Sailing? That's transportation. "Riding a bus isn't a sport, why the fuck should sailing be a sport?"

From looking through the news in the middle of the day:

The hilarious George Carlin died. He will be missed, especially at Shining Time Station.

One bus accident the Fung Wah isn't actually responsible for - shocking, I know!

A triple threat subscription to The New Yorker, The Atlantic and Harper's would surely devour all my time, would it not?

Early onset boredom today helped me to rediscover The Atlantic:

American Murder Mystery - about the movement of urban crime outward from the inner city (this struck me because I'm in the midst of reading The Death and Life of Great American Cities). Particularly eerie were the related archive links that showed up next to this article: From 1913, The Drift to the Cities; from 1966, The Tragedy of Urban Renewal; from 1997, Good News (about community-based housing transforming bad neighborhoods); from 2000,

Notes on the Murder of 30 of My Neighbors.

Is Google Making Us Stupid? - about how the ability to read, specifically lengthy prose ("deep reading"), has been altered in the internet age. Which makes me think: by having a blog full of links that bounce you back and forth from topic to topic, am I only contributing to this evolution of information retention? And is that bad?

HARRISON teaches his film class entitled “How To Ruin Millions Of Childhoods In 2 Hours”

Found "the abridged script" from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull via Kottke. I'm not sure if I'm laughing or crying.

Local news that has nothing to do with sports

In Somerville, Good Times is out and IKEA is in.

We're flipping cars in Boston tonight!

Celtics take LA - first championship won by any Boston sports team in town in 22 years. It's gonna be a long night...

Hometown stuff

A lit magazine called New Haven Review got some headlines in NYT today. It's got some neat little features, going back a few months already. Esp. liking the article on New Haven's commerce (and how they put the kibosh on the North Haven Mall - New Haven? Thanks).

Oh, HELLS YES!

July 25th.

Here's some depression to put you to bed (sorry)

I'm shocked; Tim Russert has unexpectedly died.

I knew there was radiation involved when I decided to sleep with the cell phone by my bed, but not this much.

Here, here's something that'll cheer you up...ten really good tips for cooking. Because after all that, maybe you'll feel like making something healthy for breakfast.

I'm so sorry...but I'll have to pay in dollar coins...

In case you haven't heard the U.S. Mints are pushing the dollar coins again - this time with presidents, oooooo. I foolishly traded someone a bill to get an Adams coin that I will likely never spend. Coolest thing about these? There's print along the edge.

Tell me this isn't the coolest apt you've ever heard of

Codes and puzzles to solve, built into this NYC apt.

Nice things to listen to on this balmy evening

She & Him on NPR's The Lillywhite Sessions (ironic, I know).

Lots and lots to download from The Dresden Dolls.

The answer eludes me!

I need help - this keeps happening to all my ice cubes and I'm trying to find a way to prevent this, hopefully without having to fiddle too much with the freezer itself. Store the ice in a sealed container, perhaps?

The past 10 years, with a nod to the future

From The Observer: 1997-2008 in Books

All new levels of "no shit, Sherlock"

The Longfellow Bridge sidewalk closes; "If you see a train fall into the river, say something!".

Sox and Tampa players get suspended for fighting.

"Cartoons are like gossamer, and one doesn't dissect gossamer"

From Slate, How to Win the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest.

Danielle Steel need not apply

Summer reading lists. I...always liked these (nerd!).

UC Berkeley has awesome recommended lists for incoming freshman, going back as far as 1985. I'm a little surprised by their 2002 banned book themed list if only because I've read almost all of those...in public school.

To make up for a slow reading year, I have ten books on my summer reading list:

Currently reading:
On the Road: The Original Scroll – Jack Kerouac
I Was Told There’d Be Cake – Sloane Crosley
The Golden Notebook – Doris Lessing
The Master Butchers Singing Club – Louise Erdrich

You Shall Know Our Velocity! – Dave Eggers
The Book of Other People – ed. Zadie Smith
Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name – Vendela Vida
In Defense of Food - Michael Pollan
Dreams from My Father – Barack Obama
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – C. S. Lewis

Stuff and Things

This has been bouncing around...I'm afraid I'm just the sort of terrible woman who would joyfully put my cold feet against my husband in bed.

@ the Library is a blog I check in on periodically. This most recent entry reminded me of my own plight with my own neighbor (who is gone! and no one had to get stabbed in the process!) but it's a fun read otherwise, as well.