Sometimes art critics have to clarify and even defend the importance of a work of art, to explain its cultural relevance. Not every work of art is understood or appreciated in its time but most had at least one defender who wasn’t the artist who tried to get the work the attention it deserved. And sometimes they just have to say, HEY, NOT MUCH I CAN SAY BUT THIS THING IS AWESOME AND YOU REALLY SHOULD LOOK AT IT.
And you may notice the Library of Congress website has regular technical difficulties which would normally be annoying but somehow they managed to make that funny too.
An Irish pub in Spain is banning the classic singalong song “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond to keep its patrons safer…A photo posted by the pub’s owner Linda Carroll showed the sign explaining the decision: “Due to COVID-19 ‘Sweet Caroline’ is banned. There will be no: touching hands, reaching out, touching me, touching you.”
Schadenfreude (German)-Taking pleasure in the misery of others.
Pochemuchka (Russian)-A highly inquisitive person
Tsundoku (Japanese)-The practice of purchasing books you will probably never read, allowing them to pile up
Desvelado (Spanish)-Being deprived of sleep
Çrregullt (Albanian)-The guilt that comes when someone asks you what seems like a stupid question but when you try to answer it you realize it’s really pretty complicated
Hendelseshorisont (Norwegian)-When you become old enough to realize that most of the original Star Trek episodes were really terrible
Tàirneanaich (Scottish)-When you’ve been inside all day and you finally get a break and step out for some fresh air and it immediately starts raining
Oorworm (Dutch)-The frustration that comes from having a song stuck in your head but you can’t really remember the words
Jageugje (Korean)-Annoyance with yourself when you’ve been handling spicy food with your fingers and then you rub your eyes
Vad är det här (Swedish)-When you’re looking through your desk drawer for something and you find a bag of leftover pieces of furniture you put together
Yangın işareti (Turkish)-The motions you go through when someone asks to see your passport which you’re sure you had just a minute ago
Orologio da abbuffata (Italian)-The certainty when you’ve been binge watching a TV show that you must have skipped something because there’s no way you’re already halfway through season five
Mehukas juoru (Finnish)-The realization when you’re halfway through sharing some gossip that it’s about the person you’re talking to
Qese Çaji (Albanian)-When you’re on your way somewhere and you have to turn around and go home because you’re certain you left something on the stove
Jen vtip (Czech)-The desire to punch someone who insists on dropping foreign phrases into conversation
Urmărindofurtună (Romanian)-Surprise when watching a weather report on the news that there’s a town with a funny name you’ve never heard of before that’s actually pretty near where you live, and you start thinking, “Maybe I should visit Bugtussle.”
Ințepătură de Cornet (Romanian)-Small town in the region of Transylvania whose name roughly translates as “Bugtussle”
Fourth of July celebrations around the United States usually mean dazzling displays of pyrotechnics, but with social distancing and people limiting their movement many may stay inside and binge watch so it’s time for a pop quiz!
Fireworks or Buddy Cop film?
1. Hot Fuzz 2. Point Break 3. Bad Boys 4. Turner And Hooch 5. Tuggy Huggy 6. A Gnome Named Gnorm 7. Big Explosion 8. Three Minute Blaze Of Glory 9. Lethal Weapon 10. Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot! 11. Furious Flamingo 12. Terms Of Endearment 13. Sixteen Blocks 14. Emoji Spinners 15. Ground Bloom Flower Brick 16. Men In Black 17. Buffy The Vampire Slayer 18. Dragnet 19. Penguin Mama 20. The Glimmer Man 21. Croc Rock 22. Midnight Run 23. Killer Chihuahua 24. Osmosis Jones 25. Donkey Balls
Scoring: More than 20–You’re a Hollywood special effects technician with a business card that says “I blow shit up for a living.” You burned down your high school.
15-20–For reasons only you can explain you double majored in film studies and chemistry and still have most of your fingers. You burned down your parents’ garage.
10-14–You like movies and always find the best parking spot for your local Fourth Of July celebration. You’re in charge of the fire when camping.
5-9–You watch your local Fourth Of July celebration on the morning news on the fifth of July. You burn yourself on the stove every time you cook.
1-4–Soup commercials make you cry and you once burned yourself with a glow stick.
Shakespeare is thought by some scholars to have written King Lear while quarantined during an outbreak of plague in London.
