Saturday Morning Links

Getting a late start today, but I still have some interesting reading for you to do. Tell me if you’ve heard this story before: legislator puts forth a bill which targets a mostly powerless group of people, then withdraws it…

So winter finally showed up in Des Moines this week. It’s been a nice run, what with temperatures in the 50s, but yesterday it barely got above 20, and I’ve been looking for a tauntaun to slaughter and climb inside…

I woke up yesterday, saw that the temperature outside was 36 degrees and thought “that’s not so bad.” I think I’m adjusting to the idea of winter, though it’s still early yet. I already watch Mythbusters regularly, but I can’t…

So two days ago, I walked to work in the snow. Flurries–it didn’t stick except on the grass in the shade–but snow nonetheless, enough for my 8-year old self living in Big Branch, Louisiana to crap himself in glee to…

Happy Saturday. I hear the hot new seasoning for food this year is some kind of spray-on pepper. I’ll be looking for it in my local market. How does the rest of the world see Thanksgiving? It’s been clear for…

I’m typing this with one arm arched over a cat who refuses to move from in front of my laptop. I was at work all day and she missed me, so I can’t really be too whiney about it. Say…

I’d like to take a moment to thank everyone who commented on or liked or otherwise communicated their appreciation for “The Spirit of Violent Lamentation.” I’m glad it touched people in a positive way. Also, it was a complete coincidence…

Some mornings I wish I had an automatic coffee dispenser right next to my desk. Most mornings, actually. Over at Slate, Ron Rosenbaum takes apart Anonymous, the new Shakespeare conspiracy theory movie, beautifully. How big a role does expectation play…

I’ve begun the task of getting actual winter clothes for the first time in my life. It’s funny to watch, I imagine. I walk into a store and don’t even recognize what some of these things are. Pity me. The…

I’ve got coffee in my Dalek mug and Gladys the Mucus Machine riding shotgun. What could go wrong? Given Steve Almond’s lamentation on what we lost that we published yesterday, I think it’s also worthwhile to look at what the…

So an hour after this goes up, I’ll be leading an informal wine-tasting. My new job has its perks. I’ll probably be the only one spitting, though. What would you do for a free hotel room? A reminder that we…

To our friends on the east coast dealing with Hurricane Irene–be safe. I know from experience it’s unlikely that any of you are reading this, but even so. A storm like this one is nothing to mess with, even if…