Interest Piqued

You know, after you write for a while, it can get a little isolated. What I mean is that in the beginning I used to link a lot. Now I read more and link less. And it's just pure laziness. I comment a lot more than I used to...that was my commitment to myself in 2007. But I read lots daily, and each day I'm amazed. Here's a sampler of cool stuff I read within the last week from some very good writers, photographers, and artists:

Rub Your Breasts. Yep, you read it right. Scott and Marisa are at it again in this ninth installment of Fork You. There's something about preparing a whole chicken that brings out the inner Beavis and Butthead in all of us (well, Marisa brought it back to cooking).

Hitting Home. A soldier from Mark's town was killed last week in Iraq. Do you fly a flag or not? Mark talks about the torn feelings on that. He also has a link to a bumper sticker I'm ordering today.

A Day at the Academy. Besides the fact that it includes one of the truly great lines ever uttered, "Frank, big boys don't cry," it's a story of how our scripts are embedded in us and we never know when we all of a sudden become our parents.

I Used to Be a Heroin Addict, but Now I'm a Methadone Addict. Pax has a favorite clip from Annie Hall (one of my favorite movies, too) where Alvie is in school and wondering what his classmates are doing now.

E2 4 Me. Ubermensch is on airplanes all the time, and offers a 48Facets recommendation for the best ear buds. Hello music, goodbye world.

Low Impact Week. Albert and Lady are working on living a low impact life. I admire that. I also drooled over this loaf of bread he bought locally.

I Have Found It. Moni watched a Bollywood film and said, "Isn't it romantic?"

Yeah, Baby! Tony bought some CDs and got the very best "thank you" letter ever from the CEO. Cool.

Breaking Suburbia's Stranglehold. Jeff writes about how his and Eric's commute into Hotlanta ain't as hot as it used to be now that the time to get downtown has gone up dramatically.

Ever Owned a Moleskin Jacket? Howard has been keeping his notes and observations in moleskin notebooks. He has the pictures -- and the haikus, he's the Poet Laureate of Philadelphia in my book -- to prove it.

Matt's Been Dealing With Cats. How would you deal with feral cats? I have to say that Matt took the best approach and did the most research of anyone I've ever heard of. You can read an ennobling story in three parts.

Sum, Sum, Summertime. Jessica has a summertime meme that gets us all thinking about sun and surf...and days off to enjoy.

And Baby Makes 4. Heck, I don't know how I didn't get this up on the first round. Maidy is having a baby...or at least she's doing the Brackston-Hicks Boogie. She's trying all the tricks to get the little one to say, "Hello world!"

Okay, that's what made me smile this week, along with a lot more.