I was bored today, so there’s a new theme available! It’s bath time.

I had a much better session with the physiotherapist this week without any further disturbing personal revelations. She gave me some new exercises, some massage, and ultrasound treatment on my back. Ultrasound! Like for babies! That was a new experience. Apparently the sound waves aid healing and break up scar tissue or something. All I know is, I’m definitely a fan of warm goo. Goo it up, baby!

On one hand I’m a little annoyed that Australia has to wait an extra week for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban… but on the other hand, that’s an extra week for me to finish my Gryffindor scarf! (I’m going to do mine in the new style.)

The Silmarillion in 1000 Words. Bwa ha ha! I’ve never even been able to make it through that book but I thought that was hilarious. (Link courtesy of miftik.)

I was just standing at our local café waiting for my felafel roll when a flash of green caught my eye. “What’s this? Diet Coke… with Lime???” Dammit, why wasn’t I aware of this? I was counting down the arrival of Diet Coke with Vanilla for months, yet somehow they slipped this one right past me. (I knew Lime was out in the US, but based on the Vanilla experience I didn’t think we’d get it for at least another six months.) No commercials, no website, no advertising, nothing! How on earth were the Australian members of the cult of Diet Coke supposed to know about this? I probably drink more Diet Coke than anybody in a five-mile radius but I had to discover the new flavor in the cooler like the rest of the unwashed masses? Hmmmph.

Anyway, after ten seconds of mentally ranting at Coca-Cola Australia’s incompetent marketing team, I grabbed a bottle and headed back to the office for a taste test. I’ve been reading Max’s raves about it for ages so I expected to be blown away. Unfortunately… not so much. Meh. It was okay. There was still a hint of the “pledge-ness” that I disliked about the Lemon version. Also, like the Lemon it gave me a very “diet soda” aftertaste that I never get with regular Diet Coke (or the Vanilla flavor). It just didn’t change my life like I wanted it to. I’ll be sticking to the old standbys.

NOTE: Hmmm. Now that I think about it, that bottle wasn’t ice cold since they’d just recently stocked it. It was cool to start but towards the end it was basically room temperature. Could that have affected my experience? Is it better colder? Maybe I’ll give it a second chance…

I just realized all those links came from MetaFilter. This is what happens when I don’t visit for a while.

The Snook and I have a running joke that the reason he’s so skinny is a tapeworm. He calls this imaginary friend “Alphonse.” (This is apparently a reference to an earlier college joke between him and his mates, where they’d tease another guy about having one.) Today I sent him a link to “The Worm Within”, a first-person account of really having a tapeworm. *shudder* See, that‘s why I don’t eat steak tartare.

Are you on drugs? Take this lame “How Well Do You Know Your Teen?” quiz and find out your risk factor. I scored a high risk. What can I say? I have been a bit sluggish lately, and I’ve been known to chuck the occasional sickie. And yeah, I own a can of hair spray and I occasionally use breath mints. I’m practically a junkie! But I swear the air freshener is only to cover up the smell from the litterbox, Mom.

Passport to the Pub: A Guide to British Pub Etiquette. Useful tips for anybody planning a trip to the UK anytime soon (and a nice bit of nostalgia for those of us who’ve left for warmer climes). Some of it applies more to regional pubs than the ones you find in London, but the advice on ordering, tipping, and buying rounds is spot on.

How to Unravel a Sweater. For all those times when you find good wool in an unflattering style! (Link courtesy of not martha).