Because I’m a geek, I spent a good chunk of the evening reading the top rated limericks on LimerickDB. I thought I’d share a few of them with you.

First, a limerick with a political slant:

Regarding the coming election,
I have carefully weighed my selection,
Mrs. Clinton’s too old
And McCain leaves me cold,
But Obama gives me an erection.

Now, a hat tip to one of the best television shows of the 1990s:

There once was a boy from Eau Claire
Who had given his mother a scare
“I see what you’re doing,”
She said, “and you’re moving
With your auntie and uncle in Bel Air.”

And finally, perhaps one of the best limericks I have ever read:

There once was a man named Bertold
Who drank beer when the weather grew cold
As he reached for his cup…
“NEEEEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP!!!”
Oh, snap! You just got limerickrolled!

If you don’t get it, read this. And then watch the awesome video by Rick Astley.

Funny enough, it was at a blogging conference that I realized that I perhaps spend too much time in front of a screen.

I’m at Northern Voice right now (more on the amazing conference later this week) and have come to the realization that I am perhaps too dependent on my computer. After all, my Macbook hasn’t left my side all week and has been open for every session at NV08. I make my living writing and storytelling on the web, and my text messaging habit is almost unhealthy.

On top of all that, I’ve been thinking about the fact that I watch a minimum of three movies a week and a whole lot of sports and quite a few shows on television. I’ve become screen-dependent.

So, taking a cue from Ariel Meadow Stallings, I’m jumping on the 52 nights unplugged bandwagon.

I am going to completely unplug from anything with a screen.

Starting in March, for one night a week, that is.

I already spend a ton of time writing letters and going out for coffee with people, so I’m not replacing my screen time with more pens and caffeine. Instead, I’m going to go out and do something active (which works well with my plans to eat healthier), social, and hopefully benevolent.

I’m going to help people with their gardening. I’m going to canoe to the island for picnics. I’m going to take community youth for hikes in provincial parks. I’m going to go tobogganing on Centennial Hill. I’m going to go salsa dancing with friends. I’m going to get away from the screens: no computer, no television, no mobile phone, no camera, no cinema.

It may not sound hard, but I’m still excited to see how it goes. Wish me luck.

Have you joined the 52 nights unplugged project? Twitter me and let me know how it is going.

I’ve always been intrigued by innovative ideas that are integral to the development of human capacity and potential, particularly when it comes to healthcare and the alleviation of poverty.

That’s probably why the idea behind PlayPumps International appeals to me.

PlayPumps allow local communities to access clean drinking water without the necessity for intensive labor, electricity, or fuel that usually comes with drilling a water well. Instead, they “harness the power of children playing” in order to pump water to the places that need it most. Watch this video for a quick explanation.

Sure there are several issues — child labor, misuse, advertising, etc. — that come from having such a project, but the fact remains that the installation of these pumps is bringing clean water to communities where this water was otherwise difficult to obtain. The discussion around the ethical and social issues behind this technology is one that needs to happen, but the underlying result of the project is noble.

I’ll make it a point to do some more research on PlayPumps and their model of social entrepreneurship before I decide to make a donation, but I just wanted to share this to show yet another example of how the smallest innovations can help change the world.

Henna Singh over at Canadian Beauty (if you like fashion, you should definitely be reading Canadian Beauty) tagged me as the only guy in her You Make My Day Awards post, so I thought it was only fair that I carry on the meme.

The rules go like this:

Give the award to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel happy about blogland. Let them know by posting a comment on their blog so they can pass it on.

Simple? Not really. I subscribe to over 500 blogs and tumblelogs, so picking just ten that make my day was incredibly difficult. I’m going to give it a try though, and I apologize to anyone I may have left out:

• nostrich: I may have just discovered this blog over a month ago, but already I’ve gone through the entire archive because of the hilarity of the content and amazing writing.
• The Sartorialist: Call me superficial, but well-dressed people make me smile. I love the stories people can tell with the clothes they wear.
• What I Learned Today: We all learn something every day. Diana shares her questions and knowledge with all of us so that we can learn with her.
• meish dot org: It’s no secret I’m in love with fantastic writing, and Meg Pickard has a command of the English language that is downright inspirational.
• dokoohakoo’s loft: Tina has always been an inspiration in my life, and this tumblelog lets her share her wisdom with all of you as well.
• Anil Dash: He’s an influential man in the web/tech world, he loves Prince, and he’s remarkably astute. He’s super funny too.
• xkcd: There really isn’t much to say: xkcd has proven to be the most engaging, relevant, and hilarious comic on the web today.
• Ill Doctrine: He bills his site as a hip-hop video blog, but Jay Smooth’s site is much more than that: it’s an exposition of truth.
• 5ives: If you haven’t got enough laughs simply following Merlin Mann’s Twitter updates, then 5ives is guaranteed to give you a chuckle to start your day.
• cubicle 17: He’s smart, astute, has fantastic design sense, and likes his coffee strong. What isn’t there to like about Bill?

