There’s been a whole lot of crazy going on this week. It’s nice to be home.

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A bridge in Skagit Valley (a few hours north of Seattle) collapsed yesterday. Apparently quite a few of the bridges in my state are in equally bad condition. The upside? Though three cars plummeted into the river, but not a single person died. #happyending

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The news coming out of Oklahoma wasn’t nearly as good. Tornadoes tore through the town of Moore on Monday, killing 24 people, including 7 children. I know that news is absolutely unbearable, so if you don’t wish to read that story, consider browsing this photo gallery of survivors being reunited with their pets after the tornado.

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An interesting look at how science and fantasy novels shape our language. (And an important question: what is the plural of hobbit?)

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Holy cats, Steve McQueen was cool.

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This brings me such joy: “Actual conversations with my 2 year old daughter, as reenacted by me and another full grown man.”

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Zach Galifianakis takes an 87-year-old female friend with him to every movie premiere. Bonus: he also saved her from homelessness. (via @marikamalaea, who is almost as funny as he.)

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Wowzers. The National Geographic Tumblr blog is full of amazing photos from the magazine’s 125 year-long run. (via the classy and cultured @BenjaminEstes

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I am such a sucker for a good pun. Especially when it’s in a newspaper headline.

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During post-game interviews, members of the Cincinnati Bearcats Baseball team engage in some seriously awesome antics.

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I should apologize for this next link, because it’s been the reason I’ve been mumbling incoherently in Portuguese all week (and no, I don’t speak Portuguese): “Ai Se Eu Te Pego” is catchy as hell, and it was introduced to me by the same cousin who told me about “The Macarena” in 1998.

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That’s it for me this week, folks. I’m going to enjoy a weekend at home, as I try to learn as much French as possible before our trip next month.

I’m going to see if I have any torn purple jeans (I want to wear them while I wander around my house, smashing things). While I do that, you enjoy these links.

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Given how many talented designers Rand and I are friends with, I often take for granted how difficult it is to design beautiful stuff. But this blog, dedicated to all things ugly, is an excellent reminder: Whoever Designed This is An A**hole.

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The New York Times has some interesting (and proven) ways to defeat jet lag. Get ready to unleash your inner rock star: most of them involve wearing sunglasses on planes.

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I’m not a parent, but I still found this delightful. I suspect that goes double for those of you with wee ones: 10 Things I Really Effing Want For Mother’s Day.

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A brief but incredibly powerful piece from The New Yorker about Cleveland kidnapping victim Amanda Berry, and her rescuer, Charles Ramsey.

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I totally wish this had been a class while I was in high school. I’d have aced it: Batmath!

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Textastrophe has reinvented the lost of prank-calling through strange and hilarious text messages. Warning: you will spend waaaay too much time on this site. It’s that good.

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This is amazing: an author asks people to reimagine the covers of some of their favorite books, swapping the genders of the main characters (and the authors). The results, well, speak volumes.

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Wow. Just … wow. The creator of Hyperbole and a Half is back after a long hiatus. Her most recent post – about her depression, and her struggles with feeling nothing, is powerful as hell.

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A woman who was kidnapped at the age of 7 writes about her abduction.

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Every year, graphic designer Everett Hiller throws a holiday party. Afterwards, he sends out photos of the event to guests, with celebrities photoshopped into the mix. The results – sometimes subtle, sometimes glaringly obvious – are consistently delightful. This might be my favorite.

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A few years ago, I wrote about my visit to Shakespeare’s Globe Theater, and the wonderful tour guide I had there. I’m pleased to say that I heard from him recently, and he’s just as entertaining as ever. His multimedia site, The Lost Valley of London, features some of his favorite quirky London locations. Be sure to check it out; it’s strange and wonderful, and worth your time.

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Aaaaand that’s it for me this week, folks. I’m on the road next week, but will have some posts lined up and ready to go while I’m away.

I am getting out from behind my desk right this second, and heading out to enjoy the day (after safely slathering on some sunscreen and putting on a hat). This links were hastily put together because, really, all I wanted to do was go out and play.

But they’re still worth a gander. Enjoy.

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Foreign Policy culled together the top 500 most powerful people in the world (the list includes presidents, past and present, dictators, and even leaders of drug cartels). I can’t tell if I was more surprised to learn that Henry Kissinger still has influence, or that he’s still alive.

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Paul Miller writes about the year he spent offline without the internet. And what it felt like to return to this world wide web of ours.

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I’m currently studying a new language (an undertaking which deserves its own post, at the very least). The process had made me acutely aware of the nearly-non-sensical expressions we use every day. I may need to send this list of idioms to some of my friends for whom English is a second language.

