Mesmerizing Minty

Yay! Another mix from refreshingly cool Minty, which I am listening to even as I type. I love it - it's a very wide-ranging mix, reflecting the multiple facets of Minty's jewel of a personality. I have to say, I thought Seu Jorge singing David Bowie was the best part of The Life Aquatic. And I always thought We Walk The Same Line would be my wedding song in the extremely unlikely event I get hitched again. I've read excerpts from Ben Watt's book, and he is one of my heroes - not only is he incredibly musically talented, but he is a funny and compassionate writer too. And I like it when people find Scottish accents adorable. That Proclaimer's song captures the whole Scottish cringe thing we have with the English.

There will be no cooking club this week due to the two protaganists being wan and sickly this weekend. Though I suppose we could attempt rice pudding or gruel or something. Actually, what I really want now is my default comfort meal - tomato soup with toast. Fed to me. While wrapped in a blanket.

Anyway, here are Minty's liner notes: Minty's CD

Track	Artist	Comments
Wichita Lineman	Glen Campbell	This is my favorite song. EVER. Deal with it.
Strawberry Letter 23	Shuggie Otis	The hit version by the Brothers Johnson was good,but I like the original better. Freaky psychedelic lyrics. LSD, anyone?.
Life on Mars?	Seu Jorge	Everything sounds pretty when you say it in Portuguese. I’ll bet if you said “your mother is a filthy whore” in Portuguese it would sound pretty. This is from The Life Aquatic soundtrack. You knew that, but in 20 years when you look at this you will have forgotten, and you’ll thank me.
Little Palaces	Elvis Costello	Elvis gets mad on this one-not that 70s kind of punk-rock mad, but grownup mad-about-serious-issues mad. Tell it, Elvis!
It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference	Todd Rundgren	You didn’t think I could make a mix CD without a Todd song on it, did you? Todd is a master of the anti-love song, and this is one of his prettiest.
Rocked By Rape	Evolution Control Committee	What’s the frequency, Kenneth?
Fight Like a Brave	Red Hot Chili Peppers	No one can tell you you’ve got to be afraid. Not even Dan Rather!!
Daft Punk is Playing at My House	LCD Soundsystem	I don’t dance, but I sort of can’t help dancing when I hear this.
Frame By Frame	King Crimson	But don’t ever try dancing to a King Crimson song-you might pull a muscle or something. I went to a King Crimson show once and there were about eight girls there, and three thousand geeky guys. I guess it’s hard for King Crimson fans to get a date.
Me and Mia	Ted Leo + the Pharmacists	It’s about eating disorders, but you can make it your anthem even if you don’t have one. “Do you believe in something beautiful? Then get up and be it!”
Blonde on Blonde	Nada Surf	I don’t have anything interesting to say about this song, but I like it a lot.
Cap in Hand	The Proclaimers	Another angry song. I love these cute Scottish twins and their adorable Scottish accents.
Up the Junction	Squeeze	I like how this song starts out kind of happy and then goes completely down the toilet.
Hopeless	Future Bible Heroes	Whereas this song just stays in the toilet the whole way. If you didn’t speak English maybe you’d think this was a happy song!
Sorry Again	Velocity Girl	Oops, she did it again. She’s sorry. Really, she is. No, really.
We Walk the Same Line	Everything But The Girl	Sometimes a real live love song is just the thing. Tracey + Ben = True Love 4-Evah! Tracey wrote this after Ben’s illness, and if you haven’t read his harrowing memoir, Patient, you should. I could let you borrow it if you want.
Eating the Bear	Joan Armatrading	My mom and I shared a love for Joan Armatrading’s music. Once we went to one of her shows together. That was cool.
Walking in the Woods	The Pursuit of Happiness	A sad song about a girl. The second one in a row with lyrics about being eaten by an animal. Weird. I had dream when I was five about being eaten by a lion.
New England	Jonathan Richman	A sweet little ditty.
Right Here, Right Now	Jesus Jones	This was like the anthem of the early 90s, but it still works today, I think. Well, except for the fact that George Bush is president. Anyway, kudos to me for ending this on a positive note!

