--- Something tells me that

--- Something tells me that joints aren't the only illegal substance
Altman's been ingesting. Crack, perhaps?

Hollywood maverick Robert Altman said he sparked up the after-dinner
spliff in the PM's presence during a party given by Dave Stewart.
Instead of fleeing from the room, the PM calmly continued to enjoy the
meal. But Mr Blair did not partake and certainly did not inhale, Mr
Altman said. Number 10 has refused to comment. "We were sitting there
smoking grass. He was sitting across from me, so I thought he was
pretty cool," Mr Altman said. But now, Mr Altman says, he mistook that
"cool" for openness when it was in fact a "pose". The director of the
acclaimed film Short Cuts said he had since been very disappointed by
the prime minister's relationship with President George Bush.
Oh, so Blair's obviously a poser when it comes to not objecting to
someone firing up a joint because he's with W on the war. Good grief.
The sixties were over thirty-five years ago. Could you stop with the
"everyone who's for the war is obviously a narc" reasoning, already.
Next thing you know, Altman will be chatting about Vietnam. {rolls
eyes}

Posted by: Kathy at 12:49 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 208 words, total size 1 kb.

--- Something tells me that

--- Something tells me that joints aren't the only illegal substance
Altman's been ingesting. Crack, perhaps?

Hollywood maverick Robert Altman said he sparked up the after-dinner
spliff in the PM's presence during a party given by Dave Stewart.
Instead of fleeing from the room, the PM calmly continued to enjoy the
meal. But Mr Blair did not partake and certainly did not inhale, Mr
Altman said. Number 10 has refused to comment. "We were sitting there
smoking grass. He was sitting across from me, so I thought he was
pretty cool," Mr Altman said. But now, Mr Altman says, he mistook that
"cool" for openness when it was in fact a "pose". The director of the
acclaimed film Short Cuts said he had since been very disappointed by
the prime minister's relationship with President George Bush.
Oh, so Blair's obviously a poser when it comes to not objecting to
someone firing up a joint because he's with W on the war. Good grief.
The sixties were over thirty-five years ago. Could you stop with the
"everyone who's for the war is obviously a narc" reasoning, already.
Next thing you know, Altman will be chatting about Vietnam. {rolls
eyes}

Posted by: Kathy at 12:49 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 208 words, total size 1 kb.

--- Now playing in the

--- Now playing in the Cake Eater Office.

Which, I'm sure, is driving the husband nuts. I can feel his hackles rising. He hates Prince.

This was intentional on my part. It's payback. And for him, I'm sure, it's a bitch.

You don't have to watch Dynasty to have an attitude! This will
teach him, however, not to download Rush drum solos. Ditto for Alex Van
Halen solos. And to subsequently drag out his unloved sticks and to
start banging along with whatshisname and Alex---while lagging behind
by a half beat. (To be fair---it's pretty amazing that he's only
lagging behind by a half-beat considering he hasn't played for ten
years. Alex and whatshisname are damn quick.)
I know the guy just wants another drum kit (he sold the one he did have
to pay for school), and I will oblige him because he's talented and
because he likes to play the drums, but damnit! His birthday isn't
until the end of July. There isn't a damn thing I can do about the
problem until then because I have to start collecting the egg cartons
that are needed for the soundproofing. It's one thing to drive me nuts.
It's another thing entirely to drive the entire neighborhood nuts, not
to mention the very nice people who share this fine house with us.
Patience, grasshopper!
Semi-related note to self: figure out what a snap repeater is and price
it.

Posted by: Kathy at 12:49 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 248 words, total size 2 kb.

--- Now playing in the

--- Now playing in the Cake Eater Office.

Which, I'm sure, is driving the husband nuts. I can feel his hackles rising. He hates Prince.

This was intentional on my part. It's payback. And for him, I'm sure, it's a bitch.

