Tuesday 31 May 2016

22 Sarcastic Zen Phrases for the Lighthearted, Yet Enlightened Individual



Not every wisdom has to be some profound train of thought that evokes a deep emotion or understanding toward something.  A notion that is illustrated perfectly by these 22 zen phrases, each of which captures the lighthearted, humorous side of a life that gets dark sometimes.
  1. Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me either. Just pretty much leave me the hell alone.
  2. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and leaky tire.
  3. It’s always darkest before dawn. So if you’re going to steal your neighbor’s newspaper, that’s the time to do it.
  4. Don’t be irreplaceable. If you can’t be replaced, you can’t be promoted.
  5. Always remember that you’re unique. Just like everyone else.
  6. Never test the depth of the water with both feet.
  7. If you think nobody cares if you’re alive, try missing a couple of car payments.
  8. Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you’re a mile away and you have their shoes.
  9. If at first you don’t succeed, skydiving is not for you.
  10. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.
  11. If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
  12. If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.
  13. Some days you’re the bug; some days you’re the windshield.
  14. Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.
  15. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it back in your pocket.
  16. A closed mouth gathers no foot.
  17. Duct tape is like ‘The Force’. It has a light side and a dark side, and it holds the universe together.
  18. There are two theories to arguing with women. Neither one works.
  19. Generally speaking, you aren’t learning much when your lips are moving.
  20. Experience is something you don’t get until just after you need it.
  21. Never miss a good chance to shut up.
  22. Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.

Sunbathing




Monday 30 May 2016

Two Dogs Get A New Puppy And Now They’re The Best Sleeping Buddies Ever

Remember Harlow, Indiana, and Reese, the adorable doggy trio that we wrote about last year? Well, we thought it was about time that we caught up with the canine critters to see how they were getting along. And as you can see from these pictures, it looks like they’re doing pretty well!
Harlow (the Weimaraner) adopted Indiana (the brown Dachsund) in 2013 after Harlow’s best friend Sage passed away. A year later the two adopted Reese, also a Dachsund, and the duo have been inseparable ever since. Harlow and Indiana were pretty popular on the internet already, but the arrival of Reese has catapulted them into a whole new world of internet stardom. The three of them have one million followers on Instagram and over 250,000 fans on Facebook. They even have their own book on Amazon! It doesn’t take a genius to figure out why these guys are so popular though. Just look at them!
More info: Harlow & Sage | Instagram | Facebook

Harlow and Indiana didn’t know how to react to Reese at first

But soon they became the best sleeping buddies

They also take baths together. No point wasting water!

Saturday 28 May 2016

Fleeting Time.



The blink of an eye—

One half of a breath,
A whisper on the lips,
This is the speed at which change occurs.
A flash may take too long,
A tick from the clock drags on.
Time is fluid…
A moment—
Just a moment
Is all that is required for everything to change.
One beat as life begins.
One exhalation marks an end.
It was but an instant—
Yet, profoundly,
We are changed.
.
Author: Salina Hornak
Editor: Yoli Ramazzina


The World's Most Valuable Children's Books - Do You Have One?

Are the books from your childhood packed away in boxes in the basement or the attic? Humble children's books from years past can be immensely valuable, but only if they are the right edition in the right condition. And condition is doubly important when considering the value of children's books. Youngsters can love a book too much, reading it again and again, which results in extreme wear and tear. Crayon or pen markings, and torn or lost dust jackets will all bring down the value of a book.
Curated Collections of Children's Books BROWSE THE BOOKS

All of the books below can be considered classics and have been loved by multiple generations of readers. Even Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by JK Rowling is now winning a new audience as its original readers from the late 1990s become parents and spread the joy to their kids.
Dust off those boxes, cross your fingers and pray you have one of these.


