Blagojamess FTW!

Ok, so clearly I've been doing a crap job of posting to World's Best Burger. I think once the Romney campaign died, so did my will to blog. After all, now that I have the president I wanted, who will I mercilessly make fun of in 2009. 

Anyway, Blogojevich is a possibility (you know, I'm not sure if I spelled that right, and I don't care).

What kind of dumb ass -- accused of trying to sell a Senate seat -- then goes on to appoint someone to that Senate seat. Regardless of how great the guy appointed is, the whole thing is tainted. Mother Theresa would be tainted by a Blogojappointment. 

I'm going to say taint again: taint. taint. taint. taint. It's a terrible word, and the best one out there to describe this situation. 

Good luck getting this appointment through the Senate confirmation process. 

A Novel Idea

As you've likely noticed, by the severe lack of blogging happening here at WBB, we've got a lot of stuff going on these days in our offline lives. Loree is in law school and working full time. I'm working full time, teaching and participating in FAR too many extracurricular activities. And, in my case, I got so burned out on the election so early that I haven't had much to say.

Anyway, Jon and I were taking a walk and discussing the plot of the novel I will write to make us millionaires this afternoon, and I figured it would be worth while to open up this novel writing concept to the full WBB crew. So, without further ado -- here's my novel idea -- The John Dillinger Fan Club -- after the jump.

So, now you're thinking... WTF Laura, why John Dillinger? Well, dear friends, John Dillinger was a bad ass during the depression, as I learned by watching the History Channel on my Saturday night. And surely he deserves a fan club of 12-year-olds who plot a bank heist in Sioux South Dakota in 1935.

Jon though, being the person he is, tells me that while this sounds like a great story, it will not make us millions, nor will it produce a summer box office smash. Therefore, the following elements have been added:

• The kids don't live in 1935 -- they live in 2035 -- and they're called Crypto Kids who hack banks and give money to the poor in a twisted version of John Dillinger meets Robin Hood.
  
• They have a "dude" in Jakarta (because all good novels and movies made for TV have a dude in Jakarta)
• The kids have a vendetta against Lehman Bros. because it turns out that the original Lehman Bros were the descendants of John Dillinger's love child. And John Dillinger wouldn't be as big of dick head as Lehman Bros has been to the world.
  

So, the Crypto Kids in the John Dillinger Fan Club are apparently going to funnel money through a dude in Jakarta stolen from Lehman Bros and give the money in $1 increments to everyone in the world via electronic transfer.

So much for my period piece. Please add on to this amazing plot that will soon make me millions. I promise to dedicate the movie to all of you.

Oh Sarah (To the tune of "Oh Sheila")

Seriously, Sarah Palin -- can't you just go quietly and graciously into the night instead of continuing to embarass yourself and humanity on this "media tour" of yours? Please?

This song is for you. Although a version that actually says "Oh Sarah" would be nice, I just think we need an excuse to listen to the sounds of Ready for the World.

Free Stuff on Election Day

You know, if there are two things I love, it's delicious, free snackies and ...uh...performing my civic duty.

But, clearly, my civic duty doesn't stop at voting. I'd be remiss to WBB's 5-6 readers if I didn't provide a quick roundup of free eats and drinks up for grabs tomorrow. (UPDATED on Nov. 4 to include more food and non-food related freebies and discounts...see below.)

Starbucks. Go in on Nov. 4, tell 'em you voted, and snag a free tall coffee.

Ben & Jerrys. Stop by between 5 and 8 p.m. and get a free scoop of ice cream. This nifty link can give you the nearest participating scoop shop.

Krispy Kreme. Free donuts. Patriotic donuts. That would probably taste delicious if they actually have a location near you.

UPDATES!

Chick-Fil-A. Bring your "I voted" sticker to one of hundreds of Chick-Fil-A restaurants participating in this promotion to snag a free chicken sandwich. Mmm. (Not all locations are participating, so you might want to call your local one first to check it out.)

Shane's Rib Shack. The chain (mostly located in the Southeast) is offering free "Vote America" meals to voters, which include chicken tenders, fries and a 20 oz. soda. (Thanks to WBB reader Kelly for the tip!)

Wilco download. No sticker required. Just pledge to vote and download "I Shall Be Released," written by Bob Dylan and featuring Fleet Foxes. (Thanks, Greg!)

Hey, Cincinnati readers, a local discount! It's not free, but it's good enough. Shake It Records in Northside is offering 10 percent off if you sport your voting sticker. (Thanks to Stef in the comments for giving us the heads up!)



Know of any more? Let us know in the comments!

Happy Halloween!

Courtesy of CNN, and one of the most depressing grouping of lead stories, ever. (Click to enlarge, cause for some reason I can't seem to make pictures post the size I saved them as.)

When did Cracker Jacks start to suck?

This is probably the most important question you'll ponder today. Why has Cracker Jacks decided to only populate its classic American snack with stupid ass prizes. I want my damn temporary tattoo or reflective sticker. All you've given me lately is a weird factoid sheet about George Washington and a pencil topper. And by pencil topper, I mean a piece of paper with a hole at the top and the bottom.

You know the country is in bad shape when Cracker Jacks starts the downward slide. Of course, I just had my first box in about 10 years last week, so I could be a little slow on realizing the demise of the product... but seriously, it's shocking.

I'd listen if a candidate brought this up. Could make me change my vote.

Hey Russia, buy me a battleground state ad!

Have you seen the nutty rumors about the McCain campaign asking for money from Russia to fund TV adds? And Russia declined, making a point to mock the campaign for asking for money after being critical of the country's handling of the Georgia situation? 

It all seems really strange, and I'm not seeing much mainstream media coverage of this. Here's a breakdown from Politico. They say they're verifying it, and if this is true, I don't understand why more people aren't picking up on it.

The 112 comments on this post as of 9 p.m. on Monday are pretty entertaining.

The Important Question

Wondering when someone is finally going to ask the candidates..."What's on your DVR?"

Loving Radar's guide to Mad Men.

Long time no blog, folks. I suck.

However, I have somehow managed to continue to feed my monster TV habit despite being busier than I've ever been in my life.

A few random thoughts:

-Very excited that Pushing Daisies is back.

-Can't get into Heroes this season. I think it kind of blows.

-Still find Boston Legal both fantastical and funny, but it's always the one thing left on my DVR that I just can't make time to watch when I get too busy.

-Greek is the best show on right now targeted at people 10 years younger than I. Yes, even better than Gossip Girl, which I still unabashedly love for the campiness factor.

-Last weekend, while friends were in town, we discovered Parking Wars on A&E. If you're not familiar, it's pretty much what it sounds like... a reality show that follows the Philly PPA as they boot, ticket and tow around the city. It's both terribly boring and terrifically awesome.

Foreclosing on the vote

Don't know if you've heard about the Michigan GOP's attempt to disenfranchise voters in Macomb County who are on a foreclosure list, but it makes me certain that any party that would fight to eliminate voters -- their rights, their duty as American citizens -- will never, ever receive my vote. Period.

In fact, every day, as I hear more lies, exaggeration, tired arguments, and evil attack ads, I think -- what will I do if this party wins the presidency again? I seriously don't know. This situation boggles my mind.

I've been pondering a move to Canada -- I joke, but only slightly, because Jon and I have discussed migrating to Vancouver before. We've discussed it, not to escape the jacked politics or financial turmoil here, but because it seems like a cool place in proximity to lots of biking, hiking and skiing. But now, the fact that it's not here in the United States is becoming more and more appealing.

