Friday Fun Thread: You’re Hot....

It’s Friday, it’s later than usual, I’ve spent the whole morning jacking around with bureaucratic nonsense, and I need some cheering up.  I intend to go through all those awesome funny video links you posted some time ago, but what make me really happy would be to focus on some good...

Friday Fun Thread: School Time!...

Well, not quite yet, maybe.  But it’s coming.  MamaDork started her (final!) year as a teacher last week, the Dude’s family is on the cusp, and I’ve been hammering out revised syllabi, cleaning and re-arranging my office in anticipation of what might be my last year as a teacher. I’ve...

Friday Fun Thread: Superstitions...

Not walking under ladders just seems like common sense. I didn’t realize it until this morning, but today is Friday the 13th. Although most people are less than thrilled about this conjunction, I love it.  For reasons that I can’t quite explain, I love Fridays-the-13th. I like to think...

Friday Fun Thread: Summer Reads...

This past week at the Harpy Beach House, there was a lot of reading. Reading on the porch. Reading on the beach. Reading in bed at night. Reading on newfangled devices; Michelle has an Ipad and I have a Sony Touch e-Reader. We managed to knock off a lot of books. My beach reads: Andrea Levy’s The...

Friday Fun Thread: You Can’t Win ...

Ding-Dong, Prize Patrol! Congratulations, you just won the lottery! Even though they tell me that a million bucks really isn’t that much money, it’s way more than I’ve ever had, and seems like way more than I’d ever need, given my current budget. Anyhoo, we’ve all played...

Friday Fun Thread: Cheaping Out and Spl...

Last week’s discussion was about cultural phenomena that everyone loves but you (and some of our other readers–Seinfeld-haters, unite!), and in the comments, reader Endora mentioned her loathing of the ubiquitous cheap ballpoint pen. I agree. Crappy pens make me annnnnngrrrrrry. I love...

Friday Fun Thread: …I Don’t...

Being a feminist can often result in a conflicted relationship with popular culture.  That’s no surprise.  But I am endlessly surprised by the things that qualify as “popular.”  Some of them I find rather charming, but a whole lot of it is confusing,  silly, boring, or even repellent...

Friday Fun Thread: It’s Like a Hea...

Y’all, it is HOT. SRSLY. Those of us on the East Coast of the US this week have been slogging through temperatures in the triple digits. I’ve got a horrible cold but instead of staying home from work, I’ve been going to the office simply because the office has air-conditioning and my...

Friday Fun Thread: Turn Around, Bright ...

I mentioned last Friday that my weekend was going to include some karaoke.  And indeed, it did.  AND INDEED, IT WAS AWESOME. The Dude made all these arrangements, and we had people from his work, people we know from other academic environments, and others, including BeckySharper and Pandagon’s...

Friday Fun Thread: My Favorite Things...

My Precioussssss... When I came home yesterday, there were about 20 police and firemen in the lobby of my building. Seems one of my neighbors left a candle burning and an errant breeze blew a curtain into it. Half her kitchen was flame-roasted before New York’s Bravest showed up to save the day. Theoretically...

Friday (Night) Fun Thread: Best. Class...

DING! Good evening (or Saturday morning, depending on where you are), everyone. My apologies for not getting to this sooner;  I’m attending a conference here in NYC this weekend, and I thought I would have a little time to myself to get the FFT up.  Alas!  I’ve not had a moment to myself since...

Friday Fun Thread: Local Boosterism...

Purdy. MamaDork arrived yesterday afternoon for a nice visit, so I won’t be around much for the next several days.  Instead of enjoying the internet and air conditioning, I’ll be tromping around the city with Mumsy, showing her some of the places that I love in New York but rarely go to...