Michael Blowhard writes:

Dear Blowhards --

* As a third grader, OuterLife learned his IQ score, and nothing has been simple for him since. Great line: "My reward? More tests. Harder tests. It’s like I keep winning pie eating contests, but the prize is more pie."

* Searchie sips some of that good Polish tea and finds herself doing some real writing again. She also comes up with an excellent reason to love "Piss Christ."

* It's been decades since I've followed an Olympics, but I got a big kick out of reading Steve Sailer's human-biodiversity take on the Games anyway.

* French bloggers often have a very different conception of what blogging is good for than American bloggers do. Zut alors: Why not see blogging as a stylish-casual performance art? Here's a very charmante French blogger who does us the favor of blogging in English.

* Terry Teachout's reflections about the recently-deceased playwright Wendy Wasserstein say a lot about how reputations are often arrived-at in the cultural world. Short version: Wasserstein wasn't much good, but she was liked, she was lucky, and she was connected.

* Kung-fu champ! Er, chimp.

* Jen finds that her new gym-going habit has made her physically fit but has also left her vacuous and uninteresting.

* Tyler Cowen cheerfully takes on that fraught old question: What is the great American novel? Lots of fun and unusual contributions from visitors too. (Part one, part two, part three.) Tyler also notices that classical music is doing pretty well at the iTunes music store.

* Mr. Tall has the figures: If all humans lived as smooshed-together as the people in Hong Kong do, 99.8% of the planet would be without human presence at all. Mr. Tall's very extensive blog/website, which he co-does with Mr. Balding and which by and large concerns life in Hong Kong, is a witty and perceptive delight.

* Moms and daughters, eh? It's like they're inside each others' minds ...

Best,

Michael

Wave alert #2xxxxxxxxx05: photo of feet.
For some reason, lately there is a massive attack of author's feet - on their userpics (blogspot and LJ) and gravatars, even made the subject of separate blog entries. Names and addresses withdrawn so you can digest your lunch undisturbed.

The writing is ranging from the delightful:

...I opened one eye with a squint and there were the Lanvin, looking all scrumptious and timeless in the dappled sunlight (but still sexy, with the perfect low heel and, indecent as it may be to admit, serious toe cleavage

-to the disgusting (screened so as not to be liable for puked-over monitors)

My opinion? i agree with Dr.Bean who said:

I hear a muffled cacophony (no, not cock-o-phony, you pervert) of stifled voices who want to be included. Your scrotum, your spleen, your nose, and your now famous left big toe have very important things to say too, I’m sure

Posted by: Tat on February 11, 2006 03:30 PM

True story: my friend and I went bowling last weekend and at one point actually flexed and felt each others' biceps. The road to boring is now complete.

Thanks for the link - you've got quite an eclectic array here! So far my favorite is the high-kicking chimp. Awesome!

Posted by: jenny on February 12, 2006 02:15 PM

hey, thanks for the link!

Posted by: claire on February 12, 2006 02:22 PM

Ditto Claire's sentiments, Michael -- you're too kind.

By the way, while I'm being all self-referential, Jen might want to see if she's become one of these.

Posted by: mr tall on February 12, 2006 08:29 PM

Not sure it's a 'favor' I'm doing you... but thank you for the link!

Posted by: anne on February 13, 2006 06:54 PM






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