Sea foam covers Oswald, Australia

This is absolutely nuts but Australia's been having a weird couple of months. What do you think?

The Worst Writer in the World

After "The Hobbit" came out there was a plethora of JRR Tolkien articles posted all over the internet. One of the articles I happened to come across was about his literary club The Inklings. He, CS Lewis and several other writers at Oxford would meet regularly to discuss what they were working on. They also used to hold regular competitions, reading from Amanda McKittrick Ros' work and seeing who could keep a straight face the longest. I was intrigued. What kind of writing could reduce Tolkien to laughter? Soon enough I discovered Ros' work and let me just say that she is one of a kind.

Born Anna Margaret Ross in Ireland in 1860, she wasn't a prolific writer but what there is should be consumed in small doses. I can honestly say I've never read anything quite like her, perhaps because usually authors try to avoid writing the way she does. Let me give you a quick taste of what I mean and then you can decide for yourself how very unique Ros is.

"Have you ever visited that portion of Erin’s plot that offers its sympathetic soil for the minute survey and scrutinous examination of those in political power, whose decision has wisely been the means before now of converting the stern and prejudiced, and reaching the hand of slight aid to share its strength in augmenting its agricultural richness?"

What a diamond in the rough! She appears to have been oblivious to any failings in her work and even in her own lifetime she didn't go unnoticed by critics whom she called: "evil minded snapshots of spleen". An example of their opinion of her work comes from Northrop Frye. He said her novels used "rhetorical material without being able to absorb or assimilate it: the result is pathological, a kind of literary diabetes."

Now perhaps her title as the "worst writer" is harsh but she believed she was a good writer and that her work would be appreciated for years to come. She appears to have loved run-on sentences, flowery description and alliteration, all dangerous areas of writing.

"The living sometimes learn the touchy tricks of the traitor, the tardy and the tempted; the dead have evaded the flighty earthy future, and form to swell the retinue of retired rights, the righteous school of the invisible and the rebellious roar of the raging nothing."

And if that doesn't convince you, in 2006 she posthumously won an award as the worst writer in the world. One way to look at this is despite how her writing may be viewed, she's still being talked about today, more than 60 years after her death and after all, that's exactly what she wanted.

Poonikins the Magic Warrior Princess

And now for your daily allotted dose of derpyness!

I found this before the new year and have been busting to share. It is the weirdest and funniest thing I've come across in a while. I had a good laugh and I hope you do too. The best bit is definitely the part with the motorcycle.

Rediscovering 3rd Rock from the Sun

Thanks to the power of YouTube and my errant wandering, I rediscovered "3rd Rock from the Sun". I used to watch this show when it was on the air but I did not remember it being this funny. This is some of the funniest tv I've seen. John Lithgow is a genius. Pair this with the fact that he went on to star as a bad guy in "Dexter" and you will know that I'm right.

In celebration of this rediscovery I've put together some choice clips for your delectation;

Galapagos Tortoise Species not Extinct!

I found this amazing article today that suggests a type of Galapagos tortoise may not be extinct after all. They may have just moved house and found comfort with another Galapagos species.

BBC Story

USA Today Story

And that made me remember this clip from the UK Gameshow QI (Quite Interesting), hosted by Stephen Fry. This is my favourite gameshow because it has the best of all worlds. Comedians, Stephen Fry, humour, knowledge and total weirdness. Below is a clip about Galapagos Tortoises and why they are so awesome, possibly to their detriment.

If you've never watched QI this clip is only a small portion of the mindblowingness that is this program and I highly recommend it. On a sidenote, why do the British make all the best tv shows? Sherlock, Downton Abbey, Misfits, Doctor Who, that Mitchell and Webb Look, Miss Marple, Monty Python, Rosemary and Thyme, etc.

May the 4th

I really couldn't resist.

Halloween Candy Hierarchy Chart

Via Boing Boing

I could have really used this when I was a kid.

Sci-Fi Card Game

Picard is such a liar! This awesome piece by Anne Kelley can also be viewed on her blog by clicking the post title.

Old Spice Sesame Street Style

Love it!

via The Daily What

Here are some of the comments from the YouTube page:

Okay, guys, turn off the Internet. It's over.  No point in going on.

THE MUPPETS ARE NOW DIAMONDS.

Frank Oz is sooo awesome! I loved it. So cute :P

This... is the best thing ever made.

lmfao!

im at a loss for words.... that was total awesome

Outstanding!

I think I like this "commerical" better than the original

muhahahaha!

anyone else feel like they have witnessed a viral video just before it goes viral?

8 viewers were cows..

Superman tells Lois his secret

Lois has some trouble with facial recognition here but it has hilarious results.

People always underestimate Cookie Monster

Something short and sweet today. My favourite Cookie Monster vid.

I present "Kermit and the Mystery Box".

Habanera

There are no words.

Muppet News Flash - Rapunzel

I'm taking Serescros' advice and adding more Muppet related material to the blog. Here is one of the clips I found with Kermit as a reporter. While I've always considered Fozzy to be the reporter half of the dynamic duo, Kermit doesn't do so badly.

May I present, an addlepated version of Rapunzel in which the prince seems to be intoxicated and Rapunzel isn't the brightest crayon in the box.

Muppets!

For a bit of fun, here's the "Phenomena" Muppets clip.

Spoof Video

I found this over on Bookshelves of Doom and thought, I must share this. It made my day.

Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Yarr! I almost totally forgot about today until I turned on the radio this afternoon and heard CBC talking about pirates. For some reason I found this odd and then I remembered today was the 19th. So for the first time in three years, I remember what today is. So Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day!