I don’t know which was more surprising: finding out that there’s a company that will spin your pet’s fur into yarn or finding out that a woman had a sweater made out of her cat’s fur. A YouTube video of the news report has close-ups of the knit and of course the long-haired cat who provided the 5 gallons of raw material. (via StyleDash)

Kelsey Grammer as My Fair Lady’s Henry Higgins is no-brainer casting. The rest of the casting in this New York Philharmonic concert staging at Avery Fisher Hall is even more inspired. Kelli O’Hara (Light in the Piazza) as Eliza, Brian Dennehy as her dad, Charles Kimbrough (Jim Dial from Murphy Brown) as Pickering, and, most wonderfully, Marni Nixon (the singing voice of Eliza in the movie, and many other uncredited dubbings) as Mrs. Higgins (unfortunately not a singing role). (N.Y. Times review)

YouTube videos of toddlers are a lot funnier when you have one. Emma Feeding Crowley Popcorn illustrates superb toddler logic: of course daddy can see you when he’s on the telephone. Besides, when she gets a phone of her own one day that will be true! The Amazing Breakdancing Toddler demonstrates those brilliant mimicry skills essential to early learning. And a 22-month old playing Wii Tennis…well, I don’t know what to say about that!

I’m breaking my “don’t repeat popular weblog postings” rule to make sure that my Mythbusters-fan friends don’t miss Metafilter Podcast 3 which consists of Matt Haughey interviewing Adam Savage: “MetaFilter’s one of my favorite sites, I swear!” Excellent job Matt!

Lotus cat furniture looks like a lovely alternative to those carpet-covered cat trees. Though the largest version is priced at almost $300, that actually sounds reasonable if you’ve been purchasing human furniture (perhaps not at IKEA — Hey it’d be super cool if IKEA made a stylish cat tree!). (via Luxist)

I didn’t expect a full-length N.Y. Times Business article on the Coca-Cola and Pepsi “healthy sodas.” But with consumer turning to beverage alternatives perceived as being healthier I suppose it’s interesting news that Coke and Pepsi are trying to retain and grow the “diet” cola market by appealing to the health conscious. Diet Coke Plus and Pepsi’s Tava will be marketed as “sparkling beverages.” Both are fortified with vitamins and minerals. Diet Coke Plus arrives this spring and Tava is expected to launch in the fall.

The English term “high tea” does not refer to what I thought it did. The Seattle Times fielded a reader question about an advertisement enticing you to “enjoy British high tea in Victoria.” Traditionally, “afternoon tea” is what I thought “high tea” was, namely the formal event with fine china, cucumber sandwiches, scones, and clotted cream. “High tea” actually refers to an informal early evening meal (think steak-and-kidney pies and pasties), with its origins in the working class. The name comes from the placement of the food on a high mantel or main table. Meanwhile those of us on this side of the pond who regularly abuse the King’s English thought “high” meant “fancy” or “formal” and incorrectly evolved the term to refer to “afternoon tea.”

How did we ever survive?
Some days (or perhaps all days!) life without the Internet seems unthinkable. I can’t remember how to plan a trip without the World Wide Web. I recall perhaps using a travel agent or buying and borrowing a lot of books and making many phone calls. Today I can easily find and finalize details not only around transportation and hotels but also local attractions. And the amount of information can approach overwhelming quantities. Vancouver’s Stanley Park and Washington State’s Mount Rainier National Park both suffered winter storm damage. Tourists seeking the latest Stanley Park news can read about the restoration project and peruse a detailed chronology of events and major donations since the December windstorm. Those interested in Mount Rainier will find that although the park is still closed because of November floods, there is a thorough flood recovery status page with maps pinpointing the damage and recovery work, photos and slideshows, news and newsletters. Plus, there’s a climbing blog. This type of information not only wouldn’t have been easily accessible prior to the Internet — I wonder if it would have existed at all!

Very clever: a cake server shaped like a lady’s shoe (well, slipper really). There’s a magnet so you can hang it as a lovely decoration and the heel comes off if you prefer less whimsy. I bet it’s handy for pie too. (via Seattle Times Digs)

Maya Lin will be making a special appearance at Tacoma’s Museum of Glass on March 16 & 17. Lin will direct the Hot Shop Team in creating hot-sculpted clear glass “water drop” forms. The results will be incorporated into a new installation, part of the Mining Glass exhibit of contemporary artists. Mining Glass brings together the work of seven prominent artists who have not been directly involved with the Studio Glass movement but have nevertheless used glass in their work.