December 2008
24 posts
It’s obviously too late to order Christmas cards online now, but if I had seen these very cute letterpressed cards from Snow & Graham earlier, I would have been sending them out to all my friends and family. My favourite is the one with all the mittens on the front, mainly because the mittens are adorable but also because it’s been so ridiculously cold outside lately.
“Happy Holiday”, from Christmas...
Brass bracelet →
I almost never wear bracelets, but if I had this one I think I just might end up wearing it every day.
I don’t think I’ve actually read more than maybe two “classic” books in my life, but I’m incredibly tempted to go out and buy some of these Penguin “Great Ideas” books — reprints of classics with gorgeously designed covers (take a look here and here). I might eventually get around to reading them, but more importantly, they would look fabulous...
Just so you know, I would rather shoot myself than set foot in a shopping mall this close to Christmas. We’ll see how that goes, though, considering that I’ve done almost none of my Christmas shopping so far.
Drink this
A suggestion: Brew up some chai tea. Not the disgusting, cheap stuff that comes in teabags, but some nice looseleaf mixed with whole cloves, chunks of cinnamon, and other spices (I prefer Silk Road Chai). Once you’ve brewed the tea, stir in a heaping spoonful or two of hot chocolate mix. Sip and enjoy.
Finger food mini plates →
After previous difficult experiences attempting to hold a wine glass and a plate of appetizers at the same time, part of me thinks this is actually a good idea. But I also think you’d look pretty ridiculous if you decided to walk around at a party with a small plate attached to your finger.
At the coffee shop, a middle-aged woman is sitting on the couch flipping through the financial section of the newspaper with a serious, thoughtful expression on her face. She is wearing a lurid pink sweater, her long neck is encircled several times by a gigantic fuzzy purple scarf, and she’s sporting a lacy tutu-esque skirt overtop of fishnet tights and high-heeled boots.
Yesterday: Quit the job — a little bit sooner than initially planned, but ultimately it just felt right. Sometimes, knowing when to walk away is the best knowledge you can have.
Today: First day as a freelancer, but ultimately it just felt like Saturday had been moved a few days sooner.
Ugliest piece of clothing ever →
I don’t even need to explain. The pictures speak for themselves.
One of the most amusing aspects of a snowy day in Victoria is the way people drive. Basically, there are two types of drivers here: Those who feel that the snow should pose no impediment whatsoever to their usual driving habits no matter how fast they feel like going, and those who think the speed limit should be reduced to approximately ten kilometres an hour the second they spot the first flake...
Management just sent out an email threatening to fire anyone who leaves dirty dishes in the sink or on their desk. I love my job.
Things you don't want to hear a client say... →
My personal favourite: “your design looks nice, but it isn’t ‘us’ — can you take the design from IBM.com and put our logo and colors on it? that would be perfect!”
It’s raining, and the office window is leaking. Again. Wondering which is more dangerous: Computers sitting on soggy carpet, or that time the power strip for the water cooler was sitting in a small lake for a few hours.
Coffee →
“I like coffee so much that I have tea for breakfast: The first cup of the day in particular is so good that I’m afraid I won’t be able to properly appreciate it when I am half-asleep. Therefore, I celebrate it two hours later when I am fully conscious.”
Archer, by Hoefler & Frere-Jones →
Have decided that this is the most beautiful font currently in existence. Must acquire asap.
Customized breakfast cereal →
Um, could this possibly be taking the “mass customization” trend a little bit too far? Or is it suddenly way too time consuming to slice some fresh fruit on top of your cereal?
I’m pretty sure I just ate the single most disgusting piece of chocolate ever created. Lindt’s “99% Cocoa” product tastes suspiciously similar to chewing on a chunk of dirt, meaning that it sacrifices everything that I love so much about chocolate just for the sake of purity. Rating: Overrated.
I have stolen the coworker’s space heater and placed it under my own desk. Warmth is mine, if only temporarily.
A few days ago I realized that my hair has finally grown enough that it can now be legitimately described as “long”. This is the first time that I’ve had long hair since high school, and we don’t speak about the way my hair looked back then because it was just bad. This time around it’s so much better.
Unexpected (or at least unremembered) side effect of long hair:...
Ten useful iPhone tips and tricks →
Tip #1 looks especially useful, primarily because it appeals to the lazy, shortcut-seeking portion of my personality.
As a general rule of thumb, locking your keys into the car is a bad idea. Locking your keys into the car when you are tired and hungry is an even worse idea, and locking your keys into the car when you are all of maybe four blocks away from the apartment but can’t get inside because all the keys are inside the car is just pure stupidity.
There’s a very thin line between simple and clean and powerful and simple and clean and boring.
—David Carson in the Helvetica Documentary