For now, we're going to ignore the fact that Romeo and Juliet is about two idiotic teenagers who got themselves and four other people killed in four days. And we're going to hope that this couple has a happier life.

But, like the lovers in Shakespeare's tale, they did meet in Verona and woo from balconies. Quarantined in apartments across a street from each other, they felt an immediate attraction. The Washington Post describes their love story:

Michele D’Alpaos, 38, first laid eyes on Paola Agnelli, 40, in mid-March when she walked out on her balcony. Agnelli spotted D’Alpaos that night on his terrace, and said it was love at first sight.

“I was immediately struck by the beauty of this girl, by her smile,” D’Alpaos said. “I had to know her.”

Agnelli stood directly across from him on her sixth-floor balcony while her sister performed a violin rendition of “We Are The Champions” as part of a nightly 6 p.m. musical performance, intended to uplift the quarantined neighborhood.

“It was a magical moment,” said Agnelli, who has lived in the same apartment complex since she was 5 years old. She had never met D’Alpaos, even though he has lived opposite her, on the seventh floor, for most of his life.

“I immediately thought, ‘What a beautiful boy,’ ” she continued.

They met online and dated that way, eager for the next ten weeks to meet in person.

Barred from stepping closer than 200 meters away (about 220 yards), a smitten D’Alpaos was desperate to show his affection to Agnelli. He started by sending multiple bouquets of flowers, but then decided that wasn’t enough.

In an effort to put his love on full display, D’Alpaos hung an old bedsheet with “Paola” emblazoned in big, bold bubble letters from his apartment complex in late March.

They finally met in person in May and are now engaged.

-via Dave Reaboi | Photo: Paola Agnelli

Michael Locascio, an artist in New Jersey, specializes in sculptures and household objects that are macabre and delightfully unsettling. Among his works are sculptures of spectral figures that appear to emerge from mirrors to haunt your home.

They're made with glow-in-the-dark resin to add to the ghostly effect. All they need now are sound effects that can be activated at the right moment. They're perfect for any young child's bedroom.

-via Design You Trust

When Queen Elizabeth II participates in a public event, everything is carefully planned, choreographed, and stage-managed. People working with the Queen need to rehearse, so they call in Ella Slack. She's the Queen's stand-in.

Although she doesn't look much like the Queen, Slack is about the same height (just two inches shorter). She's close enough that event managers can rehearse as though Slack is the Queen. In this video by Great Big Story, Slack describes her work.

-via Messy Nessy Chic

Never mind Vogon poetry. If you want to read some really awful lines, I can dig out the insipid, self-absorbed free verse that I wrote in college. But using it like this, as cartoonist Madeline Horwarth suggests, would probably be a crime.

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Looking forward to showing my beeswax and birch bark collection @loopgallery in April! #encausticmixedmedia #honeycombart #ontariohoneybees

A post shared by Ava Roth (@avarothart) on Mar 27, 2019 at 12:53pm PDT

Ava Roth, a paint and embroidery artist in Toronto, collaborates with bees in her recent projects. She weaves into her embroidery hoops fabrics that are bee-friendly and then inserts them into beehives so that her co-workers can contribute. Colossal reports:

She receives help from master beekeeper Mylee Nordin, and together, they vertically stack hive boxes, which are known as supers, and insert large, custom-made structures. The artist also has developed a more detailed practice in recent months. “Because this project has required so much trial and error, I was still experimenting with materials last season, trying to find substances that the bees would consistently respond to positively,” she writes. “I was trying to find organic substances that would not harm the bees but also that the bees would not eat or otherwise destroy.”

You can see more examples of embroidery by Roth and her apiarian collaborators on her Instagram page.

I recently told my husband I thought diceiversaries should be a thing; those anniversaries or birthdays that coincide with a key die. So, for our wedding anniversary today, he mounted a golden D12 on a pedestal.
It's our D12 day! ♥️💘💑🥂🎲 pic.twitter.com/7fiPL1mFgO

— Emma Vieceli 🦋 (@Emmavieceli) August 30, 2020

When a couple reaches their d4, d6, d8, d12, d20 anniversary, it's time to celebrate it! Live long enough and you may need to mount percentile dice or one of those cumbersome 100-sided dice. Emma Vieceli's husband has the right idea.

-via Super Punch

This custom 1985 GMC Van will make your head turn if you see it apparently levitating down the street. It appears to be gliding across the ground upside-down and backwards, even while its wheels spin forward. A look inside through the gullwing door shows the rear (or forward, depending on your point of view) mounted engine and two seats.

