Monday, February 28, 2011

Why it's Hard to Side With the Wisconsin Protesters...



Okay, so I hit on this a little on “I’m With Stupid” but my good friend AverageChick encouraged me to expand on it a little here.

So I’ve been watching the protests in Wisconsin for what seems like months now and I think I understand where most Americans stand on this whole thing. In general, most Americans like me support collective bargaining rights and the right to unionize.  And, most Americans like me support the right to protest and organize and petition one’s employer. 

But, the problem here is we’re talking mostly about teachers and that just changes things a bit. 

See, first of all, teachers always like to call themselves “professionals” much like doctors and lawyers and such.  But, just as my old friend from college Brian pointed out after the Fayetteville, AR teachers lost a local vote that would have increased taxes to pay for pay raises for teachers and the teachers responded by all refusing to show up for work, teachers aren’t really professionals. Not like doctors and lawyers anyway.  And, as a high school drop out who was assistant manager of a pizza joint at night and cashier at a Stop and Go during the day, he was clearly an expert on the subject.

But it goes further than that.

And I’m not talking about how overpaid and under worked teachers are either.  You know, they make a big salary for only working 8 am til 3:15 pm five days a week for only about 8 months out of the year thing.  Yeah, that’s a problem. And given how they all get at least one free hour during the day and in general have pretty cushy jobs.  Not to mention all those holidays, plus two weeks at Christmas and spring break. 

I see that, but even that it isn’t it.

Oh sure, there’s also tenure. If they work for just a few years they suddenly can’t be fired no matter how bad they suck.  And after that they never do a new lesson plan again. I mean, you can change the book every year if you want, but 2+2 will always = 4, right? Not that most of my teachers knew that. 

No, that’s not even it really. Basically there’s one big thing that stands out as the reason most Americans can’t really come out in full-throated support of the teachers.

Teaching is basically women’s work.

Since teachers are mostly women, it only stands to reason that they would make less.  Women not being as important as men and all.  Also, most women only go into teaching to give themselves something to do during the day while their husbands are working at real jobs. 

Teaching is the perfect job for women. They don’t have to be there until after they’ve made breakfast for everyone and gotten the kids off to school and can then pick the kids up after school and be home in time to have dinner ready for their husbands when they come home after a hard day of actual work. 

This short work day schedule makes it easier for women to have time to keep the house clean and do their .. uh … “womanly duties” keeping the man of the house happy and relaxed so he can focus on his very important and busy job that allows him to take care of the family.

So, when you look at things in this sense and keep all this in perspective, you can see how it’s difficult to take sides with the teachers protesting in Wisconsin.

But, I do want to thank the teachers for support of “I’m With Stupid” every Thursday night at 11 pm EST!!  Thanks guys. Y’all rock! 

CHECK OUT THE REAL LIFE YOUNG MAGNETO


7-year old Bogdan of Serbian decent have metal objects stick to his chest. Now all he needs to do is hook up with Professor x and start the Xmen.

-AL

WEEKEND WRAP UP: GNOMEO AND JULIET GOES FROM NUMBER 3 TO NUMBER 1, SEE THE SHUTTLE FROM AN AIRPLANE


Gnomeo and Juliet surprisingly made it to number one over the weekend. It was at number three which only means one thing all the movies that came out this weekend sucked. Well check out the totals.

Weekend Box Office Estimates (U.S.)
Feb 25 - 27 weekend


1 3 Gnomeo & Juliet Touchstone Pictures $14,213,000 TOTAL: $75,147,000
2 - Hall Pass N/A $13,420,000 TOTAL: $13,420,000
3 1 Unknown Warner Bros. Pictures $12,435,000 TOTAL: $42,840,000
4 4 Just Go With It Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group $11,100,000 TOTAL: $79,355,000
5 2 I Am Number Four DreamWorks Studios $11,036,000 TOTAL: $37,744,000
6 6 Justin Bieber: Never Say Never: The Director's Fan Cut Paramount Pictures $9,200,000 TOTAL: $62,776,000
7 7 The King's Speech The Weinstein Company $7,618,000 TOTAL: $114,509,271
8 5 Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son 20th Century Fox $7,550,000 TOTAL: $28,574,243
9 - Drive Angry 3D Summit Entertainment, LLC $5,131,000 TOTAL: $5,131,000
10 8 The Roommate N/A $2,000,000 TOTAL: $35,928,000

For more click the jump

Check out this view of the space shuttle from inside an airplane. May I say it is pretty cool.

