Typing from Mom's today, where we gave her the Mother's Day present of her very own version of Chuzzle which she can play offline. Her system was so antiquated she needed a version of ActiveX that's like three versions less than the current one, which we couldn't even download from Microsoft's website which froze her dial-up and we had to reboot and in the meantime Robin got the ActiveX installer in about five seconds on the laptop, stuck Mom's USB thumb drive in there, copied the installer onto her computer, and voila! I love that there's always a workaround, even for somewhat older machines... Anyway, speaking of cool computer stuff, Jason Bergman found this very cool video:



As Jason says, it's superior to the actual corporate-produced video...

Heading out shortly to a family bar-mitzvah, and then to Mom's for Mother's Day weekend. We're taking the laptop but, in case we can't get a wifi connection there, I may as well give you a Silly Site now. What if the real world worked like Facebook?:



Via Siva at Sivacracy.

Let's see if rotating this photo worked:



Datsa has fallen in love again with the closet in the computer room.

As it's Friday (see above), how about checking out the Cat Diaries? Very charming stuff, via Meg at Cute Overload who needs the hits like I need several holes in my cranium.

Stupid left arm still affected. It may be a neck pinch, I'm just not sure. I'll probably ring the doctor again tomorrow and ask if she has any other advice, I don't really know if the anti-inflammatory med's working. Can't sit at my computer for more than an hour without a lot of pain. Driving this weekend will be loads of fun, but I'm spending Mother's Day with my Mom and I wouldn't have it any other way. Via Mike at Left is Right, here are some very wrong cards you can send your mom for Mother's Day.

My newest ComicMix column is up (as it's a "meta" post it already has five comments), and in honor of my long-time friend and ComicMix commenter Vinnie Bartilucci, I present the International Norbert Conspiracy -- animated!



The animation, by Rusty of Rusty's Rocking Jamboree (which is, near as I can tell, a modern Minnesotan version of Uncle Floyd only maybe not), is based on a Rick Geary drawing. As I recall, Vin's almost done with his third Norbert volume and about to start on a fourth in time for MoCCA...

Absolutely horrid night, very little sleep, but couldn't take a night-time acetaminophen nor an allergy pill because I had an early morning interview. Home for barely an hour before going to the dentist to get a cavity filled, then I crashed heavily this afternoon waiting for the novocaine to wear off. Still can't type easily without feeling it in the shoulder, but I think it's getting incrementally better. Hey, today's International No Diet Day; here are some fun slogans you can use from the INDD headquarters...

So I hear it's Cinco de Mayo, which we celebrated by eating conveyor-belt sushi and not buying beer during our food shopping. Erm. Anyway, when I think of Mexican I think of huevos, and since we sush-ed today how about an egg site from Japan? Via Robyn Lee at Serious Eats, it's I Love Egg!



As Meg Frost of Cute Overload is fond of saying, nobody does cute better than the Japanese...

Bah, shoulder still bad. Switching to the hip pack until my next interview. I think the anti-inflammatory's working, but if so it's taking its time. Here you go, via Gerard again, play with Big Huge Labs' Flickr toys...

Happy Free Comic Book Day! Once again, Robin has not been asked to be involved in any creator signings, not even at the two local shops (not that they know we're here and not that we harbor any such expectations), and between that and my shoulder pain (the real reason I'm cranky and bitching) we're not going to be participating in this year's FCBD. Which saddens me because I've liked the FCBD stuff in the past, and have tried to make a habit out of introducing at least one new person to comics every year, which is kind of the point of the day. If we have the energy we'll be visiting the dry cleaners and the local fruit & veg place, neither of which will feature comics. And then we'll come home where I'll read the rest of the comics in my DC comp box from last month (I can't read the second issue of Tangent: Superman's Reign on which Rob worked because we haven't yet gotten the comp box with the first issue) and pet cats. You've all seen the Engineer's Guide to Cats, haven't you?



It's been lots of places but I first saw it via Amanda. If only Seal Press had used cute cat pictures to illustrate her new book instead of dated and racist Werner Roth art pinched from old Lorna the Jungle Girl comics...

So earlier this week I treated myself to a new $3 watchband and the cats to a couple of new $3 catnip bags. Datsa seemed to appreciate adding to his hoard:



Meanwhile, my shoulder problems have necessitated using one pillow instead of my usual two, which pleases Amy:



So far it doesn't feel as though the anti-inflammatory's working yet; at this point I'd settle for the numbness leaving my left hand.

There's a reason I subscribe to David McCandless' blog. So I can spread the word when he updates, as he just has with three new additions to his SchmApple section. I think my favorite of the three is DreamOn Pro.