this & that

I've had a soft spot for Edward James Olmos ever since developing a bit of a crush on him in the role of calculus teacher extraordinaire in 1988's Stand & Deliver. (Unfortunately this crush did not extend to my own aspirations in calculus several years later.) You can imagine my glee when he made several appearances in The West Wing as the irascible Judge Mendoza, and later took on the Herculean task of saving mankind in the wake of the Cylon nuclear holocaust. Sadly, Jaime Escalante, the inspiration for Stand & Deliver, recently passed away.

Clearly 1988 was a good year, what with Stand & Deliver and Margaret Atwood's Cat's Eye. Though I kind of hated Cat's Eye, it made a big impression on me and piqued my intereste in all things Handmaid's Tale. Also, Margaret Atwood is adorable. And she tweets!

In the realm of sexual dystopias a la Atwood, a Wisconsin prosecutor has apparently sent letters to several Wisconsin school districts threatening to arrest sex ed teachers who comply with newly-passed legislation outlining guidelines for sex ed. Got that?

Here, slightly late for Easter, a world of Peeps. (Mom, this one's for you...)

Last, and probably my favorite of the bunch, cooking with Laura Ingalls Wilder. I'm not sure where my copies of the Little House books are now, though I can only hope that my mother has held on to them all these years. I can't imagine settling down somewhere eventually without that mismatched collection (no boxed set for this girl) perched on a book shelf overflowing with childhood favorites.