A Random Assortment

~ This (on chains as third places) makes me fondly remember PAL and my own IHOP days.

~ On Renoir's onions. I have gone on record as not liking Renoir, but I am not offended by his onions.

~ "'As Long as the Baby's Healthy'...But What if He's Not?" Via MMR. This captures a lot of my frustration with that phrase--and with the idea that health is something we can ensure and guarantee at any point across our and our children's lifespans.

~ "Frankenstein in Mary Shelley's Own Hand."

~ "Dear Bill Cunningham." (I'm excited about his secret memoir, although I betcha it's not a tell-all either.)

~ "An Artist's Collection of Images of Women (And Her Own Mother) Giving Birth." I hope I can make it to this this summer.

~ Ursula LeGuin, "A Left-Handed Commencement Address" (via Ilana).

~ Flannery O'Connor reads "A Good Man is Hard to Find."