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I hate to get political, but the ass-ininity (ok, not a word...) but anyway, the ASSININITY of George Bush and his plan to open up the ANWR for drilling because of a few extra bills at the pumps just infuriates me....as does his recent ingenious plan to let up on clean air standards due to high gas costs. It got me thinking that people should not only drive less, but whenever possible, consume less....after all, the turbines that generate our electricity usually run on non-renewable resources as well...I'm going to make a big effort on the little stuff....shutting off the lights, not standing there with the fridge door open, taking a shorter shower, etc.

Sorry to be such a downer on a lovely Sunday morning, but maybe these recycled material bags by Reiter8 and Freitag will help make it better.

Go Bowling

I would not mess around when it comes to bowls. I'm very picky. These nexting bowls by MISO, available at MXYPLYZYK are pretty much the ultimate. The shape is great for mixing or for serving. Very ergonomic, and the dip in one side can serve as a pour spout. Plus, they're easy on the eyes AND the wallet.

It Was I Who Ate Your Data

Dear GOD. These little jump drives are cute, cute, cute. I love the 'little monster that eats your data' thing they have going on. Available at Composition, which has a very, ahem...intense flash site...so consider yourself forewarned. The little monsters are by MIMO. There are like 6 designs, and they are expensive....but cute to look at nonetheless....

Also, as a side note, in case you didn't know, if you have a Shuffle or ipod, you can use that as a jump drive. Just go into itunes and specify how you want to use it...'music AND files'. Then, plug it into your usb and go ahead and copy some files....You should be able to drag from your desktop onto the desktop icon of the ipod. OK enough tech talk. I feel my hands starting to fall asleep.

If you really wanted to go nuts, you could try putting your Shuffle into a finger-puppet and you might get close to the effect of the MIMO monster jump drives....but it might be yarnier.

The Anti-Dangle

Here I go again, with the incredibly simplistic jewelry (these earrings from Auto). Beautiful design. Would look lovely with a casual, upswept do or funky little short haircut.

Main Munn

You know how your parents used to have posters hanging around the house from their hippie days when you were growing up? And you used to wonder, 'Where the heck did those come from, and what are they all about?'

Well, if you do, then you'll like these posters from Jason Munn's studio, THE SMALL STAKES.

And when you have your own teenagers, they'll have something to chat with you about..."Mom, what's a Death Cab?"...

Anyway, Jason's work at it's best has a great, clever, Saul Bass-y cleverness to it....I love.

Air Quality Control

Take it from me...because I live for good smells. (My nose is....ahem...prominent).

As spring gets underway, nothing's more worth spending a few ducats on than a good smell for your home or body. I find that the right smells comfort me and totally refresh my environment or routine. They can cool it off, or warm it up. They can bring back old memories and become part of new ones. Yes, I stop and smell flowers. I love good perfume, good-quality smelly soaps. I want to be embalmed with Chanel No 5 when I die.

But, morbid nasal fetishes aside, the products above are by Thymes, and all of their wares are well worth a sniff. Thymes offers great, natural scents for home + body that are usually an interesting mixture of woodsy smells with more floral, sweet, or fruitlike ones...really nice combinations that are very unique, but not overpowering.

So, won't you give a lil' candle a home?

Here are some tips to help you pick out your new nose-pet.

>Avoid cheap scented candles, even if they smell good in the store. They usually don't contain enough oil; that's why they are cheap. Any oil that is in them hasn't been mixed thoroughly into the wax. This makes a candle that smells like wax, and doesn't burn right.

>If you want the true scent of a candle, tap it out from it's glass and wave the glass in front of your nose. Then, you can smell if there is oil in the candle and if it smells good to you.

>Mix scents. Buy several scents you like and burn them together or in pairs to get more out of the scents you chose.

>Don't be afraid of woodsy or earthy scents, especially if you are going to mix. A good woodsy scent is a less aggressive way to bring a yummy smell into the home. It's also more original and it's nice to try new things, right?....Right?