You don't have to watch Dynasty to have an attitude! This will
teach him, however, not to download Rush drum solos. Ditto for Alex Van
Halen solos. And to subsequently drag out his unloved sticks and to
start banging along with whatshisname and Alex---while lagging behind
by a half beat. (To be fair---it's pretty amazing that he's only
lagging behind by a half-beat considering he hasn't played for ten
years. Alex and whatshisname are damn quick.)
I know the guy just wants another drum kit (he sold the one he did have
to pay for school), and I will oblige him because he's talented and
because he likes to play the drums, but damnit! His birthday isn't
until the end of July. There isn't a damn thing I can do about the
problem until then because I have to start collecting the egg cartons
that are needed for the soundproofing. It's one thing to drive me nuts.
It's another thing entirely to drive the entire neighborhood nuts, not
to mention the very nice people who share this fine house with us.
Patience, grasshopper!
Semi-related note to self: figure out what a snap repeater is and price
it.

Posted by: Kathy at 12:49 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 248 words, total size 2 kb.

Gross. NEW YORK (Reuters) -

Gross.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - In the latest act of sanitizing New
York's mean streets, lawmakers want to rid the city of a scourge most
people are not even aware of -- previously worn lingerie being sold as
new merchandise. Council members are mulling the proposed legislation
after watching a local television news broadcast which claimed leading
department stores, including Saks Fifth Avenue and Macy's, had tried to
resell returned undergarments. Under current law, stores do not have to
state whether undergarments on sale, including women's panties and
thongs, have been bought and returned, although certain stores have
developed their own policies. "This is a major consumer and health
issue in that the amount of bacteria that can be transported from one
person to another in just one wearing can be a health hazard," said
council member Tony Avella.

I think I'll stick with Victoria's Secret's online shopping, thank you ever so much.

Posted by: Kathy at 12:47 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 163 words, total size 1 kb.

Gross. NEW YORK (Reuters) -

Gross.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - In the latest act of sanitizing New
York's mean streets, lawmakers want to rid the city of a scourge most
people are not even aware of -- previously worn lingerie being sold as
new merchandise. Council members are mulling the proposed legislation
after watching a local television news broadcast which claimed leading
department stores, including Saks Fifth Avenue and Macy's, had tried to
resell returned undergarments. Under current law, stores do not have to
state whether undergarments on sale, including women's panties and
thongs, have been bought and returned, although certain stores have
developed their own policies. "This is a major consumer and health
issue in that the amount of bacteria that can be transported from one
person to another in just one wearing can be a health hazard," said
council member Tony Avella.

I think I'll stick with Victoria's Secret's online shopping, thank you ever so much.

Posted by: Kathy at 12:47 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 163 words, total size 1 kb.

Obligatory warning to my mother:

Obligatory warning to my mother: DON'T READ THIS ONE (For those
of you who think I'm enforcing some sort of censorship on my mom and
depriving her of the choice to either read or not read and in the
meantime am trying to remain a good little girl in her eyes, well,
you're right. And she appreciates it. She does. And she's thanked me
for it. So there! She's always been of the mindset that sometimes
ignorance is bliss and I'm sure she'd much rather remain ignorant about
some of this stuff and I honestly can't blame her.)
For the rest of you, read this.

Then go and check this out.

Then adopt Stan's voice and say, Dude, that is f@#ked up!

Posted by: Kathy at 12:46 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 132 words, total size 1 kb.

Obligatory warning to my mother:

Obligatory warning to my mother: DON'T READ THIS ONE (For those
of you who think I'm enforcing some sort of censorship on my mom and
depriving her of the choice to either read or not read and in the
meantime am trying to remain a good little girl in her eyes, well,
you're right. And she appreciates it. She does. And she's thanked me
for it. So there! She's always been of the mindset that sometimes
ignorance is bliss and I'm sure she'd much rather remain ignorant about
some of this stuff and I honestly can't blame her.)
For the rest of you, read this.

Then go and check this out.

Then adopt Stan's voice and say, Dude, that is f@#ked up!

