Paul Merrill
A few weeks ago, Heather and I had a wonderful date at a fancy restaurant in a fancy mall not far from our home. (We had a fancy coupon working in our favor.) Our arrival was early enough that we spent a little time window shopping.
One store had this glass-and-metal artwork on each of the door posts. I couldn’t help but think of what an iPhone looks like.
Gigazine.
Though I can’t read a word, there are some fun things to see. Check it out.
Disclaimer: I do not approve of all the images on the site!
A retired couple in my neighborhood have five vehicles in their driveway. Two drivers. (And there may even be another one or two tucked away in their garage.) Admittedly, the RV is a great addition to their choices of fun ways to spend a summer. But some of the other vehicles overlap in function.
I realize that the initial cash value freed up by selling two might not be much. But the insurance, tax and maintenance costs for keeping that many vehicles going is significant (in my book).
Having fewer vehicles in the stable to keep track of would give an increased sense of freedom, I’d almost promise. And they would never have to move one vehicle to get to the other.
The Studebaker Avanti was a revolutionary design. It was produced in 1962 – way ahead of its time. Raymond Loewy, the designer, was one of the celebrated industrial designers of the 1950s and 1960s. It is truly a beautiful car, in many ways.
One lives in our neighborhood. And its more broken down twin lives in an adjacent garage. (Pictured is my neighborhood Avanti’s sad eye looking downward.)
I quietly wonder if its owner will do the restoration. Please understand that I am not faulting him (or her) for delaying – I would not be courageous to attempt such a major project.
I would suggest a path to freedom and perhaps a few additional dollars would be for them to sell the car. And its twin. Guilt over unfinished project? Gone.
Heather was out. (We share our home office, at the moment.) She got a call. I grabbed a leaf from my waste basket to write the note on.
Takeaway: How can you can do a common task in an uncommon way today?
Over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, Heather, Rachel and I had the privilege of seeing the new film, Fantastic Mr Fox.
We loved it.
There was enough good stuff for an 8-year-old to enjoy, as well as plenty of stuff that only adults would appreciate. Why did I love it so much? There were plenty of shiny bits. The texture of the film went deep. I rarely want to see a film twice, but this one hit that level. There was so much lovingly-crafted detail that I wanted to see it again to catch what I missed the first time. (Sadly, my second viewing will be on the small screen, I’m sure.)
The film commented on the human experience in ways that were profound and simple at the same time. (Background on the story is here.)
Go see it! Today. I must warn you that it is quirky… if you prefer only mainstream experiences, check out another film.
Pic courtesy of the film’s website.
So this tail-end of the article was published before Michael Jackson died. At that point, he could do no good.
Post-death? He could do no wrong.
Another thing that is lost in translation – Puccino’s. That’s a coffee shop chain in the UK. An English friend, Ed, sent me these sugar packets. I love how the white sugar is for “commoners” and the brown (unrefined) sugar is for snobs.
Why is the chain name lost in translation? In the USA, that might be the name of an upscale Italian restaurant.
Funny enough, for my readers in the UK, Starbucks does not brand their brown sugar. They use an outside source, “Sugar in the Raw“. I always pick that kind, when given a choice. It just tastes better. I wrote about that before.
I was amused at how this logo looks like the Starbucks logo (if you squint your eyes just right). It’s for a cafe chain in Japan.
Anonand? That’s a name that might sound exotic to a Japanese person – but it has no exotic appeal to an American.
One of my favorite blogs these days is Tokyobling’s Blog. Why? I love Japan. I have never been there, but that culture fascinates me. The blog’s author is a great photographer and an expat living there, so they have an eye for what a foreigner might appreciate.
Someday I’ll do something with my place-holder blog that relates to Japan.
Check out my post on extravagance over at 
