whoa! Bob Christgau is out at the village voice. The Dean of reviewers, the king is dead.

i am having a somewhat whacked week, all because i took a few days off. I wasn't in the office last friday, or this past monday, and I'm all confused as to what day it is.

I kept thinking yesterday was tuesday, though I knew i had to produce my regular wednesday program. Which i did. And tonite a few of us are taking advantage of the i riichi summer promo (similar to a restaurant week 30.01 dinner, 'cept it can be used through the end of august) tonight...and it's thursday. And i keep thinking if i'm going out during the week, it has to be friday. (which holds no water really, because i often go to shows during the week, and stay home on friday!)

very confusing.

other big news for the day: for the first time since June, I am wearing shoes in the office. No, i hadn't been going barefoot, I was wearing sandals. but, it's a bit cool and rainy (or at least expected to be rainy) today, and since we're going out, i figured I should give the tevas a rest. So, it's black clogs today. But no socks....it's far too early for that!

sigh.
back from Austin, and back to the grind. It was a wonderful, but all too brief break. Travel was awful yesterday. To get to Austin via AA, i have to transit via Dallas, or Chicago. Neither wonderful in the summer, due to "weather." Everything that's wrong is blamed on "weather." Don't know exactly what kind, as things were bright and sunny on Friday, and I was told the departures after mine were delayed because of "weather." Mine, of course, delayed because of "a mechanical." Which is fine. Please. Delay me if there's something wrong with the plane. And belated kudos to AA for watering us while we sat on the runway in Chicago for 2 hours friday afternoon.

No such kudos yesterday. I finally got home around 11, 2 hrs late. I can't remember the ins and outs of the National Airport curfew, and had a few seconds of fear that we'd be diverted to Dulles, but all was well.

And my 100 dollars of Hatch chile sausage (hot, mild, pork, chicken) and Hatch chile meatloaf(beef only, no mixture) stayed frozen and made it home just fine. Have I already reported this? I know I told someone....

and, if all went as scheduled, Mony should be driving home to Nashville with her new puppy, Baylor. To be renamed later. Keep checking her blog for updates. And a picture, we hope.

greetings from quite warm austin....where it's been about 100 for the past few days.

having a wonderful time, but then what did you expect??? Misti's housewarming party was a great success. We met up friday afternoon for a very late lunch, returned to her house, where i got the grand tour. She was having a lot of yard work done, and a few minutes after we got back, the lead guy rang the door, asking misti to come out. I'm sure she thought he just wanted to give her a progress report, but in reality....her mother and two sisters had just piled out of a cab! They'd flown in for her party! Totally unexpected, but very welcome. The fam had been planning this for a month, and managed to pull it off.

We (Ronda, mona and i) got back from the party around 2 yesterday morning. I was ready to collapse, but before I could, there was one final bit of excitement. Mony had noticed something odd a few doors from Ronda's (I was following her in my car, and didn't see a thing, but then she claims to have been driving with the brights on)...two guys walking in the middle of the street, who drifted to the curb, and tried to hide as she passed. We parked, and stood in the driveway for a few minutes, trying to figure out what was going on. Sharp eyed mony saw him skulking (which doesn't look like it is speeld rite) about, so we decided to tell Ronda. She then called the police, who said they'd drive by. Of course the three detectives couldn't just sit around...we decided to pile into one car, and take a trip around the block, too. (Guess who's car was the last one in the drive????) I was at the wheel, we set off and saw the pox (Old newsroom shorthand for police) sitting at the intersection a few houses up. We continued our drive-around, didn't notice anything amiss, and returned home for a bit more chat.

