Martha Stewart's Talking

Martha Stewart, the one woman Miss Manners calls a "repressed control addict with a sphincter that could snap broomsticks," is reportedly thinking of taking up a new career as a stool pigeon. In order to get out of the deep sorbet she's gotten herself into, a source says she's going to give the FBI important information in exchange for immunity from prosecution.


It seems like this trouble she's having won't be quick to fade and gets more serious by the day.

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Skyler's Vacation

Skyler, my daughter, just pulled out for her summer vacation. She's going to see her grandmother in Atlanta. Most of our extended family lives there now. They sometimes go to Florida from there. So she'll be happy to visit her cousins, etc. It's just always a wee bit sad when she goes. But on the bright? side, my husband and I will have more time together, right?

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Hope I Die Before I Get Old

Sadly, he did. The report is that he went because of a heart attack in a hotel room in Las Vegas, where he was because the Who had a now-canceled gig at the Hard Rock Hotel in that town. Age, 57. Hell of a place to go. Just a few days ago, a professional baseball player, Darryl Kile, died; he was more than a couple of decades younger than Entwistle. Heart disease, apparently. Reading about people dying before they get old is time for me, anyway, to investigate my personal inventory. Both men looked like they had followed their dreams. Isn't that about the best we can hope for on this earth?

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Know-It-All Husband


As I was cooking dinner last night [we take turns cooking around here] I was receiving all kinds of good advice.

Him: "Don't put that marinade on the chicken until it's cooked some."

Me: "Seriously?"

Him: "You don't put it on raw meat."

Me: "Is that a fact? Don't you think I know that?" [Argghhhhh! Does he really think I don't know the basic facts of cooking? It's not just cooking. He's has a knack for stating the obvious.]

Him: "OK, well, I'll just be over here out of your way.....doing nothing, just breathing."


Breathing.....I like that in a man.

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Dylan Starring In Movie, Masked and Anonymous


Dylan plays Jack Fate, a washed-up singer wrestling with his personal demons on the eve of his final benefit concert, a massive event intended to revive his career and bring peace. Pic will feature 40 minutes of music from Dylan, including new songs written for the film.
Co-stars include Jessica Lange, Luke Wilson, Penelope Cruz, Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Mickey Rourke, Angela Bassett and Val Kilmer. Former "Seinfeld" scribe Larry Charles will make his feature directing debut on the film, which is based on an unpublished short story by Enrique Morales. The film is set to go into production in July. Based on the unpublished short story "Los Vientos del Destino," written by Enrique Morales, it is the story of Jack Fate (Bob Dylan), a wandering troubadour brought out of prison by his former manager for one last concert, a charity benefit. The film ends with Fate playing a concert. Owen Wilson is playing Bobby Cupid, a former roadie of Fate's who tends bar. He drops everything to join Fate in the charity concert.
I haven't been able to find out a whole lot about this movie and even if it's started filming yet or not.

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Nuts and Squirrels


I know the neighbors think I'm nuts. When I open the back door to let my dogs back outside, I always yell, "Run for your life, birdies!" There are always bluejays, robins, and cardinals or squirrels on my back porch eating the dog food or hunting berries, apples or grapes. If I don't startle the birds, my dogs will pounce on them. The dogs still chase anything that comes into the yard. And they'll stand at the bottom of a tree so pissed off that they can't get up to the squirrels. They're always dragging in some carcas. And I know that's their nature, but sometimes the Circle of Life sucks.

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To Work Or Not To Work


For me, it's an ongoing dilemma. When I'm working, I yearn to be home as a 'Stay At Home Mom' . After I'm home for a while, I wish to be working again. To bring in more scratch, to expand my career wings. I fought as a women's libber for the right to have it all in the early 70's. 'I am woman, hear me roar'. [Hear me barf if I ever hear that song or mantra again] I have that choice guilt-free, don't I? I have that choice anyway. Now I've been a SAHM long enough to get the itch to go back to work. My youngest child is 14. Can I work again without guilt? Or does that not happen until she's 18, or on her own? Will I ever feel normal about the decision to work? Or will I always feel like I can contribute more if I stay at home? How do other moms manage to hold it together? Or do they have this internal struggle as well. I sure have a lot of questions today, don't I?

