Alain de Botton, the author of ‘The Art of Travelling’ and ‘The Consolations of Philosophy’, is on the Twitters. He’s not entirely the self-help super-guru I figured he’d be, instead offering some pretty subtle humour. Worth a follow, maybe.
(posted with tweetshots.com)
To quote Unpluggd, “As lame as it was, I laughed while putting it altogether. Such is the power of Arnold and Devito.” Truth.
Did you get an iPad?
Approved.
We found our childhood in an old junkyard and we’re taking it back.
Gelaskins has some pretty nice iPad covers from some internet / artist heavy-hitters, including Exploding Dog, Audrey Kawasaki, eBoy, Ralph Steadman and others. Worth checking out if you want a minimal case.
Freitag are a Swiss icon, making bags, totes and laptop covers out of old truck tarpaulins, seatbelts and bicycle inner tubes. They’re unique, durable and a touch on the expensive side (as in, very).
I spent a while at the Zurich outlet store trying to work out whether it’d be worth dropping £100 on a manbag (I didn’t, in the end).
The Lassie model, by the way, is exactly the right size to carry an iPad and some notepads and stuff. I measured it.
Check out their website - they let you custom cut and design your own bag.
Zurich.
He’s one of my life-long best friends. We’re starting a camp-fire on the side of a hill overlooking a small Swiss town, by a beautiful stream, just as the sun sets. He’s arguing with his girlfriend, and the two of them are stupidly in love. Like, stupidly, tragically, medically-worryingly in love.
Him: Did you pack the beer? You didn’t pack the beer, did you.
Her: Shut up and start the fire. I packed the beer.
Him: I bet you didn’t. I bet you didn’t pack the beer.
Her: I did pack the beer. Look - here it is. Here is your beer.
Him: Well, put it in the stream. I can’t drink it warm.
Her: God, you’re such a girl. I love you, but you’re such a girl.
Him: Hey, that’s not fair. If anyone’s a girl in this relationship, it’s Ryan.
I just keep quiet and drink my warm beer. I can’t really argue the point.
I wrote a quick review of the book of stolen tweets by Suzanne Schwalb and if you’re going to do the same, I recommend sticking in a link to Nick’s “Twitter Wit” (Amazon makes it pretty easy to do so - just click the “add product link” button and search for ‘Twitter Wit’).
A scathing ‘review’ is one thing, but I figure the best way to drive potential buyers away is to recommend a book where the stuff isn’t stolen.
All the better for sending a message.
I briefly have internet access. This holiday has been beautifully internet free and I’ve been trying to keep it that way.
Apologies if I’ve not responded to email / DM / @replies. (Aside: texting tweets in without being able to read them / my twitter stream has been odd and fun.)
Switzerland is beautiful.
I had forgotten entirely how to snowboard. I remembered how to fall on my ass, though. That I remembered. That I remembered very well.
Hello Alice!
I am here in Switzerland! It is everything you see in the papers - gray, drab buildings, constant state-control, the strange, strange people… but I’m getting ahead of myself.
Flying Piglet (via Oli R the 2nd)
“Heart Full Of Wine” by Angus and Julia Stone
Off to Switzerland for a week. Going to be internet-free. Stay sound, all.
Also, listen to this. And watch it. It’s beautiful.
Blatantly copying Marco, I’ve started tagging posts of mine that I like most as favourites. It’s only things I’ve written and it’s a short list. I don’t know. I like it. Whatever. YOU’RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME.
(Also, if you guys could do the same, it might help me go back and read stuff of yours I might’ve missed and would’ve liked. Or don’t. Whatever. I’M NOT THE BOSS OF YOU.)
He’s been answering questions on his blog (which he hasn’t been updating in a while). Some of his answers offer fascinating, surprising insight into his views of his own work.
