Admit it, you’ve checked out Craigslist’s Missed Connections section on occasion. Maybe you thought/hoped that cute guy on the 1 train noticed you too or the hot girl at the bar last night was disappointed you never made your move. Or maybe you’re like me (i.e. married) and you’re just curious for the entertainment value. I mean, there are some strange little dramas on there and a lot is left to the imagination, right?

Well, Sophie Blackall, an artist and children’s book illustrator, has apparently been thinking a lot about all those random encounters too. She’s even gone so far as to paint these little scenarios and create a blog – aptly titled Missed Connections – to post them. The illustrations are really terrific, almost in the same vein as Maira Kalman (a little bit in subject matter, a little bit in style). And I love her explanation for why she chose to paint Missed Connections:

Every day hundreds of strangers reach out to other strangers on the strength of a glance, a smile or a blue hat. Their messages have the lifespan of a butterfly. I’m trying to pin a few of them down.

I only wonder if the people who posted the original Craigslist Missed Connection ads will ever see their stories illustrated.

Alas, another missed connection.

P.S. Check out A Very Small Array’s Missed Connection charts. Apparently, in the middle of the country, Walmart is a big singles scene.

[via A Cup of Jo]

I’ve never actually watched Millionaire Matchmaker, but if this spoof is at all accurate, I think I should start. And is it just me or does she sound just like Debi Mazar?

(For more like this, go here. “The Terminator Loves John Connor” is another favorite.)

Who doesn’t love a good bouncy ride? Even better: a free one from someone dressed in a dolphin costume! Chances are, it’s been a while. And it’s not as though anyone else is offering. None of your relatives are up for the challenge anymore (in fact that window closed a few decades and 100+ pounds ago) and your significant other would just look at you like you’re crazy (or find it kinky).

So free up your Saturday night because from 11 pm to 12 am on May 23rd the Club Animals bouncy ride-giving dolphin will be generously offering up his lap on the L train platform at Union Square. You can bounce like there’s no tomorrow and no one will judge you (except maybe a few hipsters on their way out to the ‘Burg). According to Club Animals, “This is a free public service”;  all you need to bring is your ass and a little nostalgia.

And what exactly is the dolphin getting out of all of this? Well, let’s just say that’s not a can of dolphin-safe tuna in his pocket.

(These are bouncy rides, not lap dances, people. Bounce responsibly.)

]]> http://effyouitsmagic.wordpress.com/2009/05/20/the-best-things-in-life-are-free/feed/ 2 effyouitsmagic Free Bouncy Rides Inappropriate Bouncy Ride http://effyouitsmagic.wordpress.com/2009/04/23/even-porn-is-green-now/ http://effyouitsmagic.wordpress.com/2009/04/23/even-porn-is-green-now/#comments Thu, 23 Apr 2009 13:57:19 +0000 Grayson Mae http://effyouitsmagic.wordpress.com/?p=410 Continue reading →]]>

Nature is dirty.  Not in the rugged, outdoorsy way, but in the animals humping each other way. If you’re the type who DVRs nature shows and then fast forwards to the mating scenes (no judgments), the Sundance Channel has a better option for you – Green Porno.

This season (#2) focuses on sexy creatures under the sea, including the female whale who wants to see the boys fight over her, the hermaphrodite limpet who lines up to take its turn being the bottom, and the hideous anglerfish who does it with her light on and treats her little man like he’s a portable sperm bank.  Kinky, I know.

And who better to perform these animal sex acts than the lovely Isabella Rossellini.  She dons all manner of ridiculous costumes to educate us in the ways of seduction… animal seduction.  My favorite is the whale costume:

If you think that’s hot, wait until she turns around (watch the video for her… um… Moby Dick).

Enjoy your matzo and Cadbury Creme Eggs!

Objectifying women is bad.  Objectifying men?  Well, a little payback can’t hurt.  Babe City Babes is a site devoted to photos of hot guys just being… well… hot.  I mean really, how can you resist a site with a naked Burt Reynolds sprawled out on a bear skin rug tiled across the background? And really, it’s all in the name of research:

The man babe is a very complex and fascinating creature. From ongoing and intensive ethnographic research on the species, we present to you a compendium of our detailed studies and stunning findings.

I have my own babe to add to their collection:

I saw this lovely specimen in Mexico.  HOT.  I call him Banana Hammock Babe.

[via Twitterer @natalielsoud; Burt Reynolds image courtesy of Cinematical]

Hairy Uncle Louie, bug-eyed Aunt Sally, buck-toothed cousin Murray.  Ok, so maybe they’re not blue and 7 feet tall, but you know you’ve got at least one black sheep in the family (or maybe it’s you).  Well, artist Relleno De Mono takes vintage family photos and adds those weird relatives wherever they’re missing.

At the pool:

In your grandmother’s kitchen:

On the porch:

And to think… all those times Mom insisted there was no little green man with big ears hanging around the house, she just couldn’t admit Uncle Steve was visiting.

To see more, visit Relleno De Mono’s Flickr page.

[via Bad Banana Blog]

Most of the math I’ve learned is buried deep in my brain collecting dust.  Luckily, Craig Damrauer’s New Math doesn’t require much more than a 5th grader’s understanding of the subject.  And as long as you’re literate and have a sense of humor, you’ll have no problem.  The equation above is just one of many on the site and a new one is added every Monday.My equations:

• Blogging = Avoiding Work + Still Feeling Productive
• Work = Boredom + Miniscule Salary + Dental Insurance – Self-Respect
• Tuesdays = Hump Day – Seeing the Light at the End of the Tunnel

I’m like the next Will Hunting with this shit.

[via My Love For You is a Stampede of Horses]

I don’t know what the kids are listening to these days, but if they’re listening to this, I doubt they can appreciate the awesomeness of this video.  I mean, they’re probably laughing at the pixeliness (yes, I probably invented this word) and wondering who the hell Link and Megaman are (they’ve GOT to know Mario and Princess Toadstool, right?).If hip hop’s not your thing (it hasn’t been mine since Kriss Kross wore their jeans backwards and I could recite all the words to Baby Got Back), just mute it and watch for Mario drinking beer, Link smoking a bong, and the Princess and Megaman making out.

Doesn’t it just make you want to throw on a hypercolor t-shirt and jump, jump?

Generally, an artist’s toughest critic is him- or herself.  Not so for Bill Zeman.  His four-year-old is consistently ripping him a new one.  She tells him what to draw, he draws it, she tears it to shreds (or more often, erases it completely).  And Zeman posts it all on his blog, Tiny Art Director. My favorite critique has got to be

You just don’t draw so well. Why do you think that is? It turns out that I’m the good draw-er. It turns out that you’re the art director.

Or maybe “It’s dumb Daddy. You should erase it. Grow up Daddy.”Interestingly, her request for a “poo poo airplane” (above) results in one of the few drawings she actually likes.

Zeman insists that “although she is a very outspoken critic of my artwork, my daughter is really a delightful and well behaved girl”.  I don’t know – the photo of her on his website scares me.  And I can’t help but draw comparisons to Louis C. K.’s four-year-old.