Real Bodies

Is this the new craze of the summer? Salon has a piece about the Nike campaign, which features luscious, plump, well-muscled butts, thighs, legs, and hips. This after the infamous Dove campaign. The thing that strikes me is that in both campaigns, the bodies are young. Yes, they may be larger than what society mandates, but they are firm and plump and obviously youthful. There are very few middle-aged bodies around, be they slim or plump. You don't see the sinewy legs and salt cellar necks of the middle-aged and over-aerobicized, or the wobbly stomach and saggy knees of the middle-aged and under-excercised. Most of us get either scrawny or flabby, or if we're really unlucky, both. And there is definitely truth in the dictum 'After forty, it's your face or your ass'.

Of course, it's good to take care of your body, and strive for healthiness, but let's face it; very few bodies are textbook sexy, especially past 40. At least the Nike campaign (on the surface) preaches body acceptance, but to a pretty limited audience. It would just be a refreshing change to see an ad campaign that was truly inclusive, of age as well as size.

This cracked me up. I especially like the way Tom is hiking up his skirt in the first picture. It's lucky he found a spiritual home to set him on the right path.

The results are in, and it's official. Men are smarter than women. Actually, maybe they're just better at taking IQ tests (designed by?...) My private, politically incorrect theory which seems to work pretty well in real life, is that dumb men are dumber than dumb women, and smart men are smarter than smart women. I think my theory holds water because men have societal reinforcement to have the courage of their convictions; so their dumb or smart ideas are not mitigated by the fear of appearing agressive. Discuss.

Book Meme (from Mykull)

How many books I own:

I’ve probably sold a gazillion books in my lifetime (to support my heroin habit), but I currently have about 500 on my shelves.

The last book I bought:

I typically get books free from contacts at various publishing houses. (If you work in the incredibly hectic and stressful world of publishing, you too can get free books.) The last free book I got is The Insult by Rupert Thomson. I’m halfway through The Insult and it is deliciously creepy—hard-boiled noir written with a lyrical touch. The last book I bought (well, used my credit slip at a used bookstore for) was The Sound and the Fury because I had never read it. After the first 100 pages, I was like, Enough with the retard already! After the first 20 pages we totally get that he’s retarded and likes to stare in the fire! Stop repeating the same fucking phrases over and over! If I had read this when I was in college, I would have worshiped Faulkner as a god of experimental writing. But now I just find it tedious and pointless. I don’t have enough time to waste on a hack like this Faulkner guy.

The last book I read:

The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil by George Saunders. He's one of my favorite writers. Yes, he’s a bit experimental, but in a fresh and funny way. He’s not all like, I’m a retard and I’m going to repeat three different phrases for the next 100 fucking pages so you will know what it’s like to be in a retard’s head. For Saunders’s best book, check out Pastoralia.

Five books that mean a lot to me:

I don’t really read poetry anymore, but I used to basically live for it. Four of the below are poetry books that still mean the world to me. I should go back and re-read them.

The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke, translated by Stephen Mitchell.

Poems of Paul Celan, translated by Michael Hamburger.

Too Bright to See by Linda Gregg.

Plainwater by Anne Carson. This is a collection of various of her previous books, all of which I adore.

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard.

Five people I’ve tagged:

I am retarded. I don't understand this concept of "tagging." I like to stare into the fire.

Tagtime

Wendy just popped my tagging cherry. So here goes:

1.) How many books I own:
I can't be bothered counting but I think about 700 or so (including my son's extensive library of Pokemon books).

2.) The last book I bought:
This is embarassing: What You Wear Can Change Your Life by Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine. Needless to say, I'm still waiting. Though the color charts are pretty good.

3.) The last book I read:
Courtesy of Mykull, Emotionally Weird by Kate Atkinson. Now I want to read more of this author.

4.) Five books that mean a lot to me:
1. Nights at The Circus by Angela Carter. My favorite book EVER.
2. Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie. I've read this at least 5 times and I love it each time.
3. The Virgin and The Gypsy by D.H. Lawrence. This one makes me all tingly and wish gypsies lived in Durham.
4. Finn Family Moomintroll by Tove Jansson. My favorite book as a little kid. It's really trippy.
5. The Midnight Farm by Reeve Lindbergh. I read this book over and over to my son when he was little. It's so cozy, and makes me want to take a nap while ten little mice dance on the windowsill.

5.) Five people I’ve tagged: It's time to spread the lurv.
Mykull
Minty
Phil (in between packing)
Christa
Rebecky (but only if she has time...)