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Tweak, Tweak, Tweak


Messing around with this damn page again. I might be hell if I had one of those cool programs like Photoshop, or something like that. So if one of my usual 2 ½ visitors happens to stop by while this page is in disarray, please excuse it. I'm also trying to round up some pics of me and my family and include those in my profile area, which is also in the process of being updated. So, recapping: 1) my site sux more than usual, 2) pics coming soon, and 3) let's all get over it. I know I will.

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Blog Talent


I've gotta say I'm just totally blown away at the talent that is alive and well out in blog-ville. The super design involved and the gift these folks have for the written word is just amazing. I'm relatively new to posting (or even acknowledging) about feelings and am doing it in bits and pieces. And I know little to nothing about coding, but I know great sites when I see them and stories so real you can picture them in your mind's eye. Above all that ernormous talent and intellectual content, blogfolks seem to be the most caring and helpful people on the web. I enjoy reading my favorite sites each day. Thanks, blog community. You're a rare jewel in the world wide web crown.


Seen on Bradlands...Must See HTTP://

Best 404 EVER. [He references the link to nickfinck.com] I agree---hysterical.


Yahoo! News


There's a beta version of the new Yahoo! home page available now. They're also offering a new Dial-up access on Yahoo! with unlimited access and 10 email addys. The first month is free, then $21.95 thereafter.

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FBI ORDERS ‘WHILE-YOU-WERE-OUT’ MESSAGE PADS



Trip to Office Max Crucial to Agency’s Overhaul, Mueller Says



In what its director described as a “crucial” first step to upgrade the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s intelligence-gathering capabilities, the FBI paid a visit to an Office Max office superstore today and bought “a substantial number” of While-You-Were-Out message pads.


The agency, which has never had access to such message pads in the past, believes that the introduction of the While-You-Were-Out pads will dramatically improve the relaying of phone messages at FBI headquarters and in field offices across the country.


FBI Director Robert Mueller, speaking at a press conference in Washington, D.C, said that the FBI had also purchased “these little yellow reminder thingies with stick-um stuff on the back so you can post them on your desk and whatnot.”


Mueller added that the FBI was “intrigued” by a machine they saw at Office Max that could record phone messages and store them while an FBI employee was away from his or her desk.


“Once the phone messages are played back, they could theoretically be written down on the While-You-Were-Out pads,” Mueller said.

While Mueller pronounced the trip to Office Max “a resounding success,” FBI whistleblower Colleen Rowley revealed today that she had urged the agency to invest in While-You-Were-Out pads months ago – but no one listened.


“I then tried to write a memo about it, but there were no pens or paper anywhere in the office,” Rowley complained. “This visit to Office Max, I’m afraid, is too little too late.”


For his part, Mueller said he welcomed Rowley’s latest round of criticism.

“I’m always delighted to have Colleen Rowley rip me a new one,” Mueller said.
[/tongue in cheek]

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Bill Cosby Has Harsh Words For Ozzy


Bill Cosby, whose hit NBC sitcom idealized family
life throughout the 1980s, has some harsh words about Amercia's favorite openly
dysfunctional family, The Osbournes.



"First of all, all of you [media] need to stop with this Ozzy Osbourne. This is
a sad, sad family; it is a sad case. The children are sad and the parents are
sad," Cosby tells entertainment show "Access Hollywood" on Thursday, June 20.
"This is not entertainment."



While many think audiences respond to the MTV series based on the misadventures
of Ozzy and crew because it shows that even the rich and famous suffer the same
complicated family dynamics as the hoi polloi, Cosby says that enjoying it is
akin to "laughing at Tiny Tim."



Lay off Ozzy, Bill. Sadly, what modicum of respect you've managed to hold onto in my little world, is fading fast!

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Billy Joel at center for substance abuse.


Billy Joel has checked himself into a substance abuse and psychiatric hospital for a “personal problem,” his record label said Wednesday. The 53-year-old, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter is staying at Silver Hill Hospital in New Canaan, Conn. Joel’s stay was first reported in Wednesday’s The Advocate of Stamford.

Although I'm always rooting for anyone to take that first step and ask for help (as a recovering addict myself) it's always helpful to other addicts when someone famous can admit their short-comings. It happens to the best of us.

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Starbucks Being Insensitive?