Top of the pile is The Hobbit - the book that launched the entire fantasy genre - and we're talking about the 1,500 first edition copies published in the UK on 21 September 1937 by Allen & Unwin. These copies are hard to find and most now reside in personal collections around the world. If you discover one then it's the equivalent of Bilbo Baggins finding Gollum's ring in the depths of the goblin mountain. The novel was a smash-hit from the start and Peter Jackson's movies have only increased interest in Tolkien's work in recent years.
Most expensive copy to sell on AbeBooks - a 1937 first edition sold for £45,050 in 2003.
Affordable alternative - The Harry Abrams 1977 deluxe illustrated edition, with artwork from Arthur Rankin Jr and Jules Bass, is gorgeous, and prices range from £25 to £310.

Several options here. The first appearance of this book in print (2,000 copies) in 1865 was short-lived as illustrator John Tenniel disliked the print quality. Those '1865s' are like hen's teeth and have seven-figure price tags. The next edition (4,000 copies) was released in December of 1865 but dated 1866. They are also expensive and scarce.
Current demand on AbeBooks is all about Salvador Dali's illustrated limited edition(just 2,500 copies) from 1969 and no (sane) parent would give their child this version of Carroll's famous tale. Published in 1969 by Maecenas Press/Random House, the book was issued with 12 loose colour illustrations by Dali. If Dali's surreal artwork isn't your cup of Mad Hatter's tea, Alice Liddell (later Hargreaves, the real Alice that inspired Carroll to write this book) signed 500 copies in 1932 for the Limited Editions Club and a handful are still available for anywhere from £2,425 to £4,850.
Most expensive copy to sell on AbeBooks - a Dali copy signed by the artist sold for £13,860 in 2014.
Affordable alternative - Princeton University Press republished Dali's Alice in Wonderland in 2015 and copies start at around £14. The book include a contribution from Carroll expert Mark Burstein, who examines what was going through Dali's mind when he did these illustrations. Good luck with that one!

It has to be one of the 500 first editions printed by Bloomsbury in June 1997. The library system swallowed up 300 of them, so what happened to the other 200? If you have one then you have hit the JK Rowling jackpot.
The main characteristics of a 1997 first edition first printing are a print line that reads "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1" and the crediting of "Joanne Rowling" not J.K. Prices have fallen since the Pottermania glory days of 2005, 2006 and 2007.
Most expensive copy to sell on AbeBooks - a flawless 1997 first edition for £25,650 (and it wasn't even signed) in 2005.
Affordable alternative - Any of the Harry Potter books signed by their illustrators (ie Mary Grandpre, Jim Kay, Jason Cockroft) are available for low three-figure sums.

This simple children's picture book has had a remarkable impact on popular culture. To have a special copy, it has to be a 1963 first edition published by Harper & Row, and Sendak's signature will add thousands to the value. Sendak, who died in 2012, was a generous signer and often added sketches when signing a book.
Most expensive copy to sell on AbeBooks - a first signed sold for £17,330 in 2012.
Affordable alternative - There have been a handful of Where the Wild Things Are posters produced over the years. Not cheap but definitely collectable.

A modern classic where bad things happen to bad children. The golden ticket here is a September 1964 first edition published by Knopf that's been signed by Dahl, and has a pristine dust jacket. Only 10,000 copies were printed and they sold out in four weeks.
Most expensive copy to sell on AbeBooks - a first edition signed by Dahl in the month of its publication sold for £17,330 in 2015.
Affordable alternative - Look for Dahl books signed by his illustrator Quentin Blake.

A lesson to all of us about being careful in what is thrown away. Both the US and UK editions were published in 1922 and you will need one of these to have something special on your bookshelf. William Nicholson provided seven memorable full-page illustrations.
Most expensive copy to sell on AbeBooks - a US first edition sold for £11,055 in 2013.
Affordable alternative - Marjory Williams also wrote a book with a very long title called Poor Cecco. The Wonderful Story of a Wonderful Wooden Dog Who Was the Jolliest Toy in the House until He Went out to Explore the WorldArthur Rackhamprovided stunning illustrations. It's possible to find early 1925 editions for several hundred pounds.

