Recently in Things we may have missed... Category

I was at the library the other day multitasking.
Because that's what libraries are for, right?

Writing recipes, looking for design inspiration while simultaneously reading TITANIC TRUCKS to the boy running through the stacked aisles. I was beginning to think that a vacation might be something to consider when all of the sudden books started screaming and jumping off the shelves -- dangerously missing my head... I grabbed Will and dove under the nearest table. The piles of books surrounded us as one manuscript fell open at my knees... it was Poe, "I am above the weakness of seeking to establish a sequence of cause and effect, between the disaster and the atrocity." It was then that I realized that something needed to be done immediately... Because I have reached the final point, and this is it. I am dangerously approaching the end of my blogging quota.

Visualize this to be like filling a water balloon to capacity or eating copious amounts of McDonald's like this guy did a few years ago... only to result in weight gain, heart disease, ulcers and bad skin.... because what did he think was going to happen? I wonder if he wishes that he could go back and undo -- kind of like going back and picking through - deleting the bad blog posts while copying and saving the good ones for republishing possibilities... revitalizing the QUOTA. But oh the HUMANITY.

I started For the Birds on August 22, 2008. It was a slow start... and, although I never intended for this blog to turn into what it is now... it has been a journey like no other... similar to swimming across the Atlantic or leaving the space shuttle mid-universe to test out that gravity theory... floating aimlessly into DEEP SPACE. And if you know what this blog is about, then you're a hair-slight more genius than I, because I lost track a LOOOONG time ago. But I am missing the point.

What I am trying to inch out there is that I am now starting the tedious task of going back, judging myself and then deciding who gets to stay and who gets to go hang out at the pearly gates of archival heaven. But what do you think? If you are here, reading this right now -- If you wouldn't mind turning time off for a few minutes and letting me know if there are any posts that must stay live... Because beyond self-inflicted torture, I am my own souvenir. And I'm sure that isn't the first time I've said that.   

I get a lot of email. Tons.

I get so much email that I sometimes miss out on really good stuff. Then I have to turn around and apologize to the sender when the over looked email is discovered. For example, The Main Street Mile is this Monday (October 11, 8:30am Main Street, Southampton) and the son of a great friend is running in it - Dylan. The Main Street Mile is a one-mile competitive run and non competitive friendship walk from Jobs and Main to The Southampton Bathing Corporation. Open to all ages and fitness levels, this family friendly event will benefit Best Buddies, an organization dedicated to fostering friendships between developmentally disabled individuals and their typically developing peers. Founded in 1989 by Anthony Kennedy Shriver, Best Buddies positively impacts more than 350,000 people every year, both within the Unites States and Internationally. Please click here to support Dylan and Best Buddies International.

I almost missed this notification and it is important to me. I almost missed this because I only have a few hours a day to do actual work and in the midst of this I try to check email. Yes, I can check email on my iphone too, but the iphone in all of it's glory is not a keyboard and makes me feel like I have HUGE FINGERTIPS so I hate writing back on the it unless its just a few words... Like... "How Much?" or "NO". I wish there was a way to control email above and beyond the spam and junk filters.. Wouldn't it be great, for instance, if emails had associated scents -- that way we could utilize another one of our senses before opening... case in point - an email from my Mom would smell like Chanel °5 while an email such as this would smell like bong water:

Thanks for trusting me Mr. Peter Lee.

This blog generates a great deal of email... There are the SEO Promisers; the Get Rich Quickers; the Suggesters, and the Commentors. I quite enjoy the comments, excluding the haters of course (why so angry, this is only a bloggedy blog!) and only recently was made aware of the importance of publishing them--I used to keep them secret...I'd respond, but I would hold onto them, rereading and then eventually deleting. Like a mouse collecting crumbs--weird, right? Those days are over, I've stopped acting like a rodent and I apologize if I deleted you. Publishing the comments, however, does not solve the issue of the amount of emails that I receive, and to avoid publishing hate mail, I prefer to approve comments before making them live. If you are here - and you've commented, and now you are sitting in my inbox somewhere feeling ignored--I will find you... it just might take a little while -- especially with the arrival of Mr. Peter Lee's new offer...of which I need to give SERIOUS AND POSITIVE CONSIDERATION.

Throwback Post: Would You Please Stop the God-damned Hammering!?

Our commenting tool seems to be suffering from some sort of quarter life crisis... Thank you to all that emailed/tweeted me both in peace and in fury over the situation... We are mending and should be better soon.  

