Surprised kitten

No intro could prepare you for this 17 seconds of joy.

Just hit the post title.

The Cranberries are back

The group is on tour after a 7-year hiatus.

Hit the post title for "Linger."

I'm prone to urinary tract infections, so I listen to the Cranberries at least once a day to acidify my pee. TMI?

Book racket

College students universally complain about two things--parking and the price of textbooks.

In America, driving a car is a by-god birthright. I went off to Tech in my own car, thank you very much, and expected a parking space to be waiting there.

I now think that's a ludicrous assumption. And most colleges do too. During my brief graduate-school stint at Carolina, located in a compact little town, I rode a city bus.

But that second complaint--that one's legit. Books cost too much.

Hit the post title for a story on the trend of textbook rentals.

Cat smarts

Squeak recommends (OK, insists) that you click the post title to learn about Earth's superior species.

Mama Meryl

She hits the cover of Vanity Fair. Click the post title for a teaser to the interview.

Greatest movie lyric ever

Hit the post title for "Somebody Kill Me" from "The Wedding Singer."

Except for the fact that Drew Barrymore's character's hair is more 1970s than 1980s, that movie captures the big '80s.

"I just want to warn you than when I wrote this song, I was listening to The Cure a lot."

Good night, all.

White girl can't keep up

Courtesy of a heads-up from JCatt, I'm watching a PBS special on Ed Sullivan and his really big shoo.

Is it ironic that to my Caucasian ears, the Supremes sound too up-tempo on "You Can't Hurry Love" on their Sullivan appearance?

Click the post title for "You Can't Hurry Love" via myspace music and bow down. 'Cause I would never disrespect Miss Ross.

I didn't forget

The post title takes you iraqbodycount.org, which chronicles the deaths of civilians there since the U.S. invaded.

The picture with this post is of an Iraqi child reportedly killed in a U.S. air strike. I don't apologize for the graphic photo; this is the toll of war--justified or unjustified.

And in Iraq, we're still at it. Go here for an April 2009 story on what percentages of those killed by coalition strikes are women and children.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/iraq-air-raids-hit-mostly-women-and-children-1669282.html

Yeah, I said it

A credible report says our military had Osama bin Laden in its sights in December 2001. Click post title.

Wonder why we didn't take him out? Perhaps if we had, George W. Bush couldn't have panicked the American people into war with Iraq. Thus he would have missed out on his big adventure.

My beloved family member gave half his skull bone, use of his left arm and partial use of his left leg to the futile effort to find the non-existent "weapons of mass destruction" in Mesopotamia.

The pictured Marine gave his legs. Thousands more gave their lives.

All for what, exactly? Can you tell me?

Giving thanks

Only one crime of passion would take me to prison. (Or as we say in the Mountain South, "the pen."  My grandma once described a friend in this way--"poor ol' thang. Her man's in the pen.")

My felony would be for blowing the head off someone who abuses children or animals.

Pets are not just interchangeable and disposable "companions." They are members of our families.

Yeah, I'm crazy. I own it. But watch out if you're whooping on a dog or neglecting a cat. This gimp might be gunning for you soon.

Hit the post title for a Thanksgiving story I can rally to--the feeding of turkey and trimmings to dogs rescued from puppy mills. 

Gay marriage

Go to the post title for an in-depth article on the strategy of gay-marriage advocates. 

Excerpt:

Eskridge calls the debate about whether homosexuality is immutable a "lavender herring." He points out that religion is fairly easy to change, yet Catholics and Jews are considered protected minorities. The real question both sides should be looking at, he says, is whether sexuality is a central component of one's identity. As Olson pointed out at an October pre-trial hearing in which the defense sought to dismiss the case, "An individual does not experience constant shifts in his or her sexual orientation."

'80s fix

As good as crack, but not as addictive. Go to the post title.

 I walked the ward with you, babe
A thousand miles with you
I dried your tears of pain, babe
A million times for you

See Rock City

Click the post title and hit cut #15 for more Kate Campbell. Because you needzzzz it.

She wants to climb Lookout Mountain

And see all 7 states

She wants to feel the wind through her hair again

Before it gets too late

Maybe this is how he ends up appearing on burnt toast

Click the post title for a "holy shit!" optical illusion exercise.