Do you think Starbucks was right in taking down this poster? It originally was put up at the Starbucks' closest to the WTC and was too reminiscent of the September 11 tragedy. After much complaining from their patrons, they pulled the poster from all their stores. I don't think I would have thought twice about it had I seen it in Atlanta or some other place down south. But, since it was so close to the WTC, the context was totally different. Would Starbucks deliberately put it up to capitalize on the tragedy just for a profit?

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Nickelodeon To Air Gay Parent Special (Bravo!)


"Nickelodeon is ignoring over 100,000 e-mails and phone calls and going ahead with plans to air a special on gay parents. Nickelodeon says the program isn't about sexuality but about curbing hate. The Traditional Values Coalition thinks otherwise and is protesting the airing of the special on a children's network," "If Linda Ellerbee can host a special on Nickelodeon about the Monica Lewinsky scandal and make it tasteful, don't you think she'll be able to do the same here?

The half-hour report, produced by Linda Ellerbee and featuring Rosie O'Donnell, includes comments from the Rev. Jerry Falwell - who later joined conservative activists in urging Nickelodeon not to air it.

For more info...

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Happy Father's Day

All I can say about it is if you're fortunate enough to have your father still living, please don't take him for granted----ever. And if he's truly a good father, please let him know. If you've been estranged and there's something you can forgive him for----please do.

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Stingy or Frugal?


Growing up it was the family joke the way my Mother was very thrifty. As a lot of people were who were brought up during the depression or rationed during WWII. Only I called it "stingy" and "tight". For instance, after slightly using a paper towel, she'd carefully hang it up to dry so she could later re-use it. We weren't poor by any stretch of the imagination. I guess you'd call us middle-class. Now that I'm much older, I'm kinda glad that I retained some of her unique frugality. It's helpful when you try to live on a budget and raise a family. Thanks, Mother. I learned a lot from you about being thrifty. But I do have my limits. At least I haven't re-used any paper towels yet...........today.


Quadra-Boobs


Have you girls ever had quadra-boobs? [Guys are thinking, 'Yes, quadra must mean "four". So it's gotta be a good thing, right?'] It's when you put on a bra and it's the one that's too small on you. You end up with 2 little boobs popping up over the top of your bra....piggy-backing on the big ones. No, four boobs are not a good thing. Well, not in my neighborhood.

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NukePills.com?


I heard about a site on the Charlotte, NC, news station this morning that is a sign of the new times that we live in. It's called Nuke Pills.com. This is where you go when you need to stock up on "FDA Approved and Foil-Sealed IOSAT Potassium Iodide". It blocks the thyroid's absorption of cancer-causing radioactive iodine released from a nuclear power plant or nuclear bomb. Six million tablets of IOSAT Potassium Iodide were recently purchased by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for limited distribution to states with nuclear plants. I suppose it's no stranger than having drills in elementary school when we were small. When we learned to hit the floor and cover our heads. But the thought that I might someday need to take these pills still leaves me feeling a little uneasy this morning.

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[Clean] Joke of the Day


A man brought a very limp dog into the veterinary clinic. As he lay
the dog on the table, the doctor pulled out his stethoscope, placing
the receptor on the dog's chest. After a moment or two, the vet shook
his head sadly and said, "I'm sorry, but your dog has passed away.

"What?" screamed the man. "How can you tell? You haven't done any
testing on him. I want another opinion!"
With that, the vet turned
and left the room. In a few moments, he returned with a Labrador
Retriever. The Retriever went right to work, checking the poor dead
dog out thoroughly. After a considerable amount of sniffing, the
Retriever sadly shook his head and said "Bark". The veterinarian
then took the Labrador out and returned in a few moments with a cat,
who also checked out the poor dog on the table. Like his
predecessors, the cat sadly shook his head and said, "Meow." He then
jumped off the table and ran out of the room.
The veterinarian
handed the man a bill for $600. The dog's owner went postal. "$600!
Just to tell me my dog is dead? This is Outrageous!"
The vet shook
his head sadly and explained. "If you had taken my word for it, it
would have been $50, but with the Lab work and the Cat scan it's
considerably more".

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Colorado In My Prayers


I don't personally know anyone in Colorado, but my thoughts and prayers have certainly been with those in harm's way lately. I hope your plight is soon over and you're able to return to safety and security and peace of mind.

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Ticks and Beavers


my husband: "are you gonna sit at that computer all day today?"

me: "it's possible." [pecking away at the keyboard]

silence.......

my husband: "you know, you're looking a little butch these days." trying to get a response from me.

me: "...and?" [adjusting the bill on my Duke University cap]

husband stalks off ...