The boring Oscars went down this weekend. If you care to know about the winners click here. If not skip this post like me.




Charlie sheen goes off again. That's why I like charlie Sheen because he says what's on his mind and doesn't back down.

Gone from Eldersburg: Romeo's Italian Bistro

I never went there, but Romeo's Italian Bistro, which was located in the Princess Shopping Center in Eldersburg, is no more. I suspect another restaurant will take its place, but in this economy, which Obama says is fine now, but in reality is still in the pooper, it will take a while to find a new tenant.

I think the place closed a month or two ago. Anyone ever go there? How was it? Not that it matters anymore.

Graphis GIRLS minori

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Graphis GIRLS minori

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

New Zealand All Blacks 'Stainlager' 1994/1996 Rugby Jersey

New Zealand All Blacks 'Stainlager' 1994/1996 Rugby Jersey made by Canterbury. Made in New Zealand. Sponsor Canterbury, New Zealand All Blacks and Stainlager embroidered on the center. Material: 55% Cotton, 45% polyester. Condition: Used but still in excellent condition. An extremely hard to find jersey and would be a great piece for any All Blacks rugby fanatic. Jersey cannot be bought in the shops anymore. No rips, stains or fading.
Size: L and XL
Prize: MYR 250

For Julie, who liked the last one ...

Cursive

What happened to cursive? It's really disappearing now that everyone has computers and cell phones. My writing consists of half cursive, half not. I have a tendency to link some letters, but not others. I think I'm making it a goal this week to write in cursive more.

Christina Hendricks

I just imagine a red monster is coming out of her alien head right now.

NOW I WOULD WATCH THIS HOUSEWIVES SHOW: REAL HOUSEWIVES OF CIVIL RIGHTS


Classic especialy the part with Wayne Brady as MLK. I think we all can relate.

-AL

Charlie Sheen Talks to the "Today" Show

Charlie Sheen Talks to the "Today" Show He’s been one of the hottest topics in the gossip realm as of late, and Charlie Sheen gave the “Today” show an interview to help clear things up.The “Hot Shots” actor chatted with Jeff Rossen about his self-proclaimed self-healing from addiction to drugs and alcohol, as well as his war with CBS for canceling his show “Two and a Half Men.”During his strange

Music Monday: Rockapella

Now this is A Capella. One of my uncles used to live with us and he had the Spike Lee Do It A Capella VHS and I used to watch it all the time. Love it. This is a long video cause it shows part of the beginning of the video. So if you just want to watch the song, go straight to 2 min. 30 sec.
Enjoy!

Frank Buckles, Last World War I Doughboy, Is Dead at 110

Frank Buckles, Last World War I Doughboy, Is Dead at 110Frank Buckles, Last World War I Doughboy, Is Dead at 110Frank Buckles, who drove an Army ambulance in France in 1918 and came to symbolize a generation of embattled young Americans as the last of the World War I doughboys, died Sunday at his home in Charles Town, W. Va. He was 110.His death was announced by a family spokesman, David DeJonge,

Do SAT Scores Prove States Need It?

Does collective bargaining make for better or worse test scores?With Republican-controlled legislatures and state houses from Wisconsin to Oklahoma attempting to strip state workers of collective bargaining rights, figures on the combined SAT and ACT college entrance test scores in states without them are proving fodder for the ongoing debate.As republished in The Economist, a chart purporting to

Match Of The Day - Monday 28 February 2011

motd2u.blogspot.comAspect Ratio : 16:9 | Resolution: 688x384 | FPS : 25.000 | Video Codec: XviDVideo Bitrate: 1300 kb/s | Audio Bitrate: 128kb/s - CBR | Language: English.Stoke City v West Bromwich : no highlight

Seussville Read-A-Thon set for weekend

Seussville Read-A-Thon set for weekendTo encourage reading and in celebration of 107 years of Dr. Seuss on his birthday Onslow County Partnership for Children and Sylvan Learning Center will host a free Seussville Read-A-Thon this weekend.“This will be our first community-wide event,” said Lisa Davis, an early learning specialist at OCPC. “It is open to everyone not just those involved in our

