Friday morning fluff

It's Friday, I'm frittered out, and ready for a little fluff before hopping my earrrrrrly morning flight to Vancouver tomorrow. Here's some of the fun-stuff pocket lint I've been saving for you this week:

The funny little logical number grid puzzle Su Doku made the news again this week at the Cheltenham Literature Festival. Seems they held a championship and the chicks walked away with most of the prizes. First place went to 18-year-old university student Nina Pell. People of the female persuasion also garnered second and fourth places in the competition, as well as the top prize in the under 12's category.

"Wake the people and make them think big," said playwright Henrik Ibsen. Just chew on those words for a bit. Have they ever been more applicable than right now? The Guardian ran a good article about Mr. Ibsen the other day, so give a read. Wake up and start thinking big, for goodness' sake!

But if you're more of a Percy Shelley kinda person, check out this list of Top 10 Books About Shelley. (Who'd a'thunk there'd been so many, eh?) That whole Shelley-Byron-Keats thing always kinda confused me. (And wasn't there a wife stuck in there somewhere?) Maybe I should read one of these books and straighten myself out on it. But pro'ly not.

Just in time for Halloween - pagan priests will be allowed to use wands and wine during ceremonies in British prisons, but naked pagan worship will not - I repeat, NOT - be allowed. Still, I see a big tide of pagan conversions headed for ye old gaol.

Here's some really good TV-theatre-type news. A television version of Once Upon A Mattress (taped in 2004), the musical that kicked off the career of a young Carol Burnett, will be broadcast December 18 on ABC. Tracey Ullman (always, always fabulous) will play Princess Winnifred the Woebegone. The production also features Dennis O'Hare, Tommy Smothers, Zooey Deschanel and - AND - Carol Burnett her own bad self as the conniving Queen Aggravain.

And last but not least - have fun carving your virtual jack-o-lantern - it even lights up when you click "Done." You'll need Flash, by the way.

OK - pockets cleaned out now.