'Tis the season!

It's December, dear darling cherished readers, and you know what that means, don't you? A new nickname!  Or, uh, St. Nickname, if you will...

MANTA CLAUS

For those of you keeping track out there: 1 exam down, 2 to go.

Snowman(ta)*

I had to go to the mall today. It went something like this.

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So...it's snowing now. Like, a lot. So much so that if Obama were for some reason visiting Montreal right now, he'd be wearing a parka AND a scarf:

(image from http://obama-weather.com/)

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The view from my window.

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*Incidentally, Snowmanta is my January nickname.

Happy Sinterklaas!!!!

I just found this is my shoe, attached to a box of chocolates. For those of you who don't know, Sinterklaas is the celebration of the name day of St. Nicholas, patron saint of children (and more!). In Holland, Sinterklaas leaves presents in children's shoes on the eve of December 5 for the children to unwrap when they wake up the next day. Black Pete (pictured above) is Sinterklaas' unfortunately black-faced assistant.

Katie, who wishes she were Dutch, has decided to embrace this holiday by wearing her Netherlands jersey all day, and by gifting me and Hal our very own Sinterklaas presents. Thanks Katie!

Which holiday pie are you?

I've never had this kind of pie before, but I bet it's good.


A quote about pie (from the delightful "Dr. Horrible's Sing-along Blog"):
Penny: Sometimes people are layered like that. There's something totally different underneath than what's on the surface.
Dr. Horrible: And sometimes there's a third, even deeper level, and that one is the same as the top surface one. Like with pie.

Which holiday pie are you? Find out by clicking: http://www.marthastewart.com/quiz/holiday-pies

Good news, MTTPL fans!

Um, did I mention that I'm done with school now*? Because I am. Expect more comics ANY DAY NOW!


*Or, as the Canadians would say, "did I mention that I'm done school now." Seriously people: that phrase requires a preposition.

What to get your salamander sweetie for Christmas

So, salamanders have a very peculiar way of mating that involves packets of sperm, called spermatophores, and complex mating rituals, including though not limited to: chin-slapping, tail-wrapping and orgies.

I drew this whilst listening to Herp presentations last Tuesday. It seemed topical. Also this:

There's a rhyme to help you remember the different between the extremely venomous coral snake and the non-venomous king snake that goes: "Red touching black is a friend of Jack, red touching yellow, you're a dead fellow" (or some variation thereof). However, this rhyme only works in the southeastern US.

I never tip over 10%

Manta rays, on the other hand, are great tippers.

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Credit for this excellent elasmobranch comic goes to Nigel, who submitted it mere moments ago!!! I'm glad someone out there rose to the challenge. Thanks Nige! Enjoy, readers!