I like to look comfortable around the house, what's wrong with that?


I hate ticks. That's one bad thing about living in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Or any mountains. But it's not enuf to deter this mountain crone. I got yer furry owls hooting in the huge poplar tree; and returning woodpeckers making seasonal visits. Fresh air that could shock city lungs. Clean mountain streams--complete with beavers, I said beavers. I have a kaleidoscope of crunchy fallen leaves in autumn and solitude on white, crisp, snowy mornings. There are squirrels scampering thru clover searching for a bite of food the bluejays dropped---- just outside my door. Leaves and blue skies. Nature. That's why I live here. But you can take your ticks with you when you leave...

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Chin Music


The news just keeps getting better around my house. My mortgage just went up $140 more a month. My husband is already laid off. And today my car threw a rod and may not be cost effective to fix. What we need is a miracle. Got one in your pocket? Or I'd stand for some quiet time; for now. That might happen if my husband would get outta my face and shut the hell up. Nope, he's still yammering.....on and on and on. Playing that same old chin music. I gotta let things sink in and be alone with my thoughts. I've asked him nicely twice to let me be alone for a while. Can you believe he's still here? And still yammering? ...........damn. Think I could I set this thing up in the closet?

I just got a look at my site on Netscape today (i'm so fickle; i use 3 different browsers) and it looks like shit. There's huge turquoise and black bars at the header and foot. I don't remember it looking like that before. Although I've been on the net for 5 years now, I still consider myself a beginner when it comes to writing code and making web pages, so maybe there's something I need to do to tweak it somehow. Hmmm.

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Terrorist suspect arrested.

Tom Tomorrow takes a look at today's headline. Although we arrested the guy over a month ago, the timing of this "breaking story" has many scratching their collective noggins.

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John Gotti Dead

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The FBI confirms former Gambino crime boss John Gotti has died at the federal prison at the U.S. medical center for federal prisoners in Springfield, Missouri, where he was being treated for cancerous lesions on the tongue, neck and ears. He was 61.

Was his cancer from smoking? I never did hear anyone say. No matter who you are, it still sux to spend your last days on the planet while you're in prison.

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BEIJING (AP) - It was a great story: U.S. Congress wants new building, threatens to leave Washington.



So one of Beijing's biggest tabloids published as news the fictional account from the Web site of the American satire newspaper The Onion — and got an embarrassing lesson in journalism.

The June 3 report by the Beijing Evening News quoted Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert calling the domed, 209-year-old U.S. Capitol "inappropriate for a world-class legislature." Others said Congress might move to Tennessee or North Carolina if it didn't get a new building.



The article was a deadpan spoof of the way sports teams threaten to leave cities in order to get new stadiums. The report in the Evening News, which didn't credit The Onion, included a graphic from the Web site showing a proposed new U.S. Capitol equipped with a retractable dome.



The Evening News acknowledged its mistake when contacted by foreign reporters, though it hasn't told its readers.



"We consider this a warning and will strengthen supervision of our reports," said Yu Bing, a manager of the Evening News' foreign news department.



Yu said his newspaper looks at "whether a report is hostile to the nation concerned or would hurt relations with that country.
"This report didn't contain such elements, so we decided to publish it," he said.

Surely the Onion has been taking seriously before. Is the irony lost on this one?

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Wisconsin hunters aim for diseased deer



On CNN-US

That sure is an odd sounding headline. "Er, excuse me, deer. If you could just piss into this little cup for me, please..."

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Siren Invades Me


Outside my window I watch the sun try to sliver between the huge oak trees. Grapevines twisting, her leaves bobbing in the cool, subtle wind. Bluejays are screeching at the squirrel family---staking claim to the lumbering shade-giver. A lone siren invades my space and breaks the calm. Saturday night's allright for fighting; Sunday morning isn't.

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Part Deux

Dogs yapping and jumping, tv's blaring, doors slamming.....Saturday evening is settling in on my home in Balfour. I sit here in a brain fog and forget the point I was going to make. But it's a tolerable fog. One that's satiated from checking off some of my perpetual 'to-do' list. Good time to fix espresso and rev up for part deux. Consisting of making dinner and little else.

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What happened to Jason Kidd?

