Here’s a mini-roundup of interesting chopstick designs: the twist, the taper, the portable.

Aptonyms are names which suit their bearers’ occupations or roles, such as
Nita House, Real estate agent. (via Follow Me Here)

Ferrets are still illegal as pets in California and Hawaii. Gov. Schwarzenegger vetoed the last California bill legalizing existing ferret pets in 2006. Christie Keith makes the argument that ferret owners are less likely to seek out vet care for their illegal pets, thus increasing the chance of transmitting diseases that are preventable by vaccines, which may be just as damaging as the presumed environmental impact of stray ferrets. Who is really behind the anti-ferret-pet lobby? Environmentalists have much bigger things to worry about, don’t they?

If you’re feeling at all sorry for yourself or whiny about it being Monday and having to go to work and face the grind again, read this little bit about a hockey goalie who stopped 96/100 shots at a playoff game in Germany that took 168 minutes 16 seconds of gameplay (hockey games have 60 minutes of regular play; scoreless overtimes rack up extra time in playoff games where ties must be broken). That goalie, Robert Müller, is in his first season back from surgery to remove a malignant brain tumor. He still gets chemotherapy five days a month. And his team won.

It’s opening day for the Seattle Mariners and what really matters is the food. OK, not really, but the P.I. leads off their opening day story with a rundown of the new items fans will get to nosh on: The Sea Dog (a “hot dog for fish lovers”), cedar-planked salmon, catfish and fries, caramel popcorn, foot-long bratwursts, Auntie Anne’s pretzels, French dip sandwiches, prime rib nachos, and Garlic Jim’s pizza. Don’t worry, you can still get peanuts and beer.

Patti Lupone has completely bowled over The N.Y. Times’ theater critic, Ben Brantley, with her portrayal of Mama Rose in the Gypsy revival on Broadway. After criticizing her Mama Rose of last summer’s limited run, his praise is now effusive…”And yes, that quiet crunching sound you hear is me eating my hat.”

Seattle Times restaurant critic, Nancy Leson, has gone public with a photo and a blog. She’s giving up reviewing. She’s sticking with the topic of food & restaurants for the paper, but leaving the reviews to Providence Cicero.

If the sniff and visible-mold test isn’t palatable for your leftover food checks, the DaysAgo timer will count the number of days that have passed since you stuck that container or baby food jar in the fridge. It comes with either a magnet or suction cup attachment and a pack of two is about ten bucks. You can of course use it for all sorts of day-timing situations, watering plants, cleaning the kitty litter, anything up to 99 days. Here’s a Gadgeteer review from last year.

Trivia to please the shock absorbers of Seattle cars: “Crews from the Seattle Transportation Department say they have set a record for the number of potholes they’ve filled in a week — 1,589, which beats their weekly average of 1,335.” They call ’em the “Pothole Rangers.”

Will a posh movie theater with $35 tickets actually succeed in the affluent community of Redmond, WA (home of Microsoft)? The Australian company that’s opening this venture in the U.S. is taking over the location of the plain ol’ movie theater that just closed. Someone has to explain to me the economics and lifestyle behavior of a community that can’t support a regular ol’ $10 ticket (plus snacks $) theater, but can support a $35 (plus gourmet food $) movie theater with a luxury experience. Will it be supported by parents who want a fancy night out without the kids but don’t want to talk to each other over dinner? Or by companies who rent the theaters out for employee events (they only seat 40)? Maybe it’s for people who just want to feel rich. The folks that can afford this treat regularly already have very nice home theaters. Or maybe I’ve just lost touch with what I’m supposed to be spending my disposable income on.