As Long As He Enjoys His Death, It's All Good

My son is playing in a Lacrosse tournament this weekend and I just had to sign the following waiver:

I understand that the dangers and risks of playing or practicing to play or participate in Lacrosse include, complete or partial paralysis, brain damage, serious injury to all bones, joints, ligaments, muscles, tendons, and other aspects of the muscular skeletal system, serious injury to virtually all internal organs, and serious injury or impairment to other aspects of the body, general health, and well being. I understand that the dangers and risks of playing or practicing to play or participate in Lacrosse may result not only in serious injury, but in a serious impairment of future abilities to earn a living, to engage in other business, social and recreational activities, and generally to enjoy life.

WTF??? Seriously, how is a mother supposed to sign something like that?

I'm pretty sure I had to sign the same thing when I was registering to play this game of life as well.

What the hell was I thinking?

Currently Listening To

Smoking Is Soooooooo Cool....


Saturday was Johnny Cash's birthday and Sunday was John Steinbeck's. I noticed over on Tumblr that people posted lots of photos of these two over the weekend and wrote tributes to them. Another thing I noticed was that virtually ever photo had something in common. In fact, I noticed that really great photos of many of of the greatest and coolest writers and entertainers over the years have something in common.

See if you notice it...

Johnny Cash:
Photobucket

John Steinbeck:
Photobucket

Hunter S. Thompson:
Photobucket

Bob Dylan:
Photobucket

Steve McQueen:
Photobucket

Arthur Miller:
Photobucket

Anthony Bourdain:
Photobucket

And … of course Matt-Man:
Photobucket


Notice what they have in common? Yup, they're all smoking.

So obviously, SMOKING IS COOL!

This upsets me because I don't smoke. Once again, I'm NOT cool. Oh I tried to a little back in college. You know, smoking Camel Lights and drink Heinekens while hanging out at The Library Club or George's Majestic Lounge. Kind of an “image is everything” type thing. But, it never worked.

Anyway, no big social commentary here or anything like that. I just noticed how cool all these dudes are and the thing they all had in common was creativity and talent that they all smoked.

Sex and the City 2 stars named worst actresses at Razzie Awards

Sex and the City 2 stars named worst actresses at Razzie AwardsIt is the one Hollywood awards ceremony where no celebrity wants to win. But this year the cast of Sex and the City 2 were among those who were called out at the 31st Annual Golden Raspberry Awards at the Barnsdall Gallery Theatre in LA.The satirical ceremony, traditionally held the night before the Academy Awards, honour the year’s

Oscars 2011: Oscar Winner Christian Bale Onstage and Backstage Notes

Oscars 2011: Oscar Winner Christian Bale Onstage and Backstage NotesOscar Winner Christian Bale Onstage and Backstage NotesHOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 2/27/11 — Christian Bake takes the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in “The Fighter” Note his acceptance speech “Bloody hell what a whole room full of talented people. The incredible people: Jack, Mark, Vicky and Mickey. I can’t wait to see

The Evolution of Touchscreen Gaming

The Evolution of Touchscreen GamingThe Evolution of Touchscreen GamingTouchscreen gaming has never been bigger. The next 12 months could quite possibly see an unprecedented trio of new touch-sensitive portables hitting stores: the Nintendo 3DS, the Sony NGP, and (fingers crossed) a new iPad will all be vying to get their hands on your gaming fingers in the months to come. But while most gamers’

Week in Review: February 21-27

Bubble blowing on a sunny day with my kidlets.
Going on a day trip to Cheyenne with some gal pals.
A knitting night with friends.
Crafting in a newly cleaned art studio.
Despite the pipe gushing water in the basement & the squishy wet carpet, it was a good week!

Click HERE for a photo play-by-play.

Meet TheSlaveofMoz, NOCOPS, Headless Kid, fuckcoloradosprings, and DC's other top international male slaves for the month of February 2011

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GOinginsANe, 23
once proud str8 jock. still trying. but more and more mindfucked at how can't stay off here. Was previously OUTTofConTTrol.

Fighting it, but only makes it sTTronger. Feeling changes in body, as losing conTTrol over what is happening.

The dark FForces pushin in, enticing, seducing, tricking it as Power Exchange keeps getting worse....





