Pen-Elayne on the Web

Silly Site o' the Day

2012-02-02T21:32:00.003-05:00

Every now and then I see a bit of entertainment and wonder who the target audience is for said entertainment, because it's so rarely me. Well, Arthur links to a site that's so up my alley I wonder if they somehow focused-grouped me behind my back: Shakespearean Light Bulb Jokes.

Silly Site o' the Day

2012-02-01T22:08:00.002-05:00

Ever wonder what Batman would look like fighting in stilettos? I'm so thrilled with sites like The Mary Sue and others showing by (fun!) example how silly some artists are about superheroine costume designs, it's all a former Friend of Lulu could dream of!

Silly Site o' the Day

2012-01-31T22:55:00.002-05:00

Via Mark Evanier and others, fezzes are cool. I mean, sure, why wouldn't they be?

Silly Site o' the Day

2012-01-30T22:47:00.003-05:00

To celebrate my actually making some headway in my DCU comics, and via both BoingBoing and The Mary Sue, it's Alex Gross' "mixed media" paintings!

Silly Site o' the Day

2012-01-29T23:04:00.002-05:00

Spent much of the weekend doing household chores because, hey, we're part of that pesky 99% that the 1% is trying their damndest to ignore or worse. Like Mitt Romney, for instance. Via BoingBoing, you can now go to this calculator at Slate to determine how long it takes Romney to earn your annual salary, and also find out how long it would take you to make what he made two years ago. That second number? It'll be a few hundred years for most of you.

Silly Site o' the Day

2012-01-28T04:49:00.003-05:00

Not really a silly site, but an infographic on how the movie industry is Wrong Again, by the brilliant and insightful Anne Rhodes:

I love this graphic not only because of all the good info it contains all in one place so you can see the patterns of wrongness, but because it takes up so much room on my page so it looks like I've been blogging more. :) Via Neil Gaiman, Wil Wheaton and probably lots of others.

Silly Site o' the Day

2012-01-27T06:18:00.002-05:00

With Oscar season well underway, let's take a look at how things would be if the posters for this year's nominated movies told the truth behind their campaigns. Via BoingBoing.

Silly Site o' the Day

2012-01-26T22:28:00.002-05:00

Well, that was two horrid days of limping, followed by a 30+ second calf cramp this morning, but my foot appears better now. Science! Spoeaking of which, I love Ape Lad's Questionable Table of Elements:

If you haven't been following Ape Lad's feline meanderers in Laugh-Out-Loud Cats, you really should, it's getting all nicely surreal of late.

Silly Site o' the Day

2012-01-25T22:42:00.003-05:00

It's been a hell of a couple of days physically, as I suddenly started feeling intense pain in my right foot and can't really put weight on it. Makes for a fun commute! Took a shower fairly early whilst I could still stand, and my eyes have been burning ever since. Could be worse, they could be eyebombs (via The Mary Sue)...

Silly Site o' the Day

2012-01-24T22:10:00.002-05:00

Here you go, this year's State of the Union Drinking Game, the one that's not on Huffington "Bloggers Don't Get Paid Here Even Though Arianna's Rolling In It" Post. How'd you do? We were too busy watching our DVR'ed Sherlock Holmes episode, the Baskerville one, which (alas) I actually figured out about an hour before the titular character did. I think I need a drinking game for that.

Silly Site o' the Day

2012-01-23T23:11:00.001-05:00

Happy Chinese New Year! To celebrate, let's see some Taiwanese-animation style Stephen Colbert Super-PAC stuff, shall we?:

Via the Comedy Central blog. Speaking of which, back to The Daily Show!

Silly Site o' the Day

2012-01-22T23:03:00.002-05:00

Well, I was a good girl and read or skimmed through a fair number of blog posts today, bringing my unread total down to an almost-manageable 600 or so. Alas, another work week begins so I don't know if I can keep pace, but hey, at least I didn't encounter any wacky Russian 404 error pages (via BoingBoing)...

Silly Site o' the Day

2012-01-21T23:56:00.002-05:00

Looking at this Gawker collection of students' (and teachers'!) reactions to Wikipedia going dark the other day (via Arthur), I wonder if it's for real and people who rely on the 'pedia for their homework assignments and essays are really as stupid as you'd expect the 'pedia-reliant to be, or if it isn't a hoax. Rob's money is on the latter, but you know, nobody ever went broke underestimating, etc. etc. (look it up)...