Besides, if I move to Vancouver, LUSH beauty products will be a local product, and I don't have to feel guilty about loving them deeply because they'll only be shipped across town and not across the country. Remember -- I have that pesky commitment to reducing my carbon footprint. Local products always win.

Annnnnnnnyyyyyyywaaaaaaaaay, I digress. This tactic is wrong, designed to specifically target African-American voters who traditionally vote democrat.

This campaign season has gotten so ugly that learning the words to "Oh Canada" doesn't seem like a bad idea. A girl has to practice the potential new country's anthem to see if it's a fit.

Anyone watching "Fringe"?

Yeah, it's all right. I'm going to give it a few more episodes, anyway. The pilot was kind of enh, but I do like Joshua Jackson (Pacey!!!!). Plus, I'm a major J.J. Abrams fan (sure, everyone knows about the phenomenon that is "Lost," but he also created that groundbreaking cultural touchstone "Felicity"). Also, I clearly am willing to watch as much TV as I can humanly handle, so there's that, too.

But one great reason to tune in to "Fringe"? Lance Reddick is dreeeeaaaaammmmy.

More thoughts on the new "90210"...

So, I caught last night's episode of "90210" and I'm still digging it. Still not up to the status of appointment television, necessarily, but pretty good. Of course, the healthy dose of a Kelly Taylor storyline, complete with Drunk! Mean! Mom!, was helpful. (Interesting sidenote: The actress that plays Kelly's mom had to take a brief break from her day job at the pulpit to come back and play Sloshy McBoozerton.)

The teens are still a little enh. The lead actress is all right, but a little too bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for me. And it's hard to watch the guy who plays her bro, Tristan Wilds, do anything this soap-lite after his superb performance as Michael in "The Wire."

Also, I kind of expect the teen set to be engaging in a bit more, uh, debauchery. I mean, we're two episodes in, and all we've dealt with is some cheating (at least it's among both the kids AND the adults) and one flimsy drug problem (but it's just the annoying theater girl, so I'm not really invested her struggle). More drama! More turmoil! More reasons for parents to not want teens to watch, please! Don't these kids have tons o' money at their disposal? Surely they can get in more trouble than this.

Also, where was Boozy Grandma last night? Jessica Walters is the best (see any episode of "Arrested Development" for reference), and I hope the show uses her to their full advantage.

Sarah Palin and the Environment

This is the last time I go on a tirade about Sarah Palin, for at least a week. Check out my post on her environmental stances at Laura's Carbon Footprint.

Now, to watch the new version of 90210 so I can comment intelligently when Loree writes about it later.

What I love about Sarah Palin

You guys are probably flipping out by the headline right now, aren't you? Don't fret. What I want to say is that I love how people are digging up every last bit of dirt on the GOP VP nominee because she's so unknown. She doesn't have the benefit of having some of her past indiscretions being "old news". So, after the jump, you'll find a round up of some of my favorite facts -- non-facts -- and blog posts that have come up about good ol' Sarah Palin in the last couple days.

1. Sarah attended four colleges in six years, in Idaho, Alaska and Hawaii.
2. Oprah wants nothing to do with her until AFTER the election. Go Oprah!
3. Palin is being investigated in Alaska for an improper firing -- booting the public safety commissioner because he wouldn't fire her sister's ex-husband.
4. I saw a tweet that referred to Sarah Palin as a VPILF.
5. This article from slate is a great summary of why Sarah Palin is a big government hypocrite -- and why maybe I should consider a move to Alaska.
6. Snopes is even in on the action, verifying a letter from a resident of her hometown.
7. Apparently Todd Palin's business partner has filed an emergency application to have his divorce sealed. Hmmmm. Suspicious, maybe?
8. Here's a really interesting blog post about how Sarah Palin's right to deliver her child when and where she wanted to comes from the same rights that make abortion legal.
9. Great commentary from Jezebel on why so many normal women have such an immediate and terrible reaction to Sarah Palin.
10. And here's a great piece from one of my favorite Cincinnati-based bloggers, Amy in Ohio.

I'm not going to go into any of the Bristol's pregnancy, is Trig really Sarah's child, or any other conspiracy related to Sarah Palin's children. That's just too tacky. I'm pretty tired of seeing that sort of coverage, in part, because it makes a terrible choice for vice president somewhat sympathetic. And, a women who takes her designation as Sarah Barracuda so seriously (see #6), doesn't need any sympathy.

Man, Mitt Romney would have been so much more fun of a choice. I would have had three posts making fun of his hair done by now.

Nothing Guilty About It

One of my great pleasures in life is TV targeted at teenagers. I love it... pretty much all of it: good, bad, mediocre. One of my current favorites is, of course, "Gossip Girl," which has this great campy, soap opera thing going on. "Greek" is also excellent...like, it's actually pretty well-written and well-acted, and despite the fact I was not a member of the Greek system in college, it just makes me happy. "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" is resoundingly terrible. I mean, it's awful. The acting is mostly bad, the romantic lead looks like a young Bob Saget (I do not consider this a plus) and, coming from the creator of "7th Heaven," it is, not surprisingly, incredibly preachy. But yet, oh yet, I watch. I eat up the terrible plotlines and stilted performances like I'm binge-eating the shitty generic leftover candy the day after Halloween.

So, of course, I was very excited about this week's two-hour premiere of the new "90210." And, as someone who willingly spends my precious few available minutes watching shows like "The Secret Life of the American Teenager," I thought it was pretty good. Perhaps a little light on the angst (other than giving a couple of female characters dyed black hair) but that can be fixed over time. I'm looking forward to checking it again next week before I completely formulate an opinion. But, for a remake, I'm optimistic. It helps that Brenda and Kelly made an appearance in the first episode. Bring back Dylan for a guest spot and I'll be sold.

Ten Reasons

The first of many Slideshows leading up to the election. I'll pick some that a right, some that are funny, and some that are just oh-so-wrong. Enjoy.

Top 10 Reasons Obama Is The Man

view presentationtags: campaign election 2008 08

Joe Torres: The Update

Last week, an elusive comment popped up on the original Joe Torres post,which was written in the old-timey days of March 2007.

Some background: Our pal Shannan (who, perhaps even before we met face-to-face, was already sensing the depths of my laziness) did some legwork and found two listings for Joe Torres and left them in a comment soon after the original post.

Flash forward to now. Someone, inevitably searching the web for info on the Joe Torres rumor landed on that post last week. Comment below:

I called Joe, the one on S Bilbray Ave and it was him, sound just like him when he was on TV. He is alive and well. He didnt really want to talk and I dont blame him because I could tell he was wierded out. Seems like a nice guy. Hope this answers your questions.

Now, we can analyze this a few ways. One, we could take it at face value, and assume that some enterprising person rang Joe up to see what's up. Imagined conversation: "So, no kidney failure, eh? Been to the Golden Nugget lately?" In which case, very cool, and thank you for taking the final step to sussing out Joe's whereabouts.

OR! We could look a little further. I wanted to see if we could source exactly where the anonymous comment came from. WBB's chief of research and blog analytics said that such a thing did not appear to be possible through our analytics program; however, she did note that we had four visits from Arizona in the last month--including one from Tucson and one from nearby Cartoro.

So, here's my question. Joe, is that you? Are you out there? WBB would love to have the exclusive interview.

