1. Who has a better sense of humor: liberals or conservatives?
2. Obama will not answer whether he likes boxers or briefs (with good reason)
3. While the life of novelist Carolyn Chute is by no means typical of people who live in northern New England, reading this profile reminded me a little bit of home
4. A collection of classic disease-warning posters

Also, this story wasn't in the NYT, but Obama won in Dixville Notch and Hart's Location, NH. Residents of these two tiny towns have historically voted at midnight and closed polls early. This is the first time they've voted for a democrat since 1968.

But seriously, go vote today. And please, please, make it for Obama.

Also, I have a new 23/6 piece up.

Sorry about that, folks. I'll try to get that fixed soon.

Featuring the grossness of the drinkable bacteria byproduct known as kombucha, a tasting of Zima's demon spawn, the phrase "timz is hard, thighs iz cheap," and much more! Take a look.

1. The Weekend Update guests on this season's third episode of SNL
   
   I'm finally catching up on full Saturday Night Live episodes from this season, and I have to say, almost every sketch on the episode Anna Faris hosted was pretty disappointing. However, the two guests during weekend update, Kristen Wiig as travel writer Judy Grimes and Darrel Hammond as Bill Clinton, were absolutely fantastic:
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. A New York Times blog linked to one of my Table Matters stories
   
   Pretty neat.
   
   
3. Cheese
   
   Seriously though, now that the weather is getting colder, am I the only person who wants to eat warm cheese all of the time? I doubt it.

I've been dropping hints about a big project on this blog, and here it is: Table Matters. We launched yesterday. I'm absolutely thrilled.

From our About page:

Table Matters is an online publication about the intersection of food, drink, and culture from people who dream about lunch during breakfast, dinner during lunch, cocktails during work, dessert during dinner, and breakfast before bedtime. We recognize that food is more than just what we put in our mouths — it's a political statement, a commodity, a status symbol, a declaration of love. It's entertainment, seduction, fantasy. We realize that food is becoming more politicized, more precious, and more divisive than ever. But too many foodies have forgotten that food and drink can (and should) be fun. This is why we get excited when we hear food and drink discussed in news and pop culture. And it's why we celebrate eating an adventurous, gourmet eight-course meal as much as sharing grilled cheese sandwiches with friends.

The site looks a lot more amazing than a screenshot can do justice. Our designer and photographers did a really fantastic job, and we have a lot of wonderful people (and me) writing about everything from terrible Halloween candy to classic cocktails to the awesomeness of fake meat and much, much more. I do hope you'll take a look.

If you missed my appearance on NPR's The Story discussing my experience working in the TV shopping industry, you can catch the episode again today. From The Story's website:

Amidst the economic woes and the billion dollar bailout, will consumers have the confidence to go shopping? Meg Favreau knows exactly what it takes to get people to buy goods. Meg's first job was at a television "home shopping" channel.

See? I'm topical! Anyway, you check out stations that carry the show, and if there isn't one near you, you can find the piece on The Story's website in the next couple of days.

I've been really, really busy the past couple of weeks, hence the lack of updates. I should be unveiling soon what has kept me so busy (it's really awesome!), but for right now, a quick note: I'll be performing stand up Monday night here in Philadelphia at Die Actor Die. Here's the specs straight from the show's (literally) immortal host, Don Montrey:

DIE ACTOR DIE

Featuring: Chip Chantry, Ryan Carrey, Nolan Gilbride, Brendan Kennedy, Boy Meets Tractor, Jon Goff, and Meg Favreau

When: Monday, October 20th
Where: The Khyber (56 S. 2nd Street)
What (Time): 8 PM
How (Much): $5
Why (Should I Come): Because, because, because, because, because! Because of the wonderful things he does. Also, cause we got Drink Specials: $1 PBR and Miller Lites, $2 Lagers and $2 Dead Actors.

In conclusion: I'm excited about this, and you should come.

1. Wayne Coyne's House. He has Fred Armisen over as a house guest!
2. Babydisco!
3. Comedy Shows are doing well with the election. Yeah, we knew that. But did you know that SNL's ratings are up a full 50% from last season?
4. In parched areas of California, dowsing is regaining popularity.

The Fast Food News blog provides news updates and commentary on the fast-food world, and I'm pretty in love with all its bloggy glory. I find it alternately depressing and mind-blowingly awesome to be reminded that, for example, a new joint decides to fry macaroni and cheese almost one a week, or that Hardee's thinks it's good marketing to create an interactive website where hungry guys can hang out with a virtual roommate. Look: read the blog. Like so many things in our world, fast food isn't just disgusting when you look closely at it; it's also very, very weird.

[Image from Flickr user silverlinedwinnebago, by way of Creative Commons.]