Parents pledge to find missing student: "Madison Police Capt. Luis Yudice said investigators were trying to determine whether Seiler's disappearance was related to a February 1 attack that left her unconscious when she was struck from behind by an unknown assailant."

I wonder if they are considering a neurological disorder of some kind. That's the first thing that occurred to me.

Irish boys and girls with soul: "In the end, Parker found his lead singer in the unlikeliest place. A man named Rob Strong was brought in to do some work for the film, and he brought along his 16-year-old son, Andrew. The younger Strong started singing, Parker recalls on the DVD, 'and our mouths just dropped open.'"

"The Commitments Collector's Edition" DVD is out. Great movie.

Spambling

I've seen a bunch of posts about this lately - it must be a trend in spamming: filling the subject line of the spam message with unrelated words that when put together sound almost poetic (in a beatnik sort of way). Some recent examples that I've received:

"frustrater phagocyte famous ginsburg salem"

"lute floorboard espousal"

and my favorite:

"ontology impression astigmatic lieutenant"

Complete nonsense, yet somehow meaningful.

Badly injured driver waits 36 hours for aid: "A motorist injured in a crash lay paralyzed in the middle of a freeway with a broken neck for 36 hours before he was rescued."

He had been in a fender-bender, and wanted to get out of the way of traffic, so he started to walk down the middle of the highway, between the Jersey barriers. He felt faint and collapsed between the barriers, where he lay until someone riding in the back of a pickup saw him. I can't believe no one else saw him drop! He must have been so scared.

An article with a headlining containing the words Rod Stewart, underwear and cow. Rod can dish it out with the best of them, huh? Mee-ow.

Howdy. Just peeking in. Spent the entire weekend cleaning out and packing up. We got an incredible amount of work done, and that feels good. There's still a lot to do, but the workload is becoming more manageable.

Watched a bunch of new television this weekend. Quickly:

Wonderfalls - I like quirky, but this show might be a little too quirky for me - or maybe it's just the main character that's spiking the quirk-o-meter. She could very quickly get on my last nerve. I think I will give it one more try.

Touching Evil - Liked it. Not as much as the BBC original, but it could grow on me. Plus, it feels like wrapping myself in favorite blanket - a crime show with a slight paranormal edge, an off-kilter male lead, a by-the-book female partner that's filmed in Vancouver. You know what I'm talking about.

Deadwood - Second episode was last night, better than the first. If you can handle an abundance of foul language and a lot of really dirty naked people, it's worth it. HBO's done it again.

Renovations: I spent Friday night playing the the color scheme and smaller design notes here - like the buttons in the right column. I used this awesome button maker. Pay him a visit and see what you can do. I'm not settled on the final color scheme, but I like the buttons. I'd also like to spiff up my banner with an image of some sort, so that'll be another project (I have neither the photo-editing skills nor the software, so it'll be a while before I can come up with something I'd want to show the world). Then there's the task of distributing the design changes down into the subpages of the site, which I never did the last time...

Back to work. Maybe I'll sneak in a post or two, though. Have a good afternoon.

I'm going to try to watch 2 new shows tonight - Wonderfalls on FOX at 9:00 and Touching Evil on USA at 10:00. I'll let you know what I think. If they're any good (and I hear they are), they probably won't be around next year.

Boy, 3,  found after night in mountains: "'He smelled like dirty diapers, man, but we were just happy to see him,' said Bill Chestnut, one of the people looking for the boy."

LOL, tell it like it is, man.

Tanker crash closes part of East Coast highway: "Traffic in Bridgeport, Connecticut, dragged to a near-halt Friday morning hours after an oil tanker crashed and burst into a ball of fire on Interstate-95, causing extensive damage to the roadway and forcing officials to close the interstate in both directions. "

The ripple effect from this is going to be lovely. I-84 East, which runs from NY through CT to the Mass Pike, is going to be a nightmare while this is being fixed. Miraculously, though, no one was injured seriously. Besides the re-routed traffic, this won't affect us too much; the only realy direct affect will be felt by my father - he takes either exit 25 or 26 to get to his yacht club - and he can figure a way around it.

Burglary suspect snuggles up to sleeping victims: "An Oklahoma couple were surprised when they woke up and found a drunk burglary suspect asleep in bed with them, police said on Thursday."

Sort of cute in a scary way.

We failed you.

The buck finds a rest stop: "But just reading those words in newspaper reports made me think that the words of the former head of counterterrorism will go down as one of those defining moments in American public life, like the Army-McCarthy hearings' 'Have you no decency, sir, at long last' or the Watergate hearings' 'What did the president know and when did he know it?'"

