I can never think of a proper title.

Getting antsy for your tax rebate check (come on, mama needs a new pair of tan strappy sandals...)? The IRS schedule for stimulus payments.

Give me an able crew and I'll sail aimlessly anywhere, in search of completely random goods.

Dear MIT,
You thought you were pretty clever naming your buildings with numbers, huh? But then I figured it out what they all mean.

Meanwhile, your snootier-than-thou neighbors in Harvard will be holding their annual Hippie, ahem, Mayfair this Sunday. Someone's going to go enjoy some vietnamese coffee, get their feet hennaed and then run around screaming "Yale rules!" in the Yard. I have absolutely no idea who.

I've been hoarding links like...someone who hoards links...your challenge is to make up a word whose meaning is that

First, some things on an artsy note:

The ICA of Boston will be featuring the sculptures of Tara Donovan this October. Basically her style involves taking commonplace items (plastic straws, pencils, cups) and using massive amounts of them to create an incredible visual impact - I especially like the cubes of toothpicks and pins that are held together by "friction and gravity only" (I couldn't link to them directly, go to page 4 of the pictures).

Lilly McElroy is the other new artist of my favor - most of her work has to do with what I'll call performance photography. The most fun of her projects is called "I throw myself at men" in which...she throws herself at men. It's a toss up what's sillier - her action, the man's reaction or the looks of the bystanders.

Now for other stuff...

This is for the geeks in the Greater Boston area.

Ben Fry has made this neat...whatever you call it...for looking at zip codes. I mean, I have no idea if this has much of a practical implication, but it's fun to play with.

Speaking of fun to play with, Crayon Physics is ruining my life, slowly.

For the hippies, 50 Ways to Help the Planet (ps, the Mommy Dearest reference in this made my day).

A new song from Death Cab for Cutie (not The Postal Service).

And finally, I finally feel vindicated for having a zillion pairs of ultra flat and thin shoes.

One Day at Fenway

A longer post to come...at some point. But first, I love this time-lapse video of a day in Fenway Park.

The Most Crowded Weekend in This City

Bostonist's Guide to Patriots' Day & Weekend Happenings in and around the city. I, myself, will be dodging tourists as much as possible while still, hopefully, getting over to the Hancock Sports & Fitness Expo to claim some free swag.

My Dad Sent Me This One

Nalgene will be discontinuing production of their polycarbonate (#7) plastic bottles due to the concerns over the possible toxicity of bisphenol-a (for the interested, Nalgene does carry other varieties of their product that do not contain the chemical).

In doing a little more searching, I found this Johns Hopkins interview (albeit from 2004) that allays fears of drinking from plastics. Also, you can still use your water bottles, you just have to stop using them once they become cloudy or cracked. You should also be particularly careful in how you clean them out of bacterial concerns (REI recommends that you let them air dry completely before refilling).

And just for further reading, what all those numbers (Resin Identification Codes) mean.

A round up of news

Just a few things to note...

It's spring time and here's a primer to tell your zoris from your huaraches.

From BBC News: next time you need to christen a yacht, here's how to do it.

(A few fellow alums in) Parker House and Theory release their new album (yay for the columnist Kerry from Bostonist who represents for Emersonians who uselessly create acronyms for everything!) -- found while doing a random search for Emersonians, an article about our other great vice: whining.

Speaking of colleges, I can't think of anything to say for this, so I'll just post the article's title and you can decide for yourself if you want to read it: "For senior, abortion a medium for art, political discourse" (the Yale site has been very slow with all the talk about this, give it time).

And finally because I'm taking a course in this tomorrow (and I'm far too excited), what NOT to do when you're having a heart attack: Cough CPR.

My mom says I'm a catch

Nada Surf in concert on NPR

Some people just can't take a joke (looks in New York's general direction)

After hearing rumor that a Red Sox jersey had been smuggled into and buried in the cement at the new Yankee stadium, the stadium's construction workers went on a hunt to dig it up. Knowing Boston's luck, the proposed "curse" that it would have caused probably would have backfired to begin with.

-------

In other Boston news, McIntyre and Moore, formerly of Davis Square closed! and then reopened in Porter Square. What a bummer, the Davis Square store had developed a delightful cramped and musty feel.