Ben Jonson wrote his play The Alchemist in 1610, while the plague was still ravaging London.
Bocaccio lived through the 1348 plague that ravaged Florence and was inspired to write The Decameron, about a group of wealthy socialites who practice social distancing by holing up in a house in the country.
Samuel Pepys kept a very detailed and funny diary even though the Great Plague of London from 1665-1666.
Daniel Defoe was inspired to write A Journal Of The Plague Year, a fictionalized account of events of 1665, in 1719 during an outbreak of plague in Marseilles, France.
Thucydides continued writing The History Of The Peloponnesian War even through the 430 BC plague of Athens, which he also documented.
George Orwell wrote 1984 while suffering from tuberculosis.
So did Franz Kafka. I mean, he didn’t write 1984, but he continued to write, including working on his final novel The Castle, while in a sanatorium being treated for tuberculosis, where he died.
The Marquis de Sade wrote most of his works while in prison and most of his works probably should have stayed there.
Emily Dickinson spent most of her life in self-imposed solitude but still managed to be a great poet.
Robert Louis Stevenson suffered from a respiratory ailment for most of his life but started writing as a child and didn’t stop until his death at forty-four.
In two weeks I’ve accomplished absolutely nothing. I guess there’s still time, though.
So my wife knits, which is a pretty cool thing. I think I’d be impressed by it even if I weren’t completely incompetent with knots. At summer camp when we were given colored cord to make lanyard keychain and I ended up tying up my friend Dale who was sitting on the opposite side of the table. Anyway it’s even cooler that my wife uses her power of needles for good–she-s no Madame DeFarge, and not just because she’s not French. Sometimes I reap the benefits too. She’s made a variety of cool hats but I also really dig these socks:
These two pairs are especially cool. Doctor Who fans will recognize the design of the ones on the left and Pink Floyd fans will understand why the ones on the right are a design is called “Dark Side Of The Moon”, and it’s amazing how much those two groups overlap, and she knows she married a geek, but that’s another story.
Sometimes she just gets me cool socks–not knitted, but still the sort of thing I like.
And then there are these Edgar Allan Poe socks and it’s amazing how often Poe fans, Doctor Who fans, and Pink Floyd fans overlap.
Having trouble finding just the right gifts this holiday season? Look no further than your mailbox—not your email, but your actual mailbox. While online shopping is still growing in popularity catalogs are making a comeback, and why not? Something you can sit and peruse is a terrific way to find ideas, and there’s something in them for everyone, which is why catalogs are perfect for your holiday shopping.
Here are just a few suggestions for some of the people who might be on your list this year.
The Kids-Options for kids are all over the place, and vary from kid to kid. Some might appreciate a LEGO catalog, with all that historic company has to offer. Still others might have fun with the retro Betty’s Attic catalog, or the wide variety of items from The Toy Network.
The Roommate-Whether you’re sharing an apartment or a multi-bedroom house living in close proximity can be trying, especially when it comes to the bathroom facilities. If you have a female roommate consider a Bath & Body Works catalog. Or for your male roommate consider Williamsport Bowman Barber Supply, or Allston Supply, which offers a wide variety of janitorial products.
The Foodie-Do you know someone who likes to cook? Send them a Chef Works catalog, full of cookware and other kitchen items. Know someone who might not be so big on cooking but loves food? Send them a Gourmet Food Store catalog, or, for something a little out of the ordinary, send them a Scottish Gourmet USA catalog.
The Athlete-Know someone who likes to work out? You might think exercise equipment would be the ideal catalog idea, but try something different. Send them The Restoration Hardware catalog. At about seventeen pounds it’s perfect for regular weightlifting. Or deliberately misspell their name on a second form so they get two!
The Grandmother-Grandmothers are as individual and unique as anyone, but if you’re looking for something traditional try The Vermont Country Store catalog. Full of nostalgic and hard-to-find items it’s a cozy item to have around and useful for starting a fire.
The Grandfather-Like grandmothers these come in all types, but if you’re looking for something special for the somewhat curmudgeonly old guy in your life consider the Hammacher Schlemmer or Sharper Image catalogs. These will give him plenty of fodder for grumbling about “kids these days” and if he gets the 18-foot inflatable snowman he’ll finally have a legitimate reason to tell those kids to get off his lawn.
The Impossible To Buy For-Forget the catalogs. Send ‘em a damn fruitcake.
