The Cupcake to End All Cupcakes

Thanks to my regular stalking of Splendora, I have discovered the ultimate cake pan:

A giant cupcake cake mold!

I'm pretty sure this is what I'm getting Fiore for her birthday. And then, when I visit at Thanksgiving, we are going to make a GIANT pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting. This was a glorious invention.

Bigger, Stronger, Hungrier!

The best week of summer starts today! Yes, that's right, it's Shark Week's 20th Anniversary. This year's lineup looks pretty good:

Tonight, 9pm- Ocean of Fear: Worst Shark Attack Ever
Monday, 9pm- Deadly Stripes: Tiger Sharks; 10pm- Top 5 Eaten Alive
Tuesday, 9pm- Shark Feeding Frenzy
Wednesday, 9pm- Perfect Predators
Thursday, 9pm- Shark Tribe
Friday, 9pm- Sharks: A Family Affair
Saturday, 9pm- Sharkman

My only complaint is that I think their marketing tactics interfere with their message. We're supposed to be understanding that sharks aren't the vicious predators the media makes them out to be, yet show titles like "Top 5 Eaten Alive" don't go very far in conveying that point. Of course even I'm playing both sides here, because I'm thoroughly excited about every show despite the negative connotations they seem to be relying on. Anyway I'm counting on the content to delve into the more complex aspects of shark behavior. It's the Discovery Channel after all, not Most Extreme Shark Attacks volume 9 on FOX or something. They have a reputation to uphold.

Ooh, there's even a Shark Week blog. Now why no t-shirt ?!?!

10 Days Until Harry Potter

Oh my goodness, I cannot wait. Well, I can wait, mainly because 1) I have to, and 2) I'm sort of terrified. I'm not ready, I can't handle it. It's probably (read: definitely) the most exciting day of my entire summer. Yes, it trumps turning 21. And I am perfectly comfortable with that fact.

Anyway, the actual point of this post is not Harry Potter, but other books I've been reading as of late.

• The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie- Not for the faint of literary heart, as its length makes it quite the undertaking, but really interesting (terrible adjective), thought provoking and well-written. Plus, the book has great history, since it won Rushdie a death sentence (wikipedia him, its all very dramatic..and no, he's not actually dead). If you don't want to commit the time that Rushdie deserves, at least pay him homage by READING THIS ESSAY. It's called "Is Nothing Sacred?" and its awesome (and short!). Definitely my favorite essay of all time.
  
• The Expected One by Kathleen McGowan- Ok, so I never read The Da Vinci Code, but I imagine this is sort of its feminist counterpart (its all about Mary Magdalene). That being said, it presents some fascinating ideas about the origins and consecutive bastardizations of Jesus' teachings. Additionally, the author basically claims to have sources she cannot reveal that support many of the book's counter-historical (not to be confused with counter-factual) claims. As an agnostic on my good days, I struggled with notions of miraculous healings, divine visions and Fate; as a feminist and avid watcher of the History Channel, I really enjoyed it. Speaking of the History Channel, now I want to watch this special they were advertising a few months ago, "The Truth About Mary Magdalene. (Ah ha ha I love puns).
  
• It Ain't All about the Cookin' (A memoir) by Paula Deen- Ahaha. I haven't actually finished this but I did start on the bus this morning. I really just love the contrast it adds to my book list here. She has had a crazy crazy life....and the book does make me rather hungry since it is interspersed with recipes. I think that's still a pro, though. I do wonder, however, how much was actually written by her, since I don't know when she's had time to write a book with every other media endeavor she has going on. Whatever. I want to be a guest on Paula's Party.

I think there are more but those are the highlights. Now go read the Rushdie essay.