Peeking In

Since last we met...The party was a success, I think. Sunday, Monday and Tuesday were filled with shopping and work. We went to our father's for Christmas and were there from Christmas Eve to yesterday morning, snowed in. It was quite nice and relaxing. I strained a muscle in my back on Christmas Day, so I've been nursing that. I was supposed to have yesterday off, but I got home to a message asking me to cover another assistant manager's shift (her father died on Christmas day, poor thing). So, no Two Towers for me; instead, I took a muscle relaxant and slept the afternoon away. The back is still hurting me, but I have to work from 4-12 tonight. Blecch.

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! I'll be back soon with regular posts.

Friday Fly-by

I seem to have no free time lately. I suppose that's to be expected this time of year. I've picked up more hours at the store, too. Oh! Guess who was chosen as Employee of the Month for our store? M-o-i. I got a pin and everything. Even better: Names of all EOMs from all of the stores are put into a hat at the main corporate office and there is a raffle for a prize worth $100 (last month it was $100 in AmEx traveler's checks), and I won! I'm hoping to get my prize today. We're having a party on Saturday night and I could use some extra money for the booze and food.

So, between work, holiday shopping, party preparation, gift wrapping and the psycho neighbors, I've hardly had the time to devote myself properly to these pages. I will still post something here and there over the next week, though, and I promise I will liven things up a bit around here after the 1st of the year.

Hey, has anyone seen The Two Towers yet? I've got my free ticket (from the FOTR extended DVD set) and I'm planning on going the day after Christmas.

Have a good day!

Swingers club keeps the neighbors awake. I can sympathize: Our downstairs neighbors started fighting at about 1:30 this morning. Screaming, slamming, throwing things. That lasted about an hour. The yelling stopped but the slamming continued for at least another half hour. They've only been living downstairs for about a month but that's the second screaming match we've been privy to; and the screaming is all his. "You do nothing around here!!" "I pay the bills!!" "I won't have that in my house!!" Except every other word is f*ck. I swear to God, last night he screamed "F*ckin' motherf*ckin' f*ckin bitch!" at her. He's a total dick and I can't stand to look at him.

Like Yoda, I Am

You are wise beyond your years — a sage for the ages, the master's master. That's why your Star Wars type is Yoda. Sure, you might not look too much like the little green Jedi Master, but you have a quiet contemplative way about you that commands respect.

People trust you, especially your friends who are constantly coming to you for advice and sometimes predictions. While you may not be able to tell them who's going to win the big game, you do possess the rare ability to see the big picture. You never lose sight of the fact that we're all part of a greater whole. It keeps you grounded and balanced, and it's the perfect cover for a mischievous sense of humor that always catches others off-guard. This mix of wisdom and impish delight promises to bring you long life...another thousand years or so anyway.

Which Star Wars character are you?

Good for her!

"Hold on to your stockings...those bawdy, naughty, wise-cracking elves are back for their wackiest adventure yet!"

Play Elf Bowling 3 now.

How about another nice story?

Where's Queequeg when you need him?

Somebody beat up Moby! Come on now, that's just not playing fair. I could beat up Moby.

I'm probably the last person to know this, but now I understand why it's "Moby" - with a name like Richard (Dick?) Melville (Herman?), what choice did he have?

Carmela's Mad as Hell and She's Not Gonna Take It Anymore

"I know you better than anyone. That's why you hate me."

The Sopranos season finale will be airing again tonight at 11, tomorrow at 9, I think, and maybe even Friday night as well (check HBO for times). If you don't have HBO, try and get hold of a tape. The show was a bit flawed, yes (I could give 2 hoots about that asshole lawyer Sapinsly), but overall it was very powerful and contained some of the best acting I have ever seen, anywhere. Finally, the seemingly tangential Zellman/Irena/Svetlana story paid off, in a big way.

A nice story for you.

I was shocked to read the other day that Glenn Quinn had died. He played Becky's dopey husband Mark on Rosanne and the half-demon Doyle on the first season of Angel. I stopped watching Angel when they killed Doyle off; none of the other actors could keep my interest. Quinn was only 32 years old. There was initially no cause of death given, but police are now saying they think he died from a drug overdose. What a f*ckin' waste.

And speaking of f*ckin' wastes, how about that Whitney Houston?? She's looking more like a crack ho every day.

Bumbletown

This is going to be one hell of a snowy winter, I think. It's only December 8 and we've already exceeded last year's total snowfall. I took these pictures on Friday after Thursday's snowstorm dumped about 8 inches on us.

German woman's suicide mistaken for performance art.