Silly Site o' the Day

2012-01-20T06:08:00.003-05:00

First of all, happy 40th birthday, Laura! I may not blog as prolifically as I used to, but that doesn't mean I can't celebrate Pen-Elayne's crack techie, my "blog-daughter" and friend! Here's looking at you, kid! Oh, and speaking of old movies, here's one for your husband:

Speaking of computer things, Robin tells me Apple's market share is now worth more than the entire country of Greece, and pointed me to this Tumblr site listing other Things Apple Is Worth More Than. They're certainly worth more than our household income... like, for the rest of our lives!

Silly Site o' the Day

2012-01-19T21:20:00.001-05:00

Hans Besserman is a better man than I am, and via email he tells me of today's Silly Site, Wolferl Mozart. Huzzah!

Silly Site o' the Day

2012-01-18T05:14:00.002-05:00

Well, I'll be going dark for the rest of the day. Not for the same reason as many other sites, although I'm definitely in sympathy. No, just because hey, it's a workday and this will be it from me until tomorrow. Wouldn't it be nice to live in a world where SOPA and PIPA didn't even exist as concepts? And where modern films were given an old-fashioned twist? (Via Robin.) 'Twould be a wonderful thing.

Silly Site o' the Day

2012-01-17T22:20:00.001-05:00

I've been getting out of work on time this week, but still too tired to cook. Of course, no matter how tired I am, I don't think I'll try this version of shepherd's pie, no matter how much Robin might want it:

Via My Food Looks Funny.

Silly Site o' the Day

2012-01-16T22:51:00.001-05:00

Sometimes I just like me the in-jokes. Here, have some Internet Justice League (via The Mary Sue).

Silly Site o' the Day

2012-01-15T13:23:00.002-05:00

So, say you've misplaced all your kitchen measuring tools. Don't worry, you can still do things by hand!

Via My Food Looks Funny. Now if only I could figure out that cubit stuff...

Silly Site o' the Day

2012-01-14T09:18:00.003-05:00

Not being a fan of violent entertainment, I have very little interest in The Hunger Games. But I gotta say, I'd probably go see a parody of it. Here's a wonderful trailer for said imagined parody:

Via The Mary Sue, which I'm finally caught up in reading. The weekend looks pretty cold so my plans are to run a few mandatory errands and then coop myself up with comics and blog-reading...

Silly Site o' the Day

2012-01-13T23:52:00.003-05:00

Another long day, and I'm very tired but if I sleep now I think I might wind up having one of those telekinesis dreams:

I swear, this reminds me of way too many dreams I've had. I'm always picking up everyday stuff by pointing at it or calling it to me by reaching out my hand. Via The Mary Sue.

Silly Site o' the Day

2012-01-12T22:05:00.002-05:00

After the kind of day I've had, I could probably use a drink. Let's see...

Wil Wheaton. On second thought, I should probably stick to whine-- I mean, wine.

Silly Site o' the Day

2012-01-11T06:50:00.002-05:00

Fine, I succumb to peer pressure. Pretty much everyone has run this video, so here I go:

From the people who brought you this:

...which I believe I did as a Silly Site awhile back.

Silly Site o' the Day

2012-01-10T23:28:00.001-05:00

Busy all day and evening; even managed to cook! None for kitties, though. Which makes me feel even worse linking to Kitteh Fashion (via BoingBoing)...

Silly Site o' the Day

2012-01-09T23:51:00.001-05:00

In honor of my Dad, whose birth anniversary was today, a video about the placebo effect:

Via BoingBoing. Although frankly I'm probably a bit more hypochondriac than he was...

Silly Site o' the Day

2012-01-08T23:22:00.003-05:00

Via Arthur, here are 30 ways the world used to be cooler. It pleases me to note that I'm not old enough to remember any of them. Okay, except the last one.

Silly Site o' the Day

2012-01-07T15:42:00.002-05:00

In a few minutes we're heading off to an actual party, filled with (we presume) amazing and wonderful creative types. My first fandom foray of the year! In honor of which I thought I'd post the Inspector Spacetime Confessions Tumblr (via The Mary Sue). See you on the flip side!

