Happy belated birthday, JenP!

Aw, man, ita. I hope they get you squared away soon. That sounds horrible.

Ain't nothing wrong with young guys -- I have on myself. What's that Liz Phair song...?!

Ah, late breakfast that included bacon, potatoes, eggs and gravy, then to Half Price Books. Which is hiring. I'm going to apply -- a pittance is better than zero, which is what I'm currently bringing in.

There's quite the cradle-robbing contingent around here!

We had a butter bell growing up, Amy. I don't recall it ever plopping into the water. I loved that thing and would love another.

I've been up since 2 AM. Fuck this shit.

I am the robbed cradle! SO is seven years older than me, the exact age of my older sister, who was in college and out of the house for most of my adolescence. And creepily, the exact same age as my youth minister when I was a kid. The two of them get on famously, which I find weird! But then, Dave and the senior minister are also friends, which is also weird to me. Hello, my authority figures, people!

Nostalgia is weird. I realized that all my nostalgic points are places that have to do with music. Where my choir performed, where I took guitar lessons, the ancient stone church where my voice lessons/life mentoring sessions were.

Everyone thinks ND robbed the cradle, but we're actually less than four years apart. I think I find this more amusing than he does.

Brooklyn Dad and Kid Send iPhone Into Outer Space:

In a burst of science-is-fun educational invention, a Brooklyn dad built a carrier for an iPhone (the current model, with video camera) out of a takeout box, tied it to a weather balloon, and let it go with the camera running. It reached a height of nineteen miles, or about 100,000 feet, which is high enough to show the earth's curvature and a black sky above the atmosphere. At that height, the low pressure means that the helium expanded and the balloons burst, whereupon the phone (in its little cushioned capsule) came down, down, down — and landed 30 miles outside New York, signaling to its owners via GPS, whereupon they went and picked it up. The resulting six minutes of rivetingly weird film are sure to make Mythbusters fans weep with joy.

It's pretty damn cool. You can see the edge of the damn planet, with the sun glinting off.

Excellent in theory, not so much in practice, unless there's some trick no one's telling me.

Amy, you have to make sure the bell part is cool enough so the butter doesn't melt when you put it in there. Stick it in the fridge for a few minutes before filling it so the butter will stick. I wash mine once a week and refill the water every three days or so and don't have problems. The only time the butter plops out on me is when I've washed it in the dishwasher and not let it cool down enough.

Ooh, thank you, Cash. I'll do that.

Banana pecan bread is in the oven. Nom.

I need to figure out dinner besides the sleeve of Girl Scout Thin Mints I found at the back of the pantry.

DH is working on building a Nerd Hole in the basement.