the wages of sin don't adjust for inflation

Today, my day has been yo-yoing. Things are going well, and then it all goes south, and then it's looking up again, and then I want to throw myself off a building... it just isn't right. I can't handle this kind of stress, people.

So I IMed abbylee and demanded that she cheer me up, and she sent me youtube links of adorable people being ridiculous, and magically, it worked. And then I went and found some more, and lo, my mood is lifted. So I thought I'd share the joy, just in case anyone else out there is having a day like mine.

Ewan McGregor and Craig Ferguson being adorable together

Neil Patrick Harris and Jason Segel sing the confrontation song from Les Mis. It's kind of epic.

James McAvoy and Craig Ferguson being adorable together

Neil Patrick Harris on Ellen.

Eddie Izzard and Craig Ferguson kick it up to 11. (And here's part 2.)

Neil Patrick Harris talks about prank-calling Mekhi Phifer.

I'm sure you've all seen this by now, but in case you haven't, Craig Ferguson recently did an episode which was rather irregular for late-night TV: just a single episode with a single guest and the two of them having an actual conversation. Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

In other news, I have been watching American Idol and while I won't bore you with all the Idol chatter you're probably subjected to by everyone you know, I do feel it's important to mention that I love Lee DeWyze. If you also love Lee DeWyze, you should check out The Beautiful People, All Right, Predicament, and whatever else you unearth on youtube. THE END.

Oh, movie trailers. They have you pegged, I'm afraid.



I think that was the best movie I've seen all year, and it wasn't even a movie.

In other news (by which I mean "links I got off reddit"), here's a Newfoundland language guide to use of "b'y". I know exactly one of you who will be interested, but I'm pretty sure it's going to be useful when I sneak into Canada and need to fool the Mounties into believing I'm a native. (Note to Mounties: I am not actually planning on sneaking into Canada. There is no need to arrest me. Kthxbai. (Kthxb'y?)

Some science-types at MIT have figured out how to turn polyethylene, a common insulator, into a conductor. ARE YOU KIDDING ME, SCIENCE? Smart people are awesome.

Here's another excellent reason to pass healthcare reform: apparently Rush Limbaugh will leave the country if we do. Hopefully we won't have to pay any other nations to take him. I'm not sure exactly where he thinks he'd go that would make him happy, but apparently he's planning on Costa Rica. Where they have socialized health care. Yeeeeeeeeeeah.

In other news, there's now a "sustainable" Formula 1 racing car, which apparently is made out of stuff like carrots and potato starch. And it's fueled by chocolate, which makes me weep for all the chocolate that could've been eaten by me instead. (Okay, it's not actually fueled by chocolate. If I'm understanding the article correctly, the fuels are derived from oil-based waste products from chocolate factories. Which if the factories are Hershey, means that there's no actual chocolate involved anyway.)

And finally, here's a deeply awesome new kind of Martian-explorer robot: the Tumbleweed rover.

Things that suck: Mondays, morning, work. (So basically the suck of today is Monday³.) Also, CAFFEINE WITHDRAWAL. OMG. I complained to Mal yesterday that I was having horrific headaches for no good reason, and she asked if I'd had caffeine.

....Oh.

This is why I keep weaning myself off the devil juice. It's not worth it on those days when you don't caffeinated yourself. Damn you, addiction. This time I need to kick it FOR GOOD OMG.

Things that do not suck: A pair of baby moose playing in a sprinkler.



That video is 100% guaranteed to make your day more awesome. YOU'RE WELCOME.

In other news, the Lady Washington, one of the tallships with which I am totally obsessed, assisted in the rescue of boaters in distress yesterday. Having to be rescued after your sailboat capsizes must not be fun at all, but imagine if the ship that spotted you and radioed for help was a 1750s-era tallship. I mean, my mind would be a little blown. :D

In other news, it's really ridiculously nice to have a job where I can bring my dog to work with me. He's currently snoozing under the window, and occasionally staring at me as if there really ought to be snacks involved in this process. <3

I haven't decided yet whether Kevin Spacey is brilliantly, incandescently talented, or absolutely frightening.



His Christopher Walken is pretty fucking good. You both amaze and terrify me, Kevin Spacey. Speaking of Spacey, he has a grew new film coming out based on an incredible and also insane true story, called The Men Who Stare At Goats. It also stars Ewan McGregor and George Clooney and it looks insanely good.

Yeah, that was my weak tie-in. Really I'm trying to pretend that this post isn't all about Kevin Spacey doing celebrity impersonations, but that's just the truth of the matter, honestly.

I was prepared to say that this Transformers costume that actually transforms was the best Halloween/convention costume ever:



But then I discovered (via yootubez, of course) that apparently everybody's got one of these. Some are much lamer than others, and some are actually pretty intricate and I think at this point it's safe to say that there's a subculture. A whole subculture of people who, apparently in spite of the horror of badness it that is the latest films, still like the Transformers.

More power to you, people. Alls I know is, I want one of these. I will name it Carl and it will be my friend and I will tell it all my secrets. (I don't have any.) The end.

