This is the mural by the bathrooms at the Borders in Bozeman. Maybe I'm delusional- or just nasty minded, but the book looks kind of vulvular to me...I'm just sayin...

Another shot of Higgins Ave. and the dogs at the bar.

Congrats to another friend- actually son of friend. Good job!

Movin on up

To the west side- begins this weekend. If I can get myself together and start cramming books into boxes. There are so many. I forgot that I have so many books- until I was in MT and saw the stuff that my Mother is hosting in her barn- there are probably 30 boxes of books there...sigh...and yes, I have read most of them. The only ones I haven't read belong to Spouse. And I refuse, refuse, refuse to read his old philosophy texts. Philosophy scares me. It gives me a headache. Too much grey area- not enough clarity. He loved that stuff back in the day. I was a history geek. It was an odd match that has worked pretty well. And hey, boys and girls- isn't it comforting to know that jobs are available for those with non-practical Liberal Arts degrees? Oh yeah- that's right I haven't gotten one yet...But rather than blame the LA degree, I'll blame the Fine Arts one instead. That's what's standing in my way! Yeah!

Haiku du jour

I haven't done one of these for several days (been not too inspired by the muse- Poetry) but since I've been self absorbed and drinking tea again (helps to be sick- don't know how sick people can't be self absorbed- comes with the territory methinks) I figure that I should belt one out.

Job hunting goes on
making status symbol life
harder to obtain.

(Like that? Hmmmmm- status symbol life- forget that- let's discuss bare minimum of paying bills, getting teeth cleaned, going to Dr. when sick, etc....)

Oh- and BTW, yesterday on CNN they were talking about states that have the highest number of employed people without health insurance, and MT made the top 5. Really (voice dripping with sarcasm)- you don't say?! How could such a thing be possible? Well, having endured pathetic wages and very high property/rent prices, I get it. Penury, I say! Penury!

And Alan Greenspan is starting to grumble about the economy- and the deficit- and that's a leetle scary. This here house o' cards is getting a tad shaky for my taste! But that story was pushed aside by some story du jour a couple of weeks ago. Makes me wonder about the smoke and mirrors of the media...keep the peoples all distracted and such... (Hey- look over there!)

I'm so proud!

Cudos guys! I just found out that the very talented (and criminally underappreciated) boyz at my last job won a major international award- including a trip to Europe to collect the prize and some money. I am very happy for them. They deserve the award- they deserve the world! Especially since that particular project was one of the most challenging ones that we faced as a company. It about killed me. But it was a great achievement, and I'm thrilled for them. Hopefully it will prompt their boss to admit that they are as wonderful as I have always said- and to divide up the prize money amongst them. Viva les boys!!!

These fishes were by the bathroom at the Iron Horse Brewery in Missoula. They almost scared me too much to go in the bathroom. I think they are making me sick- through their evil mind powers. Especially the scary albino one on the bottom...

Who brings dogs to a bar? People in Missoula do, of course! And the dogs aren't even close enough to the USA Today stand to read the paper...And yes, that's Wordens in the background.

This is the bastard who cut me off and almost plowed into me. A pox on his home!

Relapse

So after a couple of days of feeling better, the gods are laughing at me again. I got sicker yesterday. So, not much to see here- move along, folks. If I do have more trouble sleeping tonight and find more exploding frogs stories, I will post. Otherwise, I'm gonna hunker down on the couch and sleep. Who do I have to sacrifice a chicken to in order to get better? Or does that particular god prefer goats? I like goats, and would have a hard time doing the deed- but the longer this goes on, the fewer qualms I have...I'm just saying....

Good God!!!

From MSNBC.com:
BERLIN - More than 1,000 toads have puffed up and exploded in a Hamburg pond in recent weeks, and scientists still have no explanation for what's causing the combustion, an official said Wednesday.

Both the pond's water and body parts of the toads have been tested, but scientists have been unable to find a bacteria or virus that would cause the toads to swell up and pop, said Janne Kloepper, of the Hamburg-based Institute for Hygiene and the Environment.

"It's absolutely strange," she said. "We have a really unique story here in Hamburg. This phenomenon really doesn't seem to have appeared anywhere before."

The toads at a pond in the upscale neighborhood of Altona have been blowing up since the beginning of the month, filling up like balloons until their stomachs suddenly burst.

"It looks like a scene from a science-fiction movie," Werner Schmolnik, the head of a local environment group, told the Hamburger Abendblatt daily. "The bloated animals suffer for several minutes before they finally die."

(And that's probably the most horrific thing I have read in weeks. Worse than the finger in the chili. It reminds me of the raining frogs in Magnolia. Disturbing world we live in, no?)

Interview down

Well, that's over and done with. I dunno how it went. I suppose I'll see. But I don't feel that slam dunk kind of aura. So I dunno. I hope I got a chance at an interview...but we'll see. I'm supposed to hear back by the end of the week.

Set list for show

This is more for my future reference (playlist- Ipod kinda thing):

City of Blinding Lights
Beautiful Day
Vertigo
Elevation
Gloria
The Ocean / New Year’s Day
Miracle Drug
Sometimes you can’t make it on your own
Love and Peace or Else
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet The Blue Sky
Running to Standstill
Bad
Pride in the name of love
Where the Streets have no name
One

Zoo Station
The Fly
Mysterious Ways

All Because of You
Original of the Species
Vertigo

Embarrassment of riches

So, not only do I have an interview this afternoon- but I am being recruited for a job much akin to the one I had in Bozeman in (sigh) Portland. It would be perfect if it was here. I'm just not ready to call it a day here yet, and not willing to drag Spouse from his job and move there. After all- we just found the perfect apartment! So I have to say no to the Portland people. Bummer. Let's hope that the interview goes really well.

This is for Scott. Thought he would like Ole's Country Store- just for the memories. Dude- did you ever buy the 3 hot dogs for a buck? I didn't. Never was that drunk. Ever...Or that desperate. And I read The Jungle too many times.

And this relates to us counting the pee bottles on the side of the road during our last trip (didn't do it this time- too tiring). Washington frowns on the pee bottle method of waste disposal. Just so you know.

yeah- like we need more where this comes from! Look at the insolence in his eyes...and the slothfullness in the other one...

Kitty news

So when we were in MT last week, we were able to visit my Mother's ranch. They don't have any animals there anymore- for a while- but they do have cats. Lots and lots of cats. Actually, probably only about 6. Most of them fixed. The only non-fixed one is having her last litter. The father of all of the litters has been unfortunately dismissed from this mortal coil. He was a nasty, scurvy little shit who tried to kill my favorite farm kitty- Jo Jo Pumpkin. So no big loss there.