Hang Tight, Cowboys. And Cowgirls. Cow People?

An exciting Joe Torres-related update to come. Hopefully tomorrow, when I have the time and energy to string a couple of sentences together in a pleasing sort of way.

Whoever coined the word "VeepStakes" should be shot. I've heard enough.

That is all.

A Wilco break

Happy Saturday everyone! I thought we should take a quick moment to pay homange to the musical love of my life -- Jeff Tweedy.

Thanks to Greg for this find.

You can say that again!

This is from Washington Whispers on the US News & World Report site. Yeah, we at WBB agree with whomever created these posters.

Doesn't his hair look perfect? Clearly, the right choice.

Mad Men Fashion

So by now you know I'm batty about "Mad Men." As much as I enjoy the writing and the acting, I have to say at least half of my enjoyment comes from the stylistic touches--the decorating, the furniture, and, of course, the fashion.

Today, I was checking out a piece on Jezebel, which features the writer's favorite looks from this week's episode. Which, of course, made me want to immediately buy some Mad Men-inspired styles of my own.

I did a quick bit of research, and found out that Michael Kors' fall ready-to-wear line is at least partially inspired by "Mad Men." (My favorite outfit from the line is the dress featured in the pic above. Not quite as wild about the pastel fur-collared coat.) Unfortunately, dresses in that line regularly clock in at around two grand, and my definition of a major splurge for clothes is usually limited at a few hundred dollars (and that's a pretty big splurge for me). So, I'm going to be keeping my eye out at Banana and The Limited, on the sale racks at Anthropologie (and, if the fashion gods are on my side, H&M) to see if I can get the look for less.

Oh Olympics

Don't know about you guys, but I've been abnormally obsessed with the Olympics. I don't think I paid attention at all last time.

Don't expect me to be the most productive blogger for a while. I have to weigh blogging about McCain's advertising, the Edwards affair, or some other political scandal -- or watching hot, talented male swimmers.

Swimmers win.

The things I watch

I don't watch much TV. That's why I'd be a poor choice for the pop culture side of you WBB dynamic blogging duo. However, I watch weird things when I'm traveling for business. For instance, last night, I watched Gossip Girl. And while Loree may burn me at the stake for what I'm about to type, I have to say it.

That's one hour of my life I'll never get back. I'm a little dumber than I was yesterday at this time.

Can anyone explain the fascination with this show to me?

Hot or Not? Um, generally, not

Even when I lived in DC, I found The Hill newspaper's annual Hottest People on Capitol Hill section ridiculous -- yet, I think I've read about 4 years worth of them at this point. Not because I seek them out, mind you -- but, it's because I love, love, love the annual mocking from Wonkette on the topic.

A little slice of joy.

The Feast of Saint Bastard (Happy Corruption Day!)

As Eddie Izzard once said: "What have you been reading, the Gospel According to Saint Bastard?"

That's what I would say to the glut of politicians being investigated, indicted or sentenced today for corruption. More on the patron saints of bastardom, after the jump.

Our all-star line-up of criminal politicians kicks off with a Republican Senator from Alaska:

Saint Ted: Patron Saint of Unseemly Renovations -- Ted Stevens, the longest-serving Republican in Senate history, has been indicted on SEVEN, count them, SEVEN felony charges related to accepting illegal gifts for renovations on his home in Anchorage. I guess once you've been in the Senate for 40 years, you start to get a little too comfortable and think you're under the radar. Not so much. Of course, Saint Ted has claimed his innocence, but much like Joan of Arc, he'll probably be burned at the stake -- in that metaphorical political career ending way.




Saint Sharpe: Patron Saint of Adulterous Real Estate -- Sharpe James, the former Mayor of Newark and politician with the best name I've heard in a long time, was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison for selling city land to his mistress at a "special rate"... Ahem. I'm sure the treatment he's been getting at home since this came out from his wife of 44 years is as bad as the treatment he'll get in prison.

The Promised Land for Corrupt Saints: Cleveland -- We haven't found out who the patron saint of Cleveland is yet. But based on the fact that nearly every public building was raided by the Feds on Monday as part of a public corruption probe, I bet we've got a couple warriors of St. Bastard soon to be named. This is something to keep an eye on, for sure.

So, that's it for the Patron Saints of Corruption on this Feast of Saint Bastard. Until next year, soldier on corrupt keepers of the public good, soldier on.

My 90s Crushes

You know, I spend a lot of time reminiscing about all those great coming-of-age 80s movies and the actors that defined them. But, the truth is, I was nine at the end of the 80s, so while I certainly enjoy those movies, at the time that they originally aired and caused hysteria among teen girls everywhere, I was probably playing with my Popples and beheading my Barbies (another story for another time).

Which is why, I think, it’s time to get on to the decade that really mattered: the 90s. I’d like to look back and say that I was way too cool for celeb crushes and that I’m not even just the littlest bit familiar with the mags Teen Beat, Bop and yes, The Big Bopper. But you know me better than that. I mean, I watch “Gossip Girl,” and “The Hills,” for god’s sakes.

So, since I’m in a bloggy and nostalgic mood, I think it’s about time I detail my Top 5 crushes from the 90s.



Jared Leto



Man, he’s an asshole now, right? No matter. Before Cameron Diaz, before the eyeliner, before that band with the terrible name that I refuse to look up, before I started reading detailed reports of his asswipey-ness everywhere, Jared Leto was simply Jordon Catalano on one of my (still) all-time favorite TV shows, “My So-Called Life.”

Why was Jordan so dreamy? Well, he was really hot. Looking back, I think that was pretty much it. I mean, he certainly wasn’t very smart, although he was quiet and brooding, which sometimes points to intelligence below the surface. Not in this case, but whatever. I remember being crushed by Jordan and Rayanne when they hooked up (although Rayanne went on to redeem herself in my eyes with a stunning perfomance in the school’s rendition of “Our Town”), and that was pretty much just one of many moments when I should have decided that he was not worthy of Angela. But I got over it, because he was gorgeous.

Jay Frank



Um, yeah. For those who didn’t obsessively watch every minute of every episode of every season of “The Real World” in the 90s, you may have missed Jay, one of the castmembers of the mostly uneventful London season. (Although remember dude that got his tongue bit off? That shit was fucked up!)

Anyway, Jay was sweet, smart, unassuming, and totally devoted to his girlfriend back home in Portland. In other words, he probably wouldn’t make it past the first round of auditions to get on the show now. But what I loved most about Jay was that he wrote and acted in a one-man show “Bedroom.” And he wrote it when he was, like, 16. Which made me love him because I already considered myself a writer, but also because I thought that through crushing on him (and his accomplishments) I might be able to accomplish some of those lofty achievements myself. Uh, yeah, so I didn’t end up writing and acting in a one-man screenplay. But I have seen pretty much every episode of "Law & Order," which is not necessarily related, but should be considered impressive nonetheless.

The Bros From Wings



I don’t care what anyone says, "Wings" was a great show. And even though I had no idea where Nantucket was for the duration of the show, I still tuned in every week (and later in re-runs) to see what shenanigans Joe and Brian got themselves into. Now, given my preference for brainy, thoughtful dudes, it would seem that Joe would be the clear object of my affection here. But! Joe was kind of a hard-ass, and sometimes it was to the point of being annoying and unattractive. And that time, my affections would switch to Brian, who wasn’t so obsessed with Helen, and was undeniably charming. I figured I could be the one to make him settle down. Or something.

