Heheheheheheh.

Better you than me, Robbo.

Rent a laptop.

Puhleeeze?

Posted by: Kathy at 02:18 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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...is finding someone else who is similarly obsessed with a particular topic.

Courtesy of Ilyka, I found that Ith at Absinthe and Cookies is also a big House fan! She's even got an email list. Wooooh. Impressive.

So, this is a good thing. More people chatting about this show means it won't disappear any time in the near future. Das ist gut. I'm afraid, however, that I still need to keep chatting about House. I'm sorry if this bores you to tears, but I'm terrified that the only reason it's doing well right now is because it's on right after American Idol. I'm afraid that when Idol disappears, its ratings will go back into the toity and that will be the end of that. I don't want to be able to see how that's possible, but unfortunately I can. There's been plenty o' quality television over the years that's done very, very well for a time in a good slot, and then has subsequently disappeared into the ether, like a spaceship on the X-Files, because its lead-in disappeared as well. It's times like this when I really, really wish Nielsen would give me one of those boxes so I can fuck with their heads about what is and isn't good tee-vee.

It's worrying.

Hugh Laurie should have this job for as long as he wants it. And if I have anything to say about it, that will be for a long, long, loooong time.

Posted by: Kathy at 01:22 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Given these recent developments, I'm so prescient.

Sure it's all about beer and trivia now, but they're milling about and organizing. There are weekly meetings that serve a roughly sketched, "figuring it out as we go along" initiation purpose. There's even a blogroll so we know who is a member and who ain't.

Yes, kids. I think we all know where this is headed.

The MOB will soon be applying for a charter and requesting entry into the Panhellenic Council. It is, in short, turning into a Fraternity or a Sorority.

What's next? A reworking of the initiation ritual to something where we all have to bow down and pay homage to Lileks, Hewitt, NARN and the Powerline guys? Will ritualistic chanting be involved? Will we all be uttering shortly, "Thank you, sir! May I have another?" What else will be required? Candle passings? Serenades? Will we be ordering sweatshirts with 'MOB' scrawled across them? Will we be participating in Greek Week and the compulsory bed races? Will we be forced to whip out our trusty cordless screwdrivers to construct a homecoming lawn display? Will float building two weeks before finals be mandatory? Will we now have to perform intricate Rush dances on the front lawn of the MOB house? Or---holy of holies-- will the ghastly phrase, "Fire UP!" be repeatedly squeaked out by perky blondes for motivational purposes?

Heaven forfend!

Soon, I am pretty damn sure, I'll be drafted into licking envelopes. This is how it always starts.

Join up for the fun and tongue numbness will shortly follow.

Posted by: Kathy at 01:27 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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For my fellow Minnesota residents who received an anti-trust settlement offer from Microsquash last fall: it has to be postmarked tomorrow or you lose out on all that cashola!

And the only reason I know this is because the husband just filled ours out.

Go forth and bask in the righteousness of the well-informed.

Posted by: Kathy at 12:05 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I THINK NOT!

Posted by: Kathy at 02:33 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Sadie, in response to an idiotic call for Brit Hume's resignation, points us to where the real problem at Fox News resides.

To go one step further in blogswarming the apparent plastic surgery addiction at Fox News, I humbly present to you, my devoted Cake Eater readers, this:

Dearest Shep needs to cut back on the old Botox injections. I still find myself watching his broadcast, waiting for a random forehead line to pop up. Alas, it never happens. In fact, he doesn't seem to have a whole lot of facial expression, does he? Sure he can do stuff with his voice, but when it comes to expressing with his facial muscles, well....

I have this image of him being shot up every day, right before Studio B, when he's getting his makeup done. Does Fox keep a plastic surgeon on retainer?

Hmmmm. I smell an Area 51 conspiracy.

I'm assuming all my fellow CITIZEN JOURNALISTS will jump on this one now that I've proved there is a plastic surgery conspiracy occurring at Fox News.

Go forth and act all Mulderish in pursuit of the truth. And if you wind up singing the theme song to Shaft during your investigation, I want the video.

Posted by: Kathy at 01:54 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Over at the Fraters, St. Paul discusses the various privileges of union membership and makes some excellent points.

As far as the benefits of union membership, well, as far as I can see, there really don't seem to be any. But don't tell the unions that. You might just put Jimmy Hoffa Jr in his grave prematurely. And let's face it, if there's anyone who's probably really afraid of dying, it's him. It would be cruel to taunt him about such a thing. Really. (Don't think it'll stop me, though.) But I digress. Anything they might have been able to take credit for in the past is now legislated. What purpose do they serve nowadays, other than arguing about health insurance prices? I don't really see the need for them to be fighting THE MAN all the damn time. At least not here in the States.

On a related note, I would still like to know why the Teamsters can call itself an international organization if it only operates in the United States and Canada.