Silly Site o' the Day

2012-01-06T23:21:00.002-05:00

When it's this late at night and you still can't find something you want to put in as a Silly Site, then and only then is it time for the Adam Sandler Movie Generator (via Gerard). Sorry about that.

Silly Site o' the Day

2012-01-05T21:51:00.001-05:00

Some weather we're having lately, huh?

Infrared sped-up'edness via BoingBoing.

Silly Site o' the Day

2012-01-04T22:56:00.001-05:00

Dang it's cold! Before this chill jump-starts my cold again (although I fear it may already have done the damage), let me quickly recommend io9's Rules of Magic in Most Fictional Universes. I could use a warm spell about now.

Silly Site o' the Day

2012-01-03T22:55:00.001-05:00

Via Robin, and just for Mom, you have to read this poem out loud. I think I tripped on about two or three words.

Silly Site o' the Day

2012-01-02T22:53:00.002-05:00

And thus the holiday vacation period ends, but at least it's only a 4-day work week. All I have to do now is get through the cold snap of the next couple of days (and then the cold snaps for the next three months after that). At least on the internet it's nice and warm, even if the auto-correct is misbehaving again (via Susie)...

Silly Site o' the Day

2012-01-01T09:19:00.003-05:00

White Rabbits, and happy New Year! Let's start 2012 off with some good old-fashioned pinball, Lyon-building style, shall we?:

Via David Atkins at Hullabaloo.

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-12-31T22:32:00.003-05:00

It was a day of stuff-do-age here at the Riggs Residence, as I can't do much more than putter about and cough, and cough, and cough some more. I'm sure this will go away someday, but it's getting really annoying. Let's have one last holiday-related video before the turning of the year:

Yeah, showbiz is a cutthroat world. Via The Mary Sue. Happy 2012, everyone!

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-12-30T23:26:00.001-05:00

Picked up way too many comics after work today; my arms are still hurting from the carrying. At least I didn't get any X-Men with googly eyes (via The Mary Sue)...

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-12-29T22:47:00.002-05:00

So while it's still nominally the season, is Jesufy Yourself sacrelicious or what?

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-12-28T19:11:00.002-05:00

Timely Team Unicorn Instructional Films presents... Zombie Survival Tips for the Holidays!

Via The Mary Sue!

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-12-27T23:18:00.001-05:00

Well, work wasn't too bad, except for the coughing fits that I suspect will continue for some time. The homeward-bound commute was the worst, as it's difficult to breathe in water even when one isn't congested. Ah well, I should just close my eyes and think of the silly season. Here are some Newt's Nudes (via BoingBoing); maybe I should have kept my eyes closed.

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-12-26T23:35:00.003-05:00

Wow, back to work already and I'm still not healthy. Winter sucks, and it's still just December! Hope everyone's holiday weekend went well. In case you still need to buy gifts, here's a Gift Ideas Generator.

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-12-25T23:20:00.002-05:00

Well, the Christmas dinner is eaten (the veg didn't come off well, the duck wasn't as good as we've had in England, but the 'shroom sauce was great and the pud was yummy) and we've watched the Doctor Who special (okay but a bit padded) and I'm ready to go to bed with visions of getting better dancing in my head. Maybe tomorrow will be my first day without coughing... in the meantime, here are some Christmas Kitty album covers at I Can Has Cheezburger? - enjoy!

We Wish You...

2011-12-25T16:34:00.004-05:00

Happy Christmas, all who celebrate it!

That's Robin's illustration for our holiday card this year. Christmas dinner will consist of duck with port wine and wild mushroom sauce, root vegetable gratin, chestnut puree and of course plum pudding. Prepping the rutabagas, sweet potatoes, celeriac and parsnips really took a lot out of me, particularly as I'm still coughing up a lung or two, but it's all in cooking now and all I have to do is make the sauce (the puree and pud can go in the microwave, thank goodness). I can has Christmas nap now?

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-12-24T18:58:00.001-05:00

Have you seen Google's interactive doodle today?