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Awk-ward. A women’s group in North Devon, U.K., dressed up as pirates for a talk by a captain … who was one held hostage by Somali pirates. (via my pal Elaine)

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The Matrix, as retold by one mother. Man, I hope Moshimo and Leo get out of this okay with all their judo.

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Christopher Elliot wrote a piece on plane etiquette. While I don’t entirely agree with him (we have an absolute right to recline our seats, damn it) he makes some good points.

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The British Film Institute’s YouTube Channel is full of shorts from the early days of cinema, including silent films, historical videos, and what might be Britain’s first sound film. It’s absolutely mesmerizing.

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This week, Chris Kelly (one half of the teen rap group Kris Kross), died of an apparent drug overdose. In the mid-90s, the band was known for their song “Jump, Jump,” and for wearing clothing backwards (we recently sang it to a friend’s 3-year-old son after he inadvertently put his pants on the wrong way around).

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This might be the greatest wedding website, ever. Just go and read it, and try not to get all misty eyed, okay? I’m not saying you’ll succeed, but TRY, DAMN IT.

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That’s it for me this week. I hope you have a little sunshine in your forecast, too, wherever you may be.

But people who become parents do this sort of thing FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES.

I don’t how they do it, but I salute them. Without their efforts, none of us would be here. They deserve cupcakes and backrubs and looong vacations.

For those of you (parents or not) who have enough time to browse through them, I give you the week’s links. Enjoy.

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Photographer Haley Morris-Cafiero takes photos of people who mock her for her weight and appearance. Read her explanation of her work, and you’ll be infuriated by how cruel people can be, and awed at her courage and sense of self.

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In the wake of the Boston bombings, The Atlantic explains why there are so few Chechens in the United States.

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Find out what happens when two monkeys get unequal pay for equal work. Sigh. If only we could all stand up for ourselves like that.

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I can barely look: photographer Tom Ryaboi takes his work to dizzying heights.

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Whoo-hoo! Seattle edges out Portland and is named the country’s most-liked city. (Of course, that doesn’t mean I don’t love PDX, but a girl has gotta stick by her hometown.)

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Damn. This 1938 rejection letter from Disney makes it clear that a women’s place was not in the Inking and Painting department.

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In this brilliant piece for The New Yorker, Ian Crouch asks if it’s okay for Boston and New York fans to hate each other again.

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Aaaand a little more photography (because I left my camera at home during my L.A. trip, I think I’m having some sort of withdrawal): check out Cerise Doucede’s work, which bring daydreams to life via floating balloons, apples, shoes, and more.

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You’ve no doubt seen it by now, but this list of folks who are really nailing this whole parenting thing is pretty darn enjoyable (even if you don’t exactly agree with everything they’re doing).

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Ever wonder why public toilet seats are U-shaped? Slate has the answer.

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I’m now off to bake some cookies, because that’s how I’ve decided to spend my sunny afternoon (don’t you judge me).

Stuff remains crazy this morning, as it has been all week. I’ve tried to find some fun, pithy links to include in this roundup, but those have been hard to come by this week. It hasn’t really been a fun, pithy week, has it?

While it seems like today would be a great day for diversions … but I keep frantically looking for more news coming out of Boston. Here’s my best attempt at the links for this week.

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As usual, the Onion makes a few poignant comments about this week.

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Donald Glover talks about some of the responses he got on his campaign to be the next Spiderman. And really, why the hell can’t Peter Parker be black?

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Boston is eerily deserted right now. It makes me realize how much life and beauty the city usually has.

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I had an interview with the awesome folks from Maptia, and they even let me ramble on about Jeff Goldblum. Oh, and also the city of San Francisco.

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This is simply beautiful: a daughter’s tribute to her father, who underwent a sex change.

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Two Philly news anchors go into laughing fits after interviewing Olympian Ryan Lochte. While I don’t condone making fun of stupid people … oh, man. The kid is just … not intellectual. Wow. Just watch it.

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This video of the national anthem being performed at a Boston Bruins game this week will make your day. Really.

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My friend Celeste wrote a beautiful essay about how difficult times make her want to hold her children even tighter – but sometimes the kids don’t exactly want to cooperate. And that’s okay, too.

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This week, the Brooklyn Academy of Music was lit up with messages of support for Boston from the city of New York. Read the story behind this heartfelt display of street art.

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From the Everywhereist archives: I fall in love with my husband all over again on the Longfellow Bridge.

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A new commercial (from K-Mart, of all places) features a bunch of customers excited about the prospect of “shipping their pants.” I particularly love the grey haired couple who notes how convenient it is to ship their pants.

