During this strange phase where I’m healing and not very mobile, it seems like a good time to keep myself distracted, to keep my brain busy. While I was in the hospital friends and family brought me some magazines and DVDs, which helped. But I’ve sought out a few more distractions, ones that are, hopefully, compatible with the drugs I’m still ingesting daily. For the little man and I to watch together, I’ve ordered the first season of Fraggle Rock on DVD. And I’ve sought out some books. Candy Girl by Diablo Cody, The World According to Mimi Smartypants, by Mimi Smartypants, of course, and Home Land by Sam Lipsyte. I do realize I shouldn’t have ordered them via Amazon (Powell’s probably would have been a better choice), but I needed other random stuff, like a new pair of headphones and, umm, the new Madonna release (blame the drugs). But, due to the error of my ways, the entire shipment won’t be coming until February 2nd. And I need those distractions like, you know, now.
Speaking of distractions…a friend and I have this inexplicable yet long-running joke inside about unicorns. The unicorn fetish has baffled me since my adolescence in the 80s, when all the cool kids collected those blasted Lisa Frank stickers. Anyhow, two things in the past two days have made me revise my opinion…albeit slightly. One, a fascinating New Yorker article about a museum of medieval art in Manhattan, called The Cloisters. When they needed assistance with the restoration and preservation of seven tapestries known as “The Hunt of the Unicorn” they turned to two mathematicians. It’s a good read. The other, a very funny site with a section focused on monster mythology. In it are two brief but amusing articles containing Unicorn Hunting Information and, better still, Dark Unicorn Hunting Information. The artist, Daniel Davis, has a self-published a book called Caught Creatures (via Drawn) that I’m going to have to pick up. And, in non-unicorn related book news, another illustrator I adore, Kevin Cornell of bearskinrug, has a book available now called Mojo the Sock Monkey. All that ought to keep me kinda sorta busy. But I’m open to other suggestions.
Bonus: I wasn’t aware there was going to be an upcoming live action Transformers movie, until I came across this test footage. It looks sorta neat. But if I show it to the little man he might make me play it over and over again, just like that Citroen dancing car commercial.
Plus: My dear Andrew Bird will be coming back to town February 23rd. He’s playing at the Fine Line, which doesn’t thrill me, but I’m thinking of splurging…and paying the extra $20 for one of their sweet balcony spots. Guess I’ve gone soft in my old age.
And: I was expecting this sort of announcement from James sooner or later, but I don’t like it. Not one bit. Sigh.