Some webcams. The Koala one's local to me. I should take the kid to the Zoo there again soon... he hasn't been since reaching a reasonable level of self-awareness.

Ouch. Biting commentary on Star Wars con costumes. I sort of think the guy dressed as a toy mint in package is clever. personally.

Speaking of Star Wars... How did Han Solo and Mace Windu get to the same dinner party? Still a neat piece of artwork.

Sand just went right next to the Springs on my bookmark toolbar. Things to do when mellow. These games make me wish there were some truth to my ex's claims in our custody suit that I have a recreational drug habit. I can only imagine that these mellow kinds of web toys would be enhanced by the use of mind-altering substances.

Albino Blacksheep also has up a list of webgames (27 Dec--I can't find a direct link to the post). Guess it's that kind of mellow holiday week for a lot of us. For those of us in the hospitality game, of course, it's bust-your-ass-and-hope-they-know-what-tipping-is week. For those of us in the hospitality industry in South Carolina, it's also sell-the-minibottles-while-you-have-them week. Next week we're on free pour, folks! Weaker "standard" drinks but 2-liquor mixes will now be more customizable and not cost $13/drink. Whether this is a good trade is a matter of opinion, but being able to get/make a real "floater" drink or have a proper Long Island Iced Tea without having to buy a pitcher suits me just fine.

There are a ton of blogs I check more-or-less daily, and a few more I check often (but not as often either because of time or because they update less frequently). Still, when I see a top blogs of the year list, I click them all into tabs to have a look. What I find is that I read what I read for a reason, and on a lot of subjects--random web stuff a la Clicked, industry rants like Waiterrant and Insane Waiter, more on philosophy, spirituality, sex, tech, and gadgets, I do not read any political opinion pages on a regular basis. I have. I'll click to links on many and read the posts, and I know that some of the best information on certain news subjects is to be found in these blogs. But I don't click to them often or bookmark any. I'm very strong in my political convictions, but I do not want to read someone else's rantings and get angry at them and send hate-mail or point out why I feel their logic is flawed (one of the top 5 in the list has about halfway down the page a note to the effect of "Ha, ha, New York Times, most Americans are OK with their privacy being nonexistent"--just because most Americans think the first and fourth amendments are just guidelines and that only certain people and ideas should be protected by them, doesn't make it so)--and if I read them I can't help but start to feel it's my duty to respond thus. And the ones I agree with on most or all points? Why reinforce my own opinion? Morons dot org is more news site than blog, but is the one exception I'll make. Mind, this is only a restriction on primarily political blogs--Writers like Wil Wheaton (are you ever going to get WWdN fixed, there, man? The "only Typepad members may comment" thing is driving me nuts) and John Scalzi, who write their blogs to write and sometimes expound on their political views won't be stricken from my lists of great things to read.

Also don't read celebrity gossip blogs. Just don't give a rat. Or any particular part of a rat's anatomy.

Do check out PostSecret and GroupHug if you ever want to see the darker side in all of us. This is a perfect specimen.