to the Handspun Yarn of the Month Club from Simply Twisted Yarn (on the off chance that this would ensure we didn't lose her at the first yarn booth on our next craft show trek), the Providence bracelet from Heartworks by Lori (the colors are pure J), and the Vitra miniature of Alvar Aalto's iconic chair from DWR (because it is small and J loves small and its design is compelling).

For my other grad school gal, who makes phenomenal cookies and wears such awesome tights that strangers comment on them in the Metro: Pyrex mixing bowl set from Five Petals Red (because after vintage tupperware, they're the next best thing), the Electra Ladies' Cruiser in pink (because the DC welcoming comittee stole her bike and she loves pink), and Bacon bandages from Fred Flare (I've never met someone who loved bacon as much as G does, and it was the bandaids or floss--which someone else actually gave her this week).

Now for a couple boys:

The college buddy who is incapable of thinking before he speaks, yet is maybe the most thoughtful person I know: Nintendo mints from Fred Flare (because he once stole a roll of Nintendo stickers out a promotional vehicle in order to plaster them all over campus), Capone the American Bulldog mix who's up for adoption now, the Black and Blue watch from Skagen Denmark (it's hip and professional and so is this dude).

The "little" brother who never comments on this blog despite the fact that he was one of the first to subscribe to it and when I mention in conversation something I've already blogged about, criticizes me for repeating myself: the Flip Ultra camcorder (film was one of the possibilities before he settled on his major), art classes in a great local program as well as some supplies (he's forever been a doodler but has never pursued it), and the Shun Ken Essential 3-piece knife set from Williams-Sonoma (what can I say, the boy likes to cook).

Finally, my lovely parents:

My mom, the retired preschool teacher who gets on the floor with children in doctor's waiting rooms, drives me to the Metro daily to save me paying to park, and who is and always has been the best role model a girl could have: a Gurglepot from Delight.com (colorful, Asian, and makes noise--perfect), Akoya black pearl earrings from Sunshine Pearls (to match the gorgeous necklace she bought in Hong Kong), and a Naturemill Plus (because she's all about recycling, composting, and gardening).

Lastly my dad, a transplanted Tennesseean engineer who loves aircraft of all kinds, can rattle off the names of every major WWII battle at the drop of a hat, and takes more joy in mowing the lawn than any sane person should: a D-Day tour of Europe from Matterhorn Travel (he's talked about doing this forever), a Club Taku membership (for regular shipments of fresh Alaskan salmon), and a Jungle Feast camp shirt from Tommy Bahama (he's a total TH fanboy).

And, for the heck of it, here's my if-I-had-money vignette: Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego (still my favourite game after all these years), a lifetime supply of polaroid 600 film (my stash is gone and I'm panicking), a Lugano leather suitcase from J. Crew (although since I can't afford to travel, I'd probably just look longingly at it as I saw the world via Carmen Sandiego), and Art Deco Mary-Janes from Anthropologie (because there is nothing about these shoes--in either color--which does not entrall me). I'll admit I was tempted to throw a photobooth of my very own in there too, but this is only fun if there are some boundaries, I think.

Et voila! This was an unbelievably fun exercise and really helped me out in my paper-writing hour of need. I really wish I could buy all of these things for all of the wonderful people in my life. Giving is by far my favourite part of Christmas, and I hope that shopping isn't so stressful for folks that they forget how wonderful the feeling of finding that perfect gift is. Merry merry, y'all!

stuffed

Have you eaten enough yet today? Boy, I have. I'm in my aunt's beautiful home in North Carolina, hiding in my room upstairs with the dog, both of us recovering from the day so far. There's been food, people, dogs, two loud little girls, and more dogs. Oh, and did I mention food? Man, I'm full.

If you're like me and are taking a break from the fam and looking for distractions, I'm here to offer a few:

- Like the top photo? Check out Lunch Bag Art for more gorgeous drawings done by a dad on his kids' brown paper lunch bags--and color me envious!

- Let's Eat, a podcast from NPR's Hearing Voices all about Thanksgiving, turkeys, and food. Very good, thought-provoking stuff if you don't feel like moving and aren't yet sick to death of the thought of food.

- If you're feeling guilty of gluttony on this Thanksgiving Day, spend some time at FreeRice.com, where you donate rice to the UN World Food Program simply by answering questions about a variety of subjects, from simple word definitions to (my personal favourite) fine art.

- Need some mental stimulation? Try the Post crossword. My parents and I completed yesterday's in the car coming down here!

- Tomorrow is the first annual National Day of Listening. While you're with family, try to sit down and encourage older members to reminisce. You can just listen, or you can choose to take notes or record. Don't know what questions to ask? The website has a great step-by-step guide, complete with Question Generator. I'm wishing I'd done something like this when my grandparents were alive.

- If you lack the energy to do any of the above, at least check out Marc Johns' artwork. Clever and ironic, his humor and simplicity puts him somewhere between Gary Larson and Edward Gorey. Quite a nice place to be, in my opinion!

Well, I'm pretty sure I've been stealing wireless from one of my aunt's neighbors (sorry!). The connectivity is spotty, so I think I'll post this before I lose it! Enjoy the rest of the holiday, y'all.

because I rather like lists

Yesterday, my first-ever grad school presentation almost didn't happen when I slept through one alarm and the one plain didn't go off. Fortunately, there were plenty of things to cheer me up today. First of all, the folks in my program are awesome. Then I came home and took great joy in my Reader.

Oh, doors! 25 new posts from Portes et Fenetres!

Pretty, pretty things at the Shiny Squirrel (and how did I not know it existed before today?)

How did that fellow get in there? (ongoing, please!)

I listened to this wonderful, wonderful playlist put together by the folks at Modcloth while I was making dinner and it made me smile and smile (because who can listen to ELO with a frown?)

Image from Robert and Shana ParkeHarrison via Bloom, Grow, Love makes me want to dance on tires!

catchall

Suburban Sky, originally uploaded by lilacmoon.

I spent my day yesterday dressed in sweats and feeling crummy, but since I feel a little better today, I'm going to finally close out the tabs I've been clinging tenaciously to for the past week, chanting "I'll blog about it, I will, I will!" And I'll do it here, in a giant catchall post a la Jo.

Fell in love with LAMA a few weeks ago. Their Dia de Los Muertos pillows featuring La Calavera Catrina are taking me back to my beloved final paper on José Guadalupe Posada.

From desire to inspire, for when you're not around to give you guests instructions.

A wonderful way to end a wedding, plus check out more photos.

Rita Konig drives my dream car (because her gorgeous apartment wasn't jealousy-inducing enough).

It's a tie between the spoon chandelier and the lotus lamp.

Now go on and have a happy, happy weekend. Maybe I'll see you?