Those are just the first ten that popped into my head, but there are so many other blogs that keep make me smile every morning. So instead of just thanking them, I want to thank everyone that creates content on the web, everyone that makes my morning surfing a much more pleasant experience.

My name is Sameer Vasta, and I’m addicted to writing love letters.

My addiction, like that of many others, was borne of desperation and necessity: as a child, I found it easier to express my thoughts through the written word, particularly in the face of beauty. By third grade, I was giving the girls in my class personalized poems for Valentine’s Day instead of the cut-out cards you can buy in packs of 24 at Wal-Mart.

These days, I write almost five letters a week. The lady behind the post office counter who serves me my stamps knows me by name. I spend more time thinking of cute anecdotes and flirtatious witticisms than I do thinking of work. I spend more money on greeting cards, pens, and stationery than I do on food. Writing love letters has consumed my life, my wallet, my relationships, my sanity.

Writing love letters is my form of release, my way of finding catharsis at the bottom of a bottle of ink. In times of difficulty, I keep a stash of pens hidden in my drawer. In times of joy, I celebrate by unwrapping a fresh new pack of stationery.

I write love letters because I fall in love every day. Yesterday, I wrote a love letter on the back of a napkin to the waitress that smiled at me as she brough me my lunch. Last week, I wrote a love letter in chalk on the lamppost that broke my fall after I slipped on the ice. Just this morning, I wrote a love letter to the woman who answered my tech support call — and then read it aloud to her.

She liked it.

Which made me think that perhaps my addiction isn’t such a bad thing after all.

My name is Sameer Vasta, and I’m addicted to writing love letters. And frankly, I don’t ever want to kick the habit.

Steve Jobs thinks that reading is dead, but if that’s true, mark me as an anomaly. I love reading. I love the way good writers craft their sentences and stories in ways that captivate and enthrall. I love that great writers not only entertain me when I read their work, but inspire me to be a better writer myself.

Inspired by Leo Babauta’s post on Zen Habits, I’ve decided to share a short list of 7 writers that entertain, captivate, and inspire me. As per Leo’s guidelines, this is only a list of writers that are still currently writing, so don’t blame me for the omission of Salinger and Rimbaud. I’ve also made a conscious effort to populate this list predominantly with fiction writers: I have a tendency to only read non-fiction and ignore some of the fantastic novelists and short story writers out there.

So here’s a list of 7 current writers I’m in love with. My apologies if I’ve missed anyone, these are the first seven that popped into my head:

• David Foster Wallace: After the publication of Infinite Jest, it was hard to argue that Wallace wasn’t one of the best American novelists of his generation. It was, however, the publication of Oblivion that sold me on his story-telling talent, making every fiction feel like a reality.
• Jhumpa Lahiri: She may be best-known for The Namesake, a novel that was recently adapted for the big screen, but Lahiri’s genius was evident in The Interpreter of Maladies, where every character’s little actions caused immense emotional reactions.
• J.M. Coetzee: There are few novels that I can so closely relate to as Coetzee’s Youth, and Coetzee is a master of making the reader feel immersed in the political and geographic context of his stories. His writing is terse but evocative.
• J.K. Rowling: Laugh if you want, but this woman revolutionized the publishing and reading landscape over the past decade. Not only is the Harry Potter franchise pervasive, but it’s also quite entertaining.
• Ian McEwan: You know the clichéd phrase ‘emotional rollercoaster’? McEwan’s novels are probably as close as you can get to the cliché without falling into an abyss of despair. His works are remarkably sensuous and evocative, crafted with incredible precision.
• Cory Doctorow: I’m not a fan of science fiction. At all. Unless it is sci-fi written by Cory Doctorow, everyone’s favorite blogger. His worlds of the future are surprisingly realistic and believable, and provide particularly astute observations on our world of the present.
• John Updike: There isn’t much I can say about Updike that hasn’t already been said: he is one of the most prolific and respected writers of his generation, and is a master of both poetry and prose. And his writing always captivates.

Upon further reflection, it seems as though many of the writers on my list are renown essayists and short story authors as well as novelists. Which makes sense, seeing as how short fiction is still my favorite type of literature.