I finally collapsed, and put an end to the frivolity. Crawled onto the very comfy futon around 3, only to wake up perky and far too awake at 8am.

greetings from the admiral's club in terminal b at washington national airport. I'm off to austin, minus the almost full fifteen dollar bottle of Chanel Ruby Slipper nail polish that had taken up residence in the bottom of my cloth bag. TSA guy really felt bad about taking it from me, and said "I can see it on your toes, but it has got to goes...oooh that's bad."

if only i'd checked. RS was a hot commodity last year, and nearly impossible to find. a bit easier now, but still quite a blow to lose it.

Yes, I know that's about twice the price of OPI polish, but this chanel stuff is worth it----dries faster and lasts twice as long.

Spent part of yesterday with a great young band called The Duhks. Their new album is out next month, and sounds fantastic. All five are very talented and thoughtful...a good time was had by all, I believe. Last night was spent at the birchmere with uncle earl, the band, not a person...I don't think there are any earl's on any side of my family. I'm a bit weary today, and will have to grab a quick nap somewhere. I've heard a preview of my austin schedule, and it sounds a bit exhausting.

oh boy, only six more days until season three of arrested development is out on dvd.

A review in the Washington Post reveals a couple of good features, wicked commentaries, and a few other specials for those of us diehards.

tick, tick, tick....

one more reason I love the british journos. This Guardian review of the new album by Paris Hilton*.

This review is sooooo spot on, that I am not going to force you to wait any longer! Here's a preview:

"For a woman apparently ill-suited to anything more taxing than standing around nightclubs in a pair of really enormous sunglasses, Paris Hilton is quite the polymath. In recent years, the hotel heiress has variously revealed herself to be a TV star, a perfumier, a jewellery designer, a nightclub owner, a model, an actor and an author (albeit one whose book, Confessions of an Heiress, was described by a disgruntled Amazon customer as "a huge blow to the medium of literature as a whole"). You read her CV and boggle at what wildly improbable occupation she might turn her hand to next. Spot-welding? Cognitive neuropsychology?
Alas, no: it's singing. Lest one carp, Hilton has been quick to point out that singing is a vocation for which she is eminently skilled. "I know music," she reassured the Sunday Times children's section. "I hear it every single day."

While this obviously gives Hilton a massive advantage over those who have never heard any music and thus believe it to be a variety of cheese, there remains the nagging suspicion that this might not represent sufficient qualification for a career as a singer, in much the same way as knowing what a child is does not fully equip you for a career as a consultant paediatrician."


That last crack reminds me of something quite important: Later this year, Lee and I will be rejoicing over Easy Peasy (perhaps now called The Complete Guide to Parenting), a new british sit-com starring Peter Davison. Who (i mean davison) will portray a professor of child psychology who is forced to put his theory into practice and look after his 7-year-old son when his wife takes a job based in Paris.

You may be thinking it sounds just like another tired sitcom. Or, one you've seen before. But we know better. Because it stars the hardest working man in british TV, a guy who's barely been off the screen since your mother fell in love with him close to 30 years ago when he played the "loveable layabout" (his words) Tristan Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small.

Does this jog your memory?


Since then, PD has barely left the screen, at least in the UK. Most recently he starred as the wonderfully grumpy Dr. Bill Shore, forced to leave his posh london plastic surgery practice for a temp GP job on a remote island in a bid to try and save his marriage. (the first episode sees him put a hand upside a cow, just for old times sake)


this is now:

NM is enjoying this one, and perhaps we've inducted her into the cult.


*(I can't believe i typed her name...I almost filled in the vowels with *'s, just so I wouldn't feel so dirty.)

do not click on this link if you're in a rush. It's another missive from Becker and Fagan, a.k.a. Steely Dan. Lots o' words in this one friends, and not for the faint of heart.

I'm finding this very interesting, mainly for what is not being said.
From Reuters:


"Viacom Inc.'s Paramount Pictures unit is ending its 14-year relationship with Tom Cruise's film production company because of the actor's offscreen behavior, the company's chairman said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.

Sumner Redstone, Viacom chairman, said the behavior of the star of the "Mission: Impossible" series and "Top Gun" was unacceptable to the company, according to the Wall Street Journal story e-mailed to reporters.

