Friday, September 24, 2010

Round Up

I just have a few items this week.

R.I.P Barbara Holland-Endangered Pleasures: In Defense of Naps, Bacon, Martinis, Profanity and other Indulgences is a treat!!!

Origami napkins

If you live in the WDC area and are a food truck devotee please sign the petition to keep the food trucks in business.

I am beyond thrilled that it is finally autumn, but guess what? It has been in the 90's the past two days and it is supposed to be 96 today. Pesky summer with it's ever present blinding klieg light has to get in its last few licks. That's okay. Soon it will be my time of crisp air and walking through piles of leaves. Soon, very soon (I hope).

This skull pan certainly puts me in a good mood. This one too.

Who knew? Joan Lunden is now an inventor. These sort of devices bother me-always have, always will.

Author groupies delight-Book TV-Writers on Writing Videos-I may have posted about these videos before, but they are so wonderful they deserve a double posting.

Yum-carrot cake whoopie pies-I think whoopie pies might be the next big bakery trend, I keep seeing them everywhere. Cupcakes move over.

Online alarm clock.

Things made by prisoners-some of these were a surprise to me.

The National Zoo has new lion cubs. Too cute!!!

The Paris Review has a new website.

Pen names in literature.

If you like that new book smell-use Smell of Books.

20 brilliant bookcases.

Postertext

Have a great weekend.

"We come back to autumn, to zucchini that wilt like witches shoes." Margaret Hasse



Friday, September 17, 2010

Round Up

R.I.P. Joan Steiner-I purchased so many of Ms. Steiner's wonderful Look-ALikes books for children through the years. I had a ball myself trying to find the objects in her wonderful creations.

Would love to peruse the entire Penguin English Journey Series.

After reading about the John Smith Chesapeake Trail I found out that there are 16 other National Historic Trails. I'm glad that there are historic trails, but I thought there would be so many more. More about the trail here.

Nice autumnal library necklace. Wonder if its heavy.

WWII on Facebook.

The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association has a Missing and Stolen Book Blog.

I can't believe I have never heard of the amazing Dr. Louise Jilek-Aall. Someone, perhaps me, should write a Wikipedia article on this woman.

A library reference desk made of old books. Very cool!!!!

CONELRAD 100-Atomic Film. An entire listing of films with Red Scare/Cold War and Atomic themes. You may also make film suggestions.

Which shall I try-Spoonfudge or Spudfudge-or both? There is something so illicit about eating something yummy from a jar. I might have to indulge in the Spoonfudge. Hmmm, not what flavor(s).

15 essential back-to-school podcasts.

Finally some decent scrubs for the medical profession to sport-Blue Sky Scrubs.

This Corporate B.S. Generator is ridiculously fun.

I saw this museum on an episode of the History Detectives. The French Cable Museum, located in Orleans, Massachusetts , has an incredible collection of original Atlantic undersea telegraphic cables, instruments, maps, and assorted memorabilia. That area of the country is my absolute favorite and the next time I'm in the vicinity I will have to visit this very interesting museum.

I just read a review of Amore: The Story of Italian American Song by Mark Rotella. Another to add to my TBR list.

I'm reading Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time and the Deadliest Hurricane in History by Erik Larson. This is a departure from my usual non-fiction reading. I'm not big on disaster reading or disaster movies, but I keep bumping into this book in one form or another. When that happens I always think the universe wants me to read the book-so I do. The author does a good job of bringing Galveston, Texas in the year 1900 to life. The Isaac in the title is Isaac Cline who was the resident meteorologist for the U.S. Weather Bureau. This is a gripping read and your heart will ache for the town of Galveston and the 6,000 people who lost their lives.

About time-the first aiport library.

That's all for this week friends. Have a nice weekend.


"I shall stay the way I am, because I don't give a damn." Dorothy Parker

Wednesday, September 08, 2010

Small Round Up and Coveting


The original Kermit the Frog is now living at the National Museum of American History.

Top 10 typefaces of the last decade.

I can't wait to purchase these non-religious 2010 holiday stamps.
The American Antiquarian Society has a nice online exhibition entitled A Place of Reading: Three Centuries of Reading in America.

Picturing the Past 10 years-love this chart.

Now for some items that I am coveting:

Swans Island Blankets-these are gorgeous and way out of my price range, but oh my goodness.

Ancient Industries has such nice things. I am coveting their oven mitt.

Love these stone walls. Can't fit one in my back yard, but would love one.

And these luscious Duchess Marden products.

And now for books.

The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Andrews. I can't believe I never read this. It was written by my shero Dame Andrews and plus it just looks fun.

I Love Macarons by Hisako Ogita.



Stagecoach Sal by Deborah Hopkinson



















Lost States of America by Michael Trinklein

I think I have to take a gander at Stickwork by Patrick Dougherty.
I love the eerie whimsy of his work. Here is more on his wonderful creations.


"All are inclined to believe what they covet, from a lottery-ticket up to a passport to Paradise." Lord Byron

Wednesday, September 01, 2010

Round Up

Look at these lasagna cupcakes-everythings cupcakes these days.

Two books I am interested in reading-Brilliant: The Evolution of Artificial Light by Jane Brox and The Violin Maker: Finding a Centuries Old Tradition at a Brooklyn Workshop by John Marchese. (Good Grief!!!!! I tried to link the book by Jane Brox to the publishers website, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and my computer froze and all sorts of things happened).

Felony and Mayhem Press publishes previously out-of-print mysteries. Books by the great Margery Allingham and Robert Barnard. I just went through their latest catalog and want every title.

What is the deal with this showing of bra straps everywhere I look? Back in the day bra straps weren't seen, now it seems to be some sort of fashion statement. I know I'm old school, but I don't care for it. I can't stand bras anyway, hideous constricting contraptions that they are. Soon I won't have to see bra straps, dirty feet in those awful flip-flops and way too much exposed skin-it will all be covered by parkas. And no more deafening noise from the annual tree cicadas.

30 awesome college labs.

Just in case you are wondering when Apple Gifting Day is (January 1) or National Cherry Popover Day (September 1, which is today) wonder no more. There is an American Food Holiday Calendar. And a National Food Holiday Directory.

Another interesting timeline to add to my collection: the Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History.

I haven't read The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett or seen the mini-series on Starz that was on a couple of weeks ago, but I want to do both (read and see). I get ridiculously excited when a single book title warrants its own Wikipedia entry.

While looking for something on Etsy the other day I found a plethora of items with French script. All of you Francophiles out there go crazy!!!

Embroidered newspaper clippings.

These Amish Scooters are great. I love the basket.

The Perfect Five is a music blog that offers 5 different genre's of songs every week for your listening pleasure. You can listen to a classic, remix, a much hyped tune, covered or love. There are 5 new ones every week. Such fun.

There was a time when I was alll about dresses. These days I am always in some sort of pants, but if I ever resurrect the old me Shabby Apple has the dresses that I like.

Want to improve your language skills, but the Rosetta Stone tapes just aren't your style-try Lingo Friends.

The private Newtown Library celebrates 250 years. Brief history of the library here.

An interesting and "un-common" take on copyright law.

By now, everyone has already seen the Old Spice guy and his video about libraries. Here are some more witty library videos.

That is all I have for this week. Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend. I hope the weather prognosticators are correct and it's going to be a bit cooler.

"We should so live and labor in our times that what came to us as seed may go to the next generation as blossom, and what came to us as blossom may go to them as fruit. This expresses the true spirit in the love of mankind. ~ Henry Ward Beecher