The Bayeux Tapestry
“The Bayeux Tapestry [c. early 11th century] is not, in the strict sense of the term, a tapestry at all, for it is not woven but embroidered. . . .
The embroidery is stitched on a strip of greyish linen averaging about fifty centimetres in width. . . . The seams between the sections are skilfully sewn and exceedingly hard to make out. . . .
The embroidery is done in woolen thread of eight different colours. The original dyes were of the highest quality and have not undergone any significant deterioration. . . . The colours used are: red, two shades of yellow, two of green, and three of blue (one of them almost black). . . .
The Tapestry is now about 64.38m long, but has obviously lost at least a little material at the beginning, and rather more at the end. . . . A reasonable estimate might be that the wear and tear of centuries have eroded some 1.50m. . . .
The Tapestry’s scenes are accompanied almost thoughout by a kind of running commentary in Latin, sewn in large capital letters. . . . In the first two thirds of the Tapestry, these texts are sewn in a dark blue thread which verges on black. In the final section, red and yellow are used, often in alternation and sometimes even within single words. Right at the end, around Harold’s death, green thread is also used.”
—Lucien Musset, The Bayeux Tapestry, 2002, translated from the French by Boydell and Brewer Limited, 2005. This book documents the whole Tapestry, much of it in great detail.
color TV
“The best time to choose a color TV is on Saturday morning when the cartoons are on. That way you can tell which TV has the best color for your money.”
—Amy Sedaris, I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence, 2006.
beige versus tan
“Never ask [a gay man] for advice, such as his opinion on beige versus tan. He will go on for hours.”
—Amy Sedaris, I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence, 2006.
Stale Beige
“5406 Nut Meat Beige 5406
1812 Dries Darker Beige 1812
727 Beigier Beige 727
690 Stale Beige 690
224 Thin Gravy Beige 224
1020 Barely Beige 1020
40 Lighter Than The One Above This One 40”
—Amy Sedaris, color swatches from I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence, 2006.
If you like beige
“‘That, my dear, is the Sahara. Empty, yes; barren, yes; fierce and deceptively featureless, but, I assure you, unforgettable.’
‘Yeah, I suppose. If you like beige.’”
—Tom Robbins, Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas, 1994.
God’s linoleum
“[T]he sky is all huckleberry and nasturtium, the color of God’s linoleum. . . .”
—Tom Robbins, Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas, 1994.
Sliced sweet peppers
“Sliced sweet peppers, yellow and red, vaulted and naved, like cross sections of Caribbean cathedrals.”
—Tom Robbins, Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas, 1994.
published by oysters
“Onions with their pearl-skin layers, like the pages of newspapers published by oysters.”
—Tom Robbins, Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas, 1994.
God is in the details
“‘Goethe said, and some famous architect built a career on it, ‘God is in the details.’. . .’”
—Tom Robbins, Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas, 1994.
erythrophobia time
“It’s erythrophobia time. And as usual, your fear of blushing causes you to blush. But there’s no pigment of guilt in the puccoon that reddens your cheeks. Instead of shame, you feel resentment.”
—Tom Robbins, Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas, 1994.