What? Don't workers in developing countries deserve to be represented by Jimmy Hoffa Jr. in their fight against THE MAN? I mean, if it's all about fighting THE MAN, you'd think they'd want to go someplace where they'd actually have to, you know, fight.

Or isn't five percent of a $14/week Mexican/Indonesian/Malaysian paycheck enough to sustain their activities?

Makes one wonder, doesn't it?

/sarcasm

Posted by: Kathy at 12:13 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Jonathan asks us who our Law and Order dream team would be.

Hmmmmm.

This is a toughie for me mainly because I quit watching a while back, so my choices are bound to seem dated. I stopped watching because if I had to listen to the phrase "Ripped From the Headlines!!!!" one more time I was going to gag. It was one thing for the writers to use real cases as an inspiration for their plotlines and to examine them from that angle, but it was another thing entirely to advertise it. It was like going from subtle tap on the head that asked us, politely, to pay attention, to being knocked over with a sledgehammer. Highly annoying. One of my all-time favorite Law and Order episodes was the one where they fictionalized the Tawana Brawley incident. Richard Brooks' assistant AD Paul Robinette was stuck between the proverbial rock of being a black man and the hard place of defending the law. It was a brilliant performance and one that sticks out clearly in my mind, all these years later. Even thought the writers were fictionalizing a real-life case, they did it with class and grace and no viewpoint was left untended. But at no point did they advertise this episode as "Ripped From the Headlines!" It was what it was, and it was brilliant.

The urge to make a Law and Order franchise struck down the integrity of this show, in my humble opinion. That's why I stopped watching. Bringing on a Baywatch babe only sealed the deal for me.

That said, however, here's my dream team.

The law side:

Chris Noth (with Benjamin Bratt a close second)

Jerry Orbach

S. Epatha Merkerson

The order side:

Steven Hill (Dianne Wiest or Fred Thompson? Ha! I think not!)

Michael Moriarty (Sam Waterson is great. Don't get me wrong. I just get the feeling if I ever had to be around McCoy on the show, I'd be showered in spittle every time he decided to get righteous. Bleh.)

Jill Hennessy (With Richard Brooks a very close second. A very close second. In fact, I'd love to see them bring him back and put him in the Waterson/Moriarty slot. Claire's dead. (or so they say! I never saw a body!) I can't say the same for her.)

Posted by: Kathy at 01:16 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Which Family Guy character are you?

"I say! Fetch me some clean linen to throw on before I call child services!"

{Hat tip: Doug at Bogus Gold}

Posted by: Kathy at 01:26 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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.... "You can bend over and kiss my lily white, Kappa Alpha Theta ass," is what I have to say to the Crack Young Staff of "The Hatemonger's Quarterly."

Your generalizations have dumped you neck-deep into the soup this time, Chip.

Posted by: Kathy at 01:04 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Was just perusing the TV listings for this evening's episode of House and am suddenly edgy.

If, at any point, during this very special detox episode, Dr. House finds his way to a twelve step meeting, I will give up this show. For good. And I won't watch again.

I might have more to say about this later on tonight. I sincerely hope I don't, though.

UPDATE: Yay! Good episode, too. more...

Posted by: Kathy at 03:38 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Terry Teachout is not so much speaking ill of the dead, but rather gives an honest obituary when it comes to Arthur Miller.

Personally, the fact I went to an all-girl Catholic school saved me from much of Miller's work. We never read or presented "A Death of a Salesman" in high school because we didn't have any boys attending our school. Would have been a bit hard to cast, eh? We had enough trouble trying to find a Tevye and three suitors when we presented Fiddler on the Roof. But mainly I believe we were spared Miller not because we were a provincial school in Omaha, but rather because our English Department thought his work was overrated crap. (This is also the same English Department who made us read Macbeth instead of Romeo and Juliet because they didn't want to focus too much on Shakespeare. We spent more time on Chaucer and Beowulf in Brit Lit than we ever did on good ol' Will. Take what you will from that observation.)

So, having never been educated in the "joys" of Arthur Miller, but having heard quite a bit about him and his work, I was a bit surprised one night when I sat down and watched The Crucible. For someone who had been heralded as the playwright of our time, I was a wee bit surprised at how quickly and easily Miller pressed the "mass hysteria" button. It's his play and he was entitled to do whatever he wanted, but it seemed a cheap trick for one who was supposedly so talented. There was untouched ground in that play that could have been much more interesting and insightful, but Miller focused instead on slamming home his message about the dangers of witchhunts.

Ugh.

I came to the conclusion that the English Department at my old high school knew what they were talking about.

Posted by: Kathy at 10:22 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Wellstone Syndrome has gone national.

Posted by: Kathy at 03:13 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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As a blog junkie, I read a lot of posts from day to day. I like to see how people will argue a point. The style of the debates that ensue are just as interesting to me as the debate topic itself. For me, it's not only about what Picasso painted, but how he did it, what brushes and paints did he use, etc.

