Given I hadn’t heard about Blog Day 2005 until this morning, I’m unprepared to nominate five recent additions to the Blogosphere. But I can share with you five blogs from around the world that I think deserve a daily read:

Keep the Coffee Coming: Kat shares music (folk on weekdays, thematic choices on weekends), photos, and memories from her Cape Cod home.

Delicious:days: Nicky writes from Munich, blending a love of food with a clean design and phenomenal photography.

Blog of a Bookslut: Jessa in Chicago and Michael in Albuquerque (at least I think that’s where he’s from) provide weekday updates on the literary world-at-large, adding their own witty insights to each entry.

Count Your Sheep: Adrian from Mexico City draws this sweet web comic about Katie, Ship, and Laurie. Technically, I shouldn’t count it as a blog, but Adrian also includes little notes with most days’ comic, so we’ll classify it as a blog at least for today.

The Traveler’s Lunchbox: Melissa in Edinburgh describes lovely dishes — whether at home or abroad — and makes my mouth water on a regular basis.

After you’ve checked out my suggestions, investigate what other bloggers think are worthy reads.

I’ve been looking at photos from the Gulf Coast and would like to extend my heartfelt sympathy to all who are suffering. My parents’ house used to flood — just a few inches, but enough to wreak havoc — and that doesn’t even begin to compare to the total devastation I’m seeing in some of these shots.

Please know our sympathy is with you.

Generally, I remain ambiguous about Starbucks as a company. On the whole, I try not to buy into the corporate chain concept, feeling that they run small local outfits out of business (whether intentionally or accidentally). On the other hand, as far as chains go, Starbucks seems like it tries to respond to local customer demands — shade grown coffee, smaller musical artist playlists, community-based charities, etc.

So, I will go to Starbucks, but don’t go out of my way to choose them if a local option (like Tryst in D.C. or Klekolo in Connecticut) presents itself.

But I might have to up my drink quota if the Concerned Women of America have their way.

They object to an Armistead Maupin quote that appears on some Starbucks “great thoughts” cups:

My only regret about being gay is that I repressed it for so long. I surrendered my youth to the people I feared when I could have been out there loving someone. Don’t make that mistake yourself. Life’s too damn short.

My guess is that if the first sentence hadn’t been included these “concerned” women would have been fine with the sentiment. But because it was associated with being gay, it became something to dismiss and belittle.

I’m fine with these women choosing to boycott Starbucks. That is their choice, just as my boycott of Wal-Mart is my choice. But they should understand that what they’re suggesting is both censorship and discrimination. And as they seem to imply that their own group is both censored and discriminated against, I would suggest that a little more tolerance on their part would make their own request for respect less hypocritical.

Because, if I remember correctly, another great philosopher suggested that the best way to live is to “do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” Don’t you think that would make a great cup?

(Via Bookslut)

If you want to be amongst the coolest of the cool, you should head down to the Kennedy Center for their Page-to-Stage New Play Festival and catch a reading of Michael Merino’s Henry Darger: Artist and Protector of Children.

A janitor and dishwasher by day, secret artist by night, Henry Darger cloistered himself in his apartment for over 40 years and dedicated his life to a world of writing and painting, using art as his confessor and as his tormentor. Using Darger’s own words, interwoven with psychoanalytic commentary, art criticism and interviews, this play explores his hauntingly beautiful works of art and his obsession with a mythic childhood innocence symbolized by the saintly Vivian Girls.

Michael’s play is the entry for the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. He debuted it with them during the winter.

A friend from the Dean days, Michael is quirky, fun, and intelligent. I imagine anything he writes will be the same. His most recent play — about Lewis Carroll, Donald Rumsfeld, and George Bush and language — was performed in New Orleans earlier this year.

The reading starts at 7:15 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 4, on the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Level. Seating is free, but first-come, first-served. Admission will begin at 6:45 p.m.

Today I bought my cousin Caroline some ornaments for her wedding. They’re nice enough, but I’m not overly thrilled. It just wasn’t what I imagined when I came up with the idea. Some of them are definitely fun — hiking boots and a string of hearts — but I just wish I were more pleased with them as a set. Maybe over the next week or so I’ll find that one perfect ornament that pulls the rest of them together.

This is the problem I face every time I buy presents — I get an image in my head and when reality fails to live up to imagery, I’m disappointed. I guess I have to work on that…

Sam and Alexis’ wedding invitation arrived in the mail yesterday. It was beautifully designed — the sort of thing you’re actually delighted to have grace your mailbox.