And drag queens everywhere are inspired. LOL

Sopranos Finale

Don't forget - tonight is the 75-minute season finale of The Sopranos, at 9:00 P.M. on HBO!

New Day, New Look

Good morning. Like the new look? It was time for a change, and I think this design is ultimately closer to what I really want (and is actually close to some of my earlier incarnations of this site).

That done, it's time to get dressed...

(PS Please let me know if the site loads incorrectly for you, or if you think something looks funky)

I'm watching Taken again, and the X-Files parallels are driving me to distraction. There's a piece of metal from a space ship that has hieroglyphics carved on it that appear to be Native American in origin. One of tonight's locations is Britannia Beach and the British Columbia Museum of Mining. The woman who owns the local General Store is played by the woman who played Karen in "Schyzogeny". And there are at least 3 more familiar faces scattered throughout tonight's episode that I know I've seen in The X-Files but just can't place. Actually, one of the old guys played the motel clerk in "Colony/End Game". I'm too busy trying to recognize locations and faces to follow any story, for cripe's sake!

"We Like Spike." Doesn't everyone?

(thank, slayage.com)

My God, what were people thinking, taking knives like these onto planes? I mean, these aren't nail clippers, folks. Are there really that many people walking around armed with a lethal weapon? Life gets scarier by the day, I swear.

Italian man, thought to have left for America 44 years ago, has has been found dead inside a wall of his former home.

I missed the premiere of SciFi's Taken, but I have last night's episode on the TV now. Have any of you been watching? It's been pretty good so far, although I won't be watching it since I work most nights and it's just too much for me to try to keep up with on tape. What I wanted to mentioned was how weirdly familiar it all is; yes, the story's themes of UFO abduction are familiar to me as a fan of The X-Files, but it's more than that. What with the Vancouver location shoots and local Canadian actors who have appeared in X-files episodes (so far I've recognized Philip Padgett, the guy from The List with no arms or legs, the guy from The Goldberg Variation), Taken is like The X-Files after Dorothy's tornado. I keep expecting to see the Cigarette Smoking Man standing in the corner of some smoky, high-level conference room dressed like the Scarecrow.

Babies, start your engines!

Oprah's feeling generous again. How incredibly cool.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!



Twas the night of Thanksgiving, but I just couldn't sleep.
I tried counting backwards, I tried counting sheep.
The leftovers beckoned - the dark meat and white,
But I fought the temptation with all of my might.
Tossing and turning with anticipation,
The thought of a snack became infatuation.
So, I raced to the kitchen, flung open the door
and gazed at the fridge, full of goodies galore.
I gobbled up turkey and buttered potatoes,
Pickles and carrots, beans and tomatoes.
I felt myself swelling so plump and so round,
'Til all of a sudden, I rose off the ground.
I crashed through the ceiling, floating into the sky,
With a mouthful of pudding and a handful of pie.
But, I managed to yell as I soared past the trees....
Happy eating to all, pass the cranberries, please.
May your stuffing be tasty, your turkey be plump.
Your potatoes 'n gravy have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious, your pies take the prize.
May your Thanksgiving dinner stay off of your thighs.

(this was sent to me by a friend, author unknown)

And may you have a wonderful Thanksgiving day, surrounded by those you love. I'd like to thank all of you who visit here for sharing another year with me. Have a great day!

The National Geographic Society recently took a geographic-literacy survey, the results of which were quite alarming:

(from an e-mail I received from NG)

Among 18- to 24-year-old Americans
--87% couldn't find Iraq on a map
--70% couldn't find New Jersey
--11% couldn't find the U.S.

These are 18- to 24-year-olds, not grade school kids. Eleven percent of its own citizens couldn't find the US, one of the largest countries in the world, on a map?? Before I go on and rant about the sorry state of education in this country I'm going to go take the survey myself and see if I do any better. Just because I know where the US is on a map that doesn't mean I know who's fighting over Kashmir...

OK, finished. Sheila and I took it and out of 20 questions we got 1 wrong. If you look at the results, it becomes quite clear: The US has its head up its collective ass and doesn't know what the hell is going on in the world. The Swedes, on the other hand, got it going on.

I started the laundry, but was sidetracked by the need to shovel some serious snow. Did I say we got 3 inches? Double that, please! I cleared a path to my truck, shoveled our sidewalk, stairs and deck, and surprisingly enough instead of totally knackered I feel pretty good. You know, how you felt as a kid when you came inside after sledding or making a snowman; you peel off the wet mittens, snowpants and socks, sit down at the table for the hot chocolate or grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup that your mother made for you and feel the warmth seep back into your toes, fingers and cheeks (of both varieties). I can't remember the last time I had rosey cheeks that I didn't apply myself.

