Random June

For your morning procrastination efforts, I present “Dress the Virtual Paper Squirrel” (via Willowtree).

According to a tabloid recently perused (don’t look at me like that), Dennis Quaid and his wife are expecting twins and naturally very excited. They are reportedly using what the paper calls a “gestational carrier” – the embryos were created in vitro with contributions from both parents, then implanted in another woman through the birth (didn’t that used to be called a “surrogate”?). Maybe there’s a good reason for it and god knows I have every sympathy with fertility-challenged couples, but the term “gestational carrier”? Unfortunate. Makes it sound like the latest in celebrity conveniences. Or that aliens have invaded and are creating a hybrid creature. Or something.

Last week, I received a notice from my private health insurance that come August, my premium will increase $13.20 a month. Thirteen dollars and twenty cents! PER MONTH!! I really had gotten my head around turning 45, but now that they have so kindly reminded me that I’ll be moving into another box, I don’t like it one bit.

Via The Gimp Parade, a link to a terrific video ad by a French energy company about access for people with disabilities (click haut debit for high speed connection, bas debit for lower).

A while back, after the success of March of the Penguins, I read an article about the general lack of imagination in Hollywood. Someone opined that it’d probably lead to some studio suit cheerfully yelling “More Penguins!”, attributing the success to those delightful birds, rather than things like interesting premise, high quality, etc. (I swear I’ve told that story before, but have decided against spending hours in my archives looking for the post, when re-telling it took 2 minutes. Pardon the repetition). Then Happy Feet happened and this summer, there’s Surf’s Up. More penguins, indeed. Personally, I’m looking forward to Ratatouille – a completely original idea, not based on a comic or anything. What a concept.

Went to opthamalogist and while waiting, entertained myself looking around at the waiting room decoration. There was a poster on wall, on letter sized piece of paper with a bright yellow field at the top where large heavy black writing proclaimed: “Living with Vision Loss”. The rest of the page was in 12pt. Sigh.

Why is it that only children can open childproof caps?

And lastly, via Defective Yeti, Japanese tetris. Hysterical.