Cruise, one of Hollywood's biggest stars, has been known more recently for his antics on U.S. television talk shows, including jumping up and down on Oprah Winfrey's couch to declare his love for Katie Holmes and criticizing the use of antidepressant drugs.

"As much as we like him personally, we thought it was wrong to renew his deal," Redstone was quoted as saying in the Wall Street Journal. "His recent conduct has not been acceptable to Paramount."



My first thought? That they are cutting ties NOW, because something even stranger is about to come out. Perhaps we're finally going to find out that there's no baby. Or, poor katie holmes parents are about to do an intervention and get her...revealing that fake baby scam.

I really think it is something big. That's major damage control folks.

i stand corrected. See the comment in the post below.

i am back from a whirlwind midwest tour. I left National friday afternoon, on what was supposed to be a quick flight over to chicago. The flight itself was quick, it was the landing and arrival that was a bit weird.

We were, what, maybe 50 feet from the ground, when the plane suddenly rolled a bit. The pilot then pulled up, and we were soon circling o'hare. He said the winds had shifted, and air traffic control wanted us to take another approach.

20 minutes later we did. Only to land and then sit in the penalty box on the tarmac for half an hour. Seems that, as the pilot put it, even though we were 20 minutes late, there still wasn't a gate for us.

Finally landed, got the rental car, which smelled a bit, and headed over the quite OK hyatt rosemont. It's a small-ish hotel about 10 minutes from o'hare, newly renovated, free parking, very friendly staff.

NM showed up on a later flight, and we chatted a bit, before I collapsed and crashed.

we met for an early-ish (love those "ishes" today, I guess) breakfast, and then loaded up the car for the trek to milwaukee.

And that's when I had a fit. On the road. A real, live, smoke coming out of my ears, set jaw, non-hissy fit. Because I realized the "little stink" of the car last night really was a full blown case of "someone smoked here, no one cleaned the car, but they did spray some noxious scent and we've got to sit in it for 2 more hours" stink.

Several phone calls later, we worked out that I would meet with the o'hare hertz manager upon return, and we'd figure something out. All the hertz employee, save one, were fantastic, empowered, and intelligent. The trip ended with a 50 dollar cert, which almost covered the cost of my rental!

The trip to mke was smooth, save our arrival downtown. Seems the town fathers have decided to tear up all the freeways into town, and rehab the roads and bridges. All at the same time. Well, maybe not all, but close to all....but a little backtracking did the trip, and we arrived at the gorgeous Hyatt milwaukee (add sarcasm here), checked in, and then had to swap rooms to that same kind of problem we'd encountered with the car. Interestingly, this non-smoking room contained a notice saying that smokers would be charged a 250 dollar cleaning fee...I'll be curious to see if they nabbed anyone for this.

Anyway, the hotel was fine, nothing great. We made the mistake of trying a local restaurant, lured in by the offer of free wireless. The wireless was fine, the food was lousy, and neither of us finished our martini's. That's the most positive thing I can say.

But we didn't make the trek for martini's. The lure was NM's brother Al's drunken midnight croquet party. Or perhaps it was midnight drunken croquet. Truth is the game started around 1030, and not a soul was drunk. Amazing, considering the amount of liquor Al stocks. I've seen bars with less selection.

A great party, gorgeous weather, and good company made up for the stinky car...our trip back to chicago was quick and uncomplicated. The weather there was gorgeous, too...and we had time to enjoy a bit of the new Millenium Park before the sun set. Of course we made one last visit to Marshall Field's. Field's is still Field's, even though the Macy's signs are up. But the Field's logo will be gone by mid-september.

The weekend ended at the, wait for it... Hyatt Regency Chicago. The club was open, uncrowded, and blah. They were kind enough to make us some decaf at about 9pm. We were kind enough to drink it, or at least some of it. I got about a quarter through my cup, and suddently felt the signs familiar to a decaf drinker who's given high octane in error. A few stomach cramps later, I was feeling a bit better....but wide awake at 230 am.

