Googs!

Whatever Catches My Fancy

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"And Chaz Bono as George Zimmerman."

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Here is your outrage for the day. I would say it will make your blood boil, but I don't want you to have to be treated for boiled blood. 

One thing I have been saying for years, re: healthcare costs is that we, as consumers, are never given a price list for procedures or medicines. Not that we would opt for the lowest price, and in fact most would go for the more expensive, on the mistaken belief that pricier=more effective. But hospital systems have for years been able to gouge customers because they have been opaque on costs.

I am not anti-capitalist, and acknowledge that there are overhead costs with running a healthcare system that have to be born by charging mark up on goods and services, but charging $1.50 for one Tylenol when you can buy a bottle of 100 tablets for $1.49 at Costco is a bit much.

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Is there any dumber athlete than 49ers' Chris Culliver? I am not talking about his asinine comments re: gays (though BTW, you play in San Francisco, jackass) but rather his apology.

No, I mean his 'apology': “The derogatory comments I made yesterday were a reflection of thoughts in my head, but they are not how I feel,” 

Ha! I mean, read that. If I were the team, I'd be more worried about his mental state (concussion?) than his stupid homophobia. I THINK gays are bad, but I FEEL they are okay. What?

If I didn't know better, I'd assume it was an Onion article or SNL dumb athlete skit.

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Geopolitics, China and Star Wars

Him: My Internet isn't working. Could you kindly let me know if Japan is attacking?

Me: Not that I know of, but I just woke up. Let me check.

Him: It is a concern of mine that when there is a communication disruption, it can mean only one thing.

Me: Invasion!

Him: Exactly.

Him: I hate to jump to rash conclusions, but I have done too much reading into expats in Shanghai in 1937 not to be paranoid. Seriously, I reflect on my life here and wonder if anyone else looks for their passports when the Internet doesn't work.

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Shopping

Today's shopping list: 

Tampons

Chocolate chips

Ice cream

yogurt

Beer

Loyalty card consumer tracking systems are going to wonder why I've turned into someone who was dumped at the wrong time of the month (and possibly has a yeast infection.)

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So, Jodie Foster's speech at the Golden Globes last night. It was an interesting speech. Of anyone in Hollywood who has a reason or desire for privacy, it is a woman who found herself the obsession of a man so damaged he would try to kill the President to get her attention. And of course the bitter irony she would never be interested in him makes it more fascinating.

Foster has faced calls for years from gay rights activists to come out, to use her position and popularity to do things for the gay community. And I find that situation interesting, the pull between gossip sites for the details, from activists for help, and her own desire to allow that part of her life, a life that has been lived in public for all of her existence, remain personal and private.

I find the details, the facts of her sexual orientation boring. That she is attracted to this person or that person, eh, who cares? What I DID find fascinating is the depth of her friendship and loyalty to Mel Gibson, a man who has made it very hard for his friends to be friends with. I would presume--though not claim to know--that his renowned, devout, conservative Catholic beliefs hold homosexuality to be a sin. And yet he is as devoted to Foster, from all reports and evidence, as she is to him. To me, that is the most interesting relationship in her life.

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This is delightful. How great would it have been for Watson to still have access to this on his Jeopardy stint? "What is, Can You Believe These Douchebags Are Testing Me On A Gameshow, Alex?"  

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I'm constantly being asked to check the water level of the Christmas tree. With my lack of depth perception, I feel like I'm on an Advent-long episode of Punk'd.

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Can. Not. Wait.

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Blitzen! No! Bad!

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Texts from my mother

It is an electric hand mixer.  Did you use a scoop for your ball size?  Sounds kinky doesn't it?

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Jimmy Fallon, the Roots, Mariah Carey and a gaggle of school kids have a lot of fun.

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Fascinating interview with Intel's Genevieve Bell. If you want to have even the slightest clue about future tech use and adoption, give it a read.

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Judging A Book By It's Cover

From the Washington Post's weekly best seller listing:

Reflected In You by Sylvia Day: a tale billed as 'erotic,' the second installment of the author's 'Crossfire' series and sporting a cover in the style of E.L. James's trilogy. (emphasis mine.)

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"That was some funny, funny stuff, guys. Okay, next up ..."

Can we talk for a minute about how great the Onion Talks are? It should come as no surprise, but they are a devastatingly dead-on, hilarious, evisceration of TED Talks. I don't know how TED can or should respond to them. Any attempt to assail the Onion Talks would likely paint TED as being old, stodgy, and uncool--all counter to the conferences very carefully managed brand. I think the best TED can do is play the high school principal after a student-talent show impersonation: Awkwardly encourage the performance, in an attempt to show you are cool and in on the joke. 

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Aww man, how lucky can one person be?