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Sigh. That’s it for me this week. Next week I’ll be in L.A., visiting my nephew, who’s pretty much the best kid on the planet. After the last few days, I really can’t wait to see his face.

I hope you enjoy them, too.

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There is an adorable little mouse that is totally awesome. It eats scorpions and howls at the moon.

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Roger Ebert passed away last week. This prescient post about how he doesn’t fear death (written a year and a half ago!) is beautiful, heartbreaking, and comforting all at once.

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Just when I thought I couldn’t like the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs any more than I do, they went ahead and banned smart phones and camera devices from their shows. That’s kind of badass, is it not?

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The National Spelling Bee will now require contestants to know the definitions of the words they’re trying to spell. That’s kind of R-I-D-I-C-U-L-O-U-S, if you ask me.

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There is a Tumblr blog called My LL Bean Boyfriend. Its very existence makes me happy. (Via my pal Jessica.)

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Did you know that Canada has a potato museum? Or that North Dakota is home to an albino buffalo? Atlas Obscura, a site that chronicles some of the strangest travel destinations and sights on the planet, will have you muttering, “Wait … what?”, followed almost immediately by, “I have to go there.”

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This is my friends’ dog, barking at some peanut brittle. Because, you know, that’s a thing now.

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Shutterstock (yup, the stock photo people) created this rather brilliant piece of content marketing about Mad Men – comparing the world of 1963 to present day.

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I just spent an embarrassing amount of time on a website dedicated to recycled movie costumes, which is full of strange and fascinating sartorial trivia from films and television. Remember the pink dress that Glenda the Good Witch rocked in the original Oz? It was used again in another movie.

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My friend Deanna wrote this absolutely beautiful post for World Autism Day about her daughter (who was recently diagnosed). As she notes, it’s not a sad story. In fact, reading it might just make your day.

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The doodles and drawings of artist Gemma Correll are positively delightful and – bonus – FULL OF PUGS. Go check them out.

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Have a great weekend, guys. I’ll be back on Monday.

I was in the Great Barrier Reef. Snorkeling. With my husband.

Yeah. YEAH. I know. I’m probably snuggling with a wallaby right now as you are reading this. Life is grand.

While I’m off getting a tan and befriending a koala or three, you enjoy these links:

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This video, of two teenagers rocking the Beatle’s Let It Be (on the cello and violin) is nothing short of amazing.

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A collection of some of the greatest senior portraits, ever. (Note: I really wanted senior pics before I graduated, but they cost something like $300, so I just got one snapshot of me wearing a crocheted rainbow top and a choker. Because that’s how we rolled in 1998, apparently.)

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How Arizona’s immigration laws are impacting Hispanic baseball players at spring training.

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Werner Freund has run a wolf sanctuary for more than 40 years – and has become, in many respects, part of the pact. These photos of him interacting with his animal cohorts are mesmerizing.

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Even in a mostly-digital world, staplers still have their place.

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What Ali Wore chronicles the outfits of a Turkish tailor living in Berlin. It’s absolutely delightful.

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Um, so this is pretty much the greatest news story, ever: Magneto is officiating Professor X’s wedding. Also technically accurate: Gandalf to officiate Captain Picard’s wedding.

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This thread on Quora is hilarious: “If I have to pee in the swimming pool, should I just pee?”

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Every Woody Allen stammer from every movie, ever, in one video. It amounts to 44 minutes. Every one of them near excruciating.

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Whoa. Stand on Zanzibar, a sci-fi novel written in 1969, and set in 2010, makes a lot of eerily accurate predictions about our world.

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You know what? I’m just gonna wait it out. If it gets warm, I can wear long pants and tank tops.

Which means, dammit, I’m gonna have to shave my underarms. Probably.

While I contemplate these difficult decisions, you enjoy these links.

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I really need to start using some of these wonderful obsolete words. Spoiler: “spermologers” and “queerplungers” are not as interesting as they sound.

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Oh, man. Once again, The Onion hits the nail on the head, and reminds me of just how damn lucky I am that I can spend so much time on this silly little blog of mine: “Do what you love … in between work commitments.”

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This video from the Anti-Defamation League is only a minute long. That doesn’t stop it from being utterly amazing. Watch it immediately.

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OMG OMG OMG. 33 animals with their plush equivalents. I die from the cuteness. I DIE, PEOPLE.

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My friend Pam is writing a series of letters to Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield. Her latest missive is nothing short of brilliant.

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Just released, more of the artwork of George W. Bush.

