Spinster Aunt

Following on from the Bullet Point meme going around my flist:

• Happy Birthday cynthdiane! Have a fantastic day.



• My Gruen Transfer ad for Gruen Beauty.
  "Be ugly. On the inside." I could have used an editor, but it was fun to make nonetheless.



• For the Amelia Peabody fangirls (of whom I am one):
  Youtube video of a sword parasol! Or at least a parasol that makes a sound like a sword. That is so cool. Geeky cool.



• From Dylan Moran's standup routine whch I saw on 27 March last year:
  "My wife is a smart and capable woman. The kind of woman it's fun to try to win arguments with."
  Is it any wonder I'm a total fangirl?



• Video: How To Speak
  I have sat through some stultifyingly useless presentations, sermons, lectures and meetings in my time. Speaking skills are vastly underrated.



• From Boundless on DIY & the virtue thereof:
  Science-fiction author Robert A. Heinlein once wrote: "A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects."
  
  I had to look up what "conn a ship" meant, but I am somewhat comforted that I'm in the middle of attaching binding to my corset.



• Knowledge & Information
  "It is possible to know too much. It is possible to care too much. Hunger for information can become gluttony."
  
  A good reminder to myself that my time & attention is limited, so I need to be discerning in what I choose to read/listen to/watch etc. Information clutter is just as much clutter as anything else.



• And more on clutter from the SMH: "Clutter, the persistent curse of the acquiring classes"
  "The alternative to cluttering up our homes is simply to avoid acquiring unwanted or useless items in the first place. Among other things, this requires a more conscious approach to shopping: buying what we really need and will use."



• Unclutterer: Organising work files.
  “This organization was here before you were a member and will continue on after you graduate. If your files are messy, it’s fine for you now, but you’re not thinking of the people who are to serve after you.”
  
  Word. I've recently had a deadline come in late because that tiny extra bit of information that we're sure is in the office somewhere took SIX DAYS to find.



• More from Unclutterer: Confirming my decision to cull and be disciplined about acquisition
  "I used to be the type of person who held onto every object I deemed sentimental. I eventually realized that holding onto so much stuff came with a lot of stress, worry, and financial expense, and that I wanted a different way of life."
  
  That's exactly what happened to me. I'm still rather fond of my "If my house burned down, would I replace this?" evaluation strategy.



• From Dressing in the Dark: Lessons in Men's Style from the Movies by Marion Maneker
  "Do you know that scene in The Thomas Crown Affair," Frank Rostron, a British shirt maker once confided to me, "the one where Steve McQueen's wearing a beautiful Prince of Wales checked suit with a powder blue shirt and a royal blue tie?" Once I'd confirmed that I too appreciated the importance of that moment in film history, the tailor rolled his eyes back slightly, his lids hooding to help him savor the memory. "Seeing that," he went on, "made me want to become a tailor."
  
  Truly, I hear you on that one. ::swoon::



• Wicked! Costume design: A three page article in the SMH on the costume design for the show, opening in Melbourne soon.
  "I love the way clothes are constructed. Dior and Galliano were very much interested in the way clothes are constructed: they are unbelievable engineers."
  
  I'm much the same. Whether it's knitting or sewing or any other kind of textile work, I'm all about the construction.



• And to finish off, a Tip of the day:
  If you're planing on holding up a pub with machetes, you'd best make sure there's not a Bikies meeting going on next door.

Oh, Lord.

The Chaser boys decided to test the results of a poll saying that 7 out of 10 women preferred Mr Darcy to Brad Pitt. On this week's The Chaser's War On Everything, they dressed up in regency costume (or as far as the ABC costume budget extends to regency costume) and accosted women in Hyde Park with lines from Pride & Prejudice.

Then there's the dip in the Archibald Fountain to procure the 'wet shirt' look. Hilarious. Go watch the video clip, or download the whole episode in the vodcast (Episode 05 - 25/04/2007). It starts about four minutes in.

NB: These are the boys from the Chaser, so heed any of the vulgarity warnings attendant in the clips - they mean what they say.