So my Mom is basically growing our next cat for us. We'll be pleased, I'm sure. There might be plenty to go around. So if there is a need for healthy, rather large and fluffy MT ranch kitties, let me know, and I'll see what I can do.

Now I'm hustling cats....god- I do NEED to get a job!

In other news

I might have a job interview. With Washington Mutual. Not to say that I love the thought of being back in the banking world- but it's not branch work, and looks to be in the tech area of the company. That is reassuring, as I loathed working in a branch. Customer service of that nature is nasty. People get all up in your shit when you're dealing with their money. And I can't blame them. But unfortunately, in a bank like the one I worked at, plenty of knuckleheads have access to your account and can muck it up easily. Just like the financial aid office (been there, worked there, have the scars to prove it too). I was the fixer upper. And it sucked. People are very emotionally tied up to their money. And they come unfuckingglued when something is amiss. And the poor schmuck who gets to figure out what went wrong is the one who deals with the distraught or totally pissed off person. Even collections was easier. Cuz then you're not taking any crap off of them- they owe you. But you also go to hell for being in collections. Seriously. I have some bonafide hell time a comin. But not much- I was only a temp.

U2 Concert

Ok- I'm a dumbass- it's official. I didn't take my camera. No way to share the joy with images. But it was really, really fun. We both forgot that we're sick for a while- which was a wonderful thing. It was probably one of the most effective concerts that we've attended. By that I mean that Bono and the boys have a way with the crowd. Yeah, Elvis Costello is a rock star, but Bono is a ROCK STAR. And they played almost all of my favorites.

All in all it was a good night. I disliked Kings of Leon intensely- they blew. They didn't seem to want to be on stage. Maybe they were sick like me and didn't have enough blow to boost their moods...I dunno. But it was unfortunate. And I was glad to have ear plugs so that their suckiness didn't hurt my hearing.

The lady next to Spouse stank of patchouli. That was about the only sore spot of the evening. He hates patchouli. He says it smells like wet dirt. And I don't think he means that as a good thing. Actually I think it was a patchouli-based perfume that smelled of old lady. But he was in some distress for a while. Then he gave up. And entered the smell-free zone.

So the expensive tickets that I couldn't affort were great- it was a stupid expense, but I'm glad in the end that we had such good seats. We've never been that close to the stage before. On the stage that came in a semi-circle into the crowd, Bono et. al. were probably only about 30 feet away from us. Kewl!

So. I think I'll stop gloating, and just say that it was worth the hours spent online when the tickets went up for sale.

Oh and another piece o news- seems that Bono stayed at Bill Gates's pad last night. They're buds. During the text message thing on the screen during the concert, someone text messaged Bill Gates's name. Guess it could've been him, since I hear he was there. We were breathing rarified air!

Is this normal?

I feel like a chump for asking- but does anyone else get morose and totally cranky when sick? I feel like eating lots of sweet things (not sweat things) and sleeping and bickering with Spouse. And I think he feels likewise. It's hard not to take everything personally whilst embroiled in this state of emotional and physical vulnerability. Like the fact that Michael Schumacher came in second yesterday. I felt physical pain. And pique.

Ditto about basically everything in the news beyond my control. It's stoopid. Even the library, beautiful library pissed me off by not checking in a book. It's one big clusterfuck whine session. So- I think that while I feel so tonkey, I'll not be blogging much. Why put you all through that? Seriously!

And I also need to save my strength- we have U2 tickets for tonight, and don't want to blow out all of our stamina before then...Hopefully I can get some digitals tonight...we'll see.

dude smoking on the roof across from the Seattle Library. He's the blue blob.

tourists at the market.

Duck.

And finally for today

While spouse watches Gangs of New York (I can't deal with the violence level- it probably has to do with being taken to The Godfather at the drive in when it came out- the horse head thing did a real number on me at that age) I'm reading blogs online. I have to say that now I feel all dirty. I went to Rosie's blog. She tries hard, but it kind of creeps me out. David Duchevny also has a blog. Ditto. Wil Wheaton has a blog - not as creepy, since he's not necessarily selling anything and seems reasonably well-adjusted. It's just a freaky phenomenon. Celebs along with normals out there putting their personas on the web.

Here's a haiku:

What do I know of
eating at Morton's someday
getting recognized.

Today's hobby

Chalk it up to being feverish and a little woozy, but it's fun. My hobby today is recognizing and naming the sociopaths that I have had the misfortune to encounter in my life. Backstory- I just finished the sociopath next door by Martha Stout, Ph.D. So I have decided that there are a few who I have been around for a while. She postulates that 4% of the population in this country are sociopaths. And that's not a good thing. They are nasty people. Who do nasty things. Not all are psychopaths, but some are.

Of the group who I have encountered, I am thinking that Ratbastard is one, as is The Canadian. Also possible- an ex employer (not the last one) who seemed to get great delight in jerking people's chains for no apparent reason (she wasn't one of the smart sociopaths, but a stupid one with too much power). Also one ex boyfriend is a likely candidate. And an ex inlaw. And possibly a close relative...but that has to remain kind of obscure. It's kind of scary to realize that if she is correct, 4 out of every 100 people out there in this country (other countries have different #s) is entirely without the concept of conscience. Scary.

Celebrity sighting- by osmosis version

An old friend of mine from Jr High (actually- I had a massive stalker little girl crush on him- his parents were friends of my mom- I can't really say he was a close friend, but he was very nice to me) is in the movie bizness. I won't say what he does, but he is still doing it and has some success. His father told me the story several years ago.

He was working on a movie with a noted actress (who was the first wife of a short, toothy superstar). She was very complementary about his work. Then came trouble. My friend is a married guy- has a really hot wife, and seems quite content. One evening during the production, scary actress (she has always kind of creeped me out) sends a bottle of champaigne to our hero's room. With a note- she wants to share it with him...yeah...

He is in a quandary. What to do? What to do? He does the decent thing (thus his father can tell me the story)- he sends her a thank you note, and says that he and his wife (who is visiting in a day or so) will enjoy it together and think fond thoughts about the actress. So she gets his ass canned the next day.

Ain't that the shits? But he did get to work on a Coen Brother film. And some other really great gigs.

The things that 3 year olds can do

We got back from Bozeman and promptly fell ill. I have heard that our 3 year old friend has a cough. So we can blame her. With love.

But since I am running a fever and feel a leetle odd, I will blog. I know that this is in direct opposition to my first rule of blog club- never blog whilst drunk, sleepy or otherwise impaired. But I am thinking that that's what the editing feature is for. Removing things that are too scary to remain on the blog.

Anyhoo, we're both sick, cranky and watching too much tv between fitful naps on rumpled sheets. But it's an F1 weekend, as small consolation.