Anyway, my crushes on these guys went on for a long time, until Tim Daly and Steven Weber started taking on roles in decidedly creepy movies-of-the-week, likely in attempt to be perceived as someone other than the guys from Wings. Tim Daly as David Koresh creeped me the hell out, and I’ve never seen the actual version of “The Shining” because Steven Weber’s sanitized NBC version of Jack scared the living shit out of me.

John Cusack in “Grosse Pointe Blank”



Yeah, sometimes it’s a little hazy, but there was a Cusackian era in-between his stellar, career-defining roles in 80s flicks like “Better Off Dead,” and “Say Anything” and the bullshit he regularly ends up in now, like “Must Love Dogs.”

John Cusack was still highly crush-worthy, in my opinion, in this 1997 movie about a professional assassin who goes back to his hometown and attends his 10-year high school reunion. Definitely not ‘80s-era Cusack anymore, but still a hottie.

Elijah Wood



Definitely saved the best for last. I was intensely, disturbingly obsessed with Elijah Wood as a teenager, something that only became OK with friends and family after he became famous again a few years ago. Well, to clarify, I was still mocked about this when we has playing a Hobbit, but then he was in Eternal Sunshine and Sin City and now he comes across as an affable, well-adjusted guy with some indie cred. So I’m not a total dork. Anyway.

Not sure why I loved Elijah so intensely, but I did. He seemed smart, I guess, and he was my age, which always seemed important should we meet in real life. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen every movie Elijah Wood was in up until 1996 or so… I also have managed to store lots of Elijah-related trivia in my mind from those years. Did you know, for example, that one of his first roles was in Paula Abdul’s “Forever Your Girl” music video? AND! He was in extra in one of the “Problem Child” movies.

Yeah, he was. Bet you didn’t know those things. I spent way too much time obsessing over Elijah, which included clipping articles about him and watching “The Adventures of Huck Finn” over and over and over. I cheered when the mom dropped Macauley Culkin instead of Elijah off the cliff at the end of “The Good Son” and went out to the movie theater for the first showing of “North.”

Honorable mention:
Devon Gummersall as Brian Krakow. Yeah, he was the one who really wrote that insanely beautiful and thoughtful letter to Angela (Jordan took the cred) in “My So-Called Life.” Let’s face it—I probably couldn’t have hooked up with Jordan in real life, and since I’m a very practical person, Brian was a better bet. My crush was appropriately, uh, crushed, when Devon went on to play a character that raped the Red Ranger in “Felicity.” Sigh.

I Didn't Even Know How Much I Missed Mad Men

You know, I love "Mad Men," but I almost forgot the season premiere was coming on last night. And that’s the thing about the show—it tends to move a bit slowly and sometimes it doesn’t feel like much is happening (so it doesn’t create that week-to-week or season-to-season anticipation that other, more action-packed shows do), but when it’s on, I become completely and totally submerged in every gorgeously crafted minute of it.

More on why I like "Mad Men" (and SPOILERS from last night’s episode), after the jump.


1.) The style is nine kinds of fabulous. Yes, it’s obvious, and yes, it’s a common thing that fans love about the show, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth repeating here. Despite the stellar dialogue, I could almost be happy watching the show with the sound off, just to see and observe all the era-appropriate design choices Matt Weiner & Co. make, from the outfits—Betty’s riding outfit last night was stunning—to the furniture and interior design at Sterling Cooper.

2.) This show rewards loyal viewers. It’s weird, but it kind of reminds me of “The Wire,” in the way the show tells its stories. Other, less confident shows, would have made a point of wrapping up last season’s cliffhangers in the first half hour—but Mad Men is so well-paced that it wasn’t until after the show aired that I realized we still didn’t know exactly what happened with Peggy’s baby. And that’s ok. I’m sure they’ll lay it all out for us organically, in a way that’s satisfying to the viewers, in due time. Another example—I think any other show would have made a point of letting us know exactly who Don was sending that book to in the closing scene (probably with a nice, obvious close-up of him writing out there address) just to drive home the point that there’s Trouble Afoot In Paradise. But we don’t know, and who knows when we will? I’m fine with that.

3.) This probably overlaps a bit with 2, but I love the subtlety of the character development between seasons one and two. We know that we’ve moved forward in time, but not so much that anything hugely significant has taken place. But Don has gone from suave and in control to somewhat vulnerable and definitely showing his age. Betty seems to have grown more confident, although she’s still obviously a wee bit nutso (trading on your sexuality late at night on a desolate street for a discount on a fan belt is never a good idea, folks!)… but while there are changes, they’re still the same characters. Those minor tweaks represent growth (either positive or negative) but in a way that’s realistic to the characters we spent the first season getting to know.

A few other things I loved about last night’s show:
-Sal is…married?!
-The Jackie O. tour of the White House
-Peggy dressing down Don’s new secretary the same way Joan did with her last year
-Joan showing Peggy the what’s-what by putting the Xerox in her office
-Roger (he’s always outstanding)

Did you watch? What did you like/dislike? Who do you think Don’s sending the package to? I think the obvious choices are Midge (the mistress from season one) or Rachel, (the head of Menken’s).

UPDATE: EW's TV Watch recap is here. Happy that I'm not the only one seeing the parallels to "The Wire."

On Mitt

With the VP selection process heating up, and many signs pointing our favorite perfectly coiffed Mormon for the Republican nomination -- I thought I'd share a great synopsis of my feelings for the dear ol' varMitt:

From Matthew Yglesias with The Atlantic:

He wound up losing because, basically, people find him loathesome. Some find him loathesome because of his religion, some because of his flip-flopping, and others just because he's loathesome. But whatever the reason, people just really don't like Mitt Romney. Putting him on the ticket seems like an obvious recipe for disaster, but a potential boon to progressive bloggers who are really in need of a mockable choice.

So, please, John McCain -- pick Mitt Romney -- for the sake of my blogging mojo!

Grab your horse and come along...

I emailed Snopes to see if they would be interested in getting to the bottom of the Great Joe Torres mystery. Let's see what happens.

It's a little wild and a little strange...when you make your home out on the range

Folks, a year and four months ago, I was living (or more accurately, just kinda, sorta existing) in Texas, shoveling fast food down my gullet and spending an obscene amount of time on the Internet. (Hey, one big change a year ain’t so bad.)

But, most importantly, a year and four months ago, I authored The Most Important Blog Entry Of Our Time, one that my co-blogger Laura tells me is responsible for much of the random traffic our fledgling site gets. The entry, ladies and gents, was about the whereabouts of “Hey Dude’s” Joe Torres (aka Danny Lightfoot). The gist: I tried to get to the bottom of (or, um, searched the web for about 15 minutes in an effort to confirm or dispel) a pervasive Internet rumor that Torres had died in the last few years of kidney failure.

After receiving a random comment on that entry this weekend (said commenter basically asked if I had gotten off my ass and made any effort toward finding Torres…and the short answer is, uh, no), we decided it was time for an update.


As usual, my investigative work is best done from the couch, in my pajamas.

-In 2007, I “reported” that Joe Torres’ Wikipedia entry stated that he was last spotted in a Tucson bar called The Golden Nugget. In the past year and four months, that entry has been edited, and The Golden Nugget sighting is gone. Mysterious.

