The Next Great Novelist

“Hmmm…. what do I want to write about?” Yup, if you’ve said that before you can relate to what I’m talking about. There comes a point when we’ve thought we could write a book, only to end up thinking maybe next year will be better. You rationalize (procrastinate) that you need more life experience before you get a clear idea of what you want to write. So that great novel that you know will turn the literary world upside down gets pushed back or maybe never gets published. The truth is that just like any contest, you can’t win if you don’t enter; so it’s important that you at least get your ideas on paper. But despite having the tenacity to write your novel, there are also other impediments that can prevent you from actualizing your book. With so many publishing houses going bankrupt, it’s getting harder and harder to publish a book. Yet despite this fact, any jerk off the street will tell you that if you really want people to read your work then you might as well get a blog. But of course that’s not the same as having a piece of your creation in your hands or in the hands of others. Luckily there are places that can help you with this problem. Lulu.com is a great website that will not only publish your ideas, but will also make them available for other people to purchase on Amazon.com. The best part is that it’s all free for you, since only people that want your book will have to pay. Translation; you, yourself, your mom, dad, sister, best friend growing up, spouse; heck all your kin and kith. On the website you get to pick what type of cover, text, pictures, and price you want for your book. There are also great forums with friendly people that can help you along the way. So if you’ve always wanted to publish a book of your writing, then this website is for you. As for my book, uhm… well I’m planning to start it next year as soon as I get more life experience.

http://www.lulu.com/index.php

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 25th Anniversary Toys

Back in the late 80’s the most popular toy and cartoon was the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The cartoons were so addictive with their great story lines, and awesome catch phrases. They made every kid in the nation want to be a ninja, or at least get hurt trying to perform some unsupervised dangerous ninja kick. Yet what made these heroes so popular was how wonderful their toys were made. They had awesome details, came with a lot of weapons, and most importantly were very resistant to wear (give or take a few broken weapons). So with this new re-release of the Ninja Turtles from Playmates, celebrating their 25th anniversary; I knew I had to get them all. Luckily I found them on sale, which made it extra special. The toys are well made, and come as close to the original 1988 toys as possible. What makes this retro release even better is that they come with a bonus DVD of the first four episodes of the show. Blissful nostalgia oozes from my brain to the sound track of “Go Ninja, Go Ninja, Go” sung by Vanilla Ice. I highly recommend every turtle fan to go out and buy this collector’s set, it’s Turtlerific!

Freaky Friday

Yikes, WTF happened? Is the first thing I say when I see a gross and disgusting picture of some hot aging celebrity. Of course my next impulse is to show as many people as I can in order to dilute my shock. How else can you explain the popularity of 2girls1cup? Sure initially the concept of the video seemed awesome on paper, but something along the way went totaly wrong when filming started. While not so scatological, these next celebrity pics exhibit what happens when everything not only goes wrong but nightmarish. Please enjoy!

Book Review: Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster

When deciding on a book to read I always pick a topic that I know very little about. I try to live by the Voltaire quote in reference to trying new things, "If we don't find anything pleasant at least we shall find something new." So in keeping with this point of view I decided to read a book about the fashion industry; Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster. I first heard of Dana Thomas (the book’s author) when she was on a television show discussing the topic of Hermès bags. Since she was also promoting her new book and her expertise on the subject seemed really insightful I decided to read her book. With modern society being bombarded with ad’s everywhere you go it’s almost impossible to not recognize the luxury brands this book makes reference to such as Gucci and Louis Vuitton. So not being able to follow along with the topic of the book was never an issue for me.

Her book does an excellent job at summarizing the history of where and how a lot of these fashion houses began. She then goes on to discuss how these houses have evolved into multi-billion luxury brands that are known globally. For Thomas however, this success has come with an unfavourable price tag; mainly that quality has been watered down in favour of record profits. This all began when luxury brands started selling their business to large investment groups that saw an opportunity to make a profit. Their investment started to yield profit when they started offering purses, sun glasses, scarfs, wallets and ready to wear fashion to what she calls middle market consumers in an attempt to allow them to live a temporary luxury dream. The creation of allowing this middle market consumer to purchase luxury brand accessories has more than doubled the profit of these fashion houses. To further increase profit and capitalize on this sales boom luxury brands started cutting corners by using cheaper materials, outsourcing their production into China, and licensing their brand name to outside factories.

One of the issues she mentions in the book that was insightful for me was her investigation into the black market of fake luxury brands. Unlike other books that just tell you fake’s or knockoffs are bad to buy, she actually explains why it’s wrong and how its harming people. For example she tells the story of a sweatshop owner in China that would actually wound the legs of child workers so that they would be unable to escape, and would be forced to work. Hearing stuff like this has actually enlightened me to be a voice against knockoffs and the black market. I’m sure once people see where and how these products are made they would think twice before buying.

When I finished the book it made me feel as if anyone that bought luxury products today would be buying into an image and not actual luxury. This theory is proven when I see people buying wallets that cost over $800 and purses that cost more than a car. Of course I would be lying if I said I was turned off of luxury brands after reading this book. There is still one luxury brand that I believe has not changed their belief that the quality of their products should be more important than profits, which is Hermès. With most purses being made with the best materials in the world by the best craftsman’s and then having to wait years for one to be made for you I believe they will always be a company to be admired (though I doubt I’ll ever be able to afford anything they make). And so I would recommend this book to anyone that has always loved the fashion industry and would like to get to know more about it.