Posted by: Kathy at 12:46 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 132 words, total size 1 kb.

And of course you'll need

And of course you'll
need turrets for the archers and the boiling oil.
I'm sure the burglars will start using a trebuchet sooner rather than
later, so you'll also want to make sure you have fire extinguishers
handy when they send a flaming ball of shit over your wall of roses and
holly.

Posted by: Kathy at 12:43 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 63 words, total size 1 kb.

And of course you'll need

And of course you'll
need turrets for the archers and the boiling oil.
I'm sure the burglars will start using a trebuchet sooner rather than
later, so you'll also want to make sure you have fire extinguishers
handy when they send a flaming ball of shit over your wall of roses and
holly.

Posted by: Kathy at 12:43 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 63 words, total size 1 kb.

It's Sunday afternoon. Like Robert

It's Sunday afternoon. Like Robert the Llama Butcher, I don't really feel like reading the paper because it's bound to be full of blah, blah, blah, BushHitler bullshit.

So, we'll do this instead.

FIRSTS
First job: Unofficial: babysitting/mowing lawns. Age twelve. Official:
Telemarketing. For my brother's company. Age fourteen. The less said
about this experience, the better. I still feel ashamed about this
deal. First self-purchased CD:Steve Miller Band's Greatest Hits 1974-78.
First piercing/tattoo: I don't have any. Ugh. Ironically enough,
though, I married a man who has both a pierced ear (closed up now) and
a tattoo.
First enemy: Adam Gouttierre. He moved up from jerk to someone I really
hated in the seventh grade. Too bad his parents were really nice
people. He was their demon spawn. I never resorted to violence when
dealing with him because I liked his parents and I just wasn't that
type of person at that point in time. I see now that that was a
mistake. I should have smacked him.
LASTSLast big car ride: Minneapolis to Omaha in January for the
parentals 50th Anniversary part-aay. Last kiss: Five minutes ago. The
husband, of course. Quick smooch before he sat down to play Star Wars
Galaxies for the rest of the day. Although, I did get a nice peck on
the cheek from Mr. H. when I met him for coffee this morning.
Last library book checked out: Does it count if the husband checked it
out and you read it as well? Pattern Recognition by William Gibson. Great book.

Last movie seen: In the theater: Something's Gotta Give. (Yeah, I know. We have to get out more.) On DVD: Gosford Park.
Last beverage consumed: Coffee.
Last food consumed: Tortillas with cheese at one-thirty this morning.
Evil, I know.
Last phone call: Somebody called yesterday. I think.
Last CD played: The husband's got a mix of his going right now. He
named it, "Progression." It progresses from Cheap Trick to seriously
heavy metal. Tool's Learn to Swim
is currently playing so we're near the end of the CD. Last annoyance:
Nellie's having trouble with all the humidity. The condensation is
building up in the gas tank and she kept threatening to die on me this
morning as I was heading into Uptown. She finally settled down as I was
dodging potholes on Calhoun Parkway.
Last pop consumed: I'm consuming one now. A lovely glass of Diet Coke
with a slice of lime. Marvelous.
Last ice cream eaten: Honestly, I can't remember. It's been some time
since we've had some in the house. I think it was Lunds Bavarian
Raspberry. Mmmm.
Last shirt worn: The one I wore yesterday? A gray shortsleeved Nike
v-neck with white banding on the neck. Today, I'm wearing a brown
Banana Republic stretchy t-shirt that does wonders for boob
enhancement.
I....I AM: Clueless. As usual. I HAVE: To sit down and finish
training my dication software.
I WISH: We'd won the Powerball last week.
I HEAR: Traffic. The husband pounding commands into his keyboards that
will ultimately result in dead Storm Troopers. Joan Jett singing that
she doesn't give a damn about her Bad Reputation.
I SEARCH: 1. my fancy lens cleaning cloth 2. chapstick 3. my sunglass
clip for my glasses 4. my Merrells. 5. The car keys 6. The USB cable
for the camera. And that's all that I can remember at the present time.
Heh.
I REGRET: Not kicking the shit out of Adam Gouttierre. Or at least
taking a swing.
I LOVE: The husband. My family. My friends. Diet Coke with lime. Philip
Morris. I ALWAYS: forget to eat until I'm about ready to pass out. Like
right now. FAVORITES

NUMBER: zero. I love that they had to invent it.