Of course, ask me in a few hours how I feel, after the athritis in my shoulders flares up, and I'll probably be singing a slightly different tune...

The thrill is gone. Thankyaverymuch.

Snowy Wednesday

It's a lovely, bright day. Looks like we got a good 3 inches of snow last night and this morning. I'm sure it made the morning commute a royal PITA, but since I didn't have to drive in it, I'm happy with the snow.

We had a busy weekend. My mother was here for about ten days total, and Mary and the kids were here from Friday to Sunday. The three sisters went out and tied one on Friday night - woohoo! We had an early Thanksgiving on Saturday, courtesy of Chef Me. We're still eating the leftovers. As a matter of fact, I think I'll save some to have tomorrow. On Sunday we spent the day at my father's, celebrating his birthday. Mommy left on Monday (and that involved driving her to RI and driving right back), and I worked Sun, Mon and Tu nights. And now, a nice, quiet day. Nothing to do but...laundry. Lots and lots of laundry.

I work tomorrow night (Thanksgiving). I'm not as bummed about it now as I know I will be tomorrow. This job, and retail in general, basically sucks. But it's bringing in at least some money while I continue to look for a "real" job. I was just not made for retail - some of the customers set me off the second I see them walk through the door. And I've never seen them in my life before that moment! And if I hear one more tightass piss and moan about paying a $2.00 late fee that I know they owe I'm gonna take that "Oops I goofed!" coupon and shove it right up that tight ass. There, I feel much better now.

Gotta go start the laundry. Have a good day. :)

"Mmm...baby got back..."

There are two kinds of people in this world...Part III

Which one are you:

	or		?

I'm a Raisinet.

I'm Ozzy.

"You're Ozzy Osbourne! You're crazy, but that's how it goes. Amazingly, you manage to be both the Prince of Darkness and America's Favorite TV Dad. Don't ever change...or stop touring!"

Which Osbourne are you?

And don't forget, The Osbournes second season premieres on Tuesday, 11/26, at 10:30 on MTV! That's this Tuesday, for those of you, like me, who have no idea what the date is.

(thanks, snarkcake)

You may have noticed recently that some posts are not showing up until the following day. I apologize for that, and I wish I could offer an explanation. Blogger tells me that my page has published successfully yet, it seems to only really publish every other time. Grrr.

Quickly, Buffy is white hot and the brilliance of Joss Whedon & Co. is beyond the scope of Emmy voters. They just don't get it, and I highly doubt they ever will.

As promised, more photos from Halloween 2002. I feel I must provide some sort of disclaimer/explanation for my father's face, though. He wore the gorilla suit but knew he would be taking it off shortly after the party started (too hot!); he decided to apply an old/scary man latex face thing that he bought and wear it under the gorilla mask. This way, he would still be in costume when he took the gorilla mask off. Well, it was pretty ugly to begin with, and things just got worse after the heat of the gorilla mask...

mouseover thumbnail image for description, click on thumbnail for larger image in new window

Tonight will be your last chance to get a gander of the Leonid meteor shower, which will not make another appearance this century.

While we're on the subject: The Brassiere - It Can Really Kill You!

Oo, time for a Manssiere, pal.

In case you were hoping to win the title this year, I should tell you to stop practicing - the World Rock, Paper, Scissors Champion has already been crowned.

Welcome back to Monday

I woke up to a dusting of snow this morning, the first of the season. I threw on a coat and ran down to the mailbox. On my way back to the house I found myself smiling (not a habit of mine in the morning). The sun was shining, the wind was gusting and the snow shone bright and white. The first snow always makes me feel good. Is that because it's pretty? Maybe. Or is it because snow is for some reason closely associated with my childhood, evoking warm, fond memories? I don't know. Whatever the reason, though, I do know that I could never live full-time in a place where it didn't snow. (within reason, of course)

Since we last spoke I managed to watch the extended version of Fellowship not once, but twice! If you asked me earlier this year if I thought the movie could be made better, I would have replied no. But they did make a better movie. A more complete film, with more fully-realized characters. If you haven't read the books I would strongly recommend seeing the extended version of the film - rent it if you like. Of the added scenes, I especially liked the Aragorn/Elrond conversation at Aragorn's mother's grave; Gandalf and Frodo's brief conversation prior to entering Moria; and all of the additions to the Lothlorien sequence, especially Galadriel's gift-giving (a scene that I think should have been left in the theatrical version since those gifts become important in the later stories). I've also watched almost all of the documentaries. Now you know where I've been keeping myself! Next up will be the actors' commentary, I think.

