I sincerely hope this passes.

The Kuwaiti parliament is to debate a bill to grant women full political rights, a Kuwaiti minister has said.

Deputy Prime Minister Mohammad Sharar said that legislators would discuss the bill in March.

The measure, which has been approved by the cabinet, will allow women to vote and to stand for election.

Kuwait's Islamist Umma Party has said it backs the move, becoming the first Sunni Muslim group in the emirate to endorse women's suffrage.{...}

Do you think the elections in Iraq---where women had full suffrage---had anything to do with this?

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Oh, man.

Has J. Crew really sunk so low as to come out with wedding dresses?

My sister, Christi, is a bridal designer. She also does some Haute Couture work on the side, but bridal gowns are her bread and butter. While she's done some interesting work over the years (including one bridal gown trimmed in mink) she mostly knocks off famous designers. (She probably would call them "inspired by" just to be nice about it.)

I can't imagine, though, that she could---or even WOULD---knock off a J.Crew wedding dress. First, she charges more than they are priced at. Second, she would have a serious crisis of conscience about charging someone for making what looks like a slip or a nightgown! (and is probably constructed as well.)

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Yeah. Another meme. From You know who.

Ten Things I've Done But You Probably Haven't

1. Snuck into a Branford Marsalis concert. (Something I will never do again. I won't even pay money to see the guy because he's a Grade A Asshole.)

2. Straddled the Prime Meridien---one foot in the eastern hemisphere, one in the western---while I was visiting the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England.

3. Was "Shake n' Baked" three times by the fine, upstanding brothers of FarmHouse Fraternity, Iowa State University, Iowa Chapter.

4. Was lucky enough to have Joe Fiennes flag down a bartender for me at a pub in Notting Hill.

5. Hobbled around Alcatraz and San Francisco's Ghirardelli Square, Chinatown and Pier 39---and various points in between---with a sprained ankle.

6. Have dined at The French Laundry.

7. Served coffee to Bill Brown (he was one of my regular customers. I nicknamed him "Boom Boom" and he loved it.), Mick Sterling, Bobby McFerrin, and Chaka Khan, among many, many others.

8. Have done interesting things on the porch of this building back when it was called Old Botany and was condemned and scheduled to be torn down.

9. Have gone cow tipping.

10. Had a flat tire at 10:30 at night in the middle of nowhere, Iowa, was picked up by a semi-driver who took me to a phone. Then, when I was unable to find a tow truck driver in this dinky little town, a guy who'd been hanging out at the local Casey's drove me back to my car and helped me put the spare on...and I lived and was unharmed, not raped, etc. I wouldn't recommend it, but there are decent men in the world.

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At the party last night, the hosts had carted in a photo booth for shits and giggles. Apparently you can rent these things. This particular booth, the guy who was running it said, was one of the State Fair booths. This is what picture booths do in the off-season.

This is one of our shots.

Nauseating, isn't it?

Go and run to the bathroom. I'll wait while you vomit.

Heheheh.

Anyway, the husband, as it turns out, was a photo booth virgin. There wasn't a booth in the small town in Iowa where he grew up, so he'd never had the experience before. When he told me this my jaw about dropped. I thought everyone had experienced this at one time or another.

This just goes to show how different city and country life are when it comes to the little things. I knew, as did all of my friends, where every booth was in every mall we frequented. A stop by a booth---and the subesequent cramming of five teenage girls into the thing---was a highlight of every solo shopping trip we managed to take. It was one of those silly, everyday sorts of things common to where you live, I guess. The husband didn't have that because his town was too small to rate a photo booth.

So, I suppose it's not really a surprise that he'd go for the make-out shot, is it? He completely caught me off-guard, too. But it was nice nonetheless.

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Woohoo!

That's just marvelous.

