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.
What the recipe books never admit: any one confection can give rise to worry, accusation, joy, anger, and questioning (as depicted here). The larger the baked good, the wider the range of emotions it engenders. From Mansfield's 1919 yearbook.
The "tomte" in Glimmingehus medieval castle in south-eastern Scania. The tomte is waiting for his meal at the stone table in the castle hall. Watercolour by unknown artist, possibly by A.T. Gellerstedt, from the later part of the 19th century. Courtesy of Swedish National Heritage.