being original

"Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it."

— C. S. Lewis (1898 - 1963)

a classic classic

"A classic is classic not because it conforms to certain structural rules, or fits certain definitions (of which its author had quite probably never heard). It is classic because of a certain eternal and irrepressible freshness."

— Edith Wharton (1862 - 1937)

old new ipod

See the hip ipod-ish thing in the cool colors?

It's a transistor radio from 1954... maybe proving what the writer of Ecclesiastes says — that there really is "nothing new under the sun". Even when it's the latest, most radical, exciting, brand new thing just out.

Like an ipod. (Well no, to be exact, that would be the iphone, but anyway.)

The BBC did an article on this. To read more, click here.

NYC Nike Half Marathon

Look at that time! Ethiopia's Haile Gebrselassie — considered the world’s greatest long-distance runner — won Sunday's NYC Half-Marathon in 59 minutes and 24 seconds!

At 34, Gebrselassie ran the second-fastest half marathon on United States soil. And the second-fastest half-marathon of his career. He has succeeded in every distance from 5K to the marathon.

59 minutes and 24 seconds!

Hmm. Right about then I was just about to leave Central Park with another 6.5 miles to go...

But that's what I love about New York City — people like me get to run in the same race as Haile! Around 10,000 of us.

The other thing about the race that's so cool is the course. You get to run through the heart of the big apple. And the best bit — running down 7th Avenue, past Carnegie Hall, past Carnegie Deli, into an entirely blocked off Times Square where the only sounds you hear are singing, bands and great crowds of cheering spectators. Amazing.




To watch the race, click here.

moodling and dawdling

Brenda Ueland (seen left looking rather frail and rather old and rather wonderful), in her brilliant book If You Want To Write: A Book About Art, Independence and Spirit writes:

"the imagination needs moodling
--long, inefficient, happy idling,
dawdling and puttering".

how cool is that? kind of goes along with that "no time you enjoy wasting is wasted time" that Bertrand Russell said.

so today, here's to lots of happy moodling and inefficient idling dawdling and puttering!

for those who don't know, here's a bit about her that reads as fabulously as her book:

For many years of her adult life she lived in New York, working mostly as a freelance writer and disliking her work. Returning to Minneapolis, she wrote three books and was a long-time teacher of writing. She was knighted by the King of Norway and set an international swimming record (for over-80-year-olds). She lived by two rules: to tell the truth, and not to do anything she didn't want to do. She died in 1985 at the age of 93.

how great is she? the king of Norway? wow. when i grow up i want to be just like her.

Elvira, the Tri-Cornered Bag

LATEST HANDBAG SCOOP: following yesterday's "Scary Handbags" segment, a handbag expert has written in telling me,

"That triangle thing is named 'Elvira'. I threw her away in 1960. How did she end up on your blog?"

I don't know exactly. It's a very good question. Turning up like this 47 years later.

Except that nasty bad handbags do have a way of turning up when you least expect them. Take Clasp for instance. But that's another story (well, it's The Handbag Friends' story, to be exact).

Regardless, that big show off bag has a name and it is ELVIRA.

Of course it is.

What else could it be?

(I happen to know for a fact she is best friends with Clasp--seen below in full swing scaring one of the poor Handbag Friends.)


Quick, all this talk of nasty handbags, we better sing the Handbag song again. Just in case.

Scary Handbags

I've come across some frightening handbags in my time. But have you ever? Just look at them. Sitting there like that. They have to be some of the worst handbags I've ever seen. Quite awful. I wouldn't be at all surprised if it turns out they're Friends and Relations of Clasp herself. (If you don't know who Clasp is, never fear, you soon will.)

I don't know their names (if you do, please let me know). But I do know one thing: they are up to no good looking like this. (Particularly that "tri-cornered" one at the bottom. What a horrible show off she is.) And I know one thing else: I wouldn't want any of these dangling off my arm--would you?


This concludes Part 1 in our Handbag Series. In Part Two we will be meeting some more unsavory bags. But no posting about handbags is complete without a recital of the famous, the notorious, the completely addictive... the song everyone is singing... the song that belongs to The Handbag Friends--and to... YOU!

Get ready ... (really, it's the only sensible thing to do when faced with such dreadful handbags) ... sing!

Dan Cruver

My friend, Dan Cruver, a former pastor and college professor of Bible and Theology, has just been hired by this cool adoption agency for orphans. The reason this is particularly redemptive and wonderful news is the tragedy that lies behind it.

Dan and his wife, Melissa, lost their little son Daniel Jr at the age of 3 due to a serious brain disorder caused by a genetic defect. They began to actively pursue adoption after his diagnosis. Their story is powerfully moving and you can read more on his blog.

Seen in the picture their daughter, Hannah (10), and their two adopted African-American boys, Isaiah (5) and Noah (3).

I love Dan's heart and his passion. And by the way his daughter is an excellent writer (seen below with her brother, Isaiah) and what's more, a Master of the cliff hanger (my favorite). You can check out her blog to see for yourself.


Dan was the guy who did the really cool thing of starting a photo challenge for The Jesus Storybook Bible and the interview.