But minor problems didn't really put a dent in the fun. Taking this little mini break was a great idea. So great, that I'm going to do it again next weekend. This time: austin. Misti's having a housewarming. Mony is in town, Ronda's there, and the fun begins Friday afternoon.

greetings from a very lousy restaurant and bar in milwaukee. Saving grace? free wifi, and a martini with nm!

a bit more from the tsa site. Very important if you're traveling with children: NEVER leave babies in an infant carrier while it goes through the X-ray machine.

right.

OK, 5 bucks to the first person with verifiable photo evidence of a working* helper monkey.

"What?" I hear you ask (after the laughter has died down).

NM gets the credit for this, because I saw it on her blog. Well, not exactly on her blog---she just had a link.

But here's the real deal. Direct from the TSA website.

"Monkey Helpers

* When a monkey is being transported in a carrier, the monkey must be removed from the carrier by the handler prior to screening,
* The monkey must be controlled by the handler throughout the screening process.
* The monkey handler should carry the monkey through the WTMD while the monkey remains on a leash.
* When the handler and monkey go through the WTMD and the WTMD alarms, both the handler and the monkey must undergo additional screening.
* Since monkeys may likely draw attention, the handler will be escorted to the physical inspection area where a table is available for the monkey to sit on. Only the handler will touch or interact with the monkey.
* TSOs have been trained to not touch the monkey during the screening process.
* TSOs will conduct a visual inspection on the monkey and will coach the handler on how to hold the monkey during the visual inspection.
* The inspection process may require that the handler take off the monkey’s diaper as part of the visual inspection. "


I read this at about 8 am...and have been chuckling ever since. I dare you to read that directive, and not do the same. Really. Think about it.
Earlier today, NM expressed her preference for a helper dog, not helper monkey. But think about how much fun a helper monkey could be! I mean, the wardrobe possibilities are endless. For you and your monkey!

* Not a photoshopped monkey. Not some fake helper monkey from a mobility website. A real live (important!), working helper monkey. Preferably at a US airport.

i'm sure you've been holding your breath, waiting for this news: there's nothing dead in the dryer vent. Nor any sign of anything ever being dead there, or near it.

Nor a sign of a bird ever wanting to build a nest in it. Warning signs? little piles of twigs, or string, or fluff.

153 dollars later, I have a new hole in the laundry room ceiling, a bright shiny flexible foil vent hose (good for about 5 years, or until something pierces it), and a slightly larger thing that goes from the hose to the outside of the house. I'm told this will allow more air to flow, and clothing to dry faster.

Oh, and if i happen to pierce the hose, duct tape will fix it right up.

and one more thing: if you're looking for a new dishwasher (which i'm not), mike likes bosch. Even though he doesn't fix 'em. But that's what he purchased last year when Sears was discontinuing a model. He thinks it is the quietest (and consumers agrees), though, as he pointed out, he wears a hearing aid and it doesn't make that much difference to him! But his wife appreciates the noise reduction. And he likes the fact that he can tell the machine to only wash the top rack, and it will.

greetings from home! I'll be working from here today, as I await the arrival of Mike, the appliance repairman.

Yes, it's finally time to get the dryer vent hose changed from flammable vinyl, to something a little more up to code.

as for the stink...it's gone. weird, huh? I'm now leaning toward the mildew theory.

must dash....there's a bunch of crap that needs to be moved from one end of the rec room to the other.

i've learned something new.

we all know what anoraks are, right? Those parka type coats.
Well, here's an alternate use....and I like it.

In Britain, anorak is also a somewhat pejorative term for people whose interests are perceived to be nerdy, or who have more expertise in some arcane topic than seems altogether rational; the usage comes from the popularity of anoraks and parkas among train spotters.

oh,and one more thing. Is that a dare?