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1 Here, have some virtual champagne! [does a happy dance]

Posted by: Ith at March 04, 2005 11:32 AM (uIMFq)

2 {clinks champagne flute with Ith}

Posted by: Kathy at March 04, 2005 11:37 AM (Tosbv)

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Well, according to my limited knowledge, the Information Technology business is back. Some bean counter in a cubicle housed in deepest, darkest Silicon Valley might disagree, but hey...I don't go in for accounting. (Basically because I can't freakin' add or subtract, but that's really beside the point.) Rather, I go in for anecdotal evidence! Because we all know how objective I am.

Kathy the Cake Eater: Cub Reporter---providing half-assed analysis and subjective observations since 2003!

Tonight the husband and I attended a launch party for a new ISP here in the Cities. There was free food. There was free booze. I should find out tomorrow if I won one of three ipods they're giving away. And this was after the husband attended another meet and greet on Wednesday night, hosted by another IT company, at another restaurant with free food and free booze. No ipod door prizes, but they also didn't restrict the bar to beer only, either, like they did tonight.

I love IT gatherings. When I go to these things, I'm generally just tagging along, hence my social responsibilities are at an all-time-low. The husband is there to conduct business, to meet people, etc. He's got an agenda. I'm just there to people watch. And believe me, these gatherings do provide excellent people watching.

If you're interested in all of this, read on after the jump. more...

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So, I got this email from Steve-o yesterday asking me to step up and guest blog over at the Llamabutchers while Robbo is in Disneyworld hell.

After much deliberation---at least a whole thirty seconds worth---I said, "heck yeah!"

I've never guest blogged before. I've had guest bloggers, but never have I actually held the keys to someone else's kingdom in my sweaty little palms. It's a bit daunting---posting to two blogs---but it should be fun.

So, if you don't find me here, chances are I'll be over there.

And yes, Mom, that means you finally have to bookmark the Llamas. Wouldn't want to miss anything, would you? Hmmmm?

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...get thee the hell out of Lebanon.

CAIRO, Egypt - Saudi officials told Syrian President Bashar Assad on Thursday that he must soon begin fully withdrawing troops from Lebanon or face strains in Saudi-Syrian ties, an official said. Assad promised only to study the idea of a partial withdrawal by later this month.

The kingdom took a tough line as Assad met with the Saudi leader, Crown Prince Abdullah, and other officials in Riyadh. The strong language pointed to increasing impatience among Arab leaders with Damascus' resistance to calling a quick pullout.

Saudi officials told Assad the kingdom insists on the full withdrawal of all Syria's 15,000 troops and intelligence forces from Lebanon and wants it to start "soon," a Saudi official said on condition of anonymity.

{...}The Saudis replied that the situation was his problem and warned that if Damascus refuses to comply, it would lead to tensions in Saudi-Syrian ties, the official told The Associated Press, speaking by phone from Riyadh.{...}

I'm trying to think of something witty to say, but damn...I'm coming up empty. I think the story just about says it all.

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1 Yeah, the elections in Iraq have stirred the mid-eastern pot. One way or the other change isa comin'. Really like your blog. I'm in Atlanta, GA and will now be going out on the porch in my shirtsleevs ,,,how's the weather in Kathy-land ..?

Posted by: P Mann at March 03, 2005 02:13 PM (f+6vj)

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UN Peacekeepers finally used their guns!

UNITED NATIONS - U.N. officials defended peacekeepers who killed up to 60 militiamen in a gunbattle in Congo, saying the international troops were acting in self-defense and protecting civilians who had been terrorized for years.

The high death count and fierce fighting defied the notion that U.N. peacekeepers stick to defense rather than joining the fight. But the Congo mission was given a stronger mandate last year to round up guns and defend the populace.

The 242 Pakistani peacekeepers were on a mission to dismantle a militant headquarters near the village of Loga, in lawless Ituri province in eastern Congo, when they came under fire. They responded with sustained fire that included air support from Indian attack helicopters.

"These militias had been preying on villagers and it was felt it was the U.N.'s role to protect the vulnerable population, and that's what the aim of the mission was," U.N. associate spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. {...}

It's quite surprising that they actually know how to use their firearms at all, because their record in this regard is worse than the French.

And that's saying something.