-Apparently I wasn’t thorough enough in my web research last year to discover that a web effort had formed and was already on the hunt for Torres. In 2006, this dude launched an “official” Where Is Joe Torres? Campaign. I have not seen any updates to the effort since the original post; however, t-shirts are available.

-Another guy posted about the controversy in Nov. 2007 on Yelp. In his post, he notes that Torres' IMDB profile has been edited—a credit for the role of “Drunken Indian” in the film “Hindustani” has been deleted, as well as a note about the rumor of his demise due to kidney failure. Hmm.

-This bizarre, random and totally unsourced page hosted on eBay states that “despite rumors to the contrary, Jose (Joe’s real name) is still alive and well and living in Tucson, Arizona.” And yes, I realized that it points to the Wikipedia page, but that page neither confirms or denies the kidney failure rumor. Ummm…I prefer my unsubstantiated news from Perez Hilton, thanks.

-TV.com still reports that Joe died of kidney failure after living for years on a reservation. BUT! Other reports say that Joe was Mexican-American, not Native American, so that doesn’t really fly for me.

-The Golden Nugget was voted “Best Low Brow Ambience” by Tucson Weekly in 2001. So you know.

Oh, Laura....

This one's for you.

Yeah, This Is Totally Not New

But it still cracks me up every single time. Rob showed this to me a year or so ago, and I stumbled onto it again tonight. Hilarious.

Maybe This Will Hold Me Over Until Dollhouse

Joss Whedon fans: Doctor Horrible, Act 1, is up. Check it out here. Then come back so we can all gush about how awesome Nathan Fillion and Neil Patrick Harris are. My opinion: They're pretty awesome.

Life Online -- the Handbook

So, I've been thinking a lot lately about life in the online world. Yes, in that obnoxious philosophical way that no one wants to hear about. It's been coming up at work, in my personal life, in my everyday friends' lives, and in my online friends' lives (yes, thanks to Twitter, I have those). I feel like someone -- maybe me, though I lack the motivation -- should write a fun handbook: Life 2.0. Something with quirky tips and illustrative stories to help us navigate the world as we know it and expect it to become.

It's an idea at least.

Any Mad Men fans?

I love the show, and am super-crazy jazzed about it coming back: beautiful writing, beautiful acting, and--most importantly--beautiful clothes.

Something's telling me that Jon Hamm's not going to be hopping on the subway this week, though.

Meet Olive Riley

This is a nice little piece on Jezebel about the passing of Olive Riley, who was apparently also known as "The World's Oldest Blogger."

The plight of full-time bloggers?

I thought this article in Radar by former Gawker editor Choire Sicha was pretty interesting. And it gives voice to something I've been thinking for a long time: As fun and exciting as it sounds, I've always thought that being paid to be a full-time blogger would be more stress than it's worth.

While the angle of the story is on a recent pay rate cut at Gawker Media, the article also spells out how the whole Gawker pay system works...pageviews, pageviews, pageviews. And yes, while that makes a certain amount of sense, and writers/bloggers should always be hyper-conscious of what their audience will want to read, link to, and send around, I think this kind of model creates writers that are less concerned with creating compelling content and more interested in linking to or creating content (read: the more salacious, the better) that functions solely as a traffic driver. Do those two categories of content have to be mutually exclusive? Probably not. But I can see how, concerned with pay and job security, a lot of people could displace the former for the latter.

Veep Veep!

The possible VP nominee guessing game is a fun one for sure. While I'm still hoping that the GOP will choose Mitt Romney so that WBB may reclaim some of its past political blogging glory, I'm salivating at all the bad puns that would come from a Tim Pawlenty nomination.

I admittedly know nothing about the Governor of Minnesota. However, I long to see cheesy campaign bumper stickers that say "Welcome to the land of Pawlenty" and other obnoxious variations. So in the absence of Mitt, I'm pro Pawlenty.

Mmm... Summery Shower Gels

(This is a cross-post from Hermits Gone Wild.)

Although I haven't blogged much about it lately, please rest assured that I'm still spending far too much money on bath and beauty products. My latest find: Korres. They recently opened a shop in Brooklyn Heights, and I went by with my pal Tara when I was in NYC a couple of weeks ago. (Apparently, the brand is also sold at Sephora.)

The Greek brand serves up all-natural creams, body washes, shampoos, moisturizers, etc. And the pricepoint is not so bad as far as chi-chi bath and body products go. I've been in a bath/shower gel phase lately, so while I was there I snagged the Summer Cocktails set (I convinced myself the little tubes are the perfect size for guests), which includes three gel flavors: Ginger Cosmopolitan, Melon Mojitos and Vanilla Daiquiri. The set (pic below) was $12, which I thought was pretty fair.


I also picked up two more tubes for myself (at $6 each) in Citrus and Basil Lemon. I've only used the Basil Lemon so far, which smells pretty great, but doesn't really linger post-shower. This can be a pro or con, depending on if you use perfume or a scented moisturizer during the day (I usually don't). But it was fun and refreshing, and lemon-y and basil-y, which was all I could really ask for. I'm excited about trying out the Citrus soon, too, and the cute little tubes mean they don't take up much space in the shower. Which, as Rob will tell you, is becoming increasingly overwhelmed with my products.

The best part: they also threw in a couple of free samples of facial moisturizer, which I haven't tried yet. Offering to throw in free samples before the customer requests it is a great way to keep me coming back. That's always been one of my favorite things about Kiehl's.

Remembering ReBoot

This is kind of embarrassing, but lately I've found my mind traveling quite a bit to... ReBoot, the computer-animated TV series I was dorkily into in my early teens.



I don't know why it keeps popping into my head. I'm particularly plagued with visions of Hexadecimal, the super-creepy villain that regularly taunted Bob and his cohorts. I'm also pretty sure that, even in the dork universe, fans of ReBoot are possibly considered especially dorky, as I've never heard my husband mention the show once.

So, today, with a bit of time on my hands, I decided to refresh my memory on ReBoot. It has a surprisingly robust Wikipedia page. A few things I learned:

-It's Canadian!
-The show ran from 1994-2001 (mostly in Canada, I think. If I remember correctly, there were only a couple of seasons in my teens.)
-There is an unaired episode. The description, via Wikipedia:

"Fast Forward: The Making of ReBoot" is a 23-minute episode. The title sequence on the sequence says "Date: February 27, 1995", putting its completion date between the first two seasons.

The show begins in Megabyte's lair, where Megabyte has hacked into the principal office and has created a portal into a parallel universe (our universe), taking him into the offices of Mainframe Entertainment. There the producer, writers and animators discuss how the show came about, how it is scripted, voiced, and animated, and what the staff does in its spare time.

-There is a comic
-A trilogy of ReBoot films will be coming to theaters. According to Wikipedia, that little gem was announced June 1. I'm totes there!

Arrested Development Movie! Yay!

I was (and am) a huge, huge fan of Arrested Development, so I'm psyched to see that a movie (finally, possibly, hopefully) is in the works. I think it was pretty much the most groundbreaking, innovative TV comedy ever, so obviously I'm jazzed. Any other AD fans out there?

Vote for you next WBB regular feature than never reoccurs

Your WBB Chefs spent a glorious day learning about all the possibilities we have to make your favorite once-a-month-I'm-crazy-bored-oh-yeah-let's-look-at-this stop more fun. Of course, we realize that we have neither the ambition nor the time to make any of these ideas come to life, so we're giving you some options. What would you like to see as the next reoccurring WBB feature that never reoccurs? Here are a few we've pondered today:

1. We'll hold a contest and secret giveaway of Loree's husband Rob's action figure collection. He'd never even notice, and you will benefit by getting a potential collectible for your lovely home...or maybe some Hulk smash hands.