Yes, fans. The long (sooooo looooong) wait is over. Sasha returns.

only one more comment from me regarding the increased "security" at US airports.

make that 2.

1. Fine, make me toss my liquids before I go through screening.

But what’s wrong with purchasing water airside?
After all, wasn’t everything given a security check before being stocked by the vendors?
And hasn’t TSA gone through every iota of my carryons before letting me through security?

The thought of having to check laptops, cameras, jewelry, books and everything else before boarding an American Airlines flight TO the UK (yes, folks, read their regs, AA is demanding it both ways), is unbelievable, considering the theft rate from checked baggage. Temptation is hard to resist.

and what’s wrong with a book, anyway? Oh god, might I start having….ideas?

2. This plot was uncovered by intelligence work in the UK - not by ‘Homeland Security’ or any other US government agency. The people thanking Bush, Cheney and TSA don’t seem to realize this. I hope the American people are able to separate the real story from the administration’s spin on it.

z has shared a wonderful recipe.

but don't eat before flying. You'll probably want some water a few hours later. And we can't have that.....

UK forces have foiled what they believe is a plot to bomb a flight headed to the US. (I have no doubt that is what they intended to do, but the old school journalist in me plays by the rules.)

As a result, extremely strict measures have been placed on airline passengers in the UK...much tougher than what we're seeing here.
Firstly, everyone is being hand searched, as are their carryons. And it shouldn't take too long to search those carryons, because you're not allowed to carry much of anything. And what you've got, has to go in a clear plastic bag.

No, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you. Can't carry much.
Here's the list:
Travel documents essential for the journey (for example passports and travel tickets)

Prescription medicines and medical items sufficient and essential for the flight (eg, diabetic kit), except in liquid form unless verified as authentic

Spectacles and sunglasses, without cases

Contact lens holders, without bottles of solution

For those travelling with an infant: baby food, milk (the contents of each bottle must be tasted by the accompanying passenger) and sanitary items sufficient and essential for the flight (nappies, wipes, creams and nappy disposal bags)

Female sanitary items sufficient and essential for the flight, if unboxed (eg tampons, pads, towels and wipes)

Tissues (unboxed) and/or handkerchiefs

Keys (but no electrical key fobs). All passengers must be hand searched, and their footwear and all the items they are carrying must be X-ray screened.

Pushchairs and walking aids must be X-ray screened, and only airport-provided wheelchairs may pass through the screening point.

In addition to the above, all passengers boarding flights to the USA and all the items they are carrying, including those acquired after the central screening point, must be subjected to secondary search at the boarding gate.

Any liquids discovered must be removed from the passenger.

And they're doing gate checks too for flights to the US.

hmm. No mobile phones. No blackberry's. No computers. No Ipods. No dvd players. No books. No stacks of magazines. No cameras. All that has to go in checked baggage.

Over here, people be throwing fits over being separated from their goods. Can you imagine a businessman denied his cell? Your sister without her ipod?

I never check anything I'd hate to lose, including favorite leather jackets, or shoes. I've had stuff stolen from suitcases.

I'm afraid to check electronics...unfortunately, the odds are against ever seeing them again.

Hey! Don't steal my photos. And if you do, give me credit.

A kind soul recently pointed me to an online CD review, and told me to check out the accompanying picture, because it looked a hell of a lot like one I've posted here. The kicker is it isn't even one of the better photos I've taken. But I knew it was mine, because of the background.

The would-be reviewer fess'd up, and said he trawls the web, just plucking whatever he pleases.

And told me I should be flattered! (insert noise of grinding teeth here!)

i have had nothing to say the last few days because, well, I had nothing to say.

I have been so boring that even I can't be bothered with myself!

That'll change tomorrow. Because Chris Smither is coming by to talk about his new record. He is so smart and engaging, I love when he comes to visit! You may not recognize his name, but he's written dozens of wonderful songs over the years including one that Bonnie Raitt recorded "Love me like a man."

