Childhood Favorites are Funny Again

When I was a kid I loved Garfield. I can not emphasize this enough. In the early 80s, I thought Garfield was the most colossally hi-larious thing on earth. Okay, I was like, eight. Maybe nine. But still. Every time a new Garfield book would come out, mom (knowing full well of my deep affinity) would try to ensure I'd have a copy. At school, my friends and I would swap Garfield books at recess. I'd trade my copy of Garfield Takes the Cake for Aimee's copy of Garfield Weighs In, and so on. The only one that never left the safety of my bookshelf was Garfield Eats His Heart Out, because it was my favorite, and because I knew that little bitch Holly would probably take it and never give it back. These Garfield book swaps were serious business.

As I've gotten older, my sense of humor has darkened and twisted significantly. Things that amused me as a kid seem so pedestrian now. The antics of a cynical, lasagna-obsessed house cat had all but escaped my memory... until today. Bridget sent me a link that has joined the ranks of my favorite web comics: Garfield Minus Garfield.



Y'all, this is brilliant. From the Garfield Minus Garfield website:

Who would have guessed that when you remove Garfield from the Garfield comic strips, the result is an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life? Friends, meet Jon Arbuckle. Let’s laugh and learn with him on a journey deep into the tortured mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against loneliness in a quiet American suburb.

Like I said, brilliant. As a child I never picked up on how, um, quirky the Jon Arbuckle character is. I sure as heck didn't think I'd grow up to often feel like the female equivalent of him, but that's another post. Take Garfield out of the equation, and ol' Jon is (pardon my French) completely batshit crazy.

See for yourself: Garfield Minus Garfield

Dan Walsh, Garfield Minus Garfield's creator, is my new favorite Irishman for this genius creation. Even cooler, Garfield's creator Jim Davis is totally hip to it. Aaaand... Garfield Minus Garfield the webcomic is becoming Garfield Minus Garfield the book.

So, it looks like I'll be buying myself another Garfield book. And that, my friends, is something I never thought I'd be saying at 34 years old... but it cracks me up that I am.

I won't be swapping this one, though. You gotta get your own.

The Mighty Amazon

Every now and then, something really awesome happens to me. Today I was cleaning out the pockets of my padfolio and found a $100 gift certificate for Amazon.com that I totally forgot I had. Rock and roll! So, I went shopping. Here's what $100 at Amazon gets a girl like me:

On the book front, I kept it practical yet interesting. These two books encompass the two main aspects of web design that I am most passionate about: attractive design and positive user experience.

Bulletproof Web Design by Dan Cederholm

I am a huge fan of this guy's work. This book has been recommended to me several times, and now I have it! It'll be an invaluable resource for both work and personal projects, and I can't wait to dig into it.



Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug

I'm committed to making sure websites and user interfaces I create are as effortless and pleasant to use as possible, but as new technologies emerge there are new challenges that can potentially impede a positive experience for the end user. This book has been referenced several times at various conferences I have been to, and I'm looking forward to the big picture.



And now for sheer frivolity... MOVIES! These are two of my favorites. Being that both are Criterion Collection releases (cha-ching), I probably wouldn't buy them out of the blue with my own hard-earned scratch.

First, one of my top five all-time favorite movies ever: Down By Law. This is SUCH an amazing film. For starters, it opens with scenes of New Orleans accompanied by Tom Waits' Jockey Full of Bourbon from his album Rain Dogs (one of my top five all-time favorite albums ever). Awesome. Tom Waits, John Lurie and Roberto Begnini are the most insanely and brilliantly matched trio in film history. The shots, the music, the acting... this is the film that made me fall in love with Jim Jarmusch's work.



Second, and another favorite of mine: Fishing with John. A collection of television segments originally aired on Asian television; Fishing with John is... different. Tom Waits, Dennis Hopper, Jim Jarmusch, Willem Dafoe and Matt Dillon (for some reason) each join John Lurie on a fishing expedition, which is filmed documentary style. The voice-overs are deadpan and, at times, subtly twisted. Rumor has it that after filming his episode, Tom Waits was so pissed off at John Lurie that he didn't talk to him for two years. Incidentally, the Tom Waits episode is one of the most entertaining.



I've had a couple people I've recommended Fishing with John to totally hate it. I understand why. It's weird and out there. I love it.

So make it snappy, USPS... I want the fruits of my free money now (but totally didn't spring for expedited shipping)!