From Defamer

· Things blogging.la has learned by hanging out with the Star Wars nerd-line in front of the Chinese: “5. The cops think it’s funny to drive by and make Darth Vader breathing noises on their loud speakers. 6. The Nerds, not so much.”

For those who haven't heard, some hearty nerds who love Star Wars just a little too much have already lined up at the Chinese theater in LA. Only the movie isn't scheduled to open there. It's opening at a theater about a mile or so away. So this is a Quixotic quest. Of sorts. I am wondering if there is a line yet at the Ellen theater in Bozeman. Just asking.

Yeah, we're back

But I've got tons of things to do around da house. The kitties must've had one hell of a party, cuz it's a mess! I'm thinking that there was probably a keg and smoking involved. But that could just be the stink rising from the neighbor downstairs- she sits in the bathroom with the fan on and smokes for hours in the morning. How do I know this? Well, the smell of cigarettes permeates our bedroom when she does this. And since we don't smoke, and I've never caught the cats in the act, I have to presume that she's the culprit. And I can hear the fan.

She also sits at her computer downstairs and plays solitaire for hours. I go up our stairs and can see it. I should try to get a picture before we move into our new place. But that wouldn't be horribly nice. So I probably won't. I only skirt the edge of evil, and try not to dip my toes in too far.

New Hiaku

Silly sister mine
always saying silly things
is a potato.

(mwah haha hahaha)

Friday Haiku

And why not? Ending the week on a silly note...

Happy Friday girl
watching sleeping cats lie down
hoping fleas are gone.


There. That wasn't so bad now, was it.

While in town this weekend, go to Pike St. Market and visit these guys. They are my favorites. Better even than the Vietnamese guy with the odd string instrument. They are the Moonpenny Orchestra. They play Tom Waits. They are wonderful...and creepy...all at once.

So this appears to be part of the dumpster protection act of 1996- people steal these and send them to Taiwan. There appears to be a shortage of garbage containers in Taiwan. It's part of the ugliness with China.

I hope you can read the caption better now- I didn't realize that my joke wasn't discernable earlier. Brussels Sprouts can be threatening...

Next Week

We'll be leaving town this weekend and travelling to Montana again. So I'll not be posting for several days, I predict. For those of you in the Bozeman area, we'll probably cross pathis- in a happy way! And for those of you in the Seattle area, we'll see you when we return!

Not so good...

Ok- this wasn't a particularly good idea. So learn from my experience...don't eat an entire package of Trader Joe's dried mangos and then drink a big pot of black tea. It isn't pretty.

But I take full responsibility.

And finally, if you were hesitating on splurging on the new veil or tiara, rest assured- they are ON SALE!!!

These cars were named for Beatles. Cute...or just stupid. I dunno. Depends on how bad of a mood I happen to be in.

Inmate #3- little doggy.

More From Other Blogs

Wonkette had the following:

Rush & Molloy: Salman Rushdie: "What I think plays into Islamic terrorism is. . . the curious ability of the current administration to unite people against it." [NYDN]

I love Salman Rushdie. He is a hero. I have read most of his books, enjoyed them and then read them a second time. He is hot. And a smarty pants. Glad the freaky terrorist bastards didn't kill him.

Poor Jennifer

In keeping with my quasi-sincere pity for the rich and famous, I read one today that did actually make me feel sorry for someone.

According to A Socialite's Life, Brad Pitt called Jennifer Aniston "The Leaker" because of her propensity to cry easily. I would only hope that it was done with affection. Otherwise he sounds like a dick. And not in a good way.

But then again it could be that she's so underfed that she has lots of mood swings and is all crazy up in that shit and all. But I'm not saying so- I don't know anything. Keep the lawyers away.

The Almost Ugly

So part of the see saw that was yesterday was a trip to West Seattle to see a potential home. I have to come clean. I don't really live in Seattle. I live 10+ miles north in Lynnwood. Home of the Alderwood Lifestyle Center. It's nice, but a bit of a jaunt to get to the city. So we started looking. And found an amazing place in West Seattle. It's perfect. And we wanted it. So we left a deposit check and went to bed last night happy, knowing that we will move to perfect abode soon.

Then we woke up and had a bit of a let down. Seems that business shark Johnny and his wife hussy Sue were shown the place after us. They wanted it too. So they started a fucking bidding war. Luckily the woman who is handling the rental called us and gave us the option to up our rent. It wasn't much, so we did, and our credit rating took care of the rest. But it pissed me off. We're happy to get the place, but it's really tacky to throw money at something like this when you aren't in first place. Rot in hell, business shark Johnny and hussy Sue! I'm crushing your head! (that's a quote from Kids in the Hall, for those of you who think that my feeble grasp on sanity just slipped)

The Good

After much effort and lots of long overtime hours, Spouse found out that one of his projects won a major (and I really do mean major) industry award. I am so proud of him. It was the ego boost that he really needed. He is wonderful. I am lucky.

The Bad

So yesterday was a real up and down. In the morning I found out that my step-mother's wonderful father died. I really loved him, and treasured my 20+ years knowing him. Last night on TCM The Philadelphia Story was on, and it reminded me of him. He was kind of like Jimmy Stewart in a way. Tall, nice looking, decent and with a distinctive voice. He was well-read, adventurous and kind. I was very lucky to get to know him over the years. I only hope that he knew how much I admired and respected him. I did get to see him a few weeks ago and say goodbye. It was hard, but I treasured the chance to see him.

So, my message to you, dear reader, is to remember that life is quite finite, beautiful and often sad, all at the same time. Call your mother and father today.

And here is a cheery picture- does anyone know what these bizarre mystery plants are? They kind of scare me.

Shitty day, shitty swimming. Maybe it's a decent theme...

Sorry blog readers

Am having "A Day." Sigh. Will write more tomorrow when everything settles down to normal insane levels. Think happy thoughts and feel the love, people!

I have never seen the like of this sign. It's cool in many ways, but it confuses me. Did the city put it up? Is it an aftermarket thing that his/her parents put up? At the risk of being tasteless (yeah- like that will stop me) do they make bumperstickers and t shirts too?

If you were ever curious about the metal kiosk bathroom down by the piers, this is what it is. I guess it had a funk inside...surprising? NO!

Here is blurry Elvis Costello. Taken without flash since the sign on the door said no photos. But others used flash- I was afraid of the law.

Fun hobby of the day

We've got CNN on most of the morning lately. Why? Well, my friend has been in Japan for many years, and has a lot of American pop culture to catch up on. So our new hobby- correcting the grammar and English usage of the talking heads. It's fun.

The next story is about Jennifer Lopez- I just know it. He was saying that there is a growing "scent of celebrity in the air" and then started talking about celebrity perfumes. Yay!