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TheSlaveofMoz, 22
I'm a slave to Moz (Stephen Patrick Morrissey!) in every way except my body and I have recently realized it needs a master too. I would ideally love a master who's into Moz but that's an oxymoron. "There is a light and it never goes out." No true master could tolerate Moz's sensitivity and razor wit. So instead I want a master (24/7/365, confinement, no limits) who will let me bring my Moz collection with me and will accept my soul is a slave (24/7/365, confinement, no limits) to Moz. I foresee an interesting conflict there where my body's master will be driven into a rage by my soul's disloyalty and the sound of Moz music playing 24/7/365 in my cage or jail cell or what have you and will be inspired to brutally rape and punish me for this daily and nightly and what have you but will not NOT harm or take away my Moz collection. Several masters have written to me suggesting that what I am secretly asking for is to be deprived of my Moz collection and therewith my "obsession". They say I want to be reborn. While I can understand how that would seem to be my hidden agenda I will say respectfully to those of you who might share this interpretation and approach me in the future that you are taking an overly psychological approach to me. I am a no limits slave in my physical body only who is seeking permanent ownership and confinement but whose soul will always belong to Moz. Take it or leave it.





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boyforsale, 21
this boy for sale. heavy pain and abuse slut. too heavy for me. contact for $$, details.





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HeadlessKid, 19
Hey, there are you… Thus my Headline addressed you?! That makes me happy. Do you torture boys? If yes, and if you would like to torture me, the sweetest Schoolboy is waiting u! I stay alone in my private apartment! Day n night.

I'm new to this website and trying to not shy. Happy to try most of the staff!




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fuckcoloradosprings, 20
I'm simple outside No one knows about my being this way except my x boyfriend I've watched movies and shit I'm down to do anything and I mean anything I have no menu When you hurt me it will not feel like a stiff porno movie I'll make sure that it happens for real.




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HUNTERLOVESYOU, 20
i love to kiss if thats what you 'really want'. *i order you to really want that*. as long as you except that i am your fuck hole and i am your fucking bitch then everything is ok. i get fucked good because i like to get fucked and i like to cry and moan with your dick far up my nice american ass. Im pass agrissive and i know what im doing and how to make you keep me on my knees where i belong. you could say i'm a bottom rather fascist and I love passive, weak minded tops. violent sex is only thing on my mind. come for me man. i need a putty master. i'm new to this I'm rob I'm 19.





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hurt-me-yeah!, 22
i likk beuty gays for my tnk. imm dah shyt likk look at me bitch bahaha. i am veri pasional slave i dond give nud picccc no distarb my plzzzzzzzzz.




________________

rubbishgaybloke, 26
First of all Im only into bringing guys off through the hole and not interested in being 'felt up' etc. Also there may be 2 of us here but the gloryhole is floor to ceiling and totally anonymous.

When u buzz the flat, i open the door via the security intercom as this is a secure building and therefore very private and discreet. When u get to the flat, walk in and the hole is in the doorway between my bedroom and hallway. U put ur cock through and the rest is down to me.

If u want to fuck me thats fine, put it in ur text or if u decide u want to when ur here, just tell me to slide onto it.

U cum whenever u r ready (and i mean whenever u r ready, even if its within a few seconds). I do prefer to swallow. When u r done u leave with no chatterin or hanging about etc just zip up and walk out. Please dont insult me by asking if there is a charge.




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RaffleMe, 18
back to eternal city, index opus prohibitorumm deeply into my mouth, deeply into my throat, deeply into my ass, i will never forget you. i'm here for change your simple life in better life.




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anotherflower, 23
Guys my age should have very much scars!





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yourfantasy, 24
I need money so i can stay here in Quezon City, a friend says to me a man are on this site ...he mentoned me to you????? ...who wuold pay 2000 dollars to rape me and hit me, I will do this transaction if my sister is there to be sure I dont be killed. (I don't think I'm much of anything).




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Footballer-18, 18
Hi sir's.............. I am profi footballer and looking for enslavement here.........

I like football, but I love slavery...........

I am every day horny and want somebody fuck me whit his hart cock.... we can try too fisting my ass.....

I do very good crying like a baby sounds and more, more, more......





