Bird Brains

Here's how Harold E. Ford Jr. described U.S. Sen. Kristin Gillibrand of New York recently: "Understand that you're not elected to the United States Senate to be a parakeet or to take instructions from the Democratic leadership." Ford, who is considering whether to run against Gillibrand, later elaborated on that. Voters want to elect representatives who show some independence. Like bluejays.

Three's Apparently Not a Crowd

Everybody's already seen this, but it's still funny, so here it is: The wedding announcement last month in The New York Times, with Ricky Bobby hovering behind the happy couple. I can't believe an editor said okay to this. But good work!

Beauty Sleep

It was an unwelcome wake-up call: One morning about five years ago I looked in the mirror and discovered that the wrinkles on my face bore an eerie resemblance to the wrinkles on my scrunched-up bed pillow. Ever since, I've been preaching to friends and family about the need to become a back sleeper (easier than it sounds).
No on really listened. Maybe now they will, since MORE magazine has published this item in an article titled "Want Skin Like a Skin Doctor?":

Fetal-position snoozers, take note: A surprising number of doctors believe that smashing your face into a pillow leads to permanent creases—so they try never to do it. “Sleeping on your face not only etches wrinkles into the skin, but fluid pools on the side of the face that’s pressed against the pillow, stretching out the skin,” Lupo says. Rodan went so far as to buy herself a Therapeutica Sleeping Pillow ($79 to $110, depending on the size; therapeuticainc.com), which is contoured to cradle your head and neck, making it easier to lie on your back. “The connection between wrinkles and how you sleep is no joke. I can look at 80 percent of my patients and tell you which side they sleep on,” Rodan says.