Thursday, October 4, 2012

The Hobbit


This is the storefront that I went down to Soho to photograph on Saturday. How great is that?! I've walked this street a million times, but only noticed this recently -- I suspect an old sign came down and revealed The Hobbit underneath. (Something like The Moonrakers.)

Several little things to catch up on...

-- We bought a new vacuum cleaner. We had an old Panasonic left by our landlords, but part of the hose broke and it was a pain to use because it forced me to clean in a stooped, Quasimodo-like posture. Now we have a Dyson ball, which is just about the best vacuum I've ever owned. Incredibly lightweight and I can vacuum standing up! And no bags! What will they think of next?! The only downside -- we had it delivered on Tuesday, and the store would tell us only to expect it between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. I mean, really. Could there be a wider delivery window? I had to cool my heels and not leave home until it finally showed up at 3 p.m., after which I promptly went running just to get the heck out of the house.

-- Remember the street art photos I posted on Sept. 23? Well, someone on Flickr clued me in on one of the drawings. The green guy looking at his bleeding finger and saying "I like it when the red water comes out" is known as "Salad Fingers." He's the main character in a disturbing series of Internet cartoons from 2004. Here's one. Don't watch it late at night, because it's creepy. But do watch it, because it's also oddly funny and just really bizarre.

-- It's cranefly season again. One or two have made their way into the house, prompting me to catch them and put them back outside. And then they fly in again, probably. I may be wrong but I think I've seen fewer of them than I saw last year. Maybe because of the chilly, rainy summer?

7 comments:

Lynne said...

he Hobbit sold a very odd variety of things in its day.
(Tobacco, sweets and cards?)

Okay, Steve this is getting weird. We just bought a Dyson ball about a month ago and we love it! It's so light compared to the heavy Sears upright we've had for the past six years and gets up so much more dog hair and dirt. It's incredible! It makes a chore fun!

I hate waiting for either service people to come or delivery people.

The cartoon of Salad Fingers was creepy. I loved the way his right eye kept jumping ever so slightly. I was reminded of Hansel and Gretel!

As for the crane fly, is this one that I took a photo of in this post? http://www.rickandlynne.com/lynne/index.php/lynne/comments/another_day_different_shadow/
I didn't know what it was at the time but maybe this is my answer.

Ms. Moon said...

I have no vacuum cleaner because I hate them but maybe I could deal with a Dyson. Maybe.
I love my broom. Maybe I'm a witch.

The Bug said...

LOL at Ms. Moon :) I wish I could just use a broom. As you know I HATE my vacuum cleaner (it's a panasonic too). I would love to try a dyson, but that's not in the budget for now. Hmmm - maybe I'll ask my dad to get me one for my birthday - ha!

Elizabeth said...

Oh, gosh -- I love The Hobbit store. I'm reading it right now to my eleven year old son -- my old copy from 1971!

Lorianne said...

We LOVE our Dysons! We actually have three: mine, a really old one J had, and a newer one J bought to replace the old one. The really old one is beat up but still works. It seems to be indestructible.

ellen abbott said...

we always called them mosquito hawks here and they are my personal harbinger of spring as that's when they emerge here. Interesting that they emerge in fall there. They have very short life spans and don't even eat as an adult.

Steve Reed said...

Lynne: Dyson DOES make vacuuming fun! I agree. And as I commented on your blog, yes, that is definitely a cranefly.

Ms. Moon: LOL! I always had just a broom when I had all wood floors. But now we have some rugs, and when we had dogs, a vacuum was essential.

Bug: People say appliances make bad presents, but I disagree!

Elizabeth: You know, I never read the book. I saw the animated movie back in the '70s and that's it. Maybe I should try to read some Tolkien one of these days.

Lorianne: You can never have too many!

Ellen: How weird. Wonder why we get them in the fall? I did read that they live a very short time.