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fuckingfetch, 19
Heres my situation, ive just done my first year at univercity but it was rubbish, so ive decided to drop out of EVERYTHING, ive now told my parents that im going travelling for a year (gap year) but really im looking to get myself offed . . . meeting an older evil guys needs and acting the pain slut and then * screams * * gurgles * * twitches * * silence * . . . if you like the sound of it please get in touch!!

NO JOKING SLAVES SHOULD CONTACT ME.





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hippiekid1, 21
I'm a young, gay, sensitive and a bit highly strung guy. I have ADHD and an anxiety disorder in addition to an inability to communicate very well. I play a lot of pen-and-paper RPGs and love to make video games. Well, make levels for video games. I tend to babbel, mostly about animals, plants, information really. I get flustered easily. I'm not good. I'm new to this app kinda scared.





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SincerelyJohnny, 24
Tryn to find a piss-hose for a food hot shower. A masculine guy with a few pints of lager under his belt and some degree of conversation is a good start but fine with just dropping to me knees for a decent 'pint'. No night time moves only day time (coz i need to go home as early as possible).




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NOCOPS, 27
SM-Xtreme-slave can be had for extremely pervert and brutally sadistic games, no tabus - no limits - no stopword ----

Options (free): enslavement, sadistic sm (cbt, tt, flogging, whipping, trampling, needles, wax, electro), dog training, toilet training, human toilet, ashtray service, dust bin, extremeffist, play piercing, k9

Options (10000 -? $): amputation, castration, severe face scarring, brain damage, severe snuff play

UNEDUCATED

Answer to your questions: Yes I tried. I tried and tried and tried! but thank you




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no_youre_wrong, 22
Model, cute, intelligent, popular, bottom. I need something less out of life. Hence, hello.




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14foroldernj, 19
Lazy goof play sports and love Masters who do too and looking to get ff now && oh I'm a bit girly hehe



