Only the Shadow Knows

« Careful, he's armed with punctuation and he knows how to use it! »

The first time I saw the black silhouette I flinched and momentarily panicked thinking that someone was behind me. After that, I merely thought it was creepy until I deigned to read the text on the wall next to him explaining the dot, the comma and the shadow man which made me think of it as an artifact of a time when any stupid idea with enough internet buzz could get funded. It is a reminder and warning of absurdity past, present and future. Even the blurb is so rich in hyperbole that it reads like one of the dot com era business plans.

The dot and the comma are small but very powerful tools. The dot is used to complete promises and judgments, by moving the comma you destroy and create. Both bring pleasure and sorrow, therefore it demands a special responsibility from their users. The dot and the comma are viewed in current society as the sun and the moon. The shadow man is the often invisible bearer of responsibility that makes things work. In the briefcase he carries his tools, the dot and the comma.

Who knew that punctuation could be transformed into celestial bodies after years of thinking they were the domain of the punctuation pedants? I noticed before Christmas that someone, we don't know who, viewed the post-modern man as an empty canvas begging for embellishment and gave him a cheshire grin, a sporty tie and mustanaamio in his briefcase with EZ-peel stickers. Sadly, they were removed but I agree that this empty void begs for flair as the dot and the comma at least light up thus giving them a purpose if not meaning. Perhaps a lightbulb should be added to the top of his head with a socket. He's like a naked Mr. Potato Head.

Weird books Amazon has recommended me lately:

• Kitchen Utensils: Names, Origins, and Definitions Through the Ages - Hmm...a book of American utensil porn 'through the ages'? Do 300 years count as 'ages' now?
• Mr. Skin's Skincyclopedia : The A-to-Z Guide to Finding Your Favorite Actresses Naked - What could possibly have given Amazon the idea that I need help finding naked pictures of any woman, much less actresses. This is work the male computer geek has already done for me. The guys at EMC had a couple terabytes of porn on the office symmetrix. It wasn't catalogued though.
• The Largest U.S. Cities Named after a Food: And Other Mind-Boggling Geography Lists from Around the World - Mind-Boggling? I wonder if there's a field guide to navel lint coming out soon for Amazon to recommend.

And I'm slowly catching up with my pre- and post-holiday email for those who might be waiting for me to reply as the wireless at home seems to be very tempermental. The photos from Tunisia will have to wait until the weekend since the colour film won't be back until Friday.