For those of you who haven't read it, you should be aware that Douglas Adams (yes, that Douglas Adams) and Mark Carwardine wrote a book twenty years ago called Last Chance to See. In it, they embarked on a journey around the globe to find and observe rare creatures which were on the brink of extinction. (If I'm remembering correctly, at least one of the animals they discuss in the book -- the river dolphin in China -- is now considered extinct.) This book is a tour-de-force, as they say, not just because it's terribly interesting but because, being written by Adams, it's terribly funny. Their misadventures are legion. There's a lot of discussion about the human social factors that are causing species extinctions, which I think is the most important factor of what has to be changed, especially in the developing world. This book was given to me by two separate people who told me that I would love it (they were right), and it is a cherished volume in my life.

Which is why I'm so delighted that the BBC has created a television documentary version of same, with Mark Carwardine and Stephen Fry. They went out into the world, found native animals... and were fucked by them. I can't help it, this video clip is reducing me to fits of hysterics. Oh, Mark Carwardine. The things you'll do for science.



And now, in other nature and science news...

You know, chimps really get the best of both worlds. I mean, they're animals, but they really and truly aren't that far off from human beings. (Poor things.) Case in point: this chimp shows us that animals are capable of premeditation. And by that I mean that they, like humans, can quietly make a plan, fashion and stockpile weapons, and then mess your shit up. It makes me sound kind of awful, but I think this story is awesome.

It's not the awesomest thing I've ever seen, though. I think that prize might go (for the moment, anyway, until I find some new awesomest thing ever) to this dolphin. It's official, you guys. Dolphins are the most bad-ass creatures ever.

In holy-shit-how-did-they-do-that news, some science types seem to have a cure for colorblindness. Holy shit, how did they do that?

In other news, oh my god you guys, I don't know how I'm still alive after watching these baby pandas playing on playground equipment.

Here's a cool new kind of solar panel that doesn't need direct sunlight. It's not like... groundbreaking or anything, and the efficiency still isn't what it should be for widespread use, but I think these kinds of things are a sign that we're getting there.

Alright, I can't resist it. Here's another clip from Last Chance to See, proving once again that Aye-Ayes are the most freaky-looking animals EVER:



I hope you all are having a nice stress-free Friday. I need a nap and some caffeine, but I can't have either, so I'm just sitting here staring at Aye-Ayes like an idiot. It's awesome.

Yeah, that's right. I might've shed a little tear.

Here are a few videos to expand your consciousness and carry forward the debate and WHATEVER:
* Craig Ferguson explains the main problem with everything: the deification of youth. Further proving that Craig Ferguson is a GENIUS.
* Keith Olbermann's special comment on health care reform, in which he tells us exactly who owns our representatives and how much it cost. I liked a fellow redditor's suggestion that we ought to start having our representatives start wearing Nascar-style jackets with all of their corporate sponsors' logos on them. It would make things so much simpler.
* Also on my list of awesome people: Rachel Maddow. Case in point: Rachel Maddow on health care reform and lobbyist strategists staging disruptions of town hall meetings. Because clearly the way to get your way, when you haven't got a leg to stand on with your own argument, is to make debate impossible.

And now, in other news:

Okay, I officially give up at art. This fucking six-year-old is better than me. There's no hope. Now I have to go die drunk and destitute in a gutter.

Now that we've got that out of the way, would you like to see the cutest thing ever? I thought maybe you would. Witness: bobcat kitten befriends fawn. And BOW TO THE GLORY OF THEIR SNUGGLEABLENESS.

Or don't. Not if you're a fan of Fuck You, Penguin, my new favorite blog where the author tells cute animals what's what. I laughed so hard I almost died. No, literally. I nearly choked on this delicious, delicious maple donut. My only regret with this website is that somebody else thought of it first.

In other news from the animal world, this free diver nearly drowned and was saved by a beluga whale. Oh, creatures of the sea. You're so smart, it actually scares me. Are you in league with the jellyfish? ARE YOU?!

To be added to the list of places I'd like to see before I die (not that I'll be going there anytime soon, mind you): the underground city of Kiraz, in Iran. Holy epic, Batman! Oh, early Persians. You're so awesome.

And here's one I just can't resist: Jensen and Jared. I KNOW I KNOW WHERE ARE THE STARGATES. That's what you're all wondering, because that's how I lured you all in here, right? But you guys, it's a Jensen/Jared high school AU VID. And okay, it should've been at least a minute shorter and it's not exactly the most exciting video you ever saw (it is NSFW, though, what with the porn), but man, I'm constantly blown away by what vidders can do with a little artistic editing. They can make Dean Winchester a serial killer (okay, he actually kind of is already, but I mean a serial killer of regular people), make Jensen and Jared high school boyfriends, make my little heart go pitty-patter, etc. Astounding!

And here's a news item for you that's kind of creepy. Admittedly, though I was a big X-Files fan back in the day, I didn't watch the spin-off The Lone Gunmen when it was on -- I think they should've let the Wong Bros. kill them in "Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man" like they wanted to, that would've been awesome, and though I was actually into those characters I didn't think there was enough to them to make an entire show... it'd sort of be like Ghostfacers: The Series -- so I missed this. And apparently so did like... everybody else? The pilot episode predicts a 9/11 scenario. That's disturbing me. It also makes me laugh and laugh when I see those old clips of the previous administration talking about how they never could've anticipated what happened, because believe me, people... if Chris Carter can imagine it, so can you. STFU.

Oh, Seth Green. How are you so awesome? I think I just had a Can't Hardly Wait flashback.