Cool Shit Monday: Oldies but Goodies

I've recently rediscovered a few things that I had forgotten existed.  Sometimes that's for the best, for example, any outfit I wore between the ages of 12 and 18, but in this cases I've unearthed some loved gems.

This camera.  I'm not a big photographer or photography aficionado (you're shocked, I know.  My photos are so amazing and all) but even this appeals to me.  So this camera was originally released back in the early 60s as a novelty item but quickly became the darling of the photography world for the cool imperfections it created in its photos.  This is a re-release of the original complete with handbook and accessories so even photo-failures like me have a shot at getting a good pic but the fact that it's all supposed to go a little bit wrong appeals to me.  And you get the added bonus of having a coral camera. If that ain't cool, I don't know what is.

From www.modcloth.com

Shit My Dad Says.  I'm sure most of you will have seen this website or the book or the facebook page or any other number of ways of viewing this wonderful thing, but I'm reminding you to look again.  The concept is a simple one: a guy in his adult years lives with his elderly father, father comes out with classic Dad phrases and advice, guy writes these down.  Whoop de doo.  But it is seriously some of the funniest stuff you will read.  You get some typical dad-isms mixed with brutal honesty, perceptive insight, and a little bit of old person racism/stereo-typing.  Nothing funnier.  Go read and give yourself a smile.  I dare you not to laugh out loud.

The Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra has been round for a number of years now (Bret Mackenzie was one of their founding members dontcha know), fighting the good fight for slightly dorky music.  I know, that doesn't make them sound all that cool but believe me, they are.  You have to be uber-cool to pull off a B-side Prince number, "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man", and not destroy it.  You have to be hyper-awesome to make me want to sing Kenny Rogers' 'Ruby' over and over.  And you need to be get-out-of-town amazing to take a song like 'Africa' by Toto and make me want to put it on repeat.  So much better than the original.  They manage to be both self-deprecating and actually good all at once.  It's a talent.  Check them out if you haven't already, and put them on your playlist again if you've been neglecting them.

Not my favourite song but the best video.

This website has provided me with hours of amusement and I had forgotten all about it until Frankie magazine reminded me of it's awesome existence.  I try to be positive on this blog (because my true inclination is to be scathingly sarcastic and that's just not very healthy to indulge on a daily basis) but I freely admit that Cake Wrecks is all about showing you the idiots of the world.  Through baking.  Could there be a better combo (jam and cream are up there of course)?

Some biscuits have a mystery about them - they are ridiculously simple and yet so good.  Chocolate Digestives are just such a biscuit.  I believe the UK equivalent are McVities and Chocolate Malted Milks in the US.  It's a wheaten (boring) with a thin layer of chocolate (thin?!  stink!) that must barely qualify as chocolate as the cocoa percentage is so low.  Am I selling it?  But somehow, somehow the combination of all these really average things makes a delicious biscuit that is one of the best dunking biccies I know (you just need to make sure it's a quick dunk, not a gingernut-length dunk).  Interestingly, their rival brand equivalent, the Chocolate Wheaten, is a bit shit.  I'm sure that there must be all sorts of disgusting additives to make the Chocolate Digestive as good as it is, but I'm going to stay blissful in my ignorance.  In fact I am going to have a cup of nice earl grey and a Chocolate Digestive or two right now.

Also, if you happen to have anyone who is an oldie but a goodie close at hand, I suggest you give them  cuddle (or a high-five if you're a bit anti PDA and physical contact).  That's some cool shit right there.