whatnot | favorite thing EVER

Sep 15, 2010 Posted by melodie

Michael’s Fat Boy Chopper (it’s a pen!)

I don’t know how it started. My pen grip is abnormal; that might be it. Pens rest on my third finger, so heavily that that knuckle has developed a callus at its end, and a pink divot in the middle. Or else it might be that I’m full of rage, river deep and mountain high. Whatever the cause, the fact remains that when I write with a pen, I press hard enough to make three copies even if I only... read more

Sep 9, 2010 Posted by rose

Happy New Year! In September!

Today is Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year. What a fantastic holiday! It’s so simple and yet so satisfying. First off, there’s the food: apples and honey for a sweet year, round challah bread for a whole year. My mom used to make matzoh ball soup, too, but I’m usually too disorganized for that. Besides, once you’ve eaten two apples and half a loaf of bread all smothered in... read more

Sep 6, 2010 Posted by alyx

Making story out of tree…

In my day to day life, when I am not pushing my favorite books and DVDs at you all, I am a fiction writer. I’ve had over thirty short stories published, and my first book, Indigo Springs, came out in 2009. Indigo Springs is sometimes called ecofantasy, which means that between outbursts of mystical energy, its characters spend a bit of time worrying about things like whether the magical apocalypse... read more

Sep 1, 2010 Posted by kormantic

All Directions Point to North!

You may already know Ryan North. He seems to be at the center of the Toronto Comix Mafia, which is fascinating, because as far as I can tell, Ryan North can’t really draw. No, really. His website at qwantz.com is called Dinosaur Comics, and it’s a sort of clip-art haiku meditation on cheerful philosophical absurdity. Using the same six panels in every comic, he expounds upon the mysteries of life... read more

Aug 31, 2010 Posted by kelly

Everything I ever wanted: iPod Touch

When someone pulls out their iPhone, I think: SUCKER! My little iPod Touch does nearly everything an iPhone does, with one important added benefit: Nobody can phone me on it. I hate the telephone. You hate the telephone. We are all lucky enough to live in a world where most of the time we no longer need the telephone. So why are people paying at least $60 every month (more likely $90 or $150) for their... read more

Aug 27, 2010 Posted by kormantic

Ira Glass will enhance YOUR American life

Ira Glass. IRA GLASS! Allow me to introduce you to Ira Glass: Ira Glass introduced me to Sarah Vowell and David Sedaris. He has been my radio boyfriend since forever, or at least 1995 when This American Life first aired. Probably before I even knew who he was – I actually remember the NPR segment where they interviewed people who were rescuing birds from the Exxon Valdez disaster by washing them with... read more

Aug 11, 2010 Posted by kormantic

I love potatoes so much, you guys

Potatoes. So many forms: from the mashed potato to The Mashed Potato, from the couch potato to the venerable Mr. Potato Head, potatoes (gluten and soy free!) are full of starchy goodness that can be extruded as hyperbolic paraboloids called Pringles or leaked into vodka. Truly, they are magical. One summer, I was so very wretchedly poor that I lived entirely on potatoes and peanut butter toast. ... read more