Before we begin, first a quick look at the horrible ailment that is Valentinitis, courtesy of Maggie Puniewska:

Valentinitis: A condition in which individuals lacking a stable romantic relationship begin displaying anger or depression toward any mention of Valentine’s Day. This behavior can be onset days or weeks before the aforementioned holiday and is worsened by exposure to related apparel such as hearts, flowers, anything pink or red, and the word “love”. Symptoms include frequent attacks on couples, destruction of the Valentine’s Day section at drugstores, and sudden attachment to ice cream, particularly Ben & Jerry’s.

I do not suffer from Valentinitis, even though I fit into the target demographic: lacking a stable romantic relationship, quick to anger, affinity for Ben & Jerry’s.

Instead, I love Valentine’s Day. I love that there is a day — commercial and contrived as it may be — when everyone in the country is thinking of love. I don’t mind the jacked-up prices on flowers and chocolate and cheesy romantic cards. I still buy them for my friends. I don’t mind the commercialization of romance. I still thrive on sappy love songs and store displays.

Some people love Christmas, while still acknowledging that it has become a commercial holiday rather than a religious one. In my life, Valentine’s Day is like my Christmas: a day when saying “I love you” to the people that make me smile isn’t weird or taken as a come-on, but instead embraced and enjoyed by all.

According to the BBC (via), 34% of couples who go to Paris together end up having an argument there. Which is why I say we should all just to got Paris as singles and find short-term love there.

So much easier, with no messy aftermath.

Many of you may not be aware of John Alvin’s work, but for those of us that are enthralled by movie poster art, Alvin is a legend.

I wrote about John Alvin’s passing on Squandrous yesterday, but I felt that I needed to share some of Alvin’s genius with a larger audience so that more people can know about the immense impact he has ad on the design and film communities.

John Alvin was responsible for some of the most memorable promotional art in film history. His filmography is not only massive, but impressive. He may be best remembered for his iconic art for the Star Wars celebration, but avid movie-goers have seen his work in the posters for some of the most influential films in the past thirty-five years: Blade Runner, The Color Purple, The Princess Bride, E.T., Alien, Empire of the Sun, and almost every Disney animated classic to be released in the past twenty years.

Alvin passed away on Wednesday from a heart attack at the age of 59. A message by his family on the International Movie Poster Awards website demonstrated his passion for film:

John loved “making movie posters” because he, just to put it plainly, loved movies. Thirty-eight years and over 120 film campaigns show that his contribution to Hollywood was very integral in shaping the landscape of motion picture advertising. Along with Peak and Amsel, John is now a part of an elite group. A group that helped create the “Golden Age of Movie Posters.” An era of art that sadly will never be echoed through the halls of an institution but more through halls and cubicles of our industry.

I never did get the chance to meet John Alvin, but I knew his art. Unlike so many film promotional artists today, Alvin didn’t just sell a movie — he told stories and shaped experiences through his work. His one-sheets were more than just marketing tools: they were insightful works of art that were necessary accompaniments to the film they were promoting.

Alvin’s poster for Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (my favorite film) is a stunning example of how his artwork became part of the film experience instead of just being advertising. Reflecting upon iconic scenes from Trousdale and Wise’s film, the most clear image for many people is one that actually never did appear in the film, but is instead one of Alvin’s pieces of art.

Needless to say, John Alvin will be missed — not only by his family and friends, but by the entire film community. He has inspired many, and it is my hope that new film artists (like one of my current favorites, Corey Holms) will continue in his tradition of creating insightful, profound, and visionary art for the movie industry.

Rest in peace, John. And thank you.

Even though we live in a relatively affluent society, there are still many people in our own city that are still going hungry every day. Second Harvest is an organization that helps bring food to people that don’t have it, and on February 21, they are holding their 10th annual Lunch Money Day campaign:

On Lunch Money Day, February 21, 2008, Second Harvest asks Torontonians to brown-bag their lunch and donate the cost of a bought lunch to Second Harvest. Every $5 provides 10 healthy and nutritious meals to people in need, including children, men and women in different programs across the GTA, including at women’s and homeless shelters, school meal programs, food banks and more.

If you want to do more than just simply donate money, Second Harvest is also looking for volunteers:

Volunteer teams are stationed across the city in specified public places, including 15 subway stations, 2 GO Stations in Mississauga, as well as several downtown PATH concourse locations, collecting donations from people and spreading the word about Lunch Money Day and Second Harvest.

For those of you in Toronto, join me in packing your lunch on the 21st and helping the needy this month.