He is also tranfixed by the Gold Investment lady- the one who is shilling the Vienna Philharmonic gold coins. It is wonderful. She sells not only financial security, but also style, class, peaceful Beethoven music, a rich wood interior, and a lush, shiny blouse. It is nirvana without Cobain. We love her and want her to come to our house and talk to us in her dulcet tones all day long about being secure and safe. And then she can tuck us into bed after warm milk and cookies. Bet she can cook some lovely British cookies.

Poor Miss Lopez

On The Defamer today I read a quote about Jennifer Lopez- she was frightened at a stop light the other day. Poor dear. A car hit its breaks agressively in her general direction, and she blamed the paparazzi. Well, of course, darling- it was the press. Or someone interested in you. We all are. It's just the nature of things. We just can't help ourselves.

Then she went on to discuss a potential book about avoiding the press, and dealing with being a celebrity. But then said that she wouldn't write it since it wouldn't make any money. That's sad. For humanity in general. We need a more selfless Jennifer Lopez. Someone needs to convince her that she must write the book. Her words of wisdom will fill a void. As the cult leader we saw this weekend said, (I paraphrase here) if she doesn't sing that note that God created her to sing, no one will. It could be her "special purpose". She could very easily be Saint Jennifer Lopez of the Celebrity.

And she should check the ABS system on her car. Sounds like it could need some work.

Spouse likes his Middle Eastern food. Eat a large chicken kabob sandwich in his honor today.

This picture is of one of the early .com phone sex studios. Notice the blacked out windows...

My Mika...sigh...

This is from a profile on the official F1 website- it explains some of my complex feelings for Mika Hakkinen. Why I love him so, and it doesn't explain why he never answers my letters... (I don't really send him letters- just trying to make you a little nervous.)

He never said much, preferring to let his driving speak for itself. And it spoke volumes for the laid-back Flying Finn who always drove flat out. Everybody liked the silent star and nobody begrudged the success of the brave man who was nearly killed before he achieved it. Consistent as well as quick, he scored points in over half his races, taking his lop-sided grin to the top of the podium on 20 occasions. In their 11 years as rivals the only driver who achieved more was Michael Schumacher, who said the opponent he most respected was Mika Hakkinen.

Five years after Mika Pauli Hakkinen was born, on September 28, 1968, his parents hired a go-kart for him to try at a track near their home outside Helsinki. On the very first lap little Mika had a big accident, though fortunately without injury to himself. Yet his first racing memory was not of his own fear but the look of it on his father's face. Unphased by his shaky start, Mika pestered his parents - Harri (a short wave radio operator and part time taxi driver) and Aila (a secretary) - until they bought him a kart of his own. As Mika became an increasingly quick karter the whole family - including his sister Nina - went racing for fun, forming their own little team and driving to races in a minibus. Though Mika preferred action to studying (briefly combining both by training as an acrobat at a circus school), he finished elementary school and enrolled in a metal working course. This was soon abandoned in favour of pursuing a career in a more obvious metier: by 1986 he was a five-time karting champion and had become a protege of fellow Finn, Keke Rosberg, the 1982 World Champion. They met, appropriately, in a sauna and Rosberg became his manager, arranging sponsorship that helped propel Mika "flat out" (a favourite expression of both Finns) through the junior categories of single-seater racing.

And in other F1 news- a WOMAN driver was debuting this weekend! Bout damned time! Go Ovaries!!!

God I wish I had his cahones!

Not literally- that would make me a freak. And not in a good way, but in a confused, can't shower with the gym class "outsider" in a black trench coat kind of way. But seriously- this is funny!

From Scoop:

It’s Madonna, not a receptionist, as novelist James Jackson discovered. Jackson visited Madonna’s director hubby Guy Ritchie, and asked the petite middle aged woman hanging out there to get him a cup of tea. “When I later found out it was Madonna, I was just a little bit embarrassed,” Jackson said, reports the London Mirror. “I did wonder why she looked a bit vague when I asked her."

(he doesn't disclose whether or not she brought him the tea...)

Tiger's Green Jacket

I have a sartorial complaint. That green jacket is damned ugly. Ugly, ugly, ugly. It is the same shade (not color/colour) as the Century 21 yellow jacket. It makes me sad for him. It is cheezy and ugly, and makes him look old.

My friend and I have decided that Ariel Sharon could wear the jacket. With a pair of coordinating plaid pants, and we could happily see him on a North Scottsdale golf course. Or at a free screening at the Scottsdale Fashion Square theater. His kind of mottled/aged complexion would be much more condusive of carrying off the look. Ditto basically any old white guy (he was just on CNN following Tiger, and we noticed this whole phenomena).

Or the jacket could be worn with a kilt. By Prince Charles. And he would look like an old jug-eared leprechaun. We could taunt him by yelling, "where's the gold Chuck???" And he could reply, "Bloody people...sigh..." And we would laugh loudly at our funny.

War of the Worlds- 2005

So how does it feel, Bozeman to be next to the epicenter of the latest global disaster? Wha???? No disaster??? But it was on the TV last night- and Tom Brokaw was there...was it just a dream??? Did Yellowstone not esplode in a fiery wave of glory and rapture? Did the ash not cause nuclear winter? Why is it raining out then? I'm confused (big shock...).

Ok- the Discovery Channel had their big hamfisted "when Yellowstone goes, you will all DIE!!!" fest last night. I dunno if anyone else watched. But it was KRAZY! The only thing missing was the rain of toads and the dogs and cats making sweet love in the streets. Yeah, I knew that whilst residing in Bozeman I lived 90 miles from the world's largest volcanic pimple o doom. But I certainly didn't worry too much about it. But that has now changed. Tom Brokaw has lent his august authority to the subject, and you couldn't pay me to live there now! (Actually, I probably couldn't get a job there after my boss slam of yesterday, so it's certainly a done deal...). Damn people, are you suicidal? And to you, my family- is it time for an intervention? Stop with the thrill seeking!!! You're making me KRAZY!!! (or is that just a certainty- ask my cats, they are full of useful information- they make all of my decisions for me....bzzzzzz)

Anyhew, it was interesting. And kind of silly, despite the extreme gravitas and emotive acting.

And now the Brussels Sprouts are trying to control my thoughts! Scary...

And for those of you waiting for my Chuck and Cam thoughts

I really have to defer to The Corsair- he says it all, with penache. Check out http://ronmwangaguhunga.blogspot.com/2005/04/camilla-charles-puritan-wedding.html

And enjoy. Never let it be said that I never give you anything. And yes, I am happy for them. It is about bloody time. And I don't think they deserve to be dissed- if Diana was alive today, she probably would've attended, like Camilla's ex husband did. Anywhoo- time for more tea. Later!

