We now have a wedding license. It’s good for 90 days and can be used anywhere in California. The clerk seemed surprised that we had filled it out beforehand. Yay for downloadable PDF files. Oh, and they didn’t mention in their copious web information that we were going to have to raise our right hands and take an oath swearing or affirming that the information we filled out was true. Luckily there’s that “to the best of our knowlege” clause.

Typically for celebrity photos, the photographer takes a tight shot with few other photographers in view. Compare this photo of Paula Poundstone greeting a baby to one where she is under the intense scrutiny of a dozen or more cameras: What it’s like to be a celebrity.

Heather Mills got a sapphire engagement ring too. I finally saw a clear shot of it and I think mine is a lot prettier. They don’t photograph very well though. I’ve captured mine in many different shades of blue, none as beautiful as the actual color. Her nails are a lot nicer than mine though. Looks like she buffs ’em. And hey, did Paul get a ring too?

In researching the recent news that Heinz is introducing purple ketchup, I discovered that they chose between orange, purple, hot pink and yellow. I’d prefer hot pink to purple, but I prefer red to anything else. But then, I’m not their target market.

Here’s an excerpt from Chinese American Personality and Mental Health. Although I’ve spent plenty of time considering various nuances of the psychological conflict of living in American culture while being raised in a different one, I hadn’t boiled the results down into three boxes, as these researchers did. They have the Traditionalist who has adopted Chinese values, Marginal Man who has become essentially American, and Asian American who has developed a coalesced identity. I wonder what other types the researchers developed. Gender should really be a key variable in a report like this, something glossed over in this excerpt. Perhaps I should find the source article (which is also 30 years old, so that’s another factor) so I feel less itchy about this one.

The article Bad writers never had it so good tells the tale of a revival in interest of late mystery writer Harry Stephen Keeler‘s books. The Internet, it seems, has upped the demand for books by bad writers. Not just any bad writers, though, apparently these ones are admired for their uniquely awful style, coining awkward phrases, using terrible punctuation gimmicks. They are the eccentrics of the writing world, and online booksellers are cashing in (I don’t think the authors are making any money on the used books sales, after all). I feel like I’ve discovered the collectible kitsch of the book world.

We had hardware troubles on Monday and I’m all tired out from writing thank you notes (the gifts are great though! Everyone is being much too generous). So no new links today. But I do want to send good wishes off to the wonderful Garrison Keillor who is having heart surgery to fix a leaky mitral valve.

Turning the tables, an interview with NPR’s Terry Gross, host of “Fresh Air.” Many of her interviews are done with the interviewee at a remote location, which you wouldn’t notice on radio. And sometimes people get upset and walk out, which has probably happened to everyone in the business of asking questions to get answers for the public.

Really nifty: license plates of the world. They not only have current plates, but historical plates too. Check out all the old Connecticut plates. There’s plates for U.S. military forces in various locations, and also Native American reservation plates. (via antenna)

How many of baseball’s unwritten rules of conduct are you aware of? Don’t steal bases or swing at a 3 and 0 pitch when your team has a big lead. But the game has been changing, runs are easier to score. So a big lead in the fifth inning may easily melt away. The unwritten rules still stand, though, and payback is one of them.