"Leave the Light On" comes out in September, and it's his first new record in about 3 years. And his first since adopting a baby last year. yes, after roaming this earth for 60 years, Chris is a first time dad. I haven't seen him (or carol) since, but all reports are glorious. I'll get the scoop tomorrow.

It's also the first time I've seen Chris since Katrina tore through his childhood home of New Orleans. We'll talk about that, I'm sure.

Do yourself a favor and check him out....trust me on this one.

I really should have put this photo in the festivalink.net entry.

Tis Jorma, at Merlefest.

if you are looking for some new tunes, check out my friend Ann's new venture, festivalink.net.

They offer LEGAL live downloads of music recorded at some of the great festivals in the US. Quality is amazing, because this is done the right way. Unlike the live bootlegs you've probably heard, these are recorded by professional audio engineers from direct feeds, and then taken back to a state of the art studio, remixed, mastered and packaged. So you won't hear that goon sitting by the PA who kept screaming "freebird!" during the quiet passage in that gillian welch song.

What do I mean by legal? Well, the artists get paid. The writers get paid, everyone who had a part in making the music gets paid. Doesn't happen that way with tape trading. Artists aren't against downloads, they just want to
A: make sure everything out there sounds great. (Who'd want a tape circulating from a show featuring you, out of tune? Flink gives artists final approval on all cuts)

B: be compensated for their work. The folks here are working musicians. They aren't on major labels, they aren't making 250,000 dollars a show. The majority of their money comes not from live shows, but from CD sales.

(another important piece of info: always try to buy direct from the artist, not from best buy or amazon. When I used to be involved, we bought CDs for 7 bucks each from the label. Sold them for 15. 8 dollars "profit," though you've got to take expenses (gas, lodging, promo, etc) out of that. Buy from a store, and the artist is lucky to see a dollar. Before expenses)

One of the more amazing pieces available is David Bromberg and his large band recorded at Merlefest in April. Bromberg hasn't released a record in more than a decade, so fans are snapping this up at an amazing pace. it's Festivalink.net's best seller! COming in second is a wonderful set by my buddies jorma kaukonen, Jack cassidy, and Barry Mitterhoff, better known as Hot Tuna. There's no new live acoustic Tuna anywhere, and this sounds great. If you liked that recent dylan album where he turned into an old bluesman, you'll love this. Great stories, too.

Who else is there? The austin lounge lizards, Tim and Mollie O'brien (we need more mollie! you may have heard her singing on Prairie Home Companion for a few years. Brother tim is an amazing songwriter and performer, together: perfection!), The Del McCoury Band (nm, buy that for al!), Doc Watson, A fantastic new band from Boston called Crooked Still, Darrell Scott, and more.

If you don't know what you'd like, ask me. I'll pick out something according to your tastes.

Do yourself a favor and check this out: festivalink.net. If you can't download, they'll sell a fully produced CD.

Everybody wins!

the scene of the crime, also from yesterday:

from yesterday, but delayed because of blogger probs!


even butterstick, our famous panda is feeling the heat!



Yes, it is still hot enough for me part 3.

I can hardly keep from holding my breath in anticipation: it is supposed to top 100 today. But "only" 88 tomorrow.

How did the day turn out? 101. Prediction for today has been upped to 91 or 92, but with a chance of rain. Hooray!

I am dreading the electric bill next month. Our rates went up 73% June 1. I set my thermostat up to 85 when I leave the house, with autopilot resetting it to 78 around 530p. When I arrive home, it's usually 85 inside. Down a degree by 645. Still 80-ish at 1030, or 11.

I actually left the AC fan running today, to see if that makes a difference. I used to always leave the fan set to "on" in the summer, but cut back to "auto" in an energy saving frenzy.

I have a vornado fan in the bedroom, along with a nasty ceiling fan.

