Back in high school, a friend surprised me with a subscription to a model train photography enthusiast magazine. HA, we thought! Isn’t that a touch specific? THIS IS SO FUNNY. Who knew such a thing even EXISTED?! OH MY GOD, MARIA IT’S ALL YOUR HOBBIES ROLLED INTO ONE. It was very much the ironic gift that wasn’t, as I spent weeks pouring over each issue.

This past week, 20 years later, I actually got the chance to photograph some model train dioramas. I unapologetically loved every second of it.

(And, no, my interests haven’t changed much since I was 16. Not sure what that says for my personal evolution.)

From around the web this week:

I loved this explanation of SF neighborhood names. Dogpatch actually was named for its packs of stray dogs.

This Audubon Birding Oscars Award had me laughing in tears. Did you know professional birders have a problem with being able to identify the local bird calls while watching a movie? And that it leads to some annoyance/confusion? On The Revenant: “The film is set in what is to become South Dakota in winter. . . so why is a Yellow-billed Cuckoo chattering during the bear attack scene?”

For those of you afraid of heights.

Two very important points came out of this piece: 1) The peer-reviewed Journal of Vision will be coming out with an entire issue dedicated to The Dress meme and I cannot wait, 2) Whether you saw a blue/black dress or white/gold dress may have to do whether you’re a morning or night person. No joke. (True for me and Dave.)

An utterly charming documentary to watch on HBO this rainy weekend.

Speaking of charming, Michelle Obama went around and surprised kids at school this week. Their reactions are priceless.