Secrets of the City

Chanhassen has put down a ban on all lawn watering (except by permit for new sod). Can’t there be some kind of low-maintenance ground cover that looks nice and is halfway usable for those two or three times every year when when people actually walk on their acreage lots to do anything but preen it?

Buffalo grass.

Wood chips … or so my neighbor thinks.

It looks odd, but he says he doesn’t have to do anything to it. Says he is going to let the chips sit for a couple of years to build a solid foundation and then plant things.

Does anyone know if this is true? His reasoning seems off to me, but then I’m not a wood chip expert.

Spent the weekend in Chicago. From the moment we landed @ O’Hare on Friday morning, it was just a constant crush of humanity. Makes you long for the wide open spaces of the Twin Cities.

i was just there a week ago grote. gotta say though, their downtown is much more exciting than ours.

I spent the first two years of my life there, but it’s been nearly 10 years since I’ve returned to Chicago. Mrs. Champs and I were actually planning a trip there over Memorial Day weekend, but our friend down there decided to take a job in Buffalo and was moving then. Kind of a bummer.

Cat: If he didn’t use landscape fabric before we spead the wood chips, he is in for an unpleasent surprise, as weeds and grass will crop up as soon as the rain returns.

Yes, they do biodegrade into the soil. I use cyprus mulch. It lasts long, resists floating away in heavy rains and smells good when you spread a new layer, which you should do every couple of years or two.

I went to Trader Joe’s for the first time last Friday night. I didn’t realize there was a sleeper cell of surfing culture in Minnesota.

I did enjoy the freezer section!

Here’s something: My iPod won’t turn off. I have to let the fucker go completely dead as it won’t even go into standby mode after 60 seconds on pause. Any theories as to why this is happening? The problem seems to right itself after a complete recharge, but this time it just won’t turn off.

Aliecat – you need to do a reset. I had a similar problem. Go to apple.com and find the tech support document that shows you how to do it.

Some of the young techies on this site should be able to help. I am still draging around an Victrola to listen to my tunes.

I don’t think anyone knows about this place opening tonight:

Buster’s on 28th.

I’m going down there at 6pm to check it out.

The Deets reports on their naming mistake (which I point out is just like the Franklin Street Bakery located on Franklin Avenue) and Taylor’s liveblogging it all even though he can’t join us tonight.

Bob: At first he wasn’t going to put anything down and that seemed odd to me – had a friend that just put down the chips and not only weeds, but the wood rotted.
Anyway, another neighbor told him to rethink his plan and to put a lining down before the wood chips so he put in this heavy black plastic. He put in stone steps which look nice. I think if he finishes it, it will look really nice. The ‘hood needs some beautification.

Taylor is live blogging an event he isn’t attending? That’s cutting edge. Is there going to be a live stream so he has stuff to blog about?

Alie, did you try just holding down the play/pause button?

That busters looks like a nice menu. But I’ll wait to eat there until they figure out where the f*** they are at.

I kinda have a headache today.

Woodchips…I want to find these people who like woodchips. And destroy them.

Yes, that is a Michele Bachmann keychain in my pocket. That makes 1 (one) Michele Bachmann, 1 (one) Budweiser frog bottle opener, and 1 (one) MSU,Mankato alumnus tag plus 10 (ten) keys all on my keychain. It’s gettin’ kinda heavy. My 5 (five) key-cards are stored separately.

Is there anything better than running on a hot, humid, polluted day until your lungs can’t possibly take it anymore? No there isn’t says this wide-eyed wonderer.

Went to Dick’s the other day and bought a Big Stick.

I ate at the new Brasa last night and really enjoyed it.

It’s just north of Wayne’s World, in The Rat’s hood.

Used to be Betty’s Bikes & Buns. Location is a little tough to get to, which probably doomed it as a motorcycle theme coffeeshop.