The basement is cool. I may set up a summer retreat down there for future years. I've hesitated, but it may just be the right thing to do! My goal had been to set up what had been the office into the guest room....here's one more reason to do that, and to update that bathroom.

oops.

"A guard dog has ripped apart a collection of rare teddy bears, including one once owned by Elvis Presley, during a rampage at a children's museum.

"He just went berserk," said Daniel Medley, general manager of the Wookey Hole Caves near Wells, England, where hundreds of bears were chewed up Tuesday night by the 6-year-old Doberman pinscher named Barney."

(amazing photo would go here, but blogger is acting up)


sigh. Full story, with another picture here.

Free at last! Free at last! aol is free at last.

yes, after 20 years or so, i have paid my last cent to aol. I'd kept them through the decades because I had so many things and people connected to that damn email address. I'd start another account, try to switch everything over...but then the next month, i'd find a few more things, or people, needing to make the transition.

But as of today, there's a free option that allows one to keep that prehistoric address, and pay no fee. that's right, free at last!

believe it or not, I had an account with them prior to aol...when it was, hmm, what was it? I'll have to look that up. We (some folks i worked with at that radio station I can not bear to name) were given free accounts to talk the thing up. I remember sitting in the basement of my first house, fooling around on a commodore 64 loaned by someone, and thinking....this is stupid. Who wants to talk on a computer? I'm going out.

oh well, that's when I decided not to invest, either.

when in doubt, make fun.

Tim O'Brien is one of my favorite people in the whole world. Ditto for his wife Kit, and son Joel. I don't know son Jack well, but I've no reason to think he's any different. (sister mollie is spectacular as well)

Anyway, Tim and Mollie grew up in Wheeling, WV. He offered up this joke at a recent festival:
"They wanted to start a TV show, "CSI: West Virginia." But they couldn't develop a plot. All the DNA was the same and there were no dental records."

in case you haven't scrolled down through the comments, lee has checked in to report on their trip to california:

lee said...

She was an ANGEL on the plane - tough to do when one of the flight attendants takes a liking to ya: "Sasha! Can you say 'hi'?"

Sasha: *yawns loudly.*

FA: "Can you make that cute face at me? Are you sleeping? You're so cute! C'mon, make that face!"

(Of course, today she spiiled cold soup all over herself, then wailed all the way out of the restaurant.)"


which i understand completely. She probably was enjoying the soup. Plus, the mess. For such a tidy girl, that must have been awful!

and more bad news: no sasha update for two weeks! Can you believe it? Lee and Dan NOT updating their blog on time. Just because of a vacation? The nerve....
(let me know if you've lost the link to that precious site!)

As I said to Z, over on her blog: "baseball is the most heartbreaking sport I know. And I should know, I attended far too many games when I was in school in Boston.

And if you don't believe me, here's proof of what being a long term Red Sox fan will do to your judgement. Pity poor ben affleck. Good thing the natives love him, or he'd be riding a rail out of town today. Or whatever that old saw is.

go here:

yes, it is hot enough for me, part 2.

I was chatting with a neighbor at the subway today. He said, "Everytime I think i'm going to pass out from the heat, I think of what it must have been like for my grandparents, living in downtown DC in August in the 1930s. Before AC."

hell, that's why congress still goes on recess in august. What do you expect in a city built on a swamp.

The good news: It's only the "feels like" that will be 110. The real temp will be around 100. We've been given an "energy alert:"

"What You Can Do to Help

Effective immediately, we are asking our employees to assist XXX in meeting curtailment requirements by turning off nonessential equipment such as lights, window air conditioners, heaters, fans, coffee pots, unattended computers and copy machines. The closing of window blinds or shades is also especially valuable."

You'll notice two important non essential things: Air conditioners, and fans.

on the bad note: i realized that my attic fan isn't working. And there's no way ANYONE is going to want to get up there and repair it...til october.