Things to distract you on a Friday afternoon

Posted by Bel. The time is 12:15pm here in Wellington, NZ.

flickr: Somethingintheair

flickr: anna t

flickr: clairity

It's a rainy day here in Wellington and I have an hour to kill before I brave the elements and get my hair cut in my lunch break. In case your afternoon is dragging as much as mine, here are some links from the last week that managed to hold my attention.

--

Where The Wild Things Are interview with director Spike Jonze, co-screenwriter Dave Eggers (squee!) and the indomitable Maurice Sendak: "I would rather not have had a film than turn it into a kiddie movie". Includes a quick video from the London premiere.

--

Polaroid's not dead? The company has now announced the classic Polaroid camera and standard 600 film will be back in production. In the meantime, check out this exhibition in London of the very last batches of film with the final expiry date or go download Poladroid to easily turn your digital pics into retro goodies!

--

This we need to talk about: The Guttmacher Institute have released latest research which shows that the abortion rates have declined worldwide as contraceptive use has increased. Pow.

The sad flipside of this is in developing countries where safe access to contraceptives is not possible and where abortion remains highly restricted, tens of thousands of women are dying each year from unsafe abortions. And millions suffering serious complications as a result.

The report is very short and includes three key recommendations. It is highly recommended reading.

--

I have probably only removed about four staples in my lifetime. But when that time came, those staples really needed to be removed and it was no fun shredding my fingertips in the process. Would I have preferred to have had this nifty contraption instead? All signs point to: GRRRROWL.

--

As a writer (!), there are few things I abhor more than writing exercises. I find they evoke little more than stale and derivative scribblings in me, desperately squeezed from my mind grapes.

But when I clicked through to 100 Colors, 100 Days, 100 Writings, I was struck by not only the originality and freshness of the writing, but the thought that maybe, just maybe, this was something I could get into.

--

I find home renovation as about as thrilling as the next person - assuming that the next person is someone who finds it completely dull, and not my Aunty Lynda, who could watch Mitre 10 Home Make Over until the cows come home. (And make over the cowshed.)

But props to the couple who did this to their bathroom:

i.e. MADE IT AWESOME!!

A comment says they should've gone for proper coloured tiles and everything, but the blogger says they're hoping that when they eventually resell the house, prospective buyers won't notice the Tetris motif and just think it's a random pattern. Or it will be a SELLING POINT to end all!!

--

And finally, if you haven't already watched this video, enjoy!