We are also aware that some images from our older posts have disappeared. Well, the move from Typepad to Movable Type was smooth, but the box with the old images must have bounced from the truck bed and we are retracing our steps to recover.

As always, thank you for your patience. Please hold your thoughts.

A few weeks ago For the Birds celebrated it's one year mark -- picture me sitting at the keyboard with a party hat on....vodka bottle rolling on the floor...  silly string still stuck to the monitor.. I mentioned in my post that FTB has built a following with over 20,000 site visitors. This is a rough estimate, because  -- come on, really. You don't think that I actually believe that 20,000+ of you are out there reading these almost daily observations... And thanks to all of the lovely comments that I received pointing this out. Side note, I am not that BOARING Ms. Kelly from Kentucky -- and although you don't know how to spell, I might have better things to do with my time but I choose to do this -- and if it's just not that interesting to you -- then STOP visiting. But, keep checking in if you must, I am into all things that depreciate. 

So, getting to the point, I do know -- thanks to those smart heads over at Feed Burner, that we do have a factual regular readership of 25 concrete, real-live people. That's right - a lovely and lucky 25. And to you I am calling out. In the next few days the following will be happening:

1. For the Birds will turn out the lights for a much needed beauty rest.
2. For the Birds will return, refreshed and better than ever--but only viewable at the new (still shiny) URL - http://forthebirdsblog.com
3. The old ugly domain http://designsigh.typepad.com/forthebirds will GO AWAY, so DON'T GO THERE
4. Those of you that have the old domain/URL in your readers, you will need to change to the new domain.
5. For the Birds will only be accessible from http://forthebirdsblog.com
6. This has very little to do with the evil birders over at forthebirds.com 

Unfortunately, I don't have specific timing on this event--otherwise I would fill you in. But the wheels are in motion. We've checked the logs, Batman, and will make a swift return... So, if you happen to be settling in for the evening, and pull up to FTB for some mild entertainment, please don't be alarmed if you receive some sort of error message or blank screen--We are still here... we are coming back--this has very little to do with the evil birders at forthebirds.com AND, the best is yet to come... More shameless self-promotion of multiple personality abundance -  I want you to know but I don't anxiety disorder...  have I mentioned most of us here are geminis? Any questions? Email me - rmsatbwdstudiodotcom.

I hate that I write lists obsessively (in a series of notebooks that all look alike) but they never seem to make it to the typepad. Here's a taste of randomness that I've been hocking over at Google Reader... There's never enough time in the day...

• The Hygiene Hypothesis... not accurate (shocker)...
• Misszoot might just punch someone.... 
• Need help reading, writing, eating or drawing while you DRIVE? Here's a desktop... This could take texting accidents to a whole new level.. (note the awesome disclaimer)
• The highest rate of nose jobs?? That's right perfect noses in IRAN... I suppose since everything else is SHROUDED.
• Slumping in Dubai... what wouldn't we do to do Dubai (now taking sponsors)
• THIS JUST IN - food allergies can be dangerous. Thanks, Brain Surgeons @ Grand Rapids Press...
• Generation A
• Decorative Brilliance
• A Grand Slam with Mushrooms... Even if you don't like them...
• Laura Ashley on Crack
• Unattended Children Will (and should) be shot...
• Cool Bird Prints (going to this show soon!)
• David the Designer (I'm probably scaring this man)
• AND of course... blah blah blah follow me on Twitter and read my posts @ Artistic Things..Check back randomly—I promise more random lists and almost daily observations.. yadda yadda yadda.

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Whoa the month of May went fast! I suspect June will feel the same although I hope not... time for some nice lazy summer days—we might have to wait until July.

