Mamie-pink bathrooms

I had no idea "Mamie pink," as in Mamie Eisenhower, who was apparently a big pink fan, was a thing.

But I certainly DID know that many bathrooms of a certain Fifties-esque era had pink fixtures (some other pastels as well -- good friends have a baby blue tub). This site pays a nice homage to those pastely water closets, and makes me see their charm and history instead of their outdatedness.

Peanut-butter Pop Tarts

Hey, is this thing still on?

Sometimes you have to come out of hiding to recognize that they are now making peanut-butter and peanut-butter chocolate Pop Tarts. Which sound horrible to me, but horrible in a great pop-culturey way.

Also, this is part of some grand theory to appeal to adults? I don't get it.

Have never had a McFlurry, but these international flavors are so wild. Black licorice! Lime! Ovaltine! Kit Kat and strawberries!

Grumpy Cat back when he was Grumpy Kitten

Awwww.

Musical memories

Love this: The NY Times did an audio slideshow with snippets of musical hits from many of the big music stars who died this year. So many. Robin Gibb, Whitney Houston, Davy Jones, more...

Library without books

On the Gen Xtinct Facebook page and in Brian's and my books, we focus on things that are slipping out of our lives, from pay phones and pen pals to metal lunchboxes.

Here's another one I honestly didn't see coming: Benilde-St. Margaret's, a Catholic high school not far from the one I attended in the Twin Cities, has hardly any books and magazines in its library. Kids don't use books for research any more, they use computers.

I get it, but it's one of those moments that screams, TIMES ARE CHANGING.

Your state's weirdest unexplained phenomenon

Awesome idea for a slideshow, because everyone must scroll to their current state, home state, or any other states that play an important part in their lives.

Most of them sound pretty loopy--ghost soldiers from WW II? Astronauts haunting the launch pad where they died? Real raptors? Flying dragons? A Kansas gateway to Hell? Dead Elvis taking cabs in Vegas? A POOP MONSTER?

Minnesota's is supposedly a ghost train, Washington's a haunted elevator, Wisconsin's a bunch of UFO sightings at a place called (heh) BONG Park. That might explain the sightings, actually.

Catching up

Yes, I've fallen way out of step as far as updating this blog. Part of it is that Blogger is so clunky to use to update when sites like Facebook and Twitter let you update with practically one click, even displaying the photo from your chosen story without you having to go get it. So if there's a blog product that works as easily as adding links to Facebook, let me know.

Anyway, here are a few of my recent stories for work, which transformed from msnbc.com to NBC News.com over the summer.

• Your guide to Hollywood's holiday offerings
• 'Doctor Who' stamps to honor all 11 Doctors
• Year in movies: Time to punch a wolf
• Is 'Christmas Shoes' the worst holiday song ever?
• 'Hall bitten by Oates' story sparks 'Maneater' headline
• Singer turns Stanley Steemer jingle into dazzling romp
• Toothbrushing doofus stars in worst commercial of year

SOYLENT GREEN IS PEOPLE!

Did you know you can buy green crackers called Soylent Green?

Gee, I wonder what's in 'em.

Candy corn Oreos

Oh yeah, this is the stuff of a true OLD SCHOOL PCJM post. Weird food.

Candy-corn Oreos? They'll be available Monday. Someone needs to taste them and report back.

Oh, the canvas can do miracles

Yes, even though his voice is kinda whiny, I LOVED Christopher Cross' "Sailing" when it hit big in 1980, me and about a zillion other Americans.

I never realized that he was not exactly the most photogenic singer in the world, though. I think I pictured him looking like Christopher Atkins, because "The Blue Lagoon" was also popular around then. Now I think I like him more that I know he wasn't a slicked-up Hollywood Ken doll.

Watch him here. Doesn't he look a little like John C. Reilly?

Damn straight

Who is the protagonist of "The Wire"? Great answer.

I miss that show, though I was just thinking the other day that I probably will give my DVDs of it away. It's a long, complicated wonderful novel of a show, but I don't think I'll relive it.

Questions the Prez was smart to skip

So President Obama answered questions on Reddit, which was awesome. Now Buzzfeed has a list of questions he was smart NOT to answer.

Even though I love cats, this one cracked me up: "Why do you think there is not a White House cat? Is it because cats are horrible?"

Here's a little inside info on how Reddit got Obama to do an AMA.

Rip. Off.

Oh people, are you KIDDING ME? They want to charge TWENTY DOLLARS for the little game we played with a piece of paper, a pen, fingers and our own brain cells?

Wikipedia calls it a paper fortune teller. I've heard it called MASH for Mansion-Apartment-House-Shack, and also Cootie Catcher, but this company sells it as Cahootie.

And if you are buying one, call me, because I will sell you accessories for tag, for hide and seek, and other childhood games that DO NOT NEED PURCHASED ITEMS.

Still waiting for the next 'Secret History'

If you know me at all, you know that I am semi-obsessed with Donna Tartt's "Secret History." (Her second book, "The Little Friend," was dullllllll, while I've read "Secret History" approximately a jillion times.)

I've been waiting for her to write something along the lines of TSH again, and am so sickly obsessed that this little news item on Galley Cat made me happy because even though there's no publication date, at least there's word that she's writing, and a cool-sounding plot summary.

"The new novel, as yet untitled, is a story of loss and obsession about a young man, guilt-stricken and damaged after the death of his mother, and the growing power that a stolen piece of art exercises over him, drawing him into an underworld of theft and corruption where nothing is as it seems."

You can go anywhere in the mails

Does this story remind anyone else of Waldo Jeffers in the Velvet Underground song, "The Gift"?