Go here and select cut #2 for Kate Campbell's testimony to a vegetable from heaven. ("Or is it a fruit?")

http://music.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=music.artistalbums&artistid=1673637&ap=0&albumid=12709

Cinematic cooks

Hit the post title for a take on cooking scenes in movies.

Excerpt:

". . . cooking, perhaps more than any activity, lets an actor exude absolute physical and intellectual mastery without seeming domineering or smug. Why is that? It's probably because, while cooking is a creative talent that has a certain egotistical component (what good cook isn’t proud of his or her skills?), there's something inherently humbling about preparing food for other people."

More broadly, kitchens are where characters froth and fume, meet and mingle, rage and remember. Even if they're just eating cereal.

The cook doesn't even have to be on screen to get a shout-out. Why else would Clemenza order "Leave the gun; take the cannoli."

Squeakus Maximus theme

Hit the post title and select song #5.

Because she's a super squeak. She's super squeaky.

The world in pics

The post title leads to 25 outstanding shots in National Geographic's international photo contest.

My favorites are shots #12 and #25, but all are stunning.

Zellweger!

Everybody likes to hate on her (I believe the phrase Kathy Griffin used to describe Renee was "sweaty, puffy coke whore").

I think she's talented, cute and hot.

The post title takes you to 10 female celebrities who turned 40 this year, including Ms. Zellweger.

I know who you are

Did you grab leftover pie out of the fridge for "breakfast" at 3 a.m. so you could head out and hit "Black Friday" sales?

Then you, ma'am, are a heterosexual married woman between the ages of 25 and 65 with at least 2 kids and--depending on your age--several grandkids.

All the singles, married males and sexual deviants (i.e., the gay) are channel surfing and wondering whether Cool Whip straight out of the tub is an acceptable brunch item.

.

Gay twin, straight twin

Hit the post title for a National Geographic video report on how identical twins might end up with different sexual orientations.

Friday thought

I can be very impressionable and easily lead.

But lately I am about finding my own truth. So far, so good.

Quiz challenges

I got all but one of these: musician nicknames

http://www.sporcle.com/games/musician_nicknames.php

I got only 16 out of 30 (shameful for a pig farmer's daughter): countries with the highest pig population

http://www.sporcle.com/games/worldpigpopulation.php

31 out of 36 (proving I am an animal nut): dog breeds

http://www.sporcle.com/games/dogbreeds.php

9 out of 23 (what kind of Amurcan am I?) of most populated US cities with exactly 7 letters in their names

http://www.sporcle.com/games/7letteruscities.php

That is all. Quiz on. You know you will as the weekend wears at you.

She happens to be a gimp

"Able-bodies" don't and can't grasp physical handicaps in a deep sense. How could they?

But we gimps are just regular ol' folks when it comes to sex, love and hope.

Hit the post title for one woman's funny, poignant take on such.

Retro crush--Shirley MacLaine

Hit the post title for her turn as the fictionalized Debbie Reynolds in "Postcards from the Edge."

She was quite the singer and dancer in her day. I preferred her to Audrey Hepburn.

And my god. Ouiser Boudreaux from "Steel Magnolias." The funniest, cutest, richest old bat in the history of Southern film. "I don't read books 'cause if they're any good, they're gonna make 'em into a mini-series."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHNBvGXLUt8&NR=1

Puss. . .in boots!

Hit the post title for Antonio's alter ego. Ain't nothing in the world like an orange kitteh.

Thanksgiving anthem

Hit the post title for the frick to the Judds' Christmas carol frack.

Steady as she goes

It's Thanksgiving, gateway to the most hideous time of the year.

Kidding. Sort of.

Holiday season, and suicide rates rise, families feud and the festivities don't live up to what they promise. And oh, there's that extra 10 pounds in our future.

Hit the post title for the simplest, sweetest Christmas hymn going. And don't expect too much the next few weeks.

If you can listen to these 3 cuts from kd lang's "Hymns from the 49th Parallel" and not get goose bumps, you are. A cyborg. Sir.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru8e2KRlsdQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMUwUr213dk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T19UODyJpVA

she tied you to her kitchen chair 
And she broke your throne and she cut your hair 
And from your lips she drew Hallelujah 

David (Greek, not Jewish)

If I were to be het and a hag for a fag, I would choose David Sedaris.

late, great. NC State

"Don't give up. Don't ever give up." Jim Valvano

Thought for the day

The concept of self awareness is relative and quite subjective.