COLOR: RED!

DAY: Thursday.

MONTH: No idea. Like any good dyed-in-the-wool pessimist I can tell you what my least
favorite month is and that would be January. It sucks.
SONG(S): Too many to list here. SEASON: Spring.
DRINK: Alcoholic: Sappire and tonic, lime on the bottom. Chardonnay.
The occasional beer sits well on a hot summers day, too. Non-Alcoholic:
Milk, Diet Coke, Water, IBC Root Beer.

Posted by: Kathy at 12:22 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 702 words, total size 5 kb.

It's Sunday afternoon. Like Robert

It's Sunday afternoon. Like Robert the Llama Butcher, I don't really feel like reading the paper because it's bound to be full of blah, blah, blah, BushHitler bullshit.

So, we'll do this instead.

FIRSTS
First job: Unofficial: babysitting/mowing lawns. Age twelve. Official:
Telemarketing. For my brother's company. Age fourteen. The less said
about this experience, the better. I still feel ashamed about this
deal. First self-purchased CD:Steve Miller Band's Greatest Hits 1974-78.
First piercing/tattoo: I don't have any. Ugh. Ironically enough,
though, I married a man who has both a pierced ear (closed up now) and
a tattoo.
First enemy: Adam Gouttierre. He moved up from jerk to someone I really
hated in the seventh grade. Too bad his parents were really nice
people. He was their demon spawn. I never resorted to violence when
dealing with him because I liked his parents and I just wasn't that
type of person at that point in time. I see now that that was a
mistake. I should have smacked him.
LASTSLast big car ride: Minneapolis to Omaha in January for the
parentals 50th Anniversary part-aay. Last kiss: Five minutes ago. The
husband, of course. Quick smooch before he sat down to play Star Wars
Galaxies for the rest of the day. Although, I did get a nice peck on
the cheek from Mr. H. when I met him for coffee this morning.
Last library book checked out: Does it count if the husband checked it
out and you read it as well? Pattern Recognition by William Gibson. Great book.

Last movie seen: In the theater: Something's Gotta Give. (Yeah, I know. We have to get out more.) On DVD: Gosford Park.
Last beverage consumed: Coffee.
Last food consumed: Tortillas with cheese at one-thirty this morning.
Evil, I know.
Last phone call: Somebody called yesterday. I think.
Last CD played: The husband's got a mix of his going right now. He
named it, "Progression." It progresses from Cheap Trick to seriously
heavy metal. Tool's Learn to Swim
is currently playing so we're near the end of the CD. Last annoyance:
Nellie's having trouble with all the humidity. The condensation is
building up in the gas tank and she kept threatening to die on me this
morning as I was heading into Uptown. She finally settled down as I was
dodging potholes on Calhoun Parkway.
Last pop consumed: I'm consuming one now. A lovely glass of Diet Coke
with a slice of lime. Marvelous.
Last ice cream eaten: Honestly, I can't remember. It's been some time
since we've had some in the house. I think it was Lunds Bavarian
Raspberry. Mmmm.
Last shirt worn: The one I wore yesterday? A gray shortsleeved Nike
v-neck with white banding on the neck. Today, I'm wearing a brown
Banana Republic stretchy t-shirt that does wonders for boob
enhancement.
I....I AM: Clueless. As usual. I HAVE: To sit down and finish
training my dication software.
I WISH: We'd won the Powerball last week.
I HEAR: Traffic. The husband pounding commands into his keyboards that
will ultimately result in dead Storm Troopers. Joan Jett singing that
she doesn't give a damn about her Bad Reputation.
I SEARCH: 1. my fancy lens cleaning cloth 2. chapstick 3. my sunglass
clip for my glasses 4. my Merrells. 5. The car keys 6. The USB cable
for the camera. And that's all that I can remember at the present time.
Heh.
I REGRET: Not kicking the shit out of Adam Gouttierre. Or at least
taking a swing.
I LOVE: The husband. My family. My friends. Diet Coke with lime. Philip
Morris. I ALWAYS: forget to eat until I'm about ready to pass out. Like
right now. FAVORITES