Sigh.....

I know that it's bad form to criticize past employers, but I can't stop myself. A former boss, who shall remain nameless was quoted in the Montana State University alumni magazine as saying,"Being a small company, you can't always hire the absolute top talent because they are so expensive." I really don't think that he understands how insulting that sounds. His team is great. They are relatively new in the field (under 10 years), but definately worth more than that. I thought they were top talent! He follows up with, "If we are selective, we have been able to find awesome talent right out of school, bring them into (redacted) and teach them how we do business here. " God. I find this sooo frustrating. It's insulting, and his team doesn't deserve this. They deserve more respect than that. They ARE awesome talent, and there were always plenty of people who applied for available jobs. Consequently, I always thought that we didn't have to choose any but the top applicants. And since Bozeman wages are shit anyway, there really wasn't much of a problem hiring really great people. Sigh...

Another troubling issue about this is that this is an alumni magazine. And plenty of potential clients see it. They will read this and probably interpret it to say that the company is cheap, and not producing quality design. I definately don't think this is the desired message. Someone needs to seriously muzzle the guy! Especially since the article didn't directly relate to his business, but was about his hobby. I'm so glad that I'm not there- it would be really hard not to have a minor aneurysm on the spot! A friend of mine suggested that I tell him how bad this was- but it would be a waste of breath. I tried to mitigate this kind of stupidity before, but to no effect. I always knew that he thought this, but never thought he'd put it in print...It really does piss me off though. I'm in a dither about it!

Tres funny

And for a cheer up- go to http://www.lowculture.com/ and check out the Shallow entry for Friday- April 8. It is damned funny. And I do mean damned. And be sure to visit the comments for the photos taken at the Vatican- they made me laugh and snort tea out of my nose (not intentionally, either- and yes, it's icky.). Have fun, and spread the love!

Wanna join a cult?

Yesterday was an interesting day. I went with my lovely Polish friend to observe a couple of hours of a training session for career coaches. It was ...interesting...and very disturbing.

Part of the whole deal is that they break down the individual (I seriously thought that cults and brainwashers did this...) by having that person stand in front of the group and discuss their appearance. For example, there was a lovely lady there who was wearing a scarf. By the time they were done with her, the scarf was dissected to mean that she was using it to create distance. I just thought it was a nice splash of artsy color. But what the hell do I know?

What disturbed me most of all was that these seemed to all be lost middle-aged souls seeking purpose. And these people took their money gleefully and proceeded to teach them this rather arcane "language" that they were to use on their clients. It was creepy. Some of it was quite valid- insofar as if you're going to communicate on a professional level with someone dealing with personal issues, you need to maintain an emotional distance. And it's important to be able to keep out of their problems yourself.

But when the founder (creepy guy!) tried to out a guy he thought was gay in front of the group I was really turned off. It was an exercise in power playing that I thought was malicious and just plain inappropriate. And disturbing- since the guy claimed not to belong to any "community". What also was disturbing was that there was a lot of personal disclosure going on- and no confidentiality agreements going around the room for signatures. It was like group therapy in there- without the legal guarantees that your personal information stays in the room.

They tried to hard sell me in front of the whole group before I left. I told them that I was unemployed, and not able to spend any money on "superflous" things. I'm sure that ticked them off some, but I really don't care. It was icky. I felt like taking a hot shower with a brillo got get the taint off. But I went to lunch instead.

I just really hate that kind of situation. I had a friend in Phoenix who was seriously damaged. She was some kind of needy, and easy pickings for this kind of thing. She found herself a guru- this really creepy guy who offered to "realign her aura". Next thing I knew, she was spending lots of time, money, etc. on him- and falling in love with him. I met him, and knew that he was trouble. It was really clear that he was fostering her need, without giving her the intimacy that she desired- and leeching her dry. And there was a secret language that he used with her too...

It made me sad. And still does...

Cool Geeky thing to do

If you're in Madison, Wisconsin next Saturday, run, don't walk to the University to see the exhibit of the oldest piece of earth in captivity.

From MSNBC.com:

A tiny speck of zircon crystal that is barely visible to the eye is believed to be the oldest known piece of Earth at about 4.4 billion years old.

For the first time ever, the public will have a chance to see the particle Saturday at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where researchers in 2001 made the breakthrough discovery that the early Earth was much cooler than previously believed based on analysis of the crystal.

To create buzz about an otherwise arcane subject, the university is planning a daylong celebration of the ancient stone — capped with "The Rock Concert" by jazz musicians who composed music to try to answer the question: What does 4.4 billion years old sound like?

"This is it — the oldest thing ever. One day only," said Joe Skulan, director of the UW-Madison Geology Museum, where the object will be displayed under police guard from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. CT. "The idea of having a big celebration of something that's so tiny — we're playing with the obvious absurdity of it."

With the aid of a microscope, anyone will be able to check out the tiny grain, which measures less than two human hairs in diameter.

(I'm sure glad they see the absurdity of it- I think it's kinda cool!)

Nother funny

From Defamer:

If gazing longingly at the scandalously bare feet of your favorite male celebrity is your idea of a great way to while away a lazy Friday afternoon, you might want to hit eBay. There’s an auction lot of photos of barefoot actors whose once-innocent agreement to doff their shoes and socks for glossy magazine spreads has now provided fantasy fodder for the discriminating foot fetishist. Or the semi-discriminating foot fetishist—A-lister’s tooties (Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, et al) are listed alongside those of such has-beens and lesser lights like Jean-Claude Van Damme and Jesse Metcalfe. High-powered agents all over town should be enraged at the commingling of their big stars with the unwashed actorly classes—you know, once they’re done furiously pulling off their socks and seeing how they measure up. Anyway, happy bidding!

(snort!)

Happy Lunch, y'all!

From MSNBC.com

HONG KONG - A Hong Kong hiker washed her face in a freshwater stream, not noticing that a leech had wormed its way into one of her nostrils, according to the Hong Kong Medical Journal.>Unaware she was playing host to the creature, the 55-year-old woman only consulted a doctor when her nose started bleeding intermittently about two weeks later.

The unusual case occurred in 2003 but doctors highlighted it in this month’s edition of the journal, where they discussed how to remove live leeches from human nasal passages using anaesthesia.

The first doctor the woman saw could not find anything wrong and it was only when she visited a second doctor that he saw the five-centimeter (two-inch) leech peeking out of her left nostril.

According to the article, doctors only managed to remove the stubborn bloodsucker with forceps after applying anaesthesia to the woman’s nose.

