http://brokelyn.com Food, restaurants, shopping and cheap fun on a budget in Brooklyn NYC Fri, 24 May 2013 22:09:03 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 http://brokelyn.com/it-was-a-butt-chugging-year-but-we-won-the-word-war/ http://brokelyn.com/it-was-a-butt-chugging-year-but-we-won-the-word-war/#comments Wed, 19 Dec 2012 18:00:28 +0000 Sue Smith http://brokelyn.com/?p=40649 Read More]]>
Artisanal pencil sharpener David Rees: defiant to the end Yesterday, the Atlantic posted 2012′s most infuriating words and while the list is hilarious, we want to know: who’s actually using the words? Team Brokelyn won’t play into your lexicographical trends! We’re superior to pleb words like “curvy” and “disrupt.” And don’t get us started on “artisanal.” DON’T GET US STARTED! We called for its eradication back in May. Not that it did us any good: the word is here to stay for the foreseeable future. And at least one artisan out there, artisanal pencil sharpener David Rees scoffs at the hatred of the word. When reached for comment, he responded “I don’t care what the Atlantic says — I’m getting paid.” One of the most infuriating words on the list is “twee.” We’ve never once used that word in a serious context. In fact, we used it as a weapon, because things like hayride weddings in the woods and jars… Read More]]> http://brokelyn.com/it-was-a-butt-chugging-year-but-we-won-the-word-war/feed/ 1 http://brokelyn.com/free-artisanal-pencil-sharpening-workshop-really/ http://brokelyn.com/free-artisanal-pencil-sharpening-workshop-really/#comments Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:30:44 +0000 Faye http://www.brokelyn.com/?p=33917 Read More]]>
David Rees and his pencils. Goggles? Really? We’re still looking for the April 1 dateline on this press release, but apparently, artisanal pencil sharpening is no joke. Or is it? David Rees, a political cartoonist for the likes of Rolling Stone, GQ, The Nation and Harper’s, has set aside his illustration career to put the finer points on Dixon Ticonderogas. He says he’s written a book called “How to Sharpen Pencils,” and is kicking off a national tour at Pete’s Candy store. Really! While the event is free, Rees makes money (a living? not sure) from whittling writing implements: “His artisanal service is perfect for artists, writers, and standardized test takers,” says the release. “For a mere $15, Mr. Rees will hand-sharpen your pencil to the most exacting standards, returning it to you together with the shavings, and a certificate of sharpening.” We’re not ruling out that this is some kind of… Read More]]> http://brokelyn.com/free-artisanal-pencil-sharpening-workshop-really/feed/ 6 http://brokelyn.com/book-recommendations-and-bonus-cheap-gift-ideas-from-local-lit-celebs/ http://brokelyn.com/book-recommendations-and-bonus-cheap-gift-ideas-from-local-lit-celebs/#comments Mon, 12 Dec 2011 15:05:48 +0000 Doug Campbell http://www.brokelyn.com/?p=32749 Read More]]>
Michael Showalter has some wet hot American gift ideas. Photos by Doug Campbell. What do local authors and lit celebs Emma Straub, Michael Showalter and David Rees think you should give for the holiday? If you were at Greenpoint’s Word Bookstore this weekend, you would have found out in person. But if you missed it, we were there to collect their suggestions; plus we asked for some cheap gift ideas, for your non-bookish friends, and — in one case — got a lesson in artisinal pencil sharpening. Book suggestions ranged from classics to new releases, and cheap gift ideas ranged from the free (a sonnet) to the practical (batteries) to the awesome (gift certificates to a bar) to the creepy (cat hair crafts). Emma Straub (author of Other People We Married) Book recommendation? Paris Stories by Mavis Gallant ($15.95). A collection of short stories set (where else?) in Paris. Cheap gift idea? Straub suggested another read,… Read More]]> http://brokelyn.com/book-recommendations-and-bonus-cheap-gift-ideas-from-local-lit-celebs/feed/ 1