December 09, 2020

LOOKIN' FOR LOVE IN ALL THE INFERNAL PLACES.

It's Matt! Meredith filled in ably over the last week while I worked on some new art (which will be unveiled in just two days' time), but she's next to me on the couch right now cracking wise on Twitter. So I'm back where I belong: in the driver's seat of Boredwalk emails! 

Without further ado, happy National Pastry Day! Whether you plan to celebrate with a croissant, a profiterole, some baklava, an empanada, or a slice of apple pie, treat yo'self!

Tom Haverford from Parks & Rec knows how to treat himself

Before we get to the links, let's all enjoy some cake!

• First up, pip pip cheerio to poet John Milton, born this day in 1608! Milton's best-known work is the epic blank verse poem about the Fall of Man following the temptation of Lucifer in the Garden of Eden, Paradise Lost. 

• Next, happy birthday to pioneering computer scientist and US Navy Rear Admiral Grace Hopper, born this day in 1906! Ms. Hopper was the first to devise machine-independent programming languages, and the FLOW-MATIC programming language she invented is still in use today in the form of COBOL. She posthumously received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama in 2016.

• Finally, cut a corner piece for these acclaimed performers of stage and screen: Kirk Douglas (1916), Red Foxx (1922), Dame Judi Dench (1934), and John Malkovich (1953).

OK, OK...you've waited long enough. It's link time!

1. Need a jolt of wholesome wonder? Spend a little time visiting Your Korean Dad! 

From what I can glean from his Instagram profile, Nick Cho is a coffee connoisseur by day and a delightfully jovial purveyor of "dad" humor on TikTok by night. This video of him eating bougie grapes is probably my favorite video of his so far.

2. What if I told you that mushrooms can save the world?

OK, now what if I told you that it can do it in a variety of fascinating ways? Would that interest you? It sure interested me! Is this blog post from three years ago? Yes! Does that make its content less relevant or compelling now than it was then? No!

3. What do Ryan Reynolds, Satan, and Taylor Swift have in common? A part in the creation of this hilarious Match.com commercial!

I thought I was OK at marketing. Then stupid handsome Ryan Reynolds comes along and drops this. *sigh* 

4. These pets LOVE being dressed up in Christmas costumes. No, really!

Just kidding! They really, really, don't.

5. Bill Nye continues to do yeoman's work in trying to explain practically why wearing a mask right now is so critical.

I can't quit you, Bill.