2. We'll actually review burgers every now and then--as our name suggests we should. Posts will be much like our famous post about the Baconator that still gets lots of hits. A Fatburger is going in at the end of my street. I feel this is an omen.

3. We'll create a podcast. We'll convince Sean to be our West Coast correspondent. We'll ramble for a while. We'll hate the sound of our voices on audio, and pretend it never happened.

That's all I've got.

Zoo Zoo Zoo!

I took a vacation day today, so Jon and I took a trip to the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. I love the zoo. It brings out the kid in me every time. AND, Jon decided to get us a membership this time, so now we have no excuse not to go ALL the time.

But anyway, here are some of the highlights of our zoo trip (in my opinion):

• Giraffe Ridge! It's open and features 5 adorable 2-year-old giraffes that are too shy to feed, but should be eating out of our hands (so says every zoo worker's t-shirt) by the end of the summer. It's going to be crazy.
• Woman with child -- who was clearly too old and independent to be on a leash -- on a leash. She wouldn't even let him hold his own snow cone. She spoon fed him. I think he was 4. To each her own, I suppose.
• The elephants are back! At least the Asian elephants. My last trip ended with disappointment when I realized the elephants weren't around. Elephants have been my favorite since I was a kid.
• Speaking of kids, Jon got ice cream all over himself like a 3 year old. He was covered in sticky swirl soft serve and sprinkles. It was amazing.
• The cat house smells terrible. We were thoroughly traumatized.
• A zoo keeper was walking one of the bearcats. It was a fun sight to see.
• We watched a wild birds show. Clearly wasn't geared to our age group, but it was fun and informative nonetheless. I enjoy how they explain why it's important to take care of the environment to small children. The zookeepers are really good at making it relevant for them.
  

So, if you haven't been to the zoo lately, you should go. I'm sure it wouldn't take much convincing to get me to go with you.

I love this story!

My favorite part (click to enlarge):

A rant of sorts

So, as I was riding along the Little Miami Trail this morning, I got a little more irritated than usual about one of cycling pet peeves. It was probably exacerbated by the my friend who often works in the trauma unit at a major hospital in Tennessee saying, "You know how many severe head trauma cases I've seen from simple accidents gone wrong. You know, I'd just rather god take me."

I'm sure you can tell where this is going. It drives me crazy when people don't wear helmets when they ride -- whether it's a bike on the sidewalk or a motorcycle on the interstate. Now, sometimes I understand the mentality a bit, especially on a bike, where you grew up cruising around, 8-years-old, without a care in the world and certainly without wearing a helmet. You'd fly off the handlebars once or twice during your childhood, but you'd always pick yourself up, run to mom for Neosporin and a Band-aid, and head back out knowing that you can't really jump those pesky stumps.

Well folks, along the way someone figured out that a lot of kids AND adults never picked themselves up, got their band-aid, and went on their joyful way. A bicycle helmet costs $10-$20 at Target and Wal-mart, and if you stick them on your kids, it's not okay to give them the idea that once you grow up, you don't need them any more. There are a lot of people being bad examples to kids on the trail. 67,000 Adults go to the hospital for head injuries sustained on a bicycle each year. Estimates show that as many as 88 percent of those injuries could be prevented with a helmet.

Wearing a bicycle helmet should be like wearing sunscreen or a seat belt. You just do it because over the long term, the odds that something bad will happen for not doing it, is too large.

Love Michael Ian Black. Definitely going to buy My Custom Van: And 50 Other Mind-Blowing Essays That Will Blow Your Mind All Over Your Face.

The world is full of whack jobs. I'm so proud that I live in the same state as this guy. Sheesh.

I'm Voting Republican

Did I trick you? Probably not. But, this is hilarious. Enjoy. I'm sure there will be a "I'm Voting Democrat" one soon to share.

You want Straight Talk?

Ok, I'll give you straight talk.

John McCain: Your strange attempt to be young and hip by having a "Cribs-style" tour of the Straight Talk Express Bus is just bizarre and embarrassing. I would put it in the same category as the British trying to frame prehistoric Stonehenge as "rural chic" -- but of course the British aren't stupid enough to do something like that. They accept old things. Earth to McCain Campaign: Come to grips with the fact that you're old. Please.

And besides, if you're going to give us a tour of something, give us tour of Cindy's corporate jet, otherwise know as the Campaign Finance Reform Loophole Express.

Damn you Mitt Romney and your failing campaign!

I thought this was a great first-person account from a writer living with generalized anxiety disorder.

Most people that know me well know that I've dealt with episodes of anxiety and depression since before I was 19 years old, when I was officially diagnosed with major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. And you know what? I joke about it a lot, but it sucks. Sometimes I go months feeling totally cool and fine, and sometimes I'm so paralyzed with fear and sadness that I wish someone would just whack me on the head with a 2-by-4 because being unconscious is the only thing that sounds good.




But I'm not embarrassed about it. Obviously, or I wouldn't be writing about it here. I hate that there's still a stigma and that some people think you can just suck it up and deal when honestly--for a lot of us--that just ain't biologically in the cards. I see more doctors than my bank account would like and I've been dealing with shitty side effects of various medications for eight years because being successful and functioning like a normal human being are two very important things to me. And, lucky for me, I think it's more or less working.

But, I love that this writer put it out there. It's kind of tough putting your neuroses out for public consumption and I think it's realistic that she concludes that it's tough to find easy answers and permanent solutions.

Greenwashed

Long time no blog, people.

So, I went shopping over the weekend to get some summer shirts. One of my stops was New York & Company, which I like because of the plentiful sales and coupons.

Anyway, when I walked in a sign on one of the walls caught my eye. "Eco Couture" it said. I thought, "oh wow, green fashion at a reasonable price." Of course, I was expecting the clothing to be made out of recycled fabrics or bamboo or something crazy, but not so much. At New York & Company, "Eco Couture" means "inspired" by the world we live in. The description said something like green fabrics and leaf patterns that are a tribute to our planet.

Greeeeeaaaaaaaaaaat.

It could be the lamest ploy to exploit the green movement I've seen yet. I almost walked out, until I saw the 50% off rack and realized that I had a 30% off coupon to go on top of that. I have principles, but it's a recession people!

What kind of absurd examples of greenwashing have you seen lately, besides any ad from a oil company about how "innovative" it is?

This is the best thing I've read all day.



Click image to see detail.

(Story from Cincinnati.com)

Another day, another link to Jezebel. This clip they showed today from that great 90's show "Daria" totally made me nostalgic. I vividly remember the episode, which was lampooning "Jane" magazine.

I wish "Daria" was available on DVD, because I would totally snap it up.

I'm kind of cheating on this blog, but I have a new cat--with a very Stark-Bricken appropriate name--and he's so adorable, I think everyone should take a peek.

Ok, I lied.

I wasn't quite done with the interview when I posted the link. My new favorite excerpt:

AVC: You studied acting in college, and you've had roles in TV and film. Do you think it can be tougher to get a role because of your Soup persona? Like, "No, he's Mr. Snarky Guy. We can't give him that."

JM: I would say possibly, but not nearly as hard as it would be for, like, a registered sex offender. So, you know, happy medium somewhere.

