spirit of fun

SEVEN DAYS!!

2007-10-25T14:21:00.000-04:00

i've got my characters AND a plot. now all i need's the time.

spirit of woah-oh-oh-oh-oh-woah-oh-oh-oh

2007-10-22T14:16:00.000-04:00

captain to the north here. just wanted to let you know my mind has only now begun to process the legion of bizarre and cheesy pop songs i danced to on saturday night, for my cousin's last fling before the ring. clearly, that's the only reason this song is stuck in my head. my brain would never be caught dead listening to NKOTB in its spare time!

I'm Doing It!

2007-10-17T13:14:00.000-04:00

I heard about a new event that the former spokesperson for Google is starting here in the states. It's called Lights Out and it's incredible. Ok...so Mr Spokesperson was in Australia at a restaurant when all of the lights went out. He thought it was a power failure, but when the waiter arrived to his table with a candle, he learned that the lights out was totally planned. In Australia they turn the lights off for one hour, from 8-9pm. I'm not sure how often they do this, but it was common enough practice that the people around the Google Spokesperson (can you tell that I didn't catch his name and don't feel like looking it up?) were totally used to it. So...he's brought it to San Fran and is testing it out this weekend (October 20 to be exact from 8-9pm). This goes for what is considered "non-essential" lights. Lights that protect people like street lights and lights in hospitals do not apply. And not only does this mission have obvious environmental benefits, but it also sounds like a lot of fun. Who doesn't love to hang out by candlelight? Tell ghost stories? Make shadow animals on the wall...you get the gist.

Check it out at www.lightsoutsf.org.

Love,
Your SOF Captain to the South...Jes

a lesson in scale

2007-10-17T11:34:00.000-04:00

dear followers of fun,

i apologize for dropping off the face of the earth for a mere four-day weekend but as you can see, i needed to take one-on-one lessons regarding the concept of scale. i must admit, the individual attention really improved my ability to take pictures where it looks like i am crushing an object that i can never actually crush in real life. you might recognize the second set of fingers as belonging to a certain individual that we lent to china. emphasis is on lent, whether she likes to hear that or not.

these lessons happened around the kexp live from new york sessions. everything is pretty much full up if you want to attend, but they're broadcasting on 91.5 in nyc or streaming online for those people like me who think radios are for pussies. the best set of the day was pela, hands down. i recommend with the fever i normally reserve for the wrens and deserts with nutella.

it's good to have my feet on solid land again. and by good, i mean, will someone please do my human information behavior & laundry reading tonight so that i can see ghostland observatory instead?

hearts & stars forever,
your captain to the north.

I GOT SOF'ed!

2007-10-12T18:49:00.000-04:00

i miss our captain to the south so much! but we've found ways to keep the spirit alive, despite living at opposite ends of the northeast corridor. one such way is the magical sof necklace which, like the sisterhood of traveling pants jeans, fits us both perfectly! i don't think i've ever been more excited about an unexpected package than i was today.

little known fact

2007-10-12T13:01:00.001-04:00

the spirit of fun is really into saving the world. we went green before it was hip. okay, maybe a little more so after learning about the severe dangers the polar bears are under. way to put a humane face on it national geographic. those poor..

..oh, the point, the point. the point of this IS - we really hate waste. we're double-sided printing, non-plastic bag using, tree loving hippies. my biggest pet peeve is COFFEE SLEEVES. recycled or not, they have got to be the dumbest idea of the face of the planet. should i forget to bring my coffee from home, the man at the corner cart knows he is in for a world of pain if he even THINKS about putting one of them on my regrettably disposable cup. i carry it naked, despite the blistering heat, because i want to live in a world where polar bears will still have ice to rest on. i don't even care that these two things are probably not related in reality. it's just the point i make. if you won't do it for the future, do it for the polar...

right, right, the point of the post. so, it really surprises me, with my hatred for waste, that i never even THOUGHT of the reusable cup sleeve as an item that would be done and done well on etsy!

where has this been my whole life?! sock monkeys a little too silly for your early morning travels? here's a little bit more professional version.

Doug has the timing...

2007-10-09T09:59:00.000-04:00

So, we're within weeks of this year's National Novel Writing Month. Can you believe it's here already?! And just in time for all the fuss, Doug Coupland has come out with a new book that (finally) sounds interesting and wonderful...just like the olden days.

The Gum Thief has to do with writing...journaling really...between two people whose only form of communication is through their hand-written ramblings. So said the Wall St. Journal article that I read anyway...

While the reviews aren't so good, I'm excited to read it anyway. Usually I disagree with reviews. And what I like about Coupland is not really his message persay but the things that he sees. He just looks at things a little differently and that's, well, fun.

Think of it as NaNoWriMo training '07.

I can't wait for November 1!!!! Toot toot!

my .02 on this season of the office

2007-10-05T13:49:00.001-04:00

just when you thought it was over...

2007-10-04T15:30:00.001-04:00

to whoever thought up this.

Literally Surrounded By Fun

2007-10-03T13:38:00.000-04:00

I saw these on Craftster.org and thought they were amazing.

Note to self, buy some shrinky dink paper.
Love
Jes

FUN BUBBLES

2007-10-02T11:06:00.000-04:00

I love soap. I love it not only for the obvious hygienic reason, but also because it comes in so many beautiful shapes and colors. I could fill my house with fun soap and not be satisfied. Recently, I was lucky to stumble upon mollycoddle. She makes her own soap molds and offers soap is ridiculous shapes. Like pickles...dill scented of course...and Oreos. She even offers up a root beer float soap complete with straw. Some are gross like the chicken drumstick soap or the shrimp soap (luckily, neither follow their theme as far as the olfactory senses are concerned...phew), but isn't that what makes them weird and isn't their weirdness what makes them fun? Heck yes.

Check out the peeps soap:

Deelish.

i do, do you?

2007-09-28T17:14:00.001-04:00

NANOWRIMO IS COMING!

2007-09-25T16:46:00.000-04:00

well, the site is going to be updated soon so we should start paying attention now.

this will be the third year we participate (we're doing it, right jes?!) but i think it'll be the first year i actually finish. you know, because of all that free time i have between grad school and a slow descent into alcoholism!

in honor of this special event, i'd like to share with you an excerpt from my first year's incomplete piece which i like to refer to as "that time i tried to write the robot story." it's not actually about a robot. well, the robot is a metaphor... okay whatever, the excerpt! the excerpt!

----
It was Daft Punk’s Homework. And she had not heard it for quite some time. She had other discs which made daily rotation, among them most of the Ted Leo catalog and the Wrens. Her devotion to the Wrens was nearly as obsessive as her infrequent one track minded projects and her inability to get past broken relationships, but it was at the same time far more innocent and less damaging.

Jenna stopped in her anger and just let the initial thumps of bass take over her. She liked these little wormholes in time, the way songs could just kidnap her and bring her somewhere she would not have otherwise thought to go. She felt her ennui from the day slip through her arms, out of her fingertips and into the open space.

