Sarcasmo's Corner

Now, Where Have I Heard That Before ?

2008-11-07T20:46:00.010-05:00

I need to correct a statement made in the previous post. "Slouching Towards Bedlam" is being used in class at Seton HILL University, not Seton HALL. Or as Prof. Dennis Jerz explained it in his email;

"That's Seton Hill University........near Pittsburgh, not the New Jersey school with the similar name."

I am sure that a few of you are having a good chuckle over the irony of the situation. And to those same few, I must say, isn't it funny the way things go sometimes? For those of you who have no idea what I am referring to, you'll just have to trust me. There is irony.
Prof. Jerz explains that both Universities are named after Elizabeth Ann Seton ,the first American-born saint. And his school is on a big hill, hence the name.
I have had the pleasure of walking that " hill". It is lovely and tree lined and steep. I am not sure that the word "hill" does it justice. Really it is a hill on a hill, as all of Greensburgh Pa. seems to be on an incline. Actually, most of western Pa. is elevated.
Sarcasmo attended the University of Pittsburgh. Her second year she moved into dorms at the top of what was called "heart attack hill". After all this time I can't remember if we called it that after walking up it from the center of town, or if other people called it that as well. The "hill" was a long enough incline to include a hospital campus somewhere around the middle of it. I think a couple of parents stopped off for hits of oxygen on their way up.

Many thanks to Prof. Jerz for setting the record straight. Had I paid a little more attention to detail I would have noted that the link Peccable provided for us says Setonhill.edu, not Setonhall.

Sorry for the confusion. One small letter can really make a big difference.

There Was Dancin' in the Streets

2008-11-05T12:39:00.011-05:00

Wow , what a week ,huh ? Halloween, the Phils won the World Series, Halloween, and Americans go to the polls in record numbers to elect the country's first African-American President. And Halloween. Makes you wonder what will have us out dancing down Broad street next!

Speaking of Halloween, Friend of the Corner, Chris has something to share. Here he is in his very first ever pirate costume.( that's him on the right).

According to Chris, the costuming was touch and go for a while, but in the end he made a fine buccaneer. Arrrgh !

I do , as I mentioned in the previous post have some Sarcasmo related news. First there was an email from Peccable, letting us know that "Slouching Towards Bedlam" was being used as a teaching example, in a class called "Writing for the Internet", being taught at Seton Hall University! How cool is that? Peccable provided us with this link where you can read reviews and responses from the class. Sarcasmo would be most pleased to know that the IF game she and Peccable created was being used to inspire other writers.

That's not all. Sarcasmo's co-workers from PENN Home Care and Hospice Services, have remembered her with two dedications at the new Penn Hospice at Rittenhouse unit. They have commissioned a painting of the Giant Frog area in Rittenhouse Square , and have purchased a skylight in her memory. In addition they have placed a brick at the new Ruth and Raymond Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine walkway across from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, in her name. We greatly appreciate all the time and effort the staff of Penn Home Care and Hospice Services has put into this endeavor.

I know Sarcasmo would have had some keen insights about this last election. Here is an Original Sarcasmo she posted the day before the 2006 elections. Enjoy, but remember that all the links may not still be active.

One thought before I go. It is only 359 days til Halloween. Times a wastin' people. Lets get cracking on those cotumes!

As always, Sarcasmo's Corner is hoping you will participate in this blog by sending links Sarcasmo would have posted, stories, commentary, or whatever you feel appropriate to slf1954@verizon.net.

Boo!

2008-10-31T07:01:00.002-04:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN !!!!!!!!!!

On such a day it is not surprising that I have some good Sarcasmo related news to share. But, as it is such a day, I don't have the time to do it justice. So you'll have to stop back to see what's up. In the meantime, enjoy your Halloween. Here is a post that reminds us how Sarcasmo celebrated her Halloween. For her it was a season, not a day. Enjoy.

Wear it Proudly

2008-10-22T14:31:00.004-04:00

I know that with only 9 days left until Halloween, there has to be at least one of you still trying to come up with the perfect costume. On the off chance that there are 5 of you in close proximity of each other, or if you can convince four of your friends to wear costumes that preclude sitting down, here you go. See, the Corner always has your back.
If you are looking to cover that back, as well as the attached front, let me direct you here: Feanor & Poppy's Cabinet of Wearable Curiosities. Sarcasmo would have loved that name. (She may have quibbled about the 's only being on Poppy and not on Feanor as well). And she would have loved the store. It was her belief that there was no such thing as too many T-shirts in one's closet.
I know you can't spill the beans about your costumes before Halloween. But if anyone wants to share photos after, send them along and I'll post them. Ditto if you buy a T-Shirt and want to model it for us.

