Here’s a sketch for an aborted Consumerist idea–I wanted to show the semi-secret (or at least unpublicized) connection behind all the seemingly competitive and separate eyeware companies in the U.S. Surprisingly, they’re all owned by a single Italian company.

The idea for this came from my optometrist, actually. I got my eyes examined recently and he told me how independent eyecare providers have to compete with the multinational behemoth that is Luxottica–and that while he can’t discuss prices with other companies, because that could be considered collusion, Lenscrafters, Pearl Vision, and Sunglass Hut are part of the same company. I don’t know how much information that means they can share, but it seems like the kind of thing people should be aware of.

My idea was to model a graphic after a mycelial colony, which is what we call it when a single fungus spreads out under the topsoil and sends up mushrooms all over creation. It’s creepy. (Especially if you don’t like mushrooms, and I don’t.) There’s a mycelial colony in Oregon that’s “estimated to be 2,400 years old, possibly older, and spans an estimated 2,200 acres,” according to Wikipedia. Arg! That’s terrible! Fungus is wrong!

Of course, my mycelial mat is imaginary and shoots up different types of mushrooms, which I think is pretty impossible. Also, some of the dozens of brands Luxottica is licensed to sell as eyeglass frames are represented by little flowers.

After I drew the sketch, I realized that it was too arcane an idea for the Consumerist audience and I shelved it.

Flickr page

So we’ve decided that Consumerist needs a little USA Today-style jazz hands. (I’d prefer to say we’re going to Tufte it up, but, I think I should be honest about my graphic skills and admit my position in life—there’s more dignity in honesty.) Here’s my first ever 100% Original chart for Consumerist: a nationwide overview of which states are teaching personal finance classes at the high school level.

Oh sure, it sounds boring now, but after writing for the Consumerist for almost six months, I’ve developed a healthy appreciation for our nation’s freewheeling, debt-accreting pathology. We are a messed up group of people when it comes to debt. That’s why I wanted to focus on some finance-related stats for my first chart.

I’m working on a new one for some time in February, and it will be about cell phone bills. I think it’s going to have leaches.

Man,  I love free business card offers. It’s like crack to people like me who are addicted to Internet-enabled craft techniques. Here’s my latest. I just ordered 100 of these from Overnight Prints because they sent me a $10 off coupon. Hooray!

The problem with being a writer and having a business card is it looks stupid if you put “Writer” as your profession. At least, it does to me. It’s too hoity toity and fancy schmancy.  Maybe even a little frou frou, or la de dah. I want my cards to say fiddle dee dee! And I think these do, especially since “writer” is mentioned nowhere on them.