Three Interesting Things

1. In case you heard about cookie shot glasses, or hadn't, but wanted to know how to make one - here you go.

2. V E Schwab had a wonderful post on why she would add to her plate and go off to pursue a masters degree when she was gainfully employed as a writer.

3. And Carolyn Jewel had a thought provoking post on why requiring real names for book reviews is problematic.

7 Things: The Marshmallow edition

As you may suspect (especially if you follow me on other social media) I saw the "Veronica Mars" movie this weekend.  Short version loved it.  My mostly non-spoilers 7 things I loved follow.  (These will obviously be 7 things in the movie, so if you want to know nothing, stop now, come back later.)

1.  Setting.  I know.  I tend not to think about setting in shows expect for obvious ones like "Justified" and "Longmire" where clearly the location of all these people is embedded into the characters.  Neptune is seemingly a generic beachside California town.  Of course it has a dark underbelly, a class difference that had been new, and now ten years later is more entrenched. 

2. Veronica and even Piz looked different in New York.  It was kind of like the "Ally McBeal"/"The Practice" crossover where you realized that the folks from "The Practice" looked weird in the yellow happy light of "Ally McBeal" and the "Ally McBeal" folks seemed extra quirky in the grim blue lighting of "The Practice". I kept thinking Veronica looked so severe.  Not in a bad way, she's just about to finish up law school, and while she was a marshmallow, Veronica hadn't been super soft looking before.  And then, as she spent more time in Neptune, she looked, well, more Veronica. 

3. I think the balance of getting to see all the characters I wanted to see and yet, having that wrap into the plot was well done.  This is always a tricky thing.

4. Speaking of balance, Keith has always been riding the line of wanting to encourage Veronica to question and be smart (or, perhaps, not entirely squelch that) and yet encourage her to think bigger, and focus on getting out of Neptune a town that he knows full well will build you up and tear you down.  Ten years on this is still true. 

5. I rewatched the movie and while the cheering section from my couch was smaller, it was still wonderful.  And I caught little bits and hints when I know what was coming.  I always think that's a great sign. 

6. I am so grateful to have another glimpse of Veronica, Keith, Wallace, Piz, Gia, Deputy Sacks, Weevil, and even Dick.  There are some others old and new too. 

7. And well, Neptune.  Like I said, it seems like a beachside town.  But it will build you up and tear you down.  Or sometimes just tear you down. 

Three Interesting Things

1. There's a lot of heart disease in my family, including some folks who left us after what was their first and last heart attack, so I appreciated this guest post by Stephen Toulouse about making the decision to call an ambulance, and to agree fully that if you think you are having a heart issue, it is absolutely worth the money, time, and possible embarrassment to get that checked. 

2. If you find weird legal cases fascinating, then this one about peanut butter pretzels might interest you. 

3. 10 library living cats, because, come on. 

Three Interesting Things

1. A study has shown that sexually aggressive men in bars are sexually aggressive because they are hoping drunk people are better targets, not as a result of being drunk themselves.

2. You may have heard this winter has involved snow.  Possibly.  Well, New Jersey ran out of salt.  And then discovered an old trade law meant a ship full of rock salt couldn't just move itself on down to New Jersey. 

3. The cold led to one woman, who wears a hijab, discovering under enough layers people treated her differently. 

Tiny Photos

I had a weird week with travel and a wedding and some snow and some extra travel due to snow, so basically, I am going to point you to this story about a legographer who is photographing Britain and go lay down for a nap.