i’m glad the month is coming to an end. december somehow lost its aura of enchantment and magic. maybe it’s the looking forward towards the end of january, maybe it’s the looking forward to shanghai, a bit of all i guess. it seems that life is so focused on the future that right now, no events are particularly meaningful, we’re just killing time.

still, a couple of things that caught my attention, these last few days:

* scarlett johansson sings summertime. i love this song, and its successive versions and covers, and plus she’s not at all bad at it.
* the holiday party excuse generator: a cute snowman guides you through the process of chosing what type of excuse you’d like (they have it for all tastes and kinds of party) to avoid that special event you’re so (not) looking forward to.
* i tryied yorkshire pudding for the first time yesterday. apparently, it’s a british classic, but i had never heard of it before. and i must learn how to do it, that was delicious.

since “the season to be jolly” hasn’t been the best of the year, here’s a couple of highlights from the feeds, to break the silence a bit:

* make your own mitten warmers: diy instructions to your rice/lentils cozy warmers. they say the heat should stay up to one hour, which would be perfect for my frozen toes. (via lifehacker)
* books by the greats, covers by you: if you pick your books by the cover, maybe you can consider making your own. i think penguin already has some of the best covers around, but it’s a nice idea.

sometimes it happens that one jumps from link to link until you find something that catches your attention. kapitaal, an animation by a dutch trio of designers was one of those, and it just made my day.
two seconds into it, i suddenly recognized my life and routine in the past year, all the typically dutch brands and sounds, the shops, the streets, the typography, the signs on walls, the train stations, every little detail of it, so familiar, so fresh, so close to my heart. i’m sure the idea of the authors wasn’t to strike me with a nostalgy attack and leave me close to tears…
hell, i miss that country.

so, watch it here, either for the animation itself or because you know what i’m talking about.

* book plates: choose one (the hardest part…), print and paint, write your name on it and glue it to the book. :)
a simple idea to keep a kid occupied for some time… (via lifehacker)

* postcard polaroid: how not to love the mix of ideas?

* strandgut: pretty images. not all are polaroids, but they’re beautiful.

1.
the earth’s shaking in açores.
he‘s reading a book i never finished.
these talented ladies opened a shop.
there’s a graphic museum in this city.
photography is cheaper around here in some places and kodak’s service quality seems as low as in braga.
pedro remy is hosting a new photography exposition, from José Manuel Bacelar.

2.
dutch people like ready-made-all-packed things, and the tetrapacks around here are really cute for wallet-making.
i’ll send one to everyone who drops me a letter or a postcard till february :P
we’re in Van Houtenlaan, 27, room number 221, 9722 GR Groningen. (oh yes, i love getting mail around here, the sweet warm feeling of recognising portuguese stamps on the mailbox… priceless! :) )”