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.
A: "Well, if you don't know, then who the hell does? Why are you even telling us this now if you're not sure? And when will you be sure?" —John O'Neill, Baby Girl Lauren, 2012
"It seems our pretty young royals are shrinking before our eyes" (A Current Affair, July 13, 2011). Pictured, Brisbane decorates for Queen Elizabeth II in 1954.
"A huntsman is enveloped by a sudden fall of snow from an overhanging tree branch, causing him to drop his rifle which discharges accidentally." Coloured lithograph by A. Strassgschwandtner, ca. 1860.
Here's a template for a fancy Elizabethan-themed ball, based upon an old Scottish design. This will also be of interest:The Collected Lost Meanings of Christmas.