One down, two-plus to go; links

[kate_nepveu]

I've finished the first of the cross-stitch projects I'm making for FutureBaby! Of course I picked "Butterflies" to do first because it looked the simplest, but it still went surprisingly fast (just a little over two weeks). And I'd forgotten how addictive crafts can be—look! My fingers producing tangible colorful designs right before my very eyes!

(The finished version is even cuter than that picture, which is a little over-exposed or something, if I do say so myself.)

Now I will let it rest for a couple of days while I, err, hurry up and finish kicking a recalcitrant brief into submission, then I'll look for visible errors, wash it, press it, and tuck it away to be framed once I'm done with the other two. At this rate I may even be able to do that dragon alphabet—have to see how my energy holds up, but really, cross-stitch is great for when I don't feel like I have the brain cells to read or write . . .

I am so ridiculously excited about this.

While I'm posting, have a mixed-bag links dump, because they've been accumulating:

• Magic Pen by Alejandro Guillen :: Flash-based knockoff of Crayon Physics Deluxe. Playing with a trackball = not recommended.
  (tags: games)
• You Use It Every Day. But Can You Make It Cook? - New York Times :: Bittman on cooking with the microwave.
  (tags: microwave)
• Needlework FAQ: Counted Cross Stitch Tutorial
  (tags: cross-stitch)
• Cute Overload! -- Watch me! :: New Yorker cartoon on "pleading cute."
  (tags: animals humor comic.strips)
• perkinwarbeck2: Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer Agnes and the Hitman :: "it's an absolutely classic gothic. Really!"
  (tags: books analysis)
• Slate Magazine - The Satire Recession :: "How political satire got so flabby."
  (tags: politics rhetoric)
• Tighten Your Belt, Strengthen Your Mind - New York Times :: "Focusing on success is important because willpower can grow in the long term. . . . In psychological studies, even something as simple as using your nondominant hand to brush your teeth for two weeks can increase willpower capacity."
  (tags: psychology)
• Cute Overload! -- extremely disapproving bunny
  (tags: animals pictures)
• Recipe of the Day: Crabby Crab Cakes - Bitten - Dining & Wine - New York Times Blog
  (tags: seafood)
• Test your web design in different browsers - Browsershots :: Distributed networking put to use! So cool.
  (tags: web css html)
• coffeeandink: Awesomely bad books :: Follow the links if you want a reason to REALLY scrub your brain out.
  (tags: books wrongness)
• The Otter and the Coyote - a set on Flickr :: Otter taunts coyote in Yellowstone.
  (tags: animals pictures)
• MoversNet - How to Pack :: The US Postal Service on how to pack hippos.
  (tags: humor)

ETA: one more link: pregnancy mug shots. (ETA 2: pre-emptive comment: I am wicked tired of people discussing the size of my stomach, so please just assume I've heard it if you're moved to say something in that vein.)