I hope it was good for Wendy as it was for me...

rachel ray touches her ears . . . with her toes (from myküll)

so yes, on sunday marianne and i made goat cheese crepes with fig jam. she made the kick-ass hint-o'-thyme batter ahead of time and then we took turns pouring the batter into the sizzling pan and flipping the crepes over. marianne's crepes turned out to be in the shape of the elephant man's hands and mine turned out to be perfect harmonious circles. then we put cubes of goat cheese in the middle of each crepe and folded the corners in to make little pillows of cheesy bliss. except two crepes were stuffed with m&ms and percocet for marianne's son, who we think liked them but he totally passed out early so we're not sure. it took like 30 seconds in the oven until they were done and we took them out and spread the incredibly rich and delicious scrote jam on them. then while scarfing down our meal we played rachel ray. to play rachel ray you must follow 3 steps: 1) enthusiastically shout out "MMMMMM!!!" just before forkful of food enters mouth. 2) slide fork in and out of mouth repeatedly while even more enthusiastically shouting out "MMMMMM!!!" 3) talk about how you did it all for under $40 and even made some extra cash by giving hand jobs to the bus boy and dishwasher. marianne and i are using a uniue and complicated rating system to evaluate each meal we create. we like to call it "the 5 star system." we give goat cheese crepes with fig jam 4 out of 5 stars. on an educational side note, did you know that goats are really cute and cuddly and love to be petted and will eat any fucking thing you put in front of them including your pant legs? also, if you are under a crab apple tree and have some crab apples in your hands and you feed them they will totally fall in love with you and want to make a special extra-creamy blend of goat cheese just for you. also, if you walk out into a field where the goats are supposed to be and yet there are no goats you just scream in a high-pitched voice HEEEEEEERRRREEEE GOATY GOATY GOATIES!!!!! and the entire herd will come running up and will jump on you and beg to be fed and kissed and petted. if you look deep into their eyes you will totally understand why they are the symbol of satanists everywhere. but that doesn't mean their cheese doesn't fucking rule the world.

Cooking Club I

Mykull and I decided, after our foray into ice-cream last week, that we would make cooking together a regular thing. This week, our recipe was Goat Cheese Crepes with Fig Jam, which made us both drool and was indeed food porn.

We have two very different and hopefully complementary cooking styles - Mykull is very precise and orderly, and I am slapdash and rarely follow a recipe exactly. Mykull is strictly vegetarian and I'm almost one, except for holiday turkeys and hams, burgers on the grill and bacon. Mykull has gotten out of the habit of cooking and I have forgotten how to cook for grown-ups.

Anyway, back to our recipe: I made the crepe batter in the morning so it had time to sit in the fridge for about 6 hours, which I think really helped. I used dried thyme instead of fresh, because I am a lazy bitch.

We went to get our goat cheese and fig jam from Wholefoods. God that store annoys me. I just feel like I bump into everyone or everyone bumps into me. The chevre was too bloody expensive so we got Nevat, which was almost like a goat brie. The fig jam was organic Dalmatian fig jam, which created our running joke of the afternoon - 'It's Croat jam!' (say it quickly...).

When we got home, it was time to swirl and flip. As could be expected, Mykull was much better than me at this. My stove is a cool looking retro stove, but is sort of a piece of crap in terms of cooking ability. However, each crepe cooked quicker than the last, and seemed to come out a bit better each time. The batter did make eight crepes as advertised, but pretty small ones. Mine were shaped like Norway or Sweden, and Mykull's were much more symmetrical (which is ok I suppose if that sort of thing is important to you).

The next step was to wrap the crepes around some goatcheese and blast them under a hot grill. We put a little more cheese than the recipe called for (maybe 3/4 oz for each crepe). Grilling them took less than a minute, contrary to the recipe. Then we slathered each crepe with the fig jam, and ate, in the manner of Rachel Ray. 'Mmmm - the fig jam really brings out the flavor of the goat cheese'. We then embarked on a long off-color impersonation of her, speculating how she manages to eat so well for $40 a day (maybe making a bit extra on the side?).

It didn't look like a whole lot on the plate, but it was really satisying and delicious. The fig jam was perfect with the cheesey crepes. We didn't need to use a whole lot of it either - it's very flavorful. This recipe was pretty easy and very good - both of us thought it scored 4 out of 5.

Career Girl

I've had a couple of kind of shitty days at work, but immediately felt better after I found this today. To get the full beauty of this psychosis inducing game you need to scroll down to the bottom. I would be disqualified multiple times on multiple grounds for any one of the four exciting careers open to career girls in 1966. I wonder what career a misfit like me would have had in 1966? Sewage farm worker? Prison guard? Hooker?

