Jenny's Noodle

I would so DVR Wednesday night at 11.

(via Urlesque)

Here's the solution to last week's NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan. 23):

Answer: Afghanistani; Haiti and Ghana

NPR Sunday Puzzle for Jan. 30: Think of a common word that's six letters long and includes a Q. Change the Q to an N, and rearrange the result to form a new word that's a synonym of the first one. What are the words?

Submit your answer to NPR for a chance to be on next week's broadcast and be sure to visit Jenny's Noodle next Sunday to see the correct answer!

This is real.

Forget the smell of roses and sweet chocolate, this Valentine's Day will bring the savory smell of steam-grilled onions. On Monday, Feb. 14, doting couples can enjoy a romantic candlelit dinner complete with special menus, tableside service and themed decorations at most White Castle restaurants. Hours vary by location, and reservations are filling up quickly.

"For 20 years, White Castle has hosted this special Valentine's Day dinner for our most loyal and romantic Cravers," said Jamie Richardson, vice president of government and corporate relations. "Love is always in the air at White Castle. A good number of our customers have met, shared a first date or even got married at a White Castle restaurant." (PRNewswire)

Confession: I failed after three seconds. I just couldn't help but click my mouse.

Spoiler alert: Nothing happens. Honestly — absolutely nothing.

And now that you know, are you up to the challenge? Do Nothing for 2 Minutes

(via someecards)

Here's the solution to last week's NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan. 16):

Answer: Feedbag

NPR Sunday Puzzle for Jan. 23: Name a nationality. The third, fourth, fifth, sixth and tenth letters in order name a country. The fourth, fifth, seventh, ninth and twelfth letters in order also name a country. Neither country is related to the nationality. What nationality is this?

(i.e. X X __ __ __ __ X X X __ X X and X X X __ __ X __ X __ X X __ ; if the full word represents the nationality, the letters in the respective blanks will spell names of the two countries.)

Submit your answer to NPR for a chance to be on next week's broadcast and be sure to visit Jenny's Noodle next Sunday to see the correct answer!

Jan. 19, 2011: The Google Doodle celebrating Paul Cezanne's 172nd birthday.

Today's Google Doodle is a colorful tribute to French Post-Impressionist Paul Cezanne. The artist was born 172 years ago today — an arbitrary occasion to commemorate, but a lovely change from the conventional doodle nonetheless.

Interestingly, the Google team produced this masterpiece by first creating a traditional still-life oil painting in the style of Cezanne, and then translated that image using digital technology.

Think you can out-Doodle Google? The search engine just launched its annual Doodle 4 Google contest for K-12 students. This year's theme is "What I'd like to do someday..." The winning Doodle will be featured on Google's homepage on May 20, 2011. Register here.

Slightly inappropriate? But also funny.

Martin Loofah King (£9.99) | Buy it here

(via Buzzfeed)

Here's the solution to last week's NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan. 9):

Answer: Coats, ascot

NPR Sunday Puzzle for Jan. 16: Take the first seven letters of the alphabet, A through G, change one of these letters to another letter that is also either A, B, C, D, E, F or G. Rearrange the result to spell a familiar seven-letter word. What word is it?

Submit your answer to NPR for a chance to be on next week's broadcast and be sure to visit Jenny's Noodle next Sunday to see the correct answer!

(Click image to view larger)

Michigan is apparently known for pasties (not to be confused with pasties). No thank you.

Which food was chosen to represent your state? Do you agree?

I'm relocating to New York.

(via ICHC)

Did you catch that?! That's right! The Forever Lazy even includes zippered hatches in the front and back, "for great escapes when doodie duty calls."

This is real, folks. Order now.

Forever Lazy ($19.95 + shipping & handling) | Buy it here

(via Jezebel)

Photo credit: wallpaper-s.org

According to Astrology.com:
"It’s a good day to count on your regular routines and make sure that everyone else is living up to theirs. Some may be tempted to go off the rails, but you can gently bring them back where they need to be."

Today's holidays:
National Hot Toddy Day, Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friends Day and International Thank You Day. Most importantly, it's National Pizza Week!

Other interesting facts about this day:
In 1805, the Michigan Territory is created.
In 1878, milk was first delivered in bottles.
In 1908, Theodore Roosevelt dedicated the Grand Canyon as a national monument.
In 1935, Amelia Earhart was the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to California.
In 1949, first recorded case of snowfall in Los Angeles, California.

Notable birthdays:
1503 - Parmigianino (Italian painter)
1757 - Alexander Hamilton (statesman)
1946 - Naomi Judd (singer)
1971 - Mary J. Blige (singer)
1979 - Jenny (blogger)

Here's the solution to last week's NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan. 2):

Answer: Ayes, a yes

NPR Sunday Puzzle for Jan. 9: Name an article of apparel in the plural form, ending with an S. Rearrange the letters to name an article of apparel in the single form. What things to wear are these?

Submit your answer to NPR for a chance to be on next week's broadcast and be sure to visit Jenny's Noodle next Sunday to see the correct answer!

Image credit: BradFitzpatrick.com

If you've ever visited a restaurant's website (hasn't everyone?), you must visit the new Tumblr — Never Said About Restaurant Websites.

This humorous site is imploring all restaurants to "Please stop obscuring your food with horrible websites." I agree.

Here are a few of my favorite gems from NSARW:

Prepare to LOL.

Made three attempts my ass.

(via CollegeHumor)

Image credit: Starbucks

By now you've probably seen the new Starbucks logo. Why did the company remove the words "Starbucks Coffee"? What is Starbucks trying to pull? Who do they think they are, presuming we'll just recognize the brand sans words? What else will they offer besides coffee? Do they actually think we'll buy anything else but coffee from their stores? Did they learn nothing from the Gap? WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN???

The speculations and negative feedback continue to mount.

Meanwhile, I was more interested in finding out how the Siren came to be featured in the logo in the first place...

"Let’s go all the way back to 1971, to when Starbucks was first coming to be.

In a search for a way to capture the seafaring history of coffee and Seattle’s strong seaport roots, there was a lot of poring over old marine books going on. Suddenly, there she was: a 16th century Norse woodcut of a twin-tailed mermaid, or Siren.

There was something about her – a seductive mystery mixed with a nautical theme that was exactly what the founders were looking for. A logo was designed around her, and our long relationship with the Siren began."

(via Starbucks blog)

Here's the solution to last week's NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec. 26):

Answer: Thoreau, author

NPR Sunday Puzzle for Jan. 2: Take a plural noun that ends with the letter S. Insert a space somewhere in this word, retaining the order of the letters. The result will be a two-word phrase that has the same meaning as the original word, except in the singular. What word is this?

Submit your answer to NPR for a chance to be on next week's broadcast and be sure to visit Jenny's Noodle next Sunday to see the correct answer!

New Year's Eve in Times Square, New York, NY.