Category: Photos
The Library Book Sale
This weekend was my city’s annual library book sale (well, there’s one in the spring, too, but that one sucks and no one goes to it). What it means is that thousands of withdrawn library books and books donated by the community get hauled into a giant warehouse-style building at the fairgrounds and put up for sale. Cheap books. Books for a dollar. The sale runs for three days, and on the Sunday anything you can cram into a plastic shopping bag is yours for three dollars.
Let me reiterate: a bag stuffed with books for three dollars.
It’s like the best garage sale ever — you have no idea what you’ll find. Some years are better than others. Having broad interests helps: you’re bound to find something. I picked up books about hypochondria, Afghan women’s rights, and disappearing languages. I got one about the Muslim middle class that may turn out to be propaganda; if it is, I’ll toss it into the recycling. When books average out to something like fifty cents, you can do that.
Every time I go it brings out my primal instincts. There’s only one copy of most titles, and you’d better hope that you’re not reaching for the same book that I am. I’ll throw elbows. I have no shame. I get tunnel vision, eyes skimming quickly over spines, heart soaring as I find that one book I’ve been looking for forever, stomach sinking as I find a pristine copy of a book I only just bought last week. It’s a huge rush if you’re a book-obsessive like me.
The score? 24 books, easily worth a couple hundred bucks, for 11 dollars. I love today.
Dark Art: Kate MacDowell’s Human Animals
According to the artist’s website, these porcelain pieces are hand-sculpted, often by hollowing out a solid form. Absolutely stunning.
See more at katemacdowell.com.
(via Visual News)
My Mom Loves Me.
Disgusting. Gooey. Gross. Does she know me, or what?
I wonder what it tastes like. Any guesses?
Las Trece Rosas
Cover image for Las Trece Rosas. Haunting, isn’t it?
Victorian Surrealism: Art by Jeffrey Harp
“Chorus”
“In the Garden”
“Polyphemus”
All art in this post © Jeffrey Harp. See more from his Victorian Surrealism collection on Flickr.
I Ate a Severed Thumb
I went camping last week with a couple friends from high school. Both are vegetarians, so tofu hotdogs were on the menu. “No problem,” says I, “I don’t mind veggie dogs.”
Cue the package being opened and the dogs being doled out. I had threaded mine onto a coat hanger classy upscale roasting implement when I noticed something odd.
It looked a little…grotesque. The package must have been sealed too tightly, squishing the hotdogs together, and resulting in a strange discoloration.
Either that, or some dude at the factory lost his thumb and no one noticed.
I ate it anyway. It was delicious.
Typewriter Tattoos
I got my Olivetti typewriter tattoo back in January. I would have thought finding other typewriter tattoos would have made mine feel less special. But by contrast, I’ve found some beautiful pieces, each with their own unique take on the classic machine. Now I’m excited to be in such fine company!
The Bloggess’ Haunted Dollhouse
“…I’ve been slowly building a haunted dollhouse for the last eleven years.
…It’s filled with references to horror/fantasy books and movies that made me the possibly-twisted person I am today…”
Jenny Lawson, the Bloggess, is building herself a tiny haunted house. She turns to the tinkering to escape: “This year, however, I’ve been fighting off a bit of depression (which is exactly why I love to make tiny bottles of bezoars or miniature Victorian vampire killing kits, so I can escape from reality when I need to)…” (source)
Fantastic! The tiny Tarot cards melt my heart.
See the rest of the house, including an exterior shot, here.
PS – If you’ve never read The Bloggess, you should probably drop everything you’re presently doing and go there immediately. She’s by far one of my absolute favourite bloggers: try Copernicus or Beyonce the big metal chicken for a good intro.
PPS – This is what a bezoar is. See? Genius.
sniderwriter 