Today is the 65th anniversary of D-Day. My late Uncle Carl landed at Normandy that day and fought all the way through to the end of the war. Having learned this not too long before Saving Private Ryan came out, I sobbed through the entire opening act of that film both times I saw it, stunned that anyone could have survived that nightmarish assault.

President Obama's speech was really beautiful and worth watching. It's only 15 minutes long, but he gives a little history lesson and tribute all rolled into one.

So I just want to say thank you to each and every person, living or dead, who helped plan, train, and equip the soldiers for that day, and especially thank you to those who set foot on those beaches in France so long ago.

To my mom, who is really great at her job, to my sisters-in-law without whom I would not have my wonderful nieces and nephew, and to my excellent-mom friends, most notably lisamantchev.

And to me, 'cause, gosh darn it, I've raised these cats right!
 

I was alerted by several squeeing emails that Meg Cabot linked (and said nice things about) my review of Forever Princess! It's down toward the end of the entry right after the picture of Meg on a bicycle.

So THAT is supercool!

When the ReCaptcha project is fully up and running, this month or in early September, Mr. von Ahn expects it to process about 160 books a day being scanned by the Internet Archive, a San Francisco nonprofit. The Internet Archive has paid employees scanning 1,000 books a day at 70 public and university libraries, mostly in the U.S., from the Library of Congress to the Allen County Public Library, in Fort Wayne, Ind [emphasis mine].

Many here know Og personally. Others know Og by reputation and prowess with weighted thighbone. Some of you not know Og at all, but just attracted by big pile of viscera over at buffet. That O.K. too. If we not want to attract you, we not arrange for so much viscera ...read more

“You do have to be careful about the message you’re sending out. It’s a double-edged sword. You have to be responsible, but you also have to be irresponsible or you’re not telling the best stories.”

Joss Whedon
from the New York Times, March 5, 2008

That's all I have to say about that :D

Stuff I've picked up over the years -- much of which I picked up a long time after it would have first been quite useful to me -- that has made my life ever-so-much easier.

Listed in no particular order:

• If your throat is irritated by something (you're coughing or non-life-threateningly choking), breathe through your nose.
  This bypasses the irritated area at the back of your throat and allows you to get the coughing under control. Also works on gag reflexes for things like the doctor using that wooden thing on your tongue or having those crazy plastic things in your mouth when the dentist takes x-rays. Seriously. Try it next time the chocolate hits the back of your throat wrong and your eyes are about to start streaming.
• lefty-loosey, righty-tighty; most useful mnenonic EVER.
• Don't make a left oops -- DUH! right turn into two-lane traffic until the vehicle you see in the lane nearest you has passed you; an entire car can hide behind the car you see in the adjacent lane and you will WHACK right into it or come close enough to scare you, that car, and everyone who witnesses the near-disaster
• Learn to read a map and then carry one with you in your car and you will never be lost OR be trapped with no recourse on the highway. Plus, alternate routes can be fun.

That's it for now. Short list, but I'm sure I'll think of more little things later...

It is just comedy gold, people. That's what I've been saying for TWO YEARS! You want humor? Work in Hello Kitty, and you have yourself something that is just laughtastic.

Point in fact, Daily Show's riff on Dennis Hastert earlier this week used, as its piece de resistance, a Hello Kitty journal. It just made the humor that much funnier. And now? Editorial cartoons have discovered the comedic value of Sanrio's worldwide trademark and beloved icon, Hello Kitty, too [click here]. Even the "Cartoon Violence" guy over on Wonkette understands that the Hello Kitty element elevates the overall hilarity of the panel: [make with the clicky again].

It's nice to be validated... z'all I'm sayin'.

You know -- Schoolhouse Rock! iTunes has them now. For sale. And I bought the Noun Song. As I LURV IT!! And I sing along and I grin like a five-year-old. I want to get the Preamble Song, too. My entire generation has the Preamble memorized wrong because of that song (it omits "of the United States" which in the real Preamble follows "We the People") -- but otherwise, we SO know that Preamble. *hums*to*self*

I don't think I've mentioned this site, and if my not having mentioned it means there are some of you out there who do not KNOW of it, then I am a bad person. Go here: CuteOverload.com. Seriously. This site can bring about World Peace, cure bird flu, and organize your closets. It is that damn cute.

If you haven't been to this site: ThisIsBroken.com, GO, and read the entire archive. Hilarious and thought-provoking and interesting.

Found via ThisIsBroken:
The modern rules of advertising? which is also hilarious and thought-provoking.