Scott Rosenberg writes in his blog about Richard Clarke's testimony before the 9/11 commission yesterday in which he said the words that countless Americans have been waiting to hear: "Your government failed you, and I failed you. We tried hard, but that doesn't matter. We failed you." Powerful words, made even more powerful with the realization that such an apology has never and will never come from the current administration. If you are interested in this story, please read Salon's interview with Clarke, conducting the day before his testimony. I don't usually post political items, but Clarke's testimony was so stunning, especially coming through that crowd of finger-pointers, that I felt compelled to mention it. If it affected me so much, I can't imagine how it felt to the victim's families to hear those words. "I'm sorry." When genuine, those 2 words can heal many wounds.

If the 9/11 Commission achieves nothing else (and the chances are good that it will not), maybe Clarke's testimony will stand as one of those defining moments that Rosenberg talks about, and inspire others to take responsibility for their failures as well as their successes.

(viewing of ad required for free day pass)

Man catches 2-year-old girl as she falls 3 floors: "A 2-year-old girl fell three stories from a resort walkway and safely into the arms of a man who had been reading a book by the pool and raced to save her."

Wow. I've got goose bumps.

Doesn't it look like someone photoshopped human faces on these monkeys? Awesome photo, though.

Richard Simmons Cited for Slapping Man: A fellow passenger recognized Simmons on Wednesday night at Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport as he was waiting for a flight to Los Angeles, police said.

Hmm, I wonder how he was able to recognize him?

All better now!

Whitney 'checks herself out of rehab': "Her spokeswoman, Nancy Seltzer, refused to give details of where the singer is but told the paper: 'Miss Houston is continuing the prescribed treatment. Her movements are in total keeping with the program.'"

Mhm. Right.

Scotland invents deep-fried chocolate sandwich.

Yay, Scotland!

Mi Vida Loca

Life has been insane the past few days, and will get even crazier over the next month or so. We found out yesterday that we got the house that we were the backup offer on! The seller withdrew (by mutual agreement with the other buyer) from the first offer and decided to go with us. Now the fun starts - I'm trying to hire a home inspector today, then we have the appraisal done, and unless there is anything serious that pops up, we work on the terms and the contract. It's a 3 bedroom ranch that has an in-law setup in the basement for our mother (with a bedroom, living room, full bath and eat-in kitchen). It also has a pool and a nicely landscaped little yard. We'll have to update the appliances and paint all the rooms (and eventually update the bathroom), but otherwise, it's in good condition. The sellers want to close by the end of April, so I will probably be even more absent than usual over the next few weeks, but I will keep you as updated as I can.

I also had a little scare with one of my cats, Winnie. She's 17 years old, and has been slowing down for a while now - basically just sleeping alot, but still looking like a much younger cat. Well, she's started having difficulty walking, standing, jumping on the bed - her back end was very wobbly. I took her to the vet Monday and yesterday and was relieved to find that she wasn't dying of cancer (which I was convinced of), but has a prolapsed disk between the 11th and 12th vertebrae, as well as some arthritis, and the inflammation is pressing on the nerve pathway that controls the back legs. So, we started a long term steroid treatment yesterday - one pill a day (prednisone) for the inflammation. If there is no improvement after 10 days, we'll do a cat (hehe) scan to see what our next move is. It may be my imagination, but she seemed improved already last night - unlike her normal routine, which basically consisted of lying in her bed, she walked around the apartment for over 2 hours, lying on the dog's bed, waiting for me outside the bathroom, bossing Petie around, and walking much more steadily. So I'm hopeful.

Now it's time for lunch.

Police:Woman, 75, used age to scam car dealers: "She'll say she's sick and going to be hospitalized, or that her stockbroker is sending the money, or promises they'll have the money next Friday,' said Tony Kotlarz, an investigator for the McHenry County state's attorney's office."

With a name like Gooch, a life of crime was inevitable.

This headline cracks me up: Zombies Push Jesus from Top of North American Box Office.

'Vampire' tour guide collapsed after seeing blood.

This is just about the cutest thing you'll see all day.

Ladies and Gentleman...

...the next President of the United States?

Couple arrested after 'Passion' fight: "Really, it was kind of a pitiful thing, to go to a movie like that and fight about it. I think they missed the point,' said Gene McDaniel, chief sheriff's deputy."

Former MTV VJay J.J. Jackson has died. Gosh I feel old.

