Best of the Week #101

I am wearing Boston today, and it’s not too late for you to put on some BU/Sox/Celts/Bruins/whatever gear you have “as a small way to show unity and support for all of the victims and their families of this past Monday's unspeakable act.” Still sending my love to Boston!

This Best of the Week post will not be a round-up of Boston news…because I know that’s just too much for me and possibly for you. But on a slightly more positive note, “Photos: Afghans send sympathy and love to Boston, whose pain they know all too well.”

• Documentary filmmaker Beth Murphy, a Bostonian and marathoner working in Afghanistan, took the photos for “To Boston. From Kabul. With Love” after receiving a text from her husband about the bomb blasts that killed three and injured scores of others near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. His messages assuring her that he and their young daughter were okay, Murphy wrote in a blog post, reminded her of the many similar message she herself had sent during her trips to Afghanistan.

And on a less positive note, from The Onion (note: satire!!!), “Jesus, This Week.”

• “Seriously, can we wrap this up already?” Maryland resident James Alderman told reporters, echoing the thoughts of all 311 million Americans, who have just about reached their weekly goddamned quota for carnage, misery, confusion, heartbreak, and rage. “Because, you know, I’m pretty sure we’ve all had our hearts ripped out of our chests and stomped on enough times for one seven-day period, thank you very much.”

Ok moving on and bringing a bit of levity into our lives...

Awwww happiness. "27 Dogs That Will Do Anything For Kids."

Pretty cool: "Resistance Isn't Futile."

• For the second straight year, amateur and professional photographers from around the world have submitted images for Washington-based NGO Freedom House's "Images of Freedom and Repression." Out of hundreds of submissions, Freedom House has selected 25 to be auctioned at an event in Washington, D.C. on April 18. Three photos were selected as winners. Here is a selection of the images, which capture the daily struggles and aspirations of people living in some of the world's most repressive countries. 

This strikes me as a total win-win. You quit. Your office gets cake. What more could anyone want? “How to Quit Your Job With Cake.”

Haha go Jezebel, saying exactly how I feel better than I can say it myself: "F$@# Cupcakes."

I asked Buzzfeed Food's Rachel Sanders how she felt the cupcake had impacted U.S. culture. "This is getting a little deep, but I believe they tap into our American cultural tendency toward selfishness and emotional isolation," she typed to me via Gchat. "Like, what other culture needs a kind of cake that is literally impossible to share; if you even try it just disintegrates into crumbs and sadness? You are going to be alone forever, so go ahead and carbo-load."

Thursday was National High Five Day, which is weird, but ooook sure why not?

PSA MUST READ: From a Reddit thread entitled, What are some useful secrets from your job that will benefit customers?

• When purchasing items on the internet (especially airline tickets), use incognito mode on your browser.
• We use your own cookies against you: raising the price on tickets the more times you check, as you shop around for better deals. That way you’ll think the price is going up or that seats are being actively sold – thus increasing your urgency to buy, and punishing you for trying to get a good deal.

I’m sorry but this is too funny.

From the Twitter-verse, thank you Philosoraptor

• Mindblowing ™ ‏@RealFactsOnLife4m: Round Pizza. Square box. Triangle slices. I'm confused.
• Also: "You look tired" pic.twitter.com/JobZ8xYpqz

I grew up with backyard chickens and I’m pretty sure they’re the easiest “pets” ever. And they lay eggs. Win and win. “Pros and Cons of Raising Backyard Chickens.”

HAHAHA. Time to get ready for Beach Season?

How I Exit Awkward Situations (and how I feel about this week):

Again, love to Boston!!!