The story about the bear with little brain is an essential item for any children's book collector. Published in 1926 by Methuen, the ideal copy would be signed by Milne and perhaps also the book's illustrator E.H. Shepard. The presence and condition of the dust jacket will heavily influence the value of this book that has delighted readers for 90 years.
Most expensive copy to sell on AbeBooks - a copy signed by Milne and Shepard, and containing a bookplate displaying Milne's London address sold for £8,215 in 2016.
Affordable alternative - Look for beautiful Folio Society editions from either 1999 or 2004 which can be found for under £70.

First published in 1962 by Ariel Books, this classic story was rejected by dozens of publishers because they thought no young reader would understand the combination of science, and good versus evil. Ellen Raskin, author of The Westing Game, designed the beautiful Sixties era dust jacket and your copy needs a pristine dust jacket to fetch a top price.
Most expensive copy to sell on AbeBooks - a first edition for £7,625 in 2015.
Affordable alternative - Signed copies of A Swiftly Tilting Plant, the third book in the Wrinkle in Time trilogy, are easy to find for between £35 and £275.

Dorothy and Toto are still going strong today. Is this book America's greatest fairytale? Probably. The first edition was published in 1900 by Geo M. Hill but the copyright notice is dated 1899. This book was first printed with 24 colour plates by W.W. Denslow.
Most expensive copy to sell on AbeBooks - a first edition for £6,100 in 2012.
Affordable alternative - The University Press of Kansas (of course) produced an illustrated edition in 1999 and those copies are as cheap as chips.

Peter Pan first appeared in Barrie's adult novel The Little White Bird in 1902. The boy who never grows up then appeared in a successful stage play that opened in 1904 and ran until 1913. A proper Peter Pan book finally appeared in 1906, called Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. Arthur Rackham provided illustrations and it's the artwork that makes this book so appealing to lovers of collectable children's books.
Most expensive copy to sell on AbeBooks - a first edition signed by Rackham sold for £4,505 in 2016.
Affordable alternative - Prices for the Folio Society's edition begin at £42.

Thursday 26 May 2016

The Last Time Via Mariann Martland



i don’t remember the first time we spoke,
but i remember the last;

words dripping from your mouth like
a poison you believed i would drink.
and i would have once
believed it too,
i was familiar with the taste by then.
this time was different,
this was the last time.
when your words became laced
in all of the pains i’d ever shared.
you stirred them up and
spat them back into my face,
thinking they would make me bow
into submission.
but i did not.
this was the last time.
i don’t remember the first time we spoke;
how you made me feel
like the most special girl on the planet,
how i laughed and i loved and
i lent you my ear and my heart indefinitely.
i can’t see what your face looked like,
all innocent and young
as we stumbled through a new world together.
i cannot tell you what made me feel
so safe with you,
or why i believed
we would make forever.
but i do remember it changing.
i remember each time
you floored me with your acid tongue,
every tear i cried
in fear of a certain repeat
performance.
how i was forced to predict your every move,
just to keep us
laughing and loving.
how i now look back and believe
i should have seen this coming,
i should have known
it would happen again and again
when i did not leave sooner.
well i didn’t.
i didn’t see the last time taking shape,
over months, weeks, days, hours,
before the moment it arrived.
but i see it now,
and i assure you it was the last time.
its memory is seared in my brain
like a battle scar,
only i cannot close my eyes
when i can face it no more,
for it jumps around my head
like a well-loved record.
but this record is not loved
and it is not broken.
it is filed safely
in the front of my mind
reminding me never, ever to return,
clearly marked:
“the last time.”
you will try to replay the first times
just to show the world
how ungrateful i am, how mistaken,
how broken, how wrong.
but it’s your first records that are broken.
you broke them
with each track you added on top.
and the more you try to replay them
the more scratched they will become.
because i might never remember
the first time we spoke,
but I will always remember
the last time.
~
Author: Mariann Martland
Apprentice Editor: Roseann Pascale / Editor: Toby Israel


~