Fries with that shake?

I was at a loss for something clever and informative to write about today when this little gift landed right in my lap. I could go on at length about social phenomena, the importance of spontaneity in the education process, suggestibility and peer pressure, or even the benefits of light exercise in the middle of the school day, but I'm just going to let the video speak for itself. Thanks, Andrew!

My funny Valentine

Everyone knows Valentine's Day means love. Or does it? Today we take a moment to consider the real meaning of the word romance, and free it from its customary pink-frosted lace-edged prison. So, dictionary.com defines it as:

1. a novel or other prose narrative depicting heroic or marvelous deeds, pageantry, romantic exploits, etc., usually in a historical or imaginary setting.

2. the colorful world, life, or conditions depicted in such tales.

3. a medieval narrative, originally one in verse and in some Romance dialect, treating of heroic, fantastic, or supernatural events, often in the form of allegory.

4. a baseless, made-up story, usually full of exaggeration or fanciful invention.

5. a romantic spirit, sentiment, emotion, or desire.

Well, we've got that. For example, if you're mathematically inclined, try Flatland: A Romance in Many Dimensions. We've got it on the shelf with a spine, or electronically if you like your romance to be digital. Want something historical? Sit at King Arthur's Round Table. Feel like the distaff side is underrepresented? Try Marion Zimmer Bradley's now-classic Mists of Avalon. Don't know what "the distaff side" means? Go back to dictionary.com! We've also got videos, too: try Cocteau's cinematic masterpiece La Belle et La Bête and see where Disney got his idea for Beauty and the Beast. 

And what about the good saint himself? If you're curious about the legend of St. Valentine, we have Butler's Lives of the Saints. If you're really a history buff, you'll go all the way back to the Roman feast of Lupercalia instead - check the 937's.