Original Sarcasmo

2008-10-16T09:11:00.004-04:00

It's about time for one of these, don't you agree? I was searching back, through the genius that is Sarcasmo , for something Halloweeny, or at least fallish. There are not as many Halloween related posts as you might think. Most likely because Sarcasmo was too busy to post much this time of year.
But I happened upon this, and it made me smile. So I am sharing it with you. An Original Sarcasmo posted by her on October 3, 2005.
Enjoy!

Zombies, Comedy and Friends

2008-10-08T17:09:00.005-04:00

Consider the fact that Sarcasmo once told me and Sarcas-dad that one of the best moments in her life was when she got a phone call asking if she could be a last minute zombie extra in a movie but had to turn it down because she was already volunteering as a ghost pirate on a haunted ship. Knowing that, you will understand why Friend of the Corner Vis Major sent us this email.

" I have a feeling Star would've bought this plush zombie (http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/plush/ac4a/) & cheerfully dismembered it while singing along to Johnathan Coulton's zombie song, "RE: Your Brains." :D

Yeah she would have! Thanks Vis.

If you are in the Philly area, or for any reason find yourself so this Friday night, I know where you can get good coffee and good comedy for a good price. Friend of the Corner TrackerNeil , sent along the details

"At long last, I have rescheduled the long-in-the-planning 1-4-5 Show at Joe! On Friday, October 10 at 7pm, you can see local comediansCarolyn Busa, Mike Eiswerth, Katie Kohler and, of course, yours truly,for a fabulous hour of comedy at Joe Coffee Bar at 1100 Walnut Street.These are some very funny folks, some of whom I have previously performed with and all of whom I have seen, and I'm delighted to sharethe ticket with them. I know you'll be delighted as well.Doors will open around 6:30, admission is $5, and if you're in a mood to nibble Joe serves all sorts of tasty fare...check outhttp://www.joecoffeebar.com/ for details."

Come out and help us laugh at with TrackerNeil .

As always, Sarcasmo's Corner is hoping you will participate in this blog by sending links Sarcasmo would have posted, stories, commentary, or whatever you feel appropriate to slf1954@verizon.net. Especially those related to her favorite holiday, Halloween.

My Server Went to San Diego and All I Got Was This Friday Folllies

2008-10-02T21:20:00.006-04:00

Based on the fact that you can see me, I assume my server made it's way safely from LA to the sunny shores of San Diego. Not that I got a postcard , or an email, or anything. A pone call would have been nice. Just an "I'm here safe and sound" would have been enough, but , you know, I'm not bitter. Sitting here. Worrying.
Now that I've gotten that off my chest, guess what? It is only 28 days until the coolest day of the year.The day Sarcasmo planned for all year. The holiday of holidays. Yes, it is only 27 days until----Halloween!!!!!!
In order to be ready to give the day it's due I have been doing a little blog cleaning. I opened up a file , blew out the spooky cobwebs and dusted off all the links I threw in there for later. As I was alone at the time, I said to myself, " If not now,when?". Or maybe I said "What am I saving these for?". I'm not really sure. I wasn't listening. Either way, it's time to clean out the closet.
So here are some links. They have no obvious link to each other, or this post. But I have been carting them around for a while and I need to make some room.

You Can't Go Wrong- with a blog that has a sidebar of Tenacious Toys , a link to an action figure customizing site, and a post titled Gamma-Go Wooden Deathbots: Lederhose Edition. This was sent to us by Friend of the Corner Vis Major.

Did I Mention Halloween- How about them eyes?(via ShinyShiny )

Where no Man Has Gone Before- you can now if you have a few bucks.(via Wired ) Take a look and see who already went.