“Direct removal of a live leech might be difficult because of its powerful attachment to the mucosa and its slimy and mobile body,” the journal said.

(someday I might share my roach in the nostril story. But a leech is worse. Far, far worse. And she must've had a deviated septum, or some other breathing problem not to have noticed the blockage sooner...)

See the man at work. He is moving and shaking the world. And we're watching him. He's a man on the go. He's a man with a mission. What does he see when he looks in the mirror? Betcha he sees one hell of a power house.

Hee heee...So appropriate for a Mack truck...

Too nasty to ignore

From Slate.com

The unembalmed body of John Paul II may have been partially preserved without being subjected to the whole process. A full-scale embalming (which is most common in the United States, New Zealand, and Australia) takes several steps. The embalmer first disinfects the outside of the body, then inserts tubes into a major artery and a major vein. Next, he pumps a mixture of fixatives, dyes, and perfume into the artery using an "embalming machine" and flushes blood and other fluids out through the open vein. Finally, he sucks gases and liquids out of the abdominal and chest cavities through a long tube and replaces them with more fixative. The pope's body did not go through all these steps, but it's possible that his corpse was treated only in the cavities or partially fixed with surface injections.

John Paul II will not be the first pope to decompose in public. In August of 1978, the body of Paul VI "took on a greenish tinge," and fans were installed in the Basilica to disperse the smell. Twenty years earlier, a maverick doctor persuaded the Vatican to let him try an experimental embalming technique on the body of Pope Pius XII, with disastrous consequences—the body turned black and disintegrated in the casket. Pope John XXIII, who died in 1963, seems to have been treated better: When his embalmed body was disinterred in 2001, it looked to be in pretty good shape.

If John Paul II is eventually canonized, he might not have to worry. Some Catholics believe that the bodies of saints are "incorruptible." That is, they never decompose.

Busy but also web was broken

Hours wasted waiting for the web to come back up. No words for my friends. Abandonment issues. Very sad. Now I'm back, my ears ringing, and I need to go to bed. Sorry all. I'll spread more joy and you will feel the love tomorrow. So, keep on drinking and emailing. It makes me happy!

Tonight, tonight- blah blah blah blah tonight

It was a busy day- going to the bank and money changing yen to dollars...going to bookstores and buying myself a new copy of Crime and Punishment (I promised Prof. Skinner that I would read it every 10 years- I forgot last year...I'll do it now), and then after cooking lentils, delicious lentils, we went to the Elvis Costello concert. Yay! Last time I bought tickets to Elvis, I developed raging strep throat and couldn't go. So tonight I went. The dude is a serious ROCK STAR! We had a very nice time, indeed. I'll provide pictures when I unload the camera.

And he played Allison, Pump it Up, and Radio, Radio. It was wonderful. He had shiny shoes. And played about 7 guitars. Not all at once, but over the course of the evening. The lights on occasion looked like an X Box on the wall- large green Xs.

I might report more later. Sleep first. Then more stuff.

Is it an ashtray? Is it a trophy? Or is it just some poor animal's severed foot? Or is it all of the above? Montanans are very resourceful.

Gotta cut this short

If you're hooked on my blog (and I hope you are!!) you'll realize that it's a truncated version today. We're entertaining a guest, and I shouldn't neglect him. Thank you in advance for your understanding. Just think though, I'm taking lots of pictures to feature on the blog. It will benefit you all in the end. And hopefully, whilst actually living a life, I'll have interesting stories to relate (see the Ice Cream one- told you so!). Later!

WTF- Japanese edition

Our friend who is visiting just spent many years in Japan. He tells me that it is a challenge to be a vegitarian in Japan (I've heard that one before too- there is a loose understanding in Japan of what we define meat as- for example- steak=meat. bacon=not meat, etc.)

Anywhoo- he tells me that one of the food festivals in his town was an Ice Cream Fair (I capitalize, because we speak of a holy food- Ice Cream). The fucked up part is coming. One of the special flavors for the area is Horse Flavor. WTF!!! Horse meat flavored Ice Cream. They also ate horse sushi. I can't even really go there- all of the pathogens available in horse meat- the food prep nightmares- the Home Ec teacher's daughter in me recoils from the thought.

So no wonder that last night I dreamed that that Burger King guy from the creepy commercials was running around a Willy Wonka interior and stealing little kids' souls. EEEEKKKK!

Meat flavored Ice Cream.... I can cope with the Wasabi Ice Cream (not really, but I'm trying to be open here), but the meat thing really has me upset. I'm feeling downright woozy. I should go lay down before felled by the vapours. Goodness!

Now I feel guilty

So I publish scurrious gossip about the Monaco Royal Family. And then the guy dies. Not that I attribute a cause and effect kind of power to my blog- that's just wing nut crazy. And I'm not there yet. Not to say I'm not on my way, but I haven't gotten to that aisle in the hardware store. I feel bad for his crazy Eurotrash family. I know that his country will be saddened. Not the scale of Pope grief, but more than merely my cat Elsa kind of grief. (And before you get rolling, anonymous- I am NOT comparing the death of the Pope or the Prince of Monaco to that of my cat- just comparing levels of grief- for me personally)

And about the F1 race that might be effected by the death of the Prince- well, whatever. It's sad. He didn't seem like a really happy guy. But he was loved.

It's not loaves (I don't have a picture of those)- but it is mushrooms. So in a Pope kind of theme- I present Mushrooms and fishes.

And now from The Stranger

There was a request a while ago to add some Seattle flavor to the mix. So, here is what The Stranger had to say this week (in part):

SATURDAY, MARCH 26 Nothing happened today, unless you count the 58 minutes Last Days spent gaping in awe and horror at Mr. Romance, the Oxygen network's new reality show searching for the next romance-novel cover model, hosted by goose-struck male supermodel Fabio, who opens the show with a personal recollection: "People ask me, 'Fabio, can there be another Fabio?' No--but there can be another Mr. Romance." As for the competition: For fans of the male package, it's a 15-car pileup of delights. Extra weird twist: The whole thing's produced by the original Mr. Romance himself--Gene Simmons of KISS. No, we are not making that up. Yes, you must watch Mr. Romance.

SUNDAY, MARCH 27 Speaking of negligible celebrities in negligible comebacks: Today was Easter, the annual Christian holiday commemorating the alleged resurrection of Jesus, the visionary Jewish carpenter whose large heart and hideous death have fueled centuries of comforting delusion. Meanwhile in cyberspace, fellow imaginary messiah Michael Jackson sat for a live Internet interview with Jesse Jackson, during which the frail, criminally-indicted King of Pop reminded folks he's the guy who made Thriller (Jacko's self-described disco version of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite), attempted to explain his court-disrupting medical ailments (previously cited as a "serious back injury," today described as a bruised lung and ribcage suffered after a slip in the shower), and revealed himself to be a scruple-free weasel. Declaring himself the victim of a vast conspiracy, Jacko claimed to be the latest of a series of unjustly accused "black luminaries," comparing his plight to that of former South African President Nelson Mandela. Dear Michael Jackson: Making a few brilliant records whose freakish commercial success enabled you to construct and maintain a vast and intricate private world where you may or may not have indulged in criminal sexual misconduct is very, very different than remaining jailed for three decades because of your political beliefs. But nice try, desperado.

