and in a moment, it was gone

This is a sunflower, yes, and a special sunflower it is. This sunflower was grown by Christopher, my freind. The picture doesn't show that it subsequently fell over from neglect. Why? Because Christopher was too busy growing something else, a beautiful album for you.

Don't let that flower die in vain - go buy it today. It's called "Happiness and Disaster" and it's under the name "Stabilo". Furthermore, if you purchase it at Future Shop you'll get a bonus sampler disc with an absolutely exclusive you'll-never-find-it-anywhere-else song by Christopher himself on it - ABSOLUTELY FREE!

There you have it - my first and last dip into consumer marketing on this site. It's over. You can come out now. I'll finish off with a few quotes from one of my favorite philosophers, Calvin:

"Doesn’t it seem like everybody just shouts at each other nowadays? I think it’s because conflict is drama, drama is entertaining, and entertainment is marketable. Finding consensus and common ground is dull! Nobody wants to watch a civilized discussion that acknowledges ambiguity and complexity. We want to see fireworks. We want the sense of solidarity and identity that comes from having our interests narrowed and exploited by like-minded zealots. Talk show hosts. Political candidates, news programs, special interest groups… they all become successful by reducing debates to the level of shouted rage. Nothing gets solved, but we’re all entertained."

"People keep talking about opening more wilderness for development. We seem to understand the value of oil, timber, minerals, and housing, but not the value of unspoiled beauty, wildlife, solitude and spiritual renewal."

"Ever notice how many conversations revolve around TV shows and movies? Our common references are events that never happened and people we’ll never meet. We know more about celebrities and fictional characters than we know about our neighbors."

"Change is invigorating. If you don’t accept new challenges, you become complacent and lazy. Your life atrophies. New experiences lead to new questions and new solutions. Change forces us to experiment and adapt. That’s how we learn and grow."

- Note: All quotes clipped from the book, "It's a Magical World", by Bill Watterson.