I've been very pleased lately with the state of my 4 (currently) favorite television shows - The Sopranos, Buffy, 24 and The West Wing. The last couple of weeks of all of these shows have given us episodes that blow everything else on TV away (of course, I don't watch anything else so I may be on rocky footing here). Will Carmela and Furio finally reveal their true feelings for each other? And why did it take them so long to lose Carmela's bad wig? Will Tony beat the ever-lovin' shit out of Paulie when he sees himself in a Revolutionary War uniform in the painting on Paulie's wall? Was Dawn really speaking to her mother's ghost? Was that some scary shit or what? And how can Spike be feeding on people, what with his newly-acquired soul and the old chip in his head? And how could they kill Jonathan?! Who survived the blast at CTU? How far is Jack willing to go, especially now that his wife is dead? Chopping off someone's head is pretty far, I suppose. How bad will President Bartlet's MS get and how quickly will it start affecting his job? Is Sam leaving for good? Is Amy less shrill this season or is it my imagination? Even so, I was thinking that we could have a be-heading trifecta if Amy were to, say, run into a bus's rearview mirror while riding her bike through town?

I guess all was fixed soon.

Apologies for the freaky formatting - I'm not sure what is going on. Hopefully all will be fixed soon.

I watched some of the documentaries on the LOTR DVD earlier tonight - interesting stuff. I'm amazed at the enormous amount of prep work that was done, even before the film was cast. I'm dying to watch the entire film and see the new footage, but I have to open the store tomorrow morning so it's early to bed for me.

Sleep tight.

I got it!!

Newsflash!

From The Onion:

Senator Mix-A-Lot Sponsors Titties-On-Glass Legislation

WASHINGTON, DC—Seeking to stem a four-year decline in freaky Yolandas throwing they titties on U.S. glass, U.S. Sen. Mix-A-Lot (B-WA) introduced sweeping new putting-'em-on-glass legislation Tuesday. "Now listen up, Uncle Sam / I wanna see soul sistas pressin' that ham / Make me say damn / I wanna rear-end 'em / So I'm callin' a Senate referendum / Bounce by the ounce don't make no fun / I'll take 'em by the ton, son," Mix-A-Lot said. "Don't hand this bill down to no committees / 'Cause Mix don't wait on monster titties / Note to my colleague Tom Daschle / That if the babies be gettin' bashful / No melons droppin' on my windshield / So get them nudie laws repealed." Mix-A-Lot then gave props to the authors of H.R. 1610, from which several key clauses were sampled.

Here's an excellent review of Sunday's episode of The Sopranos, "Whoever Did This". (spoilers, of course)

I'm New York City, the Big Apple:

New York, New York
Overwhelming to visitors, this bustling city can seem hard and imposing. With so much going on, there is an axiom that if you visit NY for a day you will see most of what you want; for a week, some of what you want; and if you live there, you will see none of it. It is a city made by people, changed in some small way by everyone who passes through it. Despite what anyone may have ever said about it, New York has shown a tremendous spirit. At their heart, New Yorkers are symbolic of the American Spirit, and have become the poster children for defiance in the face of adversity.

What US city are you? Take the quiz by Girlwithagun.

(thanks, popculturejunkmail.com)

Wow! Check out this photo of a dustcloud as it approaches a town in Australia. Quite frightening.

Once a Superfreak, always a Superfreak.

Here's a nice story: Brother and sister find each other after a 58-year separation.

God, what an idiot.

"The robber...had entered a bank in the western town with a burlap bag over his head. Bumping into bank customers on his way to the teller, he pulled out a plastic knife and a toy pistol."

I sort of feel sorry for the guy.

Hobbitty Halloween

Here they are, at last. Just a few pics from Halloween. More will be on the way when I get my photos developed. (Who knew hobbit clothes put a good 10 pounds on a person?)

mouseover image for description

Who's going to take care of the goat now?

After 9 weeks of lead-in and set-up, something finally happened on The Sopranos last night. Boy, did something happen. (If you want to know what that something is, I can tell you in the comments so as not to spoil others) There are only 4 more episodes left to the season, so I expect there will be a lot of somethings happening in the weeks to come. Personally, I think this whole season is a set-up for the next and final season, at the end of which I think Tony will die. If David Chase sincerely intends for this story to have an ending, then I think Tony's death is the only resolution that remains true to the spirit of the show.

Hey! Eddie Izzard's headed for Broadway. Who wants to go with me?

R.I.P., Dr. Smith.

