Artistically painted lunch boxes. View the whole gallery and vote for your favourite. You might win one.

Speech bubbles were placed all over New York City and this website chronicles what was written in them.

Very cool t-shirt website. Some of these are fantastic like "GILF" and "Kenya dig it?"

I had the strangest morning.

Well, my alarm went off as anticipated at 6:40 and I struggled out of bed and into my clothes. It was raining when I made my way towards the corner shop to buy a bus card for the day. I thought with the rain, I would splurge with the £3.00. (Ohhhh)

Anyway, it was after 7:00 but all the shops were still closed. All of them. Nothing was open and it was grey and drizzly which only added to the unsettling feeling. So, I made my way to the bus stop with a £10 note and hope that I get change from the bus driver. The bus driver didn't have change and I thought - 'crap! What am I going to do now? All the shops on Brixton Hill are closed and it is so far to walk in the rain'. But the bus driver said that he would take me two stops and I could get change.

So, he took me nearly to the bottom of Brixton Hill where it is much busier and said, "if you hurry, I will wait for you" - and he did. A bus load of people waited while I ran in the closest shop and got change for my bill. Can you believe it?

Then I went to the gym and worked out, but nothing remarkable there. But on my walk to work, everyone said hi to me. Almost everyone. I figured that I passed about 14 people and 11 of them said something to me. In London?

How strange is that???

Kummerspeck - grief bacon
A koshatnik, in Russian, is a dealer of stolen cats. These two are my favourites.



Tingo, nakkele and other wonders
By Georgina Pattinson BBC News

English is a rich and innovative language. But you can't help feeling we're missing out.
While English speakers have to describe the action of laughing so much that one side of your abdomen hurts (hardly an economical phrase), the Japanese have the much more efficient expression: katahara itai.

Of course, the English language has borrowed words for centuries. Khaki and croissant are cases in point.

So perhaps it's time to be thinking about adding others to the lexicon. Malay, for instance, has gigi rongak - the space between the teeth. The Japanese have bakku-shan - a girl who appears pretty from behind but not from the front. Then there's a nakkele - a man who licks whatever the food has been served on (from Tulu, India).

These fabulous examples have been collected by author Adam Jacot de Boinod into The Meaning Of Tingo - a collection of words and phrases from around the world. "What I'm really trying to do is celebrate the joy of foreign words (in a totally unjudgmental way) and say that while English is a great language, one shouldn't be surprised there are many others having, as they do, words with no English equivalent," he says.

Having pored over 280 dictionaries and trawled 140 websites, he is also convinced that a country's dictionary says more about a culture than a guide book. Hawaiians, for instance, have 108 words for sweet potato, 65 for fishing nets - and 47 for banana.

The German propensity for compound words pays dividends. Kummerspeck is a German word which literally means grief bacon: it is the word that describes the excess weight gained from emotion-related overeating.

A Putzfimmel is a mania for cleaning and Drachenfutter - literally translated as dragon fodder - are the peace offerings made by guilty husbands to their wives.

Or there's die beleidigte Leberwurst spielen - to stick one's lower lip out in a sulk (literally, to play the insulted liver sausage). Perhaps it's a Backpfeifengesicht - a face that cries out for a fist in it.

Words and phrases can suggest the character of a nation.

The Dutch vocabulary, for instance, seems to confirm the nation's light-hearted reputation. The word uitwaaien is Dutch for walking in windy weather for fun.

The Maori-speakers of the Cook Islands sound like an enthusiastic bunch: the word toto is the shout given in a game of hide-and-seek to show readiness.

Perhaps the Inuit notion of a good time must be, of necessity, a little more constrained. The long winter nights must fly by as they play a game called igunaujannguaq, literally meaning frozen walrus carcass. (The game involves the person in the centre of a ring trying to remain stiff as he is passed around the ring, hand over hand.)

But it's those fun-loving people in the Netherlands who should have the last word - the phrase for skimming stones is as light-hearted as the action: plimpplampplettere.

Today was a tough day. I went out with my friend, Maria, last night. We had too much to drink and I texted my husband a few times. They were friendly but they were still sent.

I woke up on Sunday morning and checked my phone only to find that he hadn't replied to any of them. That is when it is hard. He doesn't reply. I know that I need to get used to my relationship ending but when you still live together and do things togethers, the end doesn't feel so close.