Beside her, the robot was mimicking the motions of relaxation. A robot, for the record, can never look relaxed and there has been much study into whether or not it is able to feel relaxed or feel anything at all. But the thump of the bass through the speakers shook something out of both of them that night.

Jenna turned, sensing the motion, turned. “This? You like this? I love this!” She jumped up and down, still trapped in the memories of her middle school self. “This is amazing.”

The robot stood still in the middle of the fish tank, lifting slightly up and down in place.

“Oh my god, you’re dancing!” Jenna screeched. “That’s amazing.”

She scanned the room for her camera, but then reminded herself there was no one she
could show the pictures to. “Dance robot! Dance like no one’s watching because no one is.”

Released from the rage of the day and the agony of the inimate object, Jenna slipped on the rubber gloves and lifted the robot out of the fish tank. She placed him into the makeshift crib and then stepped inside as well. The robot shuffled away from her, as if in fear. She bent down slowly, but kept her distance. Raising her yellow gloved hand in the universal sign of “hold on one second,” she demonstrated to her feet and then stood. She repeated the up and down motion that the robot had made and then began to dance. She paused and turned to let the robot know it was his turn.

She held her breath, not quite sure what would happen in the next moment.

She had not expected him to actually burst into the robot.

Knowing the moment was meant to be savored, she did the same.

And that was how Jenna finally broke through the language barrier.

shopping alert!

2007-09-21T14:29:00.000-04:00

hurry up gang, there are only 64 of these left!!!

Spirit of SMILE! QUICK!

2007-09-20T08:56:00.000-04:00

I love Kat Von D. She's a good bud who gives good hugs. And since she put her photo booth up on ebay, she's especially excellent. LOOK, LOOK, LOOK! Is it scary that I'm thinking of taking out a second mortgage for this?

it comes but once a year

2007-09-19T10:34:00.000-04:00

NATIONAL TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY!

we do that all the time here, some would call it our natural tongue. if you're having some trouble mastering the finer points of the language, here's some supplemental youtube material.

Why Didn't We Think of This?

2007-09-17T11:01:00.000-04:00

Listening to NPR this weekend, I heard about one of the greatest party games in recent history. MOUSTACHE TV!!!!!!

Start by scoring a Moustache TV kit here.
Tape your moustache from the kit to your tv.
Sit back and watch....when your moustache lands under a nose on screen, you score. Simple as that. If the "stache" lands on the face of a political figure, you score extra points. If you lands on the front of a car and the car looks like its wearing a moustache, you get extra points. It's really quite hysterical and simple, as the kit comes complete with not only a moustache, but also a detailed card w/ scoring system. You can score a free moustache here or you can make up your own scoring outline and fashion a homemade stache for the game, although I recommend buying the kit in the spirit of creative ideas.

We'll def. be playing this on on the SOF poop deck during football season...and you'd better believe that election season will be seeing a few more facial haired politicians this time around.

TOOTOOT.

Spirit of Karma

2007-09-14T13:44:00.000-04:00

So, you know when you go to work and everyone there is in a bad mood, and you think to yourself:

A. It's Friday! How can they have anything to be bummed out about.
B. W'ere surrounded by shoes, glorious shoes. That's glorious.

Okay, okay. Maybe I'm the only one surrounded by mounds of shoes. Still, sometimes it's high tide and sometimes it's low tide. And low tide can be depressing, not to mention stinky.

For situations like this, it's important to arm yourself with the proper gear. Enter KARMA GUARD on the SOF lido deck! Check it out here.

Your ship will be in calmer seas in no time. Toot toot!

the spirit of stomach virsues

2007-09-14T12:58:00.000-04:00

prior to spilling our guts, we co-captains of fun enjoyed a lovely weekend in captain todd's neck of the woods. here is a lovely slideshow. imagine we're serving you popcorn and lemonade, germ-free of course!

Ugh

2007-09-12T09:16:00.000-04:00

The SOF Captains are a little sea sick this week (it happens sometimes when you're so full of fun), but it doesn't mean we don't have the spirit.

While we're working on getting our sea legs back, check this out.

this just made my day!

2007-09-04T17:23:00.000-04:00

i bought it. i just had to!

courtesy of fred flare.

tracy morgan is my new life coach

2007-09-04T11:04:00.000-04:00

and here's why.

tofutti sighting

2007-08-30T11:37:00.000-04:00

we've found lots of hilarious artifacts in the jersey city shoprite, but none quite as awesome as this. little is known on the internet about this treat. i didn't buy it because, in true JCSR fashion, the box was open and sticky. & sidebar, who knew tofutti had a myspace fan page?! i love it as much as the next lactard, but c'mon people.

we love john krasinski...er, the office!!

2007-08-30T11:33:00.000-04:00

one of my fondest memories of the early SOF days was holing up in captain todd's bay street apartment every thursday, with scent of italy pizza, a snorting pete and THE OFFICE.

viewers, start your engines. nbc released the first season four promo today. captain todd, i demand we start weekly post-show conference calls!

things that belong in your closet

2007-08-29T12:05:00.000-04:00

if only! of course something this awesome is an art project. it's the perfect dress to eat fresh sea urchins in - if you're into that sort of thing. (dress via the style files)

transmission from the north

2007-08-29T09:52:00.000-04:00

it appears that i dropped off the map there for a second.

i was here:

and here:

ask me how to find an article on the search behaviors of children or when neptune night is at the rutgers dining hall. i know the answer to both, seriously.

vacation...all i ever wanted

2007-08-28T23:54:00.000-04:00

for the past three days ive been going to bed with sand between my toes and the thought of sand in the sheets doesn't worry me a bit. im completly sunburned, but im drinking enough malibu to keep it from bothering me.

ive been thinking of the sof and i intend on coming back in full force.

Until then...please find Nicole (captain's tip: she is not wearing a red striped sweater like Waldo). Toot toot, nicole. toot toot.

Love
Jes

Happy Random Internet Surfing Picture Friday

2007-08-24T15:38:00.000-04:00

Here's the greatest Random Internet Surfing Picture I have ever found:

Oh, Scientists...

2007-08-24T14:51:00.000-04:00

So Clever

HELP HELP HELP

2007-08-24T14:01:00.000-04:00

I've been assigned to design a line (say that five times fast) of LOVE THEMED flip flops. I know, right.

I'm trying to think of themes that won't be corny. Can you please help?

Love
Jes

small town celeb

2007-08-23T15:25:00.000-04:00

* doot doot doot * TELEGRAM TO THE SOF OFFICE * doot doot doot *

-- receiving transmission, telegram service --

* doot doot doot * WE HAVE BREAKING NEWS... OF A SMALL TOWN CELEBRITY * doot doot doot*

... actually, more like word that follower of fun shruti knows someone whose grandmother grew up down the street from the crayon factory from sesame street! which led her office to find some other childhood gems such as square one and mathnet (which i always loved, despite the fact i hated math).

my personal favorite will always be the opening theme to where in the world is carmen sandiago. i was so jealous when our neighbor around the corner was on it, but he wasn't able to get to all of the countries in time so i didn't feel so bad. and also the counting to twelve sesame street animation, much better now that it has forward russia as a soundtrack.

shruti recommends retro junk for a well-deserved thursday afternoon trip down memory lane. what is your fave? shoot us the youtube link, the spirit of fun didn't always watch a lot of television as a child.

rabbids!

