Fun Procrastination Miscellany

Note: If you're one of my authors and supposed to be working on a manuscript for me, you are not allowed to read this post. Go WORK. You know who you are.

[sound of whip cracking -- but it's a loving, supportive whip]

For the rest of you:

Make David Bessler dance! (Hint: Button A is "Staying Alive," B is "Sorry Ms. Jackson," and F is "Footloose.")

Want to do something to save the earth? The WorldWatch Institute has a behind-the-stuff guide to common objects like chocolate, cell phones, and paper, highlighting their environmental impact, cool facts (did you know "the Gutenberg Bible, the first and second drafts of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, and the original works of Mark Twain were all printed on hemp-based papers"?), and what you can do to help the environment via these things. If An Inconvenient Truth hasn't come your way, this is a good start.

(Yes, I'm going to be harping on this. Just call me Feral Cheryl.)

Make a map of all the states you've visited!

(Link courtesy of Jeremiah.) I don't think I've been to Montana, Idaho, South Carolina, or West Virginia, unless it was on some family vacation I've forgotten . . . Mom? You want to chime in here? And does the train or bus to Boston pass through Rhode Island? I forget.

The Cow Cam, a.k.a. MooTube.

Yum yum, watermelon carving. (Actually, I'm not crazy about watermelons. But if anyone wants to carve a nice McVitie for me, I'll gladly put the picture up here!)

Ten Things Teenager Writers Should Know about Writing (via GraceAnne DeCandido on child_lit, via Diane Duane's blog)

An article on Quiz Bowl featuring the most noble Rob Hentzel of NAQT (who is married to my excellent former teammate Dr. Emily Pike -- we won the undergraduate national championship in 1999, along with Steve Jenkins and Andy Felton). The author of the article doesn't seem to quite get the concept of love of the game, which is curious, as the game is an addiction and he used to play; but it does reveal the wonderfully passionate world of quiz bowl.

An online petition for rational believers: Christians Against Pat Robertson Speaking (gacked from R. J. Anderson)

My cousin Diana (princessdi, as she occasionally posts here) and her boyfriend Dan are in Germany right now for the World Cup. They aren't going to see any games in person -- rather they're going to hang out in bars in Germany, France, England, and the Netherlands whenever teams from those countries are playing. It sounds like an awesome trip -- prost, Diana and Dan!