If this sort of thing interests you, first go here.

Then go here for one exceedingly well-argued point of view.

This is what the blogosphere is all about. This is why I love it so.

{hat tip: The Naked Villains}

Posted by: Kathy at 02:58 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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{If bigger is your thing, click to enlarge}

I swear to God, if this yet another attempt to get me to read Penthouse Forum I will go and get the cast iron frying pan and I will smack you upside the head with it.

Posted by: Kathy at 02:32 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Courtesy of Cake Eater Pal, J., my newest (and probably my only) reader in Basel, Switzerland, we have this New York Times op-ed about Iowa's brain drain.

Lately the Iowa Legislature has been trying to find a way to solve a basic problem: how to keep young people from leaving the state. Right now, Iowa's "brain drain" is second only to North Dakota's. The Legislature is toying with a simple idea, getting rid of state income tax for everyone under 30. This proposal was front-page news in California, where most of Iowa moved in the 1960's.

Let me translate the economics of this plan. The State Legislature proposes to offer every young tax-paying Iowan a large delivery pizza - or its cash equivalent, about $12 - every week of the year. But smart young Iowans know this is only an average figure. The more you earn, the more state income tax you save. {...}

Iowans are resolutely practical about such proposals. One state legislator, quoted in The Minneapolis Star Tribune, said: "Let's face it. Des Moines will never be Minneapolis." He might have added that Council Bluffs would never be Kansas City. Another Iowan, when asked what the state needed to keep its young people, said, "An ocean would help." This is the kind of big thinking Iowa has always been famous for.

But $600, the average yearly state income tax for Iowan 20-somethings, is not enough to undo decades of social erosion. The problems Iowa faces are the very solutions it chose two and three generations ago. The state's demographic dilemma wasn't caused by bad weather or high income taxes or the lack of a body of water larger than Rathbun Lake - an Army Corps of Engineers reservoir sometimes known as "Iowa's ocean." It was caused by the state's wholehearted, uncritical embrace of industrial agriculture, which has depopulated the countryside, destroyed the economic and social texture of small towns, and made certain that ordinary Iowans are defenseless against the pollution of factory farming.

These days, all the entry-level jobs in agriculture - the state's biggest industry - happen to be down at the local slaughterhouse, and most of those jobs were filled by the governor's incentive, a few years ago, to bring 100,000 immigrant workers into the state.

Business leaders all across Iowa have been racking their brains to think of ways to spur economic development. But nearly every idea leaves industrial agriculture intact. That means a few families living amid vast tracts of genetically modified soybeans and corn, with here and there a hog confinement site or a cattle feedlot to break the monotony. {...}

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Iowa's brain drain is all big agriculture's fault. If you're failing to follow the logic on this one because you don't come from an ag state, well, it goes something like this: family farms go belly up because of one crisis or another. Agribusiness (seed, pesticide, fertilizer companies, just to name a few) moves in, provides jobs and paychecks in a part of the country where no one else wants to live or do business because they think it's a backwater type of place where they can't get Guinness on tap. Because of Agribusiness' decision to do business in a place where, ahem, people know something about agriculture, of course it's responsible for shutting every other type of opportunity out. Hence there's a brain drain in the state. Because young graduates who did not graduate with a B.S. in AgBus go elsewhere. And it's all because of the loss of the family farm!

Pffft. more...

Posted by: Kathy at 02:09 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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...in the future, I will be in New York, attending a book launch party held in a swanky hotel ballroom. It will be somewhere Dorothy Parker and her Algonquin Round Table slurped many martinis once upon a time, when the Art Deco theme of the ballroom was considered so yesterday. I will be dressed in a sensible, yet low-cut black cocktail dress, and will be chatting with some earnest young student, who's crashed the party and who has been cheeky enough to wonder aloud at my reasoning for being in attendance.

And I will be able to tell them that I knew Rich way back when.

Posted by: Kathy at 11:43 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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After over 10 years, I'm amazed every day; ...at your strength, at your intelligence, at your wit, at your integrity, at your beauty. I truly don't know how I got so lucky.
Happy Valentine's Day, My Bride.

Posted by: MRN aka "The Husband" at 07:42 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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It's currently raining.

In February.

In Minnesota.

I do believe this is the one of the signs that the world is about to end. I think it's somewhere in Revelations. Between the blood-red moon and everything in the seas dying.

You could look it up.

UPDATE: The rain turned into snow around sixish. The world, it seems, will not end after all. We will now return to our regularly scheduled programming.

Posted by: Kathy at 01:35 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Courtesy of the husband, a fellow World of Warcraft player, who explains the lingo: "When playing a game, it is said that we have "aggro" when a "mob" (mobile enemy) has turned aggressive and attacks."

Chuckle.

{You can find more Ctrl-Alt-Del here.}

Posted by: Kathy at 01:28 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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