2007-08-23T14:17:00.000-04:00

i don't know much about rayman, despite having played it a dozen times at the chipaldory household. what i can tell you is that these rabbids, despite being batshit crazy and evil, are MINIONS OF FUN!

they plot, irregardless of the fact there's a lot of things they can't do. and did you know they're the spokescartoonanimal for a candy from the company that makes nutella... at least according to a photoshop contest, anyway. doesn't this shot just make you want to go on vacation with them?!

and then, the holy grail of rabbid fanaticism fell into my (internet) lap today - toys! be forewarned, excessive rabbiding makes you prone to plunger-shooting and poor, spastic dancing.

(It Didn't, But It Gave Me a Good Laugh)

2007-08-23T10:46:00.000-04:00

Since Beck borrowed my Kokology book for beach reading (the one that was on the ledge in the bathroom...if you've been to my house I know you've read it as you popped a squat), a few interesting titles have appeared on said ledge in its place---books that I had long forgotten like Shel Silverstein's last published title (sadly, not very good and the rhythm is off) and some book about deciphering your dreams that I never really liked very much.
Last night, an "oldy but a goody" appeared. (I don't doubt that Dan has been the acting bathroom book fairy for the past week). In place of my beloved Kokology was the title "This Book Will Change Your Life"...an oversized paperback that I bought senior year of college along with my two roomates as we pinkie swore we'd follow each day, well, "by the book". Until I got to the page about taking a lover...and who can forget about "cleanse your colon" day, which promised nothing less than the cleanest colon on the block with careful DIY instructions that included the use of a garden hose. No thanks. Note to readers: This book is not meant to be taken seriously. Unless of course you don't fear losing pretty much everything you hold dear.
Still, the artwork is the book is hilarious and the instructions are ridiculous. I'd recommend buying it for your bathroom or, at the very least, I recommend you visit the author's website, www.thiswebsitewillchangeyourlife.com.

It won't. But that's ok.

ode to orla kiely

2007-08-22T12:05:00.000-04:00

i bought a bag from your sample sale
to not have would have made me pale
i had wanted one for a long time
and decided to make it mine
i spent a lot of money
which wasn't very funny
at the time it seemed right
but now it fills me with fright

of course the bag turned out to be too small for me
i like to take a book everywhere you see
so now i have to decide what to do
which will probably involve selling an old bag or two

but if this is my biggest concern today that's not so bad
i just wish i wasn't always suffering from bag fad

american elf

2007-08-21T14:17:00.000-04:00

since i'll be starting my five year journal next week, i thought it would be good to check out some examples. i didn't actually make it further than the first volume of american elf. james kochalka drew a comic a day for five years, mostly about his wife and then later about their baby. it's very sweet and an interesting look into the life of a fellow yeller.

he still draws one a day, which can be seen on his website. a subscription to the achieve is $1.95 a month, so if you're strapped for cash it'd be easier to pick up volumes 1 and 2 from your local library.

i've always been an avid diarist, whether it was in a lock-and-key book or a blog or whatnot. any suggestions for other personal historical accounts to look at?

Please Help...

2007-08-21T13:30:00.001-04:00

I'm looking for a fun and interesting recipe to make for a Pot Luck on Thursday. Any advice?

2007-08-20T14:28:00.000-04:00

we here at the spirit of fun rarely get jealous when others decide to get in on the act. that is, until a co-worker at the job that pays the bills mentioned she took a TRAPEZE LESSON this weekend. as in, they hooked her up and sent her flying .... without! a! license!

the magical place where this transpired - trapeze school new york. you've seen it in this episode of sex and the city. weekend classes are $75 (YIKES!) but a day of hooky from work can land you at a $57 class.

i know what you're thinking, but SOF captain nicole, you don't ride rollercoasters and you throw up any time you have to make a motion that's not sedentary - how are you going to get up there and throw yourself to the wind?

that, faithful FOF is a very good question. i think the far more important question is.... HOW CAN I NOT?!

A French Fries Costume

2007-08-17T13:41:00.000-04:00

Just because

things i didn't know where on dvd

2007-08-17T11:43:00.000-04:00

super mario brothers 3 is the greatest video game that ever happened, that's no contest.

what i failed to remember, until stumbling upon it target, was the less publically awesome cartoon series based around it.

what better way to spend your friday afternoon than catching up on it. personally, i'd much rather watch people kick ass at the game itself!

now if you excuse me, i have to go figure out a way to get the theme song out of my head!

what's been on my mind?

2007-08-16T14:56:00.000-04:00

it's been a long day.

HOORAY HOORAY HOORAY

2007-08-16T13:37:00.000-04:00

It's official. Sewing is cool again. Sew cool in fact (har har). And to prove how cool it is, I present the BUILT BY WENDY pattern collection by Simplicity. Wendy has been a crowd fave since her custom made guitar straps that made her famous in the mid 90s. And they're by SIMPLICITY, which means that even a sewing Weeblo scout like you can do it too. Be still my heart.

urgent: refill of fun needed

2007-08-15T12:10:00.000-04:00

being the spirit of fun isn't all fun and games, contrary to popular belief. when you're up to your ears in fun, there will always be people trying to bring you down. if there's anything i've learned this year, it's that there are lots of people willing to take advantage of you. i can't deal with today, so instead i'll listen to these songs & you should too.

metric - empty
ted leo & the pharmacists - dial up
the wrens - everyone choose sides
spoon - my mathematical mind
lily allen - oh my god
the blow - parantheses
zolof the rock & roll destroyer - plays pretty for baby
margot & the nuclear so and so's - dress me like a clown
sean kingston - beautiful girls
[ed. note: i love this song when i've been drinking and i'd love to be drinking right now]

Fun? You Decide.

2007-08-15T11:08:00.000-04:00

So we've been a little T.O.ed at our old friend Doug Coupland for his lackluster literary performance over the past few years with titles that all but disappointed such as JPOD and Eleanor Rigby. An Idea: I reviewed the latter for our media alma mater The Inside Beat and gave it a generous C+. Very Generous. This from a former "wait in line for 2 hours to meet Douglas Coupland and then almost throw up on his shoes" fan.

His latest mutation is an art exhibit entitled The Penguin. This with a follow up called Fifty Books I Have Read More Than Once is an interpretation of books that "haven't been read by anyone in a decade". Doug, the artist, has gathered a collection of old Penguin paperbacks and has torn, snipped and pasted with the best of them to create something new.

Check it out

Love
Jes

file under things that shouldn't be funny but are

2007-08-14T14:43:00.001-04:00

a link, as we still haven't figured out blogger video posting.