There, that's enough posting for now. I'm off to actually celebrate the holiday with Robin and the kitties...

Belated Friday Cat Blogging*

2011-12-24T18:43:00.003-05:00

Just got finished taking the "official" photos of the Riggs Residence holiday table and card wreath:

I love the oranges, the birthday balloons, the lit Chanukah candles by the fiber-optic Christmas tree, all the crackers, the pressies, just about everything!

See there, enough people still send cards in the mail that it makes this wreath worthwhile. In the middle you can see part of Robin's big 50th birthday card that I had our friends sign at the New York Comic con (Neal Adams insisted his signature be at the top, he's definitely the John Hancock of this particular document!).

But that's not why you're reading this. You came here to see kitties, and kitties you'll get! First is Datsa, wearing both of the crowns we got in the Christmas crackers we opened today:

Amy, on the other hand, has far more dignity, and has decided to lay out on my old poncho on the couch:

Nice and cozy! Oh, and Tony Ricketts has now returned with a new Jingle Cats video, here's an ITN report about it:

*(Friday Cat Blogging is ™ Kevin Drum)

'Tis the Season

2011-12-24T14:27:00.004-05:00

Once a year I link back to my "Wholly Trinity" of Christmas-related media culture essays from nine years ago, and today's the day:

My overview of various televised and movie versions of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol -- You Shall Be Upheld in More Than This*

My love-hate relationship with Rankin/Bass cartoons -- "So That's Where He Got the Crown of Thorns!"

My Christmas music post -- I Hear People Singing, It Must Be Christmastime

Enjoy! Our annual online card appears in this space tomorrow, but Robin's already made it his Facebook photo. If I can deal with it I'll try to enjoy A Christmas Carol online later by accessing the original text...

*This needs major updating since it doesn't include Disney's 2009 computer-animated version with Jim Carrey, as well as a few others I've acquired in the meantime. I've started work on a comparison chart, but with this illness I haven't actually rewatched all the Christmas Carol versions I have yet, so I'm afraid it'll be updated next year along with (maybe, just maybe) the other two essays. Something to look forward to during Pen-Elayne's 10th anniversary year!

Now, back to NORAD tracking Santa!

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-12-23T23:15:00.002-05:00

Still coughing, but at least I didn't have to commute to and from the office today, as my supervisor suggested I work from home. Afterwards we did the last of our pre-Christmas food shopping, which nearly knocked both of us out (Robin's almost as sick as I am by now, having picked up my cold through no fault of his own, poor thing), but at least it's all done. And I've just made this animated gift box for you (via Gerard), so there's that. Now off to bed?

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-12-22T21:50:00.002-05:00

My first full day back at work, if you count a 3-hour lunch with my fellow admins to celebrate the season. Wow, what a great lunch! Trattoria del'Arte, highly recommended! Anyway, I'm now starting to think about Christmas dinner for Robin, but alas, I don't have any food-related silly sites at the moment to tie in with my ramblings. How about some vintage Terry Gilliam playing with even more vintage Christmas cards?

Via The Mary Sue.

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-12-21T20:36:00.005-05:00

A little better today, but I couldn't last the whole day at work, so I left about 3 hours before quitting time so I could get credit for an hour lunch and only use two paid-time-off hours. Not that I don't have tons of hours saved up, but I guess it's the principle of the thing. Anyway, I see that the folks at Bad Lip Reading Theater have now partnered with Funny or Die, so I apologize that this video has a commercial before it:

Via BoingBoing.

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-12-20T22:33:00.001-05:00

Chappy Chanukah, and yes, I still have a lot of phlegm from this awful lingering cold which is why all the "ch"s. Here, let April Winchell tell you the story of Hanukkah (you all know it's spelled like umpteen different ways, right)!

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-12-19T22:02:00.003-05:00

Even sicker today than yesterday, which I didn't think possible. Thanks to Robin all our holiday cards have been mailed out, at least. Wish I could breathe, or see the monitor properly, or any number of things I usually take for granted. At least I can still smile, thank to this video via The Mary Sue:

I swear, the older Takei gets, the cleverer he (or his people) get(s)...

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-12-18T10:26:00.002-05:00

See, I didn't even know imitating Kristen Stewart was a thing, so thank goodness The Mary Sue passes along this gem from Laura McDonald & co.:

Sacrelicious! The more you know...