Damn. The Lakers are un-fucking-stoppable. How much suffering must this Nets fan endure? Bitter, party of one? Your table is waiting.

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Hunter S. Thompson

From Hell's Angels rallies to East L.A. motel rooms to broken-down North Vegas diners to San Francisco porno theaters, Thompson has spent the past 40 years in places most people would categorize as hell. In doing so, he has provided us with a brutally honest memoir of American life in the second half of the 20th century, a memoir filled with low-lifes, drunks, addicts and demented lawyers ... all of whom are real and all of whom - like Thompson - still believe in the "fantastic possibilities of life in this country."

"Hunter S. Thompson is our hillbilly Boswell, at once both optimistic and pessimistic - and he is truly one of a kind."

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Skakel Found Guilty

A jury today convicted Michael C. Skakel in the beating death of a teenage neighbor, Martha Moxley, 27 years ago when he was 15 years old. Is he really guilty as the jury decided? I'm not sure about that because I've not been privy to all the facts that the jury has. This I DO know....he's not garnering much sympathy for the guilty verdict. If he's looking for any sympathy, he'll have to look in the dictionary between shit and syphillis.

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Dee Dee Ramone Found Dead in L.A.
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Dee Dee Ramone, a founding member of the pioneer punk band the Ramones, was found dead of a possible drug overdose in his Hollywood home, the coroner's office said Thursday. He was 50.



Ramone, whose real name was Douglas Glenn Colvin, was found dead on the couch by his wife when she returned home at 8:25 p.m. Wednesday, said Craig Harvey, operations chief for the coroner's office. Paramedics were called and he was declared dead at 8:40 p.m.



The investigator noted drug paraphernalia, including a single syringe on the kitchen counter, and we are handing it as a possible accidental overdose, Harvey said.



The coroner's office did not say what drug was suspected of causing Ramone's death. An autopsy was planned. In his autobiography, "Lobotomy: Surviving the Ramones,'' Ramone had written of his struggle with drug and alcohol abuse.



The official Ramones Web site said: "Our brother Dee Dee died last night, June 5, 2002, at his home in Los Angeles, California."

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Yes, the Nets lost last night. Is anyone surprised? I don't actually think they'll pull it off, but I damn sure hope that they do. What's wrong with rooting for the underdog?

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I do believe my husband has gone to pick up my LAST feminine hygiene product for me. I'm still reeling from the slam of the door as he left for the market. Why does he ask me if I need anything, if he's not prepared to make the dreaded TAMPON purchase? Can somebody please fill me in?

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I changed my template today and unfortunately had to delete all my comments. So I'll start anew with a fresh new template and build again. I never was comfortable with that template and still am not satisfied with this new one.....yet. But it's fun learning new shit.

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Can Moby save pop?

"Anointed by the desperate music media as pop's new king, Moby brings electronica to the masses with"18." (Now if only he would stop trying to sing.)"


Moby. Moby? WTF? Would all the lemmings please form a line to the right? When enough critics tell people that Moby is the thing now, everyone lines up to kiss his ass. When did the music-buying public stop thinking for themselves?

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I'd never be able to live in Florida, or even Georgia. It's hot enough in North Carolina. 85­º and 100% humidity feels like, well, it feels like HELL!

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Monday!! Just two more days until Skyler goes to summer school! She's been bored around the house and looks forward to going. Another month until her 14th birthday.

Lakers won last night. Damn, well at least the hopeful victory will be much sweeter when the Nets win the series against them. I know the Nets are sure to NOT be favored, but wouldn't you love to see someone else beat Shaq & Company for a change? Regardless of who wins, this has been some exciting basketball playoff series. And Jason Kidd is just consistantly phenomenal to watch. Okay, I'm through...

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I'm watching a story about Les Paul on TV right now. He's one great talented musician and guitar builder. But that's such an understatement. He is a legend---OK, that better describes him. Steve can really play well, too. Of course, not on the level of a Les Paul. But he can hold his own. I wish he could make his living by playing again and so does he. That is his one true passion and it needs to be nourished. Just sitting around the house or on the front porch picking is not enough for him. Skyler has finally started showing a real interest in the guitar and the keyboards. She can already play the cello and violin. She's starting to pick out chords on the guitar, and play songs by ear on the keyboard. Steve couldn't be more proud of her. That's always been one of his wishes for her.

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