Happy Halloween!

Pumpkins by LilGirl and Auntie Erin

It's Talk Like Jane Austen Day!

What an amiable and agreeable thing, to speak like our dear Jane today! 

Since it's so close to Halloween, I thought I'd share a video that mashes up the holiday with Jane's work quite nicely:



The book trailer for the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies prequel, Dawn of the Dreadfuls, was perhaps more fitting, but it's not for the squeamish (I have one foot in that camp), so I'll just link to it here for those more stout of heart.

Check out how you can get free tickets to Haunted Hollow!

I know it's last minute, but if you're interested, Haunted Hollow has free tickets here.

Happy Halloween!

Bwahahahaha!!! }:)

Zombie apocalypse hits Sears!

Sears has embraced its "Zombie Side" with a special website - you can view it in English (if you're shopping for your zombie friends) or Zombian (if you are a zombie). They've even got some helpful videos:



I tend to exercise just like this!




I think I've been on an elevator with this guy...er, zombie




Don't let your zombies get cold!

Sometimes costumes are TOO good

see more Historic LOL

Behold the power of Lord...er, I mean...Lady Vader!

I'm pretty strict about my rule on not putting pics of LilGirl on the Internet, but last night, hubby got by with tweeting this one because she's wearing a mask. It got retweeted by the official Star Wars Twitter account, which was pretty cool. So here's her 15 seconds (if that) of (fairly anonymous) fame:

http://twitter.com/#!/starwars/status/28936718957

Doin' it all for my baby! Doin' it, doin' it...

For your Halloween week viewing pleasure!

Would you give up your ipod to stay out of jail?

Apparently, this guy's got his priorities confused:


see more Failbook

Houston, we have a check-in!

I don't use Foursquare, but I'm always interested in hearing about the more interesting check-ins. This is one badge not too many people will unlock:

You'll be humming it all afternoon

I'm always amazed when people can rewrite lyrics so well (it's a talent I absolutely don't posses).

JoT 1458: Bye bye polycarbonate pie as sung to Don Mclean's American Pie.

So, pumpkin seed oil is really interesting...

This is just craaazy and cool:

"The oil in pumpkin seeds has a very rare quality. In a thin layer, it's green. In deep pools, it is red. Pumpkin seed oil is one of the most dichromatic substances in the world."

io9 has an explanation here.

What did I learn from NaNoWriMo last year?

If you're thinking about trying NaNoWriMo this year, I'm over at Heartland Writers Group today talking about what I learned from NaNo last year.

Friday Fun: Zombies in Plain English...yes, again

I know I post this every October, but I still love watching it, so here we go again:

Want your kid to read? Let them pick their own book!

According to the Kids & Family Reading Report Online Press Kit:

"Nine out of ten children say that they are more likely to finish [a] book they choose themselves."

Um, no offense, but "Duh!"  

Finding a book on your own, whether by chance or through the grapevine, is half the magic of reading books. Amazon counts on this. Teachers and parents tend to forget.

In fact, I've started to realize the more I push a book, the less likely my daughter is to want to read it. Gee, I have no idea where she gets that (I once gave a book report in high school for an assigned book in which I mostly listed the reasons I didn't finish it.)

Report via @gregpincus via @glossaria

Grover takes on Old Spice. Awesome!

You may remember my earlier near-obsession with the Old Spice ad campaign and the subsequent spoofs (like this and this, plus a remix). My friend Cheri LaClaire found one more & posted this video on her blog last night (addressed to me, no less). I love it!



If you're not familiar with the original commercial, you can watch it here.

Want to mutiny against your teachers? Call on Capt. Jack Sparrow!

Cute story! I wonder if Captain Jack would help me start a mutiny at work (not that I need or want to, but, hey, if it'll get ol' Jack to show up...)

Captain Jack Sparrow to the rescue as Johnny Depp arrives at Greenwich school: "When nine-year-old Beatrice Delap wanted to organise a mutiny against her teachers, she knew who to call on. And it took just one letter to enlist the aid of the world's most famous pirate: Captain Jack Sparrow."

Target targets me (and hits the target)

I mentioned to Hubby how disturbing this commercial is (as in, hitting too close to home) because this is how women think when they buy hats, and probably some other items (been there done that).  

Hubby replied that men buying hats think [in his best Hulk voice] "Sun bright. Hat shade."

I find it interesting that most commercials want to get us to think what this woman thinks, while this commercial just shows her thinking it. But then, this latest series of Target ads has been focusing on these odd little moments in life and this kind of fits into that, even though it's a little different form.

The sad thing is, most of the time I buy a hat and then NEVER wear it, because I totally don't wear hats (Don't tell hubby. I just got him to order me a couple hats online. But they're really cute! And they were really really on sale. And if I wear them, I'll have a really great life! Right? Right?)

Penny, you're in my spot

Bill Prady posted this picture via Twitter yesterday. Kaley Cuoco broke her leg recently, but is now back at work on The Big Bang Theory and she got to sit in Sheldon's spot!

If you're not a fan (Gasp! You should be!) and you don't yet understand the significance of Sheldon's spot, watch this.

Sometimes, you shouldn't add "in bed"

We had Chinese food tonight, and all was well until we opened our fortunes and did the usual game where you add "in bed" to the end:

My fortune is a little disturbing with the addendum:

Hubby's is even more so:

Come visit Stonehenge with me!

Isn't this awesome! I was checking out the Seven Continents of Street View in the Google Maps Street View Gallery and I found that you can walk around (virtually, anyway) within Stonehenge! Not as good as really being there, but maybe the next best thing. :)


View Larger Map

I also spent way too much time wandering Pompeii. There are a lot more places to wander if you visit the gallery.

Good Grief! 'Peanuts' Turns 60

And I still read it almost every day...



To celebrate, I think LilGirl and I will sit down and watch A Charlie Brown Christmas. Here's a clip:




Thanks to Jade Walker for the heads up!

Friday Fun: Rowan Atkinson's Invisible Drums

via Epic Win FTW