I don’t know about you, but I’ve got a bad case of the dog days of summer (and my cat agrees.) Excessive heat, too many fizzy beverages, and the Olympics have dulled my senses. Not sure what the Olympics have to do with it, as I watched very little of the festivities, but even being in the vicinity of sporting events has a somnambulant effect on me. I did watch the opening and closing ceremonies, and as elated as I was to see Mike Oldfield, I was just as disappointed not to see Kate Bush, although they did play a remix of Running Up That Hill while oppressed-looking folks in white leotards stacked boxes. The best part was the stream of live comments on Twitter, which begs the question, what did we do before hashtags? Instant (and international) sarcastic messaging makes me happy to be alive in the 21st century. Thank you Twitter. And now, more from the Tweetosphere…

Although a long-time Trekkie, I am newly addicted to George Takei’s hilarious Facebook site. On August 6th , Mr Sulu linked the first image of Mars transmitted by the Curiosity rover, pictured above. Marvin. I knew it. Follow the adventures of the Curiosity on ‘his’ awesome Twitter feed.

From Gregory Walters, a post about “required” summer reading for children. I especially like his inclusion of Mad Magazine, which was certainly a staple of my childhood (and occasionally adult) summers.

Julie Danielson from Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast has just posted a great interview with author/illustrator Komako Sakai. For a second serving of Sakai, here’s my review of The Snow Day.

After watching  synchronized swimming on the Olympics (which has scarred me for life), I was reminded of this classic from Saturday Night Live with Harry Shearer and Martin Short. This comedy routine is only marginally weirder. Or maybe not…

In June , one of my favourite people on the planet was profiled in Publisher’s Weekly~Patrick McDonnell Look for my review of The Monsters’ Monster in September.

Courtesy of the Huffington Post, an interesting take on Dr. Seuss , this time his World War II cartoons as a reflection of the author’s politics and imagination. There seems to be a post like this on a weekly basis, but it’s always fascinating. He was of his time, for sure, but he also transcended it.

A great link from Daniel Wagstaff ~A treasure trove of Edward Gorey . For more Gorey, see my review of The Dong With a Luminous Nose.

In early August, the great art critic and writer Robert Hughes passed away. His book Shock of the New was a constant companion during my BFA. I read every elegant word, and even copied a few paintings, somewhat inexpertly (sorry Mondrian.)

Just found animator Eoin Duffy’s site the other day. Wonderful, funny stuff, and tell me if you don’t see a little Jon Klassen in his latest creation – The Unconscious Homeless Man

Linked by BiblioOdyssey– “The best way to navigate 50 Watts is to click about randomly until you find God or go insane.” True, and if you don’t believe this, have a look at a recent post-covers for Lux-Lesebogen, a bi-weekly magazine for young people published in post-war Germany.

A link from Zoe Toft (via Flavorwire)~The 20 Most Beautiful Children’s Books of All Time Great list. I’d add a few, take away a few…but overall a fine starting point.

Next post, something verdant…