The auto bailout passed.

The fish hats are terrific.

And I try to be nice to salespeople, unless they themselves are being difficult. Sunday I was at Starbucks and the woman ahead of me wanted some breakfast food, but she didn't like Starbucks' options - she wanted something done up specifically to her requirements. So I stood there while she dithered and asked about the ingredients of practically everything in the case. Then she'd ask for something and, when it turned out it wasn't something she wanted, go back to the case for another choice. When my turn came, the cashier adjusted the screen and the entire system crashed. She had to get it restarted and then redo my order (it was a cup of coffee, no special request, so not too complicated). I think she was glad to have me be patient ... especially since, by the time she finished with me, there were six people or so behind me.

They make a butter flavored Crisco, by the way.

javachik, did you know you can get butter-flavored Crisco? not as good as butter, but it avoids the brown and crispy situation.

Hee -- I was just about to mention the butter-flavor Crisco.

Hey did we know this about Google book search?

As part of their Book Search service, Google is now offering full text searching of certain magazines. They haven’t released a full listing of what magazines are available, but the examples they cite include Popular Science and Ebony. Poking around it myself, I’ve discovered that the full back-catalog of Baseball Digest Magazine is available, meaning that every page of every issue can be viewed (and searched) online for free. That’s a pretty sweet deal, especially considering their annual preview issues (check out the 1948 or 1962 or 1989 issues).

I wonder what other magazine archives are available. That's very cool for research.

I've used the butter-flavored Crisco to replace butter when making chocolate chip cookies and it comes out pretty well.

Do they make Crisco-flavored butter?

I want butter-and-Crisco-flavored Crisco-and-butter.

Did you read this amazing article by David Ramsay about Li'l Wayne and New Orleans?

That was great.

What do we think about pie crust? Mixed fat, all butter, all crisco, lard, what?

Dude, WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE???

55-year-old Leroy Skette Sr. was displeased when 37-year-old Byron Bells cut the line at a fundraiser buffet at the Fort Greene Senior Citizens Council. But when Skette called him out, the cutter got stabby, throwing a cranberry-vodka drink in his elder's face, then allegedly slashing him with a knife. Skette needed 84 stitches on his face and neck! He tells the tabloid, "I thought he hit me. But I felt my hand, and there was blood." Other than that, the only other salient detail he remembers is "using the word 'manners.'"

Seriously, what is wrong with people??