Hey all,
I’m performing at ACME a week from Friday (8/3) in the first round of the Funniest Person in the Twin Cities contest. The show starts at 1030pm and after the MC warms up the crowd I (along with 3-4) other people will be doing three minutes of material. After that, there’s a regular comedy show [so even if we suck, there will be pros telling jokes later] I’ve got a bunch of free tickets, so let me know if you and yours might like to come. This is my fifth year doing it and I think that the material that I have for this set is easily some of my best evar! That is all.

Is anybody else seeing Erasure at First Ave this Friday? I CAN’T WAIT!!!

Plastic? He may be in some trouble, depending on soil conditions, drainage, etc.

Water permiable landscape fabric is the way to go. More work, more money, and worth it. I spent a whole summer tearing out a previous owners big mistake of putting big landscape rock on black plastic.

Now it’s stacked Clinton limestone walls (no mortar), landscape fabric, wood chips and dwarf foundation shrubs and drought-resistant shrub roses and stella d’ora daylillies.

Yeah, Erasure is going to be excellent. I hope they let me have my camera so i can take some picts.

Does your material have a theme or is it random funniness. Are you the female Jerry Seinfeld or more Wanda Sykes, if you get my point.

Bixby: I think you need to test drive some material on us.

Grote: A couple of Christmases ago, I was in Chicago on business a few days before the holidays. I stayed at the Sheraton off of Michigan Ave. That retail area is absolutely gorgeous during the holidays. I remember walking through a light snow with all the white lights, and it felt like I was in a Dicken’s story.

Ali: My iPod won’t start a charge when I plug it into my Mac. I thought that was supposed to charge it because I can’t find the regular charger. Am I wrong on this? (Also, I left you a joke…)

All: I’m sitting in Nina’s Cafe across from W.A. Frost in St. Paul. Is this the nicest coffee shop in the Twin Cities? I think so.

Bixby – I’m in. I dropped you an email.

Maz – Just by asking that question I’m sure you won’t find it funny because it’s clear you don’t get it in the first place. Just sayin. Wanna go? Let’s go Maz, right now.

saxton, i know of that place. we actually stopped there the other nigth thinkingit was open…

baker: Friend of mine said the same thing today. You know anything else about it? I don’t.

Bixby: Thanks for the hook up! See you there!

All: I’m sitting in Nina’s Cafe across from W.A. Frost in St. Paul. Is this the nicest coffee shop in the Twin Cities? I think so.

Go downstairs and buy a book from Gary Keillor. I’m sure he could use the sales. heh

Well, I plan on doing an entire routine discussing the prevalence of interracial couples in Minnesota.

Or not.

I don’t know who to really compare my humor to. I’ve been asked that several times and I really don’t think it’s like anyone else’s. Sometimes it’s observational humor and sometimes, I guess it could be like Wanda Sykes. Really, I can’t describe it. It tends to be “smarter” humor from what I am told. I guess that was someone’s way of saying that it doesn’t have a lot of penis/poop jokes (but it has sex jokes). And I just realized saying that pretty much means that none of you guys will show up.

I don’t test my material. My test is the actual performance. I can generally tell if something isn’t going to be funny because I usually pull the material from conversations I’ve had or things I’ve already said (and then realize much later that I could use the material). Really, if I run anything by anyone it’s my mom (who comes to all my performances with my grandma).

Yup, plastic. Big, Heavy-Duty, Nothin’ Is Getting Through This Sucker, Plastic.

Listening to the conversation between him and another neighbor was even funnier. The non-wood chip neighbor recommended the fabric, gave him all kinds of reasons why he should use the fabric and what it came down to was that the plastic was cheaper.

Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll be in da’ ‘hood long enough to see how the wood chip yard evolves. *sigh*

aeklund – Are you using a firewire cable? Newer iPods do not support firewire-to-Mac connections.

Maybe the woodchips guy would change his mind if he knew about this.

Marcus, have you seen them play before? This will be my first time. What fave songs do you hope they will play? Anything from Two Ring Circus will make me very happy!

I’m using an offbrand connector to USB which has always worked for synching. And I believe for power too. It’s completely dead right now, and it seems to start to power up, as well as synch, and I’m assuming it’s burning through what little power it’s been given and powering down.

Me not too gud at this techie stuff…apparently. (For a web guy, I sure am not the gadget guy.)

hello I’m an artist and I feel I am athletic… I am looking to join a kickball or dodgeball team – anyone know of a place to join a team?

nope, know nothing else about it, but if they have good burgers, I’ll go there fairly regularly since it is pretty close to my house.

i went there when it was the river in a few times….

dodgeball is mean, it leaves people out and targets the weakest ones.

so yeah, minneapolis parks has one:
http://www.minneapolisparks.org/default.asp?PageID=932

Taylor is live blogging an event he isn’t attending? That’s cutting edge. Is there going to be a live stream so he has stuff to blog about?
»» Submitted by »»» edkohler at 10:43 AM on July 24

So? Jeff Fecke liveblogged the CNN/YouTube Presidential Debates sitting on his couch in his BVDs and a wifebeater. At least that’s how I pictured it when he was liveblogging.

Kevin- duh, of course I did, I’ve had it for a year and do know how to turn it on and off. I could hold down the button for an hour and it won’t turn off.

Andrew- as for your cable issues, I’ve only ever used the USB cable that came with it and a charging dock that I connected to my stereo.

Maz – Just by asking that question I’m sure you won’t find it funny because it’s clear you don’t get it in the first place.

Actually, I couldn’t care less. I was just being polite.

Nice, Kevin! As cute as the bikini-clad gals are, Wood Chip Guy probably wouldn’t have been deterred.

He’d probably be up for bikini-clad wood chipper operator gals though. Oooh, I envision bad things happening with that scenario.

Actually, I couldn’t care less. I was just being polite.

You’re dishonest.

I know. I really do care. I hope she does well.

I don’t really trust girls in bikinis to do work. I had a bunch of girls in bikinis wash my car once and they did a really crappy job. One of the girls on roller skates and wearing a cop hat straddled me, pushed her crotch into mine and shoved a hot dog down my mouth though (see last photo). It wasn’t all bad.

Grote, sorry your weekend in Chicago was crushed by the sea of humanity. I totally know what you mean. Although, I think that we have that same crush of humanity here. Other than all the people, Chicago is fabulous. Dunkin’ Donuts on every corner and all the wonderful shopping. Not to mention Lake Michigan. I miss Chicago. I grew up there and haven’t been there in a year.

The cops in this town are out of control!

They probably did a poor job in protest of poor labor conditions on the shop floor. The Bikini Workers’ Federated Union has done a sterling job of raising awareness of work place risks among their membership, thanks to the lobbying efforts of the Bikini-clad spot and arc-welders.

teucer- have you seen that music video? Heh.

How about green colored asphalt or concrete. You can even get it with differnt patterns embosed on it. Looks green, no grass to cut or weeds to pull. Doesn’t feel good like grass does between your toes though.

The Benny Bennasi ‘Satisfaction’ video? Maybe.

Oddly enough, I can think of another music video featuring bikini women, in this case, washing cars. Oh, and they are zombies. They also didn’t do a particularly good job, probably on account of them being undead.

what do you mean a slow news day ? lidsay lohan got arrested for coke again

Kevin- duh, of course I did, I’ve had it for a year and do know how to turn it on and off. I could hold down the button for an hour and it won’t turn off.

Alie, what I think he means is to hold the play (center of dial) and pause (top center of dial) at the same time (I believe it’s for 6 seconds or so) until you see the Apple logo appear on the screen. Of course, I have a pretty old iPod, so your mileage may vary.

I agree with Baker. Lohan is crazy! People.com said “Lindsay Lohan’s Career Outlook Unclear”. Unclear?!? Yeah right! I think I see jail in her future. Someone should get her off the streets. She is pathetic.

