Science Fair for February 8th-14th

We are just about drowning with all this rain in northern California, I swear I have splashed puddles up my pantlegs at least a dozen times today, just running errands. Ridic. If there's anything worse than wet/damp jeans--wait, you know what's worse? Wet wool overcoat. To allay your rainy day blues, we have a few bright spots from our friend, the Internet!

-The Independent interviews Doctor Who star Freema Agyeman, who seems like a fabulous, bubbly lady I would like to be friends with. Check out the link, it's worth it for her super-sweet outfit! I love the look of a louche skirt with opaque tights and a chunky, funky shoe. (Freema's no-nonsense wardrobe as Martha Jones was also, as always, admirable.)

-The New York Times Magazine had a feature article about the late Yves Saint Laurent's expansive collection of antiques and beautiful things, auctioned off for charity recently. Some exceptional pieces are promised to the Louvre, his collection was that significant in the art world. Little did you know, but the Chinese government is contesting the provenance of several pieces from the collection, zodiac figurines from a fountain that may have been looted from historic sites. Whaaat! YSL, you little black-market connoisseur of Orientalism!

-Locally, the discovery of an endangered wee mouse is causing a hullabaloo in the debate over President Obama's economic stimulus plan. The Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse is probably adorable, we think local heroes Pixar should make a Stuart Little-esque animated feature film about one little mouse's adventures in the Baylands. His name will be Harvey. Yeah, that's what I'm talking about.

-For Valentine's Day, the Crumbly Cookie has done the legwork for you: finding the perfect red velvet cake recipe. I wonder if substituting mashed roasted red beet flesh for some of the butter would make for a naturally red cake, sans food coloring...YUM.

-One of my all-time top favorite vegetables is the perennially underappreciated lotus root. You can find it pre-peeled, pre-cooked, and pre-sliced in vacuum packs at your local Asian grocery, very convenient. I like to add them to stir-fry, soup, and tempura. My grandmother stews large hunks of lotus root in sugar, soy sauce, and sake with hot chili for winter dinners. The Passionate Eater pulls apart the mysterious "Swiss cheese" of root vegetables for your dining pleasure.

-The lovely Ms. Jeanne just sent me this link, quite conveniently. I spent four years walking the same halls as the ladies of my Victorian-era alma mater, and tragically, I will probably never be as classy as them. Scans of the early 20th century Legenda show Wellesley's daughters as they will live in perpetuity, super-fabulous Gibson girls with big, frizzy hair and awesomely chillax archery-club sweaters. Our Legenda came on a DVD, which I did not order. Ah, the times, how they change! My class will live in infamy for other reasons.

Well, it sounds like the rain has finally stopped, it's about time for this old girl to catch up on season 7 of Spooks and snuggle up under the covers. I love those damn spies as if they were my own little spying spy children.

Have a great week, everyone! Stay dry out there, keep those umbrellas and gum-boots at the ready!