Canadian Bacon Barbie

So, I bought a first edition copy of Kenneth Burke’s Permanence and Change from one of the Amazon booksellers… and it turns out that most of the pages are still uncut. Meaning it has never been read, unless someone felt like peering into the pages without ripping them open.

So, do I cut all the pages?

I bought the book so I could actually read it and compare it with the later edition we are all probably most familiar with… but I don’t know. I kind of like the “uncut” factor.

Hmmm……..

Check it out here… http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=362

I found these decorating books at the thrift store and absolutely had to have them:

1) Better Homes and Gardens Creative Decorating on a Budget, ca 1970

Which featured this awesome green and black room:

I think you could easily replicate that chair by painting a thrift store version black, and then covering the chair pad.

2) Good Housekeeping’s Complete Book of Decorating, from 1971 (I think)

This book featured more cool green and black rooms:

I love the fabric on the chairs–it looks like Marimekko.

Now I’m wishing I had chosen green and black for my living room. To get the look, you could get one of these from Ikea:

I still have a Klippan sofa from grad school. I love being able to change the look of it… it’s in my study right now so maybe I could pull of this kind of look there…

Or this sofa from allmodern.com

The dots are too cool!

I happened across the Loeb Edition (volume II) of Isocrates’ collected works at a used book store and decided to sit down with it today. I bought it because a) It’s I-Soc, and I love I-Soc, and it contained “Against the Sophists” and “Antidosis,” two familiar texts for us rhetoricians. But the volume starts with On the Peace, a text Isocrates wrote during the Social War, in which Athens was dead set on waging war against the Chians, the Coans, the Rhodians, and the Byzantines. I couldn’t help but notice parallels with our contemporary situation, so I thought I’d list some of them for your reading/pondering pleasure:

• “I observe… that you do not hear with equal favour the speakers who address you, but that, while you give your attention to some, in the case of others you do not even suffer their voice to be heard. And it is not surprising that you do this; for int he past you have formed the habit of driving all the orators from the platform except those who support your desires.” Contemporary parallel.
• 
• “it has become plain to all that you will be better pleased with those who who summon you to war than with those who counsel peace; for hte former put into our minds the expectation both of regaining our possessions in the several states and of recovering the power which we formerly enjoyed, while the latter hold fortn no such hope, insisting rather that we must have peace and not crave great possessions contrary to justice, but be content with those we have… ” (9). Contemporary parallel.
• For some of us appear to me to be over-zealously bent on war, as though having heard, not from haphazard counsellors, but from the gods, that we are destined to succeed in all our campaigns and to prevail easily over our foes” (9). Contemporary parallel.,
  
• Iscorates advises that peace will bring prosperity, that by stopping war with the above-mentioned countries, “we hall have all mankind as our allies–allies who will not have been forced, but rather persuaded, to join with us, who will not welcome our friendship because of our power when we are secure only to abandon us when we are in peril, but who will be disposed towards us as those should be who are in very truth allies and friends”. Other nations viewed Athens as an enemy because “they see that we are not content with what we have but are always reaching out for more. If, however, we change our ways and gain a better reputation […] it will be to their advantage to cherish and support the power of Athens and so be secure in the possession of their own kingdoms” (23).  Contemporary parallel.

Maybe Obama has been reading some Isocrates. Maybe more people should.

From Sportsnet:

“A new Canadian Press Harris/Decima survey suggests 40 per cent of Canadians considered the Habs as the country’s hockey team of choice, compared with 24 per cent for the Leafs. […] Adding insult to injury for Toronto fans, support for the Habs was even higher among those who claim to know their hockey.

As many as 50 per cent of self-described “avid fans” chose the Canadiens as Canada’s team. Less than 30 per cent of the diehards picked the Leafs.”

What’s even worse,  “Among the few groups where the Leafs could count on more support were Conservative party supporters under the age of 24.”

So, to conclude…

 GO HABS GO!!

Not only are these named after one of my favorite colleagues, but they also taste pretty damned good. We gluten-free freaks have no problems with chips in general (potato, corn, etc.), so this isn’t a category lacking in GF options. However, these chips have the delightful side benefit of being thick and uniform enough in shape to pinch hit for crackers. The sea salt variety tastes great with bean dip and is versatile enough to accommodate cheeses or even tapenade. The honey dijon variety also fills the void left in my life when I went gluten-free and had to give up Snyder’s Honey Mustard Pretzel Bits. Actually, it’s not like I ate said bits all that often in my previous, non-GF life. But I kind of liked having the option.

Lundberg rice chips also come in a tantalizing array of flavours, including pico de gallo, sesame seaweed, and fiesta lime. I’ll hopefully be sampling all of these soon. YAY.

I’m going to officially declare piping a fashion trend, based on my two recent acquisitions and online investigations.

Exhibit A: Puma bag, acquired at Lady Footlocker in New Orleans

Isn’t it cute? It’s the perfect size and shape for toting a laptop, or for an airplane carry-on.

Exhibit B: Orange Tommy Hilfinger trench coat, acquired from Overstock.com

I’m excited to wear this on my upcoming trip to rainy Vancouver… although I’m not sure if it will stand up to a downpour on its own.

Here are some other items I’ve come across (but refrained from purchasing!) online, in case you want to partake of the trend:

Shorts, Lulus.com

Shoes, Michael Kohrs, Nordstrom.com

Sunglasses, Lulus.com

 Pity me because I don’t have a Proctor toaster.

From the Saturday Evening Post, ca. 1944.

If literature scholars consider reading literature work…

Then as a rhetorician I can consider watching political speeches on TV work too.

Right?

Christmas Day at my parents house traditionally involves my sister and I watching the Sound of Music (and singing along to the annoyance of all other spectators) while making a puzzle. Boxing Day usually involves some kind of craft–one year we bought a small evergreen tree and painted ornaments for it. This year my mom and I purchased several wool sweaters for $6.99 each at Value Village. I was inspired by Bella Dia’s instructions for felted wool mittens, but also made some doves and an owl (who was named “Dave” upon Liam’s suggestion).

Megan made this cute felted pincushion (also inspired by Bella Dia):

On Christmas Day we made these colorform artworks as well: