So don’t get your knickers in a bunch. Go ahead and celebrate July 16 by giving your sweetie a smooch (or just hug a pet). Then sit back and enjoy the latest video from our Bejeweled Blitz cats. And have a happy Monday!

P.S. Be sure to type the link at the end of the video into your browser to get a free Rare Gem. Then check your Facebook message center to claim it.

*Happy 24th Anniversary, MJF & TP

In honor of another vastly under-appreciated Normal Day, let’s remember the things that make each day a miracle. Waking up in the morning. Smelling the dog’s fishy breath. Eating creamsicles. Are you with me?

Well, it turns out that not everyone was preparing for Father’s Day last Saturday. Over in Bejeweled Blitz land, one of our laser cats apparently clawed her way into the, um, cookie jar. And, pardon me, but it looks like Snackers may have overindulged.

Have a great Monday!

What is it? No one can say for sure. Well, that probably isn’t true but go with me here. Was it left here by aliens? Yes, let’s say that it was. It was left here by aliens with mad LEGO skillz. What does it want? It has a message for us, if only we would take the time to listen. Pay careful attention to this video and see if you can hear what it has to say.

Did you hear it? Is it a message of peace? Is it a cookbook? Does it just want a Pepsi? Help a blogger out.

Sorry, the boss just told me that one sentence does not a blog post make, so let’s see what else we can find out about the sort-of-rare date of February 29.

Today is the day, in Ireland and the UK, when ladies can propose marriage to their fellers. I suppose they can do it other days, too, but this is the “traditional” day and who am I to buck tradition? Except that I’m already married. Sorry, ladies.

For you film history buffs, it was on this day in 1940 that Gone with the Wind won 8 Academy Awards, including the historic win for Hattie McDaniel.

In 1972, baseball legend Hank Aaron re-signed with the Atlanta Braves for the then-unheard-of sum of $200,000 a year. Today, $200,000 a year is roughly the amount of money that Yankees third-baseman Alex Rodriquez loses in his couch cushions.

And finally, here are a couple of notable Leap Day birthdays:

Lantern-jawed motivational speaker Tony Robbins is 13! (But I’m only counting leap days and I’m terrible at math).

Born on this day in 1940: Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople. Don’t know who that is? He has his own Facebook page. Seriously.

Today is also the birthday of noted Philadelphia typesetter Adolph Blaine Charles David Earl Frederick Gerald Hubert Irvin John Kenneth Lloyd Martin Nero Oliver Paul Quincy Randolph Sherman Thomas Uncas Victor William Xerxes Yancy Zeus Wolfe-schlegelstein-hausenberger-dorffvoraltern-waren-gewissenhaft-schaferswessen-schafewaren-wohlgepflege-und-sorgfaltigkeit-beschutzen-von-angreifen-durch-ihrraubgierigfeinde-welche-voraltern-zwolftausend-jahres-vorandieerscheinen-wander-ersteer-dem-enschderraumschiff-gebrauchlicht-als-sein-ursprung-von-kraftgestart-sein-lange-fahrt-hinzwischen–sternartigraum-auf-der-suchenach-diestern-welche-gehabt-bewohnbar-planeten-kreise-drehen-sich-und-wohin-der-neurasse-von-verstandigmen-schlichkeit-konnte-fortplanzen-und-sicher-freuen-anlebens-langlich-freude-und-ruhe-mit-nicht-ein-furcht-vor-angreifen-von-anderer-intelligent-geschopfs-von-hinzwischen-sternartigraum, Senior.

So there you have it. I hope you learned something new today. I know I did. And so did the boss. She learned to stop asking me to write blog posts.

For Matt H., Senior Artist on hit games like Bejeweled 3, Peggle Nights and Feeding Frenzy 2, just drawing random things gets his juices flowing. “Fan art, megaman, old cars – anything that sounds fun, even if it’s off-task. It will usually get the brain going for me.” Guy W., Audio Director and mastermind behind the music in our newly launched Solitaire Blitz game, finds inspiration running trails with his dog Murphy, meditation, yoga and writing music for himself.

Taking walks and listening to music are my antidote to writer’s block (unfortunately standing in front of the refrigerator is less effective, as I keep reminding myself). I have some favorite go-to tunes and I love discovering new pieces that inspire me. This morning I found a phenomenal finger-style guitar version of Laura Shigihara’s music from Plants vs. Zombies that someone sent me. Just awesome! Maybe it will inspire you too.

If only I could listen to that while I stand in front of the refrigerator!

Now it’s your turn! Tell us what YOU do to get your creative juices goin’. Post it on our Facebook page and we’ll keep sharing more tips from folks here.

The point is, when we’re not making games, we’re playing them. Or thinking about them. Or wishing we were playing them. And, of course, to make good games, you need to play lots of them, to see what’s out there, what are other people doing, and what gamers are enjoying. For the past few weeks, at least a few of us at PopCap have been utterly addicted to a puzzle game called Triple Town, made by a small Seattle studio called SpryFox. We love it so much, in fact, that we thought it would be fun to get one of the game’s designers, Daniel Cook, into the studio with us to talk about the game on our podcast.