Here's a great intervew with "The Soup" host Joel McHale from The Onion A.V. Club.

My favorite excerpt:

AVC: Do you think the war on stupid culture is unwinnable? Are we headed for Idiocracy?

JM: Oh, that's a good question. I think the smart people will get even smarter, and the dumb people will get even dumber. But I think they all will enjoy A Shot At Love With Tila Tequila, no matter how you slice it.

(This is a cross-post from Hermits Gone Wild, because I posted it and then realized it was based off of something from another site and I usually put that stuff on WBB. Exciting stuff!)

I'm not sure if it's just because I recently saw SATC and I'm in a fashion-y mood, but I enjoyed this Jezebel post about askliments--the etiquette around complimenting someone on their clothes and then asking--or not asking--where they got it. I think maybe I like the post so much because A) it's not something I've really thought about before and B) the seven types of responses the writer describes to askliments are so true.

I'm probably a combo of responses two--self-deprecating--and three--gloating about getting a bargain. I'm not sure I'm a fan of the connotations around the word gloat, but I'm a big-time bargain shopper (hate paying retail) at J. Crew, Banana and Anthropologie, and I love sharing a good deal. Everyone should buy cute clothes and save money!

About the etiquette around asking the question itself, I'm a bit divided. On the one hand, I can't imagine ever being offended by someone asking me where I got something, but I can be a bit of a willing oversharer. On the other hand, while I'd have no qualms about asking a friend where she got something (I can't really conceive of the idea of being friends with anyone who would give a shit if I shopped where they shopped), I can't imagine asking a stranger where she bought something, but that's because very, very few things prompt me to speak to people I don't know period.

Anyway, just my random superficial thoughts.

Carry on!

Google has spoken.

Therefore, the world has spoken.

It's a sign.

I was having a conversation recently about movies I'd paid money for to see in the theater but that ended up desperately, totally crushing my soul with their terrible-ness. Sure, lots of movies end up being "meh" or slightly disappointing, but occasionally a movie is so very bad, so heart-stoppingly terrible, it makes you just totally aware of how you will never get those two hours of your life back.

For me, that movie is "Hollow Man." Followed by "Meet Joe Black." What's yours?

End of an era

A fine politician passed away this week. Junior Cochran of Rabbit Hash died two days shy of his birthday -- his 13th birthday. You see, the folks in Rabbit Hash, knowing that politics is for the dogs anyway, elected a black Labrador retriever to the town's highest post. As the Enquirer reported in a lovely obit for the renowned goodwill ambassador, whoever follows in his foot steps has big paw prints to fill.

Just google the little guy. He was a bonafide celebrity.

It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time!!!

Thanks to Angela for this bizarre distraction.

Lean on Me

The leaning tower of Pisa has stopped leaning for the next 300 years thanks to the powers of engineers. Jerks.

I realize the toppling of an international treasure would be a tragedy. But seriously, just the possibility that it could crash into a pile of rubble at any time made the tower of Pisa way cooler.

Stupid science and math.

EVOO is some kind of terrorist code

Ok, so have you heard about the recent right-wing faux controversy featuring America's sweetheart and a third-rate Food Network "chef" gone talk show host? Yeah, our beloved Dunkin' Donuts has been tainted by that undercover terrorist Rachel Ray. Just ask Michelle Malkin, who wrote about this highly important issue.

See, Rachel Ray's stylist has style. And, she found this crazy cute white scarf with a paisley pattern for Rachel to use in her latest Dunkin' Donuts commercial. Random Aside: I heard that Rachel doesn't even like Dunkin' Donuts coffee and she's a total diva on the commercial set.

Anyway, apparently that cute white scarf looked a lot like a keffiyeh. Now, according to Internet source of power, Wikipedia, a keffiyeh is defined as a traditional Arab headdress, and the white and black variety is considered a symbol of Palestinian nationalism. Ok, so what? But if you're like Michelle Malkin and her cronies, it's "jihadi chic" and "hate couture".

Poor Dunkin' Donuts ended up pulling their ad to satisfy the .0005 percent of people offended by the fashion choice who probably don't appreciate the glory of their product anyway. What a waste of money -- even though less Rachel Ray on the airwaves isn't exactly a bad thing. That's a personal preference though.

But, have faith in America people. Even Michelle Malkin's followers thought this faux controversy was retarded. Just read the comments, and go buy a bear claw or something.

McCain is interviewing potential running mates, and good ol' Mitt is on the list. Let's cross our fingers that he gets the gig. It's just what I need to get my blogging groove back.

How I've missed his perfect hair, lame attempts at hanging with the kids, and general mediocrity.

McCain - Romney, please!

A bloggy love letter to "The Paper" and the awesome-ness that is Amanda Lorber.

This is a great article about my latest obsession, "The Paper." I've even Facebook-friended Amanda "In Chief" Lorber, who's pretty much my favorite reality TV persona ever.

There are only two episodes left. You can catch up on all the episodes online at mtv.com, which is how I've been watching 'em. (It's on way past my bedtime.)

Wanted: Charlie Sheen's Sperm

I'm baffled by the attention this whole faux scandal involving Denise Richards' "alleged" asking for Charlie Sheen's sperm donation. Denise says she sent no email to Charlie's fiancee asking for the sperm. Charlie issues a statement saying she did. Who really cares?

She was on Larry King Live, The View and the entire morning show circuit discussing this. Have we nothing more interesting to talk about?

And, I had no idea Denise Richards was 37. I thought she was early 30s at the oldest.

On to more pressing matters.

I love many things about Law & Order, but one of my favorite things is the recurring website BeFriends.com, which is obviously the L&O-verse equivalent of MySpace. BeFriends shows up pretty much anytime there's a sordid, seedy, web-based story to be told. In last week's episode, a woman killed her daughter and then used her BeFriends profile to dupe men into falling in love with her and sending her scads of money.

BeFriends, of course, is not to be confused with Another Youniverse, L&O's version of Second Life, which popped up on a recent SVU.

Here's what I think: L&O should get with the program and, like other shows (including "Family Guy" and "How I Met Your Mother") actually buy these domain names and do something with them. I'm on MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter... why not BeFriends?

In many ways, I'm not stereotypically "woman-y." I'm a slob. I hate cleaning. Cooking, to me, is popping a Lean Cuisine in the microwave. I famously (among friends and family, anyway) stood stone-faced at my wedding as my sweet and sensitive husband wept like a 12-year-old girl.

But, on the other hand, I think I'm still sort of traditionally feminine when it comes to things like manners and etiquette. I've never considered myself "ladylike" (that would involve learning how to not sit Indian-style in a chair), but I like the idea of being thoughtful and gracious, even if I can't always get it right in execution.



So, I'm digging this post on Jezebel about redefining what it means to be a "lady."

The post, which starts of referencing an article in today's "Times of London" about how gentlemen are a dying breed, takes the article's thoughts on how to be a modern gentleman and, with a few points of contention, translates it for women. Here's what Jezebel came up with:

1. Say please and thank you and ask questions about other people rather than talk about yourself.

2. Be punctual

3. Be environmentally aware

4. Open doors for people. If a man opens a door for you, be sure to thank him. If he doesn't, open the door for him and smile brightly. He will feel like a cad.

