This is the kind of stuff that makes my day. (Thanks, Todor.)

Find out more about Bulgaria here.

I saw this at CJ Hill's Blog and had to do this!

What Be Your Nerd Type? Your Result: Literature Nerd 

Does sitting by a nice cozy fire, with a cup of hot tea/chocolate, and a book you can read for hours even when your eyes grow red and dry and you look sort of scary sitting there with your insomniac appearance? Then you fit this category perfectly! You love the power of the written word and it's eloquence; and you may like to read/write poetry or novels. You contribute to the smart people of today's society, however you can probably be overly-critical of works.

It's okay. I understand.

Ever stumble over something while web surfing and think, "Oh cool! I've never seen anything like this on the internet" only to find out you're the last person on the planet who hasn't heard of it.

Here are some of the things recently discovered by me and of course I have to share with you. Kinda like Columbus 'finding' America, they've already been discovered by thousands of people. It's my blog; I'm planting a flag in these:

My Live Signature: (Above)I could spend hours making these. (Yes, I'm that vain.) Try experimenting to find your best autograph for when you're rich and famous.

Esty: Drool over what the creative people are making. I wish I had that kind of talent.

sk*rt: Interesting stuff on the internet rated by women. If you have a profile, friend me. I'm, guess what, chrisbookarama.

Hosted by Between the Covers

I discovered that I already have books on my list that fit into this challenge. No new books added but another challenge to participate in. Sounds good to me!
Here are my choices:

1. The Bootlegger's Daughter - Margaret Maron
2. The Nazi Officer's Wife - Edith Hahn Beer
3. The Scarlet Pimpernel - Baroness Orczy
4. The Book Thief - Marcus Zusak

Alternates/Extras:

• Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
• The Archivist's Story - Travis Holland
• The Reluctant Fundamentalist - Mohsin Hamid
• The Welsh Girl - Peter Ho Davies

And just for fun I took this quiz that I have seen bobbing around the book blogs. Here are my results:

I stumbled across this great podcast, PediaCast. The podcast is run by a Pediatrician, Mike, who discusses issues with kids and answerers listener questions. The podcast address everything from vaccinations, tooth fairy, potty training, bow legged toddlers, and much much more. If you are a parent this is a must listen. The podcast has a blog written by Dr. Mike's wife, Karen.

Well, you just knew that the Giants Super Bowl upset of the Patriots would bring the loonies out of the woodwork, sending really idiotic letters to the New York papers. I saw two letters in today's "Sound Off" sports feedback column in the New York Post that are true beauties. Check these out:

Dear Boston: "The Curse" is back! Love, New York.
MONTE ABRAMSON
Manhattan

This was submitted by WGA member and StrikeSwag founder Tom Smuts.

Based on blog comments and conversations I've had, many members seem to think that the so-called "Initial Streaming Window" is just another way for the Companies to screw the Writers. It isn't. Not in principle, anyway.

In principle, it's a way for the Companies to capture some of the audience that would have watched the show

Excellent post on Business Pundit earlier this month:

Grossing over $150,000,000 in its first two weekends at the box office, “Iron Man” has come out of the gates as one of the top blockbusters of the year. If you haven’t seen it – believe the hype. Bar none it is the best ‘hero’ movie I’ve seen.

Of all of the songs of the ‘60’s, my far and away favorite is Happy Together, by The Turtles.
And lately the song has been haunting my brain. I’ve been thinking of it and singing it for days now. Today in my car, and then at work in the warehouse and in the stairwells, and in the elevator up to my apartment [basically whenever I was alone for a few moments], I was bellering the chorus to this song. The melody line and the harmonies are just gorgeous. Even when I perform it!
This song came out back in 1967, when I was a mere lad of four years old!

It is my privilege and pleasure to announce that a book based on the this humble website is now in release and available for purchase by the general public. Interested persons should head to the publisher's site if they are in Europe/UK and to Amazon if they are not.

For those without credit cards or who are allergic to online financial transactions, the latest advice has discerning bookshops in both USA and UK receiving their stock by the second week of November, with the rest of the world to follow shortly thereafter. You may otherwise encourage your favourite bookshop to seek supply (and a measurable improvement in taste and status) direct from the publisher.

George Packer's article in the New Yorker on "The Fall of Conservatism" reports that "most" of the younger conservatives he spoke with "predicted that Republicans will lose the Presidency this year and suffer a rout in Congress."  He quotes Republican strategist Ed Rollins:  "Today, if you're not rich or Southern or born again, the chances of your being a Republican are not great."

Suppose these predictions and analyses are correct.  What are the implications for the Supreme Court and especially for the continued vitality of Roe v. Wade?

A Feast of Longing / Sarah Klassen
Regina: Coteau, c2007.

