Sunday 11 March 2007

Go 'head girl, go 'head, get down

Dead set, the library is such a good place for all sorts of fabulous things, even stuff you wouldn't expect. For pete's sake, if you're at all interested in something, check your library before you go shelling out for it, unless you desperately want it on your bookshelf for a million years. Here's a library find that's utterly lit my wick in the last week - the fabulous Graffiti woman by Nicholas Ganz. Oh, such beautiful, killer artwork - and all of it by the often under-rated lady writer. Check out the portfolio of Faith47 (*sigh*) and Koralie (who gives you several different style options for viewing her pages) and Mademoiselle Kat and Sherm. Dreamy, just dreamy. Anyone who doesn't love this work must have had their eyes poked out of their head.

Speaking of divine, the utterly gorgeous Paula Jane is about to become a mama in coming weeks (so exciting), and she's quite keen to get up a cross-stitch that says Babies suck. And here's the place to get it! Subversive Cross-stitch have all kindsa good cross-stitch sampler patterns, among my favourites: Don't make me cut you; Homo sweet homo and Do not fuck with me. Oh, such good stuff.

And even better? Tomorrow is a public holiday: and I'm planning our next big vegan potluck dinner. Can't wait, it's been too long since the last social chow-down.

Saturday 10 March 2007

I love the smell of tattle tape in the morning

It's preferable to napalm, not that I've had a whiff of that. Oh, audience of three, you'll be pleased to know that things remain good in libraryland. Most of what I'm up to at the moment is putting items on reserve, which is where the tattle tape comes in. Don't know what the hell I'm talking about? Tattle is the magnetic strip that is placed in books and other items, which gets desensitised when you borrow your stuff. So if you try to go the sneaky-sneaky route and whisk off without borrowing something, the magnetic tattle tape will set off the detectors at the doors, and then the big scary librarians must come out and kick your ass.

However, the magnetic strips have a sticky edge, which is adhered to a little piece of green vinyl that you peel off. Let me just say, that vinyl is fiercely on the nose. When I first inherited my desk from its previous occupant, I opened the bottom drawer and was hit with the fragrance of rotting car seat. Being the neatnik bastard that I am, I cleared that sucker right out, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out what that hot vinyl smell was. Now I know: the tattle tape was the culprit. I moved all that tattle from my bottom drawer into the main stationery cupboard and that did the trick. Well, that and a ton of eucalyptus oil. Yet, the tattle had already worked its addictive charms, and - unbelieveably - whenever I open that cupboard door I find myself taking a big ole whiff of that deteriorating vinyl smell and just sighing with contentment. Ahhhhhhh ... tattle. I love you so.

In other news, I'm very excited to be going to see Bugz in the Attic tonight as part of the Fringe festival. I'm beside myself! They've got this one song, Move aside, that I just cannot resist, no sir. I haven't been able to interest anyone in going yet, so it may well be a solo venture. But I can do dat, yes I can.

On the booky front, I'm finally reading something I've been fiending for for years, and which I was able to get in from another library (oh, the joys of cross-pollination between libraries, it will never get old). The fire this time, edited by Vivien Labaton and Dawn Lundy Martin, is really getting me going after what feels like forever since I was last inspired by "third wave" feminism. Loving it, loving it, thank you ladies.

Oh, and on the link-love front? I have been utterly captivated today by Offbeat bride - and I think you will be too. If only Ariel's site was around when we tied the knot; it has so many good ideas brought together in one place! Noice work.