Maine, the way life should be, and where I'm headed to tonight. I'll be back in about 10 days. See you then and have a great week!

Sneeze May Have Caused Accident: "Omaha police said Leo Ferzley, 54, was driving eastbound on Interstate 80 when he swerved onto the 60th Street exit ramp. He continued to drive his pickup truck down an embankment through a chain link fence, across 66th street, down another embankment, then crossed Papio Trail. The Dodge Ram then was airborne for almost 7 feet before crashing into the creek."

Oh man, I have had some sneezes like that and they are awesome. As long as you're not driving.

The hysterical skies: "She survived a flight with 14 harmless Syrian musicians -- then spread 3,000 bigoted and paranoid words across the Internet. As a pilot and an American, I'm appalled."

I hadn't gotten wind of the article this column refers to, but apparently even major news outlets were referring to it. I agree with the columnist's assessment that Jacobsen's article was a highly irresponsible piece of "journalism." What's even more disheartening to me is the columnist's experience during an appearance on a conservative talk radio show. Even when presented with the truth, people still can't see past their own prejudices and fears.

(viewing of ad for free day pass required)

Four Inmates Flee Jail, Return With Beer: "Ridgy Dean Coleman, Jimmy Joe Stapleton, David Wayne Blizzard and David Allen Hopkins escaped Thursday night when their cell block doors were unlocked and a faulty control panel failed to alert jailers, Rimer said."

My God, they couldn't have made up better names.

Report: Jackson to be father of quadruplets.

Will someone please STOP HIM.

What's your Japanese name?

My japanese name is Fujiwara (wisteria fields) Miharu (beautiful clear sky).

(thanks, popculturejunkmail.com)

The Eagle Has Landed.

Thirty-five years ago today, the Apollo 11 mission successfully put a man (two men, actually) on the moon. Even though I was five years old at the time, I have absolutely no recollection of the event. Which is odd, considering I was in the first generation to be raised by television. However, in keeping with the television connection, what I always think of in connection with the Apollo mission is this scene from "The X-Files" episode "Max":

SCULLY: I actually was thinking about, uh...

(She looks down at the Apollo keychain.)

SCULLY: This gift that you gave me for my birthday. You never
got to tell me why you gave it to me or what it means... but I
think I know. I think that you appreciate that there are extraordinary
men and women and... extraordinary moments when history leaps
forward on the backs of these individuals... that what can be imagined
can be achieved... that you must dare to dream... but that there's
no substitute for perseverance and hard work... and teamwork...
because no one gets there alone... and that, while we commemorate
the... the greatness of these events and the individuals who achieve
them, we cannot forget the sacrifice of those who make these
achievements and leaps possible.

MULDER: I just thought it was a pretty cool keychain.

If someone was curious about the show and its characters, that moment pretty much tells them all they would need to know.

Casino ejects Ronstadt over 'Fahrenheit' praise: "Ronstadt, who had been hired for a one-show engagement Saturday night at the Las Vegas Strip casino, dedicated a performance of 'Desperado' to Moore and his controversial documentary, which criticizes President Bush and the U.S.-led war in Iraq.

That dedication angered some Aladdin guests who spilled drinks, tore down posters and demanded their money back, said casino spokeswoman Sara Gorgon."

I wonder how many of those guests have actually seen the movie? And I wonder if Rondstadt was signed on for an extended run at the Aladdin, if it would have been legal for them to summarily dismiss her? As it is, it was a one-time concert, and she was finished, and they have every right to not sign her again, whether or not you agree with their reasons. (I don't.)

And wasn't Gorgon the name of the island that the toys came from in "Small Soldiers"? Weren't they called Gorgonites?

Good Morning!
 
I'm just peeking in this morning on my way out the door.  I'll be around even less over the next 10 days or so, I'm afraid - I'll be at our cabin in Maine from Thursday night through Sunday, August 1.  It's partly a vacation and partly a sad occasion.  We'll be burying our father's ashes at the small community church on the point, All Souls by the Sea.  The burial is at 1:00 this Saturday.
 
But we will also be camping, hiking, eating, drinking, playing - all the things we loved to do together.  And sharing memories of Daddy, I'm sure.
 
Until then, I'll try to post a few items.  And I promise, promise, promise photos when I return - I just bought a new digital camera, so I have no excuse!
 
Have a good day.
 
 

Nude man caught covered in nacho cheese: "Authorities said the man had apparently scaled an 8-foot tall fence while naked and covered in nacho cheese and was seen running toward a Jeep in which officers found clothing and an open bottle of vodka."

Aw, give the guy a break - it was his birthday!

Mich. Authorities Misidentify 2 in Crash: "Authorities misidentified two teens in an auto crash that killed one and left the other in critical condition, stunning parents who realized their son was alive after seeing the wrong body in the casket. "

Wow. Just unimaginable.

So you think Big Brother (UK) has become too explicit...: "The contestants will be screened 24 hours a day as they produce their own X-rated porn film. The five men in the show, including one Briton, will be judged on their abilities to perform sexually with the women. Those judged to have done most poorly will be voted out, one by one, until a winner emerges. He will be awarded a full-time contract with a porn film producer."

