What Would Jane Austen Do?

Did you see them on The Colbert Report last week? While I was watching them I kept thinking about Emmeline Grangerford from Huck Finn -- the one who wrote poetry , kept a scrapbook of obituaries and painted "And I Shall Never Hear Thy Sweet Chirrup Again Alas." I forgot how much I loved that book. Don't you think Jack White should dye his hair white as he gets older and start dressing like Mark Twain? Anyway, The Black Belles: thumbs up, I guess. For a Halloween party.

Babe Didrikson Zaharias would be 100 years old today. She was the greatest American athlete of the early 20th century. She was a basketball champ; she held world records and Olympic medals in track and field; she was even a competitive billiards player and bowler. At the age of 24 she took up golf, then she founded and dominated the LPGA. She's still the only woman to ever make the cut in a regular PGA tournament. Babe Zaharias was from Beaumont. She was my hero when I was a kid. A couple of weeks ago Becca picked up an old biography about the Babe and started reading it. It's really a shame the Babe isn't better known today -- but you can fix that. Earlier this month a new biography about her came out that you should read. Happy birthday, Babe!

Did you see Venus Williams' jumper at Wimbledon today? The bar is set HIGH, ladies. Photos via Getty

Sarah's Fab Day: It's summer and I'm not so ship shape Papi came up with a brilliant solution to cries of "I'm so bored ." E&B started acting squirrelly and trying to change the channel when ads came on for Sylvan Learning Centers or Kumon or whatever. Papi asked why, and they said it's because they didn't want us to get any ideas about sending them there. So now when they say "I'm bored," we say, "well, we could always call Sylvan..."

Check out the Nerf Super Soakers: I got Papi a pair of these Hydro Cannons so he could have some lovely bonding time with his children. [Don't mind the negative reviews of the Hydro Cannon -- for an adult, the pump action is easy and it delivers a good blast of water. Ask me how I know .] But if if you're looking for something more lightweight and maneuverable, the Thunderstorm might be the way to go. Extra clips are a must. However, it's no fun to play by yourself. So get him a pair, or better yet, buy something for the kids that will be dwarfed by dad's power. Life's a bitch, kiddo. This two-pack of Hydro Fury Water Blasters   should do the trick.

Longtime GQ restaurant critic/ food writer/ contrarian dickhead Alan Richman is buddies with Eric Ripert, chef/owner of Le Bernadin fancy-pants seafood restaurant in New York City and Cheese Eating Surrender Monkey. [I kid. He seems like an okay guy.] So Alan, who lives in Westchester, NY, decided to surprise Eric with a trip to the local food market, i.e. Costco. Hilarity ensued. Eric was skeptical but was ultimately impressed with the dinner they made from their purchases. Still he insists that he never wants to go back. Why you gotta be a such a hater, Eric? Now hold the phone: you boys realize that Costco is pretty high-end for American food, right? Especially in richest-zip-code-in-the-country Westchester County. Even most Costco shoppers aren't putting "obscure little white" wines and triple-cream cheeses in their baskets, I assume.  And I'm a little offended that y'all didn't even give the rotisserie chicken a try. But what would be really fun i...