Hands down, this ingenious book by Leanne Shapton is my next book purchase.
Focusing on a series of personal miscellany, kooky knickknacks & heartfelt notes once held privately by the fictional coupling of the aforementioned Lenore & Harold, 'Important Artifacts' is set up like a public auction catalogue. Much like when a famous person dies and their personal effects end up on view & purchase via wealthy auction houses, these items are laid bare upon the demise of Lenore & Harold's love. Photos of everyday random objects mingle within the pages, witnesses to the birth of Lenore & Harold's four year relationship, its passionate life & eventual death. A smashed cup, a smudged handwritten note, stolen salt & pepper shakers all gather to tell their part of this fantastic story.
And here's where Shapton excels & really nails the whole relationship thing on its messy head. We all accumulate 'stuff' from daily personal interactions, from friends & lovers - inconsequential items that resonate with a feeling, with a memory related to person once (or still?) deemed special. A crumpled receipt cherished from a favourite eatery where you dined on your first date. A pressed flower remaining from a bouquet gifted by an ex. Even ticket stubs from a memorable concert -- we're all guilty of collecting such life keepsakes. Most objects in the hands of others not associated with their special-ness would just be seen as life clutter. What's a stolen salt shaker without its human context but a rogue table accessory? Suffice it to say, in the eyes and heart of the beholder, it's probably a token from a night to end all nights, full of passion, laughter and unbridled excitement. One person's trash is always another's beloved treasure...especially when wrapped in memories.
I'm well & truly hooked. If you are too, check out Leanne Shapton speaking about her novel from her own perspective. You'll never regard your old relationship souvenirs in the same way again.
Swing ball. Isn't that just a *cough* more boring name for the game known as Zim Zam? 
Hands down, this ingenious book by Leanne Shapton is my next book purchase.
Look what she can do!
Summer's a time when many of us are kicking back, taking time off from work -- but that's not the scenario for the cast of 'Gossip Girl'. With barely a few weeks off this season, the cast are back at their daily grind during Manhattan's sticky, steamy summer.
Hot on the heels after debating the merits of the bacon wallet, comes the Twinkie coin purse.
Check out the cover of the latest issue of 'Us' magazine -- the fly on the wall bible for all things celebrity & vacuous. 
Dog-gone it! Looks like my Schipperke puppy might get to fly the friendly skies after all!
New York magazine is all a flutter over the emergence of a poutine in gotham city. 
FINALLY!!!! After YEARS of waiting, the proper *official* DVD release of the magnificent 'Dogs in Space' is happening! 
Yeah, baby! Looks like season 11 is actually going to be entertaining! I know that I'm not the only one who had to forgo the series the past two summers. The casting was - dire ... life's too precious to spend hour upon hour watching aggravating twats with low I.Q.s attempting to win a million dollars. But this season.... I think the producers corralled a good mix of people to make this summer's offering actually watchable *and* addictive. The first ep on Thursday night was the old BB that I've come to know and shamelessly love. 
I don't think that I'm alone in suffering from an overdose of Michael Jackson the past two weeks. 
Ooh, feeling a bit harsh today....having scarfed down a record number of Chocolate X-treme Blizzards -- aka in my good books as 'Blizzard Perfection!' -- this month, I do feel a tad let down by the Blizz of the Month this go around.
Love, love, LOVE this war-time slogan!! 