I just felt so lonely. And I missed him. I think I will always miss him.

Belle And Sebastian - Like Dylan In The Movies

Lisa's kissing men like a long walk home
When the music stops
Take a tip from me, don't go through the park
When you're on your own, it's a long walk home

If they follow you
Don't look back
Like Dylan in the movies
On your own
If they follow you
It's not your money that they're after boy it's you

Pure easy listening, settle down
On the pillow soft when they've all gone home
You can concentrate on the ones you love
You can concentrate, hey, now they've gone

If they follow you
Don't look back
Like Dylan in the movies
On your own
If they follow you
It's not your money that they're after boy it's you


Yeah you're worth the trouble and you're worth the pain
And you're worth the worry, I would do the same
If we all went back to another time
I will love you over
I will love you

If they follow you
Don't look back
Like Dylan in the movies
On your own
If they follow you
Tenderly you turn the light off in your room

My friend is a clothing designer but her medium is latex. She makes amazing stuff.

20s style bathing costumes, evening gowns, can-can style dresses, etc.

Anyway, every year she comes from San Francisco and we go to the Skin Two Rubber Ball Weekend.

I am so excited!! This year is retro and she is going to make me a Victorian style dress. (out of latex, of course) Last year, she made me this fantastic 80s retro asymmetrical dress!!

I am so excited. It is the most fun weekend all year. (A very surreal weekend, as you would imagine)

Talk Like a Pirate Day (TLAP)

Avast! Me Mateys!
Tis the 19th of September which means one thing is fer sure, tis talk like a Pirate Day! (TLAP Day) http://www.talklikeapirate.com/piratehome.html


And those of ye in the know, there is talk like a pirate in German! http://www.talklikeapirate.com/howtogerman.html Arrrrrgghhh!

If ye want to be christened with a proper Pirate Name, and I know ye do, visit here.

And, what would be a proper Talk Like a Pirate Day without Pirate Jokes, so here they be!!
--------------------------

Did you hear about hat new pirate movie? .........it's rated arrrrrrrrr
-------------------------------------

How much does it cost a pirate to pierce his ears?
A buck-an-ear!

What is a pirate's favorite dessert?
Chips A-Hoy!

What is a pirate's favorite television show?
The ARRRsenio Hall Show!

How did the pirate know he found land?
He was shore of it!

What is the one thing a pirate is afraid of?
ARRRmageddon!

What is the one thing a pirate should be afraid of?
Scurvy.

What do you call a pirate who poses for Playgirl?
A Play-matey!

How do you keep a pirate from robbing your house?
Fill you lawn with beavers!

What did the pirate say to the jokester?
Aye, walk the prank!

What do pirates do when ants start eating through their ship?
The buy and ARRRdvark!

How many letters are there in the Pirate Alphabet?
Two, Arrrrr and Ayyyeee

What is a Pirate’s favorite color?
ARRRRanggge!

-----------------------------------
Not-so-Jolly Roger

A soldier meets a pirate in a bar, and the talk turns to their adventures. The soldier notes that the pirate has a peg leg, a hook and an eye patch.
"How did you end up with a peg leg?" he asks.
The pirate replies, "I was swept overboard into a school of sharks. As my men were pulling me out, a shark bit my leg off."
"Wow!" says the soldier. "What about your hook?"
"Well," answers the pirate, "we were boarding a ship when one of the enemy hacked off my hand."
"Incredible. How’d you get the eye patch?"
"A grapefruit squirted in my eye," the pirate replies.
"You lost your eye to grapefruit juice?"
"Well," says the pirate, "it was my first day with the new hook."

------------------------------
Captain Bravo

Long ago lived a seaman named Captain Bravo. He was a manly man who showed no fear in facing his enemies. One day, while sailing the seven seas, a look-out spotted a pirate ship and the crew became frantic. Captain Bravo bellowed, ''Bring me my Red Shirt.'' The First Mate quickly retrieved the captain's red shirt and whilst wearing the bright red frock he led his men into battle and defeated the pirates.

Later on that day, the look-out spotted not one, but two pirate ships. The captain again called for his red shirt and once again, though the fighting was fierce, he was victorious over the two ships.

That evening, all the men sat around on the deck recounting the day's triumphs and one of the them asked the captain, ''Sir, why do you call for your red shirt before battle? The captain replied, ''If I am wounded in the attack, the shirt will not show my blood and thus, you men will continue to fight, unafraid.''

