You may not have your Halloween costume figured out yet, but it’s already time to pick out this year’s fantasy Christmas gift. The Neiman Marcus Christmas Book is out and the 2004 offerings sprinkled between the actually (relatively) affordable items include a custom suit of armor (sword fighting lessons included), a Zeppelin NT airship (seats 12 plus 2 crew), a jeweled Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head (alas these are Swarovski crystals not genuine jewels), and an American Airlines AAirpass which gives the holder lifetime travel in any class on any AA flight for $3,000,000.00 (save! buy two for only $5,000,000.00!).

Bungee-jumping, lip-syncing Rhinemaidens soar across the Lyric Opera of Chicago stage for “Das Rheingold.” The NY Times looks behind the scenes at the aerial mechanics of keeping three gymnasts gracefully afloat for an underwater appearance. It’s essentially a circus act set to a Wagner score with a choreographer who has worked with Cirque du Soleil. Next up, in “Die Walküre,” the (in)famous Valkyries leap across stage with the help of four trampolines. No word on whether Brunhilde later launches herself into the funeral pyre with the aid of gymnastics equipment.

When department store chain Bon Marché was transitioned to Bon-Macy’s, I figured it was only a matter of time before the “Bon” was dropped as well. Parent company Federated Department Stores has now given a January timeframe for moving over completely to the Macy’s name. Federated stores in other parts of the country are also being renamed: Burdines, Goldsmith’s, Lazarus, and Rich’s will join the big Macy’s named family. Longtime residents lamented the loss of Bon Marché. Being new, I confess I am mainly happy that they will stop trying to sell me the Bon-Macy’s credit card when I already have a plain Macy’s card that works just fine there, thank you.

The “Great Sphaynx” hay bale sculpture.

The Seattle Public Library Book Sale is coming up: Sept. 17-19. We went in April and it was huge.

It’s not “The Document Company” anymore. Xerox has a new “capabilities line” of “Technology. Document Management. Consulting Services.” for its corporate signature. The company is also no longer using the single “X” logo with the boxy pixels. The NY Times goes into more depth on the changes with mostly positive responses from the analysts.

The Wackier World of Japanese Ice Cream and The Original Wacky World of Japanese Ice Cream. You can expect the wasabi and miso, but chicken wing? (via Bifurcated Rivets)

Statistics on the images gracing those new customizable stamps: “40% babies and children; 25% adults or families; 10% pets, with the remainder business logos, landscape images, and wedding photos.” About 1,000 images rejected in the first 3 weeks.

Amongst the bad news from numerous airlines, the SF Chronicle has printed a long, interesting interview with JetBlue Airways CEO and founder David Neeleman. This airline that I was still considering a tiny upstart is now the largest carrier flying out of JFK in New York. Neeleman sees success in the various airlines concentrating on home hubs instead of the branching out that the big ones had begun. He talks about continuing to maintain the loyalty of his employees, something he believes sets JetBlue apart from the other companies. And he’s excited about the Embraer 190 aircraft from Brazil which fits their market and entertainment offerings. Neeleman also discusses his family and background.