For the Well Dressed Blogger- but you can't carry your lipstick in it.(via Popgadget )

Faded Photographs - only if your monitor is on the fritz. But if you're nostalgic for what once was a photograph ( do any of you remember a photograph?) take a look at this. Next someone will make digital photo corners that appear to dry up and fall out of our digital photo albums. You don't remember those either, do you? ( via ShinyShiny )

As always, Sarcasmo's Corner is hoping you will participate in this blog by sending links Sarcasmo would have posted, stories, commentary, or whatever you feel appropriate to slf1954@verizon.net

Movin' on Up

2008-09-28T20:05:00.001-04:00

I just got a very detailed message from the service that hosts his blog. Apparently my server is moving from LA to San Diego. After my recent trip to San Diego I can't say I blame it. They are moving both the data, and the actual physical sever. It says something in among all the technical stuff about starting Monday and ending Thursday. So if this site disappears for a few days worry not faithful reader(s). We shall return after a short ride down the Pacific Coast highway.

Got Pirratude?

2008-09-14T16:21:00.005-04:00

'Scuse me. Don't mind the dust. I am just giving the blog a little sweep. It just had a major cleanup. There's lots more elbow room in here now, thanks to Friend of the Corner Tom. And thanks to him, posting has resumed on it's, ah, slightly erratic schedule.

About 6 weeks ago I got an email from the company that hosts this blog, as well as Wednesday's Off, stating they had moved the database to a different directory That was it. No question, no explanation, just a simple declaration. Two weeks later I was amusing myself on their webpage when I noticed that they apparently required some kind of response from me. What followed was an exchange of emails that made me afraid to post. The database, I was told was too big. They suggested I start removing things from the blog to make it smaller. Knowing my technical limitations I immediately, panicked, and followed up by freaking out. When that accomplished absolutely nothing I reached out to Friends of the Corner, Vis Major & Feanor. Both were kind enough to talk me off the ledge and offer sound advice, and ,supply me with talking points to do what I really dreaded the most.

Calling tech support.

The tech was very patient, although I am pretty sure that by my 9 millionth question he was contemplating a career change and wondering who, in the name of all that is binary based allowed this woman access to the internet. He directed me on how to find the aforementioned database, (This was after he told me it was so big that I was in danger of crashing the server). One look the lines of data and I knew I had no business anywhere near it. The techs advice; "Lady, get a webmaster."

And so I did.

Webmaster Tom lost no time jumping into the fray. He did some behind he scenes nipping and tucking, and, voila! Sarcasmo's Corner remains, the same as it ever was. Only better.

Thanks Tom, and Vis, & Feanor.

If we weren't here, who would remind you all,that, Friday is Talk Like a Pirate Day! Yes. Friday. This Friday! Sarcasmo's favorite holiday after Halloween.

Ahoy, we will be clelbratin' at a local pub. Gar.(see, I'm gettin' my Pirate on). And guess where
Cap'n Slappy and Ol' Chumbucket are marking the day. Right here in Philly! How about you? Are you planning to hoist a pint to the skull and crossbones. If you do, raise one to Sarcasmo as well, if you please. And let us know all about it. Send pictures even. Thanks to the good friends of Sarcasmo's Corner, we'll be here to post it.

Thanks for Sharing

2008-09-01T15:47:00.006-04:00

At the end of most of these posts I ask if anyone has something Sarcasmo related to share. Every once in a while somebody drops me a line, or a link. Several friends of the Corner have opted to paticipate of late. Thank you one and all.

Friend of the Corner Chris sent us this link, because it made him think of Sarcasmo. They went to college togeter, and even then, a misplaced apostrophe would have been cause for consternation. I know she would be applauding these guys, and possibly spearheading a fund raising campaign to help pay the fine. Not that I am suggesting that Sarcasmo would in any way promote the defacing of public property. But I am sure she could have made an argument for change for the common good grammar.

Friend of the Corner Ed passed this along as something he thought Sarcasmo would have enjoyed. I think she would have. Sarcasmo liked ferreting out new and interesting places to eat
in and around Philly. Being on the lookout for a condiment not in this collection would have added some spice to the hunt.

I found this on the blog of Friend of the Corner, Poppy. This would have brought Sarcasmo great joy. And I can picture her, and Poppy and Vis Major sharing the experience at the top of their lungs.

There are only 18 days to go until Sarcasmo's favorite day of the year after Halloween, Talk Like A Pirate Day. Sarcas-sis, aka, Nodeva shared this news with Thor's pre-school. They are planning to do something to mark the day, and that news she shared with me.

