Friday, December 25, 2009

Today's Top Story


From Florence.

Crown Jewel


Great site.

From Terry, who's back in Oklahoma for the occasion.

Having a Ball

Wish you were here.

From Tom.
1926: A crowd of happy youngsters chase Father Christmas along a London street whilst on his way to a south London store to distribute presents.
(H.F. Davis/Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)


From Riley.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Monday, December 21, 2009

Today's Top Story


From Peter and Laurie.

Overheard in the Holler

Lesbian neighbor (on phone): Hey, could you do me a favor?

Dan: Sure.

Neighbor: Inside my door there's an axe and a sledgehammer. Could you take them and put 'em outside my door somewhere no one can see 'em? A friend of mine is gonna come pick 'em up.

Dan: Oh, that's boring. I thought you were gonna ask me to kill someone for you.

'Let's Review'

"I died for your sins, but those pumps are unforgivable."



I'd never heard of this song, but it sounds like a gem.

From David.

Measuring Up

The long and short of the matter.

From Derek, who's conducted extensive research.

Style Section


Sophia Jacewicz showed off an iron lung designed for
people on the go in May 1942 at St. Anthony Hospital.


From Riley.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Today's Top Story


From Peggy.

'He May Appear Normal'

"One never knows when the homosexual is about."



From Riley, who's Friendly with a capital F.

Bad Rap


From Derek.

No Takers

This is all I need for Christmas.

For a brief period in childhood, I had an obsessive fear that I'd be kidnapped. At some point I watched a TV movie about Patty Hearst that made quite an impression, but I think this predated it.

My mother did not share my concern. "Who would want to kidnap you?" she said.

To this day, I'm not sure whether she was stressing the first word or the last, and therefore whether I was being comforted or mocked.

Brief Case


From Darlene.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Today's Top Story


From Colleen.
"The war in Afghanistan is like Larry King's show
- it's still going on, but no one knows why."

Andy Borowitz

'There Will Come a Limit'

I like to know where a road leads before I set out on a journey. Right now, one path I could take leads to a place I don't want to go.
I have a feeding tube and find the quantification pointless, but otherwise I share his philosophy.

Poached from Deb.

Overheard on the Subway

A D.C. friend heard this last week:
Teenage boy to teenage girl: Hey, how you baby?
Girl: It good; it gettin' big.
Boy: Word.
And a friend in Boston was moved to poetry:
crowded subway morn
woman sings a happy tune
everyone unnerved

The View From Here


Photo by Dan.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Toy Story

Butt Hollow has its first female resident.

The void left by Zap was so vast, it’s been even tougher to adjust to than I expected. Devo took it hardest of all, launching the most intensive hunger strike in his long and distinguished career.

About a month ago, we started to consider getting another dog. Conscience demanded a rescue, and we weren’t about to inflict a puppy on Devo, much less housebreak one. Far better, we thought, to adopt an older dog, maybe one that had been passed over for younger choices.

At first we ruled out Italian greyhounds, spooked by the idea of a Zap impersonator. But it was those toy-dog qualities that I was craving – the sociability and companionship – and we ended up coming full circle. I love Devo dearly, but he’s no lapdog. So we applied to IGCA Rescue, got approved to adopt, and last Sunday drove up to a small town in snow-covered northern Maryland and picked up our little girl.

With a name like Sparkle*, you’d think her previous owner was a small child or a gay man. She was neither. She was a middle-aged woman, an unlicensed breeder described by many as a dog hoarder. We were told Sparkle was bred twice a year. (“She’s a tired old whore, like us,” I said.) She entered the rescue system when authorities raided the place and plucked her and 15 others from the squalor. According to the rescue rep, it was the second time they’d shut the breeder down. Sparkle spent the next year in foster care as other dogs came and went.

Meeting her now, you’d never guess at her grim past. She’s a happy little thing, amazingly playful for an eight-year-old. Completely self-assured, she stands sentinel at the window, warding off people, other dogs, and squirrels with fierce growls and barks that belie her 14 pounds. She flirts with every visitor, and Dan says she’s the same on walks. One day it’ll be warm enough for me to see for myself.

So far, Devo’s the only one who hasn’t fully succumbed to Sparkle’s sparkle, but he’s coming along. In the meantime, his appetite is back.


*She's royalty, you know.

Monday, December 07, 2009

Word of the Day

heavage

From Laurie.

Inspect Her Gadget

A friend received the following message today ... and promptly circulated it.
Date: Mon, Dec 7, 2009 at 1:11 PM
Subject: Important!

Hi K,

I need to know soon, like today, the name of that device that has the fairly large screen that you move over with your hand...is that a Blackberry?

mom

'What the Freak?'

From the last SNL:

Altar Egos

Wedinator

"Trashing Your Special Day Is Our Prime Directive"

From Peggy.

No Amnety



From Emily Woo-Woo-Woolf.

Thursday, December 03, 2009

Today's Top Stories



From Peggy and Riley.

Word of the Day

swaffelen

Source

Olden Girls

I'd watch this.



From Derek and Laurie.

Kate's Secret


One minor quibble: Meredith was née Baxter, not Birney. Great collection, though.

From Kristine.

Hot off the Presses

In this photo taken Nov. 23, 2009, residue is seen on the bottom of
an electric iron at the home of Mary Jo Coady in Methuen, Mass. Coady
says an image of Jesus Christ that she sees in the pattern on the bottom
of the iron, which she first noticed a day earlier, has reassured her that
'life is going to be good.' (AP Photo/The Eagle-Tribune, Grant Morris)

From Riley.