Lileks is having a contest of suggestions for new perfume or cologne scents. I’ve never been one for stinkum, myself, but his readers have some interesting ones. I wonder if “Durian” would be a big seller? It has a perfumy name.

Lileks has thoughts on the never-ending attempts of the fops in Paris to foist retro fashions on us. It will probably go on until the last baby boomer has retired from the fashion industry (including fashion sections of newspapers).

Also, this:

In related fashion news: on this day in 1946, the bikini was introduced, a swmsuit named after an atomized Pacific atoll. Good thing they didn

There may be one opening near you. Unfortunately, there aren’t any in south Florida, or I’d be tempted to go check it out. Maybe even get a squishee.

I’ve seen several reviews of Ratatouille. I’ve not seen a bad one. Lileks was very impressed.

Is Cameron Diaz a Maoist?

Probably not. She’s just an historically and politically ignorant dolt, like the kids with the “fashionable” Che teeshirts. Which would be fine, if she didn’t deign to lecture us on our own lifestyles.

Stupid pop song lyrics.

Hey, this is like shooting whales in a barrel. Find some smart ones, and then get back to me.

I not only liked Cream of Wheat, but I would deliberately make it lumpy. The lumps were the best part. Go ahead, call me crazy. The others, who liked theirs smooth and bland (or at least disliked it the least that way) weren’t shy about it.

Also, who knew that the guy on the package was a Michiganian? I’d never heard of Leslie until I read his story, despite the fact that it was less than a hundred miles away from home.

Unlike the socialist French captain of the Enterprise, the original star ship captain thinks that space is important:

What’s Shatner’s assessment of NASA’s mission to head back to the moon and Mars?

“I think the country needs a noble objective, and among the notable objectives are peace, democracy and all the political things that abound,” he said. “One of the other things we need is a goal, which becomes unattainable. As soon as we go to the moon, we want to go to Mars, and as soon as we go to Mars, then it’s somewhere else.

“A constant need for a goal is a human condition, almost like a dream. It’s almost unattainable, but you continue to strive, and a journey through the stars will be a means of identifying this great country.”

Pretty nice words, coming from a Canadian, eh?

Ann Althouse has a post about a byegone day.

I didn’t like playing outside that much myself–I’d always rather stay inside and read a book, but I did have a good time, generally, when I did.

We overtoy our kids. At the risk of sounding like a codger, or worse, Grandpa Simpson (“Let me tell you how it was in my day, sonny”), we used to go over to my grandmother and grandfather’s house to visit. In the basement he had taken a steel rod, bent a handle at one end, and on the other, put a wagon wheel (a children’s wagon, not a Conestoga). He made two of them. One would grip the handle end, and push it up and down the driveway, sidewalk and street, often at high speeds. One would also attempt to do it on the softer lawn, but this was a rapid education in physics.

We used to fight over them. One of them, for reasons long forgotten, was considered superior. We had a great time. And turned out all right, I think, comments from the anonymous loons here notwithstanding.

Lileks’ adventure continues:

Gnat