Slumberland

From the “now I’ve seen it all” department: a birth announcement for a, um, uniquely named baby.

Of course, maybe they just wanted a variant spelling of Arianne and didn’t put two and two together… but then again, maybe not.

I don’t really know why anyone would buy
this from Amazon. Gourmet? The hell?

Another great segue brought to me courtesy of iTunes’ “Party Shuffle” mode:

“Long Live Rock” by the Who into “Walkin’ The Dog” by the Sonics.

Tian saw a tow truck operator probably damage a vehicle today. He took pictures with his cell phone, and the truck driver wasn’t too happy with this. Then he posted them on his blog, and was soon graced with the presence of someone called “Owner of company” who is threatening legal action.

I find this amusing because when I posted something about a local towing company last year, that company’s owner also showed up here to reply. (To his credit, he didn’t threaten to sue, and seems willing to enter a dialog with people. ) Apparently, replying to weblog posts is just part of the towing company owner’s job! (Actually, I think that the guy who posted on Tian’s site is probably not the real owner, anyway — just someone trying to mess with him. )

A lovely selection of familiar works translated into Old English, at Making Light. Can you identify these texts? The first was pretty easy; the others took a little more thought, though the poem at the bottom was easy (the line “Forgief me” was the giveaway).

I really want to take a course or two in OE someday.

So you’ve heard about a bankruptcy reform bill being discussed these days. Think it’s a good idea? Read this. I’ve never been bankrupt, and hope never to be, but I live in fear of a medical emergency or lengthy period of unemployment turning our lives upside down. Maybe if I were Bill Gates I could think that this “reform” bill would never affect me, but I think most Americans are one serious illness away from bankruptcy — even with savings and insurance, considering how high medical costs can be, and how frequently insurers don’t cover 100%.