Forget Chocolate. Forget Flowers . . .

. . . here is a Valentine I could truly embrace. Heart shaped pizzas are all the rage, and I did not even know until this morning. Papa John's sold 60,000 heart-shaped pizzas in 2010, and a little bit more than 60,000 last year. It expects to sell 75,000 this year.

"We first offered them nationally three years ago, and they've become widely popular," said their spokeswoman Tish Muldoon, adding that the company debuted them again last week.

Why did no one tell me this? All those years of Godiva and floral arrangements that make me sneeze—and I could have had a romantic, gooey, cheese-laden pizza. Papa John knows what girls like.

Searches on Google for "heart-shaped pizzas" have soared 230% since January. If you'd like to craft your own, here is a video featuring a busty woman who calls herself "Sexy Mama" displaying her . . . um . .. method. I can't bear to sit through it, but I think I could engineer a way to produce a pizza valentine on my own.

Thank you, Nice Lady.

There is no Papa John's within thirty miles of my home, but if anyone wants to send me a passionate Valentine's Day gift—ahem—this idea is drool-worthy.

Happy Valentine's Day.




Love from Delta.

Alabama Shakes

I love Brittany Howard's soulful voice. She fronts the band "Alabama Shakes" from lovely Athens, Alabama. Brittany represents her state well—pardon the bragging, but The Heart of Dixie routinely hatches some of the best singer-songwriters in the world.

Alabama Shakes made their national television debut on Conan last night. He was impressed, and so am I.

I am posting my favorite. "I Ain't The Same." Have a listen:

Best of sweet Southern luck to Alabama Shakes. Tell your friends . . . their debut album "Boys and Girls" drops April 9th.








Love from Delta.

Acura Rocks.

My car is one of my favorite things in the world. Acura has been my brand for several years now—I smile and nod knowingly at fellow TL owners in traffic.

Maybe that is why I love this commercial so very much. It combines great humor with one helluva good-looking Acura.

No need to wait for the Super Bowl and all that tedious football . . . here it is:

Love from Delta.

Tweet Very Carefully.

Twitter trouble is not just for naughty congressmen.

British tourists Leigh Van Bryan, 26, and Emily Bunting, 24, were detained by the United States Customs Service, placed in a cell and grilled for twelve hours upon arrival in America on January 23rd. Homeland Security officials placed Bryan's name on a "One Day Lookout" because he Tweeted he was "coming to the United States to dig up the grave of Marilyn Monroe" and "destroy America."

His traveling partner Emily said, "I almost burst out laughing when they asked me if I was going to be Leigh's lookout while he dug up Marilyn Monroe. It got even more ridiculous because the officials searched our suitcases and said they were looking for spades and shovels."

Bryan said officials told him, "You really f***** up with that tweet, boy," before handcuffing and putting him in what he described as a "cage" inside of a van. He said he was then transported to a prison with other suspected border offenders.

He continued, "It's just so ridiculous it's almost funny but at the time it was really scary. The Homeland Security agents were treating me like some kind of terrorist."

Well, that is somewhat understandable. His words could be construed as a threat.

The tweets were sent a week before their trip, indicating the U.S. government had flagged the pair well in advance—raising all sorts of thorny social media issues. Bunting claims "destroy America" meant they planned to "get trashed and party." Poor choice of words, Emily.

I don't believe these two intended to dig Marilyn up, and they don't look capable of destroying America as a team. Perhaps they can serve as a cautionary tale for those who throw words around cyberspace a bit recklessly.

Dry humor sometimes gets lost in translation.

Love from Delta.

My Hat Is Off To You, Kate.

The Duchess of Cambridge was just named “Hat Person of the Year” by The Headwear Association. Kate conquered Rachel Zoe, Ne-Yo, Justin Timberlake, Bruno Mars and Charlie Sheen—taking an overwhelming 91 percent of the vote.

The Headwear Association is an organization founded in 1908 that “promotes hat wearing and the headwear industry throughout the world.”

I am not a hat person, though I know some stylish ladies who are. (Marianne Barnebey, are you listening? That means you.)

Tonight I spotted this vintage loveliness for sale and suggested it to a friend who wears chapeaux beautifully (Murray, are you listening? That means you.)

Mariah Nicolle's New Hat

I wish I could rock a hat, but every time I put one on my daughter tells me I look silly. Here are some royal and non-royal people in their millinery. Silly? You be the judge.

You have to hand it to the Europeans. They know their headwear. Philip Treacy, milliner extraordinaire, designed these:

It is entirely possible I might feel silly in one of Mr. Treacy's designs. I cannot afford one, anyway.

Congratulations to Kate, beautiful princess and fashion inspiration. For now, I will stick to unadorned hair.

Love from Delta.

I Want One.

If you have fifteen minutes (and most of my fellow Alabamians do, since the weather is dreadful), watch this video about 3-D printing. It is a concept new to most of us, and could revolutionize our lives. Really. Watch.

See what I mean? Cool beans.







Love from Delta.

Don't Worry, Be Happy.

Remember Bobby McFerrin? Sure you do . . . by now, his signature song should be stuck in your head. If not, listen here.

I discovered a wonderful video of Bobby, the consummate musician, interacting with an audience at the World Science Festival in 2009. He sought to point out the power of human expectations with the Pentatonic Scale. Watch him in action . . . it is pretty darn cool.

(When prominent neuroscientists are impressed, you should be, too.)

Enjoy:







Love from Delta.