Can you even imagine an award recipient at your conference giving a speech like this? Just goes to show that even the most overdone and/or boring award event (obviously, I’m not a fan of these things) can have its redeeming moments.

After wiping away the tears, I took a few moments to thank those special ones who have loved me into being.

(Thanks to Mental Floss for this one.)

For the first time in memory I didn’t get sucked into watching the Oscars last night. But I did follow along via Facebook and Twitter (who knew I knew so many people who cared so deeply about this?). It was hilarious — I’m guessing infinitely more fun than actually watching it was.

So, in honor of the Oscars in the social media age, here’s a compilation of the funniest tweets about the 2011 Oscar extravaganza. I could swear I saw even funnier ones, but I’m not going to wade through it all to find them. Wish I’d thought of it at the time!

(Thanks to Dan on the MeCo Social Media Headquarters Facebook page for the pointer.)

I love this post by Trish Rafferty about the laignappe moments she’s had in the midst of meeting planning madness. Well worth a read if you want a smile, or just a sense that sometimes, despite all evidence to the contrary, things really do just work out for the best.

Ah, the golden question to which we all know the answer: good learning and good networking (with extra points for good location and yummy chow). But no one puts it quite as well as Fast Company’s self-professed conference junkie Nancy Lublin, who actually put together a quiz to take to decide whether or not a conference is worth the time, energy, and money. Plus it’s pretty funny.

(Thanks to Acronym for the pointer.)

I heard from a reliable source that the TV show 30 Rock last night included some spoofs on a subject near and dear to my heart — meetings magazines! He said:

In one scene Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) is talking about a big presentation he has coming up that “Meeting Magazine is already calling the Meeting of the Decade.” Then later in the show he’s talking to Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) about how he is supposed to represent NBC at a meeting that The American Journal of Meetings rated 4 Chairs.

Then Liz Lemon responds: “I’m sorry, is that another magazine about meetings?”

Snort! I don’t usually watch that show, but I’m going to have to check out that episode once it’s on the Internet. Too funny.

Update: I think this is it — have to wait until the workday ends to watch it, though. (Further update: Check out 1:30 and 7:15.)

This Rapiscan Santa and reindeer card just made me burst out laughing:

By Eric Mueller, via BoingBoing (with thanks to T for sending me the link!).

Love this story about the candy sales (dis?)incentive trip: Since they didn’t make their numbers, they got to go to Fargo, N.D., instead of Honolulu.

Still, they got to tour two North Dakota wineries (who knew there were wineries in N.D.? I didn’t) and go for sleigh rides, tobogganing, and sip some hot toddies, so what’s to complain about? And maybe that $5-a-plate spaghetti dinner at the VFW wasn’t exactly a luau, but still, they got to watch “Fargo” in Fargo, which had to be fun in a surreal sort of way.

Because “If there’s no fixed point of reference, we just walk in circles and inevitably get lost.” [Gizmodo] Here’s the science.

Another beaut from Gizmodo today is this video of the “intricate choreography of flight — it’s just mesmerizing.

This is just fun: Six Hotel Jobs that Are Way Cooler than Yours, from Hotel Chatter. Just the title “fish valet” makes me smile.

I’m always a sucker for a good optical illusion, and loved all five of these. I especially like the explanations for why they work, and the way they keep working even though my brain now knows why they shouldn’t. So if you need a break that will also blow your mind, here you go.