Iceland!
I'm mildly obsessed with Iceland. The crystalline beauty of Icelandic music, the amazing longevity of Icelander's cultural and genealogical memory, the strange, lunarness of Icelandic geology, all of it fascinates me. Plus, I feel a family-historical pull to it: my Bubbe was stationed as a nurse there during WWII, and has some interesting stories about the place. Thanks to the wanderlusty Lisa for the photos & commentary.
Friday, October 26, 2001 03:05 p.m.

Win a Royal Tenenbaums Poster
Contest! Explore your creative side! Win! Or not. You know, it's up to you. Via Wes Anderson Blog.
Wednesday, October 24, 2001 07:57 p.m.

Mmmmm, Oooooowen Wilson
A conversation between myself & my Bubbe, upon leaving the theatre after a showing of Shanghai Noon:

Me: Well, that was a fun movie.
Bubbe: Yes, it was. Who was that nice-looking young man who played Roy, dear?
Me (all excited to preach the gospel of Owen): That's Owen Wilson, Bubbe, and he doesn't just act. He writes movies and produces them, too, and he was uncredited in one of my favourite movies ever, and
Bubbe, cutting me off: He has very nice teeth, dear.

My Grandmother, folks. Does she not cut right to the chase? She's recovering from cataract surgery this week.
Wednesday, October 24, 2001 07:49 p.m.

Paper Dresses
I saw this exhibit a couple of weeks ago. It's the product of an amazing collaboration between two artists: one a painter & papermaster (for lack of a better word), the other a costumer and fabric restorer. The best part of the exhibit was a work table off to the side of all the dresses - you could go over and examine, or even touch scraps of paper from the dressmaking. They also had a dressform set up with the first draft of the artists' first dress, back when they were trying to sew the damn things together (they eventually moved to a system of careful gluing), so you could see their technique. It was beautiful and gratifying in a way that few exhibits of fashion are: you enjoyed the lovely handiwork, and were allowed to get up-close & personal with the inner workings of the magic. Art is hard damn work, people.
Wednesday, October 24, 2001 07:47 p.m.

Three Word Sundae
Send Sabrina the first three words that come to you and she'll try to draw 'em. I think record coat bob would make a great t-shirt. They're all great, though. I like the newer, larger scale for her work, and despite Sabrina's disclaimer on the main page, I don't think it's all that derivative of exploding dog.
Tuesday, October 23, 2001 11:30 a.m.

Dadant Bee-Keeping Catalogue
Via Inconspicuous Consumption, (which has a new column on the recent flurry of newly "classic" brands). This catalogue has everything you need to start up your own apiary, including these must-have squeezy bear jars. I think that photo qualifies as a bizarre image of the week.
Tuesday, October 23, 2001 11:28 a.m.

Jay Livingston, RIP
The co-writer of songs like "Mona Lisa", "Silver Bells", and "Que Sera Sera" died last week of pneumonia at age 86. I had no idea who he was until I heard a set of his songs on the radio last night. Learn all about Livingson & Evans at this impressive fan site.
Tuesday, October 23, 2001 11:26 a.m.