I have to clean out my tabs in Firefox. They have been open for weeks, waiting for me to mention them. So let's try to fix that real quick like.

• I've made bacon vodka. And now here are some recipes. I'm still frightened.
• Scientists have found the commitment gene. I'm more frightened.
• 50 great art videos on youtube. I think this might have come form Kottke, but I'm too lazy to look now. Sorry, Jason.
• Other people talk about sex with the Golden Girls, you know.
• Info that I haven't finished reading about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Ug.
• A piece on the whole United Airline stock tank the other day. Go Internets!

• I didn't realize initially that it was the Michael Phelp-ics, but I'm pretty burned out now. We watched some at the beach, but the Olympics have never been my thing. I do wish I'd followed the soccer a bit more though.
• Mike and I went to Daly City last night to pick up a new dresser and nightstand for me off of craigs list. Oh man. I had measured the car to make sure the dresser would fit in the backseat. Check. However, I made the fatal flaw that I'm sure everyone does at some point — I didn't check to make sure the dresser would fit through the car door. The result? We look like idiots to these people, who send us up the street to the dollar store to buy string to tie the trunk to the dresser. We evenually get it all together after much amateur fumbling and I drive the 45 miles down the 280 sweating the entire time, convinced the string will break and something bad will happen. Nothing does and we make it home just fine. I have a dresser for the first time since moving to the west coast.
• This morning it occurred to me that the "Batman R.I.P." (which I know Ben is reading, at least) by Morrison currently running in the Batman comic is a lot like the "Hush" storyline by Loeb from several years ago. Except that Loeb went low-brow and Morrison is hitting the high-brow notes. Also, "Final Crisis" is very, very good. I'm burned out on DC still, but if you have basic (or nerd-basic) knowledge of DC, "Final Crisis" should tickle you in strange places. Of course, if I say Mister Miracle, Seven Soldiers, Barry Allen and 4th World and you have a blank stare, you'll need to hit up Wikipedia to fully appreciate it. (Also, bringing back Barry Allen is the single worst idea DC could do. I'd like to say it doesn't actually raise my blood pressure, but it does. I am a nerd.)
• This post by the Portman's bf, titled "In Which We Request You Not Tongue Our Balls" might be enough for me to wish the couple well. As much as I love the Portman, I'm not sure I can offer more than this post does. Yes, I may no longer be the perfect match for Natalie. The nerd in me is crying.
• Everything That Happens Will Happen Today is out. It's David Brynes and Brian Eno's first collab in 30-some years, the first since "My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts." I need to listen to this one some more before I decide if I'm buying it or not.
• We were on vacation for Imperial Fleet Week this year. Looks like we didn't miss a ton.
  
• And yes, I'm doing well. I haven't fallen off of any cliffs, though I'm staying up too late, eating too late (last night dinner was at midnight) and generally driving myself to exhaustion. Debate may begin if this is a healthy coping mechanism.

I'm still sickly, but feel less miserable than yesterday. Today my throat is simply a sharp pain when I swallow and my head is halfway clear. Fever seems much more under control. Yeah, maybe I shouldn't have been at work yesterday. Here's hoping I didn't take down half the dev team.

I have a bunch of links for your amusement. Mainly because I had zillions of tabs open from playing catchup on Sunday after being in Seattle.

• mightygodking linked to this msnbc article about calories being displayed on nyc food menus. I knew this was coming, but it is awesome to read that SF and Santa Clara are next up. Actually, as I stated reading about it, I wonder why/how we had escaped. I've already gotten freakish about food and ingredients the last several years (due to living here and things like "Omnivore's Dilemma." Soon I can prove I'm a little less crazy. In this area.
• How much banks have traditionally borrowed from the Federal Reserve. Yes, you're seeing that correctly. Maybe 5 billion in 1985, which was the most. Until this year. By a factor of 25. So far. Click though and weep, my friends. This is intense shit, something most people still seem to be failing to grasp. I read this morning that an attack on Iran could send oil skyrocketing, further wrecking the economy. The prime mortgages appear to up next for failure. More banks are going to close. None of this is a joke. And it is being said that we are "in the second inning of a severe, protracted recession." This shit has another 18 months at least.
• in lighter news, here is 100 and some pictures of drunk girls making out. (don't tell me I don't know what you expect.) also, much like 2 girls, 1 cup (but less traumatic) is cakefarts.com and puddingfarts.com. Don't do it. (Also, Lisa sent me these last week and I tried really hard to never speak of them again. But I failed.)
• I'm going to follow that with the most terrifying thing I have heard in weeks: the guy on the bus in Canada who beheaded the guy he was sitting next to. Seriously, this is beyond fucked up.
• This is followed again by some lighter stuff — 10 reasons to date a unicorn and postcards from yo mamma. I know you and you will find at least one of these amusing. Maybe both.