Now remember everybody:

As always, Sarcasmo's Corner is hoping you will participate in this blog by sending links Sarcasmo would have posted, stories, commentary, or whatever you feel appropriate to slf1954@verizon.net

Monday Morning Madness

2008-08-17T19:29:00.006-04:00

ICan't believe it. Seriously, IAm so excited.Friend of the Corner, Peccable emailed me his bit of news moments ago.

" I saw something on Emily Short (who met Star at the UPenn reading wedid) put on her blog about Slouching Towards Bedlam showing up as partof the free download of Frotz on the IPhone:"

How cool is that IAsk you? Sarcasmo & Peccable, available on ITunes.

Speaking of Peccable, as we were, we spent some time this weekend at the brand new abode he and TrackerNeil now call home. We offer heartfelt congrats to the new mortgage holders. May all your days there be happy ones. Just one question. How will you change that lightbulb?

Equally as nice as touring the house was seeing some Friends of the Corner. Feanor and Poppy, Babyraven, ( or Skinny, as Sarcasdad hailed her) Evermike, Ultimatesean and Suzanne. We said hello to some previous acquaintances and made some new ones. A very nice gathering. Oh, and we hear we missed Vis Major, we are sorry to say.

Despite my busy social life, I did find a few links to share . Enjoy.

IHave- to mention this again. Slouching Towards Bedlam on ITunes.

Attention Sarcasmo Jr.- Going forward it will be The Football Star formerly known as Colonel Mustard in the spa with a baseball bat. Whaddya think? (via Phillyist)

Attention Sarcasdad- She got this from your side of the family.

It has a brain shaped remote- which in itself would be cool. The fact that it controls this, even cooler.

One Could Argue- that this takes the skill out of the mix. Although if you are using this gadget you probably won't waste the energy to argue.(via ShinyShiny)

As always, Sarcasmo's Corner is hoping you will participate in this blog by sending links Sarcasmo would have posted, stories, commentary, or whatever you feel appropriate to slf1954@verizon.net

Making Lemonade

2008-08-09T18:44:00.003-04:00

We have been back for almost a week and I am still California Dreamin'. First of all I am pleased to report that among all the residents of sunny San Diego we were able to locate Friend of the corner Cynthia. The pink hair was definitely a help in that endeavour. ( only kidding. we used email ). We had lunch at an Asian restaurant where I was pleased to find gyozo on the menu. Not quite as good as I remembered it, but the last time I had it I was in Japan. There is a photo here. Of Cyn, not the gyozo.
San Diego is lovely and sunny. We have history and historic land marks aplenty in Philadelphia. Once you see historic sites in Europe and Asia you realize how current our history really is. Double that for the West Coast. Their old is relatively new even to us.
Illustrating that a city is a city east coast or west, we saw some similarities between Philly and San Diego. One, was the presence of the homeless on city streets. Only in San Diego they were sleeping in parks by the water front, instead of steam grates on the concrete.
I want to share the following vacation tidbit with you, but first I need to make a disclaimer. I do not intend any disrespect towards the homeless. I especially want to make this clear as this is Sarcasmo's blog, and I am merely a caretaker. I share this story with you because, I know she would see the beauty in it.
Sarcasdad and I visited Balboa Park ( as in Balboa the Spanish explorer, not Rocky). Just to give you an idea of the immensity of the area, it is 1200 acres and houses, in just a part of it, the acclaimed San Diego Zoo. There are 15 museums, several gardens, fountains, an art village and a public gymnasium. The Park has a free transportation system. A tram follows a specific route and you can get on and off at designated stops. The tram drivers double as tour guides and keep up a running patter about the sites you are passing by and information about the area.
Sarcasdad and I were the only riders on a tram when it stopped to pick up a a rider waiting on a bench. By his appearance, we judged him to be one of the city's homeless population. He boarded the tram with a polite nod to the driver, whom he greeted by name. She returned the greeting. He sat and the tram got under way.
"Eleanor", said the homeless man, are there any concerts in the park tonight?"
"Yes", replied Eleanor, there is a banjo concert at the bandshell and an organ recital at the Organ Pavillion."
"Thank you Eleanor"
" You are most welcome"
Our fellow passenger alighted at the next stop.
I could not help but think that here is a man who makes the best of his circumstances.

