Friday night links

Have you ever pulled an all-nighter and then struggled through the next day, fueled only by massive amounts of caffeine? Then, after about twenty-seven hours without sleep-- and that sleep was pretty much just a nap anyway, so we're really talking about thirty-three hours or so (and the night's sleep before that was horribly insufficient) -- you're so completely exhausted that suddenly you're wide awake? No? Oh.

So yeah, I've had a long week. At the moment, I feel alert enough to go out and do something with my Friday night, but I'm afraid that my body might unexpectedly shut down like an overheated laptop in some really unfortunate and embarrassing place like, say, the bathroom at the Nachbar. Instead, here are a bunch of random links (and a video):


O'Reilly surprised "there was no difference" between Harlem restaurant and other New York restaurants (Media Matters)
So now we can add "clueless racist" to this list of terms used to describe Bill O'Reilly (compiled by me right this very minute using the always-entertaining "[name] is" Google search method): "nuts", "thug in a suit for Fox News", "wrong", "spineless wimp", "big blubbering vagina" (?!), "lying son of a whore", "nutball", and "moron".

Response to Student Writing: 13 Ways of Looking at It [.pdf]
My graduate advisor passed this on to me some months ago. I wish I'd reread it before I read that first pile of lab reports earlier in the semester.


I've been really into my knitting lately. I finished another pair of socks today (they're on my feet at the moment, but I'm way too lazy to go grab a camera, so you'll just have to trust me when I say they're pretty sweet), and I'm doing a pair for my grandmother next (in KnitPicks Swish DK, Pale Lemon), and I've got about fourteen other things I want to make after that. It is fall... maybe I'm nesting or something.

hard stuff made soft.
When Neil toasted us at our wedding, he speculated that I might at some point knit an entire place setting. From time to time, I've thought about how I might actually go about doing that. I'd like to attempt it at some point, just to see if I can.

Craft the Vote! (Slate)
I'm loving this one:

RepubliCraft No. 4: Pro-Life Baby Onesie
Make pro-choicers feel the shock and "awwwww." Embroidered appliqué reads "I'm Alive!" If you have twins, make another one that says, "Post-Born Fetus!" Why abort a baby when you can use it to express your political views?

Southern Indiana FiberArts Festival
Allison S. brought this to my attention today, and I definitely think I'm going. As I explained to my darling geek of a husband, "It's sort of like a comics convention... for knitters." He gets it. Bonus: Southern Indiana is beautiful in late October.



I think I first saw this over at Neil & Erin's house. I've decided to include the term "mafipulation" as a possible answer choice in the exam I'm writing for my Biology 104 classes. I guarantee you someone'll pick it.

And now: a few rounds of knitting, and then bed. I have a feeling I'm gonna have some really bizarre dreams tonight.