I'm so glad we've evolved to this, and now we focus on what's really important. Cameron is s-o-o-o dreamy.

My son and I went to the Open House for Charter Middle School. They do a really cool thing - they start each day with 20 minutes of silent reading. I would have loved that when I was at school. And they have a uniform, which I am ambivalent about, having grown up with a uniform. I know men here get all hot and bothered about schoolgirl uniforms but believe me, the reality is not Britney-Spears-mini-kilts-and-blouse-open-to-navel. The reality is worsted grey knee socks with flat Mary janes or oxfords, itchy knee length pleated skirts, buttoned up to the neck shirts, curve eliminating sweaters and no makeup. Even the dewiest, most coltish teenager (and believe me, I was not) looks like a giant frumpy hairball.

When did Dave Matthews turn into James Gandolfini? He's really scary looking, and J-Ro is looking wierdly plasticky and are those white-girl dreads? Yuck.

I just love imitating this woman. I'm really good at it too, probably due to the fact that my mum wanted me to talk with that plummy Home counties accent, and some of it did rub off on me I guess. My son and I sing 'Baby's got Back' and 'Milkshake' like Mary Poppins, and it makes us laugh every time. We also made up some new lyrics to 'Favorite Things' that my son insisted I post:

Soft little kittens all simmered in gravy
A ten year stint in the Russian navy
Cute bug-eyed puppies all tied up with string
These are a few of my favorite things

Sweet little orphans left out in the cold
Yummy swiss cheese all covered in mould
Beautiful song-birds without any wings
These are a few of my favorite things

When the dog farts. And it smells bad. And you're feeling blue
I simply remember my favorite things, and then I-I say 'Screw you'

More Goodbyes

This weekend, after saying goodbye to Rebecky and Jesse, I also went to a farewell party for my friend Scott, who is leaving this weekend. After a long time of just thinking 'Yeah, yeah, he's leaving', it actually finally hit me this weekend - he's LEAVING! And I'm quite unexpectedly sad. He, my friend Sheri and I had a nice little single parents supper club going. It was really good to get the male perspective on being a single parent, and it definitely restored my faith in mankind to have a friend who is such an exemplary dad, and who doesn't think of his kids as a pain in the ass obstacle to his leading a swinging single bachelor life.

Michael and I made home-made ice-cream this weekend (yep, since you ask, I'm still trying to lose weight, but once again, my indolent, greedy nature wins over self control). I was like 'Dude - could you pick a more labor intensive recipe?', as it involved toasting hazlenuts, skinning them, chopping them, making nougat, crushing it, making custard, mixing them together, chilling over ice-water, freezing and (the hardest part) waiting for 24 hours before scarfing. It was pretty damn good though.

Pinky had some interesting things to say about keeping her (or is it his?) anonymity, but what I have encountered, is people who know me IRL almost always say 'Your blog surprised me; it shows a whole different side of you'. This really disturbs me; I think my blog is pretty much how I am, maybe a little more stylized because I can edit and stuff, but I think it reflects the non-libellous part of my inner monologue pretty accurately. Maybe it's just a by-product of being shy.

Here's the second of Michael's amazing CDs. Why did I not have a high school boyfriend like his, instead of getting all my sex-ed in one gulp as it were in college (errr... because I was completely socially awkward and oblivious perhaps?)

