Dec20

memories gather and dance.

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Toy Department during Christmas season in the J.L. Hudson store, Detroit – 1957

 loved this view of the toy department at the store during the Christmas season.

toys were displayed on shelves, tables, and display cases,

with decorations featuring elves, a sleigh, and reindeer in background.

—

this is where i went every year

all dressed up fancy

to buy little gifts (with help from the elves) for my family

to see santa

to have a special lunch

 always, always amazed

by the glamour and magic of it all.

—

“like snowflakes, my christmas memories gather and dance –

each, beautiful, unique, and gone too soon.

-deborah whipp

 

—

credits: detroit memories, linda yates rudnicki, j.l. hudson’s

Dec19

no sleep ’til christmas.

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this tired penguin duo is not unlike the first two people i met out in the world today

—

stopped by the store at 9am

for a simple return

 on my way to the rest of my day

the only other human i saw

 was a slow-moving young employee

who began our encounter

by telling me he was sorry

for accidentally spraying a lot of cologne on himself

when mistaking the top of a bottle for the bottom

 shared that he was really tired

 worked until 11pm, closed the store at 12am

came in early at 6am, opened the store at 7am

 in between

he drove home, ate, calmed down,

 tried to get a few hours of sleep in

(no time for a shower, maybe explains his ill-fated cologne mishap)

we talked about how busy it would be as the day continued

when another employee arrived

  who began her conversation with him by saying:

“don’t even talk to me, i’m going on break.”

his not unexpected response:

“but, you just got here.”

she quickly shot back a:

“i told you to not even talk to me”

when i left i thanked him for working

knowing they both

still had a very long day ahead.

—

“i finally got 8 hours, of sleep. it took me 4 days, but whatever.”

-author unknown

Dec18

big breakfast.

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A Single Giant Froot Loop for $19?

A single serving of Kellog’s Froot Loops cereal clocks in at one and one-third cups, weighs 39 grams, and contains 150 calories, according to the nutrition facts printed on the side of the box. Though we’ve never actually counted how many loops are in that single serving, we assume it’s more than one. Oh, you only want one? OK then. Big Fruit Loop is here to deliver.

The Big Fruit Loop is just as the name implies: a single massive loop. It’s also a very much unauthorized version of the longtime breakfast cereal, and it’s the latest drop from Brooklyn-based art collective MSCHF.

That one big loop contains 930 calories and weighs around half a pound, or the equivalent of about half a box of regular Froot Loops mashed into one bowl-filling monstrosity. There’s absolutely no reason for it to exist, which seems to be exactly why MSCHF decided to create it.

“With MSCHF, we are always looking at cultural readymades we can play with,” Daniel Greenberg, MSCHF’s co-founder, told Food & Wine via email. “Cereal is, of course, one of those things. When looking at the object and thinking about what we could do with it, enlarging it to fit the size of the box seemed too perfect to pass up.”

Greenberg declined to explain what the production process for the Big Fruit Loop was like, other than to admit that “it was not easy.” He also said that the company had to reverse-engineer its loop to match the flavor of the Kellogg’s originals. To Greenberg, the two kinds of cereal taste “almost identical.” You know, minus one being gigantic and all.

—

“you may not know this but it’s impossible to open a box of ‘fruit loops’ and just eat the fruit,

let someone else have the loops”

― neil leckman

 

—

credits: food and wine magazine, stacey leasca, photo credit: MSCHF

Dec17

get messy!

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so, 

after working on

a few holiday projects last night

i noticed at breakfast

that i may still have a bit of collateral glitter around the house. 

—

“take chances, make mistakes, and get messy!”

— Ms. Frizzle, “The Magic School Bus”

Dec16

make way for the answer.

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when you

arrive at work in the dark

leave work in the light

go to get in your car

noticing that you’ve parked

in front of a cool old rusty thing and a bone 

and you wonder what the story is.

 

—

“to respect a mystery is to make way for the answer.”
― criss jami

Dec15

unicorn license.

