28 January 2006

Interesting news day. The show was filled with new stuff on Iran, Hamas, the upcoming Alito vote. But one of the big breaking stories of the day was a roof collapse in Poland in which nearly 500 people were injured, 4 dead so far. The story is here. And, once again, at the risk of sounding callous, I feel it's my public duty to share the event at which all these people were gathered: a pigeon exhibition. And yes, it's actually called "Pigeon 2006." No joke. And -- after doing a quick web search -- it's a big thing here in this country as well. I found numerous sites for pigeon enthusiasts, including Racing Pigeon Digest (which bills itself as "the thinking man's journal of racing pigeons.") And several message boards including "The Poultry Connection" in which there's a pigeon AND dove forum.

28 January 2006

You've heard of Janet Reno's "dance" party (notice the quotes). Now she sings. It's horrific. The video is here.

27 January 2006

UPDATE: Got outbid on the Bionic Woman doll. Which is a good thing. I was having major buyer's remorse. (Even though it was only 11 bucks.)

The "Today" show --merely annoying on a GOOD morning --was unwatchable today. The "gang" went all out for Al Roker's 10 year anniversary on the show. I didn't think it was possible, but I actually want a meteor to strike Al Roker MORE than I want it to hit Ann Curry.

26 January 2006

OK, just so you know -- it's a very short distance between talking about Bigfoot to actually placing a bid on ebay for a Bionic woman doll. There was plenty of "Girl Power" in the late 70s, but the Bionic woman still had red high-heeled shoes and a purse. Fabulous. At least I didn't bid on the Fembot.

26 January 2006

Whew. I thought there wouldn't be a ridiculous item to discuss today. Well, thank goodness for those wacky Malaysians. The government there said today it will appoint a team of scientists and experts to hunt for a "Bigfoot" beast after the reported sighting of three giant human-like creatures on the island. Seriously. The story is here.
This, of course, led to a discussion here at work about when the Six Million Dollar Man met up with Bigfoot in one episode and tore the beast's arm off. Then we talked about the Six Million Dollar Man doll that we all had. Fabulous.

26 January 2006

I know I should be upset about Hamas, Iran, and secret wiretapping, but I just really get a "kick" out of this website.

26 January 2006

My partner and I watched the DVD of "Free to be You and Me" last night. I got it for her for Christmas because she mentioned it to me a few times, but I never ever saw it or knew what it was all about. For those of you who don't know, it's that Marlo Thomas and friends (Mel Brooks, Harry Belafonte, and Rosy Grier, et al) collection of songs, illustrations, etc. that celebrates diversity and challenges sterotypes, especially regarding gender. (It's ok for boys to cry and have dolls and it's ok for girls to live their own lives w/o a man and can pursue their dreams, even if it's to be a fireman or construction worker.) I made fun of it, but it was really very touching and something I want to show our kids one day. See, my parents were children of the 50s so that mushy liberal/hippie stuff wasn't really on their radar, while my partner's folks were totally 60s people. It's not that my folks were in denial about that stuff. My mom in particular preached "Girl Power" and that girls really can do anything. I guess I'm thinking about all this stuff a little bit more because we're in the planning stages of having a child of our own. Heavy stuff, dude!

25 January 2006

This is fabulous. The DC government is actually scamming ITSELF now. An investigation by WTOP radio reveals the DC Department of Public Works has been overcharging OTHER city agencies by tens of thousands of dollars for vehicle repairs and equipment. According to this report, DPW in one case charged another agency $6,000 to fix an air conditioner and $500 to change a fuse. Sounds like the Pentagon. (Remember $500 toilet seats?)

