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Paper Cuts and Paper Cuttings

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It's been a long day, so I will just point you to some people who do really weird, amazing, and beautiful things with paper and a pair of scissors: + Patrick Gannon - he reminds me of the visceral violence of the Brothers Grimm mixed with the Gothic fairytales of Angela Carter and the more outlandish aspects of Studio Ghibli. Scary and eerie. + Rob Ryan - 1950ish-inspired bright, simple shapes featuring quirky lettering. Poor page layout though (I don't like embedded tables). + Elsita - quite folksy, purposefully naive paper scultptures that remind me of 18th-19thC Russian/Eastern-European folk art. + Peter Callesen - paper installations preoccupied with the classic dichotomies of life/death, culture/nature etc. Stunningly executed.

Enjoy.

World, Start Making Sense

As I'm writing this I'm wearing:

  • underwear
  • a t-shirt
  • a sweater
  • a quilted fleece (Other Half's)
  • a pashmina
  • trousers
  • two pairs of socks
  • fleece gloves
  • fingerless gloves on top
  • and a hat

And I am still cold. I'm half-tempted to fill our hot water-bottle and sneak it under my clothes so I can find some extra heat somewhere. Also, how do I stop my nose from falling off? I am a knitter, for heaven's sake, and Scandinavian to boot, so why can't I get warm?

PS. LOLbrarians. Thanks, Dave.

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Two - No, Three - Links

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One website is really eating into my online time: Geni. It's a site which will let you generate your own family tree for free. I have an unwieldy and complicated family tree (think Jeremy Kyle or vintage Jerry Springer) which makes it super-fun to figure out how people are actually related to one another. As Geni also lets you add photos of the different family members, you can also trace where that family chin originated.. Another website which has captivated me today: the 'Coraline' website. The website seeks to promote the film adaptation of Neil Gaiman's "Coraline" book - and in all honesty, I am not a big Gaiman fan. However,  try typing in the code: sweaterxxs and you will see why I'm enchanted. Clues: Starmore and miniature.

Addendum: Darn, I forgot to add this amazing video of a meteorite falling in Canada and burning up as it hits the Earth’s atmosphere. The footage is from a police car in Alberta. (via)

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From Me To You

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Today is the 21st of November 2008. I am one gift away from having completed my Christmas shopping. I know it's completely and utterly disgusting and I apologise profusely. If you do not know what to get people, here's a little list of helpful tips:

  1. Animatronic dinosaurs will please most boys, no matter what age. Some girls might also appreciate the thought but make sure you check with said girl's friends and family first. It would be epic fail if said girl had really wanted bling and you got her a Triceratops instead.
  2. Etsy rocks, full stop. It is particularly useful if you had promised Auntie Petunia a nice handknitted scarf and you didn't get 'round to it. Although if you find a scarf which will set you back $112, you might want to get out your own knitting needles, you lazy sod.
  3. Awesome handpainted shoes would go down very well with some girls (read: me). Of course I do own one handpainted sneaker and am eagerly awaiting the other (spring 2010?). And then I'd like me some totally amazing handpainted shoes I cannot wear because I have wonky feet.
  4. I would avoid Lush if I were you, but I think I'm the only human being alive who's not susceptible to being covered in glitter and smelling like blue skies and fluffy white clouds. Wtf?! Wtf, I ask you. But if you are not buying for me, the company does giftboxes which most panicky boyfriends/sons/brothers will purchase in late December. Also, what's with the Lush staff? They are scarily friendly. Time to pick up that cult assessment questionnaire again.
  5. Amazon wishlists are really helpful. Unless you haven't updated them since early 2003 when you thought adding that album by The Darkness was really appropriate and hadn't considered how this would make you a bit of laughing stock a few years later. Or that desperate and distant relatives would uncover your wishlist and think you'd actually really, really, really like that album.. in 2008. Not that I know anyone who'd be that careless.
  6. Finally, both Wists and Kaboodle are great tools if you are the sort who go "ooh, wouldn't mind that.." and then promptly forget what thing you wanted. They are also very useful if you happen to have a parental unit who starts asking for your Christmas wishlist in August. I think one of my goals of 2009 shall be to actually use these tools so I don't end up stuttering that I'd like some tea towels (which I once did).

But hang on, it's not Christmas yet. US citizens get to have Thanksgiving first! Everybody's favourite Hail Mary, Sarah Palin, went to pardon a turkey and then had a little chat with journalists. Squeamish people who are adverse to a) blood, b) dead birds or c) political ineptitude might not want to watch this video. Best captions evah, I tell you. (via)

The Next Doctor?

Philip Rhys - a UK actor starring in BBC's new adventure series Survivors with Freema "Martha Jones" Agyeman and Paterson Joseph - had a little slip-up during an interview on BBC News 24 tonight: “Yeah, we have a great cast. Max Beesley, Freema and Paterson Joseph .. y’know, the new D.. potentially the new Doctor.” And then the good Mr Rhys looked mortified and the interviewer quickly changed topic. Potentially? Let the speculation continue, although I suspect this might be confirmation enough for a lot of people.

Addendum: Behind The Sofa picks up on the potential slip-up. They've posted a link to a youtube clip of the interview.