HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

'Master' and 'slave' computer labels unacceptable, officials say: "Los Angeles officials have asked that manufacturers, suppliers and contractors stop using the terms 'master' and 'slave' on computer equipment, saying such terms are unacceptable and offensive. "

Absurd. Just plain absurd.

"It wants to be found."

I have a silver ring that I wear on my left ring finger. It's nothing special, has no real sentimental value - I just like it. It's one of those rings that look like the handle of a spoon that's been bent.

Anyway, I went shopping on Friday night for birthday presents for my niece and my father. I tried on black leather gloves (for myself, of course), found a pair I liked, threw them in the carriage and went on with my shopping. I went to 2 more stores after that, and then home.

When I took off my jewelry before getting into bed I realized that the ring was gone. My precious was lost. Oh well, I thought, it must be in the ring finger of one of those gloves I tried on.

So, last night I was dusting the baker's rack in the kitchen. I stopped to shake out the dust rag when I heard a distinctive clink as something fell from the rag onto the floor. My ring! We founds it!

And no, I have no idea how it got there; I have no memory of putting it on the baker's rack and the dust towel I used was taken from the back of one of the kitchen drawers that we never go into.

I'm just happy to have it back on my finger, so pretty, so perfect, so preciooouusssss.

Gig cancelled after bassist saws himself out of tree: "The accident occurred when, in Harold Lloyd style, the bass man sawed through the branch he was hanging onto. The fall resulted in a badly-sprained wrist, which made playing impossible."

I bet he feels stupid. If he doesn't, he should!

CNN.com - Participant at KKK initiation wounded after shots fired into sky - Nov. 25, 2003: "About 10 people, including two children, had gathered for the ceremony. The man who was being initiated was blindfolded, tied with a noose to a tree and shot with paintball guns as Freeman fired a pistol in the air to provide the sound of real gunfire, Sheriff Fred Phillips said. "

This really does go without saying, but I'll say it anyway. What a bunch of morons. Maybe they'll do the world a favor and get rid of themselves.

Women plagued by 200 orgasms a day: "Office manager Jean said: 'I looked at him in the face and said: 'How would you like to walk around on the verge of an orgasm every second?' "

I just want to say, if I hear another word about JFK or Michael Jackson, somebody's gonna get hurt.

Aragorn Leads the Dead.

This is an incredibly spoilery photo, but it's awesome, and since it's going to be on the cover of Newsweek, you'll probably end up seeing it whether you want to or not. You can read the Newsweek article here. It's not too spoilery (if you've read the book - if not, you might want to stay away), and raves about ROTK.

Male enlargement ads prompt spam rage: "Booher threatened to send a 'package full of Anthrax spores' to the company, to 'disable' an employee with a bullet and torture him with a power drill and ice pick; and to hunt down and castrate the employees unless they removed him from their e-mail list, prosecutors said."

I can't say I blame the guy. And today I've been getting some particularly sickening porn spam. I didn't open any of the messages, the subject lines were gross enough. Sorry, no examples - I don't need any weirdos googling their way here.

$6 million hidden with dinner rolls: "Authorities found boxes filled with millions of dollars when they searched an 18-wheeler because its paperwork “didn’t add up” during a routine inspection."

That alone is strange, but the cryptic statement at the end that "he or his relatives could be in danger" sort ups the offbeat quotient.

Michael Jackson mugshot: "On Thursday, November 20, 2003, Michael Jackson arrived by private jet at Santa Barbara Airport around noon. He was taken into custody by Santa Barbara Sheriff's Department personnel by prearrangement at the airport and transported to the Main Jail to be booked on the arrest warrant. "

Five foot eleven and 120 pounds? It's all just so sad and scary. This is going to be such a circus.

It's Official.

From TPTB at savefarscape.com

Savefarscape.com is now free to confirm that the rumors swirling have their basis in fact. Farscape, cancelled last year by the SCI FI Channel, will return as a 4 hour mini-series. While we can't currently name the source of this information, please know that we wouldn't post this news without a trustworthy and solid source. Also, please note that the Jim Henson Company has made no official announcement as of yet.
Filming will begin in December and the mini-series is expected to air next year. There is no current word on distribution. Ben Browder and Claudia Black will reprise their roles as Commander John Crichton and Officer Aeryn Sun.