24 January 2006

Meanwhile, we have indeed been enjoying "Skating with Celebrities." My partner (the part-time figure skater) even picks up choregraphy tips. ("Ooh I love that foot work. Let's watch that again!") Those are the moments I regret getting TiVO. But anyway, with each show, I've noticed Dorothy Hamill gets weirder and weirder. At first it was refreshing to see her and hear her critiques. Now it's annoying...and to be quite frank, disturbing. Last night's show she was wearing false eyelashes, was drenched in glitter and was acting..um..."jumpy." How did she go from "America's Sweetheart" to a prettier version of Liza Minelli?

24 January 2006

Well, I feel better. My partner and I heard low flying jets (or helicopters?) around midnight last night and got a wee bit nervous. We're not in BWI's flight path and the "curfew" was on at National Airport. Turns out NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) was -- and will be through today-- conducting flight exercises. According to NORAD, it will involve F-16 fighter aircraft out of Andrews Air Force Base, an H-60 Blackhawk helicopter, multiple Cessna aircraft and Learjets all flying at low altitude along the Potomac River and around Washington. NORAD says its fighters have responded to more than 2,000 possible air threats in the U.S. and Canada since the 2001 attacks. Knock yourselves out, kids!

24 January 2006

Very mature. I just looked up on my TV and noticed our senate producer standing behind Senator Schumer in the Alito confirmation hearings. I blackberried her and said "Stop thinking about what you're having for lunch!" Less than a minute later she started giggling on national television. Ha!

24 January 2006

Nothing succeeds like success. My show was the highest rated cable news show on the air this weekend. Every single show. Both days. All hours.

24 January 2006

Meanwhile, I came across this hilarious Rachel Ray drinking game. If you're obsessed with RR (and the Food Channel, like we are) you'll get a kick out of this.

"Getting Sloshed in 30 Minutes or Less"

Sayings:
"EVOO" 1 drink
"Sammie" 1 drink
"Healthful" 1 drink
"Stoup" 2 drinks
"GB" 2 drinks
"Spoonula" 2 drinks
"Fry-o-lator" 3 drinks
any of the above followed by an explanation of what it stands for +1 drink
"Yummo" 1 drink
"Delish!" 1 drink
"Awesome" 1 drink
"How _____ is that?" 1 drink
creates an all-new and completely unnecessary abbreviation --whole drink

Presentation:
repeats herself --1 drink
talks for so long without taking a breath that she nearly runs out of air --2 drinks
makes an awkward, spastic gesture with her arm --2 drinks
voice cracks --2 drinks
forces a laugh at something not funny --2 drinks
mispronounces "foreign" words such as "paprika" or "tapas" --2 drinks
is visibly flustered --3 drinks

Cooking:
comes back from refrigerator carrying too many ingredients --2 drinks
drops something on her way back --whole drink
fails to provide a measurement and tells you to "eyeball it" --1 drink
provides an obviously wrong measurement, e.g. "about a tablespoon" while she dumps in a half-cup of something --2 drinks
uses a "secret ingredient"-- 2 drinks
the "secret ingredient" is nutmeg --3 drinks
mentions "the thing that makes you go Hmmm" ---1 drink
"the thing that makes you go Hmmm" is nutmeg --3 drinks
creates a "healthful" meal that clearly contains over 50g of fat --2 drinks
makes a "gourmet" dish out of cheap ingredients (e.g. Tiramisu with nilla wafers and whipped cream) --3 drinks
expresses how good something tastes while she's still lifting fork to her mouth --2 drinks
takes such a big mouthful of something it takes several seconds before she can talk again --2 drinks
ruins something and tries to play it off as no big deal --3 drinks

Travelling:
leaves a crappy tip --2 drinks
rudely shoves her nose in something to smell it --2 drinks
claims a dessert by itself is somehow a legitimate lunch or dinner --2 drinks
wears anything midriff-revealing --3 drinks

COURTESY: www.slobak.com

24 January 2006

My partner has a problem. A bikini problem. As in, she can't stop buying them. Last night she came home with two new ones to add to her rather substantial collection. I like to tease her about it, but secretly, it's awesome. Such problems I have!