HEADLINE: Jes' Body Found Beneath Paper and Shoes On Office Desk

2007-08-14T14:42:00.000-04:00

You're going to have to forgive me. I've been so busy that I haven't seen my own reflection in days. C'mon. You can't stay mad. Give me a smile. Let's see it. Where's that smile that I love? There it is.

In the haste, crashing and burning of the week, I've been thinking a lot about how I can incorporate small pleasures into my daily life, which currently consists of shoes 11 hours a day, beach chair prototype building/textile design, bachelorette party planning with Jane (Dear God, thank you for Jane) and the invention of a new fashion product that is so super secret that I shouldn't even be talking about it. An inventor...now that's something I'll put in bold on ye olde resume.

Then came the answer of the day. Coconut flavored iced coffee from Dunkin' Donuts. I know, I know. What a cop out. But seriously, it seems to be working (and I'm typing faster than I ever have in life.) It's making me happy for obvious caffeine-related reasons and its also helping to trick my brain into thinking I'm on the beach (Russian accent pronounciation: bitch) since it tastes a lot like Banana Boat Suntan Oil would taste if people ate it. Yum.

I'll be back on track soon, but until then, please enjoy this low quality photo. I love you for understanding. Love, Jes.

i left my heart in red hook

2007-08-13T10:36:00.000-04:00

former first mate of fun maya had a dream. a dream of grilled corn, grass sitting and key lime pie. this past saturday, that dream became a lovely reality.

ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the beauty and wonder that is redhook.

maya had been following the saga of the red hook soccer fields via the porkchop express all summer. we watched anthony bourdain eat cerviche there. we planned trips that never came to fruition. then a small group made it to redhook, but not to the fields. but we just had to try it for ourselves before the man (doh) came to shut them down. it was everything that we had dreamed of and then a little bit more. we stuffed ourselves silly, laid on the grass and watched a game.

the highlight of the trip for me wasn't at the soccer fields, but at pier 41. it was there i discovered the true meaning of life - the swingle. yes my friends, that sight you behold is in fact a chocolate covered key lime pie... ON A STICK. made by steve's authentic, it had to be the most delectable snack i've had since my first sugar sweet sunshine bakery cupcake.

i wish i could move to redhook, but apparently the only true transport in and out of it is water taxi. do you think they sell sea legs on ebay? also, the price of rent is a little ridiculous for a neighborhood comprised mostly of fields of school buses. oh who am i kidding? i'd sell my soul to corporate america for the chance to live here before it gets gentrified.

Pandas...

2007-08-10T11:16:00.000-04:00

You Just Never Can Tell

yogariffic

2007-08-10T10:58:00.000-04:00

sometimes, bringing the fun can tie you into knots - literally. but what's a girl to do if her gym doesn't offer yoga classes and she's too broke to pay for one that will?

aha! to the internet!

i was able to jump right back to where i left off with the sun saluations thanks to fitsugar. i'm not all that into granola speak and these videos are completely void of it. i do a few repetitions in the morning, with my curtains open to let in some sun - it almost makes the sound of construction outside bearable!

then, i stumbled upon the holy grail of free yoga sessions - yoga today. totally free hour long programs, broken out by skill level and in a variety of formats. unfortunately, they're super sincere and use things like mantras, which make me laugh out loud in the middle of my bellow's breath but for the price of zero dollars you take what you can get! i recommend 16 poses to improve your life. i've done it 2x this week and feel really stellar.

or last, but not least, you can follow along with bunny yoga. the site appears to be down at the moment, so you should just check out the step-by-step poster at sushi tango instead.

the importance of search keywords

2007-08-09T12:28:00.000-04:00

as i sat on hold for dhl, i started to wonder what i would wear to my upcoming saturday chock full of soirées. i won't have any clean skirts left, if these 100 degree days continue, but i doubt it will be cool enough to resort to jeans.

my gut instinct is to search for a sleeveless, hooded, a-line dress made of sweatpants material. have i seen something like this? no. am i endowed with the ability to make something like that out of nothing before the weekend? not really. oh, i say to myself, that sounds like the sort of thing i could get at forever 21 - which is always chock full of dresses i wear once and just once because afterwards they fall to pieces.

nada.

okay, i say, what about that polka dot dress from fred flare i really wanted to wear for my birthday except it was never even offered in my size? totally sold out of course, but what did i expect with something SO CUTE.

nicole, just google polka dot sundress, right? you'll find SO many options. oh, good point part of my brain that thinks the answer to life is simply to google it.

except, well, let's just say the choices weren't exactly what i thought they would be.

exhibit a
exhibit b
exhibit c

no, seriously, these are all first page google results. next time, i'll be a little bit more specific.

wheelphobia

2007-08-09T10:36:00.000-04:00

wheelphobia n. the fear of operating things with wheels that nicole must surely possess, since she can neither drive a car or ride a bicycle with hand breaks.

it's sad, but true. i grew up in a cement jungle, where everything was accessible by foot and you grew up knowing that you'd be commuting to manhattan via light rail, train or ferry.

it wasn't until i went to rutgers that i realized, oh, i might one day have to drive a car to get somewhere. i've tried numerous times, but usually seem to get as far as passing the permit test before some other more pertinent issue rises. well, now i live in a town where owning and operating a motor vehicle is a huge hassle. not that i'm licensed to do that.. but still.

lately, i've had dreams of riding a bicycle. maybe because i am trying to find a way to exercise more frequently without having to physically go to the gym. so it was serendipity that electrabike was featured in the bust newsletter. a shop near my folks place sells them, so i plan to oogle the $220 non-handbreaked bike in person this weekend.

do you bicycle? of course you do, survey says that 99% of our readership grew up or currently lives in grass filled neighborhoods. what's your bike of choice and, most importantly, where can i buy a helmet?

when life gives you bad transit, yogurt and colds...

2007-08-08T14:42:00.000-04:00

it's time to break out the blues!

meet catfish haven. they're 30% the reason i'm always late to work, as i'm too busy dancing around in my boyshort underwear to "i don't worry" or "tell me" or "crazy for leaving you." whenever i put them on, i feel like i'm in a field of grass near a murky pond, preferably somewhere south of the mason dixon line, shooting PBR cans with a bb gun while dancing in a white dress.

or at least, that's what i tell myself before 9 am in the morning.

esprit d'amusement

2007-08-08T12:32:00.000-04:00

I can't even begin to get Foux Da Fa Fa out of my head.

Amazing.

Spirit of Flash Bulbs

2007-08-07T14:49:00.000-04:00

I've always wanted to be good at photography, but alas, it has never been my strong suit...the lighting always looks stupid and my photos always end up looking like I'm trying too hard. And then there's the memory of me not being able to read the word "camera" in sixth grade english. C'mon, I knew the word. I had just run the mile in gym class!

Anywho, for those of you who are photo-tastic, two of my faves are currently looking for your fun shots. Urban is hosting the "Who The Hell Are You?" Lomographic Camera Contest. Make your picture worth 2,000 words and they promise prizes and international acclaim. I'm thinking maybe they'll send you some hats. Which could bring you international acclaim should you be having a bad hair day when a casting director discovers you in Target. Who knows.