Alright, I admit it - I was eagerly (and secretly) awaiting the planned VH1 reality show featuring fabulous Liza Minelli and her freakshow of a husband, David Gest. I thought that Liza's private life could easily make for an interesting and funny show. Well, apparently Mr. Minelli is more of a freakshow than even VH1 can stand.

By-the-way, did any of you catch the video from their wedding? The kiss?? I screamed and had to turn my face away from the television. ACK!

There Are Two Kinds of People In This World...Part II

How do you eat your pancakes? For argument's sake, I'm excluding the fruit-topped variety and referring to the traditional way to serve pancakes: with butter and syrup. I know there are some who eat each pancake individually, slicing each bite off with the side of their fork. That just seems so inefficient. Here's what I do: First of all, the pancakes must be stacked. (By-the-way, this also applies to french toast) Next, I butter each pancake. Then I slice the stack, usually into 3 equal sections, depending on the size of the pancakes; I then turn the plate and slice the stack into the same number of sections but perpendicular to the original cuts. Next, I pour syrup over the top of the pile of bitesize pancake pieces, usually drenching them. Preparing the pancakes in this manner gets all the prep and cutting out of the way and allows me to shovel the pancakes into my mouth non-stop.

How about you?

"The Color of Cool"

I agree, the color blue has always had an association with hi-tech/high-quality. Except of course for the Blue Light Special.

Hello out there! I'm back. Actually, I was here all along, just majorly distracted and stressed by life and not in the mood to blog.

But things have settled down a little bit so I'll post a few things before I have to get ready for work.

(PS I have some photos from Halloween and I will post them when I get the chance.)

You'd think the emergency surgery for a snapped ankle would have been enough to keep this guy at home. Far be it for me to laugh at another's misfortunes but,...LOL.

Happy Halloween!

Speaking of The X-Files, Bill Davis has been a busy little bee. Good to see him getting all this work - he's a nice guy who deserves it. Watch out Smallville!

In case you're running out of things to spend your money on, here's a link to Sotheby's X-Files Auction, all proceeds to benefit Hollywood Cinema Production Resources (Hollywood CPR) and West Los Angeles College. Although I would never spend money on any of the stuff (at least not as much as they're asking), some of the items are pretty cool:

• the log from Detour
  
• the alien embryo from Erlenmeyer Flask
  
• the pig head from the Peacock's porch
  
• burned x-files
  
• Tooms' psych report
  
• a pack of Morleys from Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man
  
• a can of Die Bug Die from War of the Coprophages
  

Makes me want to drag out those season 1 and 2 DVDs...

The second season premiere of "24" is airing tonight, at 9:00 P.M. on FOX, presented with no commercial interruption by Ford. I'm scheduled to work tonight, of course. Thank the gods for vcrs. There's a NYT article on the premiere here if you're interested - I stopped after the first paragraph for fear of becoming too tainted with spoilers. I hope you're able to watch it; and if you didn't watch the show last season and feel that you'll be lost coming into this one, there's still time to remedy that: "24"'s first season is available now for rental at your local video store. Spoken like a true worker bee assistant manager, huh?

A fascinating New York Times article that reports on the recent release of "the largest single repository of raw data and expert analysis on the Sept. 11 attack in Lower Manhattan," and the new perspectives on the tragedy that this material may provide.

Adult Film Title of the Week (Tie): Do Me Ray and Weapons of Ass Destruction

This story's got something for everyone: a porn star, an insider trading scandal and Martha Stewart (well, sort of on that last one).

Have they got the guy(s)? It would seem so, wouldn't it? And if this is the guy, then it's probably safe to say that he is not simply a "psycho serial killer" but a terrorist in his own right. And what is his motivation in turning himself in? (the article implies that the sniper himself was the tipster who pointed police to the liquor store robbery in Montgomery, AL) Did he want to be stopped? Or was he frustrated that the police hadn't caught him, thereby providing him the attention and credit he craves (as most terrorists do)? Maybe he can be categorized as a "psycho serial terrorist killer".

Of course, as of this writing the men haven't been charged with anything so this is all pure speculation. But boy do I hope they got their guy.

Separated at Birth?



Faith, honey, Britney's supposed to be emulating you, not the other way around.

I would have a massive coronary upon discovering this and would die on the spot. But I would die happy.

I think it's time for a new job, pal.

There are two kinds of people in this world...Part I

There are two kinds of people in this world: those who put the jelly and peanut butter on separate slices of bread and then put them together and those who put the peanut butter and jelly on the same slice and then cover it with the other slice of bread. I am the latter. Which one are you?

(And if you're one of those people who doesn't eat pb&j sandwiches, please don't bother replying - you'll only mess with my whole "two kinds of people" theory, which really doesn't hold up under close scrutiny. And now that I think of it, besides an allergy to peanuts or any of the other ingredients, what kind of a person doesn't like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? You're obviously a weirdo.)