-----



*

p.s. Hey. I'm back in Paris, obviously. A reminder that d.l. Colin Herd is reading tonight in London and d.l. Chris Cochrane is performing tonight in Brooklyn. Details on the events are at the top of Saturday's p.s. A further reminder that the long awaited, collectively made Joy Division Day will be appearing here on this coming Friday and Saturday. ** Dandysweets, Hey! Oh, while I've got you, and sorry for the late notice, but your great KO Day will be launched here on this coming Wednesday, and thank you, thank you. No, the Oscars are on in the middle of the night here, so I didn't get to see them, which sucks since I love watching them due to my big awards show fondness. I had to catch up on the winners and losers this morning. ** David Ehrenstein, That's the scuttlebutt: that Binoche ignored his advances, but I don't think that reason is established for sure. I've never watched even a second of Charlie Sheen's sitcom, but my assumption has been that its success was just a massive stroke of luck for him. ** Pilgarlic, I'm going to try the link again in a bit. I think the non-working thing must have been a fluke. According to Phrase Finder, 'The phrase derives from the title of the nursery tale The History of Little Goody Two-Shoes, which was published in 1765. 'Goody Two-Shoes' is the name given to a poor orphan - Margery Meanwell. She is so poor as to possess only one shoe and is so delighted when given a pair of shoes by a rich gentleman that she keeps repeating that she has 'two shoes'.' Hm, that isn't so helpful or interesting, is it? ** Bernard Welt, My condolences on the death of Arnost Lustig. I don't think I know his work at all, but I will investigate it and him today. Thanks for those French quotes. My French must be getting better because I didn't even need to babelfish them. For what it's worth, there's a big profile of Francois Sagat in the new issue of Out Magazine that talks about 'Homme au Bain' a bit and there are a couple of not that interesting quotes from me in it. Maybe I can ... Yeah, it's here. ** Chris (British), Yeah, in LA, I've always kept earthquake kits, one in my home, and one less complicated version in my car trunk. My mom gave me an earthquake kit for Xmas a couple of times. What do you want to be doing instead of what you're doing? I'm guessing there are dangers in the change that you want, but that it's feasible? Quiet ... you mean the number of comments? That always ebbs and flows, and there never seems to be much logic to the shifts, to me anyway, although the commenting has a tendency to thin out a bit whenever I post the blog while on the road, I don't know why. ** Eli Jürgen, Hi, Eli! Long time no see. It's awesome to see you! As in the case with Chris (British), I was thinking about you when I heard about the NZ quake and hoping you were okay and a lot more. I just read yesterday that, due to the damage, something like 900 buildings in downtown Christchurch will need to be demolished. That's very intense. I've only glanced at Death Note manga, but I liked what I saw a lot. Your mention will spur me on to investigate further. How's your art going? You sound like you're doing pretty well all in all, yeah? ** Steevee, Nice about the Binoche interview. Yeah, she always seems to choose words carefully when I see her interviewed on TV here. Classy. ** Jon Reiss, Oh, I really liked the excerpt. it was terrific! No pooh-poohing it now. CB is a good friend of mine who's gotten very famous in the last some odd years and who hates the celebrity aspect of that, so I try not to reference him here in any way that could be discovered by people googling him, and I hope people commenting here who know who he is do the same. So, yeah. He rather joyously won last night, if that helps you figure it out. Marc ... Mark Doten aka no more teenagekicks maybe? ** Bill, Yeah, snow in SF seemed very weird. Not as weird as if it snowed in LA. I think the last time it (barely) snowed in LA was 1915 or something. ** Tim Jones-Yelvington, Hi, Tim! How very nice to see you! Yeah, you can send me the mss. for LHotB to consider, but here's the deal: I'm currently considering two books, and they may and may not end up in the series, I'm not sure yet. If both or even one of them pan out, it would be quite a long time before yours could appear because Akashic has me on a slow schedule. So, you should send it to other publishers too, for sure, but, yeah, if you want to send it under the iffy circumstances, I'd love to read and consider it. Just remember too that I'm very slow. Thanks, Tim! * Jax, Hey, pal. It all worked out well with the performance. I guess I'll talk about that in my report to Itmpw. I don't know that Dyer piece, no. Despite working in theater, I'm very not well versed in the form. Sounds curious. I'll look it up. Yeah, Galliano was suspended from Dior for making anti-semitic/racist nasty remarks at this trendy cafe in the Marais called le Perle that's popular among the fashion crowd, and where Yury hangs out a fair amount. Galliano said he didn't make the comments, but, unfortunately for him, a little cell phone film of the incident materialized this morning, and, uh, he did. So, his goose is a bit cooked, I think. ** The Dreadful Flying Glove, Changeling gets 100% percent of the credit. How was your weekend? How are 'ya? ** _Black_Acrylic, Hi, Ben. Let me pass on your deadline thing. Everyone, as most of you probably know, _Black_Acrylic aka Ben Robinson is an editor of the great literary/arts zine Yuck 'n Yum, a huge favorite of mine and of many in this blog's community, and I will now pass you onto Ben after urging you locals and silent readers alike to submit work to YnY as he suggests: 'The deadline for the spring issue of Yuck 'n Yum is the 14th of March, so there's plenty of time for anyone who wants to submit something: LINK.' ** Patrick DeWitt, Hi, Patrick. Chrystel was going to speak to the sponsor to find out, but then I went away to Oslo, and I haven't talked to Chrystel again since I asked. My plan was/is to ask her about that today, so I will let you know asap. You should probably continue to investigate the suggested sponsors just to be safe, but here's hoping, and