Michael's Second CD

Track	Artist	Comments
Deceptacon	Le Tigre	Get your groove on with the FTMs at the lesbian bar!
Evil	Ladytron	When I listen to Ladytron, I dream that I am one of the band members, and I become the coolest person on earth.
Absolute Beginners	The Jam	A band my high school boyfriend introduced me to. Along with oral sex.
Harmony	Clinic	If you listen to this song late at night with all the lights in your house turned off, you might be scared that someone with a knife is lurking in the basement waiting for you.
Hologram	The Comas	When I went to see this band for my 30th birthday, the lead singer told everyone to fuck off. I detest him, but love his music. A perfect song for anyone with dissociative disorder.
Losing Your Affection	Future Bible Heroes	I like the Future Bible Heroes better than the Magnetic Fields.
Only Love Can Break Your Heart	Saint Etienne	In college I regularly requested this dance song at the one gay bar in town. Who knew a Neil Young song could become such a groovetastic hit?
Take You On A Cruise	Interpol	It was hard to choose an Interpol song for this mix because I love so many Interpol songs, but this tune from their latest album holds a special place in my heart, despite its overtones of 70s-inspired fantasy a la Moody Blues.
Mosquito	The Bible	I have no fucking idea where this band came from or where the hell they went, but this song rocks at 500 rpms.
Free To Believe	Glee Club	I wish The Glee Club never broke up. One of those brilliant, moody 4AD bands with a siren-like singer.
Sunflower	Low	I own every Low album, but Things We Lost in the Fire is my fave. This opening track is sort of morbid, but lovely nonetheless.
Black Metallic	Catherine Wheel	When this played on the radio in 1991, I ran to the music store and bought the album. I still don’t understand what the hell it’s about (someone turning into a robot?), but isn’t it haunting?
Winning A Battle, Losing The War	Kings Of Convenience	Perfect theme song for a drizzly fall afternoon spent in bed.
As High As You Can Go	The Chameleons	Another group my high school boyfriend introduced me to. Along with KY-Jelly.
Thieves Like Us	New Order	Obligatory New Order song goes here.
There Is A Light That Never Goes Out	The Smiths	Morrissey, make me pregnant with your baby.
Tubular Belgians in My Goldfield	Departure Lounge	Departure Lounge, where I wave goodbye to Jesse and Rebecca, who I will miss more than words can say.

Mwah! Michael

I think Michael should get a prize because not only is he the first to return a CD but he made two and they are awesome and the liner notes are brilliant! I would like his prize to be a night with his high school boyfriend and a big tube of KY but I can only provide the latter (there's no expiration date on that stuff is there?). I love these CDs, I like that they're a bit Eurotrashy (that's a good thing). I'll just post the liner notes for the first one right now because I want to do the labor intensive thing and put some relevant links in there.

Anyway, Thursday night, we did karaoke to wish farewell to Rebecky and Jesse (sniff). Highlights of the evening include:

A duet of 'Lady' with Rebecky and an awesome girl whose name I can't remember which had every straight man's tongue lolling out of his mouth by the end of it.

An extremely unstoned white boy attempting Bob Marley.

A couple of middle aged men singing 'Stroke It' and 'Let's Get Drunk and Screw'. Yep, we get that you are sexually available. Go home and watch some porn.

Charlie. Everything he sang.

Just everything man. It was a beautiful night.

Anyway, I amazed myself by actually singing (albeit in a fairly non-boisterous manner), but at least I didn't choke. Thank you Mr. Samuel Adams for your unflagging encouragement and in making my bravery possible. Good times.

Here's the first of Michael's CDs (the second one is just as fabulously gorgeous)

Michael's First CD

Track	Artist	Comments
So Nice (Summer Samba)	Astrud Gilberto & Walter Wanderley Trio	Astrud makes me happy, especially this lovely summery ditty that makes me want to lift my skirt up. (This one for Rebecky, who should lift her skirt up only for Jesse.)
Metronomic Underground	Stereolab	It’s a proven fact that if you are on a treadmill while listening to this, you will be given 50 bonus energy points that will increase your speed by 100%.
Dataman	Märtini Brös	Listen to this while clubbing in Berlin. Your suave dance moves will get you laid. (Especially for Jesse, who should lay only Rebecky.)
My Mathematical Mind	Spoon	A great song, even if you don’t know what the fuck an integer is.
Neighborhood #2 (Laika)	The Arcade Fire	My fave song by this kick-ass band, who I have not yet seen live. I got to hear Jenny & Jon do an impressive job of singing the lyrics while driving to Salter Path. (Note: Jenny & Jon’s singing not on this track).
When the Sun Drops Like an Anvil	The Russian Futurists	Another bouncy song that makes me happy. People in Russia must all be really happy.
Dog On Wheels	Belle & Sebastian	Is any Belle & Sebastian song better than this? No.
Nothing Better	Postal Service	My fave song by The Postal Service. Kind of sad, but with happy instrumentals.
Sooner	My Morning Jacket	Perfect song for a road trip. Reminds me of watching the sun rise over the mountains while sipping my General Foods International Vanilla Memories Coffee.
Baby in Two	Pernice Brothers	This song breaks my heart in two, like a baby, a baby being torn in two.
Maps	Yeah Yeah Yeahs	The best ever theme song of unrequited love. Makes your heart ache so good.
Disarm	Smashing Pumpkins	Ding ding, this makes three heart-breaking songs in a row! I hate Billy Corgan, but Rebecky and I still think he’s a genius.
Cold, Cold Water	Mira	I got this gem from one of Jenny’s mixes. Notice the clippety-clop sound effects. They were made by a real live miniature horse.
Midnight In A Perfect World	DJ Shadow	DJ Shadow makes my heart swoon, especially his lush, melodic, moody tunes like this one.
Milton Road	Mice Parade	Fresh, funky, and feisty electronica by Mice Parade (also courtesy of Jenny’s mix).