NUMBER: zero. I love that they had to invent it.

COLOR: RED!

DAY: Thursday.

MONTH: No idea. Like any good dyed-in-the-wool pessimist I can tell you what my least
favorite month is and that would be January. It sucks.
SONG(S): Too many to list here. SEASON: Spring.
DRINK: Alcoholic: Sappire and tonic, lime on the bottom. Chardonnay.
The occasional beer sits well on a hot summers day, too. Non-Alcoholic:
Milk, Diet Coke, Water, IBC Root Beer.

Posted by: Kathy at 12:22 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 702 words, total size 5 kb.

Until about three or thereabouts.

Until about three or thereabouts. I was working on the manuscript.
I don't know what it is about writing---particularly when working on
the manuscript---that makes me lose track of time. I'll settle down to
work, I'll plug away for a while, then I'll look at the clock
and---whammo! I will have lost three or four hours. They're gone.
Whoosh. They've melted away like the Wicked Witch of the West in the Wizard of Oz
and the remnants can now be found somewhere near those of Salvador
Dali's brain. It's so damn wierd, but I'm used to it...almost. Anyway,
when I pulled away from the laptop to finally notice the time, all of
my senses that had lain dormant for the preceding few hours suddenly
came alive again. I noticed I was a wee bit cold as the window was
still wide open. I noticed the office stank of cigarette smoke (I don't
pay attention to how much I'm smoking when I'm working.)And the guy on
the classical station---Minnesota Public Radio---was saying in his very
soothing "Music Through the Night" voice that coming up in the next
hour (three to four---am) would be the thoughts of "commentator James
Lileks" on some piece of music that I didn't quite catch in my haze.
I was too tired to stay up and listen for it, but I suppose if all of
you Lileks-lovers go trolling through MPR's site,
you might be able to find what piece of music he was enamored with.
With that, I'm announcing that I'm fairly useless today. Don't have
great expectations for excellent, insightful blogging today.

Posted by: Kathy at 12:17 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 277 words, total size 2 kb.

Until about three or thereabouts.

Until about three or thereabouts. I was working on the manuscript.
I don't know what it is about writing---particularly when working on
the manuscript---that makes me lose track of time. I'll settle down to
work, I'll plug away for a while, then I'll look at the clock
and---whammo! I will have lost three or four hours. They're gone.
Whoosh. They've melted away like the Wicked Witch of the West in the Wizard of Oz
and the remnants can now be found somewhere near those of Salvador
Dali's brain. It's so damn wierd, but I'm used to it...almost. Anyway,
when I pulled away from the laptop to finally notice the time, all of
my senses that had lain dormant for the preceding few hours suddenly
came alive again. I noticed I was a wee bit cold as the window was
still wide open. I noticed the office stank of cigarette smoke (I don't
pay attention to how much I'm smoking when I'm working.)And the guy on
the classical station---Minnesota Public Radio---was saying in his very
soothing "Music Through the Night" voice that coming up in the next
hour (three to four---am) would be the thoughts of "commentator James
Lileks" on some piece of music that I didn't quite catch in my haze.
I was too tired to stay up and listen for it, but I suppose if all of
you Lileks-lovers go trolling through MPR's site,
you might be able to find what piece of music he was enamored with.
With that, I'm announcing that I'm fairly useless today. Don't have
great expectations for excellent, insightful blogging today.