Slo-mo kitteh

Those tardy risers among us can hit the post title to sloooowwwwllly get started.

I read it on a random blog

"They say laughter is the best medicine, but I prefer codeine cough syrup."

Muppets perform 'Bohemian Rhapsody'

If you never look at another link I post on this blog, hit this title.

I beg of you.

Current crush--Trisha Yearwood

She's the right side of Memphis, IMO. And might I mention buxom?

Hit the post title and select cut #3.

Full tank of gas and a '69 Tempest

Takin' me to that Nashville sign

Here's your sign

I knew I was a lesbian at an early age, partly because I liked men's stuff.

For example, I lusted after men's watches.

One year, my grandma took me to the local department store to spend my birthday money.  I was around 10 years old. I picked out a man's fishing hat. I can still see it in my mind's eye--light olive green, with mesh sides and a bill.

My grandmother, a proper Southern lady, was appalled. But she let me buy the hat. And I wore it until it pretty much rotted off my head.

Dear old Dad. Not.

Hit the post title for a true story about an adoptee who sought out the identity of his birth parents only to find out that his biological father is, wait for it. . .

Charles Manson.

Eeeeeek.

10 cinematic firsts

The post title takes you to the list.

Highlights:

"The Fall of a Nation," the first feature film sequel. (Since this was a follow-up to "Birth of a Nation," a overtly racist movie, perhaps this is a lowlight.)

"Bwana Devil," first 3-D feature film.

Society and obesity

Click the post title for a study on causes of and correlations with obesity in the 50 states.

Excerpt:

"Obesity is lower in states with higher concentrations of artists, musicians, and entertainers (with a correlation of-.6), those with larger concentrations of gays and lesbians (-.5), and immigrants (-.5). This likely reflects broader structural characteristics of those states, as more highly educated states also tend to be more tolerant and open to diversity."

Something to sleep on . . .

. . . and awake to work on tomorrow.

"To see what is in front of our nose needs a constant struggle." George Orwell

Shooting blankzzzzz

Monday Monday. I drank too much, had a heartfelt conversation with a buddy, watched some TV, and just goddamn quit for the day.

Not bad. At least I don't have to haul my fanny to a job tomorrow a.m., like most of the world does.

Man crush--maybe

Or perhaps I just want to BE Robert Cray.

Hit the post title for why.

Offered without comment II

Bacall.

That is all.

The (lavender) elephant in the room

Lesbians of my generation and before learned to speak and listen for code. Wind talkers of a special kind, we were. 

Do young lesbian ladies now have to open their ears to what's whispered and implied, or are those dark days over?

I don't know. I enjoyed speaking a lesbos language. Lusting after Greta Garbo wearing those trousers in "Queen Christina." Laughing about Mary Stuart Masterson's gay Watts character in "Some Kind of Wonderful" (our het friends dismissed such an idea as ludicrous, but we knew). Getting a warm, delicious chill the first time and every time we heard "Closer to Fine" (hit post title) by the Indigo Girls, a duo breeders took to just be crunchy earth mothers with guitars.

We were "the other." And the "normals" never saw that purple pachyderm sitting right smack dab in the middle of the floor. 

Sometimes I liked that.

For CudaCatt

Click the post title for the Heart girlzzz.

Go here to read more about the top 10 muscle cars. Methinks I was born 15 years too late. Brainwashed by the Japanese and disappointed by Detroit, am I.

http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-muscle-cars.php

And here's the best-ever ode to white-trash black cars, Steve Earle's "Sweet Little '66":

http://music.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=music.artistalbums&artistid=4574388&ap=0&albumid=4041

November 22

A sad anniversary for America. President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was gunned down in Dallas on this day in 1963.

Kennedy's most memorable sentence from a speech.

http://www.jfklancer.com/audio/jfk.wav

Audio report from a radio reporter racing to Parkland Hospital behind the presidential car.

http://www.jfk-assassination.de/media/audio/motorcade-to-parkland.mp3

Dirge played during the JFK funeral procession.

http://www.jfklancer.com/audio/jkfpcbac.wav

Click the post title to learn more about a National Geographic Channel special to air Monday featuring rarely seen video of the Texas School Book Depository at that fateful moment.

Sarah

Matt Taibbi deconstructs the appeal of Miss P for today's media.

