Drive-Bys

Giggle of the Day, Part the First:

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Want a novel way to speed date?

On a snowy Wednesday evening, in a back meeting room at the main branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia, 15 women sat at 15 different tables. Fourteen men sat down with each, briefly, for a micro-date.

As any single woman in a city will tell you, the dating scene is lopsided. Speed-dating sessions at the public library are no different. There were supposed to be 15 guys, but the library had a hard time filling those seats. They had to turn away 25 women.

Because it is a library, they brought books as ice breakers.

I actually think this is a great idea.  I'd probably bring 911 and Home by Mark D. Paulson.  Having a first edition, signed by the author, with a mention in the credits?  A guaranteed conversation starter.

What book would you bring to the table?
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If you've left me a voicemail message in the past few weeks and didn't hear back from me... I got a new smart phone that's WAY smarter than me.  Glad to see that I'm not the only one that feels that way.

Have patience.

I'm getting there.  (It only took me a month to figure out how to retrieve emails.  Sheesh.)
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If this is true...

The speed someone walks may predict the likelihood of developing dementia later in life, according to researchers in the US.

... then I'm going to be sharp as a tack well into my old age.

And if this is true...

They also told a conference that grip strength in middle-age was linked to the chance of a stroke.

... I'm going to have the ticker of a teenager for the rest of my born days.

Go read the whole thing here.
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Given my history with Chicago cabs, this is very good news indeed:

[C]ity officials are focusing on a new ordinance — it's set to go into effect this summer — they say will be easier to enforce and finally hold cab companies accountable for repeat offenders they let behind the wheel.

"One of the reasons why we took on the challenge of rewriting the ordinance is because we needed it to be clear, crisp and easy to enforce," said Rosemary Krimbel, commissioner of the Business Affairs and Consumer Protection department.

This can't happen fast enough to suit me.
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Giggle of the Day, Part the Second:

Intersections

For those who recently dropped me notes of sympathy, really the teeth in, teeth out routine isn't that bad.  What does suck about the whole thing?




So there.
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Oh, sure... Fabulous at 50! You have fewer colds, less sensitive teeth and are better at sex

I have less sensitive teeth... because I don't have real ones any more.  The rest, well... that's for me to know and you to find out.

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Valentine's Day is coming.  How to you define love?

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A survey has revealed than an astonishing 43 per cent of women carry around a pair of sexy pants in their handbags... just in case.

I find that astonishing.  In fact, I've put together a little survey of my own to see just how true that is.  Click here to take survey

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"Is my kid entitled?"  If you have to ask, the answer is more than likely YES.  This is one of the most sensible reads for parents that I've seen in a long time.

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I did know this -- "Cut flowers prefer a cool, humid environment and should be kept out of bright light and away from heating vents."

 

What I didn't know was this -- "Do not place cut flowers close to a bowl of fruit, because ethylene gas emitted by ripening fruit can damage the flowers. So can cigarette smoke."  

 

Good to know!

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I recently spent an evening in the company of a delightful soccer coach from Glasgow, Scotland.  Given that I couldn't understand over a third of what he said (though the accent was delightfully piquant), Siri has my sympathy and this article had me in hysterics.  

See?

Quick Stops

Giggle of the Day:

Fownd in mah offiss kitchun, akshuly.
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Why women get more miserable with age (and men cheer up)? Because people keep writing bullshit like this.

The older I get, the more comfortable in my skin and happier I get.
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CharlieDelta's Cat Strikes Again!


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Quick Stop

Quote of the Day:

"Sara was, after all, a very nice lady, even though no female I've ever known has wanted to be called either of those things. Particularly in Los Angeles, where there were only two ages of people, young and pretending to be young."*

I'll take "nice" and "lady"... but I'd put myself in a category different than the last of the above two, and that would be "refusing to be old".

There is a difference between pretending to be young and refusing to be old. The former is a state of mind; the latter is when your brain has not yet caught up with the rest of you.
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Nose Down, Eyes Up: A Novel" -- Merrill Markoe

Rubber-Necking

Here's my question: Why on earth would anyone let this guy...

... anywhere NEAR anything that had to do with their personal nutrition or health?

Spray tan?-- check

Bad hair? -- check

Obvious plastic surgery? -- check

Questionable personal stylist? -- check

Terrible tailor? -- check

Certifiably bad taste? -- check

Run for your life!

Street Legal

Are you getting to an age where you wonder if your driving skills are as sharp as they should be, or have a parent that you worry about every time he/she gets behind the wheel? This software might be just the ticket for you.

If that doesn't do it for you, maybe one of these will:

What do you do with old Bumper Cars?

Occasionally a bright light of awesome renews the spirit. Street-legal bumper cars do just that.

Yes, you read that right; these little beasties are street legal. They run on either Kawasaki or Honda motorcycle engines and co-opt vintage bumper car bodies into the most awesome form of mini-car we've seen in too long.

There are seven of these little monsters floating around California , and they're all the creation of one man, Tom Wright. He’s a builder in the outskirts of San Diego who figured the leftovers of the Long Beach Pike amusement park needed a more dignified end than the trash heap. They were originally powered by Harley motors but they rattled a lot and Tom replaces them with Honda or Kawasaki 750's and a couple have been measured as capable of 160 MPH , which is terrifyingly fast in machines with such a short wheelbase.

Only seven? All I want is one... okay?