It always amazes me how British television produces some of the most highbrow and lowbrow programs in existence. Can you imagine if they tried to put something like that on TV here?? Even on a pay channel?

Paris Hilton attacked: "Store worker David Rashid said: 'He immediately started going on about Paris, called her a whore and said that he doesn't like Americans.'"

And the big deal is?

Sir Ian impresses on nudist beach: "Sir Ian and actor Alan Cumming, visited Vancouver's Wreck Beach while filming in Canada, says The Sun."

Oh my word. Alright, bring on the staff jokes...

On a related note - are they filming the new X-Men movie already? Or is this an old quote? I may have to check this out.

Two-day shooting spree injures 5: "Five people in New Haven have been hospitalized since Sunday in apparently random shootings involving the same gun, police said Tuesday."

Yikes! I'm planning on going out in New Haven on Friday night. I hope they catch the guy by then.

Making myself scarce.

But not on purpose! There's just been too much going on. I turned 40 over the weekend, and my sister's threw me the most amazing surprise party. As if cleaning up after and recovering from that wasn't enough, we've got our niece and nephew for the week, so the nights are taken up with kid time. I'll do my best to get back into things properly, but posting will probably be erratic for a while. Thanks for hanging in there!

Couple had sex on stage at rock festival: "Ellingsen and Johansson are members of an organisation called F*** for Forest which is dedicated to having sex in public to save the environment."

Okaaaaaay. I saw this story at fark yesterday, along with various photos of the act. Freaks! Although with a band named C*mshots, I can't say the audience should have been surprised.

issing U.S. Marine at Embassy in Beirut: "NBC reported the Navy was investigating whether his disappearance may be part of a kidnapping hoax. A Marine spokesman confirmed the Navy investigation remains open."

There are too many inconsistencies and unanswered questions in this case, don't you think? I mean, come on - they let him go free as long as he promised not to go back to the US military? Give me a break. If this was a straightfoward kidnapping, like the others, he's be sans head by now. It's great that he's alive - no one deserves to be kidnapped and beheaded - but I hope this all wan't just a ruse to get out of the military.

Fans slam George Michael in his chat room: "'It's a fans' forum, it's freedom of speech and I don't think it's down to George to take his ball home and say 'I'm not playing any more,'' one fan wrote."

Bull! It is so down to him - it's his site, his "ball" to take home if he wants to. That doesn't make his response the adult response, but it's his place to do with as he pleases.

Road Trip!

Star names join Python on Broadway:" David Hyde Pierce, Tim Curry and Hank Azaria were named Wednesday as the leading trio for next year's Broadway-bound production of Monty Python's "Spamalot."

"Spamalot," to be directed by Oscar and Tony Award winner Mike Nichols, is billed as "the musical lovingly ripped off from the motion picture, 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail,"' the 1975 comedy directed by Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones.

It tells the tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and their quest for the Holy Grail. A chorus line of dancing divas and knights, flatulent Frenchmen, killer rabbits and one legless knight are featured."

The show opens on Broadway in February 2005. We are going.

Viral Ads Gain Respect as Marketing Tool: "Though he could not quantify the impact exactly, Burger King's chief marketing officer, Russ Klein, attributed much of the success of the company's new TenderCrisp Chicken Sandwich to people's obsession with the subservient chicken. "

I think that's a stretch. I was not aware that subservientchicken.com was a Burger King site until the third time, I think it was, that I visited it. And I can't tell you the last time I actually stepped inside of a Burger King. How many of you knew that was a Burger King ad when you first were sent there?

Can I go back?

We had a lovely time this weekend. We camped at the Mohawk Trail State Forest in northwestern Massachusetts, where my friend Holly's been camping since she was a little girl. It's a beautiful spot, nestled in the Berkshires near the Cold and Deerfield rivers. Holly shared with us her favorite places to explore as a child, along with family camping stories from over the years. We had a couple of hardy camping breakfasts, including sausage made at the local general store, Avery's. The weather was perfect (until the quick downpour on the morning we left), our campfires lit easily every night and burned strongly and we played cards and relaxed. Like I said, we had a lovely time.

Oh, let us not forget the bears! We had at least 4 sightings of black bears - a couple near our site, one on a riverbank while we were exploring the river and another at the dumpster. I never went around a corner without checking first. While I was anxious when I first got there (and saw a bear within a couple of hours, walking right through our camping area), by the time we were ready to leave I felt more relaxed - on the lookout for them but not scared.

Thanks for inviting me along, Hol!

Losers name their kid ESPN. More than one. I kid you not.

Anybody wanna kitty?

What a beautiful photo. It looks more like an illustration from a Rudyard Kipling story, or a matte background from an Indian Jones movie.

Drive-By

Now you see me, now you don't. I've just enough time to say that I'm going to be away for even longer. Life got the better of me this past week - I was sick with a sinus infection, and I had to put my 17-year-old cat Winnie to sleep on Monday night - so I wasn't up to posting here. But now that I am, I'm going away! Going camping in the woods of Massachusetts with friends Holly and Krys, and I can't wait. Photos to follow eventually, and if I can figure out how to get my scanner to work with XP.

Have a fun and safe Fourth of July, everyone! Back on Tuesday.