MOBA: The Museum of Bad Art ......TGIFF!

MOBA: Art Too Bad To Be Ignored.......is their motto.

They are "the world's only museum dedicated to the collection, preservation, exhibition and celebration of bad art in all its forms" and "bringing the worst of art to the widest of audiences"is their mission


PORTRAITURE #1

Lucy In the Field With Flowers

Oil on canvas by Unknown
24" x 30"
Acquired from trash in Boston

This single painting planted the seed that grew into MOBA.

Your task? Enjoy yourself on this Fun Friday!

Browse through the online collection, join the Friends of MOBA, sign up for the newsletter, buy the book....in other words.....go crazy with bad art!!!

Online Drawing Lessons!

Drawspace.com is an awesome site that offers over 200 diverse downloadable and printable drawing lessons for students of all abilitities from the age of 8 through adult featuring Brenda Hoddinott's unique and highly acclaimed style of teaching.

(Some of you may know Brenda Hoddinott as the author of Drawing for Dummies (2003) and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Drawing People (2004).)



"My philosophy on teaching art is to focus primarily on the enjoyment aspects while gently introducing the technical and academic. Hence, in creating a passion for the subject matter, the quest for knowledge becomes enjoyable." -- B.H.

The lessons are free but you do have to create an account. There are also interesting online courses that have a course fee associated with them.

This would be excellent for homeschoolers, art students, and anyone who is a life-long learner.

Now would be the time to go forth and get your art on!!! Go Peeps!

What To Do With Your Used Books....

We get lots of questions about used books and what to do with them. Here is one way to recycle your books and get something you want in return.

OR: you could donate them to your local library (that would be us!) for their booksale or to be added to their collection.

OR: you could bring in your paperbacks and recycle them through Annville Free Library's recycling paperback collection (this is where you can take a book(s) and keep it or return it with no charge, no check out (please just let us know how many....libraries can't function without statistics!)

Ok, back to BookMooch ......"Give books away, Get books you want" is their mantra.

It is free to join and the only cost is in mailing your books to others.

You get points for using this service: "you receive a tenth-of-a-point for every book you type into our system, and one point each time you give a book away. In order to keep receiving books, you need to give away at least one book for every three you receive."

You can mooch books worldwide and in other languages, have a wishlist, and get feedback scores.

You can browse books by topic, location, language, top books, members, & the moochbar (which is a web browser toolbar icon for mooching books from Amazon)

Sounds like a win/win to me! Check it out!

Atomic Shrimp: A Man and his Blog......

This is a blog by Mike "in the south of England - almost exactly halfway between Southampton and Portsmouth."

Mike's blog is "really just about the things I do in my spare time. My interests include wild food, experimental cooking, assorted crafts, multimedia work and the deliberate, but benign and mild-mannered pursuit of the absurd."

Here is a link to just one of the absurd things you will find there: The Mouse Organ

You may wonder why I am pointing you in the direction of Atomic Shrimp. (I have heard from several people that they think blogging is just a waste of time).

The point I would like to make is that this absurd, funny, quirky blog is a stellar example of someone putting themselves out there on the Net for no other reason than they can, or they want to share or they just get some satisfaction out of creating something that others can see.

(And given the fact that the whole online world has the potential to access this blog you can bet that someone will see it!)

Never before have so many had the means to self publish so easily on any subject and in so many formats. And what's more is that they can get immediate feedback (if desired).

So, Peeps, don't automatically turn up your nose at the "B" Word. Just jump into that great sea of humanity that is the Internet and reach out and connect with someone!

(Do I now owe a certain telecommunications company some revenue???)


Here is another Atomic Shrimp blog entry to entice you to have a look: Making A Mountain Out of a Molehill




Enjoy!

Like Music? This is Way Cool!

The Internet never ceases to amaze me re: the sheer depth and breadth of what is out there, who put it there, and how anyone who has decent computer access can be a part of it.

Here is a great example: Pandora Radio which, according to the website, was "created to put the Music Genome Project directly in your hands."

So? What's that mean?

Well, Peeps, it means that you can create your own radio station based on artists or songs that you like. Or you can listen to a "station" based on a musical genre.

For example, I currently have a Crosby, Stills, & Nash station, a Feist Station, a Bonnie Raitt station and a Laurie Lewis station.Thanks to the Music Genome Project when I make a new station it takes the music/artist I've selected and pulls other music that is similar to play on it. You can also fine tune your station to your liking with the "options" drop down. You can also bookmark your favorites.

If something gets played that I don't like I just let Pandora know and I won't hear that selection again. Can you say that about your AM/FM stations?

You can share your station with friends or put it on your mobile device and lots more!

Pandora Internet Radio requires that you have an account but it is free. The free account will stop the music in an hour and ask if you are still listening. You also have to put up with some advertising but it's not that bad.

For $36 a year you can have a paid subscription that is advert free and plays for at least 5 hours before asking if you are still listening.

What are you waiting for? Get your Pandora Radio on!

Book Chat ...

City Dog by Alison Pace
This is the story of Amy Dodge who finds herself divorced, living in New York City, and wondering how that all happened. Instead of writing the next Great American Novel she’s written a bestselling children’s book series, Run, Carlie, Run! starring her adorable and spirited West Highland White terrier and a dashing (but fictional) Scottish explorer.

When Carlie is offered a starring role in her own television show, and the explorer begins to take on a life of his own, Amy’s world becomes a bit more interesting.....and complicated.

Will she be able to make sense of it all and find what she's been looking for?

Hint: You have to read it to find out!

Book Bytes: Loved her style (the book has three narrators....one of them is the dog), loved the characters, funny, witty, and fast paced. File this under "Romantic Comedy". Recommended.

How Fast Are You? TGIFF!!!

Here's a fun little game for a Fun Friday.

Brought to us by our friends across The Pond (that would be an affectionate term for the Atlantic Ocean for those who don't know) here is a way to check those reflexes .... using sheep.

The object of the game is to stop escaping sheep as fast as you can. Sounds easy, doesn't it???

Play The Game

(No sheep are harmed in the playing of this game.)

Hey, Peeps, this is post 100!!! Go Team!!!