Friday Finds – February 15, 2008

Sara’s Finds

—I hate passive aggressive behavior; if you’ve got a problem with me, then let’s talk it out like grownups. One of the perks of working from home is that I rarely have to encounter the passive aggressive emails and notes that some folk like to leave for their fellow humans. I do, however, get a huge kick out of an awesome site I just found, called passiveaggressivenotes.com People send in copies of notes from aggrieved roommates and co-workers, and the rest of us get to laugh. This site should be required reading for anybody tempted to fire off one of these nastygrams – you really can see how childish (and hilarious) it makes you appear to everybody else.

–I believe in helping my writer friends. I also believe in spreading the word when a book really touches me. So I’m thrilled to be able to do both and recommend Gardens of Water, the debut novel by my friend and neighbor Alan Drew. Set in the aftermath of the 1999 Marmara earthquake in Turkey, it follows Sinan, a Kurdish Muslim, and his family as they navigate an uneasy relationship with the family of the American missionary who runs the tent city where they have been forced to settle. This book has so many poignant, important and painful things to say about family, love, faith and the impact of the West on the Muslim world. It also is beautifully written. Don’t miss it!

Cara’s Finds

—Naked Cowboy to sue the pants off of M&Ms. I found this story in the New York Post pretty funny. The Naked Cowboy, a street performer who plays guitar in only his whitey tighties filed a $6 million suit against the Mars Corporation for stealing his identity. M&Ms has a huge video billboard in Times Sqaure showing a blue M&M playing guitar in a white hat, boots, and underwear. The video also features other M&Ms posing as NYC icons, including the Statue of Liberty and King Kong. Wow – Naked Cowboy is big time. A NYC icon? Did you know Naked Cowboy is originally from Cincinnati? It’s true. My friend, Sarah worked with him at a TGIF restaurant. I guess stripping his “TGI flair” really paid off.

—Shopping around for a new school? Check out GreatSchools.net to find schools nationwide. You can search by school names, school districts, location, or find the top-rated ones in your city. Then read reviews submitted by parents like you. What a great resource!

Tela’s Finds

—I love music. I used have lots more time for searching out new songs and artists before I had a child, but I like to think that I still have semi-decent taste. I’m not sure why it never occurred to me to share music in Friday Finds before. But I finally figured it out. So, here are two new recent finds that I’m currently obsessed with: M.I.A’s Paper Planes (Check out the cameos in the video around the 2:50 mark. If the song sounds familiar, it’s probably because it samples the Clash song “Straight to Hell”, orrr you’ve heard it before.) and Kate Nash’s Pumpkin Soup. Two verrryyy different songs, but both good. Hell, I think so anyway. But feel free to tell me I’m wrong.

–As I was walking back from lunch yesterday, I overheard an interesting conversation about “flash buzz systems.” Whatever those are. It made me think of this site/blog: Overheard in New York. I usually don’t have to read much before I giggle.

–Jesus statues, ransom notes, and weiner poopie. There’s no explaining this one, so just watch it. You’ll love it. Promises.