Recipe for the perfect cuppa.

His plan would have worked if it wasn't for those pesky policemen.

A new post from Sir Ian McKellen in his X-Men2 diary, Magneto's Lair.

The Ira Einhorn trial finally ends in a conviction. I hope it sticks.

Here's a Wired news article that discusses how speculation on the sniper's identity and motivation is sweeping the blog community. I particularly like this theory:

Is it completely beyond the realm of possibility that Jimmy Carter is helping to fund the activities of the D.C.-area sniper? After all, it was 'former' 'President' 'Carter,' who coined, in his ONLY speech to the United Nations in 1977, the phrase 'Dear Policeman, I am God,' and he has, in the past, shown interest in the black art of the tarot. The pattern is clear.

Oh my God. Why didn't someone think of that sooner?

In the news...

...the Washington-area sniper is still terrorizing the population, and now he's left a message at the scene of his 12th shooting. This image shows how a Fairfax, VA Texaco station is taking measures to protect its customers. I hope for all of the people in that area, and for the police (especially Chief Moose), that this psycho is caught soon.

...So, North Korea has decided to fess up and tell the world that, in violation of a 1994 treaty, it has pursued a nuclear weapons program and successfully developed their own nuclear weapons. Isn't that nice? But it's Iraq that we really need to worry about, right?

Waking up

So here we are, at the start of another week. I looked after Marty this weekend while Sheila visited friends in Massachusetts, so things were pretty quiet around here. It rained on Friday and Saturday, but yesterday was a beaut, a crisp, fall day. I met friends from MA halfway in Vernon, CT for my very first cache -- well, the first I've done with my own GPS. Now that I know how to enter and goto a waypoint I need to get Sheila to join me on a couple before the weather turns nasty. It was a great day and a wonderful (but too short) visit.

OK, I need some help, if you can give it to me -- we still haven't decided on costumes for Saturday's party. It's very geeky, but I suggested we go as hobbits last night. There's no makeup involved, and we would be comfortable. Sheila didn't dismiss it outright and seemed to be mulling it over, so hobbits are still a possibility, but I'm still open to suggestions. Anyone? Bueller?

Mary and the kids, Hannah (soon 7) and Zachary (3), came to visit this past weekend. We made caramel apples, tissue ghosties, Halloween cookies, shopped for pumpkins and visited friends. The kids spent some down time coloring at the kitchen table, and here are a few samples of their artistry. (mouseover thumbnail for description)

Angie Harmon at the VH1 Fashion Awards. Or what's left of her. Looks like it's time for some force-feeding. And what's with that getup? She always makes those best-dressed lists - here she looks like an emaciated reject from the Moulin Rouge.

Who killed Farscape? An excellent article by Clare Sainsbury of Strange Horizons that outlines and dissects SciFi's cancellation of Farscape.

The campaign continues, with the focus shifting to the possibility of another network picking up the show. There is, however, a small chance of SciFi still picking up the show for its fifth season: if ratings for the show's return in January (for the final 11 episodes of the fourth season) were to increase to a 2.0 share, the network may not be able to justify the cancellation for lower ratings. So expect me to be pushing the show come January.

October Day

A few photos I took with my little Intel PC Camera this morning. Autumn from my porch.

Anyone else think that Robert Downey, Jr.'s "companion" is a bit manly?

Headline of the Day:

Spacewoman Stuck in Orbit with Too Much Shrimp

Finding out that carnival games are rigged was like learning the truth about Santa for me. We were avid carnival- and fair-goers when I was a kid (and still are, to some degree), and coming home with one of those cheapo knock-off stuffed pink panthers or tweety birds was a real achievement. It didn't happen very often, mind you, but as a kid, you thought you actually had a decent chance of beating the game. We get older, of course, and wiser in the ways of the world, and we understand that there's no way we are going to get that dime to stay on that plate. And we do our best to avoid the midway games and the temptation they offer.

Well, not anymore.

(thanks, popculturejunkmail.com)

"If you've managed to stay awake for more than twenty minutes of it, you might have noticed that the 2002 Fall Season seems a little, shall we say, uninspired? "

t.p. or not t.p....Sorry about that. It's novels not plays...

I see a huge problem with this idea: It would only work in a single person household, or one where every individual has their own roll. Otherwise, can you imagine it?

Gunter: "Has everyone finished pages 8-20? I need to take a crap!"

"This Sucks..."

