Apartment Addition, Courtesy of My Grandmother. (Hi, Grandma!)

I really wanted to wait until the morning to take a few shots of the picture that my grandmother stitched for me (so that I could catch some natural light!), but my mom insisted that I post pictures now. Here are a few (which do not showcase the picture as well as they should -- more to come later, when the sun comes out again).

Seriously, Arizona State University? Seriously?

I just completed the most grueling 13 days of non-stop work. It was exciting and interesting, but also very demanding. I have so much blog updating to do, but I am also exhausted. Getting some rest is first on my agenda. . . right after I comment on this bit of news: It seems that Arizona State University has invited President Barack Obama to be the University's commencement speaker this year, but declined to grant him an honorary degree. Why? Because, according to an ASU spokesperson, "his body of work is yet to come."

Is this some sort of (ill-conceived) joke?

Good Touch, Bad Touch.

First, the Good: I recently purchased the (still relatively) new touch screen Blackberry Storm. Confession: I really wanted an iPhone, but I am a loyal Verizon customer and I refuse to switch to AT&T just for the "it" Phone. None of that matters, though, because the Storm is great. I feel like I've finally stepped into this century! I can't believe how much I can do with this phone (the web browsing is amazing ... even my little blog looks great on the Storm). Plus, today the Blackberry App World launched, complete with tons of fun applications. I have already downloaded a few new, shiny apps (including mobile-friendly versions of Elle and Slate and something called Viigo that comes highly recommended).

Now, the Bad: Evidently, touching the Queen without being invited to do so is bad form. According to several news outlets, First Lady Michelle Obama gently touched the Queen on the back without an invite during a visit to Buckingham Palace today. Outrage ensued.

In other Michelle Obama news, doesn't she look great here, pictured with Sarah Brown, wife of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown? The best part? She's wearing J. Crew!

Image: The Times Online (UK)