People Will Say...

People have been saying such interesting stuff on the internet. I have to use my 10 Things today to share.

1. Lost hedgehog. I don't know that anything I can say about this will be better than those two words. However, anyone who steals or lets their child steal another kid's hedgehog surely has something nasty coming at them from the universe some time soon. (Clinton Hill Blog)

2. Maggie Mason has been using Mondays on her blog to republish previous works so they're all in one place. Yesterday's piece about simple etiquette is a good primer for everyone I meet every freaking day. I can almost not decide what my favorite part is. What about this, "One attends funerals not only to show respect for the departed, but also to support those who are mourning. Skipping them because you’re squeamish is childish." But maybe this, "It’s not polite to push your beliefs on others unless you’re holding a picket sign large enough to give fair warning that they should avoid you." I won't go on, you should read it yourself. (NB: I am guilty of a few faux pas on that list as well. I'll try to be better.)

3. I guess I hadn't thought this through entirely but the Twilight books are actually promoting abstinence. Well, sexual abstinence...of a sort. It's kind of weird. Not OK to have sex but OK to get married at, like, 18 and let some dude suck the life's blood from you. Which, well, we won't go into how apt a metaphor I think that actually is. (Feministing)

4. Rush Limbaugh has done a lot of bellyaching about New York City. Which is, it turns out, where he lives. Weird. Apparently, though, he's had enough and he's leaving. I weep. You know I do. I wonder if he's moving so he can teach at Glen Beck University. (Gothamist)

5. One of my stock phrases about why I love NYC so much has to do with being able to have anything you want delivered anywhere you want at any time you want. My city? Just got better. Delivery inside Central Park. No need to put on shoes when you get thirsty. (Gothamist)

6. Sara Brown and her friend coined this term to describe a certain kind of person. They call her "A Janice." No offense at all if your name is Janice. I can't begin to explain exactly what it is so you should read it. I can't imagine you won't immediately recognize the type. I've worked with a few and, wow, not my favorite. (Dooce)

7. I know, I know, you don't think pit bulls are bad dogs exactly you just know that their brains work differently and they can't be trusted, at least not around kids. I mean, you wouldn't drive your kids around in a jalopy and you wouldn't let them run free with pitties. Well, except maybe for this one who woke the parents up to fend for themselves but saved the baby without their help. (Foster Dogs in NYC)

8. The link in #7 to that particular web site? I put it in my reader recently against my better judgement. A lump in my throat and a stone in my gut every day. My god there are so many dogs, good dogs, great dogs being abandoned and mistreated. What the fuck, people? Spay. Neuter. Spay. Neuter. Spay. Fucking neuter. No excuses.

9. One of my bigger fears is drowning, followed closely by large things like whales or, well, the ocean. And yet, a lighthouse for $10K, that's a steal, right? How cool would it be to live in a lighthouse? You could at least guarantee there wouldn't be snakes, my number one fear, with a bullet. (Brokelyn)

10. Last week Schmutzie wrote this intense post about coming across a mated pair of crows while walking in her town. I tweeted it so maybe you've read it already but...but...it's...you should go read it. It broke my heart. She followed up this week and, while it wasn't worst case scenario, it was still a little sad.

*The photo is my friend, Rick Mullin, signing books at the launch of his epic poem, Huncke. Thanks to @mameres for coming to the launch with me!