Excerpt:

"Sarah Palin’s battlefield, on the other hand, is whatever is happening five feet in front of her face. She is building a political career around the little interpersonal wars in the immediate airspace surrounding her sawdust-filled head. And in the process she connects with pissed-off, frightened, put-upon America on a plane that’s far more elemental than the mega-ditto schtick."

Hit the post title for the full text.

'Your brain on books'

Hit the post title to go to an interview with neuroscientist Stanislas Dehaene on how the mind makes sense of written language.

Never mind

Lord.

The man pictured in the last post is Adlai Stevenson II, Democratic nominee for president in 1952 and 1956 (He lost to Eisenhower both times).

Adlai Stevenson I was Cleveland's vice president. I was II's paternal grandfather (not father). Now that is old school: giving  the grandson the deuce suffix instead of the son.

'Not worth a bucket of warm piss'

That's how John Nance Garner described the post of vice president. He held the post under FDR. 

 Click the title post to name U.S. presidents by their vice presidents in 7 minutes.

I got 21 out of 49 correct in the allotted time, pretty much proving Garner right.

Who knew Adlai Stevenson (pictured) was Grover Cleveland's VP? How is that possible?????? Was he 10 months old at the time????

How Christian of you. And sooo clever.

On the eve of JFK's assassination, cafepress.com and other Internet purveyors of T-shirts and knick-knacks have pulled a certain item from their catalogs--items sarcastically urging us to "pray for Obama" and then citing Psalms 109:8.

That verse reads (King James version):

Let his days be few; and let another take his office.

Using the Bible to say that assassination, or at least untimely death, is something to beseech God for? Wow. Just wow. What would Jesus say? Seriously, what would he say?

What is the limit and where is the line for the hard right? I fear that I don't know.

Geeks rule

Classic. Click the post title to see Napoleon Dynamite deliver the top 10 list for Letterman.

Uganda, land of legislated hate

Click the post title to read about Uganda's vendetta against gays and lesbians.

An excerpt:

Sexual violence is everywhere in Uganda. This bill, too, is part of that culture. And what is the death penalty for homosexuality if not sexual murder? The state that sets out to purge the nation of homosexuality becomes, in the end, itself a sexual predator.

OK then

I'm not sure "the gays" are fighting over who gets Utah State Sen. Chris Buttars. But it's always good to set clear boundaries. Buttars (no comment on the name) said this yesterday during debate on allowing same-sex couples to adopt.

"I meet with the gays here and there. They were in my house two weeks ago. I don’t mind gays. But I don’t want ‘em stuffing it down my throat all the time."

Click the post title for the video, if you dare.

Kittehs

Blogging for the weekend.

Sofia, Sofia. That sure is a pretty name.

Oprah is ending her show. Wow.

Click the post title for the finest scene from "The Color Purple." It's an ensemble accomplishment: Celie kicks Mister's ass, Squeak declares her independence, Shug shugs it up. 

But Oprah's Sofia. She's the scene stealer. She's the star. "I know what it like, Miss Celie, wanna go somewhere and can't."

retro crush--Dusty Springfield

"Son of a Preacher Man"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dp4339EbVn8

"Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yLrSVD6380&feature=related

Write bad; be good

Hit the post title for writebadlywell.blogspot.com.

Today's entry reminds me of that certain newspaper editor who only let me use "she said," never "she opined," "she elaborated," or even "she stated." (I'm talking to you, James Dutra, who left the newspaper business to be a pastry chef. How do you like those cream puffs? OK, I have no idea what that means.):

Use rich, evocative dialogue tags

‘Good morning,’ exploded Mr Petiska warmly. ‘How are we all today?’

‘Well enough, thank you,’ gushed Diedre, not looking up from her desk.

‘And how about you?’ impinged Mr Petiska, turning his mighty vocalisations towards the timid figure in the corner of the office.

‘Sorry?’ shrank Ingrid, vacillatingly.

‘How are you?’ recapitulated the manager in a decidedly gruff timbre.

‘I’m, um...’ Ingrid temporised, ‘um, well. I feel a bit...’ she tergiversated.

‘Never mind that!’ burgeoned Mr Petiska. ‘Back to work!’

‘Yes sir,’ Ingrid ovinely subsumed.

Winter cocktails

Click the post title for Esquire's list of 27 good ones.

A few seem more suited to sipping on a Southern veranda in August while gyrating a funeral-home fan in your face (e.g., the pictured rye whiskey and ginger ale).

But hey. . .