Monday Morning Madness, California Style

2008-07-27T18:53:00.005-04:00

California here I come. Not alone of course. Other people are going as well. So perhaps I should say California here WE come. And I won't get to all of California. It's a pretty big place. Mostly San Diego. So more to the point it's San Diego here I come. We come, I mean.
While we are all coming and going I hope you find time to follow these links. Complete time wasters. each and every one.

I'm In Love With Her-and wefeel fine. This site collects feelings posted by bloggers. The way it presents them makes you want to keep on clicking.(seen on ShinyShiny)

California Dreamin- Here's a game my computer can play for me while I am away. I have a much better chance of winning if I don't actually participate.(seen on ShinyShiny)

Storybook Love- with light sabers(seen on Maldrobe Warfunctions)

In addition to the links designed to keep you from getting anything of any importance done, I leave you with this one. In the comments of a previous post, Friend of the Corner , Cheryl, told us she was working on a project to digitize the 1836-37 serialized edition of The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club. She's done now and invites us all to have a look.

While sunning ourselves on the Pacific coast we hope to squeeze in a visit with Friend of the Corner, Cyn, aka The Pink Haired Girl, in case anyone has any greetings going her way. We deliver.

"There's nobody in here but us monsters" *

2008-07-12T20:06:00.005-04:00

Okay. so I am a little late alerting you to the BlobFest activities in the area this weekend. To be fair, Sarcasmo would have been late as well, but because she had entered the Tin Foil Hat Competition and the Scream Contest. Definitely the Scream Contest. You still have time to make Sunday's Self-Guided Location Tour or the An American Rebel screening.

* a quote from the movie.

As always, Sarcasmo's Corner is hoping you will participate in this blog by sending links Sarcasmo would have posted, stories, commentary, or whatever you feel appropriate to slf1954@verizon.net

A Rose is a Rose

2008-07-09T13:29:00.007-04:00

When I read this post on Phillyist, I knew it was something Sarcasmo would have shared. Philadelphia is home to many impressive museums. The Rosenbach is not the biggest, or the most recognized. But it was a Sarcasmo favorite. She and I took a tour one day. It was summer, and it was early, so our tour group consisted of just the two of us. Still, the docent was as enthusiatic as if we had been many. He was also very elderly and very hard of hearing. He started by introducing himself, and for a brief moment I feared he was going to ask us our names. This could have been problematic. We have the same first and last name. And our first name is considered unusual, although compared to some I hear these days I don't know why. Under the best of circumstances is is often misunderstood and mis -pronounced. (Seriously-just call us Doris. A lot of people do.) In my humble opinion I thought it was more than he could handle . I also thought we would sound like the beginning of the old television show, "I've Got A Secret"

Contestant # 1-My name is Sarcasmo and I am here for the tour
Contestant #2- My name is Sarcasmo(m) and I am here for the tour.

Anyway, I figured that if he asked , and she went first, I would just lie. Make up a name. I knew she would get it and we would have a laugh later. Fortunately, he didn't ask. When we did exit the building hours later, the first thing she said was ,"If that guy had asked our names, and you went first I was going to lie about mine." See, she she got it.

After the docent gave us some background we were left to our self guided tour. The Rosenbach has many interesting collections. They showcase Maurice Sendak drawings, and Marianne Moore's papers. But the absolute best for us that day were the rare books. The original manuscripts. My personal favorites were the original Charles Dickens manuscripts for Pickwick Papers and Nicholas Nickleby.

This series has Sarcasmo written all over it. It's about vampires, and Dracula , old manuscripts, and the Rosenbach plays a part.

Happy Fourth of July

2008-07-04T06:02:00.003-04:00

There is no lack of things to do in Philadelphia on the 4th of July. However it appears that today it will rain on most of them. So here is an Original Sarcasmo from July 2006 to help you pass the time in case your parade gets precipitated upon. Or you just feel like having an easy day off. Or, you are like me and work in retail, in which case your idea of a national holiday is when crazy people who are mad at you because their barbecue is moved indoors, descend like locusts , destroying everything in their path and frightening bag boys.
I am pretty sure I have pointed you towards this post before, but it is one of my favorites. Feel free to roam about the archives and pick another if you like.
Enjoy.

