Tweet and Eat

I just read this article about a use for Twitter that has me rethinking my opinion of the website.

Now I'm hungry. Time to go find some good eats. Have a good weekend, and please, try to dine responsibly.

Daydreams and Kleptos, Tweets in Space, and Bacon

I was delighted to read this article above the scroll on MSNBC when I sat down with my morning cup of coffee. It referenced this article from more than a year ago (while reading this one, my mind actually disengaged and started wandering--Jedi mind trick?).

Jason Werth had a good night yesterday. I particularly liked this headline: Jason Werth goes klepto on the basepaths. I've had that daydream. Thanks for living it last night, Jason.

For those of you who tweet, you may want to sign up to follow Mike Massimino, who has sent the first tweet from beyond the Earth's atmosphere. (If you are tweet-free, click here for Astro Mike's twitter feed.) Seven of NASA's finest are out there right now on a riskier than usual mission. I'll leave it to Brian Williams et al. to say it best. (Thanks for living the dream, STS-125. Godspeed.)

Well, it's Wednesday and I'm hoping to spend some quality time with with the NYTimes Dining and Wine Section. Of particular interest is an item in the Off The Menu column regarding Locanda Verde. Very excited to hear that Karen DeMasco has signed on as the pastry chef. Now I'm daydreaming about her desserts.

And while Karen likes to leave the bacon on the hot line, here's a peek at a no-hold-barred pork-off in Park Slope, including bacon ice cream and more. Mmmmm. Bacon.

Time for a Little Travelling Music

I love a good road trip, but some days you've got to pack it up to get where you're going without the luxury of wanderlust.

Brian Williams has a new web feature called BriTunes. Okay, he admits he didn't name it (and at least one guy is displeased), so take the hokey with a grain of salt, but check out the first webisode where he interviews Brooklyn based band Deer Tick. (Brian, even if this series doesn't last, I'll still love you.)

I miss the days of driving all night to get back to my city by the bay and popping in "Back to You" by Box Set just after paying the toll for the car behind me, too. Just another random act of kindness.

Speaking of raks, go hug someone. You'll feel better. You know, be appropriate about it, though.

That's all the time I've got to dawdle today, as I've got miles to go before I sleep. Now where did I leave my iPod....

All About the Momas

Did you forget your Mom this Mothers' Day? She may forgive you if you email her this video. Just make sure you customize it with her name first.

Here's a tribute to the Mother of Mother's Day, which I'll admit I didn't know before today.

Speaking of West Virginia (if you read the last link), here are a few words from Jennifer Garner, Mom to Violet and Seraphina. Did you catch her on the Letterman show a few weeks ago?

I took my Mom to see the new Star Trek movie today--loved it! Thank you, J.J. Abrams, et al! Zach and Chris did a fun little feature on SNL last night. Glad to see that everyone is having fun with this reboot. Leonard and Zachary do this lovely interview for Newsweek. You get a good sense of a successful mentor/mentee relationship. Everyone should be so lucky.

Happy Mothers Day again, Momas. And since you loves movies, here's a montage of 100 memorable movie lines in 200 seconds.

Now go to bed. It's way past your bedtime.

Trouble

Oh, Twitter, you little vixen! Wooing the masses with your hipness and instant gratification! I will bend but not break! But for those who are more inclined, here's "All You Need to Know to Twitter" according to Paul Boutin.

For my part, I'm still chewing on Mark C. Taylor's op-ed "End of the University As We Know It." Go find a grad student and talk amongst yourselves.

Here's another word to add to your vernaculary: arugulance. I like to stir the pot, but not to burn the sauce, so find go find a foodie, a chef, a farmer or a politician and chat for a while about the passions and influence of Alice Waters. I'm guessing, though, that she's not one to Tweet. C'mon Nation! Slow Food. And in case you're looking for a selection for your book club, here are some books to consider.

In case this is all too heady for a Thursday, veg out for a few minutes and have some fun with food.

Seems I'm feeling a little spicy today. Time to find some more trouble.

Fires and Spandex and Bears, Oh My!

While stopped at the gas station today, I crossed paths with a woman in spandex as she was getting out of her SUV. In her vehicle were two kids, three dogs, and a bunch of "stuff" that seemed hastily thrown in. She seemed quite frazzled as she rooted through her purse for her cell phone.

From where I stood, I could easily hear her phone conversation. Turns out she lives in Santa Barbara where wild fires are continuing to burn. While working with her personal trainer she had gotten a call that it would be a good idea to evacuate. She literally ran home, loaded up the car, and got out of there, still in spandex. She had the piece of mind to grab the dog food and the baby formula, but not to grab a change of clothes. She laughed for a moment at being "stranded in spandex" before assuring her person on the other end that they were fine. I'm saying a prayer for her tonight, and for her family.

I had a nice visit tonight with my godson and his family. They had a great tale to tell at the dinner table. This morning around 7:30 AM they received a reverse 911 call reporting that "a 300 pound b--- was in the neighborhood," and folks should take care to keep their kids and pets indoors until animal control resolved the situation. Unfortunately the family member who took the call didn't hear what it was that was in the neighborhood, only that it began with the letter "b." A bird? A bobcat? A helicopter was heard overhead. Unable to take the kids to school, the parents pulled out the Legos.

Turns out it was a black bear. I was amused to hear one news report refer to it specifically as a "California black bear." Someone joke it was really an Oregonian black bear that jumped a southbound train, but got spooked by the wild fires. I refrained from commenting that it could have been Smoky the Bear. At least while the kids were in the room.

Argh!

Ah, the ever revolving door of taxes. I was in Washington, DC the other day, and it never fails to amuse me that their license plates read "Taxation Without Representation." Ah, the irony.

Although tax day was over two weeks ago, you might want want to take a few moments to read this and think about next year's federal filing extravaganza. Seriously, don't procrastinate on this one, or there may be much gnashing of teeth and rending of garments.

Speaking of irony, as of today you can sign up for Facebook alerts for MSNBC Bob Sullivan's blog. Follow the link at the end of his post from today.

Enough of the serious stuff. It's been a long week and I'm feeling like it's about time swash my buckle. Please excuse me while I shiver me timbers and such. To get your weekend started, take this quiz to find out your pirate name. Mine is Captain Mary Rackham. Argh! And Godspeed, matey!