"Write now is good."

Election t-shirts build community for candidates

A quick FYI: For those interested in the U.S. presidential election, social media, and t-shirts, I have a new post on The Huffington Post's OffTheBus which may interest you:

"Election T-Shirts Build A Community of Supporters"

To read my other Huff Post/OTB pieces, click here.

"Green issue" on PSFK

I've got a post up at PSFK today about ELLE Magazine's second annual "Green issue." This is noteworthy because while the eco movement is currently in fashion, ELLE covers it completely and in a very multi-faceted way. I learned a lot of new information about environmental issues from its stories. Read more about the issue here.

In order for us to heal the planet's woes, reduce our carbon footprints, reduce global warming and stop an environmental catastrophe from destroying life as we know it, the eco movement has to get regular and serious coverage across all media.

To the hopeful benefit of us all, 2007 and beyond looks to be very "green."

"I think, therefore I am" or something like that

This describes my persistent, pervasive desire to blog every day. It also touches on something deeper about how blogging transforms one's identity. If you're a blogger reading this, hasn't writing your blog positively impacted who you are and enriched your life?

When I recommend writing every day to hone one's craft, I now also suggest starting a blog. For most people who blog, their amount of regular writing has dramatically increased since that first post. Blogging provides a forum and a context for writing, reading, discussing, thinking and experimenting. If a blog develops a following, it requires commitment and accountability to keep those masses happy. And there are so many communities in which to participate.

Blogging is here to stay — as a writing tool and as a life tool. Now children are growing up reading and even writing blogs, and they're becoming mainstays of businesses small and large.

Purchase this t-shirt at Crave.

Is "blogosphere" out already?

Cyberspace language changes too quickly for me.

According to this online t-shirt shop and its sold-out t-shirt, the word "blogosphere" is almost finished.

I can see the point. Blogosphere is used constantly to describe this virtual world we know, love and "live in" for many moments each day. It has become so commonplace, there is no way I could keep track of how many times I've used it, let alone heard or read it.

So if blogosphere's overuse is rapidly raising its annoyance factor, what would take its place? Here are some alternative names and examples of how each could be used in a sentence:

- Blogville — "The caped crusader hailed from a mid-western hamlet named Blogville."
- Blogtown — "Greetings from Blogtown, U.S.A.!"
- the Land of Blog — "Goodnight, I'm off to the Land of Blog."
- the Blogs — "It's a plan. I'll meet you later at the Blogs for happy hour."
- the Blogaverse — "Yikes. 'Blogaverse' is like 'universe,' only much more awkward sounding."

You know, I still like blogosphere the best.

Has this word's premature demise been greatly exaggerated? Is sometimes a t-shirt just a t-shirt?

Christmas gift t-shirts unveiled!

In a previous post, I described my holiday ritual of giving bizarre t-shirts to my brothers as gifts. This year, I found so many excellent and strange T's, I bought them for other members of the family, too.

The t-shirts I gave were very well received. Upon tearing open the wrapping paper, I heard comments like:

- "What?!?!?"
- "Where did you find this?"
- "This is hilarious."
- "Thanks. I needed this, I just didn't know it until now."

As promised, I present to you the t-shirts my family got for Christmas this year! (Who got which one, however, will remain a mystery.)

1. This "Shoe Monster" shirt is available at Oddica. They feature designs by some very talented and creative illustrators, and the company gives them top billing. Oleg Milshtein drew this one.

2. I know a lot of people who have a hidden inner-cowgirl tucked away, and some of them are in my family. Yee-hah! Available at One Horse Shy.

3. This t-shirt of a storm trooper and Darth Vader playing ping pong made one die-hard Star Wars fan very happy. Available at Oddica; illustrated by Anthony Carpenter.

4. This kanji reads "Courage." From public speaking to blind dates, a good reminder while going through life, eh? Available at One Horse Shy.

5. What do you get for someone with strong interests in Elvis conspiracy theories, UFOs, Michael Jackson, and who likes to listen to music on an iPod? This t-shirt just about does it. Available at Threadpit.

