Technical Difficulties

My dear readers, I'm having a problem. Maybe you can help. I usually track where viewers of this page come from using NedStat Basic, which is usually fine for my needs. But. For the last two weeks, the section of NedStat that tells me where the last 25 visitors came from hasn't changed at all. Which, for a slightly obsessive individual like myself, is something of a pain in the tush. I mean, I would like to write little notes of thanks to any new linkers. And, because I'm curious and nosy, I just like to know where folks come from.

The way I see it, there are a number of solutions to this problem. If you're a new reader, please drop me a line and say hi, telling me where you came from. If you're a recent linker, please do the same, so I can give you some credit here and check out your page while I'm at it. And if anyone, anyone at all, can give me some advice for fixing the currently malfunctioning NedStat business, that would be great. I would send you a nice little present, too.
Saturday, November 11, 2000 10:34 a.m.

Sibling Madness

The Printmaker is here at last! On the docket for this weekend: Matisse exhibit at the AGO, a viewing of Billy Elliott, being smart asses, shopping, cracking each other's shit up, measuring her head and hashing out the design for the Beta version of the hat I knitted for her last spring, fine dining, and extreme silliness. Which means that my weekend is starting, um, now. I'm going to see about getting her to write a guest entry or two while she's here. As she says in her crazy faux-Russian accent, "I knew I couldn't escape...the blog."
Thursday, November 9, 2000 11:17 p.m.

Dan Rather, I Love You!
I don't watch the news much, but unsurprisingly, the recent election kerfuffle has had me glued to as many media outlets as I can stand. Somehow CBS has gotten lost in the information shuffle, so thank you to the good people of Salon for providing me with this round-up of the best of veteran anchorman and Texan Dan Rather's folksy-wolksy caustic wit. Cassandra's Wayne's World comment, "Yeah, and if a frog had wings, it wouldn't bump its ass when it hopped," would not be out of place here.
Thursday, November 9, 2000 09:12 a.m.

Chinese Propaganda Posters
Wow. Stan Landsberger has an amazing collection of 20th century Chinese propaganda posters. I haven't had a chance to go through the entire archive -- and a very well-organized one it is -- and commentary yet, but this is gooooood. This is a form crying out for a big, impressive retrospective in some forward thinking museum. Via the increasingly addictive Wherever You Are.
Wednesday, November 8, 2000 10:43 p.m.

Wonder Boys Re-release
If you missed Wonder Boys when it was out last winter, please do yourself a favour and go see it when it re-opens in your town over the next few weeks. It's really rare for a studio to give a film a second release like this, and they're doing so with good reason. Every single performance (yes, even from the extremely hateable Michael Douglas) is great, the story is dark and funny and realistic and outrageous, it's got the best song Bob Dylan's done in years on the soundtrack, and the whole thing will make you feel real good about people. And not in that wretched Pay It Forward kind of way. Really. Just see it. You can write me cranky email if you don't like it.
Wednesday, November 8, 2000 10:40 p.m.

And How Old Are You, Little Girl?
When's your 9000th day? How about your 25,000th? Find out, using the beebo.org calculator. Via plasticbag.org.
Wednesday, November 8, 2000 10:38 p.m.

Oh, My Head

1 howlingly funny conversation with the Saucy Folklorist
4 hours of nervously watching election coverage
3 times waking in a coldsweat from dreams of a maniacally grinning Dubya claiming victory
1 messy pit of a bedroom
24 hours til the arrival of beloved sister The Printmaker for a much-needed sibling bonding weekend
Add all that up and you've got one twitterpated Sophie. Which is my cute way of saying that if I update at all today, it'll be tonight.
Wednesday, November 8, 2000 11:00 a.m.

Done is Good

The Assignment From Hell is now complete, and ready to be handed in. Unfortunately, my throat is now very sore & tender on both sides. Owie! I don't really think these are related items, but one does tend to counterbalance the other.

In other news, I'm going to see if I can tape Buffy and Angel tonight so that I can watch them AFTER all the election results. How glad am I that tomorrow starts my midweek weekend? Way, way glad. I'm off to attempt to decipher the VCR manual now. It shouldn't be too hard, right? Right?
Tuesday, November 7, 2000 04:29 p.m.

