The Blurb #14: The Land of Underwater Birds - Eric Puchner on terrible titles:
I’ve seen some jaw-droppingly awful titles, often from very gifted writers. And I’m not just talking about my students: The Great Gatsby is an inspired title, one for the ages, but it wasn’t Fitzgerald’s idea. He wanted to call the novel Trimalchio in West Egg, which sounds like something Dr. Seuss might have dreamed up for The Playboy Channel. An early version of Portnoy’s Complaint was called A Jewish Patient Begins His Analysis. At various times, Catch-22 was called Catch-18, Catch-11, Catch-14, and Catch-17. And some classic novels have stood the test of time, despite having terrible titles. (The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, for example, never fails to make me giggle.)
John Mayer is a douchebag. Jay Smooth, who I am in love with, explains why fixating on racist celebrity soundbites distract us from institutional/systemic race issues that impact our lives.
Cupcakes for Men – I am fascinated by baked good/candy items marketed towards men. Probably stems from when my indignation the first time I saw a Yorkie bar. Six styles: Woodland Camo, Wood Grain, Houndstooth, Plaid, Checkerboard or Marble. (found via Sociological Images)
The Boy Who Grew Up to Be Charles Manson’s Son - Bizarre.
Right now I’m watching Freaks and Geeks for the first time. It would be incredibly cliche to say that I really relate to the lead character Lindsay, but well, I really relate to the lead character Lindsay. I remember in high school always going with the flow, not really knowing what was normal behavior amongst people I wanted to hang out with, always being worried about my little brother getting beat up, and having two groups of friends I never wanted to interact with at the same time.