Posted by: Kathy at 12:17 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 277 words, total size 2 kb.

Michele would like your help

Michele would like your help to make some.

Posted by: Kathy at 12:15 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 18 words, total size 1 kb.

Michele would like your help

Michele would like your help to make some.

Posted by: Kathy at 12:15 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 18 words, total size 1 kb.

In Lenexa, Kansas, my nephew

In Lenexa, Kansas, my nephew is hoping that school might be cancelled tomorrow.
I can guarantee it.

Posted by: Kathy at 12:10 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 27 words, total size 1 kb.

In Lenexa, Kansas, my nephew

In Lenexa, Kansas, my nephew is hoping that school might be cancelled tomorrow.
I can guarantee it.

Posted by: Kathy at 12:10 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 27 words, total size 1 kb.

Mr. H. has been busy

Mr. H. has been busy sending out postcards promoting the Illusion's
upcoming production, Vanishing Point, so I thought I'd help out with the marketing of said production to make his life a wee bit easier.

If you're in Minneapolis or will be visiting somewhere between June 11 and July 3, you will want to go and check Vanishing Point out.

It's musical theater with a fascinating theme:

VANISHING POINT returns to Illusion as a full production,
with wit and audacity inspired by author Agatha Christie, aviator
Amelia Earhart, and evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson. These early
20th-century women each disappeared at some time during their lives,
and the remote island setting of the play becomes their common
"vanishing point." Will they each choose to remain a "missing person,"
or will they go back to the normal routines of their lives? The mystery
unfolds through a gorgeous score by Rob Hartmann and soaring
performances by Patty Nieman (Christie), Aimee K. Bryant (Earhart), and
Beth Gilleland (McPherson).

Honestly, I don't know about the other actors in this musical, but
Aimee Bryant is a phenomenal actor whom I seen in productions at the
Illusion before and she will knock your socks off every time. The best
way to describe Aimee's talent is that she's "gifted." And when she
sings---oh, man. She opens her mouth and perfection comes flying out.
If you live in the Twin Cities, you will want to get down to the
theater and see her perform. She will be a big star one day and you
will be able to say you saw her way back when she was performing in
Minneapolis. I guarantee it. She oozes talent.
Go and check it out if you get the chance.

Posted by: Kathy at 12:03 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 297 words, total size 2 kb.

Mr. H. has been busy

Mr. H. has been busy sending out postcards promoting the Illusion's
upcoming production, Vanishing Point, so I thought I'd help out with the marketing of said production to make his life a wee bit easier.

If you're in Minneapolis or will be visiting somewhere between June 11 and July 3, you will want to go and check Vanishing Point out.

It's musical theater with a fascinating theme:

VANISHING POINT returns to Illusion as a full production,
with wit and audacity inspired by author Agatha Christie, aviator
Amelia Earhart, and evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson. These early
20th-century women each disappeared at some time during their lives,
and the remote island setting of the play becomes their common
"vanishing point." Will they each choose to remain a "missing person,"
or will they go back to the normal routines of their lives? The mystery
unfolds through a gorgeous score by Rob Hartmann and soaring
performances by Patty Nieman (Christie), Aimee K. Bryant (Earhart), and
Beth Gilleland (McPherson).

Honestly, I don't know about the other actors in this musical, but
Aimee Bryant is a phenomenal actor whom I seen in productions at the
Illusion before and she will knock your socks off every time. The best
way to describe Aimee's talent is that she's "gifted." And when she
sings---oh, man. She opens her mouth and perfection comes flying out.
If you live in the Twin Cities, you will want to get down to the
theater and see her perform. She will be a big star one day and you
will be able to say you saw her way back when she was performing in
Minneapolis. I guarantee it. She oozes talent.
Go and check it out if you get the chance.

Posted by: Kathy at 12:03 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 297 words, total size 2 kb.