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13 june 2001 |
everything (and i do mean everything) explained
Since I began this site, I've tried to stay away from reviewing other websites. It just seems like an invitation for trouble, especially because you never know if the site will be there tomorrow or not. I think this one's going to be fine. I'm picky about what I bookmark for my daily reading, and have a soft spot for personally-maintained sites with lots of good content and streamlined design. Too many personal sites are little more than big personal ads with annoying animated .gifs, horrific backgrounds, and (gad!) muzak. You're a surfer. You know that every other site is a potential Maalox moment. Looking for content? There's something for everyone, I suppose. Who knew that over 60 percent of the Internet consisted of angel sites and goth poetry? But I digress. Like I said, I try to keep it simple. Plain background for the sake of my overburdened eyeballs. Quality content. Funny and/or informative. Easy to navigate. Fengi.com is one of my favorite destinations. Greg Gilliam, a swell guy from Chicago with whom I'm most delightedly acquainted, began Fengi in 2000 (I think). It began as a neat little place at which he published Chicago-based poets and writers, some of his own writings, and a sometimes-calendar of literary events in the city. Since then, however, it's undergone a slow metamorphosis of sorts. It has grown to become an eclectic gathering place of...just cool literary stuff. Take, for example, Greg's personal mission 97 books. His goal: to complete all 97 of those books he's got stacked up in his apartment before buying another one. Virtually impossible for any committed bibliophile (he originally started with about 70), but darn if he's got a summary of each one up there. I refer to this list often, reminding myself of certain books I need to read, and others that are best avoided. But wait--there's more! My favorite part of Greg's site, and I dare say your favorite, too, is the Spoon. The Spoon , writes Greg, is a collection of found art, artifacts and text. That's the short version. The spoon is a collection of weird-ass shit that Greg finds by just walking around and being Greg. You need to know something about your webmaster there, and that is, he's one of a kind. One of Greg's greatest gifts is to overexplain something funny and/or not funny until it's even funnier. Get it? He's an analytical sort, to say the least. He likes words. A lot. Give him a bowl of gravy and wait for twenty seconds. You'll have a gravy thesis in a jiffy. That's what makes Fengi great. It has a sense of humor, and a very personalized one at that. When I'm having a slow day at work, I'm weary of news, and I've had enough goth angel surfing; I head over to Fengi for Greg's take on life. Rich in content (there's poetry, and a hilarious collection of e-mails with commentary), Fengi is wide-open. If you're a arts and literary fiend in the Chicago area, be sure to also check out Greg's KULTURBREMSE TERMINKALENDER for something fun to do. Smart (very smart), fun, and with the added bonus of the word "fisticuffs" on the explanations page, go visit Greg. Tell him I said hi. And beg for more Spoon.
Fengi, from the mind of Greg Gilliam |
