Happenings.

First of all, let me say that it is a good idea to replace your contacts case every 3 months or so to avoid contamination and therefore infection. ‘Nuff said.

Secondly, a wonderful happening on the T this morning. I was heading to work a bit late because of health occurrences related to above; it was probably around 10 a.m. I was half asleep as usual, but another girl on the train was all the way asleep . . . I assume that she was working on a project all night for some classes at MIT. She was a tiny person, skinny and fair, and she woke with a start just as the doors were beginning to close at the Kendall stop, jumped up, thrashed a man aside from her, got half-stuck in the door as it closed, and finally made it out of the train, successfully remembering all of her books but without a lot of grace. All the passengers on the train of course noticed this, and most of us shrugged our shoulders at each other and made awkward smiling gestures . . . except one man who said “we need her for the Patriots!”

Rope-jumping skills

Today, I watched what must be the best video I’ve seen on the Times front page to date (this is a better compliment than it sounds like). It showed some clips of the Double Dutch Holiday Classic, which is completely amazing.

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Getting old and hating people.

First of all, I think that today I discovered my people. Headline in the Globe: “Hatred of Rachael Ray can be a powerful uniting force.” Holla.

Secondly, I considered feeling sheepish buying Teen Vogue today. I decided against it (I bought the magazine, just decided not to feel bad about it), but the whole thing made me feel old. Also on the subject of things that I should be too old for, I watched a half-hour piece on MTV tonight about Jay-Z going to Africa to improve sanitation conditions. It was actually pretty well done (I’m a fan of the True Life series and the other documentaries that MTV seems to hit well when they try hard). It showcased the Play Pump, which is a technology going into a lot of new wells being built. A few kids can run around a merry go-round, and the well harnesses their energy to bring clean water out of the ground. Holla.

Also interesting: an article from Slate today discussing the conventions of magazine covers. Evidently green is an unpopular color for magazines, as is brown. The article also made me think about numbering – in magazines odd numbers are always favored on the cover – but isn’t it strange that if you think about it, 43 seems bigger and more exciting than 46. But I may be thinking about this too hard. I know Plainy will have something to say about odd vs. even . . . Holla.