For awhile there, I was worried that Jonas was seriously ill. Not only was he acting less like a demon-spawn and more like a “normal dog,” but I noticed something outside that also disturbed me. I’ve refrained from writing about him much, because I think you all were sick of my stories (and because you apparently believe that I am making them up). So that explains the lack of Jonas Posts. Well, that and the fact that we had a bonafide Scooby Doo mystery on our hands here in the OC (Oldham County, if your nasty). But first, FTILFF:

1. Fossil’s Phillip S+arck O-ring watch - Oh yes. Yes indeed. This watch has swanky written all the hell over it. Methinks I’m in love. And to be fair, I only own one watch, and it’s my dress watch, so…oh. It’s $110? Damn it.
2. Dave Chappelle’s Block Party - I meant to see this when it hit theaters way back when, but Netflix kindly delivered it this past week. Besides the phenomenal performances by The Roots, Dead Prez, Common, Jill Scott, etc, the film simply had a wonderful feeling about it. Embracing both Chappelle’s midwestern “realness” and the true spirit of hip hop, this little film left me feeling so much better about the current state of urban music (and about celebrities within the music scene). I found it charming and also couldn’t stop nodding my head. A nice combination.
3. UPS’s “Request Delivery Intercept” feature - It’s new! And it’s suprisingly cool! I’ve actually needed to do this before, and even though it comes with a fee, I could understand. Being able to return, reroute, reschedule or hold your package delivery anywhere along the process is an awesome testament to their technology. Just don’t let your buyer’s remorse get the best of you.
4. Spring - Without a doubt Spring has landed in Louisville. Every bud and every blossom has come alive with color. We’re in that wonderful period where it’s enjoyable in the Ohio Valley to sit outside in the evening and not be botherd by bugs or wretched humidity. Perfectness.
5. The Gentle Art of Selling Yourself - A short, insightful little article from the Guardian about confidence and the abstraction of presenting ourselves. It struck me because it has ever-so-slightly a relation to what I wrote a few months back. I won’t disgrace the article by trying to sum it up. Suffice it to say, you should read it. I believe it applies to each of us.

I was outside last weekend looking over the back yard and surveying if I needed to lay down any fertilizer when I noticed it. Dotted across the grass were piles. Sure, winter-mode was still in effect and a season’s worth of dog waste had yet to be collected before the first mowing of the Spring. But among the other seemingly normal nuggets were (to be blunt) Fluffy Turds. I’m talking about piles of crap that were engulfed in several inches of pillowy fluff. I got rather concerned.

Long story short, and no thanks to Velma or her Time Machine, it turns out that Jonas is indeed not dying or has not contracted a strange disease from a stuffed animal. Instead, he simply had ripped open one of his Christmas presents and eaten all the stuffing out of it, and then proceeded to lay Fluffy Turds around the yard in a decorative pattern.

He has such the flair for dramatic presentation.