God Hates Signs

westboro baptist church and me
Originally uploaded by Burstein!

Mmm, absurdist goodness. Way to get in there and shake things up.

noodle bar yums

In spite of my new austerity plan, I ate out last night. I am pleased to report I've found a new (to me) gem: Viet Noodle Bar. The friend of a friend picked it. Lovely minimalist interior, simple excellent menu. We got a selection of appetizers, all of which were delicious. For an entree, I got Vegetarian Soyskin noodle, which was terrific. We brought our own wine. Here's their minimalist website: vietnoodlebar.com

Promoting insight

This article suggests, among other things, that insight requires focus
followed by relaxation. Many of my fellow graduate students have
trouble falling asleep, a potential time for new insights. We use
various drugs and distractions to get to sleep. It seems that this is
yet another case of our desire for progress actually impeding it.

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/07/28/080728fa_fact_lehrer

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Sent from a teeny keyboard; please excuse typos.

Black kids @ the Mayan

Pop quiz: Name three Harlequin romance book categories

Harlequin Medical Romance
Harlequin NASCAR
Harlequin Superromance

(see here for more answers)

Luckily Harlequin has guidelines for each of its lines, so the writer can tune her/his prose. For example:

In Harlequin Historical UNDONE we are looking for a high level of sensuality that flows naturally out of the plotline. There should be a strong emotional basis to the heightened attraction—it's vital the reader can believe in the intense emotion driving the characters as their relationship develops. These stories should be hot, sexy and subtly explicit without the lovemaking being vulgar or gratuitous.

Whether you choose a dark and devilishly sexy Regency rake caught in a compromising situation with a headstrong miss, or a courageous Saxon lady held captive by a powerful Norman warrior, your characters should be fully fleshed out and should be the main focus of the story.

The wikipedia entry on "Romance novel" is also quite interesting.

Frontier Baroque

As Alistair Cooke observed, “Americans seem to be more comfortable with Republican presidents because they share the common frailty of muddled syntax and because, when they attempt eloquence, they do tend to spout a kind of Frontier Baroque.”

As quoted by Maureen Dowd, 10/5/08

Don't ask