So here it is, at long last, Episode 4 of The PopCast, in which we actually don’t talk about our own games (but you should all go buy them all anyway, just so we’re clear). PopCap designers Matthew Lee Johnston and Mohan Rajagopalan join host Jeff Green to talk to Daniel Cook not just about how awesome Triple Town is, but also about the challenges of designing games for the iOS and Facebook, the pesky “monetization” problem, and the stressful phenomenon of seeing puzzle pieces in your sleep. All this and oh so much more.

Click the Play button below to listen now!  And if you like what you hear, subscribe to us on iTunes or add this to your RSS feed: http://popcast.libsyn.com/rss.

See you for another episode in two weeks!

We have a crew of lovely people who decorate your desk to ensure that you feel special on your special day and remind everyone who passes that they ought to consider buying you lunch or bringing you a cupcake.  It’s a nice thing to do, and everyone seems to really enjoy it.

So much so that it will never, ever be taken down.

I count six birthdays visible in this photo. This morning, I walked the halls and counted 60 desks festooned with birthday decorations. Today is no one's birthday.

We do not, in fact, employ any sets of triplets. Though that would be pretty cool. Especially if they played Robert Palmer songs in Rock Band.

Reasons for never taking down the decorations vary from, “I like having them up!” to “I can’t find a chair without wheels to stand on,” to “I figure I’m saving the decorators the trouble 364 days from now.”  But really, we all feel like every day we get to be at PopCap is a special day worth celebrating.  So a very merry unbirthday to us all.  All year long.

This is part of what has become known as Birthday Row. I am reminded of the parable of the Star-Bellied Sneetches. "It's my birthday. Why isn't it your birthday?"

This may be my favorite. We vacated this area for renovations. Not even the movers have gotten around to taking down these birthday decorations.

Moustache Contest!*

*Proper gentlemen prefer the proper spelling of “moustache.”

Competitors were given two weeks – TWO WEEKS! – to grow their finest Fu Manchu, Franz Josef or A La Souvarov. (And as someone who couldn’t grow a proper lip-brow if he had six months and a thousand dollars worth of dimoxinil, I am green with whisker-envy.)

A group of the non-bristled gathered to vote on the results. There were very strict criteria by which the mustachioed were judged. And by “very strict” I mean “totally random.” A winner was eventually crowned, but first let’s have a look at a few of the runners up (as judged by me 10 minutes ago).

Best Hat – Engineer Jason

Look for Jason in an upcoming episode of Mad Men. You won’t find him, but look.

Best Sarcastic Eyebrow – Artist Jason

Also a fine example of “The Policeman’s Standard.”

Best Most Obvious Cheat – Game Designer and noted Salvador Dali impersonator Scott

Scott is available for surrealist children’s birthday parties.

Finally, the winner and Moustache Champeen – Artist Stephan

For his effort he took home (or left on his desk as an everlasting tribute to his hirsute superiority) a magnetic mustache poetry kit and what looks like a two-pack of mustache erasers, which are either erasers shaped like mustaches or a miracle invention that will actually erase your mustache. Details remain unclear.

Keep up the good work, boys.

Then, after all that, I finally get our T-shirt model here for a quick photo shoot and, well… he was a bit difficult to direct. It was like he was dead or something, but still stylish.

We got one good picture, and here it is:

Zombie is wearing fabulous sunglasses and a T-shirt that's to die for.

“What’s the t-shirt?” you ask.

“This old thing?” we reply. It’s just a little tribute to a brand-new Plants vs. Zombies video — a pretty awesome video that you’ll get to see in just a couple days. So stay tuned!

Here’s a close-up of the t-shirt:

Zombie medallion, yo.

I thought I’d ask our local Zombie for some advice but he’s been missing all week, too. I did manage to track down a few other friends to see if they had any words of wisdom for a lonely writer.

Wall-nut: “What? Oh, sorry. I didn’t know you were there. Uh… first, remain calm. Second, eschew excitement. And C, cultivate an air of detachment. And if you could scratch my back, that’d be dynamite. It’s driving me crazy and, well… no arms! Thanks.”

Sunflower: “Oh, I’m so happy to see you! You look great today! Don’t you worry about a thing! Everything’s going to work out great! Don’t be a Gloomy Gus! With a smile on your face and a song in your heart, you can accomplish anything!” (This went on for about 45 minutes. I’ll spare you the rest.)

Puff-shroom: “Gee, I dunno, Mister. Mostly I just sit in the dark and mind my own business. Have you tried that? Sitting in the dark? Minding your own business? You have? Did it work? Well, gee, I dunno. I dunno what to tell ya. Maybe you should sit someplace darker minding your own business even harder. That’s what I’d do.”

Peashooter: “It’s simple really. You wait. You wait as long as it takes and when they show up you start firing. And you don’t stop until their heads are… what? Oh, you’re not talking about zombies? Oh, okay. So… wait. You wait as long as it takes and when they show up you make them buy you lunch.”

Thanks, friends.