This is kind of a currently obsessed post in disguise… but since I’ve got road trips on the brain, I thought I’d unite under a single theme.
by Roberto Bolano. I loved this book, and I think it’s the perfect road trip novel for several reasons: it’s long enough to last you, it is told in smaller snippets (diary entries and short-story-like “interviews”) so picking it up and putting it down is not a problem, and it’s about really road-trippy people. (Check out James Wood’s NY Times Review.)
I love Knock Knock, and I actually use my Pack This! notepad before almost every trip.
. Maybe you are wondering why I start trips with postcards. This is because I have to address them and stamp them before I leave or else I will never actually send any. (Besides, most local postcards use very ugly fonts.) But the real reason I’m posting these particular postcards is because I AM SO EXCITED that they are coming to America (…in October… but you can pre-order them!… Penguin always puts everything out in the UK first…). There are 100 Book Covers in ONE box of postcards! (We are pretty in love with book covers here at Stickers & Donuts!)
Note: Background for this post from Mike Swanson’s Blog’s Wallpaper collection.
1. Chicken Skittles from MUJI, £5.95 (football is to soccer as skittles is to bowling)
2. The Africa swimsuit by We Are Handsome, $163
3. Miso Soup Ring by SouZou Creations on etsy, $8.50
4. Candy Bar Bracelet from Dylan’s Candy Bar, $50 (Wish 1.5: That Dylan offered international shipping.)
5. MacBook Pro 17-inch from Apple, $2500 (although a plain old MacBook is much more realistic!)
6. Colour In Dress by Michiel Schuurman, €250
7. Bubble Wrap Calendar from Perpetual Kid, $20
8. ASAP/OMFG Totable from Knock Knock,$10.50
9. PostSecret: Confessions on Life, Death and God from Barnes & Noble, $14.94
10. Kron by Kron Shoes (Amirah also requests the ability to walk properly in heels!)
My freshman year of college, I received the nickname “Gogo.” No, not a reference to the perfect-hair chanteuses who brag about having beats. My model: Gogo Yubari…the Kill Bill schoolgirl with unbridled rage (and a meteor hammer). I was far from a killer, just an occasional swatter when someone (a victim) would unexpectedly tap my shoulder. Or hug me.
I am now more conservative with my swats, but violence still innocently reverberates throughout my body. Harmless karma itchings. For example, let’s say that you’re on the subway, a stranger throws a laundry basket at you, and they LAUGH. (True story.) For me, moments like these demand a little cathartic relief. Maybe a wee wish that the perpetrator trips. A little. As a supporter of such passive aggressive violence (not physical violence! PEACE FLAGS/SIGNS/DOVES), here is list of items that I believe secretly violent people will enjoy. The following is dedicated to all the males & females that have angered me this past week.
1. Uncanny resemblance to your ex-boyfriend, right? Best of all, it’s NECESSARY to stab and store your knives. Leaving them on the counter would be bad knife etiquette. Ex Voodoo Knife Holder from Perpetual Kid, $70
2. “Yes, you treated me so wretchedly that you deserve to be slammed in between Twilight.” Dead Mark Bookmark from Perpetual Kid, $12
3. An apotheosis of journals, this is perfect to write about all the vexing characters in your life. The inside even has quotes to fuel your anger! (See below) In My Humble Opinion Journal from Knock Knock, $17
4. Pad of voodoo dolls = 60 opportunities to curse. Paper Voodoo Pad from Knock Knock, $7.50 (Note: Remember when Maria interviewed Jen Bilik, founder and creator of Knock Knock?)
5. “Dear Roommate, please discard your putrid veal from the fridge or you will end up like this poor sticky man. xoxo.” Murder Ink Sticky Note Pad from Pure Modern, $10 (pre-order now!)
6. Have you ever imagined sneaking into your ex-special friend’s bathroom, replacing his/her bathroom mat with a more sanguineous version, thus provoking him/her to run away from his/her bathroom in terror, dropping his/her towel outside in the deemed “safe haven,” and crying? Revenge, my friend. Blood Bath Mat from Perpetual Kid, $18
Do you like Knock Knock’s In My Humble Opinion journal as much as Maria and me? Thanks to Knock Knock, you have a lovely opportunity to win your very own journal! To win, leave a comment (a brief vent about someone who angered you this week? or a “hi tricia?!”…I HAVE PRESENTED YOU WITH TWO IDEAS) below by Sunday, November 8th! We will select the winner by a random number generator, and announce the winner on Monday, November 9th!
Not only is it the first day of national poetry month, but it’s OUR BIRTHDAY. STICKERS AND DONUTS IS ONE YEAR OLD TODAY. We have posted 387 posts.
To celebrate, I wish someone would give me a donut. I would even buy myself a donut, if I could find one. In lieu of a donut, here are some other blog-helpful items that I would accept as first birthday gifts:
Thank you everyone for reading!
xo, Maria & Co.
Knock Knock. Who’s there? It’s Jen Bilik, the Head Honcho (founder, creator, owner) of Knock Knock. (Sorry, I couldn’t help it.) She is the one behind all of those funny, well-written, cleanly-designed pads, books, folders, binders, notebooks, and flashcards that you always see in that Kitschy shop on the corner. (Everything is also for sale on-line, and, HINT HINT, the Nifty Notes and Pocket Notes make great stocking stuffers.)
1. Pack This! Pad, $7; 2. Pro Con Pad, $7; 3. Dial an Excuse, $7.50; 4. Thanks a Lot!, $4.50, 5. Daily Mood Tracker Paper Mouse Pad, $11; 6. Things To Do Pocket Notes, $5.50; 7. Accomplish Pad, $7; 8. Random Dawdle Paper Mouse Pad, $11
Due to my various neuroses, which result in an incredible amount of list-making and indecision, Knock Knock pads frequently come in handy. Due to my obsession with clean, functional graphic design and witty writing, I feel a tickle of joy in my heart every time I see them.
Yes, the pads can be considered humorous novelty and joke gifts, but often they are quite functional. I use my “Pack This” pad every time I go on a trip. The “Rate that Wine” pad would have been perfect for the Wine class I took in college. I’ve always thought the “Daily Mood Tracker” should be used in therapy (you might need to ignore the “kill me now” column…) rather than ugly black and white xeroxed sheets (seriously, if you’re already depressed, ugly designed mood tracking sheets aren’t going to help). And, while I hope the entire “Shit List” pad wouldn’t come in handy for anyone very often, I think Steven Colbert might like it if he were renamed it “Dead to Me.”
I wanted to make a Gift Guide featuring all Knock Knock products, but then I could just write a post that says, “Please go to the Knock Knock site for your holiday shopping.” So, instead, I’ve been including them here and there, like in the Neurotic Gift Guide post. Since then, several people have said they wished they could get me The Complete Manual of Things That Might Kill You. (TIP: For someone as paranoid as me, this would be a cruel joke.)
Anyway, in place of an All Knock Knock Gift Guide, I’m offering you an interview with the founder and owner of the company that puts the “fun in functional.”
INTERVIEW WITH THE RULER OF KNOCK KNOCK (more…)
