Thursday, June 10, 2010

The Abyss Also...

Well, I know I'm probably chucking this into the internet void, but getting back into a pattern of blogging is good. I'm undecided as to what I want to write about, but I ruled out a few subjects that would alienate people right away.

I do think I might be up tonight watching bizarre documentaries, maybe finish listening to some audio books while I work on the new Illustration Friday entry, (despite getting no feedback on the blog last week).

On the other hand, I'm also feeling hungry, and down, so I will share a few of my time-tested pick-me-up websites, mostly of the bloggy, imageboardy persuasion.


X-Entertainment

This guy saved me from panic attacks a summer or two ago. I was inconsolable, but Matt's wandering, generation x articles about pop and nerd culture made me feel like the world was an OK place to be in. His articles and entries are wonderful rants about tiny, half-forgotten toy lines, reviews, (and tastes!) of long-expired cereal and cool-aid, horror reviews, and much more. Even when I know little of the topic, his writing sparks my interest. The website is a maze, and the articles go back about ten years, so there's so much to go through. Favorites include his vending machine spree, his hunt for chocodiles, his skeptical epic vouage to Disney, and his adventure through Easy Video, a now defunct, (I think) video rental chain that I have not visited in years. He's about my brother's age, but his childhood memories are still a familiar to me, as my childhood was full of 2nd hand love for He-Man, G-I-Joe, Transformers and even Madballs and Voltron were around the house. Sure, I didn't know what my friends were talking about, but they didn't know who Cobra Commander was either. Highly recommended. I have to do some sort of painting for him sometime.



The Sneeze


I used to frequent his blog more often, but Steve has been understandably busy lately. His old articles are still worth a look though, some entries quite priceless. The treebrain fungus, his experiment in giving his son raisins on Christmas and taping the results- there's a lot of reoccurring material there- probably what gives him such a loyal fanbase. One of my favorite sagas involved a mysterious, indecipherable drawing his father has made all his life, and a reader who wrote in to solve the puzzle. I also miss his old "Steve! Don't Eat It!" articles, as they were what lead me to the blog. He's worth the look, and USUALLY safe for work.



Engrish.com


It's simple. If you have a sense of humor, and haven't seen it yet, you must. Engrish has been a long-time favorite, despite recent changes. The mangled lines of mistranslated English text from all over the world are always worth a chuckle- it's as simple as that. Often best enjoyed with a group of people, though that's not always the case. I am often sorely tempted by their T-Shirts....



Bootleg Toys


I had long mourned this website as lost, due to problems with a certain cartoon franchise that will remain unnamed. Needless to say, I was overjoyed recently when I found it was reincarnated, more in the form of a blog, alive and kicking. There is something wonderful about looking at mangled, badly painted action figures, dolls and other probably toxic playthings meant for children. It's a fascinating world, this land of bootlegged toys. It's a tier down from the island of misfit toys (at least those were hand-crafted!), and it keeps me inexplicably amused.

That's it for the moment, I may cover other favorite image sites, and perhaps some webcomics in the future. Enjoy the links if you can, oh internet abysses. I am off to think about my painting, and hoping to post it tomorrow.

-Anne

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