SheWalksSoftly

For the Word Nerds

July 29th, 2009

I like keeping this site image heavy with few words to challenge the attention span (I fear people have gotten used to gathering info in twitter-sized bits). However, I’m a card carrying Word Nerd and I have to share this.

The Washington Post’s Mensa invitational once again asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition. Here are the 2009 winners:

1. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period of time.
2. Ignoranus : A person who’s both stupid and an asshole.
3. Intaxication : Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.
4. Reintarnation : Coming back to life as a hillbilly.
5. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.
6. Foreploy : Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid.
7. Giraffiti : Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.
8. Sarchasm : The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn’t get it.
9. Inoculatte : To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.
10. Osteopornosis : A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)
11. Karmageddon : It’s like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it’s like, a serious bummer.
12. Decafalon (n.): The gruelling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.
13. Glibido : All talk and no action.
14. Dopeler Effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.
15. Arachnoleptic Fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you’ve accidentally walked through a spider web.
16. Beelzebug (n.) : Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your n bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.
17. Caterpallor ( n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you’re eating.

Personal favorite: SARCHASM

The Washington Post has also published the winning submissions to its yearly contest, in which readers are asked to supply alternate meanings for common words. And the winners are:

1. Coffee , n. The person upon whom one coughs.
2. Flabbergasted , adj. Appalled by discovering how much weight one has gained.
3. Abdicate , v. To give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.
4. Esplanade , v. To attempt an explanation while drunk.
5. Willy-nilly , adj. Impotent.
6. Negligent , adj. Absentmindedly answering the door when wearing only a nightgown.
7. Lymph , v. To walk with a lisp.
8. Gargoyle , n. Olive-flavored mouthwash.
9. Flatulence , n. Emergency vehicle that picks up someone who has been run over by a steamroller.
10. Balderdash , n. A rapidly receding hairline.
11. Testicle , n. A humorous question on an exam..
12. Rectitude , n. The formal, dignified bearing adopted by proctologists.
13. Pokemon , n.. A Rastafarian proctologist.
14. Oyster , n. A person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms.
15. Frisbeetarianism , n. The belief that, after death, the soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there.
16. Circumvent , n. An opening in the front of jockey shorts worn by Jewish men.

Personal favorite: BALDERDASH

Source
Retro Music Placemats

July 29th, 2009

Luckily these would have to be shipped from Germany, because I’d never be able to pass up these placemats if I saw them in a store. I’d buy the whole lot of them.

Yes, dear roommate, we SHOULD get these for the house:

This one’s for notinman:

Already put this on a shirt:

You can find them here.

Source
Phrenology Helmet

July 28th, 2009

They say you never forget how to ride a bike. So if I ever hop back on one, this would be my helmet of choice (of course, I’d have to make my own version to save $200).

Phrenology Helmet:

Source
Leaf Portraits

July 28th, 2009

Jenny Lee Fowler is offering custom hand cut leaf silhouette portraits on her etsy site.

This delicate concept appeals to me; the ephemeral human form depicted with an even more fleeting captured slice of nature.

Memento mori!

More (and other portrait types) on her Etsy site.
Hollywood Forever

July 28th, 2009

I am not a photographer. I don’t even know how to use Photoshop. I’m just a snapshot taker who loves to capture an eyeful of something interesting.

My father and I stopped at the Hollywood Forever cemetery early this morning. They had some of the most impressive mausoleums I’ve seen in modern cemeteries.

The feeling floats somewhere between classic memorials and sci-fi dystopian burial cities.

And this is for my fellow punk rock fans:

Um…STALIN?
David Sykes

July 26th, 2009

I first saw the work of David Sykes start to pop up on various blogs that feature anatomical/macabre art, due to his recent skull pops:

Upon checking his portfolio, I found it was a treasure trove of finely captured kitsch.

Innovative presentation…

Not to mention food textures, up close and personal.

However, my favorites are his slightly skewed domestic scenes, complete with subtle anatomical model decoration. And meat. Meat in unlikely places.

This table pulls off a subtle grotesqueness that fascinates me:

See more here.
Lisa Falzon

July 26th, 2009

I’d just like to direct your attention to a few of the magical, mystical, sweet and tragic works of Lisa Falzon.

This was the first to catch my attention. I’m in love with the concept, and how well she executed the design:

Melancholy beauty…

Her Etsy site has many more, including amazing jewelry pieces.

Artist site
Miscellaneous Mysteries FTW!

July 25th, 2009

It looks like the overwhelming majority of readers who took the poll would like to see me post miscellaneous images, even if I can’t give proper credit. However, I’m going with Ghoul Friday’s suggestions and my own gut feeling. I will:

1) Will not take credit for the image (of course!).
2) Always include a disclaimer about the unknown source, and ask for any information readers may have about it.
3) Make it clear that I do not intend to sell or reproduce the images for profit (and they’re not to be used by others for this purpose).

Thanks for the input! I’m excited to share some of this fun stuff.
Tibetan Anatomical Charts

July 25th, 2009

These Tibetan anatomical prints bring a kind of…for lack of a better word…FUN to medical illustration. Look at how happy these human diagrams appear to be!

This reminds me of eggs and bacon for some reason. With a side of joy.

If these are anatomically correct, our culture is entirely populated with miserable bastards. That skull alone has more charisma than 90% of humans.

One word: DANCE.

I’m in a good mood now.

More at Ephemera Assemblyman.
Jill Haefele

July 24th, 2009

One of the most bizarre (and amazing) ITP Spring Show creations had to be the Circadian Squirrel by Jill Haefele. Here we have a taxidermy squirrel who removes and replaces his own head to the rhythm of the 24 hour biological cycle.

Watch it in action here!