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I don't read LaShawn Barber's blog hardly at all, but courtesy o' Fausta, I happened to catch her appearance on MSNBC's Connected Coast to Coast. I thought she did rather well, on the whole, particularly considering it was her first time on tee-vee. Now, nothing that was said on this broadcast was of particular interest to me. It was the same ol' same ol' that makes cable news network talk shows particularly boring. Yet there was one notable exception.

Monica Crowley called female bloggers "blogettes."

There's no transcript that I can find of the show, because apparently if your show on MSNBC is aired before 7p.m. EST, they don't deem it worthy of transcript-status, but this is what I heard. I wrote it down. You can follow the video link at Fausta's and see for yourself.

This is what I would have said to Crowley, had I been the one in the chair. This is also why I will never be allowed on tee-vee.

"Blogettes?

Ahem.

I think not, chica.

Don't you dare try to cutesy-up my title and differentiate me from the rest of the bloggers because I have a pair of breasts and a vagina. Particularly when it seems you, like the rest of the mainstream media, have no freakin' clue about what blogs are, let alone who writes them. Let me guess where this gender-equity segment came from. You read about Susan Estrich taking on Mike Kinsley about the dearth of female op-ed writers. Then you, in an effort to make your show more hip and wordly, try and apply this to the blogosphere, because that's all that everyone's talking about! Conveniently, Kevin Drum writes one poorly researched piece asking "where are the female bloggers?" and you, somehow---because I'm not really sure you can operate a computer let alone surf blogs---catch wind of it. Suddenly you and Ronnie Junior know enough about the subject to make it a topic on a show so obscure even I hadn't heard about it, but you're also going to try score some brownie points in the blogosphere you know nothing about (because, of course, you know how viral marketing works and if we can get some free pr in the blogosphere, well, damn the torpedos! We'll do it!) and coin the phrase blogettes?

Again, I think not.

Let me take a wild stab here and say that the idea for "blogettes" is derived from "Wonkette"? That's really original, kids. Wow. Let's place a little gold star right smack in the middle of your foreheads because you're so creative. The movie people should be calling any minute now to option your story.

I will only say this once, so pay attention and get it right the first time.

I am not a "blogette." I am a "blogger." Got it? I may not want to be spayed anymore than a cat does, but neither do I want to be "set apart" with a cutesy title that is so not what I am about. First and foremost I am a writer. That the content that makes up The Cake Eater Chronicles comes from a female shouldn't have anything to do with the validity of the opinions presented. They either have merit or they do not. It's quite simple. The blogosphere is all about ideas and opinions. It's a veritable smorgasbord. There's something for everyone. The sex of the author shouldn't come into the equation unless we're talking about things directly related to our sex---like tampons or jock straps. To miss this point is to miss the exact essence of the blogosphere. And the internet, for that matter.

I am not going to participate in some gender-equity program in the blogosphere, nor will I allow myself to be labeled with some girly-girl term because you, in your vast and all-encompassing wisdom, needed a topic to fill time on your cable news chat show and this seemed as good as any other.

Piss off."

See? No one would ever allow me to be on tee-vee because I won't stand for the condescending bullshit that doubles for content on a cable news show.

Posted by: Kathy at 11:53 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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My blog kid has been busy redecorating. I think it looks marvelous.

Go on over and check it out.

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So, another meme. You, of course, know where I got it from. Fortunately, Robbo's going on vacation this next week so you'll be spared from my lack of self-control.

Anyway...

The First Five Movie/TV Quotes that come into your head (must be from different movies/shows).

1. "When Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept. For there were no more worlds left to conquer. Benefits of a classical education." ---Hans in Die Hard (You can hear Rickman saying this in your head, can't you? I know you can. God, he's good.)