Be still my heart, as my UK lover Dan, head designer of Irregular Choice (picture me screaming like your mom at a Beatles concert) is hosting a photo contest as well. Send in a pic of you in your favorite Irregular Choice shoes and win a pair a month for an entire year plus a spot in the upcoming Irregular Choice coffee table book. Don't have a pair? Borrow mine. I have 20. Sigh.

Love,
Jes

spirit of scrabble

2007-08-07T11:36:00.000-04:00

i've been bit by the scrabble bug in a big way. it's been a while since we held a super scrabble death match, but scrabulous has a lovely facebook app which means i've been challenging lots of people who don't have as much free desk time as i do.

pictured above is the ridiculous game shruti and i started last night. i may not have nearly as many points as she does, but come on - NORDIC! SPIGOT! LEER! SPRY! i deserve style points.

to file under things that have both style and scrabble tiles - this set of coasters on etsy!

I'm Afraid I Can't Provide Much Spirit Today

2007-08-06T13:07:00.000-04:00

Because I feel a little bit like this:

things that belong on your desk

2007-08-06T10:57:00.001-04:00

corporate america is evil and now your stapler can be too! (via paperclippy)

sometimes, you fuck up

2007-08-03T17:03:00.000-04:00

i do it all the time. it's like i open my mouth and see how many sneakers, kitten heels and toes i can stick in there all at the same time. or worse, i'll rail against someone's ridiculous actions and then do the same thing myself. thankfully, someone on the internet finally made a set of cards that make what i actually said or did seem far less worse than it actually was.

that one is kind of my favorite.

Whine And Spirit

2007-08-03T13:32:00.000-04:00

I love and hate the internet with equal amounts of passion. I hate it because it scares me much like the ocean and the universe scare me with their vastness. It also reminds me that I don't know everything about everything and that just makes me angry. Similarly, I love the internet with such unyielding passion for times when I stumble across something so simple and wonderful as these little gems it makes me day. I printed out these little doodles and have hung them around my office. For fun of course.

reading stacks

2007-08-03T11:54:00.000-04:00

this is the reading stack of my prolific reading soon to be 5 sister. her challenge this summer was to read 100 books (aka, have 100 books read to her) and she is already at 85. it kind of puts mine to shame. i've ditched the last three books i started due to boredom and have moved on to amy hempel short stories, on the recommendation of chuck palanick (who's rant is the last good book i read besides the last harry potter). what do our SOF'ers have on deck?

spirit of fun gear

2007-08-03T11:44:00.000-04:00

wish we could take credit for this cute pillow. can someone due to the conversion as to how many u.s. dollars this is? [poppy treffry via decor8]

blinky lights are fun

2007-08-02T17:04:00.001-04:00

or so we keep getting told by one of our SOF worshipers. to us most of the projects looked the same and by the same we mean like this:

turns out we were wrong and mike was right! his crickets project for ITP made make's blog today! in non-geek-speak, YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYY!

spirit of scotch

2007-08-02T13:57:00.001-04:00

i have always been a beer swilling girl. the darker the better, much like my taste in chocolate!

until, that is, one of our former first mates of fun (guess who!) turned me onto scotch in a big way. i'm talking like ron burgundy enjoying his first scotch of the day sort of way.

now i'll admit that being a beer girl had a little something to do with being a cheapie, so i'm not exactly about to order scotch after scotch at the bar. my loophole - one of these adorable flasks from urban outfitters.

that sound? the collective sigh all of my guy friends took in reaction to a flask being referring to as CUTE.

prior first mate rita reports that she did not see the uo at 14th and 6th and they appear to be no longer online. i scored mine in early july as a birthday gift for myself from the one in soho - i figured by 24, a girl should know how to get her drink on in style!

A Lunchtime Post

2007-08-02T13:23:00.000-04:00

I recently learned that my birthday (December 15), is also National Cupcake Day. I can't imagine anything more apropos. Wanna know what food is lauded on your birthday?

Check it out here.

Deee-lish

a beginner's guide to web comics

2007-08-02T11:33:00.000-04:00

one of the best parts of being an assistant (again) is having time to read all the web comics i can handle! here's a primer of what's out there:

xkcd
excellent use of the 90s, playpen balls, difficulty seating large groups of friends and the DBery of the average male. oh yeah and did i mention LIBRARIAN HUMOR.

questionablecontent
come for the mention of the wrens, stay for discussion of pie, the flaming lips, exchanges you're sure were replicated word for word from your own circle of friends, robot stereotypes, the importance of cookies and...did i mention...LIBRARIAN HUMOR!

married to the sea
when i'm having a particularly bad day, this is my go to comic for a snort. they're better read without as surprises so click here, here, here, here, here and here. oh, and uh, LIBRARIAN AND GRAD SCHOOL HUMOR!

toothpaste for dinner
if you haven't read this comic before, you shouldn't be allowed on the internet. seriously. the focus is mainly cubicle culture, but there's also wise insights on journalists, solitaire and LIBRARIANS!

the perry bible fellowship
incredibly disturbing... and AWESOME! space wars, rock paper scissors annnnnd BOOK HUMOR!

a softer world
also filed under creepy, but in a winsome sort of way. some entries read like self-help books while others focus on the darker side of animals, bowling and reasons to READ!

...clearly this post got away from me.

He's not Spider Pig anymore. He's Harry Plopper.

2007-08-02T09:35:00.000-04:00

I just really love this

my name is nicole...

2007-08-01T11:01:00.000-04:00

...and i'm addicted to furniture. i'll pull it from the trash, i'll buy it from ikea and insist on putting it together myself, i'll sit at work and drool over it online. while some girls dream of their wedding or becoming the first female president (hillary, i'm looking at you), i dream of buying a ridiculously large house and going bankrupt furnishing it.

before i can do such elaborate scheming, however, i need to get through grad school first. but how does one get through grad school without a desk? top contenders include a wicker ensemble first seen at design*sponge and the sloane leaning desk as seen in rita's apartment. do i have room for a desk in my room? no. just like i didn't have room for that glider you will most likely seem jammed in there sometime soon. i'd also considered this rosewood antique because the felt makes it seem as if you can play poker once you've finished writing your paper.

and where to store all of the expensive textbooks i'll be purchasing used? in my secret passageway bookcase! and what future school librarian's life isn't complete without a seesaw bookshelf? looks like i should spend a little less time daydreaming of wood stains and start hanging out with more carpenters and ikea employees.

"It's not that kind of luge, Pop pop"

2007-08-01T09:38:00.000-04:00

If you're reading this, you're invited to our party on Saturday. If you're reading this, you probably already knew about it. We've sortof been planning it our entire lives. With Dan's experience with parties and my experience with wanting to be an inventor, we thought it only right to have a 300 pound block of ice delivered to our house on Saturday so that we could fashion an ice luge that would go down in Collingswood history. Only problem...we didn't really know how to make said luge. While we've both been at the bottom of the block as the cool cool liquid slid down our throats (woah), we had never had the ice luge prep and brainstorming meetings of the mind that were our reality in past weeks. Nerds? Word.