5. Be modest. And if someone compliments you, take it well: With a smile and a thank you.

6. Be a good mother by being good to yourself? (I'm open to a new #6.)

7. Be honest about wherever you have come from in life and treat royalty and maids the same: politely.

8. Flirt - with everyone. Flirting is polite. It's also stress-reducing to chit chat about the weather or tell your cashier that you love her nails. Let it out!

9. Do not phone/text/check your BlackBerry incessantly

10. Dress tidily. Ladylike no longer means skirts and gloves, but when you have respect for yourself, others will respect you.

I'm a big fan of No. 2 (lateness is a serious pet peeve of mine), and although I have loads of clothes I love, I'm pretty sure I'll never get No. 10 right all the time. I'm too in love with my hoodies. Which ones do you like/think are a load of crap?

Commentary of Note

I received this in an email from a friend, and I thought it was worth passing along verbatim, since I couldn't have said it better myself:

This might be my favorite quote ever, and not in a good way:

But Rep. Tom Cole (Okla.), chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, "rejected the notion of a dramatic break with Bush.

"'I don't see it particularly as an advantage to be in a debate with our president,' he said. 'It's not for me to second-guess the president of the United States.'"

Um, actually, part of your job description IS to second guess the president. I'm not going to argue if he decides to continue on this path, since it will only help the Dems, but it's still highly disturbing.

Yes, I Graduated From The Perez Hilton School Of Graphic Design

I'm probably a bad person, but I was really hoping I would open this story to find out that Dennis Quaid had lost his marbles and consulted Hugh Laurie on his recent family crisis.

That Darn Cat

Cats are amazing creatures. No other animal can be so loving, self-sufficient and, on the rare occasion, vindictive like a 12-year-old girl. I love my cat, but in the last week, he's pushed me to my limit.

This is a story that starts with confusion, transitions into frustration and anger, moves to motherly guilt, takes a detour to pity, and ends with the realization that my cat, Toga, may be smarter than me.

So here it goes: On Friday afternoon, I was gathering laundry when I noticed that whole pile was wet. It took a quick sniff to figure out that Toga had been relieving himself on the pile for days. Disgusting. I was completely confused because Toga always uses his litterbox. Jon and I checked out the litterbox to see if it was abnormally dirty or something... nope. So, we figured this pee thing was a one-time deal.

On Saturday morning as I was cleaning the house, I started finding pee spots on other random articles of clothing, bags, boxes, you name it. So, now I'm getting frustrated. I immediately start researching why cats mark their territory. While I'm sitting on the floor in the living room, Toga marches up to me for some pet, perches on my lap top case and pees on it immediately. After cursing my little baby and cleaning off the case, now I'm getting mad at him. I'm convinced that he's just decided not to use his litterbox and will spend the rest of his life soiling my lovely home. For the rest of the weekend he slinks up next to Jon and I and pees on something right in front of us.

By Sunday night we're at our wits end. My continued research showed that the cause of this behavior could be medical, which made sense. This behavior was completely out of the ordinary. Of course, on Sunday night I had vivid dreams of me chasing Toga around the house while he peed on everything, but I could never catch him. It's possibly the worst night of sleep I've had in months.

But on Monday morning, after waking up angry and tired, I got a good dose of motherly worry and guilt. Toga marched up to Jon and proceeded to pee on the floor. But this time he was peeing blood. Of course, I immediately took him to the Vet who said he had a really bad urinary infection that can be fatal in male cats.

Clearly I'm the worst cat parent ever. No one should let me have real children. I almost killed my cat by being mad at him when he was only peeing in front of me to tell me he was suffering. I'm an evil wench.

Toga got babied big time on Monday and Tuesday, while we were nursing him back to health. We may have babied him too much, because when I got sucked into an amazingly sappy Lifetime movie about a girl who goes from being homeless to getting into Harvard, and didn't pet him immediately when he wanted, he got the ultimate revenge. It was revenge so harsh that it required human-level intelligence to pull off. Right as the Lifetime movie was about to reach its climax -- when the homeless girl interviews for the New York Times college scholarship that will get her into Harvard -- Toga walks up the TV.

He climbs up on the cable box.

And, before I can say, "Toga, what are you doing?" The cable starts to flicker. I rush the television to shoo him away, but I'm too late. The puddle is there. I run to grab a paper towel, but by the time I get back, the damage is done. The cable is out.

It's still out right now. If you add up the $325 vet bill, the $20 in specialty food, the $40 special water fountain for kitties, and now the replacement fee for the cable box, this little adventure will be quite expensive.

And, I'm convinced, my cat is a genius.

I hate it when Twitter crashes.

That would be a tweet if Twitter wasn't completely out of commission right now.

For those of you that don't have a Twitter account, you need to sign up ASAP. It's way fun. My new social media obsession.

Decisions, Decisions

A while back, people were giving me a hard time because I hadn't chosen between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination. I've had a little bit more time than most to make a decision because the Kentucky primary isn't until next week. So, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, and surprisingly, I've actually come to my final decision based on things that have happened on the campaign trail during the last few weeks.

Considering the experience we've had over the last 8 years with dear ol' Bushie, there are certain things I've come to demand from a president:

1. The ability to know when it's time to devise and exit strategy; and,
   
2. The ability to manage and balance a budget

So, I'm voting for Barack Obama.

I was seriously leaning Hillary for a long time, and thought on many occasions that I'd go ahead and write my "endorsement post" for her. But then she proposed that Gas Tax holiday and I got confused... and it was all down hill from there. Nothing adds up anymore.

And for the record, I only speak for one half of the WBB team.

Yeah, so I'm the teensiest bit embarrassed to admit it, but I want to see the "Sex and The City" movie. Now, clearly the "in" thing right now is SATC backlash... but, I got to say it, I saw these clips this morning and got damn-near giddy. I just can't stay away. And yes, I still consider myself a Miranda.

Anybody else into TV totally not targeted at their age group? I'm loving "Gossip Girl." Last night's episode, especially, brought the drama. Murder, cocaine, a Lisa Loeb guest spot. Can't wait for the season finale next week.

I'm also looking forward to the new "90210." It's got a few things going for it... one being that the original treatment was written by Rob Thomas (not the Matchbox Twenty guy, but the creator of Veronica Mars), and two, word on the street (or the Internet) is they're bringing back some of the old cast, including Jennie Garth and Tori Spelling. Donna Martin graduates!

Give thanks for the local news

So, I know we've talked a lot over the past months about amazing things popping up on the local news channels with help from you, faithful readers. We've heard tales from sea to shining sea of local news stations leaving us in awe of their... ahem ... skills.

Well today, I have a special local news item to bring to this discussion. From WOIO in Cleveland, here's an amazing tale of deep, meaningful relationships. It speaks to the need in each of us to be loved. It speaks to the lengths some people will go to for companionship. It's about people who date dolls. Yes, my friends, from WOIO in Cleveland, in their own words, I bring you "Doll Dates."

The station describes this journalistic endeavor in the only way it could, I suppose:

"It's one of the strangest stories 19 Action News has ever told, and only one station would ever attempt to tell it."

Now, if I were a news station, which I admittedly am not, and there was a story I would desperately want to tell, I don't know if this would be it exactly. I mean, the housing and credit crises are pretty complex -- would require a significant effort. Or, how gas prices are formulated -- that would be a tough story to attempt.

But why be so boring, when we can delve into the lives of people who take life-sized dolls to meet their parents after dating for a while? WOIO, I guess you win. I really want to see the poor sap who got roped into being interviewed for this story. His mother must be so proud.