I COULD'VE HAD A V-8!!!

I'm referring only to the part of the commercial where the person knocks themselves in the head, not to actually drinking V-8, which I would never do. Serious texture problem. And I would certainly never choose V-8 over french fries, no matter how good their advertising might be . . . who would? If you would, you have my apologies and my sympathy. In my world, fries are already a vegetable and when Ronald Reagan gave us permission to call ketchup a vegetable too -- well it was just the best moment I can ever remember for a republican! Thanks again, Mr. President!

Since it's Thanksgiving week, it's good to remember these kinds of things.

But anyway, I've been knocking myself in the head and saying "Why didn't I think of that?" for about a week now. Have you ever come across something so wonderful and so obvious that you just can't believe you didn't already invent it? It happens to me quite often. I'll tell you about two specifics . . .

The first is really more of a "Why didn't I think of that a long time ago?" Because it's luckily not too late in this case (that's when I usually have my best flashes of brilliance -- after it's too late to actually do anything about it. Or I have the flash, but I put it out of my mind until I see someone have the same flash later and get rich from it. Then I smack myself in the head).

I finally decided to get a website, and it's going to launch in just a week!

It should be up by Thanksgiving, barring any unforeseen difficulties, and like most of the people who have been looking at my art for the past four years, I am now saying to myself "Why no website. Are you a moron?" Here's the announcement I'm sending out:






If you're on my list watch your mailbox, and if you're not, read it here and come on over to visit when I give you the "on air" signal. There will be a link from the blog, because that's one of my three (3) computer skills.

But the second is, alas, a revelation that has come too late. Did you know someone had written an entire novel by cutting and pasting old women's magazines from the 1950's-1960's? First of all, I didn't know anyone but me was still "doing" actual cutting and pasting anymore (I tried explaining what it was to a kid working at Kinko's the other day and I can't even describe the vacant expression I got in return) and secondly, surely no one has spent more time devouring old women's magazines than I have and if someone were going to publish a novel as a result of that hobby, surely it should be a wannabe writer like myself.

But Graham Rawle thought of it first. And what's the point of building the Watts Towers if they've already been built? Some things you just have to be the first to think of. And I didn't.




Anyway, it's an awesome book and a true labor of love. He took 5 years crafting it -- he describes the process in some detail at the end of the book. He first wrote the story, then went through and replaced every single word with a word he snipped. Some descriptions he altered to use old ad copy, resulting in wonderfully quirky images that are just amazing to read.



He had his mother help him by clipping and filing words (I thought that was quite endearing -- she probably read the same magazines the first time around) so he could fill them in later. Every page number (over 400!) was also clipped, and that may be the most miraculous thing of all because finding numbers isn't that easy. All I can say is, I know how long it takes me to find the words I want sometimes, and I truly am in awe of the love required to spend 5 years finding 400 pages of them. Graham Rawle, I salute you!

Woman's World is a fantastic read, and I believe it's now out in paperback (although I got my hardback copy on Amazon used books for under $3.00! Highway robbery! And I'm really sorry, Graham, because I would have been willing to pay much more . . . the price I paid in no way reflects my admiration for you. But what a deal!)



I should probably warn my more sensitive readers that there is cross-dressing involved. It is highly justifiable cross-dressing, but it is cross-dressing nonetheless.

If anyone else reads it, please let me know what you think. We can have blog-book-club! (say that fast three times)

I just hope to have an idea that good once in my life. Just once!


Anybody got any really great ideas they want to get rid of?