underground holiday spirit

(from my favorite photo blog: Express Train)

apparently there's such a thing as a "cartoon philospher"

Great article in the Washington Post: Very Fine Lines: What Makes a Cartoon New Yorker-Worthy? Draw Your Own Conclusion. Some snippets:

He pauses. "Sometimes somebody will say something funny and you'll see a bunch of people do this -- " He reaches into his pocket for a pen and paper. "And somebody'll say, 'I claim it!' "

Mankoff, who has been cartoon editor at the magazine since 1997, knows that sometimes people are befuddled by New Yorker cartoons. "We don't do focus groups. We don't find out ' Does everybody get it?' " he says

Mankoff, 62, is a cartoon philosopher and a cartoonist. He's the guy who drew the oft-reproduced classic of a businessman looking at his datebook as he talks on the phone, saying "No, Thursday's out. How about never -- is never good for you?"

It's the power of negative thinking -- the perfect philosophy for New Yorker cartoonists and any other poor souls who are frequently clobbered by rejection.

(hat tip: bits'n pieces)

top five things Jews do on X-mas

1. Eat Chinese food
   
2. Watch a movie
   
3. Go to the Matzo Ball
   
4. Do work (house work, "real" work, school work...)
   
5. Go to the Jewish Museum (the line was a block long!)
   

on difficult people

From Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee by Charles J. Shields:

Regarding people who were difficult to accept or respect, Nelle said, “Our response to these people represents our earthly test. And I think, that these people enrich the wonder of our lives. It is they who most need our kindness, because they seem less deserving. After all, anyone can love people who are lovely.”

comical

From Ouch! My Bag Is Killing Me:

Chloe Thompson, 24, is used to the back pain caused by carrying big bags, but she suffered a different kind of sting in July, when her Lucky Brand slouch bag was stolen during a reunion at Brown University. “I had over $2,000 worth of stuff in that bag,” said Ms. Thompson, who works in retail analysis for Cynthia Vincent, a fashion company in New York, “my iPod, digital camera, cellphone, glasses, sunglasses, makeup kit and a ton of other belongings, including a Care Bear that I’ve had since I was born.”

Because she lost so much property, Ms. Thompson found that the theft was actually covered by her homeowner’s insurance. But before she could collect any money, she had to convince the insurance adjuster that it was possible to fit everything into a single bag.