Science Fair for December 7th-14th

Things are really speeding up now that we're in the last three weeks of 2008. I cannot BELIEVE how quickly this year has flown by, wasn't it just 2004? 2009 sounds like a made-up year, like when you were little and heard about people who were 38 year old. 2009 sounds so far away that we might not see it, but hey, now we're already in our twenties and it's the end of 2008! The future has arrived, and I like the look of it. We have a collective feeling that 2009 is going to be totally awesome, though. We're going to take ownership of the whole year, kick its ass, and generally show it a good time.

-Nature asks, Which periodic element do you want for Christmas? Looking at our table of elements above, I'd like a nicely decorated home of my own and maybe some food-related items. From the actual table of elements, I'd want some plutonium for kitsch's sake. Radioactive elements FTW! Sorry, Marie Curie.

-If you're like me, you love all those "The First 48," "Mystery Diagnosis," "I Died for Fifteen Seconds and Came Back to Life" kinds of documentary TV shows. I have a literally morbid curiosity for how people die, just so I can file away that method for my own reference. It's very useful sometimes. My boss went to Disneyland for Thanksgiving vacation and related to me her experience on the roller coasters, I was able to pipe in with a cheery, "People die on those!" Weird? Maybe. The link above is to GIDEON's statistical analysis of Very Important Patients, defined as those individuals who are "well recognized by the public at large." I'm sure you can fill out the list for 2008 in your mind already.

-My favorite part of CSI and its ilk is when they use their lasers and soft, squooshy dummies to re-create shoot-outs. Check out how real-life crime scene investigators at the FBI do it. (There must be a t-shirt for sale at the FBI training facility store at Quantico that says, "FBI Special Agents do it across state lines" or something. I'll think of a better joke someday.) Right now, I'm reading Stolen Masterpiece Tracker, a retired FBI Special Agent's memoir of his career working cases of major art theft. Fascinating--the real Thomas Crowne wannabes don't all look like Pierce Brosnan, or Steve McQueen for that matter.

-Everyone loves a bit of Bond in the morning. I have a sneaking suspicion that if one wore a t-shirt emblazoned with, "Everyone loves a Bond girl," you would get hit on more than a pinata at a Little League party. Racialicious has something to satisfy your cerebral need for Bond, all about the political underpinnings of our favorite double-0. Don't ever change from your wonderfully action-packed timeliness, 007 franchise!

-For your regularly scheduled vintage enjoyment, check out this Flickr stream of vintage magazine covers. The old sci-fi pulp mags are THE BEST, "California is DOOMED!". The stream also has vintage Vogue shoots and covers that are absolutely breathtaking.

-If you're in a bit of a DIY mood, as many of us are this holiday season, check out all of the delightful how-to guides on Curbly.com. I especially love the bird mobile. It's a great way to burn right through the pile of scraps sitting around in boxes and bags! I have a pile of interior fabric samples for various craft projects I never finish, now if only I could find that power cord to the sewing machine...

-This week, we've been suffering from Mad Men withdrawal something terrible. Seeing Anne Dudek on reruns of House and SVU makes me nostalgic for those days we experienced the sheer voyeurism of watching January Jones and Anne Dudek smoke and drink in the Draper family kitchen. Still, the fashion frenzy over Man Men continues, we love Sprig's photo array of 10 Ways to Look Like You Just Stepped Off the Set of Mad Men. Step 1: shop vintage?

Have a great week, everyone!