1. The Mini-Boost @ Cool Tools...
2. Easy-Peasy improvisation... [lifehacker]
3. Humble pie, Mr. Koons... [recessionwire]
4. Same site—I was mentioned... (less than pleased and the last interview I ever do)...
5. Before & After...
6. A list for your tongue...[mightygirl]
7. So true, Mr. Dempsey...  [graphicjourneyblog]
8. Czars...
9. This is one healthy desk drawer... staged perhaps?[kitchn]
10. Enough Already!! In the Hamptons...
11. Oh great...
12. Some venting @ Noisy Decent Graphics... we totally relate...
13. Was David the Designer mugged? We hope not... and we may mug for one...
14. The SNARC effect... (just wanted to say SNARC)... [cognitivedaily]
15. Avocados are finally in season... [seriouseats]
16. Check your physics at the door.... [cosmicvariance]
17. Ugh.. in-flight dining...
18. A lot of words explaining a simple theory... [alistapart]
19. One of our Portsmouth, NH faves... The Friendly Toast... Nostalgia..[seriouseats]
20. I once had a co-worker that tapped his mouse... hours of anxiety... [passiveagressivenotes]
21. Royal whines on Royal Pains... This Thursday@ USA Network.... all kinds of royal hypocrisy...
22. Go ahead.. Talk to strangers... [thehappinessproject]
23. Partying for partying's sake... in Dubai (of course)... [jaunted]
24. Martha gets to the bottom of Twitter...
25. AND... only one week into the season—The 2009 MAGAZINE WARS!...if it isn't one, it's another.

JUNEWARD!

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Easter Monday is the day after Easter Sunday and is celebrated as a holiday in some largely Christian cultures, especially Roman Catholic cultures. Easter Monday in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar is the second day of the octave of Easter Week. In Poland and parts of the United States, Easter Monday is called Dyngus Day.

Formerly, the post-Easter festivities involved a week of secular celebration, but this was reduced to one day in the 19th century. Events include egg rolling competitions and, in predominantly Roman Catholic countries, dousing other people with water which traditionally had been blessed with holy water the day before at Easter Sunday Mass and carried home to bless the house and food.

In the Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite, Easter Monday is known as Bright Monday or Renewal Monday, and is the second day of Bright Week. The services are exactly the same as on Pascha (Easter Sunday), except that the hymns from the Octoechos are in Tone Two. It is customary to have a Crucession (procession headed by a cross) either after Paschal Matins or after the Paschal Divine Liturgy. It is customarily a day for visiting family and friends. [wikipedia]

Many excuses to take another day off... so ON WITH IT...

1. Lovage... [kitchn]
2. Always questioning the masses... [sethgodinsblog]
3. Why would anyone take the time to do this... [seriouseats]
4. !!!!!!!!!! [passiveagressivenotes]
5. Behold the Matzoh Ball..
6. What is this woman thinking? (she sent us her brochure)...
7. This is a really cool kite...
   
8. FLOGOS!
   
9. FlyDubai.. any day now...
10. AND... My oh my... 101 was 20 years ago and people are (still) people, everything counts AND I'm still wearing black.

This week is all about COLOR!

1. White can stain too... 
2. Balboa coins are the same size and color...[jaunted]
3. Justifying the mood... [ohdeeoh]
4. Tropicana, we totally predicted this...
5. Neon Lights... fading fast... [make]
6. The pink Swarovski Mouse... oohhh shiny [designboom]
7. Avoid those little green nuts...
8. Murdoch gets it...
9. Martha... encourages the color coding system (shocking)...
10. AND... feeling low, add in some PURPLE!

springspringspringspringspring.

1. utility is not contingent on perfection of form... [alistapart]
2. I could be a ghost - tweet tweet...
3. Banh-Mis!!!!...[gridskipper]
4. Book Cover Archive...just in case...
5. FRAUD!FRAUd!FRAud!FRaud!Fraud!fraud!... so exhausting...
6. Martha's Martyn loves a good massage...
7. Saab, saab, saab...
8. That deer was HUGE... and there is no way that this really happened....
9. a very cool poster... [deathbykerning]
10. AND... in a world gone mad, how can you not love Judge Judy?

In other news... Although the winter was painful... the negativity and stress are now balancing out somewhat with calm and ease. I think we did the right thing by laying low. I've reached out -- started to reconnect with close ties. There is a faint rumble and I am, dare I say, hopeful.

Spring!

1. The Black & White logo is beyond important [@noisydecentgraphics]
2. Vintage websites...
3. ButterbarnButterbarnButterbarnButterbarn...some of you will get it...
4. As if there wasn't anything left to lie about... books [@kottke]
5. If I only had a bucket load of money... Dubai...
6. Brrrrrrrr.....
7. Like there isn't ANYWHERE else to beachgo or fish out here... why is this even being written about...
8. Ooohhh Chiaquiles Rojos...
9. Seriously happy about STUFF...
10. AND... I had the pleasure of visiting two artist studios this week--belonging to two of my favorite people! Check them out... Mr. Dennis Leri and Mr. Daniel Gonzalez. Made me feel arty.