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-12-17T17:41:00.002-05:00

Quick! Go to Google and type in "Let it snow"! Robin finds the coolest things to make me feel better when I'm sick...

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-12-16T22:55:00.002-05:00

Alas, the cold is now full-blown, so I couldn't even enjoy getting out of work at 1 PM or, so when I decided to call it quits and take a couple hours paid time off. I feel about as creepy as Cyriak's holiday video:

Via BoingBoing, and I hope you didn't watch it just before going to bed.

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-12-15T21:57:00.001-05:00

Ugh, my first winter cold of this season. I'm going to bed. Please to enjoy the new episode of Simon's Cat:

G'night. *sniffle*

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-12-14T22:55:00.001-05:00

Looking for that perfect Rick Perry parody ad? Here's a great candidate:

Via BoingBoing, which is collecting more.

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-12-13T23:27:00.001-05:00

Via Mark Evanier, here's a site that tells you all about some fascinating and little-known punctuation marks. For the grammar geeks among us!

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-12-12T22:14:00.001-05:00

Still wondering what to buy to fill out your Christmas list? You can't go wrong with a product that gets these kinds of Amazon reviews (via Jill).

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-12-11T23:05:00.002-05:00

'Tis the season for catching up on things, and today was finances and DVR'ed shows. Maybe next weekend it'll be blogging, who knows? 'Tis also the season for weirdass photos, via Fruitcake (itself via I Can Has Cheezburger?).

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-12-10T23:06:00.002-05:00

Just got back from the best office holiday party I've ever been to, where politics weren't discussed at all, so how about a PAC name generator (via BoingBoing)?

Sadly, this has been used to create actual PAC names (also via BoingBoing), proving once again that truth is stranger than fiction.

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-12-09T22:56:00.003-05:00

How about a catchy ditty via Kath David?:

To me steampunk is like any other art - I know it when I see it. And most of the time, it ain't it.

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-12-08T21:58:00.002-05:00

Is the pepper-spraying cop meme dead yet? Then I really need to get rid of this link to the Tumbler blog of all the Photoshops (via Arthur) as well as this meme-crash:

That last one was via The Awl.

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-12-07T23:11:00.001-05:00

My version of Advent-type stuff: Ugly Renaissance Babies (via Neil Gaiman). Brilliant stuff.

Robin and the Big Five-Oh

2011-12-06T05:41:00.003-05:00

Today my soulmate celebrates his milestone 50th birthday. As much as I love writing, words seem terribly inadequate to describe how I feel about Robin. I am in awe of his talent, and it's maddening to me that Marvel and DC aren't beating down our door offering him work. I think it's astounding the way he and I will verbalize the exact same reaction to things simultaneously - and not just because we've been together 13+ years, we did it right from the start. Every day with him is a joy and a wonder. I feel like the luckiest person in the world to have found my soulmate. Happy birthday, darling!

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-12-05T22:43:00.002-05:00

You know, you're only as old as you feel. Tonight I feel older than I should, whereas tomorrow Robin will have aged an entire year and probably won't feel a thing. In any case, I think we're about ready to join these lively seniors:

Via BoingBoing.

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-12-04T23:50:00.001-05:00

Just made it, a few minutes under midnight of our 13th anniversary! As you can surmise, I had other things to do today besides blogging. :) Anyway, here's a silly site I like for both me and Robin: The Mary Sue's collection of stock photos featuring ladies lounging with laptops.

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-12-03T22:55:00.001-05:00

Oh darn. Comedians everywhere are just a little sadder today. Men for Cain, we hardly knew ye.

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-12-02T22:49:00.002-05:00

This Miniatur Wunderland? I want to go to there. Not to Hamburg to see the display, although that would be incredibly cool, but to the realms it depicts:

Via BoingBoing.

