Silver Garters, Diamond Studs

The best of March 2009 — plus February 2009 as well, because by virtue of my “visual index” anniversary post got screwed out of an end-of-the-month round-up.

• The origin of the name of Futurama’s Turanga Leela.
• Some sick combination of man and watermelon — twice over.
  
• Tiny Toons and its rather dramatic take on drinking and driving.
• How do-re-mi was once ut-re-mi — plus video games.
• Why the word hysterical is sexist — plus video games.
• About the inherent racism of the term kaffir lime — with no reference to video games whatsoever.
  
• Falling in like with Facebook features.
• The infamous dogmen of Ducktales and the hidden canine past of Betty Boop.
• How I annoyed a minor celebrity.
  
• Punny variations on Padma Lakshmi’s most famous line.
  
• Misguided short fiction about hazelnuts.
  
• The difference between plums and prunes.
  
• Carol Burnett is my coworker.
• French, English, grammar, translation, and education in Between the Walls.
• Some people just don’t get Twitter.
• Why I’m pretty damn sure that Kate from Lost is pregnant.
• Only slightly weirder than being told that God is watching me.
• The difference between “99 Luftbaloons” and “Ninety-Nine Red Balloons.”
• Being put in my place by a homeless man.
• Schadenfreude and the filth shower.
• So many tastes of beer that you would never want to experience.
  

And, of course, there’s the ever-growing visual index: