Happy 75th, Jim Henson!

If Jim Henson was still alive, he would be 75 this year. It's astonishing to think of what he could have created had he survived, and equally astonishing to realize just how much he accomplished in his short life.

Below is a fun behind-the-scenes video explaining the Google Doodle that was displayed on his birthday a few days ago. It was a pretty silly creation involving digital puppetry you could do yourself. It was really fun, and made me remember all the great times my siblings and I had down at the old ranch we used to go in the summer. There was no TV or video games, so we'd put on puppet shows and sometimes just walk around, hands in puppets, pretending like the world was the Muppets. In another life (or maybe later on in this one), I'd definitely be a puppeteer.

Hope you're doing well in the great beyond, Jim! We sure do miss you down here.

Things Could be Worse

I know, I know, I be sharing all the blogs today, but what can I say? I see something funny, and I want to share it with you, my beloved readers.

A super fun, super duper weird blog I've seen around town is Things Could Be Worse. It's a good place to go when you want to feel better about your own misfortunes. How can you feel bad about disappointing your boss or not getting invited to that party when aspiring vampire artists can't paint self portraits (can't see their reflections!) and a snowman chef is put into danger in every kitchen he ventures? It's just not possible.

Mark Malkoff's Free Cab Rides

Comedic stuntman (or stunt-filled comedian?) Mark Malkoff does it again when he hires a cab for 14 hours and gives as many New Yorkers as possible free cab rides around the city. Sounds pretty sweet but not very funny, right? Well, since it's Mark, there's a little wackiness thrown in there for flavor: costumes, popcorn, and a very prestigious opera singer.

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

Aww. Here's a sweet video of Mister Roger's singing "Won't You Be My Neighbor" throughout the run of 'Mr. Roger's Neighborhood.' It's incredible how little changes despite the fact that it began in 1967 and ran until 2001. Clearly, he's the same sweet, caring man the whole way through.



[via Mental Floss]

Support H.R. 2969 - Extending Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Transplant Patients!

Hooray! The companion legislation for the Senate bill on extending health coverage for transplant patients has been introduced to the house by Congressman Michael Burgess (R) and Congressman Ron Kind (D): H.R. 2969. This makes it a truly bi-partisan and bi-cameral bill. So show your support and follow the bills as they move through legislation and let's hope we can get this passed!

A few choice quotes from this Flower Mound Star article on the announcement:

"Although now more mainstream than heroic, renal transplantation offers end stage renal disease patients an alternative to a lifetime of dialysis," said Burgess, who is the vice chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Health and Chairman of the Congressional Health Care Caucus. "How incredibly cruel then, that the gravest threat to their newly acquired kidney is an incoherent federal policy that denies coverage for anti-rejection drugs after 36 months and a costlier return to patients and the Medicare system to dialysis."

And from the National Kidney Foundation (for whom I'm doing a walk here in NYC on Oct. 16th. Last year I raised about $700 and met Grizz Chapman. I hope I can do that this year, too!)

"The National Kidney Foundation commends Representatives Burgess and Kind for their leadership on this critically important legislation. This bill, coupled with the companion legislation by Senators Durbin and Cochran, will ensure that thousands of Americans can keep their transplants, allow thousands more to be transplanted, and reduce the need for re-transplants of people who can no longer pay for vital medication and who end up back on dialysis and the transplant waiting list. This legislation is a major first step towards achieving the goal of the National Kidney Foundations 'End the Wait' initiative to find solutions to the organ shortage and eliminate the all-too-long wait for a transplant," said Lynda Szczech, MD, National Kidney Foundation President.

So get to supporting, everyone! We can do this!!

The October Unprocessed Challenge

While I'm not big on "challenges" even though at some point I'd love to do the "write a novel in a month" challenge that takes place in November, I figured I'd give this "unprocessed" challenge a try. Why? Because first of all, I don't eat a lot of unprocessed foods to begin with and second of all, why not? It's only a month and the most I'd be giving up is my some-nightsly Edy's slow churn which, quite frankly, I really should not be eating as much of as I am.

Plus, I've decided to do a "Sundays don't count" rule, as that's football time and my boy (who's going to try the challenge with me) deserves to be getting his snack on when his game's on. That being said, I'll try to help him choose less processed snacks on those days.

And the biggest payoff? Before I know it, it'll be October 31st, aka Halloween, aka biggest candy binge at midnight ever.

What the people proposing this challenge anticipated? No. Will it work out about the same in the end? Yep. And that's all that matters.

... Am I eating the last vestiges of Edy's in my freezer right now? ... Maybe...

[Read more about the challenge and sign up for yourself (if you want to, of course!) at Eating Rules]

Arya the Corgi Mix

Baboom! Ending with Arya, a corgi mix. Not a corgi mixed with a poodle, but pretty darn cute regardless. Rolling in the hay has never been cuter, and less about sexual innuendo.

[Daily Puppy]