The Everywhereist

It’s January 6th – the epiphany. According to folklore, La Befana visited all the little children in Italy last night, bringing toys and candy to the good ones, and lumps of coal to the bad ones. (Yeah, I know. We get a kindly fat man dressed in red, and Italian kids literally get an old hag. On the plus side, they get to live in Italy, so don’t feel too sorry for them). While I search my home for some lumps of black carbon (surely she wouldn’t forget Italian Americans, right?), you enjoy these links.

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What’s that? YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO SPEAK UP! (Also, I’m beginning to think that my secret crush on Neil deGrasse Tyson is not-so-secret anymore.)

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This gif of French comedian Remi Gaillard crashing a body-building tournament had me in stitches. For more of his not-so-subtle and occasionally reckless (and often litigious) antics, check this out.

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As unbelievable as it sounds, 2011 is about to draw to a close (wasn’t 1998, like, 4 months ago? It seems like only a few weeks have passed, and yet now I can’t shop at Urban Outfitters without someone asking me if I am looking for a gift. Also, why are t-shirts and skirts so absurdly short these days? HIDE YOUR SHAME, LADIES. But I digress.)

It’s been a shockingly eventful year here at the blog. Thanks to what I can only assume was a mixture of dumb luck and god getting drunk, my blog was mentioned on several sites far more prestigious than my own (including TIME, Forbes, and, most recently, Elliott.org). It’s all been delightfully unexpected and wholly undeserved, unless you ask my mother, who is convinced that my blog is the greatest one ever, even though she’s never read it.

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Blah blah blah weekend links enjoy. (Err, sorry. Just realized that Christmas is NEXT weekend and I haven’t purchased ONE SINGLE GIFT FOR ANYONE. So please excuse me – and enjoy these links – while I go freak out).

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This article about a man being tossed off a Scotrail train for refusing to pay a fare isn’t all that remarkable in and of itself. But the comments section is positively KILLING me (e.g., “The wee ned deserved it!” and “He’s the greatest Scotsman since the guy who kicked the terrorist in the nads at Glasgow International.”)

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Reading through the top 10 public relations blunders of 2011 makes me feel a lot better about all the horrible things I say and do on my blog.

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It’s been a chilly week for me here at home in Seattle. I’ve got trips to Florida and New York looming on the horizon (yes, it’s the same trip. No, I don’t know how to pack for that sort of thing. A parka and sandals, I guess), but right now I’m doing all the things that someone who doesn’t spend a third of their life on the road does – sleeping in my own bed, doing laundry, and baking lots and lots of cookies.

Now, if only there was some way of doing all three of those things at once. While I try to figure that out, you enjoy these links …

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NPR covers the changing face of Superman over the last 75 years (via everywhereist-reader and all around fabulous gal Holly).

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Michael Paulus creates skeletal sketches of some well-known and beloved cartoon characters. Tweety Bird is gonna give me nightmares.

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Phew. This week has been a bit of a whirlwind (as is evidenced by the fact that this round up is getting posted at 3:30 in the afternoon. When NO ONE will have the chance to read it. Sigh. Sorry folks). While I try to regain my bearings and try to figure out why I have a pear in my purse (that’s not a euphemism. There is actually a pear in my purse.), you enjoy these links.

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My husband recently sent me this photo essay of pictures from Bhutan. In the words of Liz Lemon, “I want to go to there.”

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As tough as it was to imagine, it looks like Daniel Day Lewis is going to make a great Abraham Lincoln – though he’ll probably not be wearing jeans in the movie.

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I’ve spent the last week at home. It’s been all kinds of fabulous, really. I got to do laundry. And sit on my own couch. And sleep in my own bed, never once waking up to wonder where the heck I was.

Fabulous, I tell you. Of course, it’s only temporary, but I’m going to enjoy it. And have another slice of cake, which I baked myself in my very own kitchen.

While I do that, take a gander at the week that was …

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Seattle’s own Octogenarian activist Dorli Rainey was pepper sprayed by police at an Occupy Seattle protest. In an interview with Keith Olbermanm, she talks about her experience with wit and grace. To quote The Stranger, Ms. Rainey really is a civic treasure.

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Famous album covers, recreated with kittens. It’s just as awesome as it sounds.

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It’s a grey Friday here in Seattle, and while I should be rather bummed about it, there’s too much to celebrate to let a few clouds get me down. Let’s talk about the week that was.

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Today is Veteran’s Day. Take some time to read up about the history of this holiday, and if you have the chance, why not hug/make-out with a Veteran? It’s basically your duty as an American to thank those young, muscular folks who’ve chosen to serve.

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Today is also Nigel Tufnel Day, which means that, for the first time in a century, the date goes all the way to 11. Celebrate by reading NPR’s analysis of Spinal Tap’s 11 greatest songs. And for your viewing pleasure, my absolute favorite song from Nigel and the crew.

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I’m in Idaho right now, after spending a whopping 36 hours in Seattle. When we got home, Rand looked around and said, “This hotel … looks vaguely familiar.”

I suppose we should be stressed from all the non-stop travel, but at the moment, we’re not. Rand is outside playing football. I’m listening to Johnny Cash and blogging, while a precocious four-year-old keeps me company as she plays on an iPad. Things are ridiculously simple and wonderful.

I’m sure, in a matter of hours or days, they won’t be. Things will be stressful and crazy once again. But right now, I’m just enjoying things. In hopes that you, too, will find some peace, here are some links. Enjoy.

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As much as I hate to disagree with Indiana Jones, sometimes things don’t belong in museums. This informational sign for the World Trade Center made a more powerful statement where it was.

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Though these spoof signs in the U.K. came out ages ago, I still got a huge kick out of them (and looked in vain for a couple when I was in London last week).

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