I’ve got to hand it to the designer who came up with candy blocks. When something is delicious and useful it’s a win-win for sure. Here is my new home being built in the shadows of the Diet Coke Forest and the Tower of Solarcaine.
The bed is lookin’ pretty comfy at this time of night…
But sometimes an evil giant comes and gnaws away at my progress…
Last summer I bought a piece of art by this duo at one of Foxy Loxy Print Gallery and Cafe’s print shows. Unfortunately, in the midst of my move, I couldn’t photograph the piece, but it looks sort of like the bikini print in this picture except WAY smaller.
Under the nome de plume the Adventures of Ben and Kay, Kay Wolfersperger and Benjamin Stanley collaborate in printmaking. However, the two also have their own adventures.
Kay is also a graphic designer, designing logos for businesses including Foxy Loxy.
Benjamin dabbles in photography and printmaking and adventures. His tumblr. is pretty spiffy.
Would you like a Coke?
Can I really have a regular Coke?
Yes. But you might spring for something with a few more bells and whistles.
How about a Lipton Diet Sparking Green Tea with Strawberry Kiwi? Yes, this is real.
If there’s one thing I can’t stand it’s over-modified products. Call me a purist, but there is just something chemical about that. I can’t even imagine what it would taste like.
Another over-modified product that drives me crazy is Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper.
Now, in Lipton’s product there were six modifiers: Diet, Sparking, Green, Tea, Strawberry and Kiwi. You may look at Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper and think, “Oh, there are only four modifiers.” Wrong. You must account for Dr. Pepper’s 23 flavors, thus a total of 27.
I think I’ll stick to water for now.
For sometime now/Since birth… I have been making observations about the world around me. Some days, I see something particularly heinous and say to myself “Yes, this is real” in an effort to somehow process the absurdity of what is before me. This happens to me at least several times a week and I have decided that the only way to explain this sensation is to share my “Yes, this is real” findings with you in a column of sorts. Alas, we have our first feature, Chicken Spread.
First, let me say that there is a dancing devil man on this package. That doesn’t bode well. Also, the general notion of spreading chicken doesn’t sit well with me. Spreads should come in non-animal forms like mayonnaise or mustard or EVEN Vegemite, but NOT chicken. Underwood, the manufacturer of this delight also makes ham, roast beef and liverwurst versions of the same. Rewind. Did you notice that I said “manufacturer?”
Ok so maybe a lot of the items on our grocery store shelves are manufactured these days, but I much prefer “grown” and “raised” in sentences about my food. Lastly, the whole can is wrapped in a paper wrapping, like a small present. Only, how could this be a present? It is dog food put in human packaging. Even though it’s been 48 hours since I came into contact with Chicken Spread, I’m still laying here on the futon saying “Yes, this is real.”
In my long list of design/style interests is the art of naming. Often, I want to ask new people I meet what their children’s names are for the sake of adding to my personal study of name trends. Only I am afraid they will think that question will be followed by “what’s your address?” and “would you mind sharing your credit card number?” Alas, I am slightly more covert in my mission.
I know that when I was born, there were two people named Grace, me and my great-grandmother. Then, when I was entering my teenage years, everyone seemed to tell me their dog was named Grace and “how cool was that?” Awesome. Not. I thought “why would you want to give a dog a person name?”
Now, I am totally guilty of the same phenomenon. Our dogs are named Sam and Kelly. We kept the names they were given at the shelter because they just seemed to fit. However, they also have a long list of pet names which rivals any Moxie CrimeFighter or Moon Unit. First, witness my professional doodles of the spotted “sisters.”
First, we have Sam. The pit bull, basset hound, corgi, something or other that is the most darling dog you will ever meet. Sometimes we call her Sam, sometimes we choose from one of the following…
Then, we have little sister Kelly. Kelly has been with us since August, but has quickly earned her own slew of names. She is part beagle, part dachshund, part incontinent or insubordinate, we can’t decide.
So as you can see we are very inventive. And, if the boyfriend could come up with some of these crazy names, you will surely be entertained at the names he comes up with for our future children when drunk. I will save that for another day. For now, enjoy these pics of Original Bouge and Little Bouge modeling. They’re naturals.
I am in the midst of a group project along with two classmates. The goal, to create a 30-second YouTube video with essentially no parameters. When my professor suggested a commercial as a simple option, I immediately knew that I would have to dream up some heinously amazing product and its accompanying infomercial. Now, don’t flip your lid. I’m not going to let the cat out of the bag yet. I will tell you that though, there is a clue in the text of this post. However, I did find this amazing video of the top 10 worst infomercials OF ALL TIME. I’m really not sure why UroGolf isn’t number one…question mark?
Biding some recent medical issues, I have been rather sleepy lately. Sometimes, I will completely miss “morning” and arrive at Starbucks at 12:30 only to find my greeting is 30 minutes too late.
My mom suggested I get a sleep study and I just can’t bring myself to do it. It is official, I am iatrophobic. I have a fear of going to the doctor. This really isn’t a new realization though. The last time I got my blood drawn at the doctor, the Laotian medical tech told me “No worry! Me give you Bugs Bunny [band-aid].” The shame was palpable.
So, in favor of going for an overnight sleep study and having a crop of electrodes pasted all over my body, I’ve gathered a few items to help me sleep naturally.
1. Holly GoNightly Sleep Mask, $16, FredFlare.com
2. Lavender Chamomile Pillow Mist, $10, BathandBodyWorks.com
Now that I have all these summer plans, I’m going to need the right supplies. After a 400 euro ($800 USD) debacle coming home from my semester abroad in Italy back in 2009, I vowed to be a better packer. That ghastly amount is what I had to pay IN ADDITION to my pricey cross-Atlantic ticket to get my belongings home. Screw you, Alitalia. So, for this summer I’ll need a beastly suitcase. My brothers have had the Adventure Rolling Duffle from L.L. Bean for the past 10 years. Every time we travel, I’m always angling for one of their suitcases, convincing them that girls have WAY more to pack and that their things can fit in my modest red roller bag. I’d say it’s high time I got my own, considering Karl and David’s have held up for so long, they must be made of magic. I also think it’s rather nifty that L.L. Bean has staff at their headquarters in Portland, Maine that run around town testing the luggage.
Next, I’ll need some versatile shoes. Since we will be canoeing and hiking and being generally adventurous, I think Chacos will work. As a kid, my mom would force me into Teva’s, another type of rubber sandal that I just thought were horribly uncool. For whatever reason, Chacos are their more popular cousin, even edging their way into the southern college greek scene. Once my friend said to me, “Ewww, never, NEVER get Chacos.” “Why?” I asked. “Those are for potheads,” she said. However, I think I am willing to throw my reputation into the wind for comfort.
Last but not least, I’ll need some entertainment. Sure, iPad’s are great. They combine practicality and fun. But recently, I got a better idea. When I was a kid, we weren’t allowed to have video games (hand-held or console). I would spend hours at friends’ houses trying to get my hands on a Nintendo or a Game Boy. So, since I was never allowed one as a child, I figured I should make up for my loss and scour eBay. I found a Game Boy in Atomic Purple along with a few other relics from the stone ages, Pokemon, Spongebob (Legend of the Lost Spatula), Frogger and Super Mario Brothers Deluxe. My boyfriend (I’m sure) really enjoys when I scream expletives at the small screen. There is just no other way to react when you are Spongebob and you are being mauled by a giant jellyfish. I’ll just have to train myself to keep quiet on the airplane…
RUNS WITH MARKERS 