All of the men sat in silence and marvelled at the courage of such a manly man as Captain Bravo.

As dawn came the next morning, the look-out spotted not one, not two, but TEN pirate ships approaching from the far horizon. The crew stared at the captain and waited for his usual reply.

Captain Bravo calmly shouted, ''Get me my brown pants.''

-------------------------------------------

There was a Pirate with a parrot. And this parrot swears like a sailor. He can swear for five minutes straight without repeating himself. Trouble is, the pirate who owns him is a quiet, conservative type, and this bird's foul mouth is driving him crazy.

One day, it gets to be too much, so the guy grabs the bird by the throat, shakes him really hard, and yells, "QUIT IT!" But this just makes the bird mad and he swears more than ever. Then he gets mad and locks the bird in a cabinet. This really aggravates the bird and he claws and scratches, and when the guy finally lets him out, the bird cuts loose with a stream of invective that would make a veteran pirate blush.

At that point, the pirate is so mad that he throws the parrot into the freezer. For the first few seconds there is a terrible din. The bird kicks and claws and thrashes. Then it suddenly gets very quiet. The Pirate fears that the bird may have frozen and quickly opens the freezer door. The bird calmly climbs onto the man's out-stretched arm and says, "Awfully sorry about the trouble I gave you. I'll do my best to improve my vocabulary from now on. By the way, what did the chicken do?"
--------------------------------

A pirate walks into a bar with a steering wheel stuck down the front of his trousers. The barman says, “Sorry mate, but do you realise you have a steering wheel stuck down the front of your trousers?”

The pirate replies, “Course, I do. It’s driving me nuts!”
---------------------------------


You know ye are a pirate when

...you prefer cheap rum instead of expensive wine

...you think that the proper way to greet kings at events is, “Arrh, ye peacock, give me yer money or I´ll burn yer tent!”

...you get thrown out of meetings ‘cause your idea of strategic problem solving is "slithering throats, ARRH!"

Doing pretty well these days. Accepted that things are going to end between my husband and me and trying to focus on work and friends.

At the moment, it is going pretty well.

Okay, you want to know another scary bit of my personality?

I am obsessed with Pirates. Obsessed.

Anyway, every year there is a Talk Like a Pirate Day. It is Sept. 19. Five days away, kids. (Could I be more excited?)

Here is the link to the site. On it is helpful phrases and of course chat/pick up lines. My favourite is “Prepare to be boarded!!”

“Arrggh, you scurvy bilge rats! Have a look! If ye dare!”

http://www.talklikeapirate.com/piratehome.html

During a LIVE appeal for the Red Cross and Katrina Survivors, Kanye West takes the opportunity to voice his opinions on the media and George Bush.

Watch Mike Myers face.

http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2678975?htv=12&htv=12&htv=12

I am okay. I saw my husband last night. I went to bed around 11/11:30 and was awoken around 12:30 by a knock at my bedroom door.

He came in and sat on the bed. Want to listen to some rock? It wasn't really a question where the answer could be no.

He took out the ipod and started playing all the heavy metal that he had downloaded and installed on it, yesterday.

We each took an earbud and sang along. It was Def Lepard and Bon Jovi and Iron Maiden. After a while, I started getting really tired and actually started to get annoyed. I couldn't help but think "you bastard. You dumped me. Get out."

So, I said, "Okay, one more song". After an additional four songs, he left. He seemed really annoyed that I had him leave in the end. Most likely fueled by the alcohol.

But this is what I have to put up with. NO, I DON'T WANT TO BE WITH YOU. BACK OFF. Then him coming into my room in the middle of the night for a singalong.

Things are officially over between me and Adam. Definitely.

We had another talk last night. He reconfirmed some of the things that he was talking about before but more clearly.

He said that he feels like he has always just rolled along in his life, never taking an active part in it. He has latched onto other people and ridden their waves. He feels like ever since moving back to the UK, his life has been stagnant. His adventures has ceased. He feels like he could continue down this path and wake up years later and he will have not had a life. So, he is ending things with me. He is chosing to be alone. He wants to make active changes in his life and that is doing them or not doing them based on himself and not anyone else.

I tried to argue that I wasn't holding him back. Perhaps there was pressure from me to buy a house, get a good job, eventually have children, but that - I thought - was what we both wanted. If he wants to move to other countries, start his own business, wait on kids, I could be up for that.

