Double Jeopardy Two-Boy Weekend Showdown!!

I really think that you're going to be tell which posts are mine by the exclamation points in the titles, if my first two are any indication.

Anywho.

Back in the day, I was awkward. And when I say awkward, please know that I mean AWK-WHERD. It was painful. I was nerdy, with these horrible green plastic glasses, and terribly, horrifically shy. but I loved to read. So after one fateful book fair, I came home with some of the Sweet Valley High books. I was certain that at any moment my parents would cotton to the fact that I was reading about *gasp!* high schoolers and what couldn't possibly be age-appropriate adventures! I mean, they drove around town in their shiny red Fiat by themselves! They had hunky boyfriends! They went to co-ed parties! And in every other book they managed to dodge death and/or a coma! What dorky girl with a bad perm her grandmother forced on her wouldn't want to escape to sunny California where everyone's hair is sun-kissed and wears a size six?

(Do I sound sheltered? I blame Catholic school.)

Eventually, I grew up, got some self-esteem, and some glasses that are a little more Tina Fey and a little less Sally Jesse Raphael. The books I read now have plausible plot lines and multisyllabic words that aren't "dreamy" or "crumpled" (which is the only way the twin's perfect faces know how to express emotion, BTW). And I didn't think about the world of Sweet Valley for a very long time. (I am still nerdy, though. Nerdy and proud!)

Until I found this website, and could not stop cracking up. The switch was flipped. Now that you mention it, it was weird that Elizabeth and Todd never went all the way. Those Twilight prudes eventually did the nasty, so why not E&T? Why did no one ever insist that Jessica go see a shrink to try to curb the pathological lying? And good lord but those girls ate, and yet they always fit into those little bikinis. So please, enjoy the snark. If you have even a faint recollection of these books, you won't be sorry.

In Which I Narrowly Escape With My Bank Account

I heart everything about Wondermark and want to recommend it with an enthusiasm that borders on cult-y. So, keep that in mind as you keep reading. When we came upon David Malki in the Houston "Comicpalooza" last month, it was all I could do not to shovel everything at his table into my bag, including him. He's a grown man deserving of respect, but I can't help it if I wanted to put him in my pocket. Luckily, my partner understood and nodded indulgently as I chatted with him, but also luckily for us both, she didn't let me buy the whole table of merchandise. Visit now, but at your own risk: #111; In which Henry pedals for his life

I, I Love You..... Octopus!

This is the true story of a man, a man who had his video camera stolen by a rogue octopus. I seriously thought that this would be three minutes and 21 seconds of random sea life, kind of like when you give a video camera to a toddler and get up-close and personal with her nostrils, or the undersides of her toys. And there is some of that, but the addition of Steve Zissou-esque subtitles make it seem So! Much! More! Exciting!

You're Alive, So Go On and Show It.

This is a very inspirational video. Prepare for your life to be changed. This song is also excellent for meowing along to. Try it!