It's adorable, isn't it?

And the funny thing is, I've just this minute finished reading Anansi Boys, and have been musing throughout upon how much its style reminds me of (a) The Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy and (b) Good Omens.

(I might be alone in seeing THGtoG parallels, but the Fat Charlie-Spider relationship really pings me in an Arthur-Ford way.)

Walmart iPod replaced with meat:

HAWAII, Dec. 29, 2005 — Rachel Cambra couldn't wait to see the look on her 14-year-old son's face when he opened a very special present on Christmas morning.

The Mililani, Hawaii, woman had saved up to surprise her son with what he wanted most for the holiday, a new Apple iPod with video.

Surprised he was, and so was Cambra. When her son opened the box for the high-tech toy, he discovered the iPod that should have been there wasn't. It had apparently been replaced with some kind of mystery meat.

"He went from joy, really happy joyful," she said, "then to discover this, just angry and hurt."

Cambra says the box was sealed and that it didn't appear to have been tampered with when she brought it home from the Honolulu Wal-Mart where she works.

She says she had put the iPod on layaway so that she could afford the device's hefty $300 price tag.

"I know what I went through to get this for him," said an incensed Cambra. "To open up and find this? I don't know what to say."

"This" appeared to be some kind of sealed fish or meat product, certainly not a state-of-the-art MP3 player.

Hey, shrift. You're an FMA junkie, right? Are the DVDs set up funny? At the start of the first one Netflix sent me, the kids are at a desert town looking for the philosopher's stone. But at the end of the second disk is where he gets his name, and they learn about the stone. Kinda confused.

I have a question that I swear is not based in reality, so don't even go there. There's a portion of seeing a guy (or girl, work with me) where it's not assumed it's an exclusive thing, right? And then there's a resolution or a discussion, and exclusivity might happen. I'm trying to imagine how the conversation with the other guys goes. Is there really a proliferation of "Oh, the other guy I've been seeing wins. So sorry!" discussions? It seems horrible, and if anyone I know has been on the receiving end of them, they've kept mum. So I'm sure I'm missing some subtlety.

Skipping and poking my head and ignoring on-going conversation in a meMeME exploitation of the hivemind:

I just got an e-mail from my brother, and I can't think of anyone to transfer the questions to, other than you guys. So, thanks in advance!

how to pronounce the names Ciceron and Midgley? I think it's kikeron and midli but i'm not sure.

also- how do you pronounce the name Irvine (the university in california)? eerveen or eervain?

Someone went christmas shopping in the layaway bins.

I'm the only person left in the wing. Maybe this means I should sneak out early?

Nilly, I'd go for siseron and mijli, and Irvine is ervyne. If that makes sense.

eerveen or eervain?

UR-vyne

Is there really a proliferation of "Oh, the other guy I've been seeing wins. So sorry!" discussions?

My sister's been on the recieving end of this conversation. It does suck.

Irvine is er-vine (short e sound like the suffix er, and long i as in wine).

sarameg explains it better.