That's enough for now. Merry Christmas!

So I'm out of town the next couple of days; on top of that, I have been super busy the last week or so — a trend that will continue for the next 3 weeks or so.

So here are a bunch of links (better late than never) that should have been thrown up days ago. Sorry. And yes, I should be back on track posting someday.

• $490 billion. We have hit a new record with the deficit. This comes as people start to realize we are in some deep trouble: "People in the know like George Soros are saying this is the worst financial crisis since the depression."
• Spoiler alert: Barry Allen is returning as the Flash. If you are a nerd, you've known this for months. If you aren't, you don't know who Barry Allen is anyway. Nor why Geoff Johns writing this "Rebirth" series is frightening. Here is my short take: Barry Allen is pretty much the last (only) superhero that has been killed and not come back. This is a really depressing turn of events, undoing decades of storytelling progress to cater to the whims of fanboys. I mean — Johns is bringing back Krypton in the coming months (by taking Kandor and bringing it up to full size. On Earth.) Anyway, this now will complete the undoing of the original Crisis.
• Lost spoilers from ComicCon. Nothing shocking, really. But still. Spoilers.
• Ludachrist, which I haven't had time to listen to yet. But it's compared to Girl Talk — but better. Which I don't find to be much of a stretch, frankly.
• Randy Pausch has passed away. Worth watching "The Last Lecture" one more time.
• And why you should never talk to the police — even (and especially) when you are innocent.

There are a few tales of Texas to be told and re-told, but first I need to clear out some of these open tabs I have floating in Firefox, waiting to be thrown over to you.

• a "twist" on mario. (and I use "twist" in that old "jo buddy" kind of way.) a preface on this link: 1. i didn't see the original post, 2. this actually ties in with an ongoing conversation i have been having with kurt: that no one would post to craigslist/casual encounters with an offer of "the door will be unlocked, come have your way with me." 3. this is another of those things that you can't undo once you have read it. you've been warned.
• michael bay's rejected script for batman.
• school locked down after a ninja sighting.
• the best looking wags (wives and girlfriends) of soccer players. yeah, this one is a little too maxim for me, but i figure you might care anyway. (also, i love #41. who is 36. but then you see her and you realize why. im so predictable.)
• grant morrison's tv scripts for the unproduced 'invisibles' bbc show.
• i know you missed it the first time, so take another look at the fail blog. it it dynamite.
• a bit on the difficulty in covering fox news [via rex]
• 10 dollars or 10% off a jet blue flight (expires 7/10/08) — not usually the kind of thing id link to, but it might be helpful to someone out there.
• finally, for hima, the train station/depot at mountain view is going to become a wine/beer bar + good food. now ill never be able to drive home after work.

• a richmond, va photo blog by meg.
• the world's funniest joke (don't miss the link at the bottom to some other jokes as well.
• i feel like ive posted this before but: a list of problems solved by macgyver on wikipedia
• the shit box. oh yes, this is pretty awesome.
• greenaway projected coolness on da vinci's 'the last supper' recently. looks and reads as amazing.
• the power was out in our apartment all of monday night. i survived. and now i want to do it once a week or so — no lights, no power, just candles. i wonder if it would get me closer to being a member of the 2000watt club.

just to try and keep you entertained a little:

• the best dating/asking out vm ever. oh douchebags, will you ever get unfunny?
• in my weekly "something new to stop me from sleeping" section, the north pole will completely melt this summer, for the first time ever. there are plenty of firsts that i am excited by (see: not being a virgin anymore), but this isn't one of them.
• because you wondered, here is the imdb listing for troy mcclure.
• and because you loved 2 girls, 1 cup, here is a video "re-enactment" of the moments before the movie was made.

rock out this weekend, kids.