2. "The Donger need food." ---Long Duk Dong, Sixteen Candles

3. "So, if you guys know so much about chicks and stuff, why are you, like, sitting around at the Gas n' Sip on a Saturday night?"
{insert dramatic pause here}
"Choice, man!"----Lloyd Dobler, et.al. Say Anything

4. "I say! Am I to strut around naked like a beggar child in Calcutta? Fetch me some clean linen to throw on before I call child services!" ---Stewie Griffin, Family Guy

5. "You know how to whistle, don't you Steve? You just put your lips together and...blow" --Slim in To Have and Have Not

Posted by: Kathy at 05:32 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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If you've got some, send them Grandpa H.'s way. He's the husband's grandfather and he's undergoing colon cancer surgery this morning. Thanks!

I'll update when I know something.

UPDATE: Thanks for the happy thoughts. They worked.

Grandpa made it through the surgery with flying colors. He's a bit doped up on the fruit of the poppy right now---he actually asked the recovery room nurse when he was going into surgery---but he's off the oxygen and is doing fine. They think they got it all, but they have to check out the stuff they gathered from the lymph nodes to make sure. If that's clear, no chemo. So, keep your fingers crossed.

Thanks again!

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Have you seen the cutesy ads for CNN? You know, the ones where Anderson Cooper reads the weather or Christiane Ampanpour lectures some clueless chick about Iran and Iraq? Yeah, I thought so. Anyway, if Christiane Ampanpour can have her "bugaboos" about pronouncing said respective countries as Eye-raq and Eye-ran, I can have my own bugaboo with one particular aspect of blogosphere grammar. And that bugaboo would be homonymns. You remember what homonyms are, right? Words that sound alike---they might even be spelled the same---but have different meanings. Well, these pesky little things are my bugaboos.

There are a lot of really great writers in the blogosphere, so it really grieves me when I see these itsy-bitsy boo-boos. Yet, I can't be too hard on my fellow bloggers. Posting isn't easy. I simply think most people are hampered by too little time to get a post up and forget all about it. Also, if they're using a grammar checker, well, that might lead to a few problems. I know for a fact that you cannot trust Microsquash Word's grammar checker when it comes to homonyms. I've lots of little green lines highlighting homonyms in the manuscript that I know are correct, but Microsquash---in its evil "I must be right all of the damn time" way---stubbornly insists that they're not. To put it simply: don't trust anybody's grammar checker to get it right.

Now, I'm not particularly picky about grammar in general, because I'll be the first to admit I suck at it. Grammar is not generally something I perfect the first time around. I have to edit, and even then I miss a good deal. So, split an infinitive for all I care. Dangle that participle. Let your agreement disagree. I don't really care. What I do care about, what stops me dead in my tracks and makes me sigh (particularly when I'm reading a great essay) is when someone confuses simple homonyms. It drives me insane!

So, since we know everyone and their brother is concerned about my sanity, well, let's go over some that I see on a regular basis.

• They're/Their/There

"They're" is a contraction for "they are"
"Their" is a possessive pronoun
"There" is a place or position
• You're/Your

"You're" is a contraction of "you are"
"Your" is the possessive form of "you"
• Loose/Lose

"Loose" is an adjective that means "free, not securely attached."
"Lose" is a verb that means "to fail to keep, to be deprived of."
• Whose/Who's

"Whose" is the possessive form of "who"
"Who's" is a contraction for "who is"
• Affect/Effect

"Affect" is a verb that means to "exert influence"
"Effect" as a verb means "to accomplish"; as a noun it means "a result."

Ok, so now that I have successfully pissed off plenty of bloggers by criticizing their writing, feel free to use the comments to add your own grammar bugaboos. My ass is wide enough to provide a target for all the ire that will undoubtedly come my way. I'll shield you.

Posted by: Kathy at 11:46 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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1 Your totally, write, of course. When I see bloggers making these mistakes I can't help but think, "Gee, their such a buncha loosers!" Then again, it's probably just an example of the affects of today's education system so whose to say there too blame, huh? ;-)

Posted by: zonker at March 02, 2005 06:22 PM (RU/xX)

2 wiseass

Posted by: Kathy at March 02, 2005 06:28 PM (Tosbv)

3 Baited breath (gee, I've just been eating minnows!); hoards of people (you never know when you might run out!). Here! Here! (not there! not there!).... meh, that's all for now.