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In a rather genius ad campaign, Oreo (yes, the cookie) commissioned Portland physicist David Neevel to come up with a machine that separates the little chocolate cookies from the creamy filling, and discards the latter (which is PURE BLASPHEMY, but to each their own). Check out the video of his creation in action.

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I’m a sucker for street art. Check out this collection of some of the most impressive works of 2012.

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I have a new favorite verb! It’s “to bard.”

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Strictly No Photography lets you share those photos you weren’t supposed to take in the first place (like those snapshots of Michelangelo’s David you managed to sneak in when the security guard wasn’t looking).

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Smithsonian Magazine just released their list of the 20 Best Small Towns in America. One of my personal favorites – Astoria, Oregon – made the list at number 5.

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Seriously, is there any way I can pretend I’m wearing fur leggings with my sundresses? No? Dammit. I gotta go find my razor. Have a great weekend, folks.

P.S. – I just got back into town this week, and I’ll be on the road again in a few days, so the blog might be a *little* slow next week or the week after. But hopefully not. I’ll keep you posted.

I’m going to go find my sun dresses and earplugs. You enjoy these links.

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A talented father draws fun little pictures on his kids’ sandwich bags every. single. day. The gallery of his work is delightful.

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This just may be the greatest headline, ever: “Beards Keep You Young, Healthy, & Handsome, Says Science.” (Via my friends Ruth and Justin, who know how to appreciate some good facial hair).

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2,500 years ago, in the ancient Etruscan town of Poggio Civitate, burial customs were not extended to infants. The remains of deceased infants would be placed on a refuse heap and, well, that was that. It sound heartless, but the bigger story here is how cultural norms change over the centuries. (Via the always fascinating Candice).

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I’m kind of desperate for Mad Men to start up again. Consequently, these pics from the upcoming season made me positively drool. Fear not: there are no real spoilers in the images. Except for the fact that ROGER HAS SIDEBURNS. (Via the lovely Deanna, who is responsible for me staring at Jon Hamm’s crotch when I should be working.)

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This poem by Adrian C. Lewis broke my heart: “This is The Time Of Grasshoppers, And All That I See Is Dying.”

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A New York Times photographer heads to the sewers of Mongolia’s capital city of Ulan Bator in order to capture photos of homeless children rumored to be living there. Instead, he uncovers a dark underworld of homeless, alcoholic adults.

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A hilarious flowchart outlines when, exactly, it’s okay to say something is gay (hint: if it’s in the pejorative sense, the answer is NEVER).

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My friends Mike and Dan are getting married. I’m stupidly excited for them. And yes, the giant green beer balloon is my doing. Obviously. (I realize what a terrible use of helium that is. But it was already at the store, filled and waiting. Forgive me, but the damage was done, and no one else was going to buy a green beer helium balloon.)

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Feeling a little stumped when it comes to your story writing? Check out these 22 rules from some of the brightest minds at Pixar.

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A beautiful and heartbreaking account of a father’s death in a U.K. hospital highlights just how messed up our U.S. healthcare system is by comparison.

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That’s it for me this week – I’ll be on the road next week, but there should be new posts up every day – keep an eye out for them!

However, right now? It is not raining. I mean, it will probably start in the next four minutes or so, but in the meantime, I’m going to rush outside and play in the sunshine not rain. You enjoy these links.

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A medieval manuscript, peed on by a medieval cat. Some things never do change, eh?

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The 2013 World Press Photo Awards have been announced. I could write a thousand words about each image on the subject, but these four will suffice: they are all breathtaking.

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Hankering for more incredible photos? Check out the Instagram account of a photographer who is led around the world by his stunningly beautiful girlfriend. Their lives are basically JUST LIKE MINE AND RAND’S, and I totally look exactly like she does in a bikini. Yup. Totally.

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Bed, Bath, and Beyond is apparently a palace of lies. I don’t know who to trust anymore.

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Mental Floss delves into an important question: how many languages is it possible to know?

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Anthony Bourdain, the Patron Anti-Saint of Travel, Food, and Writing, does an “Ask Me Anything” post on reddit. It’s an interesting read.

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Talk about getting some perspective: here’s what our solar system looks like from a non-fixed point in the universe (spoiler: we might be organized in lovely little ellipses, but we’re still all hurtling through space).

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Beautiful and detailed, this account of how to spend 47 hours on a train and not go crazy reads like something by Hemingway. I loved it.

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Hee. The evolution of U.S. and North Korean diplomacy.

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I’m thoroughly delighted by the Justin Timberlake Does Things Tumblr. Some days, he holds a huge sandwich. Other days, he plays paddle ball with the ocean.

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Aaaand, it’s still not raining! Whoo-hoo!