Holy schnikes!!! They just sent a video of a Christmas tree catching fire (really fast!). Don't water your tree with napalm! Here are some other holiday safety videos:

Christmas tree fire (the bunny! so tragic!)
Good old turkey fryer

And another thing I got in the mail, and article about writing sessions at Battlestar Galactica. It makes me feel queasy inside, but I've read it three times now.

Another use of the word literally, that is annoying though correct We all know people who use the word 'literally' as if it just intensifies the meaning of what they're saying rather than assures you they're not talking metaphorically (eg "I literally exploded with rage at that grammer mistake!"). And that's annoying. But I just heard someone say "if I have cable, I literally..... watch way too much TV." Not necessary to use 'literally' in that sentence!! Maybe she had been going to say "I literally watch TV 25 hours a day" but realized that was wrong, and the long pause after 'literally' was really her just thinking of what she would do, literally, if she had cable.

And finally, a story: two little girls, sitting on a bed reading Cosmogirl. One reads:
1: "What feature on your body are you most self-conscious about?"
2: Hmm..... I'm not really sure.
1: [appraises 2] Is it your big ears?