The 25 Best Ever REM Songs. You know, I was totally in agreement with this guy from the beginning, nodding my head and murmuring “Hell yes!” each time he name-checked yet another of my favorites (especially the obscure ones that give me a secret thrill from owning, like the “Where’s Captain Kirk?” fan club single which I hope is still in my Mom’s basement somewhere), until it all came to a screeching halt at #5: “Sweetness Follows.” HUH? I hate that song! And where’s “Man on the Moon,” surely one of the best-written songs of the 90’s? So lift out “Sweetness Follows” and replace it with “Man on the Moon” and we’re in business. (Max questions the #1 pick but I can kinda see it, especially since Stipe commented during Unplugged that it was his favorite REM song.) I also thought of a few Honorable Mentions that, while I wouldn’t necessarily put in the Top 25, are definitely in the Top 30: the Untitled song at the end of Green, “Wendell Gee,” “The Flowers of Guatemala,” “Half a World Away,” and “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?” Interesting omissions: “The One I Love,” “Everybody Hurts,” the last couple radio singles. Again, can’t really disagree too much there. For me, Life’s Rich Pageant is the most overlooked album of the bunch. (Original link courtesy of Max.)

Oh, and why am I suddently all obsessed with REM? BECAUSE WE’RE SEEING THEM TONIGHT!

Ebert takes on the Creationists. Woo!

“I Was an Ice Cream Man.” That always used to be my brother’s dream in elementary school. (Part Two is here.)

Okay, straight up y’all: Have any of you ever been to Weight Watchers? Stop giggling. I had a minor reality check last week when I stepped on the scales and confirmed that yes, I’ve gained back half the weight I lost during our Atkins phase. HALF. And the sad, sad truth of it is that I know exactly why: I don’t go to the gym anymore and I’ve been on a six month carb bender. The gym situation happened gradually; I started my new job and I was so tired from standing all day that I rarely went. Eventually my membership expired and I just kinda shrugged, “Whatev.” We’ve tried some various things – swimming in the morning, walking, etc. – but I’m just not a morning person. So I need to do something in the evenings, and I’m JUST NOT MOTIVATED. At all. And then the junk food situation… That’s all my fault. Well, and the Snook’s. We enable each other. We enjoy food too much. We’re irresponsible. We tried to go back on the low-carb… but pancakes. And fresh bread. We can’t push them away again. So what’s a girl to do? It turns out that there are several WW meetings in the city within thirty seconds’ walk of the shop, so I’m considering it. I just don’t know. Is it a scam? Will it be cheesy? Will it actually work?

Anyone? Bueller, Bueller…?

My own private sweatshop
My Irish backpacker Elaine hard at work scanning kits for the upcoming re-launch of the TC website…

Awww, man, Rob took the cutest picture of Dr. Amy Jones! And I have no idea what I’m doing in this one.

Check out these new pictures from the upcoming Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire movie. It appears that Harry and Ron really are going through a “shaggy late Beatles phase” (™Kevin), but you know what? I love it! Daniel Radcliffe is getting seriously hot in that non-threatening, beautiful way girls love. I mean, look at that picture. Peter Jackson could’ve waited ten years and made the exact same LotR with Daniel as Frodo. *sigh*

I just discovered the Knitty Shop. Man, I think I really, really need a “Yarn Ho” sweatshirt.

There’s only one way to eat a brace of coneys…
Happy Easter! We celebrated in true blasphemous fashion by eating The Easter Bunny. Seriously. I had been hesitant – “Will it have a face?” I asked – but in the end the smells won me over. It was really good. (Big thanks to Rodd’s nanny for getting us a La Creuset casserole.) It actually reminded me a lot of chicken, but in a good way. We also had lots of taters (precious), and salad and veg and bread and everything good. And now I need to sleep for 24 hours to process all these carbs.

Oh, and I tried the egg mold Jigglers again, and they didn’t work again. They always break in half. I suck.

Those responsible for the sacking have just been sacked…
It appears the BBC have tracked down the person responsible for leaking the first new Dr. Who episode and given them a right sacking. I may, um, have watched the first bit of it as an unnamed person (*cough*Snook*cough*) managed to download it. The new doctor looks very dashing in his leather coat. I was like, “Whoa, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Daleks!”