Today we continue to mourn the death of disco queen Donna Summer, who succumbed to lung cancer yesterday at the age of 63. Another sad thing is that in 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.

Two seemingly unrelated incidences of death happening, right? Not according to today's editorial cartoon in the AJC.

Is Donna Summer being buried next to JFK? Was she President of the United States at some point? Does this have something to do with RFK Jr.'s estranged wife dying yesterday? I assume the answer to all of these questions is, "No."

Back when I was in college — way back in 2005 — we dealt with the stress of exam week the old fashioned way. We guzzled mouthwash or rubbing alcohol (whatever we could get our hands on), and smoked cigarettes we rolled by hand using the probably toxic pages of sexually explicit library books. I can still feel Flaubert's words burning in my chest.

Students these days have a warmer, fuzzier option ... LITERALLALALAALLALLLY. From Emory's news center:

This spring, for the first time, the Emory law library offered to put a warm, fuzzy face on finals week, offering students, faculty and staff a chance to take a different kind of stress break.

The invitation was simple: Would you like to pet a dog?

Third-year Emory Law student Will Romine didn't need to be asked twice. He entered the Fyr Rare Book Room, dropped to all fours, and began romping with 5-month-old Jazzy, a flirtatious Labradoodle.
...
The student wellness project, which ran from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. over six days, employed six dogs per day, working for two-hour shifts in teams of two. Participants signed up to spend time with the dogs in 20-minute intervals. Several returned for repeat visits.

In the laughter and sighs, you could feel the tension evaporate.

You know what we had to cuddle with in the library? Rats. But usually we just ate them because our ailing bodies required the protein.

KIDS THESE DAYS.

Time lapse videos are fun. As a society, we love them. Probably because we're impatient, and would live our lives fast forwarding through things with remote controls like in the movie "Click," a plot we'd be familiar with if we hadn't fast forwarded through the whole thing. It was for the best.

Anyway, here's a ten-second video of City Hall East's parking deck being gobbled up by a jaunty backhoe with comical musical accompaniment. ENJOY.

Some guy named Damon Davis, who claims to be an "Atlanta evangelical leader" and runs something called Legacy Worldwide Foundation, says he plans to distribute thousands of bibles to Congress, schools and military personnel.

And not just any bible, but something called the American Patriot's Bible, which was written by one Richard Lee, who describes himself as "the Founding Pastor of First Redeemer Church located in metropolitan Atlanta."

Developer Dan O'Leary, the guy who runs Underground Atlanta, now has a proposal to build a $1 billion casino complex in Norcross, reports the AP.

Yes, you read that right. Let's say it all together: One BEEEEEEEL-YUN dollars. And no native Americans involved. O'Leary's proposal envisions "a towering hotel, a spacious theater and a game floor with 7,500 video lottery machines."

Why would our Red State politicians support this plan? Well, for one, O'Leary claims the casino could contribute $350 million a year to help fund the struggling HOPE scholarship. Also, there's this:

O’Leary said his new project won’t need legislative approval because it involves video terminals already permitted under state law. But it will need the backing of the Georgia Lottery Board, which would regulate the machines, and whose members are appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal.

It's a similar setup to what he unsuccessfully proposed for Underground Atlanta three years back. Instead of the standard electronic slot machines, the casino would have "video lottery terminals," devices that look similar but use a lottery-based system for yielding winning numbers.

We're now taking bets on whether anything will come of this.

• MC Potus comin' at ya!

After President Obama widely viewed warbling of the opening lines from Al Green's "Let's Stay Together," the president was again coaxed to offer a tune at the recently taped “In Performance at the White House: Red, White and Blues” for PBS.

At the end of the concert, which featured such blues/rock luminaries as B.B. King, Mick Jagger, Jeff Beck, Buddy Guy and Derek Trucks, one of the all-star band members asks the Prez to sing. After initially declining, Obama starts up with "Sweet Home Chicago."

We haven't heard him do a whole song yet and, although he sounds like he could be pretty good, maybe it's for the best. Clinton was all too eager to show the world his horn chops — and he sucked.