Everybody's Busy

2008-06-25T07:26:00.004-04:00

Ciao, as they say in Italy. After a wonderful vacation we have returned to find that many Friends of the Corner have news to share.
Poppy & Feanor are packed up and ready to move into a new home. When they unpack all those boxes they can give them to Peccable & Trackerneil who are getting ready to do the same. Ptbvisiongrrl can lay claim to being a paid published author. Jenn from Tailspin Hoops announces the launch of a second SuperStar hoop, with part of the proceeds from the sale going to the Star C. Foster Writers Prize scholarship. Sarcas-sis made the cover of a professional journal with her graphic interpretation of the quaternary structure rearrangements available to proteins that use the morpheein model of allosteric regulation. (it's a picture of dice)
And if that's not enough science for you today, here's a link that explains why reading Original Sarcasmo's is key to your evolutionary survival.
And you thought we were only here for the comments!

All Hail Sarcasmo

2008-06-10T07:00:00.000-04:00

Today is her birthday. Her 35th birthday to be exact. What do you imagine she would think about officially hitting her mid thirties? I looked through her posts for a birthday one, but she never really mentions it. This post is about turning 33, and was written six months before her 33rd birthday. I know I linked to it last year on her birthday, but it is worth another read. Just for good measure, I offer you this Original Sarcasmo as well. It was written 5 days after her birthday in 2006. It is actually the second of two related posts. I particularly like the footnotes, which I found were often where her wit, and yes, her sarcasm, came out.
Last year on June 10, Sarcasmo's family and friends gathered in Rittenhouse Square to dedicate a plaque in her honor. The Square is a lovely place to find some shade on a day like today. We visited on Sunday . The park, which somehow seems way bigger once inside it, than it looks from the outside was full of people relaxing on benches. And lying on the grass. And those looking to entertain the crowd with their own particular talents. And a wedding party marched through. Sarcasmo liked to go there on such an afternoon to read and people watch. She called the park her back yard.
If you go, don't forget to kiss the frog.

Better Late

2008-05-26T20:47:00.006-04:00

So here I was thinking that this would be a Monday Morning Madness edition of Sarcasmo's Corner, when I realized it was already Monday night. That's what happens when we have a three day weekend. Oh well, it's been so long since the last post, I dare not wait for a Friday Follies. Here are some links:

Get Out A Dictionary- and look up the word Aetheric. Then get back to me. Friend of the Corner Feanor is sure that this would have made Sarcasmo a happy bibliophile.

Seriously -You have to ask? It's been awhile since there's been a quiz. This one is courtesy of Friend of the Corner PTBvisiongrrl. BTW- I am totally sarcastic. In case you were wondering where Sarcasmo got it from.

Hypothetically- Sarcasmo would have loved this Flickr photo group.(found on Flotsam and Jetsam )

Optimus Prime - this would so have been on her Amazon Wish List.(via ShinyShiny)*

Do Not Pass the Mushroom - do not collect any gold coins. Did the world really need another version of Monopoly ?(via ShinyShiny)

* A note about Transformers. Sarcasmo loved them and had an OP which she shared with her sisters. Over the weekend I watched the current cartoon series with her nephew, Thor. He was entranced. She would have been thrilled.

I also am aware of a problem with the Sarcasmo Corner archives. I had the same issue on my blog and was able, with the help of some friends to get it corrected. I will get the Corner back to normal as well, one of these days soon, so we can post some more Original Sarcasmos.

As always, Sarcasmo's Corner is hoping you will participate in this blog by sending links Sarcasmo would have posted, stories, commentary, or whatever you feel appropriate to slf1954@verizon.net

Better Late Than Never

2008-05-03T17:32:00.005-04:00

Or so my mother used to tell me. I cannot let today go by un-noted. Today is the day that Sarcasmo celebrated with an abandon second only to Halloween. Yes, that's right. It is Free Comic Book Day. !! You didn't think I meant the Kentucky Derby, did you? Did you participate? Hopefully you weren't waiting for me to give you a head's up.

Friday Follies

2008-05-01T07:14:00.005-04:00

As I surf my merry way through the internet I collect links to post in a Friday Follies or a Monday Madness. Then I don't post them. After a while I delete them because they are old news. I have the same issue with coupons. I collect all the coupon inserts from the paper and put them in a pile where they sit while I ignore them. Eventually I get around to cutting out the ones I want , only to find they have expired. Somewhat of a pastern, dontcha think?

So I have decided to clear out my "follies link" folder and post all the links I have piled up. You know, before they expire and start smelling up the place.