-via Born in Space

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The hazards of working in northern Australia, Tommy’s at it again 😂😂 @australia @bisleyworkwear @topendsafaricamp #wildlife @sandpalmsatbynoe

A post shared by Matt Wright (@mattwright) on Sep 14, 2020 at 1:24pm PDT

Matt Wright and his friend, Tommy, are trying to clear some logs out of a stream in the Northern Territory in Australia. A nosy crocodile named Bonecruncher gets into their business and won't leave them alone, despite Wright's commands to "sit" and "stay."

This is nothing new for Wright, who is the star of a reality TV show called Outback Wrangler. And Bonecruncher is and old friend. The Guardian quotes him:

Wright explained why he felt so comfortable around Bonecruncher.

“He’s a croc with poor self-esteem and he hangs out where the big crocs don’t,” Wright told NT News.

Poor croc. I hope he gains some confidence in himself.

-via Althouse

Oh, did you think that jelly beans were made in factories? No, sir, they are grown--a completely natural product.

At least, that's what it looks like when you're examining a fine example of glass gem corn. NPR describes the creation of this colorful plant by Carl Schoen:

Schoen moved to New Mexico a few years later, planted the corn, and crossed it with Pueblo popcorn. Ears appeared with not only brilliant colors but a shiny, glasslike hue. Schoen felt it was more than a pretty plant. It was a piece of the past that had nearly been lost. He says corn is woven with human culture, but diverse traits bred by generations of farmers began to vanish when agriculture became big business. For Schoen, saving that heritage wasn't just about genetic variety: "it also has cultural memory, and that's a powerful force."

-via Twisted Sifter | Photo: lurkface

Which wine goes best with a Taco Bell chalupa? Taco Bell's food scientists have taken the guesswork out of that decision by creating an optimal wine for your economy taco cravings. It's called Jalapeño Noir. CNN reports:

Taco Bell Canada said in a release the duo is "irresistible," adding that "the rich taste and crunchy texture of the beloved Toasted Cheesy Chalupa complements notes of wild strawberry, cherry and beetroot in this silky limited-edition red wine." The wine is made at an Ontario, Canada vineyard.

The wine, which is being called a collector's item because it has three unique bottle labels, costs $25 Canadian or about $19 US. Fans can buy it on Taco Bell's Canada website or in some locations in Ontario.

Soon, Taco Bell will be as classy as it appears in Demolition Man, which takes place only twelve years into our future.

-via Dave Barry | Photo: Taco Bell Canada

According to internet rumor (sorry, but that's as far as I have been able to confirm this news story), the Hato Bus company, a sightseeing bus company in Tokyo, has been shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. The 60 unused buses at their depot have been arranged into a maze to provide more static entertainment.

-via Super Punch | Photo: Sankei

One fan in the video says, "What are we doing?" It doesn't look like football.

But the complicated play does end in a touchdown that secures victory for Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa over Wetumpka (Alabama high school football teams) with only 2.9 seconds left on the clock.

Believe it or not, this is actually what the coach planned. AL.com reports:

The play “Bronco” is named after Adams saw Boise State run a similar scramble play years earlier.

The play started with quarterback Ethan Crawford passing in the left flats to running back Marcus Wilkins. Nine laterals later, Crawford picked up a fumbled ball and ran untouched the final 46 yards for the game-winning touchdown.

-via Dave Barry

Singapore Airlines has been financially devastated by the coronavirus pandemic. Working with the Singapore Tourism Board, it plans to, by the end of October, launch a series of flights that will take off from Changi Airport, stay airborne for about three hours, and then return home.

It's a government subsidy program. The Singaporean national government will give tourism credits to passengers. The Straits Times reports:

Mr Stefan Wood, director at aircraft charter firm Singapore Air Charter, told ST that he had approached SIA about the possibility of setting up a joint venture to provide such flights to nowhere using the Airbus A-350 planes from SIA. [...]

"We will make an announcement at the appropriate time if we go ahead with these plans."

Several airlines worldwide, including EVA Air in Taiwan, have piloted flights to nowhere in an attempt to cope with the drastic fall in demand for air travel due to the coronavirus pandemic.

-via Marginal Revolution | Photo: Steve Lynes

Mary Donahue, a college professor, champion swimmer, outdoorswoman, and, well, her list of accomplishments is very long, writes about how park rangers and staff at Yosemite National Park have attempted to make human food stores safe from bears. Bears are smart, ravenous, have a keen sense of smell, and very flexible paws.

They can manipulate many physical objects, so one food storage locker design requires the user to insert the handle into the lock before turning it.

The ball python (whose identity the St. Louis Zoo is protecting), laid a clutch of eggs despite being the oldest known snake in a zoo and, even more impressively, having no males to mate with. How is this possible? Stuff reports that the snake may have kept a sperm sample handy:

Mark Wanner, manager of herpetology at the St. Louis Zoo, said it unusual but not rare for ball pythons to reproduce asexually. The snakes also sometimes store sperm for delayed fertilization.

Photo: St. Louis Zoo/Chawa Schuette