CRAIG CONLEY (Prof. Oddfellow) is recognized by Encarta as “America’s most creative and diligent scholar of letters, words and punctuation.” He has been called a “language fanatic” by Page Six gossip columnist Cindy Adams, a “cult hero” by Publisher’s Weekly, a “monk for the modern age” by George Parker, and “a true Renaissance man of the modern era, diving headfirst into comprehensive, open-minded study of realms obscured or merely obscure” by Clint Marsh. An eccentric scholar, Conley’s ideas are often decades ahead of their time. He invented the concept of the “virtual pet” in 1980, fifteen years before the debut of the popular “Tamagotchi” in Japan. His virtual pet, actually a rare flower, still thrives and has reached an incomprehensible size. Conley’s website is OneLetterWords.com.
Even on days when everything goes wrong, we should be able to savor a gingerbread golem. It's the glitch gremlins episode of Prof. Oddfellow's Penetralia. Thanks to the HolyMountaineer who said, "That was the best video I've ever seen." It's Prof. Oddfellow's Penetralia.
Here's a desperate plea for help from horror movie critic Grumpy Andrew, about mysterious playing cards stumbled upon in the wild, and our brutal answer:
Here's a most compelling argument for Marcel Proust being the greatest vampire writer. From a great Top Ten list with only eight items, in Monster News, 2012.
The night is dark and full of spirits, and they want to help cure you of your fear of death. Because when your work here is finally done, you'll be able to join them in their nightly dance and jail-break out of the prison of matter.
I mean, if you so choose.
Get out there and open yourself up to the world of the spirits.There are all kinds for you to meet: animal spirits, nature spirits, ancestor spirits, star spirits, you name it. The good ones don't want anything from you, because you don't have anything they need.
You really have nothing to offer them but your company. Be generous with it, and they will soothe your stresses and anxieties and peel away your terror of the grave. Guaranteed.
John Maus says the greatest evil is to be a bureaucrat and tell someone, "If I made an exception your case, I'd have to make an except for everybody, so I'm not going to make an exception in your case." Maus says the way not to be evil is to make those exceptions. Plus, here's his idea of genuine radicalism: regardless of your belief system, "Be a sweet dude, act as if everything will be counted, as if there will be a fullness of time."
What a great pre-apology for causing offense: it's not you, it's your next-door neighbor the author was eviscerating. From Needles and Pins by Mina Deane Halsey, 1909.
"Don't be afraid to use a good idea just because it's already been done" (Mike McShaffry). Yes, it's an elephant wearing green clothes, just like Jean de Brunhoff's famous Babar. Audcious!
What a concise way to communicate a title, year, edition number, publisher, city, editor's name, and ten major contributors. That's sixteen units of information! From Wheels by Edith Sitwell, 1916.