So yesterday I set out on the google trail to find some sound advice deep in the heart of the internet. You know when you have to dig through websites that you know aren't real, but sometimes they result in some hidden helpful content? That's where we are at this stage in the game. I've clicked on links and praised the spyware protection gods above more than I'd like to admit. In my efforts, I've found the following nuggets of knowledge.

While our mission is similar, our block of ice is already being made. Instead, we've made up our own steps:

1. Put together the luge table
2. Get some schlub to agree to set ice block up on said table
3. Cinderblock the front of the block and place cinderblocks under the back bottom corners of the block for that down home tilt sensation
4. Use some electronic tool that Greg Howard has to carve channels...make sure the channels aren't too curvy
5. Pour water down channels to test
6. Pour something delicious down channels to test
7. Serve Chilled. Enjoy.

We're hoping it works. If it doesn't, we'll have to resort to this thing for next time.

Send me your tips.

Love,
Jes

kid tested, mother approved

2007-07-31T15:57:00.000-04:00

about a year or so ago, back before she was internet fluent, my mom asked me to purchase her a game called "CLR" over the internet. it proved damn near impossible. the more she tried to the explain it, the harder it became to find it. the game was simply void of unique googable keywords.

eventually, we found on it on shitty should have been designed in 1997 website under the name "LCR". we bought three sets - one for my uncle, one for my aunt and one for my mom.

nearly 365 days later, everyone in our family is TOTALLY addicted to it. the premise is very simple - each player starts with three chips (or quarters - which is what we play for). you roll the set of three dice and do what it tells you - move one left, one right, one center, or hold onto if you get a dot. there's minimal thought involved, which leads to nice conversation. if you're feeling particularly frisky, you can penalize players for cursing. in our family, that doubles the pot!

sets are available for $5 at amazon. don't forget to pick up a cute change purse to take home your winnings! this one gets the SOF stamp of approval, even if it is over 5x the cost of the game.

an sof tenant

2007-07-31T12:02:00.000-04:00

from the occasionally creepy but never disappointing a softer world. sorry i couldn't get the picture to display - guess that's why i'm retaking that web class!

That's the SPIRIT

2007-07-31T11:19:00.000-04:00

She throws Star Wars/Luau hybrid parties, parties to honor all things kabob-related, parties that involve lots of hot shuttlecock action.
She makes homemade birthday presents.
She knows every line of every 80s movie...actually, every line of every movie
She knows that you're never fully dressed without a purple jumpsuit
She sews, she sews
She's the author of one of the greatest fashion blogs to date: HAUTE FUZZ
SHE'S TAM. Possibly one of the greatest human being on earth if not for her great taste in shoes than for her sheer Spirit Of Fun.

Happy Birthday Tam. You're the best.

Love,
Team SOF

back to school shopping!

2007-07-31T10:23:00.001-04:00

it's barely august and i'm already thinking about heading back to grad school. for those not in the know, i've commandeered a small rowboat from the side of the s.s. of fun to navigate a new course - my masters in library science!

it's a distance program so i won't actually need pencils, pens and new pajamas to rock at 8:10 classes but that hasn't stopped me from keeping an eye out on all things scholarly in nature.

to your left, we have the quintessential backpack for students of any age - fredflare's composition notebook duffel! i plan to pimp mine out with librarian temporary tattoos (a great way to make friends at orientation) and a copy of unshelved's lastest comic compilation, read responsibly.

grad school is meant to expand the mind and drain the bank account, so those attending have little time for a little thing we call FASHION. hit the books in comfort and style with the graphic t-shirt of your choice. LITs need to look no further than the librarian or sarah utter's collection at buy olympia.

toot toot!

NEW CHAIR SEA

2007-07-31T10:07:00.001-04:00

Spirit Of Fun Coverage Chart

We Were Always Here...Like Those Old People From Cacoon minus the Aliens

2007-07-30T15:41:00.000-04:00

Dear YOU,

I wish you could've been here for everything that took place, but alas, sometimes we have to sail on our own. In the months since our last loyal post, Nicole has started PHASE 1 of her dreams coming true and I have experienced a violent illness that was the result of signing my name on my very first mortgage. But all that aside, we were still living in the SPIRIT (wow, does that sound religious or what) and taking names.

I give you Exhibit A. The Ostrich Chair:

Since I last saw you, I built the prototype for this chair on my trusty Singer Sewing Machine. Now you can sun your buns AND finish Harry Potter before everyone else wrecks the ending. I'm currently working on textiles for this chair. You know I'll keep you posted.

Exhibit B. Night In Venice. Ocean City, NJ:

I personally can't resist a decorated boat. I just can't. Add to that the frozen drink machine that Julie's mom has at the NIV party each year and I'm jazzed...jazzed I tell you.

Exhibit C. Eden is getting hitched:

I can't talk about it because weddings always make me cry. Nobody can even wait. Best. Couple. Ever.

Exhibit D. Movies. Outside.

We were pretty stoked to learn that Collingswood, NJ features a movie in the park on Tuesday and Thursdays all summer long. We were even more stoked to learn that my favorite movie of all time is playing on August 2. "What movie could that be?" asked the SOF reader. "I'll never say," said Jes.

So that's this summer in a SOF shell. Wonder what you've been up to?

Love, Jes

shark week!

2007-07-30T15:36:00.000-04:00

there are two words in this world that really get my motor running:

SHARK

WEEK

(warm cookies, cold beer, nap time and go home are all plausible options but not correct)

of course, i forgot that this week is shark week and went on a plan making spree that put j.k. rowling's recent press tour to shame. i tried to get my aquatic adventure fill from njn's special on cuttlefish last night, but their blinky skin lacked the sheer HORROR of shark teeth.

to keep myself in the SW loop while not in front of the tv, i've been playing sharkrunners. i'm pretty terrible at it and the whole thing lags on my portably app'ed firefox but i highly recommend it. hunt sharks (for ecologically sound purposes) to make digital cash. the catch? your boat runs in real time. as in, pick a location, forget about it, go about your daily business, get an e-mail that reminds you that you're actually supposed to be observing a shark RIGHT THIS MOMENT and then observe said shark.

... oh yeah, we're back alright.

spirit! of! pete!