I should know something or other by tomorrow. Hope that wood did its job. ** Heliotrope, Hi, Mark! RIP: Duke Snyder, yeah. I felt sad when I read that too. Cold in LA, ha ha? No, I remember piling the covers over me at night. Awesome that your friend won. Mine too. Not too shabby! Big love right back and to and into you, man. ** Jeff, I still haven't seen that Burroughs doc, but, yeah, I heard Mark E. is queried in it. I strongly urge you to see a doctor about that blood, man. The earlier the better. I thought 'The Social Network' was fairly good. I don't get the big to-do about it, though. I guess it didn't win the big prize. I just have no interest in seeing 'The King's Speech'. It just seems like one of those self-consciously classy, old fashioned British movies with big acting in it that the Oscars think is some kind of ultimate. ** Creative Massacre, Oh, I'm so very sorry to hear that, my friend. Lots of love and strength to you! ** Chris Cochrane, It does rock, right? Obviously, wish I could be there at your gig tonight. Another gig Friday? Very cool. The Pompidou 'Them' support is pretty cool, yeah? I'm going to try to go meet with them about the stage and other stuff as soon as they're ready. ** Sypha, Jealousy can bring all of us down (or up) to size. ** Misanthrope, Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if the stuff with your grandma really eats at you. Even when you talk about that, it makes me shudder. The combination of dealing with it physically and having to deny the horror of it would rip anyone up. Then add money stress and ... bingo. Mm, it does seem like not contacting the library is the way to go. Within reasonable limits, at least. ** Statictick, Hey, N. Great that you're going to get some quality in-person time with Ian. Give him my love, and let me know the scoop. ** Andrew, Oh, the Burroughs doc was on TV. Nice. I liked the Basquiat doc, as I think I mentioned here. You following the Galliano thing? It's pretty wild. That dwarf film does sound cool. I noted its name, and I will remain peeled. ** Inthemostpeculiarway, Hey. Well, maybe whales would be safe from zombiedom. But then again, I bet dolphins would get bitten by human zombies who have retained their love of the creatures, and then the dolphins would bite the whales just because zombies are such jerks? I liked the Cults video, yeah. It was actually quite, quite good, I thought. My typical Oslo buffet breakfast consisted of scrambled eggs, lots of roasted potatoes, a bunch of cheese, a couple of rolls, apple juice, coffee, and, because I was always too busy to eat otherwise, I slipped a bunch of portable buffet food into my coat pockets and hid it in my room to eat when I got home late at night. This question might be too personal, but why can't your friend dance anymore? Wow, that was one of the most beautiful descriptions of sitting around staring I've read. I bow to you. And, you know, thank you so much about 'My Loose Thread'. That's really sweet. It's up there with my very favorite books I've written, so, yeah, thanks. I like Lykke Li, yes. I haven't heard the new album yet. It's really good then? I can imagine that was strange about the successful softness and aroma of your hair, but I'm still happy to hear about its success. My weekend: Uh, on Saturday, I walked to the theater. It was snowing heavily (all day and evening) which made the walk treacherous but very beautiful. I ate some food in the theater's kitchen with our gang and the technicians. They were playing some kind of Norwegian game/raffle (of a bottle of wine) that I didn't understand, although I did understand that I didn't win. Then we started the heavy work on 'I Apologize'. I had some ideas, and so did Gisele, and, very luckily, the ideas made the piece work really well, and so we just had to rehearse it over and over for hours to get it right and so that the performers remembered what to do and when. That went on until not long at all before show time, and then we just tried to chill and stuff until the performance started. The venue was sold out, and the piece came off extremely well, we thought, and it got a great response, so we were very relieved. Then they cleaned the stage -- which ends up pretty covered with fake blood during the show -- and I did a reading. I read some things from 'Ugly Man', which is what I always do when reading in these situations in a foreign country because the language I use in that book is about as direct and clear as I ever get. The audience seemed into the reading. They laughed at the funny parts and were quiet in the intense parts. Then Gisele and I took questions, and the discussion was quite good and intelligent, and a number of people asked about my work, which was cool since I've only had one little ltd. ed. book published in Norway. Oh, d.l. Polter was there, and we hung out for a while afterwards, and she is totally awesome. I really liked visiting with her a lot. It got late, and they called me a taxi, and I went back to the hotel, ate some of my breakfast leftover food, and crashed. Yesterday, I did the buffet, showered, packed, and taxied to the airport with Peter Rehberg's wife and daughter. I have to say the Oslo airport is maybe the best airport I've ever been in. If only it had included a smoking area, I would have married it. The flight was delayed, but, once it was in the air, it was uneventful. I part of read an issue of Vanity Fair. When I got home in the late afternoon, the copyedited version of 'TMS' was in my mailbox, and after I go through it and agree or not with it in the next couple of days, my novel will officially finished, whoo-hoo! I was kind of tired, and I just surfed the net and watched some TV and wished I could watch the Oscars and hoped my friend would win (yes!) and that 'The Illusionist' would win best animated film (no) and went to sleep. Okay, that was the deal. It's Monday. How was yours, my fine feathered friend? ** Colin, Hi, C. I'd guess you're in London by now. Have an awesome event, and imagine my rapt, applauding ghost is occupying one of the chairs. ** Okay. It's the last day of the month, and you get slaves. Pore over them and whatever else, please. See you tomorrow.