Friday Birthday and Cat Blogging*

2011-12-02T20:16:00.005-05:00

I'm liking the ease of Facebook photo albums more and more. I hit one button to take all the photos from my iPhoto album and make a Facebook album out of it, and I can link to individual photos from here as I like. Meanwhile, Facebook itself seems to be where it's at in terms of friends - I remember the days of actual physical cards, then e-cards and blog comments, now it's mostly people there wishing me many happy returns of the day, throwing up their own e-cards and videos... it's a great little town square for me! I'm up to 100 friends and relatives sending along their best wishes, including folks I've known since childhood, cohorts from my INSIDE JOKE years, actual Famous People... I'm really blown away!

But back to the photos. I got out of work at 3 PM (last month my company reinstituted early Friday departure through the end of the year so people could do their holiday errands and such, and this is the first week I actually got out on time, I've worked OT the last three times) and Robin and I walked up to Central Park. Here he is at the Artists' Gate, naturally:

No, I don't know why there's a lamppost growing out of his head. I guess because having a lightbulb there would have been too cliche? Anyway, we walked over to the Columbus Circle Holiday Market to "window" shop and enjoy some no-sugar-added hot apple cider; yum! I took a few photos while we were sitting and sipping; this one's my favorite, showing a Central Park path leading away from the kiosks:

We then headed down to Midtown Comics in the Times Square area to pick up a fairly substantial haul, as for some unknown reason we seem to have dropped off DC's comp list, then dined on surf and turf at Red Lobster; yum again! After that we took in just a bit of the Bryant Park Holiday Shops, as that's where we had to get the express bus back home anyway:

It was still pretty early when we arrived home, about my usual weekday arrival time anyway, and before feeding the cats Robin took this photo of me, Datsa (with his arms around me as usual) and my birthday present, a lovely wildcats metroyshka from here (I collect nesting dolls):

My birthday blouse actually looks a little better than it seems to here; I got lots of compliments on it at work today! Oh, and while we're on Friday Cat Blogging, here's an adorable one of Amy from a few days ago, caught in mid-grooming:

This has probably been one of the easiest pictorials I've ever posted here. Hats off to the iPhoto/Facebook album interface!

*(Friday Cat Blogging is ™ Kevin Drum)

Studious 54

2011-12-02T06:57:00.001-05:00

Off to celebrate my 54th birthday at work and elsewhere. Back later with a Silly Site and (possibly) photos of interest.

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-12-01T06:27:00.002-05:00

White Rabbits, and welcome to the month of celebrations here at the Riggs Residence, kicking off with my birthday tomorrow, then our anniversary on Sunday, Robin's birthday next Tuesday, and Chanukah and Christmas somewhere down the line later in December! Let's kick things off with a weird little item debunking a horrific modern viral urban legend about a tattoo artist's misogynistic revenge on his girlfriend, which I'm really glad is fake (via Neil Gaiman).

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-11-30T19:57:00.001-05:00

An idea whose time has come, because if you're going to act like a clown you might as well dress the part. Via BoingBoing.

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-11-29T23:46:00.003-05:00

Ladies and gentlemen, the 12 most baffling genres of stock photos and accompanying explanation (via Arthur). That is all.

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-11-28T23:43:00.001-05:00

Yeah, I know, diabetic coma-inducing, but WANT.

Sweet! Via BoingBoing.

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-11-27T22:31:00.001-05:00

Damn, I woke up with my right foot in pain, and it hasn't let up all day. Good job I didn't have to go anywhere! Maybe next time I'll get a fictional disease (via BoingBoing). Then again, compared with some of them I think I'll take my chances with a bum foot...

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-11-26T22:34:00.002-05:00

And now, this brief message:

The book is probably cute, but I think I'll stick with the videos.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-25T20:08:00.002-05:00

As promised, my annual Thanksgiving photos! Yesterday we went to my cousin's house, and all the photos I took from there are up on my Facebook page. But today we had another Thanksgiving for just the two of us. Here's the menu:

I forgot to put potatoes on the menu, because Robin made those for himself. Here's how the spread looked after everything was cooked:

And my plate:

Kitties were intensely interested:

Robin just seemed confused:

I'm grateful for so many things - that we have a roof over our heads, that I have a good job that I love with people whom I admire and like quote a lot, that we live in a nice quiet neighborhood and house, that we have our health, that we have such wonderful family and friends, and that I'm still excited about writing this blog 9+ years in. I hope your Thanksgiving was terrific, and that the coming holiday season is everything you wish it to be.