•• Speaking of men who may very soon be dead or in jail: The week ends with a man masturbating on the bus, witnessed by Hot Tipper Aurora. On a late-night ride on Metro 72, Aurora watched as a fellow rider--described as an African-American man in a beige beanie--removed The Stranger from his lap to reveal his large, hard penis, which he was earnestly jerking. "Ew," writes Aurora, who promptly alerted the bus driver and fled.

(God I love this place sometimes!)

Cool- F1 gossip!

From Rush & Malloy via Gawker:

Prince cheats death?

As the nation of Monaco nervously waits to see if its beloved Prince Rainier will pull out of his health crisis, a bizarre rumor is navigating society circles that the monarch is already dead.

Word whipped around that Rainier, 81, who reigned in the tiny principality for more than 50 years and was married to Grace Kelly, passed away last week. But because of time-worn tradition that requires a three-month mourning period after the death of a Monegasque monarch, the rumor went, Rainier's death was to be kept quiet until after next month's Grand Prix, which brings a huge cash infusion to Monaco.

Rainier's heir, Prince Albert, effectively took over his father's duties on Thursday. But a spokesman for the Grimaldi family assures us that Rainier lives.

"That is totally wrong. The prince is in stable condition," Philippe Blanchi told us in French from Monaco, which was founded by pirates in 1279. "He is emphatically not dead."

As to whether the royal's death would cause a three-month hiatus on all public activities, including the race, Blanchi said cautiously, "It is not necessarily true. No decisions have been made about anything yet."

(Blame ZOG.)

Gotta steal- compelled

From Gawker:

This week’s extremely unpleasant mental image comes via The New Yorker’s resident comedian-cum-film critic, Anthony Lane and his review of Matt Drudge’s favorite film, Sin City:

[Elijah] Wood is ominously good at the stillness of this maniac, which only doubles the shock. It’s like discovering that Gandalf used to lure young hobbits into a shed and show them his special wand.

Now, go wash that out of your brain. Use Brill-O.

Feelings [NYer]

Bwah ha ha ha!

Would you buy a house from this man? Or would you buy hair care products instead?

Wow.

Do any of you remember the song Simply Jesse? Well the man who inflicted it upon us has a web site. www.rexsmith.com. And he sells real estate. And he is pictured on the site with President Bush. Wow. I'm simply gobsmacked. Some people just won't let it go. Gotta give him points for perserverence. But demerits for the whole George W. thing. Does he think that it will help him unload more houses? Strong ties to capitalism and all?

Application blues

So, glutton for punishment that I am- I keep applying for jobs. And hearing absolutely nothing. Nada. There's a black hole out there that contains numerous cover letters and copies of my resume. I'm starting to get a little discouraged. I moved here thinking that it would be easier to get a good job- since it's such a larger place, etc. I'm beginning to see the error of my ways.

Anyone know of a good temp agency? Yes, it has come to that...

Been busy this morning

Been cleaning da house. We have a houseguest. So must impress. Also- here is an education for people moving to a humid environment. Not only do fleas get into the house, but other parasites hitch a ride. Yup. Nasty, nasty, nasty.

We had tapeworms on both cats. EWWWWW! So Sunday, Petsmart got loads of cash for the worm meds, as well as ear mite remedy. Poor little infested kitties. I was too sick to clean yesterday- so today I went nuts and did the works. It's got me all itchy. We read that the worms don't infect humans often (usually sticky-fingered children). But we'll know for sure if I start to lose weight at an alarming rate. EWWWWW!

Warning to new people to Washington- there be plenty of bugs. And carpets suck.

Shiny, happy, dead fishes. Symbolic of something...not sure what.

More F1 news

This is more for Spouse's eyes than anyone else- it's the only way I can get him to read the article- he's too busy otherwise...

From F1 Racing Live:

Throughout the weekend, Toyota's Jarno Trulli ran with the message "JP 2 I love you," on his helmet, but in the insular world of F1, not everyone in the Sakhir paddock realised this message was one of respect for the Pope John Paul II, thinking instead that it was a strange reference to the injured Juan Pablo Montoya.

David Coulthard ran into the back of Jacques Villeneuve in the very last moments of the Bahrain Grand Prix. After the race, he rushed round to the Sauber office to apologise, as the two men are good friends, often parking their personal motorhomes next to one another at European races. David actually found Jacques naked in the shower and the Canadian accepted the apology, presumably because he did not want to start a fight without any clothes on. Coulthard was particularly keen to know he was forgiven as he was due to hitch a lift home in Villeneuve's private plane.

(there's an image for you- DC and Villeneuve hugging whilst naked and wet....I really shouldn't go there. They probably have really expensive lawyers...)

The Pope- I weigh in.

It's time to play pundit. "Why?" you ask, bewildered. Well, because it's my blog, and I'll pundit if I want to.

I've been watching the TV and listening to the commentators re. the Pope's death. Sad as it is, it's going to be very interesting to watch and see who they choose to replace him. One of the statistics that I found most revealing is that almost half of the electing Cardinals are from non-European countries. (not counting the N. American 14, or the Australian 2). This could be one major feat, if a non-white, non-European man gets elected.

They will nonetheless, have an enormous task ahead of them. Think about it for a minute. They are electing the most POWERFUL man in the world to office. For life. Here is a leader whose 1.8 BILLION parishoners are spread worldwide. There are no borders to the Catholic Church- merely local variations (and these aren't exactly huge). There is no other religious leader whose flock is so vast or so widespread. None. Because the papacy is for life, and not exactly a political office, the influence supercedes that of any politician. And because the church is soo huge, there is wealth involved that we can only dream about (just think of what the art collection alone is worth...).

When I was young, I didn't understand the political overtones involved in choosing a Pope. Now I get it a lot more. They will have to weigh very carefully the personality of their choice. He will have a tough act to follow. I equate the personal appeal of the last Pope with that of the Dalai Lama, Mother Theresa or Princess Diana. It's star appeal. He was unique- as I don't think there was ever in history a Pope with that kind of cultural impact. Yes, the previous Popes were framed in pictures on the wall, and yes, they blessed rosaries, made people happy, etc. But they didn't travel like he did. They didn't have the mass media following that he did. So the Cardinals will have to choose someone with a powerful public persona. Lots of luck, guys! (and I mean that- not in a sarcastic way at all) I wonder how long the conclave will last...

