there is a passion for tall flagstaffs hereabout.

Photo

Mon, 20 May 2013 13:21:56 -0400

laphamsquarterly: The dog I refer to was a little white...

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:48:07 -0400

The dog I refer to was a little white fox-terrier, Prin by name, who lived at the Lion Hotel. He began by displaying a fancy for playing with coins, not unusual amongst terriers, and he advanced to a discovery that he could exchange the coins for biscuits. He learned that for a halfpenny he could get two biscuits, and for a penny three; and, having become able to distinguish between the two coins, it was found impossible to cheat him.

The Most Talented Dogs in England, today in Roundtable.

PS make like the dog owners in this piece—reblog and tell us about what your dogs can do!

Obviously I especially want to read about your Corgis or Corgis you have met, but all breeds are welcome.

The reason I look so stupidly pleased with myself here is...

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:30:48 -0400

The reason I look so stupidly pleased with myself here is because my thesis has been approved, so you may now refer to me as a Master/Mistress* of Historic Preservation.

Sincere thanks to everyone who sent Corgi pictures over the last two years.

*Still working out the details on that part.

Hey Molly, I got you this birthday cake shaped like a...

Wed, 15 May 2013 13:48:03 -0400

Hey Molly, I got you this birthday cake shaped like a cheesesteak!

I’m not usually into the ‘hapless, affable...

Mon, 13 May 2013 13:53:08 -0400

I’m not usually into the ‘hapless, affable guy’ thing but I’m willing to make an exception.

Mom, 1983.

Sun, 12 May 2013 11:41:40 -0400

Mom, 1983.

atlasobscura: 1920s stained glass of Washington Irving in...

Sat, 11 May 2013 12:08:01 -0400

atlasobscura:

1920s stained glass of Washington Irving in Sleepy Hollow. #dailyadventure (at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery)

Here I am working on my final assignments.

Fri, 10 May 2013 15:06:06 -0400

Here I am working on my final assignments.

thenotes: The National /// “Sea of Love” /// Trouble Will Find...

Wed, 08 May 2013 15:34:55 -0400

thenotes:

The National /// “Sea of Love” /// Trouble Will Find Me

I’ll allow it.

Breaking my own rule about the Internet on this most important of days to wonder why more men don’t dress (and look and sound and write songs and be tall) like Matt Berninger.

Meet Luna, the Therapy Corgi at a San Diego Drug Rehab | Phoenix House

Tue, 07 May 2013 16:34:53 -0400

Meet Luna, the Therapy Corgi at a San Diego Drug Rehab | Phoenix House:

Phoenix House Academy of San Diego’s therapeutic resources include professional staff and a Therapy Dog, Luna that helps teens deal with their issues.

I would consider going to therapy if the psychiatrist were a short-legged dog.

139 Greene Street, May 4th, 2013 How many ghosts can you see?

Mon, 06 May 2013 13:36:00 -0400

139 Greene Street, May 4th, 2013

How many ghosts can you see?

“I know most of the Corgis in my neighborhood by name.” “Well, I know all of the...

Thu, 02 May 2013 10:06:37 -0400

“I know most of the Corgis in my neighborhood by name.”

“Well, I know all of the drug dealers on my block by name.”

Recently on Twitter, a Libra posted: “Tell me when all this is going to end! I can’t...

Wed, 01 May 2013 10:21:59 -0400

Recently on Twitter, a Libra posted: “Tell me when all this is going to end! I can’t take another minute of this!” Libra has certainly been under great pressure, perhaps more than any other sign. The problem has been that Saturn was on your Sun when it was in Libra from 2009 to 2012. When Saturn finally left, you did not get the relief you imagined you would, because another planet, Uranus, was right behind Saturn, ready to oppose your Sun beginning March 2011.

Billy Bragg, Waiting for the Great Leap Forward (Live on Late...

Wed, 01 May 2013 10:04:56 -0400

Billy Bragg, Waiting for the Great Leap Forward (Live on Late Night with David Letterman, 1988)

The other day I was waiting for the light to change at 100th and Broadway when I felt a swift thwack...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 11:09:00 -0400

The other day I was waiting for the light to change at 100th and Broadway when I felt a swift thwack against my ankle.

I turned around to see a blind woman wearing a bedazzled kitten sweatshirt, arms loaded with bags from the nearby Walgreens. The object that had struck me was her seeing-eye stick, which she jabbed forcefully as she started to speak.

“Excuse me.”

“Yes?”

“Are you coming or going?”

“Pardon?”

“I SAID, are you COMING or GOING? What are you DOING?”

“I’m just waiting for the light to change so I can cross the street.”

“No, you’re not, you’re just standing there!”

At this point another person had reached the corner and heard the woman’s voice rise (it was somehow high-pitched but also booming, which is rarer than you might think).

“Do you need help, ma’am?”, the third person asked politely.

“No, I don’t need help! I’m just trying to get away from this lady!”, the first woman answered, pointing her finger at me.

I felt my face get hot, like I’d done something wrong, even though I was (and still am) fairly certain nothing about my waiting on the corner patiently was offensive.

I gave up hoping the light would change and darted across the street quickly. Walking home I wondered if I should have said something else, but it’s three days later now and I still haven’t the faintest idea what that something else could possibly have been.

Do you think if I hide behind this curtain of hair long enough...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 21:20:35 -0400

Do you think if I hide behind this curtain of hair long enough my advisor will stop emailing me to ask for the chapters I promised him this morning?

Top-tier friend Jonathan saw this and somehow had the...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:31:21 -0400

Top-tier friend Jonathan saw this and somehow had the wherewithal to capture an image for me.

laphamsquarterly: ROUNDTABLE: Pet Cemetery The otherness of...

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:57:27 -0400

laphamsquarterly:

ROUNDTABLE: Pet Cemetery

The otherness of the animal makes it the perfect emissary to the spirit world. Since we can’t know what an animal knows, we are free to imagine it knows a great deal we don’t. We speak of acute sensitivities to the ethereal, and in horror films it anticipates the evil threat lurking close at hand—the very peril its master happily blunders into. The paradox of pets: they can be loyal, intimate companions, but they cannot save us from ourselves. They remind us of our uniquely human weakness, insignificance and dread.

Miles Klee on Grizzly Man, ghost cats stalking the U.S. Capitol, and why we gladly follow familiar four-legged friends into the Great Beyond.

The Capitol Building ghost cat should be on printed money.

laphamsquarterly: BEAUTY PAGEANT You think becoming Miss...

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 12:25:53 -0400

laphamsquarterly:

BEAUTY PAGEANT

You think becoming Miss America is tough? Try winning the International Goldfish Championship—there were over 3,000 entrants last year alone!

For more on the finest specimens of the animal kingdom, check out the Charts and Graphs section of Animals, the Spring 2013 issue of Lapham’s Quarterly.

My worst nightmare is being asked to judge a Corgi competition. I’m already paralyzed with indecision about what to eat for lunch—how on Earth would I pick perfection out of perfection?

Where are my glasses?

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 10:08:49 -0400

Where are my glasses?