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These images released by the Los Angeles County Animal Care and Control and posted via Instagram, shows a created a unicorn license tag, right, and a plush toy unicorn, after a young girl requested permission to have a unicorn in her backyard, if she could find one. Animal Care and Control Department officials said this week that they granted the unusual permit to Madeline, whose last name was redacted. (Los Angeles County Animal Care and Control via AP)

A girl named Madeline, with a vivid imagination and remarkable awareness of how bureaucracy can dash dreams, got her wish when she asked Los Angeles animal control authorities for a license to own a unicorn — if she’s able to find one.

The first-of-its-kind permit came with strings attached, however: The mythical creature must be provided ample exposure to sunlight, moonbeams and rainbows and have its horn polished at least once a month with a soft cloth.

Director Marcia Mayeda of the county Department of Animal Care and Control sent the girl a heart-shaped, rose-colored metal tag with “Permanent Unicorn License” emblazoned on it, along with a white fuzzy unicorn doll with pink ears, purple hooves and a silver horn.

The department’s response came after the girl wrote it a brief letter last month: “Dear LA County, I would like your approval if I can have a unicorn in my backyard if I can find one.”

Mayeda commended the girl for her “sense of responsible pet ownership to seek permission in advance” and for thoughtfully considering “the requirements of providing a loving home to animals.”

Its five conditions for unicorn ownership also require that any sparkles or glitter sprinkled on the animal be nontoxic and biodegradable, and that it be fed watermelon at least once a week.

—

“reason is the natural order of truth; but imagination is the organ of meaning.”

-C. S. Lewis

 

—

credits: los angeles county animal care and control, AP

Dec14

a day.

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it was a 2 ice-pack kind of day

a bandaid, temperature check, coughing kind of day

but all in all a great day

we learned about the winter solstice

saw part of the big kids’ play

danced and sang in spanish

shared books

had an outdoor adventure

(add in a couple of scratches, a few sticky burrs,a clothing change, and lots of bravery)

but at the end of the day

we all had both mittens

and headed on home.

—

“there is no such thing in anyone’s life as an unimportant day.”

-alexander woollcott

Dec13

most just happen.

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this is pretty much me on any given day

for the next few weeks

as we head into the new year

all activities and adventures are on the table

some planned and most just happen.

 

—

“it’s the mishaps that make if fun, and brings you the surprise.”

-anna wintour

Dec12

left behind.

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what a wonderfully kind gesture

for someone to leave a gallon of milk and bread behind

to be discovered by someone else who may need it more.

—

“let us temper our criticism with kindness. none of us comes fully equipped.”

-carl sagan

Dec11

not small things.

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what a wonderful 90 minutes

spent (online) with one of my all-time favorite authors

*fredrik backman.

 public libraries in 37 states hosted this live chat with fredrik

as he continued on a worldwide book tour

for his latest work,  ‘the winners.’

 he spoke openly about his struggles with anxiety

being on the autism spectrum

 the pressures of a success which he never expected

 his wife as his partner and support in all things

her important roles

organizing his promotional side of being an author

helping him to stay grounded

 encouraging him taking as many breaks as needed.

i first became acquainted with his writing with the arrival of his book (and later, film),

‘a man called ove’

and there was no going back.

when he was asked about his writing process in today’s chat,

i found that we have a somewhat similar process.

his reply:

“my process is just chaos. all of these ideas are just in my head, like horses in a burning barn, trying to get out. my brain is always working, hearing a bit of conversation, crossing paths with a stranger, a place i happen into, anything is fair game, and i think, i would love to include those words or that person in my writing. i am always observing, listening, taking it all in, my brain never stops. i have to write an idea down on whatever i can find, an envelope, a scrap of paper, a receipt….then 3 weeks later i’ll make my family insane by asking, “where is that envelope i wrote my idea on a few weeks ago?” i have to scour our whole apartment looking for it and make everyone crazy. i suppose that is my process.”

amazing.

“words are not small things.”

-fredrik backman, beartown

—

*Fredrik Backman is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, Britt-Marie Was Here, Beartown, Us Against You, and Anxious People, as well as two novellas and one work of nonfiction. His books are published in more than forty countries. He lives in Stockholm, Sweden, with his wife and two children. Connect with him on Facebook and Twitter @BackmanLand or on Instagram @BackmanSK.