Note: I don't get any link kick-backs from highlighting these. Many of you expressed interest in finding unique t-shirts, so I'm providing links to the companies.

Holiday shopping = grammar t-shirts

 

An occasional annual tradition of mine is to buy my brothers funky t-shirts. The stranger, the better. For a few years, it almost became a competition: could their sister outdo the weirdness of the previous year's t-shirt gifts?

Invariably, I did, in part because I take challenges like this much too seriously. I loved scouring odd shops and new neighborhoods in search of the supremely bizarre T. My urban scavenger hunts took place before online shopping became so commonplace, yet the fun and thrill of finding Ts live on for me today. The WWW hosts a vast array of t-shirt stores, one more eclectic than the next.

The image above is of the "There, They're, Their" t-shirt from one of my  favorite shops, Threadless. I wish I had had this when I was teaching grammar units on homophones. Now I'll just have to buy it to wear for fun. (Yes, this is my kind of fun — woo hoo!)

So which t-shirts did I buy for my brothers? Don't worry, bros — they are NOT grammar-based. (My brothers don't find grammar humor as funny as I do.) I'll post images of this year's winners after Christmas — my family reads my blog, and I'm not giving away the surprise. I want to see the looks on their faces when they first see these treasures.

Banned books bracelet

Brilliant idea: cute bracelet and a declaration of support for freedom of speech.

The banned books' covers featured, among others, are:

The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Howl and Other Poems by Allen Ginsberg
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Buy it here.

Thanks to Awesome! for the tip.

My NaNoWriMo t-shirt is here!

The official t-shirt for National Novel Writing Month 2006 which I ordered arrived today! (See mini-image at left; click on above link to see larger images.)

I knew what it was when I saw that Tyvek envelope bearing the return address of the Office of Letters and Light.

I tore it open. Such thrill-chills ran through me as I gazed at it, taking in the slogan emblazoned on the front, "Thirty days and nights of literary abandon." So true, so true.

I informed my husband, "You know, I'll be wearing this for all of November."

He nodded and said, smiling, "That's o.k. You did that last year, too."

Oh, yah. I did do that, didn't I? Don't worry, Dear Readers, I do wash the t-shirt frequently throughout the month, and I wear it only when I'm writing for NaNoWriMo. This year, I will wear it also while blogging my NaNo experience because, apparently, I won't already have enough writing to do for the month. My washing of it will increase accordingly.

Hmmm, perhaps I should purchase a second to have as a back-up...

If you're attempting NaNoWriMo, I recommend you do the same (the whole wearing-and-washing-it thing). I am certain that wearing the Official T during my first NaNoWriMo experience last year bumped me to my "win."

It's a Friday t-shirt round-up!

Today I learned about Threadless, my new source for humorous t-shirts that always show great attention to wit and typography, and occasionally to poetry and 80s music. Look!

1. Being an avid haiku writer, I'm not sure I agree with this sentiment. But I'm glad haiku is finally getting the t-shirt recognition it deserves!

2. Jefferson Airplane (or was it just Starship at this point?) really should have thought this through before submitting all of their blueprints, plans and engineering schematics to the City Planner's office.

3. If Shakespeare were around today, this is EXACTLY how he'd say it! "Iambic pentameter" who?

Another interesting aspect of Threadless: If you buy a t-shirt from them, you can take a photo of yourself wearing the T and then upload it to Threadless. Your photo, and all others submitted, are then posted right on the t-shirt catalog pages. There are perks, other than a blog-based modeling career, to submitting photos. Very entertaining! (See models above.)

Thanks to Awesome! and [BB-Blog] for the Threadless tips.

Now, THIS is a book bag.

Rebound Designs has created some of the most original purses I've ever seen. To me, they represent the ultimate blend of the literary and fashion worlds.

Aw, who am I kidding? They're just cool and different. Eye catching. Unique. I'm quite sure I want one.

Pictured above is the Myths and Their Meanings pocketbook (ahem).

(Thanks to [BB-Blog] for the grooviness.)