Bookstand pages now updated

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Stack of books from LibraryThing

Greetings,

The Bookstand pages have now been updated. Check out the new listings for Stationery – especially timely, as Christmas and Chanukah are upon us.

Also check out new listings for Books such as Books – Classics – Literature from About.com and LibraryThing. I discovered LibraryThing through a comment on this blog, after I mentioned ConnectViaBooks in my previous update of the Bookstand pages.

By merely looking at the home page, It is evident that the focus of ConnectViaBooks is social networking, while the focus of LibraryThing is cataloguing. I soon discovered that “Tim” who left the comment is the developer of the LibraryThing website. I wrote him to explain why he thought that his website was better than ConnectViaBooks.

Tim compared the lengthy sign-up procedure for ConnectViaBooks versus the “comically simple” approach used by his site – just enter a name and password and you can begin cataloguing books. Even if you don’t sign up, you can browse people’s catalogs – for example, you can browse my catalog (three books!) at http://www.librarything.com/catalog.php?view=thestylepage.
Tim even provide a utility to create a “widget” that features books from your library – I created a widget for the Books page.

Other benefits of LibraryThing include:

– Searches of the Library of Congress and other libraries around the world
– Use of real cataloguing systems, such as the Dewey Decimal System and Library of Congress call numbers.
– Editing capabilities, including the creation of tags that are meaningful for you. Tagging, or “Folksonomy,” is also used by TheThingsIWant.com for creating and managing wish lists, del.icio.us for creating and managing bookmarks to share, and flickr for photo sharing.

Carolee’s bronze faux pearls

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Twelve years ago, I took advantage of the personal shopper services at Nordstrom after I moved from a small town in the Midwest to the DC metro area. She put together two outfits with wool gabardine trousers, a hopsack blazer, and two silk camp shirts, one a “watercolor” print and the other a paisley, for which I received a lot of compliments. She also selected a pair of bronze faux pearl clip earrings by Carolee and a matching necklace of oversize faux pearls, which I call my “Wilma Flintstone necklace.” While I have given away or discarded most of the pieces and worn the paisley campshirt until the fabric itself became frayed and threadbare, I still have the clip earrings (I lost one of the earrings and purchased a replacement pair directly from Carolee) and necklace.

My style and tastes have changed, but I’m still fond of Carolee’s faux pearls. My latest acquisition is the Gold Coil Bracelet (below). It looks great with the multistrand necklace of brown seed beads that I purchased from mexx.

Use Candles with Care: National Fire Protection Week

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We all love scented candles – you’ll find links to various companies offering candles on the Fragrance page of The Style Page. The downside of our love affair with candles is that the number of home fires started by candles have tripled from 6000 per year in 1990 to nearly 20,000 in 2001. That’s why the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has focused on candles for National Fire Protection Week, October 9-15, 2005.

Some years ago, The Style Page was taken to task by the PR representative for a candle company, as I was critical of her client’s nervous focus of the environmental benefits of soy wax candles over candles from petroleum-derived paraffin wax. I stated that the real environmental and safety problems from candles are home fires, and she countered that was common sense information that everyone knows. Much of the advice that the NFPA offers on safe use of candles is indeed common sense, but bears repeating in view of the increase of home fires. Check out their advice and stay safe!

Genius product: the Schick Intuition Razor

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I’ve relied on the men’s Atra razor to shave my legs for years, as noted on the Advice and tips page. After I couldn’t find the handle for the Atra razor, however, I decided to try something new (at least for me): the Schick Intuition Razor.
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I thought that the Schick Intuition Razor would be a good thing to have for travel, as the lubricant was in a solid form – not a gel or foam in a bulky canister. Now after trying it, I am a believer. I can simply soak in the tub for a couple of minutes and then start shaving. The handle is wide and easy to grip and the all-in-one cartridge literally glides over the skin. There is a cap to cover the cartridge when not in use and the razor comes with a shower hanger with suction cups to keep it handy. To quote the fashion magazines, the Schick Intuition Razor is a genius product.

You may find the Schick Intuition Razor at drugstore.com (which BTW is currently offering a sale on Schick products) and major drugstore, supermarket, and mass-market retailers.

Clark Sorensen’s unique flower shaped urinals

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Clark Sorensen is a San Francisco-based ceramic and glass artist. While he creates brightly colored porcelain and glass tableware, he has created a sensation with his flower shaped functioning urinals.


Red hibiscus urinal by Clark Sorensen

If I were a man, I’d be unnerved by answering nature’s call in the red hibiscus urinal above, with the staminal column and stamens pointing right back! Clark noted, “There is a marked difference in reaction to my pieces between genders. Most guys think they are great, it takes women a little longer to warm up to them.” Hmmm …

You can see more of Clark’s flower shaped urinals and other work at his web site, which you can find via our Ceramics, porcelain, and glass page on The Style Page web site.

Shoppers react to Victoria’s Secret display at Tyson’s Corner

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The Washington Post publishes an article about shoppers’ reactions to the scandalous display at Victoria’s Secret in Tyson’s Corner

Skimpy Underwear, Ample Commentary At Tysons Corner

By Timothy Dwyer

Tongues were wagging. E-mails were flying around PTA message groups and church listservs. People who heard about it came by to take a look for themselves. The issue was tiny underwear — women’s fine lingerie, to be exact– and how it should be displayed on lifelike mannequins in the newest wing of…

To view the entire article, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/04/AR2005100401413.html?referrer=emailarticle

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� 2004 The Washington Post Company

Cars and Stripes

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I am instantly drawn to stripes, and this article CARS AND STRIPES from Design Within Reach’s DWR Design Notes tries to verbalize the appeal and significance of stripes.

The author writes, “Once you take notice, you realize that stripes are ubiquitous in the environment. My earliest recollections of stripes come from childhood, and they’re all joyful: funny socks, Dr. Seuss hats, summer beach towels and surf mats.”

Perhaps that explains why I’m drawn to multi-colored stripes, as on pajamas. They are so cheerful.

The author continues, “If you doubt that they carry meaning and cultural significance, consider flags generally and the flag proposed for the European Union in 2001 by Rem Koolhaas; it was an attempt to combine the spirit of many nations through stripes.”

How could this author cite the hyperkinetic proposed EU flag (which wasn’t adopted; instead, the EU adopted a more sober flag with a circle of gold stars on a dark blue background) and ignore the Stars and Stripes? Out of snobbery?