TOTAL TIME WASTERS:

Monoface - There are 759,375 possible combinations. I may never get to those coupons.

TypeRacer - When I was in high school, they actually taught tping as a class. I never took it, and it shows. It probably isn't helpful that the whole time I am typing I am singing "Go TypeRacer-Go TypeRacer-Go TypeRacer Goooooooo" in my head.

Bubble Wrap Keyring - An inexhaustible source of bubble popping satisfaction.

THINGS SARCASMO WOULD HAVE PUT ON HER WISH LIST:

More Storage - Any and all of these.

T-Sketch - Erasing might be interesting.

Wi-Fi Umbrella - Gene Kelly might have been singing in the rain but if he had this bumbershoot, he could have been picture snapping , downloading and navigating as well.

Invincibility- Goes without saying, that on her quest for world domination, Sarcasmo would want a boost of invincibility now and then. Even it it is plastic and runs on batteries.

Tokidoki - Pirates and monkeys.

FOOD AND GAMES:

Tetris - If you don't recognize those plastic thingees boys and girls, they are ice cube trays. We used them in olden days to make ice. Look them up on Wikipedia.

Tetris - If your piece doesn't fit, bite off the end.

Weighing In - You'll need this if you play enough of waffle tetris.

THE LEFTOVERS:

Rolled - this article was submitted by Pop Culture Boy who remembers "...one time we were working on a MUD and floated the idea of Eddie Izzard�s blue fingernails as a magical item."

Say it Ain't So - Pinball lives ! First order of world domination may have been a pinball machine in every home.

Whew. Okay. Done now. Hope you enjoy.

As always, Sarcasmo's Corner is hoping you will participate in this blog by sending links Sarcasmo would have posted, stories, commentary, or whatever you feel appropriate to slf1954@verizon.net

My Fellow Earthlings

2008-04-20T20:43:00.004-04:00

Happy Earth Day Tidings. I know it is also election day in the state of Pa. But Sarcamo's Corner chooses not to be political. It chooses to be green. The corner did it's bit for energy conservation last week. Due to the crash of the server that hosts this site we were not a blip on anyone's aggregator for three whole days. We went dark. It was a little scary. Because even though the nice people who answered the phone for technical support assured me that ALL my information was safe, and that my blog would be restored SHORTLY (three days ! three days!) I was pretty much resigned to the fact that the powers that be had singled me out for being a slothful blogger and were cutting me off.

Permanently.

And then it came back up.

Sarcasmo's Corner would like to say thank you to Chris, who emailed to see if everything was okay. And to PTBvisiongrrl who was concerned about our sudden "web page cannot be displayed status", but who was reassured by her level headed hubby who surmised that it was probably just a server thing. And so it was.

But just so you know. When I panic, and I did, I really want other people to panic with me. Not tell me that all is well, or the situation will be resolved shortly. I want PANIC! Heart thumping sweaty palm PANIC. Because misery loves company.

Did I mention it is Earth Day? Good. Whenever Earth Day approaches Sarcasdad & I cannot help but remember that Sarcasmo had an Earth Day decal on her bedroom door for years. She picked it up when the Philadelphia Earth Day celebration was just a small expo at Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park. She was a young teenager. The sticker was still there when she was away at college. I am not sure exactly when we finally scraped it off.

I looked back through the archives for an Original Sarcamo that was about Earth Day. I didn't find one. But I did come across this one. The famous Sarcasmo versus the Squirrel Post. If you are interested there are several posts afterwards that continue the squirrel saga. No squirrels were physically harmed during the writing of these posts. There may ,however, have been some mental trauma. Enjoy!

As always, Sarcasmo's Corner is hoping you will participate in this blog by sending links Sarcasmo would have posted, stories, commentary, or whatever you feel appropriate to slf1954@verizon.net

One Apostrophe at a Time

2008-04-06T19:14:00.003-04:00

Sarcasmo would love this guy! He has an acronym and everything. And T-shirts. You know, she always wanted a cool super power. Maybe she had one after all. Armed with a felt tipped marker and a keen eye for grammatical atrocities, she too could have made America a better place, one apostrophe at a time.

Ticket Stubs

2008-03-30T15:52:00.005-04:00

Aaaah Spring. The time of year a young man's fancy turns to love, or baseball , depending on your quote of choice. Sarcasmos's fancy, as we all know, would be focused on the Philadelphia Film Festival, which starts this Thursday, April 3. In truth Sarcasmo would begin making plans for cinematic excursions well in advance. Usually the day after the end of the previous year's festival. Or so it seemed.

