A TOSS UP

At a thrift shop with an alliterative name which is NOT owned by Walmart, there is always something to boggle the mind. I went there today to drop off some donations, and because I knew there would be something crazy to see. I was disappointed not to see any really awful eighties suits or anything unsuitably sequinned, but there were these two examples.

On the left is an album by someone I've never heard of. It begs the question "HOW?" did he ever get enough play to have a "greatest hits" album. Uber-cool? I think not. On the right, we have the question "Why?" Why did anyone ever think any of these things were remotely what was required by anyone? I can't decide between the highly polished coconut piggy bank and the teasel headed hedgehog with the cauldron as being most ridiculous. And the touristy crap like "minimalist plywood beaver", "resin soapstone moose--is that a moose?" or the Blue Mountain Pottery Owl--in flame tones was rightly cast aside by whoever was the unfortunate recipient.

Why, Why, Why? and How, How, How? These questions haunt me whenever I haunt V V.

Phomposis

Here's something remarkable which I see every day on my walks. This tree is completely infested by phomposis galls which are fungal infestations which cause wood to grow in a disorganized fashion. Even though this is a (non-fatal) disease, the overall effect is quite beautiful, especially in winter when the knobbly branches are silhouetted against the sky, looking like some petrified plum blossoms or perhaps a roccoco tracery of stone.

War is Weird

Visited the War Museum in Ottawa today, where I saw lots of oddities. I decided that this camo evening gown by Jean Paul Gaultier was worthy of mention.

Who would wear this? What fashion statement is being made here?

I'm not sure that this was actually the weirdest thing there...I mean concentration camps, nuclear weapons, man's inhumanity to man have got to be right up there. Hitler's Big Black Car of Evil gets a dishonorable mention.

The Weirdest Thing Of The Day

The Plan: to record(for posterity? the heckuvit? well, who cares why, perhaps this will become evident as the so-called "plan" unfolds)...the strangest thing I see every day, with pictures where possible. Its a pretty weird world, after all. Let's see what transpires, shall we?

This was in my inbox this morning. If its real, its amazing. If its not, why would you bother to make people think that there was a dog as big as a pony alive in the world? Sometimes I think people don't have enough to do.

PS--because sometimes I don't have enough to do, I've added a Spanish Word of the Day Gadget to my blog. This will help me build my Spanish vocabulary for my next pilgrimage--see Post for February 7. (which is actually where I should have put this, but I'm trying to stay on task).