The Boyz at Filmwise need your help. They are learning that inevitable and hard lesson of the Internet - nothing is ever really free. At least not anything good and not for long (just ask the folks at twop). So please, do what you can to help them out (and the twop people, too, if you can). Because a twisted mind is a terrible thing to waste.

(They are still posting new Invisibles, and this week it's Oh, Canada)

This sniper case is growing more horrifying with every passing day. Now a man has been shot at a gas station in Manassas, VA, 30 miles southwest of DC. Ballistics have yet to link this shooting to the others, but I'd bet good money it's the same guy. What kind of a person does this? Obviously it's someone who needs to feel in control of and superior to others, but to be so methodical, so cold and calculating, so patient. From what I've read, the sniper is more concerned with proving his superiority over the police than he is with instilling fear in the surrounding population. That seems to be incidental at this point.

Well, incidental or not, abject fear would keep me housebound if I lived in the area, unwilling to leave for any reason except maybe if someone set the house on fire, and even then my ass would have to be catching.

Someone's been sipping from the Erlenmeyer Flask.

My nephew Zachary is crazy for SpongeBob (I got him SpongeBob underoos for his birthday). According to the Wall Street Journal, so are gay men.

Devil Dog

Marty's already set for Halloween, but Sheila and I are trying to come up with something good that we can do together, like Daphne and Velma (or is that Roy Orbison in drag?), our costumes last year. One idea was to go as Men in Black, putting a little black jacket on Marty, but including him would limit our options for places to go. Any ideas?

This thief's getaway car was a red rider mower. LOL

UFO: Unidentified Flaming Object?

Sorry, link seems to be dead

I'm Jo, which ambiguous dyke are you? Quiz by Turi.

(thanks, snarkcake)

Tired of getting all that work done? Neglecting to neglect all of those things you should be neglecting? Don't worry, Bookworm will decrease your productivity in no time. I guarantee it.

(thanks, popculturejunkmail.com)...(I think)

"Data, where are you going?"

"I'm setting boody traps."

Extra Credit: What movie is this from?

Been busy at work the past few days, and I'm on my way there now, for a few hours. I'll return to posting this afternoon, but until then I leave you with

Adult Film Title of the Week: Bi-Bi Love

Vancouver or Bust!

Gael Cooper, whose popculturejunkmail.com I've just recently discovered, is the Travel Editor at MSNBC.com. Her column this week: My Love Letter to Vancouver. I share Gael's fondness for the city, and after three visits in the past 4 years, my desire to get back has not waned a bit. Her column has only strengthened my resolve to get there next summer.

Hehe

It's official. The votes have been tabulated, the data has been analyzed and the chuckles have been counted. The World's Funniest Joke is:

Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He doesn't seem to be breathing and his eyes are glazed. The other man pulls out his phone and calls emergency services.

He gasps to the operator: "My friend is dead! What can I do?" The operator in a calm, soothing voice replies: "Take it easy. I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead."

There is a silence, then a shot is heard.

Back on the phone, the hunter says, "Ok, now what?"

I have to admit, that made me laugh. And the weasel one was pretty good, too. You can read more about the study at the Laugh Lab.

A post-feminist view of Buffy.

(thanks, tvtattle.com)

The sad, strange, and sordid tale behind the new Bob Crane movie, "Auto Focus."

Adult Film Title of the Week: Lexington Steel Staff: He'll Give You The Shaft

The Power of Darkness Grows

Anticipation for the next installment in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Two Towers, is heating up. You can download and watch the incredible theatrical trailer for the film by clicking here. It took me about an hour to download the large version with my 56k connection, but it was worth it! If you would like to see a frame-by-frame review of the trailer, TheOneRing.Net has done a fabulous job. December 18 can't come soon enough.

Golly

Has it been a week already?? Sorry for the lack of updates - too many distractions lately.

Let's see, what have I been up to...I worked Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, and I've been training for the Assistant Manager position, so that's been keeping me busy. I'm learning opening and closing procedures, and I'll be opening the store for the first time by myself this Sunday. Oh! I was so excited yesterday - I got to choose a special section and set it up (just an endcap, really), and I chose Tommy Lee Jones movies. I searched for TLJ films, picked 15 of them and made up a sign. It'll be interesting to see if any customers actually rent one of the movies, or even notice.

My mother was staying with us all last week, another distraction, and we took her back to Rhode Island on Sunday morning. It was nice to get back into my own bed at night, instead of the couch.