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-11-25T07:06:00.003-05:00

As yesterday was Thanksgiving with family, I've decided today is Thanksgiving with just me and Robin. I'm cooking a turkey breast and a number of trimmings; will probably take my traditional Riggs Feast photos later. I will not be making turkey-shaped gelatin concoctions (via BoingBoing), however.

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-11-24T07:36:00.002-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow USA-ans! This is probably my favorite holiday - it's secular, it occurs during my favorite season, and it's all about family and food. Plus, I love the idea of a harvest festival, that seems to be something most cultures have had ever since humans became agrarian. After watching the parade on TV, we're heading up to my cousin Mara's house, where I will of course be at the adult table, but I love how Matthew Inman reminds us of the differences between Thanksgiving as a kid vs. Thanksgiving as an adult. Have a great day, everyone!

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-11-23T06:21:00.001-05:00

Let's give thanks for kitties with Kitten Album Covers, Part 2!

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-11-22T06:25:00.001-05:00

For those of you who can't quite picture relative money, how bad inequality is in this country, etc., I'm guessing lots of people are now going to be talking about Randall Munro's Money Chart. Really mind-blowing, meticulously researched work. Well done!

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-11-21T22:19:00.002-05:00

Too tired, 10.5 hour day, must go to bed. All closed up, like these places (via Arthur). G'night!

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-11-20T22:36:00.001-05:00

Is it too soon for some Occupy Lulz?

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-11-19T07:44:00.001-05:00

As I'll be talking with my mom later today, because she likes 3D sidewalk paintings, here's Joe Hill's pavement art page (via BoingBoing).

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-11-18T21:33:00.002-05:00

Much to do this weekend that didn't get done this afternoon, as I worked 4+ hours overtime. So I don't think I'll be blogging much. But someday, oh, someday. In the far, far future. Perhaps in a science-fictional one. Here's your handy timeline of media sf future stuff, via The Mary Sue.

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-11-17T22:37:00.002-05:00

For those people just dying to prove how New York-centric we New Yorkers are, via BoingBoing here's ExtendNY, an interactive map that extends Manhattan's grid pattern worldwide. Apparently Robin's old haunts are somewhere around the intersection of 11,278th Avenue and 63,612 Street. And as Robin observes, when walking the world it's the avenues that really kill you. Interestingly, if we were to go strictly by the grid our cross-street would be named 280th, which is about 20 streets off from reality. Although it's essentially correct about Broadway, which runs through our neighborhood, being more the equivalent of 10th Avenue up these parts.

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-11-16T06:35:00.002-05:00

Today, Neil Gaiman asks the non-musical question, what if Lord of the Rings were filmed noir-style in 1944?

Best not to watch this at full screen size, it hurts the eyes. Love the idea of Peter Lorre as Smeagle!

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-11-15T21:55:00.003-05:00

How on earth could I have missed Marcel the Shell with Shoes On up until now?

Thanks, The Mary Sue!

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-11-14T22:45:00.001-05:00

Want to feel as old as I do? Sure you do! Have a listen to (and look at) these all-but-obsolete sounds and machines. Via BoingBoing.

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-11-13T07:30:00.007-05:00

Say, why not start this Sunday off with some nice music and a very cool video to go with it?

Hudson - Against The Grain from Dropbear on Vimeo.

Via BoingBoing.

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-11-12T22:46:00.003-05:00

A lovely day indeed! Most of the morning was spent at the auto shop getting my car's quarterly oil change and safety check, but hey, they have free wifi so I was happy. And we checked out the new Whole ~~Pocketbook~~ Foods store in Yonkers, up on a hill where they're apparently building a mall as well as lots of condos. The view of I78 must be really spectacular, not to mention the view of the Stew Leonard's employees possibly quaking in their boots at the new competition or even more possibly surreptitiously submitting their resumes. In any case, a terrific afternoon for a short drive in a tuned-up vehicle. And this evening we watched the third Narnia movie, which only slightly confused me as I still haven't sat through the second. But way back once upon a time I know I read all of them - actually, twice upon a time, if I recall correctly. The plots and other niggling details, of course, I cannot recall at all. Which is why I have a library, so I can theoretically reread any of my fantasy and sf books whenever I want to and it'll still all seem like new again. Speaking of which, here's an interactive flowchart guide to NPR's top 100 fantasy and sf books (via io9), in case you have more time on your hands than I do.