Wesson charged in nine Fresno slayings: "Authorities said Wesson appeared to wield absolute authority over his household and his large clan. The women would walk dutifully behind him in dark robes, did not speak in his presence and apparently worked to support him. The children were home-schooled because he did not trust public education."

What f*ckin' waste of skin.

Houston Checks Into Drug Rehab Center

Well it's about damn time.

This past Sunday was the big parade day. It was cold, so we didn't make it to the end, but the kids were good and loved Toad's, as usual. They got to run around while the Tipperary Knights played, and we got to warm up with a couple of beers and corned beef sandwiches. Mary took the kids home around 5:00 and we went on to Anna Liffey's. Great fun, as usual. Sheila took a boatload of pictures, and as soon as she figures out how to download from her camera and attach them to e-mails, I'll be a-posting them.

We're still house-hunting. We went to see a house yesterday, but I don't think it's the one for us. It meets almost all of our requirements, but there is a LOT of work that needs to be done, including putting in a bathroom in the basement and ripping up all of the carpets upstairs, due to the intense smell of cat and dog pee and poop. Not to mention refacing all of the kitchen cabinets, new countertops, new stove, stripping wallpaper and painting every room. If I really loved other aspects (neighborhood, part of town, price, etc.), it might be worth the trouble. But...

It's snowing here. And it's going to keep on snowing until tomorrow. And then it's supposed to snow again on Friday. Just when you thought it was over. Speaking of which, I should get back to work and do a few things so I can leave early if it starts to get bad out there. Have a good day!

Where can you find the words "nun", "jail", "drunk" and "tractor", all in the same sentence? Here.

Can I just saw how happy I am that those folks at Direct TV are finally airing new ads? I watch so much A&E (for which Direct TV seems to be the sole advertiser), though, I fear I will quickly tire of the Robert Duvall and Joan Cusack ads and they will become as annoying as the Lawrence Fishburne/Andy Garcia/Danny Devito spots.

This seems to be a day for great interviews. In this one, The Onion's A.V. Club talks to Viggo Mortensen. A quote:

"A lot of places we were in New Zealand, we'd be by these rivers and beautiful lakes, in really wild places, and I would just grab my backpack and fishing rod and go take in the silence, instead of waiting for the next shoot. It was really getting away from people, is what it comes down to, one way or another. Because you're around people all the time, and even though it's pleasant to sit and break bread, it's all these voices, and it's nice to walk away, go fishing, or just look around, take a picture or whatnot. Those are, ideally, restful moments, even if they're active. When I'm writing or drawing something, or cleaning my camera, or taking a picture, or thinking about it, looking out the window or walking around the woods, then, when I come back to work, I'm refreshed and mentally ready for the whole second half of the day."

This is a great piece on Anderson Cooper, in the New York Observer. A quote from Mr. Cooper, about an interview he did in Sarajevo:

"It was an interview which was not earth-shattering, and there was no discussion of geopolitics. She went to another room and put on makeup. She had a little baby. It turns out her husband was missing from the front and she was hoping he was alive, and her grandmother told me really that he was dead but she was just in denial about it. The grandmother served me coffee and the last of the rations. It’s in these little tiny moments and these … just these glimpses of reality. That was an interview, which to me … I will never forget, she said to me: ‘Paradise is a tomato,’ because they had this one tomato they’d been saving for a long time. Those are the interviews I enjoy."

'Murphy Brown's' Pastorelli dead at 49: "Syndicated TV entertainment show Access Hollywood, which first reported the actor's death, said his girlfriend died in the same home in early 1999. The two had a daughter."

Jesus.

Is "The Sopranos" a chick show?: "But, argues Barreca, the emphasis on the domestic doesn't break with 'The Sopranos'' history; it merely reinforces what has been bubbling under the gory surface ever since Season 1: 'They are drawing on what they established with [Tony's late mother] Livia and [Tony's sister] Janice and Meadow. There are all these mothers and daughters -- you've always had Tony surrounded by the feminine.' "

I wouldn't go so far as to call it a chick show, but I also wouldn't label it a mob show. First and foremost, for me, it has always been a family drama, focusing in particular on Tony's relationships with the women in his life (mother, wife, daughter, sister, therapist, mistresses). I still think that, of the entire season, the fight between Tony and Carmela in the pool house at the end of season 4 was extraordinarily good - one of the best scenes ever in that show, and that's saying something.

