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Plecky the Pleco

Posted on September 5, 2007 by Anna

This is Plecky.

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Plecky is a Rubbernose Pleco, and he has been pestering me to write about him on my blog for months.

Plecos are a kind of catfish, and they suck. Literally. Plecky doesn’t do much swimming around our tank; during he day, he prefers to adhere himself to the glass with his big funny mouth and sit there all day long. (He is nocturnal, so who knows what he does when we’re sleeping.)

Plecky is a little misanthropic—he doesn’t like us looking at him. If you get in his range of sight, he’ll flap around a bit and find a new place to sit, usually stuck right to the front of the tank, where he can’t see you anymore. (And to him, this means that you can’t see him anymore, either.)

But that just means that we get a great view of his fascinating underside!

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According to my fish expert husband, Plecky won’t get too much bigger than 3 inches long. Most pleco species get much bigger, however, so it’s important to do your research before bringing home one of these cute little guys!

Rainbow Busters

Posted on September 3, 2007 by Anna

While you admire a post-shower rainbow from afar, a pack of little grayish sprites are working to dismantle it as quickly as possible.

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This is the mission of the Rainbow Busters: to rid the world of all its annoyingly clichéd color.

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Their methods are varied, from spray painting the rainbows black to ripping them to shreds.

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Even this baby Buster has found a way to be helpful destroying a baby rainbow:

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Thanks to the Rainbow Busters, someday our skies may be free of color pollution.

The piece measures 10.5″ long by 9″ tall; each Buster is about 2.5″ tall. (Baby is 1″.)

Shock and Awe Metalwerx

Posted on September 2, 2007 by Anna

This weekend I was happy to learn that my good friend Audrey has just launched her new Etsy shop to sell her original, handmade jewelry.

Audrey has been making jewelry for a number of years now, and I’m lucky enough to have been the recipient of some of her amazing designs. Though she’s a very versatile artist, she specializes in pieces made of natural and found materials. Here are a couple of my faves from her shop:

These earrings are made from silver, carved wood, and coffee seeds.

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And these ones are made from silver, bullet shells and broom straw.

I’m always impressed by how unexpected but also really elegant her work is. And her prices are very affordable, so I wouldn’t be surprised if she sells out soon.

Sleepy Snakes and the Mischievous Mice Who Have Love/Hate Relationships with Them

Posted on August 29, 2007 by Anna

It is SO awesome to see different people’s results from Mochimochi Land patterns.

Shelly just showed me her photos of her Sleepy Snake and Mischievous Mouse.

That’s one happy-looking snake, no? Thanks for sharing, Shelly!

Here are a few more silly Snake/Mouse combos:

Adorable BFF made by Dknits.

A dramatic chase scene by Mikkers!

Just a kiss(?) by Giolou.

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And a supercute color-coordinated not-so-sleepy Snake and Mouse by Bonney.

There are so many creative photos like these of fabulous Mochimochi Land toys that people have sent me and uploaded to the Mochimochi Friends group on Flickr. Thank you, everyone—and keep ’em coming!

I hinted a while back about holding a photo contest, which I’m planning to formally announce soon. A box brimming with cute and slightly strange toys and zakka from Japan will serve as the grand prize. More details to come soon!

Control Those Animals!

Posted on August 28, 2007 by Anna

Judging from the August crime blotter for my hometown of Owasso, Oklahoma, the animals go nuts when the mercury breaks 100.

Highlights from the past month, in no particular order:

4:32 p.m. – Animal control – other, 10000 blk. E. 99 St. N. Raccoon in tree, has now gone farther up and unable to reach it. Handled.

5:14 p.m. – Animal control – other, 400 blk. S. Dogwood. Snakes in kitchen, a few big ones. Handled.

7:58 p.m. – Animal control – vicious animal, 11000 blk. N. 109 E. Ave. Reporting party stated a vicious pit bull went after him and his kids. Handled.

9:48 p.m. – Animal control – wildlife, 10000 blk. E. 95 St. N. Raccoon in garage, needs someone to get it out. Handled.

11:33 p.m. – Check, person, 12700 blk. E. 86 Pl. N. A man was dressed in a grim reaper suit. Handled.

12:17 a.m. – Animal Control – animal welfare, 10300 blk N. 116 E. Ct. Reporting party stated there were some ducks stuck in the spillway behind their house. Info.

11:59 a.m. – Animal control – animal welfare, 10300 blk. N. 116 E. Ct. Ducks trapped. Handled.

1:33 p.m. – Animal control – animal welfare, 8900 blk. N. Garnett Road, Hampton Inn. Raccoon in equipment. Handled.

2:04 p.m. – Animal control – other, 10000 blk. E. 112th St. N. Too many animals. Handled.

In related Owasso news, you still cannot own a dog that is more than 90 percent wolf.

Knitted Toilet Paper

Posted on August 27, 2007 by Anna

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For some reason, I’m finding my bathroom to be endlessly inspiring lately. Maybe it’s time to get out of the house a little more.

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This completely non-utilitarian knit features “perforated” sheets and a “cardboard” core.

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If it were made longer, I suppose it could be a scarf (which could double as a Halloween costume—toilet-papered tree, perhaps?). But definitely not for below-the-belt use!

Update 8/28/07: Due to all the interest, I’ve decided to make this a free pattern—stay tuned!

The Toy Car Collector

Posted on August 24, 2007 by Anna

Looking through some of my photos from earlier in the summer, I came across this one taken at a Fourth of July event in New Hampshire.

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I watched this gray-haired woman rummage through a bin of plastic toy cars for several minutes. She was so focused—it was really something to see. And the bored-looking boy beside her made it a perfect moment that I had to capture.

A New Favorite Game

Posted on August 22, 2007 by Anna

Last weekend, my husband John and I got our nerd on and paid a visit to The Compleat Strategist, a gaming store in midtown.

We’re talking about games of the role-playing or board variety, not the video kind. However, throughout our visit we were privy to an ongoing HEATED discussion about the ins and outs of the World or Warcraft role-playing game, which is the offline version of the popular online game. Because online games are just a little too cool for this crowd.

Here’s a photo of the store from their website—it perfectly captures the dankness that is a prerequisite for a hardcore nerd hangout:

John and I decided to forgo the RPG bizarreness, and instead picked up a special 1993 edition of Trivial Pursuit (the only year they had, which somehow makes it awesomer) and a board game called Carcassonne, which is my new favorite game that I mentioned in the title of this post.

Carcassonne isn’t so new, apparently, but it’s new to me. It’s basically a strategy game in which you and the other player(s) build a French colony out of little squares of cardboard and try to sort of take over as much of it as you can as you go. It’s kind of like chess, I suppose, except less abstract and a little more cute. My kind of game!

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It’s really nice to just sit down and play a non-flashing, non-beeping game made of cardboard and wood for a change. Our French colonies quickly grew too big for our coffee table, though, and we both have sore bottoms and backs from sitting hunched over on our hardwood floor for every night of the past few days. But I’m determined not to quit until I finally beat John. (I’ve come close!)