My Next Vacation

The last craze? It would appear to be beer spas. Who knew? Yes, for only 42 euros, you can sit in a big bath o' beer in Austria and the Czech Republic.
Hey, if mud baths are therapeutic, why not the effervescent power of beer?

Caribou Update

Turns out I didn't have to wait until July to get my free-coffee coupon. It came yesterday in the mail. And now I have even more reason to love Caribou--they are putting in a new store a mere 4 blocks from my work! (This will require crossing the Traffic Circle of Construction Death, but maybe someday they will complete whatever the heck they are doing!)

What To Do During the World Cup

Well, if you're a woman, consider going to Switzerland for some non-World Cup tourism while you're abandoned by your man who is down at the publ watching all the games.
In one commercial advertising the tv season:
A swarthy mountaineer gives a steamy look, while Mr Switzerland 2005 gently milks a cow's udders and a voice asks:

"Ladies, why don't you spend this summer in Switzerland, where men focus less on football and more on you?"

Thanks to Simon for the tip on this one. Personally, here in the States, I won't be taking any vacation, but I guess I can hope for a Dr. 90210 marathon, or at least a Whose Wedding Is It Anyway? one.

Internet Musings

Interesting article about Walter Kirn, who is writing an online book published chapter-by-chapter on Slate.com.
One of the most interesting things he says: "One of the essential lessons this book has already taught me is that the greatest threat to our privacy may not be the intrusions of Big Brother, but our own instinct for self-exploitation. People put out more stuff about themselves on Myspace.com than the government could ever hope to collect about them."
Indeed.
Which reminded me of something I've (probably) read about college admissions counselors Googling potential applicants and finding out much more about them than what their application shows. I think I heard the same thing about judges interviewing law clerks. Ethical? Appropriate? Seems to me if you've put it out for the world to view, it is probably fair game. On the other hand, when you think about a 16-17 year old, is their reaction to daily high school trauma ("math class was soooo boring today") the best indicator of college success?

Chocolate Egg Ban

This would explain why I have never seen KinderEggs here in the United States (at least not to my recollection.) I would be interested to know whether there have ever been any incidences in other countries where children choked on the toys inside or whether it's just American children who are stupid/unattended enough to do so.