The release of the schedule of films and venues would b anxiously anticipated. Like Christmas morning. Once she had it in her hand, the agonizing began. So many movies, so little time. How much vacation time could she give over to the Film Festival ? How many movies could she manage to see ? How much sleep did she really need anyway, and who can't exist on a diet of movie popcorn and pretzel bites for a week? Oh, and next year, she was springing for the All-Access Film Badge so she could see everything.

She would confer with friends and make a plan on what to see when and where. Her success often depended upon the transportation gods smiling favorably upon her as she raced from one side of the city to the other to be in time to be seated.

And she shared. She blogged reviews here, and on Phillyist.

Here are some original Sarcasmo's that relate to the Philadelphia Film Festival.
http://www.sarcasmoscorner.com/2005_04_01_archive.html#111317929941700693

http://www.sarcasmoscorner.com/2005_04_01_archive.html#111358174036283283

http://www.sarcasmoscorner.com/2005_04_01_archive.html#111358174036283283

Enjoy!

Anyone have a Film Festival related Sarcasmo story?

As always, Sarcasmo's Corner is hoping you will participate in this blog by sending links Sarcasmo would have posted, stories, commentary, or whatever you feel appropriate to slf1954@verizon.net

Not Your Mother's Neil Diamond

2008-03-12T14:09:00.005-04:00

In the summer of 2006, Sarcasmo invited me to see the movie Wordplay with her. I have quite a penchant for crossword puzzles and she, who loved word puzzles was oddly enough, just becoming enamoured of the pastime. We took in the flick at a theater known for showing independently produced and foreign films, as well as the more substantive first run movies. Like any theater we were subjected to previews before the main event. Because of the venue, the previews were for documentaries. No Fanta commercials or trivia sponsored by Coke. One preview was for a film chronicling the life of Leonard Cohen. Sarcasmo nearly jumped out of her seat. "We have to see that" "Sure", I said, who's Leonard Cohen?"

What followed was a conversation of her insisting that I must know who Leonard Cohen is, and me insisting that while he looked like somebody famous, but I wasn't sure who, I had never heard of the man. She finally concluded that while I did not know his name, I surely knew his body of work. Apparently I had been listening to his music forever, and just didn't know it. She tried to come up with a song on the spot. "He sang," she said "Kentucky Woman".

Now, while I may have had the edge over her on crossword puzzles, there were certain subjects in which I would defer to her superior knowledge. That was anything to do with books, anything to do with film, and anything to do with music. But when you're wrong, you're wrong.

Kentucky Woman, I assured her, was sung by Neil Diamond. No, she assured me, I was incorrect, but understandably so as Diamond and Cohen have such a similar sound they are often confused for each other. No, I assured her, I was correct because I had owned the song on vinyl at some point in my life and I didn't own any Leonard Cohen, who, I had never heard of.

So sure were we both in our assertions ( A trait we share. We both tend to think we are always right. ) that neither she, master of the Internet, nor I, who can Google with the best of them, even bothered to look it up.

A few days later,she relented. Neil Diamond might have sung it , but Leonard Cohen must have written it. This time we did look it up, and found that the lyrics were by Neil Diamond as well.

Still determined that I must be familiar with Leonard Cohen she put together a CD of his music for me to listen to. And I did. Even though I found it ,um, a challenge. I did recognize the song Hallelujah, which Cohen wrote, although I much prefer to hear the Jeff Buckley version.
And for the life of me, I have no idea how anyone confuses him with Neil Diamond. But that's just me.

This memory was prompted by an email from friend of Sarcasmo's Corner dbsmall. Knowing of Sarcasmo's affinity for Leonard Cohen he sends us this link. It analyses how Cohen's Hallelujah has crept into our consciousness. It is really interesting and worth a read whether you like Cohen or not. Should you be a fan, Cohen, newly inducted into the Rock and' Roll Hall of Fame, has announced a world tour.

I guess I should try listening to that CD again. Apparently, Sarcasmo was onto something.

As always, Sarcasmo's Corner is hoping you will participate in this blog by sending links Sarcasmo would have posted, stories, commentary, or whatever you feel appropriate to slf1954@verizon.net