Crappy weekend

Not to whine, but my Michael didn't exactly have a good day at the track. Neither did his wonderful sidekick Rubens Barichello (he'd probably punch me for calling him that...). It wasn't a good day all around in our home. Spouse is also feeling icky, and his team- BAR- has some real work to do to get out of the technical doldrums and actually finish a race. It's sad. I really do hope that both teams are in better shape for Montreal- I want to go there and see triumph. And not for Renault. Even though everyone in my circle of F1 friends is happy not to see Michael walk with another easy championship- I want to see him do well. That's what it's all about. He's historically good. Record-breaking good. And that's cool.

Driving in MT- near Ringling- I see a bad storm arising- and have no snow tires with which to cope with said storm...

Another story- then I must retire for the day

I'm getting the prickly sinus feeling- and so shall give another gift of myself. A story for you all.

In honor of Sin City opening today- this one is true. (Mickey Rourke is in it- you'll see the significance)

Many years ago, Spouse and I were travelling from Billings to Missoula. We stopped in Butte (at the Harrison Ave Exit, if you must know) to get gas. We pulled in, and saw a red muscle car steaming from the radiator- it was covered with white spray painted words - "Just Married" and "LA Sucks" prominent among them.

As we went inside to pay, a fellow ran up to us- he was a tad excited. He shouted, "That car- it's Mickey fucking Rourke! I saw him drive up and he smiled at me! Mickey fucking Rourke! He's my favorite actor!" Then he ran to the next car with the same message. So I looked at Spouse, we shrugged at eachother, and said, "cool. Mickey fucking Rourke."

We went in to pay for the gas. I got in line. Spouse is with me (not Spouse at the time, btw- but Boytoy). Who should saunter up, but Mickey fucking Rourke. With his rather windblown and skanky-looking new wife. He eyes me as if to say, "step aside and let me cut in front of you." I didn't move, or blink- I just started a conversation with the short woman behind me- about the tub-o-soda that she was purchasing. She told me that her husband consumes two of these per day. I wonder if he's still alive, or in a diabetic coma somewhere in Butte...but I digress.

Mickey fucking Rourke gets in line after her and listens to our riveting discussion of soda. Hee hee. We were sooooo cool. Didn't gush. Didn't say a damned thing. But sure did check him out. He was tall, had a silly Prince Valiant black hair cut, with a baseball cap on top, and wore long baggy shorts with a leather jacket. Overall an odd assemblage. His wife was in very short brown leopard-print shorts, with a brown suedish jacket with fringe. Very LA, not very Butte. Most noticable- he has an enormous- gigantic- head. Must've made the boxing career hard- there was so much target to hit! We decided on the spot to start a rumor that Mickey Rourke is hydrocephalic. There. My gift to you. An old story in agonizing detail, and a stupid rumor. Happy day, all! And we all lived happily after. Except the Mountain Dew swilling husband- who I'm sure is prematurely dead. (and it was Mountain Dew- she told us.)

More theft

Just to prove myself morally bankrupt (if there ever was any doubt) I'll steal some more. This time from myself. Last night I was perusing IMDB.com. I was looking up movies that an old High School friend has been involved in and found the newest Jane Fonda movie- Monster In-Law. It is being released soon. I also found the message boards and saw some really steamed and totally po'd comments about Jane. Much ado. And I decided to join in the fray- cuz I can. And I was bored. So I am stealing from myself. Which makes it a little easier on the conscience.

Interesting bit of discussion. I'm wondering if all of the people who are so hot under the collar about Jane would be as ticked off about Leni Reifenstahl. Yeah- for those who aren't familiar- she was the woman responsible for directing the Third Reich's finest propeganda films. These- including the incomperably brilliant Triumph of the Will are still watched in film schools and quoted by directors. They are also scary, unsettling and hard to watch. Leni was a woman who used her art to influence politics- and denied her close associations with the Third Reich after the war- she was lucky as hell not to be thrown in prison for the rest of her very, very long life (over 100 years). I see a fundamental difference between someone who uses their art in such a way- channelling their creativity in such a fashion (she slept in the editing room during the editing of T of the W) and someone like Jane who used their celebrity to get a political idea across. One is infinately more ham-fisted than the other. And one is infinately more deliberate and ultimately effective than the other. And Leni never really aplogized for her efforts to promote the Nazis. Isn't that a little worse than Jane? Seriously- an ignorant and stupid trip to visit the enemy and later career as an actress in other people's movies versus sleeping, eating and creating for the Third Reich? Since this is a movie forum- I just thought I would discuss some actual movie making.

(So- ethically is it worse to make a great film about an evil thing, or to be a stoopid dufus and do an evil thing? Are both evils equal? Is there any redemption? How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?)

And yes, I have content "issues"

Since I am kind of a recluse (think homebound, not spider- I don't leave large welts when I bite) I resort to pulling content from other sites (if you haven't noticed already). I am usually hoping that my friends and family haven't spent the day cruising the same sites that I have, and find it all fresh and shiny. So here is more. From A Socialite's Life:

That stinks.
This mugger was left holding a bag he didn't really want.

Police said they were searching for a gunman who ran up to a woman while she was walking her dog Monday night and grabbed the bag she was holding. It contained poop.

When the gunman discovered what was in it, he threw it down in disgust, pointed his gun at the 32-year-old woman and demanded money, San Diego police detective Gary Hassen said.

He then aimed his .22-caliber semiautomatic at the dog, named Misty, and pulled the trigger twice but the gun didn't fire, Hassen said. The robber, who was believed to be in his 20s, ran to a waiting small, silver car and fled, police said.

Thief Steals Poop From Woman Walking Dog [AP]

(It's funny cuz it's so true...he stole her poop! Bwah ha ha ha!)

Mama I feel the pain

Thanks to our lovely Polish friend, I am getting a cold. And yes, this makes me crabby. But my world view isn't totally bleak- F1 is this weekend. So I plan on curling up under a blanky on the couch with hot tea and cheering on my Michael- who in practice this morning looked refreshingly spry.

And a story to reward those of you who bore with me through that first paragraph:
A couple of months ago we were in Ross. Looking at shoes. There was a large family in the aisle next to us. They were having fun with shoes too. The young girl (about 8 or so) put on some shoes that were too small and limped around saying, " Mama, I feel the pain!" It was bloody hilarious. Her mother cracked up, we were giggling- it was fun. Fun in Ross. With shoes. A timeless moment. My gift to you and the world.