Rowr! Hiss! Catfight!
No, it's not the Boog putting in a kerplink guest appearance, it's the kind of gossip that makes idle websurfing worthwhile! You all know how Elizabeth Hurley has been trapped in a bad publicity shitstorm of her own creation? Well, now it seems that Estee Lauder is in negotiations with Gwyneth Paltrow to get her to be their new "face." Feel the burn, Liz! I'm getting ringside seats for this one.
Tuesday, November 7, 2000 04:26 p.m.

My Election Worries Are Over!
You know, I'm beginning to wish I hadn't been so rash with filling out and sending in my absentee ballot. Now that I've seen Diamond Joe Quimby's Diamond Points, I see what a vision of true leadership could bring to the US Presidency. Increase immigration from stripper-producing nations! Ration just 20 bullets per year to convicted felons! Increase the national rate of pistol-whippings, as we watch the number of shootings drop like a big, dropping thing!
Tuesday, November 7, 2000 08:56 a.m.

Coach House Books
My Book History class went on a field trip to this wonderful small press yesterday afternoon. What a cool place. I've worked in publishing, and have long thought that nothing could ever induce me to go back to it, but after seeing how Coach House works, I could consider eating my words. The building should probably be condemned (can you say "fire trap," boys & girls?), but their operation is so functional and fun and historically minded and forward thinking and they have the most wonderful mini-library/snack room/cozy-up-and-read-why-don't-you area (tucked up next to a room full of swanky new computers and light tables) and the smell of ink & paper is so delicious that I just didn't want to leave at the end of our tour. You must must must check out the Cybrarian book finder.
Tuesday, November 7, 2000 08:55 a.m.

Let's Pretend We're Bunny Rabbits
and when we've had a coupla beers
we'll put on bunny suits
I long to nibble your ears and do as bunnies do
The man is clearly just living out his lyrics. Though I could live without verification of his 24/7 potency. Via pearls.
Tuesday, November 7, 2000 08:54 a.m.

Wu-Wu-Wu!
NME's track-by-track assessment of the new Wu-Tang Clan album, The W. If ears could drool, mine would. On second thought, ew.
Tuesday, November 7, 2000 08:53 a.m.

Crazy Goings-On In My Absence

You know, I take a single week off, and the whole world goes crazy. Nannette's relationship implodes, Tom decides to fold up shop at Blue Lines, Freaky Trigger gets back up & dusts itself off, Scrubbles' server ruins all of Matt's beautiful graphics, one of my favourite sites re-designs, and a new home for fabulousness launches. That'll learn me to take a vacation. It'll also provide me with nearly all of my links today. You hear that? It's the sound of me, patting myself on the back for my ability to cleverly disguise laziness as efficiency.
Monday, November 6, 2000 09:15 a.m.

Girly International
The clever and gracious Jackie Danicki launches the first issue of Girly International, the webzine about what it is to be girly -- however you define that -- in the world now. It's all about inclusion, baby. And it's smart as hell.
Monday, November 6, 2000 09:12 a.m.

Taking the Wrong Road Round
So Tom is retiring Blue Lines. I would be heartbroken, but he's now got this linky page up at Freaky Trigger (welcome back, FT! Glad your server woes are over!), and he says nice things about me, and well, shucks.

I like his surfing history a great deal - I think it's a really useful exercise in tracking one's own taste & interests & the connections one makes with people. And he says nice things about me.

With the triumphant return of Freaky Trigger, Tom also provides us with brand-spanking new content, in the form of a meditation on how and why we listen to the song stylings of the late Julie London.
Monday, November 6, 2000 09:06 a.m.

Oh Messy Life
I think I found Andy through Squishy sometime last fall. I just liked the name of his page - my life is pretty messy, and he seemed to be embracing the mess of his own life. I thought that was a good thing. And now he has redesigned. His work is so gorgeous and full of fun. Even the scratchy-scratchy sketches. And especially his revolutionary posters. Sigh. I wish I could draw.
Monday, November 6, 2000 08:59 a.m.