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-11-11T06:55:00.001-05:00

Via BoingBoing, another lovely Symphony of Science, this time featuring Neil deGrasse Tyson:

And now, I'll be moving onward to the edge of the curb to get the express bus to work...

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-11-10T21:45:00.003-05:00

Considering my day job, I was very pleased to see this site called We are the 1 percent: We stand with the 99 percent (via Sheila Lennon). It's nice to see so many well-off people who realize exactly how lucky they are and who are working to change inequity.

Foggy Morning, Breakdown

2011-11-10T20:51:00.005-05:00

Yeah, I've been taking photos lately. Here's a set from my phone's camera, which I took on the way to the bus yesterday. Note that the last three, from on the bus, are sans fog, as we were in Manhattan by that time. For those who don't like to click to Flickr, here's my favorite:

Not too shabby for a little phone camera! The next set, which I've put on Facebook, was taken this past Sunday, when we returned to Macy Park to assess the damage the freak pre-Hallowe'en snowstorm had caused. This one here is my car parked amid some of the major fallen branches:

Pretty scary. No use in taking a panorama photo, either - the trees were either bare or had too many branches down or were stubbornly refusing to change.

The trees around us are currently peak or a little past peak, with that wonderful russet color I wait all year to see. Here's a photo snapped from my camera phone around 4:30 this afternoon from outside my ophthalmologist's office:

This one's exclusive to Blogger. I like to spread around where I store my photos cloud-wise (although I'm leaning more and more to Facebook, that was a pretty easy upload from iPhoto). Oh, and I passed my visual field test and all other eye exam stuff with flying colors, in case you were wondering.

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-11-09T21:54:00.002-05:00

And now for this commercial message brought to you by the Twitter page Ads of Yore (via BoingBoing). That is all.

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-11-08T22:55:00.003-05:00

Darn it if the Muppet folks' scheme to get me to want to actually see the movie isn't working:

Via The Mary Sue. Of course, by "see the movie" I inevitably mean "wait to buy the DVD."

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-11-07T22:23:00.002-05:00

Something tells me Elvis Costello did this bit for his twin boys:

Via Neil Gaiman.

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-11-06T07:48:00.002-05:00

Speaking of kitties, as I just was, here's a new video from someone called Cyriak, whose stuff tends to live on in my nightmares, so be forewarned:

It's clever and pretty and creepy all at the same time! Via BoingBoing.

Belated Friday Cat Blogging*

2011-11-06T07:43:00.003-05:00

We always celebrate Datsa's birthday on Hallowe'en, as I was told when I got him that he was born in the autumn. This past Monday he turned 19, and Robin snapped the yearly picture of me and my kitty together:

He isn't really struggling, he's purring, he just doesn't like to look in the camera (unlike his 14½-year-old sister who adores posing). It took me a few tries to get a shot of him where I could actually see his eyes:

I swear, he's going to outlive us all, this one.

*(Friday Cat Blogging is ™ Kevin Drum)

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-11-05T20:06:00.004-04:00

Remember, remember, this 5th of November
The subprimes and mortgages plot
I know of no reason why foreclosure treason
Should ever be forgot
The banks, the banks
The one percent
Make class war 'til people are indigent
Then when the people have had enough
They send their goons in to get rough
By perseverence the truth wins out
And that's what Occupy's all about!

Here's a short video of some Guy Fawkes Day (actually Bonfire Night) festivities in Robin's old haunts in Lewes:

We were going to get our joint account and my savings out of one of the bigger banks on this Bank Transfer Day, or Move Your Money Day, or whatever you wish to call it, but too much else to do, I'm afraid. At least I got my money out of Bank of America last month!

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-11-05T05:58:00.001-04:00

Via Robin and our Facebook friends, the definitive Snopes listing of snappy answers to dumb tourist questions (do scroll down for the Australian version).

Silly Site o' the Day

2011-11-04T23:03:00.001-04:00

Is there anything more expected this time of year than leftover candy hierarchy (via BoingBoing)?