>If the really good candles are out of your price range (sometimes they can be like 60+ bucks) , ask the clerk if they have any that are a little yucky in the back of the house. I got a great Diptyque candle this way....12 bucks. Was a 54 dollar candle. Not sure if it was legal or not, but who cares. My house smells like a tuberose picked from Eden now, so HA HA.

Power Flower

Oh, Anna Whitford. Your flower pillows make my life worth living, yes they do. And they make my couches life worth living, too. Yes, they are girly, and I am always suspicious of getting too frilly....(I ought to mention that deeeep inside, if I didn't have to operate under a veil of rather hip normalcy I would wear a pink tutu all day and a pair of pink high-heels and live in a giant powderpuff. I am actually only 3, mentally.) But damn, these pillers are fun to look at. I think I want to BE one of Anna Whitford's pillows. I think even more than the pillows, though, I like the Wall Hangings and the Metallic Leather Corsages....

Simply Put

These are great rings that are stylish in their neutrality and lack of obnoxious trendiness. I love the delicate forms mixed with the darker, raw, industrial colorations and finishes for a nice contrast.

I would definitely wear these....a simple look that transcends fashion yet makes a statement. These look like something Patti Smythe might wear. Simple and almost androgynous. They look stylish and unique and aware without trying too hard. By Gemmafactrix. Think a stack is around 40 bucks.

A stacked look can be really flattering on people with longer, more spindly fingers. Or.....one on each hand...ie, one little ring on each middle finger or ring finger. Symmetry can be beautiful and very cool with rings if it's unexpected...ie, simple rings on same finger on each hand...

1 Out of Every 1 Dentists.

When it comes to accessories, the ones I like the best and endorse the most wholeheartedly are the ones that cost the least, with a low Ostentatiousness Factor (OF), and a high Street-and Old-Timer-Cred Yield. (SOTCY). (For another example pls see the Fatties entry about shoelaces.) And that is the theme of this post.

Take heed gum manufacturers, because it's my feeling that Nostalgic Gum is about to tip.

Tipping points aside, I can't help prefacing my recommendation for esoteric mouthfuls with a comment about Quentin Tarrantino's obscure little cigarrette brand, Apple...pictured in many of his movies...not sure if it actually exists. The corrollary: It seems like everyone ought to have their own brand of gum or at least mints, since smoking is not good for you. Gum and-or mints are much more innocuous, as far as I know. But I am not one, or even two out of one dentists, so don't take my word for that.

Personally, I'm a Clark's Teaberry girl. The stuff is good, but as you'd guess, like many good things, the flavor is fleeting. On a rare day, I'm a Chowards violet mints girl, although they have a weird taste that's not for everyone, they smell good...and are good to bring on a date, since they are a bit of a curiosity. Blackjack, although I know it SEEMS cool, is actually not, because A. It's been 'brought back' by a corporate company (a la Tab energy drink--on that theme why not just endorse REGULAR TAB???) and B. It is actually NOT a fact that something with the word 'Black' in it is more cool or edgy or doomed than something without.

So, while Blackjack is tempting, Teaberry is my gum of choice, ultimately. If I'm feeling annoyingly 80s retro, I might try and see if Chewls is still on the market (The gum cubes with the goo in the middle) but I think it's turned into 'Freshen Up' now with one of those weirdly pornographic, glistening logos that's got the fake water/sweat beads on it. yeek.

OK. I think I need to go lie down. I haven't gotten this hysterical about something since I posted about a Calculator Mascot costume.

Graphite Mountains

Seeing that woodgrain zebra in my last post reminded me that I wanted to put something in here about Sean Micka's artwork. I have had a postcard of one of his graphite paintings in my apartment for like a year now, and never looked him up online.

Anyway, he's a talented artist, who went to school with me, although I did not know him. His paintings are really great combinations of detail and abstraction, and he is a master with graphite. I love the series of crisp, contrasty, rocky, craggy mountains which he showed at a gallery here last year. I should have bought one then...but I didn't.

His work can be seen at the Judi Rotenberg Gallery here in Boston. I think he's one of the gallery artists represented.