Mom's birthday part deux

A few things I forgot to mention about Mom's birthday on Sunday:

--Flurry the budgie was chattering up a storm during dinner: he's starting to talk! Not clearly, but he's getting there. So far he can say "Baby" and "Baby bird" and repeats it if you say it to him. I heard him say "Baby 'keet" and "parakeet", and we think we've heard him say "Good bird".

--As my dad and I were singing "Happy Birthday", Oskar the cockatiel started making these "Yerk?" noises, as if he were trying to sing with us! He's never done that before!

--We waited till tonight (well, Monday night) to cut the cake, which had a picture of Hello Kitty drawn on it. This conversation ensued:

Mom: "Whoops, it looks like I cut her head off."
Dad: "Ooh, you're so mean!" :: Kidding::
Me: (In the kitchen, getting a knife) :: Adjusts glasses, lets out evil/insane giggle::

Mecha-Huggers, I bring you glad tidings of great joy...

...Which shall be to all silicon cuties and hotties:

An artbook featuring Chris Baker's storyboards and designs for "A.I.: Artificial Intelligence" has been published

I spotted this when I was doing my Christmas shopping in the Burlington Barnes & Noble today, and I was tempted to buy it then and there, but I think I'll save it for my list to Santa/St. Nicholas/the Christmas Angel. But trust me, as I was leafing through it, I was as agape as one of those giant heads on the Rouge City viaducts.

No doubt this came out just now on account of the 10th anniversary of the release of the movie. If I remember correctly, one version of this book popped up on Amazon back when the movie was still in (some of) the theaters and then disappeared when the critics Dropped the Ball. At least it's found a place in the minds and the hearts of those who really Get It: I've lost count of the number of books on robotics and real-world artificial intelligence which cite it, and then there's us, the Mecha-huggers who really get the human side of the movie.