-------

My googlegangers include some Nicole who really likes bikes and once, one that owned a gun shop.

-------

Websites that came up in conversation all weekend:
Vermont towns reclaiming ancient roads
The chances of you surviving on Star Trek wearing a red shirt
The top ten trends in fashion for Spring 08

"My children shall strike their roots in unaccustomed earth"

NPR All Things Considered report on Jhumpa Lahiri's new book.

Wouldn't be a true Bostonian without mentioning that it's Opening Day!

As since we are typically the capital of anguish in New England, Boston must, from time to time, live up our sports victories. This sound like a bit much though? Also...Bill Buckner for the opening pitch? If they don't win this year, how many people do you think will blame him for it?

Annnnnnnd, Neil Diamond's going to play Fenway!

-------

Going back to this post, this was today's Stuff White People Like: White Problems. I wonder which books are most acceptable to white people?

-------

Once again, a tip of the hat to Tom: The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks.

-------

Gearing up for other local sporting events...the Womens' Olympic trials run will bring runners past my front door. And, WERE YOU AWARE, Lance Armstrong is running Boston? Any day now we'll have a whole rash of Diddys and Katie Holmeses and Oprahs flocking to join him. It happened in NYC.

-------

I love perusing Jason Kottke's blog because it's basically mine only a million times better. I always find a ton of interesting things to read about and today was especially good:

• From NYT: Ben Schott (of Miscellanies fame) reports on the hand signals used at the NY Merchantile Exchange.
• Fear Hierarchy by Jan Pettit
• A series of photos from an article on Conde Nast Portfolio depicting urban/suburban commutes. I love how the pictures are shot to make the everyday scene look like a small-scale model.
• Also regarding commuting, a really interesting NYT piece about urban design.
  

A Random Smattering

This is some amazing graphics work based on Kerouac's On the Road done by Stefanie Posavec...I really don't know how to describe it, just check it out.

-------

Wind turbines! to join the freaky eggs vats! at Deer Island (!).

-------

They're missing Joe Sent Me (Cambridge)

I actually didn't read this before posting it

But it is worth posting so that everyone else may read, reread, ponder and shake their head a few times:

Possible Nazi Theme of Grand Prix Boss's Orgy Draws Calls to Quit

Sigh...goodbye, social life.

Battlestar Galatica started up again tonight. That is all.

A Random Smattering of Things

Ok, so here's where I feel sorry for myself. I only guessed 18 elements on this quiz and gave up before time was up. Worse still, I forgot oxygen. And then I missed 5 of the presidents. For shame!

-------

I have a thing for odd maps:
Here's one of those old-timey virtues and vices maps.

Area Codes in Which Ludacris Claims to Have Hoes (apparently there's a lot of hoes out in Nebraska?)

-------

Wedding anniversaries: if DeBeers has taught us anything, it's that the lady should get diamonds every year, unless of course, you don't love her. Also, WERE YOU AWARE, you can get a greeting from the president after your 50th anniversary? I wonder if they check up on that. Also works for birthdays (unfortunately only those over 80...I was planning on requesting birthday greetings for everyone I know this year but they ask for my phone number and frankly I don't want to be tracked down over trying to have a little fun with the U.S. Government. You know how touchy they can be).

-------

About a month into college, someone gave me this album and it's one of my all-time favorites - Neutral Milk Hotel's The Aeroplane Over the Sea.

-------
Say goodbye to the Paradise Lounge (but not the club, thank god not the club) and say hello to Cafe 939 - Boylston St. between Gloucester and Fairfield (next to Cactus Club). Weird location for a daytime coffee but probably going to be great at night.

I hate April Fools'

I will fully admit - I am one of those idiots who believes the crazy news stories up until they start getting a particular level of crazy and then I remember, oh, it's April Fools'. I am such a dumb dumb. This one hooked me with the title.

Also, from Bostonist are the local April book events; I'm pretty ticked that the Jhumpa Lahiri engagement is sold out (but then again, it was in Braintree which wasn't convenient) but I'm thinking I might go see Sloane Crosley (author of I Was Told There'd Be Cake) - April 15 @ 7 pm, Brookline Booksmith.

Why do people love bacon so much? And why must they combine it with everything? No April Fools for this one, sadly, it's real.