I’m calling this volume 1 because I can’t imagine that I won’t do some sort of post like this in the future - a summary of stuff that’s been helping me occupy my time lately. So here goes:

White Dwarf : a fairly addictive (simple) Flash game. You gather green circles with the white circle, while avoiding the red circles. Blue circles bank green circles and are OK.

Project Prostitute: utterly NSFW warning. So this person had the idea to ask random people to draw prostitutes. It’s spread and people are submitting their own illustrations to the site. Some are raunchy, some are wrong, some are funny, some are surprisingly lovely. When I’m not laughing at the stick figure renditions (I guess some people really can’t draw) I can even recognize this for what is really is: a supremely interesting sociological project/experiment capturing how people view sex workers… some with disdain, some with disgust, some with degradation, but some with sadness and even a certain kind of admiration. Interesting to say the very least, once you get past the surface.

A Selection of Perfect Ads: These things inspire me. I’m sad that way.

The Hype Machine: It’s been a few months since a friend told me about this site. At first, I looked and wasn’t all that impressed with the look and feel so I didn’t return for a while. What was I thinking? I mean, really - a music blog aggregator that lets you search for freely and legally shared mp3s from bloggers who are reviewing music and introducing you to new music you might not stumble across in your daily travels? How on earth could that be cool or useful?

Yeah, I was a bit slow on the uptake, but I’m pretty officially addicted (thanks, Kofi!) You know how you can go to Wikipedia or IMDb and look for one fact or actor and end up going on a fantastic voyage for 45 minutes, adding books to your Amazon wishlist and DVDs to your Netflix queue? (Or is that just me?) Well, the Hype Machine does the same thing but with music. Search for an artist or a song and then see how your trip unfolds as you discover them on a lists bands someone saw this year, along with another band who made their list of top albums of 2007, then listen to an mp3 from that band, link through to a post about who they’re touring with… etc. etc.

CHA MA GU DAO: “(ancient tea and horse trail) is a contemporary tea house offering 250 of the world’s finest teas, herbal and fruit infusions.” OMG. Best new place ever. Located in nearby Montclair, NJ - a teahouse from the heavens. Tons of teas and tea blends and tisanes to choose from, and cookies made with tea to boot (the lemongrass-ginger cookies were the favorite of the variety my friend and I tried). Perfect for an afternoon or evening of tea and conversation and cookies. And you can order the teas online, too - ship a bit of Jersey home to you?

I’m a strong proponent of rewarding oneself for a job well done. Over the last four months, I’ve been working fervently to get into better shape and I have managed to shed a respectable amount of weight. As a matter of fact, it’s equivalent to, say, a three-year old child. Yes, I’ve essentially shed a toddler. I felt it was time to reward myself for this accomplishment in some way.

And by “some way”, I mean “with shoes.”

I made my first visit-with-intent-to-purchase to Zappos.com (since I’ve read amazing and miraculous things about their customer service for many moons on Consumerist.com), and narrowed down my search to black heels, 3″ high or less.

The shoes pictured here caught my eye; the shape, the curve of the heel (not visible here and the image on Zappos cannot be saved), the stitching and all the other details.

It’s got a certain modern sculpture sensibility to it - except it’s a shoe.

Then I saw the style name : Oolong from John Fluevog’s “Teapot” collection. There are also styles called Darjeeling and Sencha, among others. I am guessing the collection name is derived from the shape of the heel; it’s quite reminiscent of the spout of a traditional teapot. I’m a girl who loves her tea. Could it be fate?

Cheers to free overnight shipping from Zappos. The shoes arrived at work on Friday and I was placing them on my feet before lunchtime to see how they felt and looked. Office opinion was positive, and they’re quite comfortable. One commenter stated, “They’ve got just the right amount of toe cleavage!”

Another item I purchased (not as a reward, but because it’s officially and finally winter here in the metro New York area) was a long-sleeved t-shirt from Etsy. If you’re not familiar with Etsy, it touts itself as “your place to buy and sell all things handmade.” Essentially, it’s a shopping site where artsy-craftsy people who make their wares can sell them - and other people can buy them.

For the last two years, I’ve done at least some of my holiday shopping through Etsy because you can find things that are truly one of a kind - or at least made in a very limited quantity. It also feels sort of good to know that you’re supporting an independent artisan (an actual person who will email you back if you have a question and include a handwritten “thank you!” note or extra treat with your order) rather than a production line somewhere in Macau. I’m just saying… and now I’m getting off my soapbox.

So here’s my purchase - a green t-shirt silk-screened with an orange gingko leaf. I love the shape of the leaves. It’s also a striking color combination.

I wore it to work earlier this week (because it works with a black skirt and sensible shoes). It was nice to answer the, “Where did you get that shirt?” question with, “Oh - I ordered it on Etsy. The artist silkscreens them on demand.” Eyebrows arch and the inquirers say, “Wow. I didn’t know people did that. That’s very cool.”

Yeah it is.