2006-11-22T19:42:00.000-05:00

our spirit of fun captain to the south
has been working overtime to
make sure pete has a speedy recovery!

toot toot little guy.

playing telephone

2006-11-15T20:03:00.000-05:00

a big thanks to our foriegn correspondant ellen for introducing us to skype before she fled the country.

if the 20somethings of the 90s were generation x, i prefer to think of our current age demographic as generation landlineless. while it's easier on the wallet, it's certainly the worst case senario when you do something stupid like oh, i don't know, decide to lose your cell phone on the day you leave work sick and thus have no means of communicating with good ole verizon wireless to rectify the situation?

skype allows you to make computer to computer phone calls and, for the time being, computer to actual phone calls FOR FREE!

what a treat. not only were the verizon service agents sweet as pie, they sounded clear as a bell! a note for future reference, make sure not to get rid of your phone when you upgrade with verizon. they'll turn your old one on for free should you wind up with your's lost and stolen -- and that's WITHOUT paying the protection plan.

our foreign correspondant and i have finally caught each other on the skype, despite the incredible time lapse between countries. fingers crossed that computer to phone calls stay free in '07!

happy halloweenie!

2006-10-31T14:53:00.000-05:00

Wrimo!

2006-10-30T10:17:00.000-05:00

I know what you're wondering.

You're sitting there wondering what the SOF does to ring in the season. You are not alone.

For the Spirit of Fun, November means one thing and one thing only.

NATIONAL NOVEL WRITING MONTH!!!!!

If anyone tuned into our lives last year, they would remember a month long perior of time when all we talked about were robots and girls running away from Philadelphia (boy does life ever imitate art.) This meant 2 hour sittings in the Marlton, NJ Starbucks...and intentions of sitting in the bay window at Janam tea house in Jersey City to write a staggering 50,000 word text. Final count:

Jes: 15,000
Nicole: something like 30,000 SHE CAME SO CLOSE!

Call it extreme drive or masochism, we're giving it another go and this time we're going to write those damn mannuscripts before we turn 25. (6 weeks for Jes)

Care to join us?

Wow

2006-10-29T23:59:00.000-05:00

Oh, impending homelessness. Half of the SOF has skipped town, which explains our sudden lapse in posts.

During our brief hiatus, the SOF has not been completly devoid of its mission: to make light of this icky post college experience...and to seek out and capture that elusive fun. In doing so, we've learned many a thing. How to say maternity in spanish (maternidad), how to write love letters to magazine editors and how to paint pink walls the saddest shade of white without shedding a single tear. Most importantly...we've learned that fun is around every corner and in the act of searching for it, fun finds us.

I'm back in South Jersey and on the house hunt. These are two things that DO NOT seem fun at the moment. In fact, neither of them even have the makings of the word fun.

SOUTH JERSEY
HOUSE HUNT

nope, no amount of rearranging can bring out the fun. No fear as not all hope is lost. Check it out:

Collingswood, NJ Fun:
Haddon Ave. in Collingswood, NJ boasts the Pop Shop. This americana restaurant is home to 30 plus varieties of grilled cheese.
Cherry Hill, NJ Fun:
Cherry Hill is home to the worlds first shopping mall. And if I liked malls, this would be excellent. Cherry Hill is also home to Flying Fish Brewing Company's free tour and tasting. What's more exciting is the fact that said tasting will occur a mere 20 feet from my place of employment. sexcellent.
Medford, NJ Fun:
Veterinarian Dr. James Clinton, introduces himself as "Dr. James Clinton...no relation."

Yes. It is a new era is SOF-dome. Let the games begin.

woo

2006-10-17T11:30:00.000-04:00

sof usurped!

2006-09-25T15:22:00.000-04:00

we get a little cocky around here about our idea of fun (and rightfully so). last night, my own mere toot tooting ways were totally put to shame by the flaming lips live show at hammerstein.

user generated laser light shows
+ confetti showers
+ brightly colored balloons
----------------------------------
an a.d.d fun addict's dream come true

more appropriately sized photos here. a you tube video of the light show here.

OUR APOLOGIES!

2006-09-14T10:54:00.000-04:00

Dear SOF head-

In the midst of a 2 exit move and job jumping, we've been neglecting you and the Spirit Of Fun. Please rest assured that the spirit is alive and well...and will be back in action when the dust settles.

Think of it as a build-up to a magnificent return.

SOF loves you.

You put the HOOL in SCHOOL

2006-08-28T14:00:00.000-04:00

huh?

It's that time again.... While team SOF is through with those dear old golden rule days, we realize that some of you are getting ready to hit those books (be careful not to hit them too hard...you bruise easily, darling).

So to celebrate you for "being cool and staying in school", here is a list of back-to-school gear that will guarantee you the best seat at the lunch table and a permanent shotgut on the tire swing at recess. Yes, this year is going to be different...

Ditch your Jansport, baby and opt instead for a hip book tote like the offerings on the Girls Can Tell Etsy page.

Don't forget about "The Big O". Organization, silly. Check out this year's Little Otsu Organizer here. They've exceeded all expectations with this little number. Write "To Do" Lists, take notes, or make origami out of its pages...instructions included (You know how the SOF feels about origami!)

You'll need a writing implement, so why not do it in delicious style. Check out this gourmet scented pencil set .

The SOF loves you for being so bookish. toot toot.

petition to keep pluto a planet / love letter to pluto

2006-08-24T11:01:00.000-04:00

dear astronomers,

i was very sad to hear that you are revoking pluto's planethood. having sat through one of your 101 classes, i can say with great certainity that this makes less sense than those pesky physics equations.

so, pluto has a bit of a codependancy problem with neptune. it likes to overlap its orbit, trip it up a little bit. keep it on its toes, you might say.

and yes, poor pluto did have a little bit of difficulty keeping up with the curve set by the other 8 planets. how could you be so planetist as to refer to this slightly irregular planet as a DWARF planet.

disgrunetedly yours,
nicole s.

Dear Pluto,
I've never been very good at goobyes.
"My Very Eager Mother Just Served Us Nine Pickles" MVEMJSUNP. Goodbye, sweet acronym. The days of our eager mothers serving us nine pickles is ending (you know how we feel about pickles), and whatever she has on her updated bill of fare, it'll never be the same.

MVEMJSUN

It just doesn't feel right.

Forever a Pluto Planet Supporter,
Jestodd of Fun

DO NOT return to sender

2006-08-23T13:21:00.000-04:00

We here at the SOF can appreciate technology and can type an average of 500 words per minute (yeah, I know) thanks, in part, to our adolescence spent hearing the chime of instant messenger. Recently this co-captain has noticed something...

All this typing has done a number on my once excellent penmanship.

So in an attempt to bring back the days when we actually had to remember to dot our "i"s and cross our "t"s instead of leaving it to our trusty iBooks, allow me to make a plea for the art of letter writing...

And to get you started, how about some of the world's cutest stationary,

like this little number found here.

or perhaps girls with wings for arms found here are more your thing (if I had a penny for every time I've said that):

Not sure what to write? No worries. Just fill out this SOF-fashioned MAD LIB, write it down in a card, pop on a stamp (those are the little square things that you put on envelopes) and pop it in a mailbox (those are those big blue things on certain street corners.)

Dear (Name)-

Remember when we met at that (event). It was so (adjective) and (adjective) that I just had to (verb) to you.
I really like you because you are (adjective), because you wear really (adjective) (plural noun) and because you like the SOF just like I do. I hope that you have a really (adjective) day and eat lots of cupcakes.

