Moogie Wonderland: fluff

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)!