The Dear Photograph project...

This is a really cool arty-historical kinda photography project that one of my highschool pals posted on facebook.  Check it http://dearphotograph.com/ - it's really quite neat.

well - this puts me in a marginally better mood!

http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/summers-eve-pulls-controversial-talking-vagina-videos-133714?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+adweek%2Fall-news+%28All+News%29

Song for a grumpy day....

Shouting out this song by get set go NEVER fails to make me feel better when I'm having a shitty day. It's deliciously satisfying, gratifying, and wonderful to shout that you hate everyone. A perverse pleasure for people-pleasers like me.

Give it a whirl and see how it works for you :)

Political InQueery: Mourning in a Busy Internet World | Bitch Media

This is an interesting post from Bitch Mag's on-line edition about how mourning world events is challenging in our ever-digitized world.  A worthy morning read, if you've got the time.  Political InQueery: Mourning in a Busy Internet World Bitch Media

Kidlit Review: Perfect Man, by Troy Wilson and Dean Griffiths

Wilson, Troy and Griffiths, Dean.  Perfect Man.  Orca Book Publishers: Victoria, 2004.  32 pgs.  (For the 3-6ish year old set).

One of our latest kidlit acquisitions comes in the form of Perfect Man, written by Troy Wilson and illustrated (comic book style) by Dean Griffiths.  Boy-o plucked Perfect Man off the shelves in a bookstore one day and insisted this was the book for him.  So insistant that this was the book he wanted, his parentals agreed to take it home unpreviewed, which is a darn rare occurence (because there is an astounding amount of shitty-assed kidlit out there, friends).  Anyhow - the gamble paid off.  Perfect Man is pretty darned good.  Maybe even pretty darned great.  It tells the story of a young boy, Michael Maxwell McAllum, who loves to write, and who is infatuated with a super hero, aptly named Perfect Man.  Perfect Man's absence leaves a gap in the boy's life, but this gap is soon filled by a marvellous teacher by the name of Mr. Clark.  Michael Maxwell McAllum soon decides that Mr. Clark is Perfect Man, gone off the grid and incognito.  The story of the relationship between Michael and Mr. Clark plays out in a lovely way, with Mr. Clark encouraging Michael's love of writing and such.  It's good.  It's sweet.  And Boy-o loves it with a capital L.  I don't mind it, either, which is more than I can say about Boy-o's growing collection of Diego books.  And the subtle challenge to readers about rethinking the superhero is an excellent message to kids in a world that shoves the superhero crap down boys throats.

My personal favourite part of the book is the advice Mr. Clark gives Michael about honing the craft of writing: "'You have to live,' said Mr. Clark.  'You have to try new things.  You have to meet new people.  That's what good writers do.  They live.  And it's all research.  Every second of it'"  (24).

I love this sentiment.  It makes the book, which is pretty great even without this thought, even better.  I've even used on it myself a few times lately, when I've been feeling like a screw-up.   

 ***It's all research.  Every second of it.***

Boy-o says...

Outta the mouths of babes there comes brilliance from time to time.

Last evening, Boy-o informed me:

"Mama?  I think that some teenagers are grown-ups.  And some grown-ups are teenagers." 

Sage, or what?!

HOw to get everyone to look at your knockers...

Just take your son to the library.  Okay, you might have to take MY son to the library. 

We were dropping off some garden spoils to my good friend, a librarian.  And as we are leaving, my son announces in his normal announcing voice:
 "Guess there's no BRA today!"  "I don't see BRA anywhere!" 

At which time I feel several sets of eyes leveling on my boobs.  He is saying this so convincingly, that despite the fact that bras have been holding up the considerable knockers fate decided to bestow upon me in grade 5 -gee thanks for that fate - I even find myself looking down to make sure I have the girls, you know, secured.  Yup.  All is well (although by now I'm totally blushing and somewhat paranoid that library patrons are still trying to catch a glimpse of my apparently wild and free boobs). 

"What do you mean, 'No bra?'" I ask Boy-o. 

"You know!" he says, annoyed that it isn't OBVIOUS.  "He works with Kim!"

"Honey, do you mean ROD?" I query.

"Oh, yeah.  Rod.  No Rod today!"  He parrots back.

Rod (not Bra!) is the librarian that Boy-o thinks is a super-star because he looks like one of The Wiggles.

And that friends, in a nutshell, is how to get everyone to look at your knockers.

Top Ten Myths about Introverts

Okay - so this has been plastered all over FB, including my own wall.  But this post from Jerry Brito's blog is so good that I have to post it here too.   I felt so - understood - when I read this.  So read away - it's bloody brilliant. 

http://jerrybrito.org/post/6114304704/top-ten-myths-about-introverts

(And then give all the introverts in your life some lovin', okay?)

a wee morning pick me up

I was having one of those mornings.  The kind where my self-esteem is in the shitter.  Nothing looks right.  All of my clothes are drab.  Uninspired.  And I am drab and uninspired in them.  I gave up, threw on some jeans and a bright yellow tank and wandered back to the bathroom where my smalls were puddling around contentedly in the bathtub. 

And this is when my Girlio, (who at the age of two is already showing signs of catching her mama's penchant for overabundant empathy) looked up at me and said: 

"Oh Mama!  You look PANTASTIC!"

Bless her little toddler heart. 

Summer's Eve defends the honour of their talking vaginas...

Read it and weep.

http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/summers-eve-talking-vagina-ads-arent-racist-says-agency-133588

Still racist.  Racist and icky.

My vertical smile?  Talking vaginas?  As if the product wasn't bad enough...