Lydia Likes It

Swan Lake once more

Because you can never have too much Swan Lake.

Local deliciousness

Every Thursday, my husband Ted picks up empty 50-pound paper flour bags from Flour Bakery's commissary, and delivers the bags to Bikes Not Bombs, where volunteers use them to pack bicycle parts to ship to nonprofit organizations in Africa and Central America. Flour Bakery is famous citywide (worldwide?) for its over-the-top amazing sticky buns. I spied this sign on the door of their delivery van when I tagged along with Ted this week. If you've ever had a Flour sticky bun, you know why they need this sign!

Cake Wrecks

As you know, I'm not much of a baker, so right off the bat, I have to give points to anyone who attempts to make a shaped or decorated cake. Should I ever be tempted to try, I have only to click over to Cake Wrecks, a blog that posts photos (with hilarious commentary) of cakes gone wrong. These are real professional cakes, the kind you might order from the grocery store or local bakery, made by real people, and you will really laugh. A lot. (I'm showing you a family-friendly cake wreck here, but trust me, there's much more to see on the blog. And yes, folks, this is supposed to be Mickey Mouse.)

Andy Borowitz, keen observer

My mother would tell you I've been reading The New Yorker magazine since before I could read. In fact, I can't remember a time when I haven't had a subscription. I love that, in this electronic age, The New Yorker has given many of my favorite social commentators their own online homes. Andy Borowitz -- comedian and writer -- casts a wry eye on the news of the day, and calls out the powers that be when the world gets a bit skewed. The Borowitz Report arrives like magic, in my inbox, and almost always gives me my first laugh-out-loud of the day.

Tell me about your art

Sometimes, when I go to art galleries and read the artist statements, I really don't understand what they're trying to say. Friends have asked me to help them write their statements, and I feel completely inadequate. Arty Bollocks comes to the rescue! It's free, it's fun, and it's practical. Well, okay, maybe not practical, but very funny. Don't skip the Twitter bollocks. (Thanks to Mary H. for this link.)