• Joeff Davis
• I DO Stanley and Bridgette Calloway getting married this morning at the Historic Gwinnett County Courthouse in Lawrenceville.

Why not take the ultimate plunge with you partner this Valentine's Day? You can do it real cheap today at the Gwinnett Historic Courthouse in Lawrenceville where they are offering free wedding ceremonies all day. Although weddings are normally free a the Gwinnett Justice and Administration building, the Gwinnett Historic Courthouse normally rents for $170 an hour, with an 8 hour minimum rental (it's booked through November). But today you can get married there for free. All you need to do is swing by Gwinnett County Probate court and get a marriage license (you both will need a drivers license and a birth certificate or valid passport and a divorce decree, if either of you have been previously married), and pay the $56 dollar wedding license fee (only $16 if you have certificate that you have completed premarital counseling). And then proceed directly to the Historic Courthouse for your ceremony, which takes less than five minutes. Last year, over 80 weddings were performed there on Valentine’s Day.

Stanley and Bridgette Calloway were one of the couples that got married this morning, after the service was delayed for a minute while a family member was sent to retrieve one of the wedding rings that was left in the car. ‘No better day than Valentines day to get married,” said Stanley shortly after the ceremony, “This is for us and God,” Bridgette added.

There's still time to head out there - marriage ceremonies will be performed until 4 p.m. and are on a first come first serve basis. Same sex couples, though, need not show up.

• Georgia's stunning archives building is closed most of the time

What are the Georgia Archives, you ask, and why do they need my help? Better yet, how do I find their Facebook page? Well, they don't have a Facebook page or a Twitter account because it's actually a beautiful new building down in Morrow full of old paper dating back to the 18th century. Excited yet? Yeah, that's what we thought.

Anyway, so the archives are hurting due to apparent lack of interest, which has resulted in harsh budget cuts by state lawmakers. After a round of cuts in 2008, the archives were forced to lay off most of its employees and can only afford to stay open two days a week. But the remaining staff has been dogged in their efforts to attract a new generation of young archivists, researchers and genealogists by putting on such exciting, fast-paced seminars as "Read It Write: Interpreting Early Styles of Handwriting" and "Georgia’s Delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1787." Woo-hoo! Bring a sack lunch and let's get crazy!

OK, so unless "History Detectives" snares Ryan Gosling and Jessica Alba as on-air hosts, the Georgia Archives might have a tough time getting the YouTube generation amped up over old plat books and deed records. Still, the agency isn't just living in the past; it's also planning to digitize, baby! According to the state website, it's already at Step 4 of a 5-step process. On the down side, Step 4 is, literally, planning to digitize. The actual digitization — you guessed it, Step 5 — has been delayed due to crippling budget cuts.

It would, however, be much easier to muster sympathy for the post office if it weren't for asshole postal workers.

Take my experience this morning at the West Peachtree Street post office. When I finally made it up to the counter — the single employee helping people rang a bell for assistance when the line of customers stretched to eight or nine people — I took part in the following exchange. (I should preface it by revealing that, as a weekly post office customer, I'm familiar with all the standard questions and upselling tactics.):

Me: I'd like to send this package First Class. And, no, it doesn't contain anything liquid, perishable, or potentially hazardous.

Lady postal worker: Does the package contain anything liquid, perishable, or potentially hazardous?

Me: I just told you it didn't.

LPW: No, you don't tell me — it's me who asks you!

OK, maybe I was a bit of a dick as well. But when you're standing in line watching postal workers leisurely going about their duties as if none of their customers had anywhere else to be, it gives you plenty of time to formulate theories as to why the USPS is going down the tubes.

Believe me, I don't think all postal workers are jerks who move in slow motion. The other day, I was waited on by an exceedingly pleasant, patient, and efficient woman — and I'm not holding her out as the rare exception. Also, I've never had a bad experience with a letter carrier; those people earn their paychecks. But I visit the post office often enough to have become convinced that lousy customer service is an enduring problem that, unfortunately, seems deeply ingrained within its culture.

That's why I'm saddened by nagging doubts about whether any amount of cost-cutting can save the post office from oblivion. I'm just glad I picked the right dying industry for my career.