A Jim Henson Company production, Farscape was aired for four seasons on the SCI FI Channel before being cancelled in September 2002. The fourth season finale and last new episode aired at the end of March 2003.

The fans reacted immediately to news of the cancellation and began one of the most impressive fan campaigns in television history. Through a strength of spirit and ideals of community and family, the fans of Farscape have created something fabulous and achieved something that should have been impossible.

Take a bow Scapers, you did it. You saved Farscape and don't let anybody tell you differently. This is all yours. You kept the hope alive, you kept Farscape alive, until the people behind Farscape could get back to work on telling us the rest of the tale again.

Breaking News from CNN:

"Authorities issue arrest warrant for Michael Jackson, source close to investigation says. Details soon."

Oo.

NPR : Remembering Jonestown: "The Jonestown massacre began later that day. NPR's Melissa Block talks with survivor Laura Johnston Kohl, who was in the Guyanese capital, Georgetown, the day of the mass suicide. In her interview with Block, Kohl looks back on what went wrong, and the pain and regret she lives with. "

I listened to this interview on the way home last night, and I recommend it to you. It's incredible how near to the surface this woman's pain, regret and sorrow remain, even after 25 years.

The Frellin' Suspense is Killing Me.

Could it be true? Oh please, can it please be true? According to tvguide.com:

SO NEAR, SO FARSCAPE: Frellin' awesome!! As reported in next week's TV Guide magazine, the Jim Henson Company is producing a four-hour Farscape miniseries that will tie up the loose ends left dangling when the cult hit was prematurely axed last year by Sci Fi Channel. "It's an epic conclusion to the series," confides a source. The project — which will reunite leads Ben Browder and Claudia Black — will start shooting in December in Australia. Since the telefilm is unlikely to air on Sci Fi, word is it may be sold into syndication. So there!

However, there has been no official announcement from
The Jim Henson Company, and this is what the folks at savefarscape.com have to say, for now:

Savefarscape.com can't confirm this or any other rumor at this time, as there has not yet been any sort of official announcement from The Jim Henson Company. I ask, once again, for your patience and I thank you for your continued support of our site and of Farscape.

I'll honestly and truly believe it when I hear it from them. In the meantime, appendages will be crossed.

Released today!

I learned something new today. I already knew that the Los Angeles Dodgers used to be the Brooklyn Dodgers, as most people do. What I learned this morning was that the Brooklyn Dodgers were orginally called the Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers, because of the abundance of trolleys on the streets of Brooklyn at the time (late 1880s).

I did a little research when I got to work and found that before Trolly Dodgers, they were called Bridegrooms, because so many had gotten married that year. Trolley Dodgers was a better choice, I think.

Uh, okay.

I went out to walk Petie at 8:30 last night. It was chilly, and fully dark. As I walked to the field beyond our backyard, my peripheral vision caught something off to the right. The kid from next door, about 14 or 15 years old, was lying sprawled on his back in his backyard. I stopped, ready to go over to check on him, when he moved his arm, lifted his head (to look at me, I think), and put his head back down. "He's alive, go about your business," I thought.

Another 5 minutes went by and he was still lying there, in the exact same position, when I got back inside. I decided I needed to go check on him - what if the kid was diabetic or something? I went back out, worked my way across the yard, and when I got to the point where our yards met I asked, "Are you alright?" He sat straight up and said, "Yeah, I'm resting, thanks. Sorry." He then got up off the ground and went inside his house.

Just resting. Sprawled like a chalk outline on the cold ground, in the dark. O-K.

Spy vs. spy: "'Alias' never pretends to reality as it joyously celebrates the genre that brought us James Bond, Honey West, and, yes, Austin Powers. It's a comic-book explosion of global fashion, cloned villains, kickboxing babes, and fierce emotionality."

I think he's a little harsh on "24", but I am in complete agreement with his assessment of "Alias". Watch out for spoilers for season 3 (which I have yet to see) - they're scattered throughout the article like little mines.

Overheard on the radio yesterday afternoon:

"It's extremely windy out there today. So windy that a woman gave birth to the same baby twice."