On the Molly

Let's bring it back

click me

Gun Hoofs

These shoes are unreal. Created by Iris Schieferstein

mike mills' art

it seems appropriate sometimes.

shark: splendid savage of the sea

postcard movie review

Dear Spike,

Next time, less soundtrack more movie. Say "hey" to Charlie for me, if you guys still hang out.

Love,
jfz

ps: the kids are alright...

Everyday Struggle

Q: what is an astronaut's favorite sport? A: Lcross

A few months ago, the public library had "lunar samples" on display. It was a palm-sized clear disk with different variations of gray powder and corresponding labels. Totally disappointing.
I thought this picture would be appropriate for our undead blog because of the LCROSS mission aka "the bombing of the moon."
Many are skeptical and more are outraged regarding this whole ordeal--- but at least this will provide astronauts with the opportunity to collect better samples of moonrocks to display in public libraries across the nation.

burrito dinner

starring "goof ball" branden goff, dave "throw up those dukes" kutz, "aunti" christ-ina spinelli and bob "lye" barry. in the biggest action dinner since arnold ate those babies.

the blog is dead, long live the blog.

BLOG MORTUUS EST, VIVAT BLOG.

another crisis averted thanks to cartoons

anyone who knows me, knows that i like to reference cartoons in conversation.

let me put it this way, some people have the bible, other people have wise and aged family members, i have cartoons. cartoons have taught me many of the many things that have made me who i am. they have taught me morals, ethics, interpersonal skills, economics, what to do with pesky road runners, and so on.

well this post is to honor cartoons which have saved me from unknown horrors.

as this picture above demonstrates i was almost lured into a trap. i know this. i learned this from cartoons. they taught me that carrots on the ground are never just free carrots. i couldn't see the box, but i'm sure it was there, right above those carrots, waiting to drop on me so that some stuttering hunter in flannel could have his way with me.

thank you animated allegories!

New Favorite Sport

While briefly researching 'Bangladesh', whose national sport is Kabaddi, I came across Kabaddi. It's like tag, except with one essentially different, borderline-ridiculous rule. Not to mention, the game seems entirely based around trust--trust that the raider is not breathing while she/he is attacking you. What? I know. Amazing.

Un Petit Poem

Trust me darling
the only progress you halted
in letting your hair grow long
was the once understood process
that of my moving on

KO'd

Anytime I see this cover, I'm five years old again. 

marathon

the boston marathon is pretty cool.

they close down so many miles of roads.

then dudes come whizzing by in these amazing devices.


and then your mom demonstrates how nuts she is by doing an 'army' dance.




people don't obey traffic lights... it's shocking

and you get to high five tons of strangers...as well as yell their names in encouragement

Extreme Sheep Herding

I'm not sure if this is real, but if it is, it's amazing.

scary bush at wallis sands beach

where'd you hear about this book? a review of sorts

Lush Life, by Richard Price

I went into Barnes & Noble after work a few weeks ago to kill time before a movie. Sat on the floor and looked through the photo books for awhile. Diane Arbus. Nick Veasey. 

Wandered by the noteworthy fiction table and scanned some titles. Picked up Lush Life, the author's name looked vaguely familiar but I couldn't place it. 

I put the book back and asked the girl at the customer service desk if they had a guidebook for my camera. She had left her car lights on and was in a rush to run out to the parking lot and turn them off. 

"Ummm," she said, "he can help you." 

Pointed to a paunchy, balding guy in his late twenties. 

I asked about the guidebook. Turns out they didn't have it in stock. He said they could have it in in a day or two. Had to backpedal and say I wasn't really sure if I wanted it. Felt awkward and cheap. All I wanted was to read the section on shutter speeds. 

Went back to the photo section and looked at Nick Veasey again.

I walked back by noteworthy fiction. Picked up Lush Life, still couldn't place Richard Price. Started to read the back. 

"Hey, did you find your camera book?" 

Customer service girl was back. 

I told her I decided not to get it, felt cheap again. Held up Lush Life and asked if I could pay for it there at the customer service desk. She shook her head and pointed to the front counter. I thanked her for all her help and hustled out of there. 

Reading the back as I walked, thinking maybe I would ditch it on the new releases table on the way out. 

On the back, Michael Chabon calls Price "our best, one of the best writers of dialogue in the history of American literature." This is like Ray Allen saying someone has a sweet jumpshot. I decide to actually buy the book. 

Pay in cash, no bag, thank you, have a nice day. 

Reading the book at home and the first chapter is called "Fishing Hole on Delancey." I remember who Richard Price is. First time I heard his name was on The Moth where he tells the real Fishing Hole on Delancey story of doing ride-alongs with the NYPD while researching a book. Apparently, Lush Life. 

I remember what an incredible story that episode was and high-five myself for making such a good choice. 

Rest of the book is a slam dunk. It's like reading a season of The Wire. Storylines for victims, perps, and law enforcement all bleed in and out and onto each other effortlessly. Really nails 'the Dickensian aspect.' I'm almost-smiling and almost-crying on every other page it seems like. 

Fuck, The Wire was such an awesome show and this book is almost as good!

Turns out Richard Price was a writer on The Wire. 

RE: Tedium

Bliss - a-second-by-second joy and gratitude at the gift of being alive, conscious - lies on the other side of crushing, crushing boredom. Pay attention to the most tedious thing you can find (Tax Returns, Televised Golf) and, in waves, a boredom like you've never known will wash over you and just about kill you. Ride these out, and it's like stepping from black and white into color. Like water after days in the desert. Instant bliss in every atom.

-David Foster Wallace, from his notes for The Pale King, a novel on transcendence, boredom, and the IRS.

Excerpts from The Pale King give us a glimpse into the uber-boring world of an IRS office and offer some interesting strategies for coping. Whilst checking forms for accuracy, IRS clerks pause to envision soothing tropical paradises and frequently clench and unclench their butt cheeks. 

Whether this an actual practice by IRS agents discovered during Wallace's extensive research and preparation or an entirely fictional creation could not be verified by my own cursory Google search.

*Wallace hung himself in his garage before completing The Pale King, casting serious doubts on the validity of his insights into how to cope with the tedium of human life. 

** Wallace was also an accomplished tennis player and scholar of the game. Read an article he wrote on Roger Federer (one of his last completed works).

Merrill Howard Kalin Show (wowwee kazoowee)

Merrill Howard Kalin Show



Go ahead. Hate me. You know you're laughing. And for your information he was not faking any of this. Plus he's dead. Not from salmonella but from "Natural causes". If you have seen this in past I am sorry for posting this. Unfortunately I hadn't seen this up until a few nights ago. Priceless.....