MythBusters II

Here are some more myths - this time about being Scottish, and Scotland, and the truth:

You must really like Celtic music

I feel a bit guilty about this one, because I'm completely indifferent and ignorant about it. It's not something I ever considered being interested in until people starting talking to me and assuming I knew who Silly Wizard and Alisdair MacDonald are. I'm just not that into it which brings me to the second myth...

I bet you know a song about that

I think people think I grew up in a bothy playing the fiddle and singing about the events of the day. Suprisingly enough, these were probably much the same as your average American teenager's daily events - crushes, exams, avoiding gym and how many calories I ate. Not when the herring fleet is coming back, or how my new tartan is coming along, or should I cook my porridge for one overnight or two. I have a neighbor who always asks me this no matter what the circumstances are: 'Hey Marianne, I see it's the 60th anniversary of Hiroshima - I bet you know a song about that'. I don't.

You're a cheap bastard

Actually, this one is true.

The Scottish climate shits in bed

Well, it does and it doesn't. I can definitely remember some summers growing up when I never, ever actually felt warm. But right now, I think that beats two months of 90 degree plus days - now that qualifies as serial fecal incontinence if you ask me.

I have a great uncle from Scotland.. or is it Ireland?

Yeh-up.

And I do like oatmeal, whisky, and brawny men in kilts with no drawers.

My son and I decided to stop at Rose Hill: Home of the World's Biggest Frying Pan on the way home from the beach. It was less than overwhelming. I had an image of a huge skillet thrusting skyward like some culinary Stonehenge. Instead it resides in a bandstand and looks resolutely industrial, like some kind of smelter. And it reeks of stale fried chicken (speaking of which, it always used to amuse me when KFC was on 15-501 and was next door to Jiffy-Lube).

MythBusters

Here are five myths about being a single mother, and the real scoop behind the myth:

You poor miserable cow

Actually, even though there are days when it's no picnic, I'm probably the happiest I've ever been in my life. I think there's a certain amount of fulfillment in doing something everyone acknowledges is hard by yourself. And it helps that I have a great kid, a supportive boss, and a bunch of awesome friends.

You must hate men

I really like men. I like their perspective, and their company. I just don't want to have a 'relationship' with one right now. That would be short changing everyone concerned. Though I still fancy quite a few of them.

You must be after my husband

Unbelievably enough, I have felt this vibe from a couple of women. Now tell me, why would a single mother complicate her life by bonking a married man - are you crazy or just unbelievably insecure?

You have an unhealthily close relationship with your child

We are very close - we've been through a lot together. But my kid is also awesome company - smart, funny, compassionate and very perceptive. I dunno if it's unhealthy, but he's my preferred companion most of the time.

You must be reaming some poor guy for child support

Umm - nope. I think some Neanderthals, who are scared of becoming 'obsolete', are not too comfortable with a single mother doing it all on her own, but it is entirely possible.

One of the reasons I enjoy being a single mother is I feel like I live feminism every single day, that it's idealogically satisfying to subvert the sexual politics that seem to rule so many women's lives by doing this on my own. It really does make me feel powerful, in a quiet, understated way, and I think it would be hard for me to ever relinquish this power. I feel a little subversive, in these dark Bush days when everything seems to be sliding further rightward, and I enjoy feeling subversive.

In other news, the ants that were taking over my sink have undergone some medieval Heironymous Boschian mutation and turned into tiny milipedes. I liked the ants better because the milipedes skeeve me out and I am scared I have ingested quite a few of them. Somehow, I don't mind eating tiny ants quite so much.

I just got my first issue of Paste. What a great magazine, though a little heavy on the alt-country for my taste. Now I have discovered this band. Iceland is almost as good as Scotland for churning out good music. There's a lot to be said for a country with a gloomy climate and long winters.

Is it bad that the first thought in my head when I heard this news is how much will gas cost now?