Love,
(name)
P.S. The SOF says hi and wishes you would write.

this man is 78 years old.

2006-08-21T22:45:00.000-04:00

little known fact about the roast'd.

playdate!

2006-08-21T22:29:00.000-04:00

members of the fun appreciation society first learned of come out & play at this spring's itp show. never one to turn down an opportunity to throw on our play clothes and take to the street, we eagerly awaited further details.

low and behold CO&P 06 is now six weeks away! (also, a week after this co-captain's move to jc - and what better way to celebrate)

after a quick look at the list of games, i think i'm most psyched for space invaders, identity, hot books and payphone warriors! i'm pretty sure i can become the hot books champion - those who dare to disagree have never seen my mid-manhattan libray action!

next stop, geeksville

2006-08-21T21:51:00.000-04:00

it started with james gunn, went to joss whedon and then hit pop candy. it's the "top television characters" blog post and this co-captain is ready for the challenge. i love a good character more than a fat kid loves cake.

* mal, firefly: i watched the first season of firefly in one weekend. i did not move from the couch, unless it was to pop in the next disc or grab another batch of cookies. i was sucked in by mal. now, you could say that it was because an ex of mine all but built his personality from the malcom reynolds toolbox, but i tend to think its because there's nothing more interesting to watch than a tough guy with a heart of gold.

* tim, the office (bbc): but even a bad boy loving girl falls for an average bloke from time to time. while jim halpern gets most of attention here at the spirit of fun, tim is sort of where it's at. be honest, would you wear an fm radio baseball hat to work if your mum gave it to you for your 30th birthday?

* stuart, madtv: need i say any more?

* steve, sex and the city: sometimes, you're more of a man with one ball than you are with two.

* probie / sean, rescue me: i cannot believe the shit these two get into. sounds like a metrosexual version of pea brain & brain cell to me!

* willow, buffy the vampire slayer: we're talking strictly season one. i liked her dorky and knee deep in unrequited love. i started to lose some love for her when she cheated on oz with xander (as both barely squeaked off this list themselves).

* lucille bluth, arrested development: we all need a little more lucille in our lives.

* mary tyler moore, the mary tyler moore show: there are lucid, non-feverish moments where i pause and ask myself, WWMTMD?

it's a little testosterone heavy for a favorite character list. whose your favorite televison personality?

i've got a brand new pair of roller skates / you've got a brand new key

2006-08-18T10:28:00.000-04:00

over here on the ship of fun we've had one thought and one thought only -- roller derby.

we were inspired by jersey city bridge and pummel's call for fresh meat, but sadly will not be able to attend their gathering tomorrow night.

(co-captain's note: the spleens and housewarming parties of the greater state of new jersey require our attendance - this lapse in ability to attend in no way indicates a lack of ROLLER GRRL SPIRIT!)

needed from our friends of fun - skate shop suggestions, tales of bruises on the rink and wagers for how quickly this co-captain gets her ass served to her!

we love you very, very much

2006-08-17T15:37:00.000-04:00

t-minus a month and a week until the office premiere. start prepping for the viewing party in jc - office attire REQUIRED!

side bar, how many times is too many times to listen to broken social scene's "athems for a seventeen year old girl"? just wondering.

the spirit of no fun

2006-08-15T16:56:00.000-04:00

sof don't travel by plane very often (what with the toot toot tug boat and all), but here are a list of items we'll be sad to no longer bring in our carry-on when we fly the Air Hello Kitty:

* ice pick (for drink emergencies)
* meat cleaver (for meat emergencies)
* our bow and arrow set (for midflight re-enactments of robin hood)
* ski pole (for olympic training purposes)
* tear gas (for expressing appropriate emotions during sappy in-flight movies)
* flare guns (for attracting the attention of cute passengers on board)

but boy am i glad we can check our:

* starter pistol (for schoolyard races)
* billy clubs (for backyard beatings)

check out the tsa list & let us know what your favorite prohibited item is! (thanks sof first mate dustin for the tip)

boys don't make passes at girls who wear glasses

2006-08-15T15:05:00.000-04:00

this sof captain resisted it for as long as she could, continuing to read late into the night in her poorly lit bedroom and squinting at her computer screen for 8 hours a day.

but the time has come to embrace my spectacles (or let my vision become as blurry as a recent photograph of myself - trust me that option is becoming increasingly more interesting).

songs about girls in glasses: portastatic's skinny glasses girl, partyline's girls with glasses, louis xiv's finding out true love is blind

smart, funny girls with glasses: tina fey, little miss sunshine, jessi klein

absurd glasses related finds: one, two, three and four

school of fun: fall recommended reading

2006-08-14T11:33:00.000-04:00

1. yoga for chickens

2. the book of bunny suicides

3. alabama wildman

ok, so maybe the third one isn't

in quite the same catagory -

just residue from finally

seeing sonic youth!

I've never liked Thursdays much.

2006-08-10T16:56:00.000-04:00

I can't imagine a scenario much worse than having to celebrate an inter-office birthday party 30 seconds after hearing that you didn't get the job of your dreams (so close!) Either way, its good to know that your buds are there to catch you as you tumble from a pretty heinouse stage dive be it writing haikus or, in the case of our beloved co-captain, creating some pretty uplifting graphics.

If Jim loves me with these swollen eyes, it must be real.
The toot toot goes on...
"Dunder Mifflin, This is Jes"

BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ...the SOF is busy this week

2006-08-09T11:59:00.000-04:00

Look at you, sitting in that little cubicle. Looks like you need a bit of SPIRIT! (Don't we all.)

The SOF wants to be there for you in your time of need. So while we're busy garnering freelance work, assisting executives, making crafts for fun and profit and nursing puppies back to health, allow us to satiate your need for the fun with some good old down-home spirit fingers:

An important Friday ritual...

2006-08-04T11:49:00.000-04:00

Sit around today and search the internet over for so-clever-it-hurts items of fun that you don't really need...but must have for the smile they put on your face.

Sigh

2006-08-03T16:03:00.000-04:00

THE END IS NEAR!!!!

No no...the sky's not falling. Wow...rumor patrol. But the end of summer is approaching.

And we at the SOF have been making a list of all the things we want to accomplish before we say goodbye to our fickle friend the summer wind:

1. Come up with a SOF logo:

as this one simply won't do.

2. Water Ski:

3. Find the Perfect Bag.

4. Make the Perfect Tee.

5. Learn how to do everything.

<3 u.
-SOF

this should be an olympic sport

2006-08-03T15:25:00.000-04:00

our obligitory snakes on a plane post

2006-08-03T10:40:00.000-04:00

we resisted for as long as we could.

but honestly, what says

i love you more than sending

someone you care care about a

samuel l. jackson / snakes on a plane

phone call?

things to do in AC'ed rooms

2006-08-02T12:10:00.000-04:00

* become a more effective star gazer

* knit yourself a wig

* watch megan mooney stand up

* drink beer for a reason

* make friendship bracelets

* turn board games into purses!