My truck was in the garage for a couple of days, too. I left the house on Saturday morning to run an errand and noticed my battery light on; I looked at the battery gauge and it was registering down near "L". I drove a bit further, stopped at a stop sign, and the light went off and the gauge shot back up. Drove a bit further and it dropped again. I called my mechanic and he did a quick test on the battery. As I figured he would, he said it was difficult to tell with an intermittent problem like this and it could be the alternator, but he wasn't really sure. The best I could do is wait for it to die. I went home not liking the idea very much. I decided on Sunday to just drop the truck off at the garage with a note. I work at night in New Haven and the prospect of getting stuck down there in the middle of the night was not too appealing. They were able to finish the repairs by late Monday and I picked it up late yesterday. Turns out it was the alternator, but the problem was something they had not seen before (of course!): whenever the rpm's hit 3000 or above, the alternator would fritz out and the engine would switch over to the battery. Once I was in neutral (at a light or a stop sign), the alternator would kick back in and recharge the battery. So, $265 later I have my truck back, as well as peace of mind.

Final distraction: another bee sting. This time on my chin. We were at a local fair called "Dog Days of Oxford", where people bring their dogs and there are competitions, contests, booths and food. Mostly it's for people and dogs to mix and mingle. I was having a good time until I got stung. My chin swelled right up - I looked like a superhero! - and then my palms began itching. By the time I got home they were extremely red and hot, and the redness had spread down into my wrist. I never had an allergic reaction to bee stings until earlier this summer, and this recent reaction was a bit worse. Looks like I may have to look into seeing a doctor and getting something a bit stronger than Benadryl to carry with me, just in case. Damn bees.

And that's what's been going on with me. Time to eat lunch.

The new Starsky & Hutch: Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. I don't know...

I was in TV heaven last night.

"Buffy" is back and in fine form. Sunnydale High has been rebuilt, right smack dab over the Hellmouth again. Buffy's got a new job, one filled with irony yet somehow fitting. Dawn barely registerd on the Brat-o-Meter. Giles. Willow was funny again ("They think I'm going to turn them all into bangers and mash. And I don't even know what that is."). Giles. Troubled Spike looked adorable with the mussed, longer hair. Giles. And what an ending! How cool was it to see all of those baddies in one scene?

I missed "The Sopranos" on Sunday and Monday nights but was finally able to catch it last night. "No-Show", this week's episode, is up there with the best of them. Tony and Meadow's argument..oy! I can't believe a character like Tony Soprano can make me cry.

Hissy Fit

This is a topic normally beyond the scope of this site, but after reading Maureen Dowd's column in the NYTimes this morning, I felt compelled to share it with you. Entitled "No More Bratwurst", the article discusses the Bush administration's recent response to German President Schroeder's - as well as another German official's - remarks regarding W. and his campaign against Iraq. Personally, I thought our administration was overreacting, acting the bully and, frankly, being downright rude and lacking in any class. Dowd refers to the administration's short memory:

In their eagerness to apply adolescent torture methods, Bush hawks seem to have forgotten history: Do we really want to punish the Germans for being pacifists? Once those guys get rolling in the other direction, they don't really know how to put the brakes on.

Reluctance to enter into a war should be expected from a nation that spent the first half of the twentieth century trying to take over the world and the second half trying to recover from the devastation those attempts brought down upon them. We ostracize the Germans for remarks made during an election, a situation under which the veracity and intent of most statements should be questioned, yet the Saudis churn out America-hating terrorists in assembly-line fashion and they are our friends.

Like those middle school princesses in Dowd's column, we need to be careful about who we choose as friends or we will wake up one day to find that not only do we not have friends, but also that we never really had any. Except of course for poor Tony Blair, who for some reason has been given the task of fighting our fight and documenting the reasons we want to go to war, doing our homework.

Kickball leagues are sprouting up all over the country:

They may have grown up, but for increasing thousands of American 20- and 30-somethings, recess still plays out on the kickball field — but now it adjourns to the local bar for laughs over the game's highlights and pratfalls.

Or to the emergency room, right Jill? :)

The possibility of serious injury aside, I would love to join one of these leagues. The World Adult Kickball Association (or WAKA!) has a website where you can check for a division in your area, or if there isn't one, a contact form you can use to reach others in your area who want to start a division.

Awesome display of grrl power. The next Slayer, perhaps? ;)

Remember My Virtual Model? Well, WeddingChannel.com uses the same software to put you in the wedding dress of your dreams, or maybe of your nightmares. Log in here, and if you remember the username and password you used to create your virtual model, the software will load its saved version of the image and you won't have to start from scratch. I have to say, I'm really not digging the undergarments - I look 10 pounds fatter with them on. Looks like I may have to go commando when I get married. (Did I say when? Ha!) And where the hell did my waist disappear to?

(thanks, popculturejunkmail)