Posted by: Adrianne Truett at March 02, 2005 09:17 PM (MEXzq)

4 And it frustrates me that at least some editions of MS Word are of the opinion that "effect" cannot be a verb and "it's" can never have an apostrophe.

Posted by: Adrianne Truett at March 02, 2005 09:18 PM (MEXzq)

5 Not sure if it counts as a homonym, but the it's/its misuse really peeves me too ("it's" is NOT the possessive of "it," "its" is. "It's" is a contraction of "it is"). Grr. That was fun to type, with all those little 2-and-3-point Scrabble words.

Posted by: JohnL at March 03, 2005 12:55 PM (Hs4rn)

6 How about (not exactly homonyms) -- 1) envelop vs. envelope 2) breath vs. breathe 3) taut vs. taunt (aaaaaagh!) Oh, and I know there are some more -several more! - but I can't think of them now!

Posted by: Romeocat at March 03, 2005 10:04 PM (lVOFk)

7 Just think how much worse it would be if the agrammatical didn't have MS Grammar Check to begin with! And how much easier your own life will be when you go into the Options menu and turn the fricking Grammar Check-thing off entirely.

Posted by: John at March 03, 2005 10:27 PM (IuAUA)

8 I am a great sinner in this respect... To totally change the topic though: I always used the word "homonym" the way you have used it here. I remember reciting definitions while I was in third grade or so to the effect, "sounds alike but spelled different." Then I went to TOESL hell to teach something I'm not exactly good at abroad. Let's not stroll down that memory lane, but they said that "homonym" means a word that has the same spelling, but a different meaning. "homophone" was the word I was defining. I had never heard that before and made kind of an ass out of myself arguing this point. So now I am confused. OR is this another damn British English/American English thing

Posted by: Jedno at March 07, 2005 12:39 PM (7FRUW)

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If the Maximum Leader thinks this is even remotely impressive, he's deluded.

Posted by: Kathy at 10:32 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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We've got another House convert!

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What Michele said.

Mother of God, please grant us tort reform. Soon.

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Fausta's on one. She's finally feeling better and is on a tear.

Go on over and just keep scrolling.

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And it's Another One Bites The Dust.

Go read. Its short. I won't take away from your daily allotment of pron surfing time, I promise.

the part I find particularly interesting is this:

There are two factors. The first is security in Lebanon. The security in Lebanon is much better than before. They have an army, they have a state, they have institutions. The second thing, which is related to Syria, is that after withdrawing we have to protect our border. We need to talk about our borders, because when Israel invaded in 1982, they reached that point. It was very close to Damascus. So we will need [fortifications for the troops] along the border with Lebanon.

It's convenient, isn't it, as to how the reasons for an invasion will change when it's time to withdraw. One of the reasons Syria invaded Lebanon was the premise that Lebanon's instability was threatening Syria's stability. Or so good ol' Hafez Al Asad always claimed. Now it's all about Israel and shoring their borders up against that threat. Hmmmm. Israel's always a convenient place to put the blame, but I don't think that's the threat he's really worried about.

Hmmmmmm. Very very interesting. We shall see if he actually means what he says when it comes to complete troop withdrawals.

{hat tip: Martini Boy}

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When Mr. H. was over here for the Oscar Party the other night, he left half a bottle of Dr. Pepper behind.

I just took a swig, and dang is about all I can say. Too sweet. Too syrupy. Bleech.

I gave up drinking soda a while back. I used to consume cokes on a regular basis, then I switched over to diet. I gave up the diet about a year ago because---{insert the lyrics to "You're So Vain" here}---it's loaded with sodium, which in turn makes me retain water. Kathy no like being bloated, so while it was a struggle and a half, she gave the junk up.

It's always wierd, though, now to take a drink of this stuff. No longer can I understand how people drink this junk all day long. Caffeine for non-coffee drinkers is one thing, but all the sugar that comes with this? (And this is coming from a person who likes everything sweet, too.) I simply cannot comprehend how I used to be one of the number of people who guzzled the stuff. It's beyond me.

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