The Culling XVI
March 29, 2009
I haven’t made a lot of progress since my last update more than a month ago – still in the male vocalists. Just finished listening to almost 20 Barry White albums (including Love Unlimited and Love Unlimited Orchestra which I’ve lumped all together).
I have to say, it was like listening to the same record 20 times over. However, it’s a pretty good record so I’m not complaining.
When Barry gets in a groove he really gets in a groove and sticks with it (more than once I had to check to see if the needle was stuck).
wtf? Barry White on the moon? Venus?
In another one of those crazy juxtapositions my record collection is full of, right after Barry White comes Slim Whitman.
If he’s remembered at all these days, I think it’s mostly for his K-tel type compilations that he used to flog on late night television in the early 80s.
A pity, because Slim is made of awesome. I love his yodeling, his whistling, and his pure, effortless falsetto. I also love that in Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks*, Slim’s yodeling was the secret weapon that made the Martians’ heads explode. Cruel, but hilarious.
*I seem to be the only person in the world who doesn’t loathe this movie.
accounting:
adored: 2060
abandoned: 449
aggregate: 2509
Spring cleaning
March 21, 2009
Today I took advantage of the lovely spring weather to clear out the deadwood from my blogroll (links to other blogs at the end of the column to the right). I’m sorry, but posting your tweets is not a blog. I also axed blogs that haven’t been updated in months – I know you have a life but I need constant stimulation. I added some new blogs and put everything in categories. They’re all good time wasters, but Vintage Microwave (subtitled “Free May Not Be Cheap Enough”) never fails to make me laugh til I cry.
Update: Vintage Microwave is now called Item Not As Described.
Cookbook Report
March 12, 2009
Betty Crocker’s Dinner For Two Cookbook
I love the clever, whimsical illustrations by Charles Harper in this small, coil-bound, hardcover cookbook first published in 1958.
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There’s plenty of info about Harper on the net – he had a long, prolific career that spanned about 60 years. He was active right up to the time of his death a couple of years ago. Here’s a nice obit on Ward-O-Matic, one of my favourite design oriented blogs.
Though he specialized in wildlife illustration, especially birds, I think this little book shows that Harper could draw any subject with style and wit.
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March Hare
March 11, 2009
