Welcome to this week's selection of Picks, where we're more than a just little taken aback. Hurt, frankly. See, after visiting CNCurrency.com (an eye-catching site described as "Your Personal Finance Advisor"), it dawned on us that most people are paid for their hard work in cash, not shiny little trinkets and glass beads. Until now we've had a pretty upbeat view of ourselves, but tell you what: after reading CNCurrency's sections on Taking Stock, Net vs. Self Worth, and Love and Money, we're just plain demoralized. We've petitioned for an audience with management to reconsider the terms of our compensation package. In the meantime, to ALL non-bartering merchants reading this: if we ordered anything from you in the last five days, please cancel right away.
Needless to say, this has left us feeling a little left out. At lonely times like these, the only things that keep us going are the hope that one day Leonardo DiCaprio will answer one of our telegrams, and Citizens Against UFO Secrecy, a group that assures us we are not alone. Dedicated to exposing "the continuing presence of extraterrestrial life and intelligence on this planet," CAUS sponsors projects ranging from a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Army (over the Roswell incident) to a chartered private rocket to the moon to search for alleged artificial structures. So if you're feeling particularly alienated, check out the goings-on at this fine organization.
(We picked up our interest in the thriving outer-space community back in the 60s and 70s, when anything went and the Internet was but a gleam in the Department of Defense's eye. If you'd like to relive those halcyon days, check out Max's Kansas City, the legendary and now-defunct Manhattan rock club where New York-based groups like the Velvet Underground, Patti Smith, and the New York Dolls got their start. You'll find some cool photographs and descriptions about the Max's scene, as well as RealAudio clips from the likes of David Johansen, Viva, and owner Mickey Ruskin. Be there or be square.)
Anyway, in search of distraction from our financial woes, we came across ackxhpaez, the comix and craziness of one Michael M. Wartella. After enjoying the offbeat humor of Mike's cartoons and riding the adrenaline-fueled rush of his video short, we turned a bit analytical and noted that there are four distinct stages to the ackxhpaez experience: curiosity, bewilderment, lesser bewilderment, and finally, acceptance. In any case, the key thing is that the site takes you on a journey. And we like that. Just remember where you left your car. (If you have enough freakin' glass beads to buy a car...)
Speaking of journeys and distractions, who amongst us doesn't enjoy sitting down with a nice big 1200-page fantasy epic and getting lost in a thrilling story involving wizards and dragons and the occasional time-travelling cyborg space pirate? Okay, you're excused; feel free to leave the room. For those of you still here, the problem is: Who has enough time to read anymore? Luckily, we've got a solution: Book-A-Minute SF/F, where you'll find all your sci-fi and fantasy faves, condensed down to, oh, about 50 words. In fact, we asked the folks at Book-A-Minute to take a shot at condensing Picks and we think they did a pretty darn good job. Here's what they came up with:
Wow, that's uncanny.
While on the subject of blah blah blah, might we interest you in a small dose of the The Wit and Wisdom of Imelda Marcos? Imelda never was the brightest bulb in the intellectual chandelier, but her reflections on wealth, beauty, and politics are pretty darn informative nonetheless. Ms. Marcos on entrepreneurial savvy: "I get my fingers in all our pies. Before you know it, your little fingers including all your toes are in all the pies." (Moist towelette anyone?) And on Filipinos: "I get more than appreciation, especially from the little ones. And in the rural areas, all I have to do is smile and they are happy."
Finally, remember those delicious Sequoia oranges you used to nibble on when you were growing up in Exeter, California? How about those tasty pecans from back on the farm in Messilla Valley, New Mexico? Of course you do! Well, now the Homesick Gourmet helps you hunt down those delicious hometown treats and relive your formative culinary experiences again and again. (All right, fine, let's say you didn't grow up in Exeter -- you can still eat their oranges, can't you?) From Kentucky country ham to crunchy Maine apples, this dandy food directory will have you reminiscing about the good old days, even if they never happened. Pick your region, and take your pick(ings).