Today's Top 5

1. This is an official shout-out to Laura, the middle contestant on Jeopardy tonight. Here's why:

• She dominated the 30 Rock category.
• She won a True Daily Double with the answer "The Natural," then did a celebratory squeal.
• She high-fived her fellow contestant when he got a tough question right at the last second.
• She rocked straight-across bangs.
• She told a sincerely funny story about her goat's death by QuickCrete. 

Laura, if you read this, you may have lost by a narrow margin tonight, but you're the best one-time contestant I have ever seen. If you're looking for a fellow Tina Fey-loving brunette friend, hit me up. Thank you for being a female who is good at Jeopardy and who isn't a crusty-looking librarian.

2. Five songs that are making me smile today:

• The Box by Johnny Flynn
• When I Go by Slow Club
• Oxygen by Willy Mason
• Boat Behind by Kings of Convenience
• All Tomorrow's Parties by The Velvet Underground with Nico

3. This Etsy seller. Just searched "giraffes" and ended up ordering this

sweet vintage giraffe pendant and this

cool skull bracelet because I didn't want the giraffes to be lonely on their long, long trip from China. 

4. One of my sisters and I made up a game today that is rocking my world. First, a note about her: she's really cool and pretty, and she writes for CNN, and she's living in Atlanta right now, and she picks up the phone whenever I call her, so I call her every day on my way home from work (HI, MARIA). 

ANYWAY, the game was born of one of those after-work phone calls. She was at the grocery store when I called, and then all of the sudden she was on her way home, and I had no idea she had checked out or made any shopping progress or anything. SO the game is to do stealthy things that require interaction with other humans without the other person having any idea what it is that you're doing. For example, I went into a Whole Foods I wasn't familiar with, found the gluten-free section, and checked out, and she didn't know I ever left my car. The game also applies to scenarios that are not grocery shopping. I am currently in the lead.

We still need to write concrete rules, but I have set rules for those rules:

1. They must be written using resolution clauses from Model UN. 
2. You get bonus points for wearing a high school Model UN participant's interpretation of  "Western business attire," while playing, which means boxy suits with greasy hair or bandage skirts with Uggs and bleached hair. Either way, 10 points Gryffindor. 

5. A new NPR Tiny Desk concert of Laura Marling was uploaded today! (Today's been a big day for people named Laura and me.) She is the coolest, and she ends her set with "Sophia," which is one of my favorite of her songs. She's also wearing an amazing ring in it. If you watch it today, you'll be one of the hippest kids on YouTube. Or, as this guy commented,

Being one of the first people to see a video like this with such a beautiful performer feels sort of like waking up when it's been snowing and seeing that your footprints are the only thing in the world.

(better than F1RST lol, huh?)

I live for people who take the YouTube comment section seriously. Also CraigsList.

Have a nice Friday!