I watched this season's premiere last night, and loved it. Loved it loved it loved it. Great Paulie/Chris stufff (they mentioned the Russian!); A.J. and the Bear had me cracking up; Robert Loggia chewing the scenery in Uncle Jun's kitchen; and, of course, Tony and Dr. Melfi. The stage is set now (and Steve Buscemi arrives next week - yay!) and I am really looking forward to this season. God, it's so nice to have something to watch again.

"City Confidential" narrator sans-parallel Paul Winfield had died. He died Sunday of a heart attack, at his home. A&E's "City Confidential" is one of my favorite shows on that network, and I think what lent that show its mystique and what set it apart from some of the other crime documentary shows was Winfield's tabloid-esque delivery. The show won't be the same without him.

Spalding Gray found dead: "A body pulled from the East River at 3 p.m. Sunday was that of actor-writer Spalding Gray, who had been missing since January 10, the New York City medical examiner's office said Monday afternoon."

Can't say I really knew much about him. I did know his face and recall seeing him in many movies. Shame.

Florida Firehouse Catches on Fire: "Firefighters responding to emergencies here were in such a rush that they forgot to turn off a fryer in their kitchen. So the next emergency call involved a fire that started at their own station."

Handyman Nailed with His Own Nail Gun: "'I did a very stupid thing,' he said. "

This story would have been cooler if he had indeed removed the nail from his head himself with the pliers.

When I was driving home I was thinking about my earlier post and came up with a follow-up question for you: What television show, if any, were you not allowed to watch when you were growing up?

While many of my friends were not allowed to watch Soap (presumable because of the gay character Jody, played by Billy Crystal), we watched and laughed along with my mother. "Saturday Night Live", however, was strictly off-limits. I was 11 when the show started, so I can understand her not wanting to expose me to it. I distinctly remember one Saturday night. I was rubbing my mother's back and she fell asleep on the couch. I stayed sitting there, on the floor next to the couch, not moving an inch for fear of waking her. Thankfully, the TV was already on an NBC channel, since there were no remotes back then and I would have had to get up and turn the channel. I was thrilled and scared to death when the show came on. I don't remember much of what I saw, except for this: that night's show contained the skit with the Bees at summer camp, and the Bees were "buzzing off" in their bunks. Right in the middle of the skit, without moving a muscle or opening her eyes, my mother menacingly said, "Turn it off and go to bed."

I don't think I watched SNL again until I was a senior in high school.

Wow. Wow wow wow.

Makes one question NASA's plan to discontinue the Hubble program.

Woman discovers fingertip in salad: "She first thought it was a piece of gristle, a health department report said. "

*GAG*

Sunday TV Alert

Hugh Jackman will be the guest on "Inside the Actor's Studio" on Bravo (check local listings for time) and "The Sopranos" premieres on HBO at 9:00. Woohoo!

Grilling the original 'Starsky & Hutch': "Though 'Starsky & Hutch' concluded 25 years ago, the chemistry between Glaser and Soul is still apparent, as the following interview with the two attests."

I remember being unhappy that the movie (released today) was going to be a comedy, but then I read a favorable NYTimes review this morning and it looks as though I may have to see this one. While he is no David Soul, I do like Owen Wilson. Their schtick on the Oscars was pretty cute, too. (and I think it would be money well spent just for the opportunity to see Snoop Dogg as Huggy Bear)

You know, it's funny now that I think about it; my mother would not allow us to watch the show because it was too violent (although I managed to sneak in an episode here and there, when she wasn't looking, and caught up on reruns later). I was about 12-14 years old when that show was on. Imagine a parent telling a 13 -year-old these days that they can't watch something on television (a broadcast network to boot) because it's too violent - I'd like to see one try. (Ironically, we were allowed to watch "Baretta", a show which, to my memory, was just as violent, because she had a thing for Robert Blake).

If you have any idea what I'm talking about, tell me: Who was your favorite? (mine was Hutch)

Abandoned vibrator prompts bomb scare: "He called local police and alerted them to what he believed was an 'explosive device with a ticking timer'."

Hehe.

Viggo together like...

Celebs race to 'Hidalgo' premiere: "Gazing across the street at the Kodak Theatre, Mortensen explained why he'd opted against joining his Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King co-stars in celebrating the film's 11 Oscar wins. 'It would have been nerve-wracking. I didn't have to be there. I was happy just watching with my family.'"