He declined the offer.

He also added that over the past few months, he has pushed me away emotionally and physically. He has said that he no longer feels physically attracted to me.

I told him that I thought that that was a symptom of the distance and that if he wanted to try to have his own initiative and life in addition to mine, it would come back. He wouldn't feel trapped. He would enjoy being with me and that attraction could come back.

He said he didn't know if it would come back and it didn't matter because his decision was still his decision. He was ending the relationship.

Again, I told him I think that he is taking the easy way out. I think he thinks that if he ends the relationship, that he he thinks he can start again. That he will have all this freedom that he didn't have before. That he is going to sort out his life and really be happy. And maybe that will be the case in the short term but I think that he is throwing away something really great just because he thinks it is the way to go, right now.

So, that is it.

We don't have enough money to pay for rent and a mortgage so he will live in the guest bedroom until we sell the house.

His answer was no.

This is a letter that I sent to my husband
------------------------

Please read and consider this.

I know that I relied on you in the past. I am sorry. You cannot believe how sorry I am. I am sorry because it was unfair responsibility and strain on you. I cannot fix the past, but I do acknowledge it and take responsibilty for it. Again, I am sorry.

I can give excuses as to why that was. It was easy to let you do it, I felt out of my depth in the UK, etc. But ultimately, the responsibilty lies me.

I have made changes. Not just for you, not for just us, but also for me. I wasn't happy in my own life. I felt depressed and unfulfilled. So, I have made changes.

I have taken responsibility for career.
I have a strong group of friends.
I do interesting things: trips to Tuscany, clubbing, walks in the country.
I have taken on financial responsibility.
I have sought out a therapist to talk about insecurities and issues that I have.

I have moved forward on gaining my drivers license. I am studying the theory book. I have applied for a provisional license which will take 2-3 weeks to arrive. Then I can apply for a theory test. I have also gotten prices from two driving schools about the costs of driving lessons.

I am moving forward and not looking back. I cannot fix the past. It happened. But I can fix the future and that is what I want to do.

I promise you that I will never let things get like that again. I will never be reliant on you. I will never make you take responsibility for me. This is a serious promise that I am making. I am committed to it.

And I think that we still have a future ahead of us. You said that I am thinking about my own happiness and you are right, but I am also thinking about both of us. I honestly believe that we can be happy together.

I want you to have your life and me to have mine, but us also to have a life together.

I believe that we can move ahead together as equals. We can have fun and laugh and share a really happy future. I really would like that chance to show you.

I know that you have doubts. I understand them and they are legitimate, but there so many good things about you and me together, that I really think it could work.

Please read this and think about it. I really hope that you will give us a chance.

I love you so much. I know that if we end, I would go on and have a separate life but I don't want to have it with anyone else. You are special and I want to share my life with you.

Will you give us a chance. Starting from today?

Please let me know your answer.

Heidi

This weekend was tough.

My husband decided to stay out all night on Friday night and not call or text me. I am furious. I am not a roommate. I am his wife and five months ago, there would have been affectionate texts and promises of missing me if he stayed away.

He apologised for not telling me and said he would tell me in the future. Hence the text that arrived late on Saturday night/ early Sunday morning, informing me that he was staying out a second night.

When I finally saw him last night, he was cold. This morning, he was even colder. I want him to go. I want him out of my life. To see someone that you love so much, barely acknowledge you hurts. It would be better if I never saw him.

Five months ago, he would hug me while I was doing dishes. Today, he just ignores I am in the same room.

I hate him. No, I love him and I want him to love me again.

Yesterday was my two year Wedding Anniversary. I was okay for most of the day, but this morning was tough. My husband left early in the morning for work, as he does often. I woke later and the house was empty and quiet.

I felt so sad. I thought about cuddling my husband and how that would never happen again. It made me unbelievably sad and I wept. I sat on my bed and wept openly. The tears fell and make my cheeks wet. It felt like I would never stop.

I fumbled with my mobile phone and texted my husband. Stupidly, I wrote "where is my cuddle bunny?". (I know, crap message) There was no response. I sat there for a while. Thinking about how happy I was with him before. How lucky I was to have that special relationship before and how low I felt now.

On my walk to work, my phone received a text message from back in response. He wrote, "I am here!" If only it were true.