“US and European studies had shown that people’s happiness did spike while they were expecting a baby but sharply plummeted after the child was born.”

read more here.

- Nine Inch Nails album (free, even)
- Portishead album
- shiny boots that could poke someone’s eye out*
- job responsibilities (challenging but appropriate)

* not that I’m planning to do so…

I haven’t had much time to fully appreciate Roomba, but suffice it to say my carpet is very clean, the rabbits have stopped freaking out, and the thing is just SO COOL.

Click here to see Roomba and Moxie interact The file is way huge but I don’t know how to reduce it, so it will probably take a while to download. Go grab some coffee.

And since I don’t like Mexican food I’ll just eat something with mayo. (Har, har.)

Roomba post coming soon

Leave it to a fortune cookie (punctuation notwithstanding) to address precisely what’s got me all conflicted.

Sometimes, Susie has no stapler.

Sometimes, Susie has two staplers.

I decided Susie needed lots and lots of staplers.

Veterans commit suicide 7.5 times more often than non-veterans

Fact from Psychology Today: Women reminded of the stereotypes of females as bad drivers subconsciously conform to that expectation and are twice as likely to run down a jaywalker.

In one of my evaluations, a professor called me generative. Of the various definitions (yes, I had to look it up) I’m choosing to apply the rather bland “having the ability to produce or originate” and ignoring the completely horrifying “producing new life or offspring.”

It’s pieces like this bracelet that make me want to try jewelry design. That, and buy everything off this site.

You know you’re in LA when you find yourself in the line for the bathroom with Fiona Apple.

It’s interesting how two radically different experiences can both be so enjoyable. Last night Sonyl and I saw a small, low-key indie-type show at Largo featuring Davíd Garza, joined onstage by the aforementioned Fiona Apple and some other really amazing musicians. Saturday, on the other hand, was light years from low-key but in both cases, I found myself sitting there smiling with my eyes closed, sipping Chambord.

Artsy links of the day:

The neurobiology of the Mona Lisa’s smile

Great plant containers for small spaces

IM of the day:
Me: my cell phone won’t let me swear
Dana: huh?
Me: it censors me
Dana: your cell phone?
Me: yes. when I txt.
Dana: it. . .does?
Me: seriously
Dana: what carrier do you have?
Me: verizon. which must be owned by disney or something
Dana: what does it do when you swear?
Me: it doesn’t let me
Me: using the word recognition thing
Me: i guess i could type swear words in manually
Me: but that seems like punishment
Dana: when i start to spell a word that my phone doesn’t know, a “spell” soft key shows up
Dana: and i can then select it, enter the word manually and save it
Dana: so it’ll be an option the next time
Me: yes but seriously, phones should know swear words
Dana: can you imagine if some parent thought a cell phone taught his kid a swear word?
Me: hmmm. good point.

My Roomba is being held hostage in Kentucky!

That little robot voice BETTER not have a drawl.