Look See Hear

I'm pretty excited about this find I made at a recent book fair. Published in 1968, Exploring the Film is a film study course textbook with a "filmic" design (courtesy of Robert Stanley) meant to duplicate the experience of seeing a film. "The final purpose of this study of films is to make you see." Yea for film appreciation!

Stereoscopy

3-D glasses dress by Nicole Lindner.

Old Blue

A recent Salvation Army score of mine. This cowboy and beauty made some beautiful music together while they lasted. How much do I want her dress?

Side One

Early Morning Rain
When I Was A Cowboy
Tomorrow Is A Long Time
Little Beggerman
The Mighty Quinn
Nancy Whiskey

Side Two

Catfish Blues
Come In Stranger
The French Girl
The Renegade
Mary Anne
You Were On My Mind

Side One

Four Strong Winds
Short Grass
Southern Comfort
Some Day Soon
Ella Speed
Circle Game

Side Two

90° X 90°
Cutty Wren
Un Canadien Errant
Lonely Girls
Spanish Is A Loving Tongue
This Wheel's On Fire

Dejected Detective

My affection for both Jason Schwartzman (music and acting) and comedic private investigators (David Addison, Andy Barker) and has left me pretty excited about the new HBO series Bored to Death. Plus, you get Jonathan Ames' uniquely neurotic angle on the whole thing. I watched the pilot and while it was a bit clunky, the seeds of greatness are there, primarily in he forms of a drug-crazed Ted Danson and a downtrodden Zach Galifianakis. Watch it here and judge for yourself.

Over Me, Over You, Over Everybody

When did Sting jump the shark? Some might argue it was this metal codpiece from Dune. (An aside: how perfect is it that Robert Pattinson may go there?) I must admit that I remained a drooling, obsessed Sting fan for some time after that faux pas. I was a teenager, okay? But around the time of his TMI tantric sex revelations and more frequent disrobing, even I got over him. This A.V. Club "Why Do I Own This?" column reminded me of the 90s-era Sting concerts I attended, even as my loyalty started to flag, and all the Sting memorabilia that is still floating around our attic somewhere.

Yo, Johnny! See you in the next life!

R.I.P. Bodhi! Commemorative plate by David Shafei.

Bitch, Don't Creep

My only criticism of True Blood this season is that Lafayette was not featured enough. I really wanted Eric to make him a vampire; their maker-makee relationship would have been intriguing. Plus, what a kick-ass vampire would Lafayette be? So it's no surprise that Lafayette is my favorite of Andy Swist's True Blood paper dolls thus far. And for all you Eric girls out there, his paper doll is coming!

Unplugged

Lately I've been on the prowl for vintage children's books, and when I spotted this 70s gem I couldn't resist. The TV Kid is a story about Lennie, a boy who daydreams all day long about his favorite shows like Let's Make A Deal and The Addams Family...that is, until he has a real-life adventure of his own that tops any on TV. I loved it mostly for Richard Cuffari's evocative illustrations. Sadly, the current edition looks to have lost them.

Wrap It Up

Our little enfant terrible has decided that swaddling is so passé. She escapes from the bonds every time, like Houdini (maybe I'll incorporate some Kate Bush into the lullaby routine). I promise I won't try the second option in Derek Erdman's swaddle painting, even if I want to sometimes.