In doctor’s waiting-rooms, a decade or two ago, the tedium would have been relieved with quiet background music: sentimental songs from Broadway, popular classics like Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. Nowadays, however, one hears only the thudding, mechanical music favoured by the young. Their cowed elders bear it without protest: faute de mieux it has become their music too.

Made from golden lions and lightsabers.

Are you a Goldilocks kind of reader?
Do you need the light just right, the background noise just so loud but not too loud, the chair just right, the distractions at a minimum?
Or can you open a book at any time and dip right in, whether it’s for twenty seconds, while waiting for the kettle to boil, or indefinitely, like while waiting interminably at the hospital–as long as the book is open in front of your nose, you’re happy to read?

365 Sketch - 12/365
Originally uploaded by m.Lee First, I would like to thank everybody who participated in my little Valentine's Day contest. I gave everybody who commented or wrote me a number and then picked a number at random.

The winner has already been sent her lovely prize.

I have a lot of information to go through as there were so many great suggestions. Apparently I need to get started carving some monkeys and Ron Paul along with using more metallics, bringing back monotypes, and working in black and white.

...and it looks like it shares my reluctance to go back to the laneway. Today — now that I've had time and distance from it — for the first time since I left, I had decided to drive back there. Not to sleep! Just to park up under the trees and to sit in the car and think for a while. It's a bit of a trek back there these days, particularly in this heat, but this morning I was determined to go, was even looking forward to it in a way, and drove off at about nine. But driving down the highstreet (still only a mile or so from home) I stalled, and when I turned the key in the ignition and desperately tried to start it nothing happened. I panicked because I didn't even have my mobile on me, but even if I had I wasn't sure what I could have done. Luckily, some workmen who were repairing the road further up had seen and came to push it over to the kerb for me. One told me to open the bonnet, that he'd take a quick look.

December probably isn't the time for it, but I'm looking around for another job at the moment. This job was only ever meant to be a stepping stone - a way back into things — temporary cover that I knew would come to an end, but I feel quite anxious now that it is - anxious about what the next step will be. Not sure which way to turn again. Not sure I'm tough-headed or tough-hearted enough to go back to a career in law full-time, even if that was possible, but not sure what else I can do. It's hard knowing what you're cut out for.

Happy New Year, Chinese style. I met Sachiko for dinner tonight, and we tried a small restaurant favorite of hers on the edge of Chinatown, New Hong Kong Menu. I apologize for the blurry photos, the lighting and camera were just not in sync.

This seafood based soup had everything but the kitchen sink in it, and it tasted good!

A basic principle in the interpretation of the Bible is that one must first ask what a given Scripture was intended to mean to the people for whom it was originally written; only then is the interpreter free to ask what meaning it has for Christians today. Failure to ask this primary question and to investigate the historical setting of Scripture have prevented many Christians from coming to a correct understanding of some parts of the Bible. Nowhere is this more true than in respect to the last book in the Bible. Here, there has been a singular lack of appreciation for the historical background of the book; the book has been interpreted as if it were primarily written for the day in which the expositor lives (which is usually thought to be the end time), rather than in terms of what it meant to the first-century Christians of the Roman province of Asia for whom it was originally written.

Fashion appareller Bathing Ape's website is more like an Operating System that loads onto your computer, not on the web per se. Nothing dangerous happens, prob not sticky enough to leave it on forever, but an interesting approach toward maintaining Bape's "band apart" ideals. Accepting this BAPE OS is sorta like bondage games - with a brand you like.
The top left corner (consider it the safeword) exits out when you're bored with it...or gotta get work done. It actually works in the background on my MacBook, so you may never need to exit out, actually.

The Mets unveiled a new patch they will wear for all home games in the 2008 season. It is to commemorate the 45th and final year of Shea Stadium, as the Mets will be moving into Citi Field, which is being built across the Shea parking lot as we speak.

I like patches that teams wear on their sleeves to remember special anniversaries and the like. I do like this one, as it shows two versions of Shea, with the New York skyline in the background, and the years the stadium was in existence on the front. I liked it so much I put it on my blog, right above the "Mets Links" section.

what I did with my day (while blee sleeps)
Originally uploaded by m.Lee

Background

It's pretty obvious I've dropped off the pace in posting here a little bit. But never fear my loyal readers, I'm not thinking of abandoning the blog any time soon. I probably won't get back to regular daily posting for a while, but I'll be around.

The subject of today's post is a great new song from Frightened Rabbit. You might remember their song "Be Less Rude" which was one of my favorite tracks of 2007, and I also posted about their debut record back in June of last year.

They've got a new album, due out on April 1, called The Midnight Organ Fight. And based on this track it'll be more of what made their debut so good.

The Modern Leper - Frightened Rabbit

Stars: ****

I received this book for review from Tundra Books.

Part nativity story, part work of art, part Christmas decoration, and part family heirloom, Jan Pienkowski's The First Noel: A Christmas Carousel is on a wholly different level from the ordinary pop-up book.