reading double on a single dollar

[gurdonark]

I found my morning worship today in the AMC movie "Godspell". I'd seen the play, and know the music by heart, but never saw this sweet, small film. Recently burninggirl mentioned her love for this musical. I was pleased that I know the words I haven't sung since college; it's like riding a bicycle. Rock purists and religion purists slam this little ditty of a play, but this is a quintessentially sweet musical; parables and pop tunes. Can it get better?

Then I got dressed in my marstokyo Theater of the Surrealists t shirt and khakis and headed into Dallas. My new friends Sam and Sonya opened a new Genghis Grill Mongolian restaurant on Preston Road at Forest. I love Mongolian barbeque. However, if I have an ounce of machismo in me, it is that ounce which insists that I put hot seasoned oils, cayenne peppers and special salts on my second bowl of the stuff. I nearly blasted myself to Tuesday. But boy, it was good. I must get on ebay and figure out how to find a Mongolian dollar to frame and give them. If any of my friends know the name of the Mongolian currency, then I'll even save a google search. :)

I then hit the MJ Designs, which is the silly name they now call Michael's Art Supply Store when they have filled the lobby with lots of those plastic plants like at Hobby Lobby. I got various and sundry useful hobby things. I couldn't find the hobby glue for putting stuff into scrapbooks, until I was waiting for checkout. I should have guessed. Glues and pastes of every kind were in the "impulse purchase" areas on the way to the register. I am now a devotee of glue tape.

Then I went to Half Price books and to the 75 percent off remaindered book store. I got an incredible number of really cool books for essentially nothing. I love it when I have stacks and scads, but the bill is well under 20 dollars. What finds! My favorite two are two of the latter Mary Poppins volumes, though I also like the elementary school book on how to make books, with traceable cut outs. I'll read most of this treasure trove of books soon, and the bookcrossing it away. A low price tag plus rapid giveaway should help assuage my materialistic guilt. The guilty pleasure? A sci fi novel by Peter Jurasik and a co author. I must admit that I am a Babylon 5 fan, and Peter Jurasik played the coolest wiggy long haired alien in a balkan uniform on sci fi history. I love intricate scifiverses. I don't think that Buffy would be quite the same, but for B5.

I went hiking at the Trinity Trail. The "fall" flowers are coming out, new thistles, that odd cowslippy thing whose name escapes me, and a few insects. The sun hovered in the low sky, a big orange ball. Hedge apples were on the ground like bocce balls. A huge white heron stood regally in the lake. It cooled and darkened while I was there. I snapped photo after photo. then hurried home, mowed my yard in the near dark, and settled in for the night. It's September. I cannot believe it.

Comments

[leftist.livejournal.com]

I have that same marstokyoshirt. I wonder how many more are out there. Cool.

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

That's cool that you have that shirt. I like it a lot.

Re:

[leftist.livejournal.com]

Also the drowned woman

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

My "other" one is the days of the dead.

I think someone else also said they had the surrealists. That's three, unless you're an alter ego of the other fellow :)

[laruth.livejournal.com]

Oo, I love a good bargain - especially when it comes to books! There's something so comforting about lying in bed, or in the sun and reading a good book.

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

I'm with you on that! I could not believe when I got to the register, heavy laden, and yet the bill came out so low.

[nacowafer.livejournal.com]

I must know more about the "elementary school book on how to make books." Please?

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Yes, certainly. The book is called "Quick Tricks for Book-making: easy low-cost projects from everyday materials". Its author is Annalisa McMorrow; it is illustrated by Marilynn G. Barr. It was published by Monday Morning Books, www.mondaymorningbooks.com. I misspoke when I said it was "elementary school", as it is instead rated "PreK-K". Its 96 pages feature instructions on how to make 49 books, ranging from the "Fishing Book", in which the children draw on books made of paper fish and then "catch" them with dental floss, to the "Rebus Book", in which rebus books are made from old newspaper. It is exactly my speed, which causes me to posit that simple is better. When I have finished with it, it will be duly mailed to the island of the mists across the channel, if you wish.

[nacowafer.livejournal.com]

Oh, wow. That sounds neat. I know I've told you of my fondness orf how-to book aimed at children. I find them so much more useful, most of the time. I have a great little one called Sewing Is Fun which has yet to convince me but has some great projects nonetheless, including a "ribbon bow belt" which is the cutest thing you've ever seen! The fishing book is reminding me of something lovely from my childhood which I must remember to write about.

I appreciate the sentiment, but you certainly don't have to send it to me! I was just curious as I like to keep up with such things! Did I tell you about my latest acquisition, Popular Crafts for Boys(1940)? God, it's wonderful. It has a "magic bookcase" with secret compartments, a "treasure book" with it's own secret and entire chapters devoted to bookbinding and trick photography! Oh la la.

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Although this preschool book is very cool, I think I may have to get the one at mondaymorningbooks.com aimed a little older, called "How to Make Your Own Picture Book". Having spent the last few weeks making scrapbooks full of pix, I think I will be better in my next set of nervousness exchanges with something in which my bite does not so far exceed my chew.

Your boys' craft book sounds really neat--especially with the secret passage and the magic bookcase. I got two other things I thought were fun as well. One is an "anti-coloring book", which tells the child what to draw, and does only a part of the "outline" work. Example, drawn at random from the middle of the book: A headline that says "HERO on a newspaper. The assignement?
"You have just performed a heroic deed. This is the picture and story in the newspaper the next day". It's tres cool, if tres is the right word. Also, I got a mildly folded but very cool survey of great women cartoonists--an area I know very little about. I love it when a used book run turns up really interesting things that way! The fishing post will be fun to read.

I'll forbear sending you the book, although actually, it was not the book binding one that had originally occurred to me to offer to send to someone, but instead the anti-coloring. I got a couple of those, because it just seemed so "mail art". If you change your mind, though, and decide you do want the book book, drop me a line, and I'll post it off.

Mongolian currency

[scott-m.livejournal.com]

1 Togrog (turkik) = 100 mongos news.bbc.co.uk - The single best site on the whole durn 'net.

Re: Mongolian currency

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Darn, no ebay listings!

You wouldn't happen to know the URL for something like www.exoticmoneyisus.com, or something?

Re: Mongolian currency

[scott-m.livejournal.com]

I had no idea; but when I related your problem to my wife she had a suggestion right away-- the
American Express office at a Mall Near You. When
we went to Europe, we got Francs and Pounds
there-- I don't know what kind of luck you'll have
getting togrogs or mongos, or for that matter how much it might cost you, but it's worth a shot, no?