Literary Gadling: Mark Twain House

by Iva Skoch on

I have a confession to make. I am a literary memorabilia junkie. Yes, I like to go to famous writers’ houses and see how they lived, what inspired them (Kafka), how they partied (Twain) and try to figure out what made them commit suicide (Hemingway). Is this going to make me a better writer? I doubt it. But it always gets me motivated to sit down and actually write. And, as many of you know, that is half the battle.

Anyway, should any of you share my passion for writers, I will occasionally make a recommendation for a place/birthplace to visit. As a kick off to my “Literary Gadling”, I picked one that’s easy: the Mark Twain house in Hartford, Connecticut. Not only is it a beautiful Victorian mansion, but visiting the house makes you get a good insight into Twain’s happy personality. It made me realize I need to drastically increase my entertainment budget if I ever want to become a good writer.

And since Twain was probably America’s most productive quote machine, here is one to leave you with:

“It was wonderful to find America, but it would have been more wonderful to miss it.” Mark Twain

Friday Funny: Fifty Best Cartoons

by Erik Olsen on

Sometimes I feel sorry for today’s children. They have a gazillion times more television programming available to them, but so much of it is crap, it’s often impossible to find anything worth watching ,let alone something that might be considered educational or enriching. I’m talking mostly about cartoons, and thinking that, with the exception of the Simpsons, Pixar and a few scattered standouts, most cartoons today pretty much suck.

Hey, I apologize if you’re a big fan of shows like Sponge Bob Square Pants or whatever, but I’ve watched these shows, and as far as I’m concerned they pale in comparison to the old Bugs Bunny cartoons. These lovingly hand-drawn cartoons remain great works of art and the people behind them, like Chuck Jones, are heroes in my book. I doubt anyone will be able to match them for true artistry and creative narrative.

Sure, I might be a bit of a romantic. I’ll accept that to an extent. But for today’s Friday Funny, I offer you a list of the Top 50 Cartoons of All Time, most of which can be viewed online. At the top of the list (no surprise) are several Bugs cartoons…in fact, the list features a bunch of them…and sprinkled throughout are some other wonderful indies like The Big Snit. There’s nary a Sponge Pants to be found. If you’re like me, you’ll spend the next hour or so watching some of these gems, and I can think of no more perfect way to kick off the holiday season than a healthy dose of Bugs.

Holy Foreskin, Batman!

by Erik Olsen on

A travel-writing friend of mine told me over coffee a while back that he was undertaking a secret quest (OK, not THAT secret…we actually blogged about it a while back). He was packing his bags and heading to a small town in Italy in search of a most holy relic. But this was not your ordinary holy relic…not a splinter of the cross, an amulet from a long-dead disciple or even a cupcake with the Virgin’s countenance in the dessert’s creamy frosting. No, he was in search of Jesus’ foreskin.

Yes, this sounds like a Monty Python skit, but I assure you the writer, David Farley, was dead serious about his adventure. And like any true journalist, Farley has spent the last half year or so in the Italian village of Calcata uncovering this deep, shriveled mystery.

While his efforts have so far not reached um, shall we say, full tumescence, he has a lot of fertile research to show for his efforts. As this piece in Slate Magazine reveals, Farley has been hard at work, probing the deep mysteries behind the Holy Foreskin. We learn, for example, that the mystery has taken odd turns and twists worthy of the Da Vinci Code, and that the foreskin’s disappearance and/or theft may implicate an institution no less grand than the Vatican itself.

Personally, I can think of no quest more worthy of further, dogged investigation than this one, heralding as it might new revelations into the fate of our savior and giving new meaning (to steal David’s own joke) to “the Second Coming”.

Czech Spa Vacation: Shaken, Not Stirred

by Iva Skoch on

Bond movie junkies will probably know that a large portion of the last Bond film, Casino Royale, was filmed in the Czech Republic. Actually, most of the scenes which are supposed to be in Montenegro are filmed in the Czech spa town Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad), about 2 hours east of Prague.

The hotel, where Bond and his femme fatale are staying, is Karlovy Vary’s 5-star Hotel Pupp (yes, it is pronounced “poop” but it is a nice hotel, really). The hotel was built in 1701 and has been famous for its spa treatments ever since.

The hotel is now offering special 3-day packages called “In the Track of Agent 007“, including visit to a castle, beer spa, and a shooting range. Casino is also a part of the hotel and one of Czech Republic’s best golf courses is located just a few miles away. And, I hear they can make a mean martini. Not that the new Bond cares.

Hanukkah in Honduras

by Iva Skoch on

Celebrating Christmas away from home, often in exotic destinations, has become quite usual for many families. Getting away for Hanukkah, which started on December 15 this year, is a bit more challenging. The holidays lasts 8 days and therefore requires more planning – being in a hotel room at specific times to light candles (or bringing them along to dinner) and schlepping more “stuff” along: at least a menorah, a set of candles and multiple sets of presents.

But, like a recent CNN/AP story reports, some adventurous families prefer to spend The Festival of Lights abroad, in this case in Honduras. According to the story, overcoming obstacles having to do with the celebration of Hanukkah in Latin America sounds like fun – setting off smoke detectors in hotel rooms, locals not understanding the candle ceremony, not being able to light a menorah because of the heavy tropical wind or not being able to rely on local electricity to work at specific times…

I am all for it! An 8-day holiday is a good excuse to take a vacation longer than an extended weekend. Americans don’t take enough time off.