I've had a thing for Mortensen, as you know, since I first saw "Fellowship of the Ring", but I think it was more Aragorn that I was dreamy over. Until now, that is - I caught Diane Sawyer's interview with him this morning on GMA and, as pathetic as it sounds, I think I'm in love. He was sweet, intelligent, sexy, funny and direct. All in the span of about 5 minutes. He's perfect, just perfect. (please, I can dream)

Woman uses sex act as manslaughter defense: "But Specyalski claims that Esposito was driving, and she was performing oral sex on him at the time, said her attorney, Jeremiah Donovan. He noted that Esposito's pants were down when he was thrown from the car. "

Paris Hilton 'falls in pond at Rings party': "The hotel heiress apparently said: 'God, I didn't see the pool. Why does he have a pool there?'"

Zeta Jones loses out to neighbour: "A businessman who became embroiled in a planning row with Catherine Zeta Jones looks set to win his fight to run his firm from home."

Is there a human being left on earth who has not been sued by this woman?

Strong Year for Academy Award Ads: "Whatever the reason, the result was a refreshing lack of the sketchy sort of spots that unfortunately proliferated during Super Bowl XXXVIII. The commercials that upset or disappointed so many viewers last month - featuring characters like a flatulent horse, a crotch-biting dog, a monkey with a yen for human females and a boy uttering half of a four-letter epithet - were thankfully missing."

I agree - there were some really good commercials. My favorites were the Martin Scorcese American Express ad and the lost dog Mastercard ad. Just priceless.

I'm Famous and Frightened!: "They will endure a weekend in Northumberland's Chillingham Castle, said to be one of Britain's most haunted houses. "

I'd watch it just because I like the title so much.

TNT spies opportunity in $20 mil 'Alias' deal: "Distributor Buena Vista TV will deliver at least 88 episodes to TNT, which will be able to start running 'Alias' up to 10 times a week beginning in the fall of 2005. "

TNT is going to have a great lineup: XF, Buffy, Angel, Alias, Law & Order. Now if they would just buy Farscape...

American I-Doll: "Will Hung has had an incredible streak over the past few weeks?from a disaster American Idol audition to a $25,000 record deal, sharing the same label as Tupac Shakur. What could be next? How about an action figure?

Get this 12' talking action figure of this American Idol candidate. Comes dressed in a black 'She Bangs | She Bangs' t-shirt, with army pants and boots."

I'm waiting for the Well Hung doll to come out.

'Breakthrough' in missing family case: "Michael Hargon's family was reported missing after a friend saw the door open at their home in Vaughan, Mississippi, about 35 miles north of Jackson. Investigators said there was blood at the scene but no sign of forced entry. Relatives said nothing appeared to be missing. "

Just as an aside...I wonder how they ended up calling it "Yazoo" county? I mean, where could that have come from?

Passion tickets bear 'mark of the beast': "The number 666, which many Christians recognize as the 'mark of the beast,' is appearing on movie tickets for Gibson's film at a Georgia theater, drawing complaints from some moviegoers. "

You have got to be kidding me. The fervor that this movie has kicked up among the religious scares me just a bit.

Hello, it's me.

"you know that I'd be with you if I could..." I love that song.

But I digress. Sorry I've been so remiss lately. Been busy as well as mentally pre-occupied. Sheila and I have decided to buy a house together, and we got our mortgage pre-approval last week. We've been spending a lot of time checking out houses online, doing drive-bys, and some cleaning/packing. It's all very nerve-wracking and stressful, isn't it? Will this house be big enough? Are there any major problems with it? Will we be happy with the neighborhood? Will we be able to pay the mortgage?

We looked at a house on Saturday that we liked, but it was just a little too small, and wasn't really suited to our needs. Our mother will be living with us, and ideally we would all like her to have her own space, like an in-law setup or finished lower level of a raised ranch. The house we saw had 3 (tiny) bedrooms, all upstairs, and with her arthritis and penchant for injuring herself, that's not a great setup.

I'll keep you updated on the house search and our progress as we go along.

I watched the Oscars last night, from start to finish, amazingly. I was thinking this morning that I had missed a blogging oppportunity: I was sitting at my computer for practically the entire show and could have provided a running commentary. Alas, I did not; which is why I have maybe 4 regular readers.

Very happy with the LOTR wins, even if it did make the show fairly boring. Loved the Hobbit row, but missed Viggo. Yay for Sean Penn! Will Farrell and Jack Black - very funny. So was the Blake Edwards wheelchair ride - Jim Carrey, however, continues to get less funny every year. They need to get rid of all those tributes, please. B-O-R-I-N-G. Johnny Depp: H-O-T.

See the blistering commentary you all missed out on last night?

Off to see if there's anything interesting to post today...