Although you’d have the same problem with runoff that Wood Chip Man is going to have with his sheets of plastic.

with the green concrete

Aliecat, try this:

1. Toggle the Hold switch on and off.
2. Press and hold the Menu and Select buttons until the Apple logo appears, about 6 to 10 seconds. You may need to repeat this step.
3. Play.

i got a letter from the city (mpls) saying i have to schedule an appt with a property assessor to let them inside my house so they could re-assess my property value. i know the city is broke and all, but this seems extreme, no? i’m just gonna blow it off and hope they forget.

apropos of nothing local, my brother’s co-worker had his bachelor party on Friday night…his fiancee was (thank god) out of town, so he crashed @ her place, which was conveniently located on the bar-heavy street where much of the revelry took place.

Dude woke up Saturday morning and dragged himself to the bathroom, only to notice that his palm was coppery-orange. Once he was able to stand @ the toilet, he looked down only to notice that his man parts were also tinted a strange shade of copper-orange. With a little detective work, he realized that in his blacked-out state the night prior he had decided to pleasure himself with the aid of his fiancee’s handcream…but had grabbed her self-tanning cream instead.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/07/24/tv.hotghettomess.ap/index.html

i’m just gonna blow it off …

cubbie, that’s what i did.

Today is a totally awesome celebrity gossip day. Lohan arrested and back in rehab, Britney possibly preggers by an unknown baby daddy and on the verge of having a train wreck of an interview and photo shoot in OK! magazine…I tremble to think at what the rest of the day will bring.

SpellsGood and Steve W…yep, tried that, doesn’t work, probably will have to reset it.

Alie, next time just buy a regular Mp3 player instead of a flashy designer one.

lidsay lohan got arrested for coke again

Yeah, that Coke is dangerious stuff. Doesn’t she read the LA Times or the Star Tribune?

Let’s insert the word “published” between “photo shoot” and “in OK! magazine,” shall we?

LOL@ grote’s story

had a party at my house a few yrs back. after a long night of drinking as well as shitz and giggles, a friend woke up wearing two different pairs of socks… except everyone’s socks were accounted for.

grote, that totally reminds me of an old joke involving Cheetos…

I’d like to buy a painting for my house. Not a print, but an actual original painting. I’m thinking of a local landscape or cityscape. Are there any good online resources to view paintings by local artists?

Alie, next time just buy a regular Mp3 player instead of a flashy designer one.

Pfft…you’re just jealous! Heh…

What you need alie is this mp3 player…

Douglas, in the words of Rick Moranis…”What the hell am I looking at?!?!?!”

It is a lasertag mp3 player… (The guy in the video takes a mp3 player kit and puts it in a lasertag gun…) Total nerdy awesomeness!

Miller, while they aren’t exactly landscape pictures, but I’m in love with Nicholas Harper’s work. He has a few paintings hanging in Barbette right now that are really amazing.

http://www.roguebuddha.com/artists/nicharper.html

Thanks, D, I’m not very tech savvy, as I posed my tech question here in hopes that I wouldn’t have to go to Best Buy to get my iPod looked at (I was suckered into buying the service plan [hangs head in shame]).

Miller, probably not what you had in mind, but there’s always IKEA. They have huge pieces of art that are pretty cheap…otherwise I’m not sure where the good local art is…

Chocolate Covered spresso Beans + PC = Bad Idea

If you want a picture of a 3D unicorn the Uptown Art Fest is only 2 weekends away.

Or maybe some puffy soft sculptures?

Tara, interesting site…I found this guy particularly cool, although the sci fi western girl a little bit scary…

Did someone mention unicorns? Maybe they’ll have a metal sculpture of a unicorn to put into Woodchip Guy’s yard.

I just hope the plastic doesn’t rot the woodchips which is what the non-woodchip neighbor says will happen. It will then be Smelly Woodchip Guy.

Smelly Chips, Smelly Chips what are they feeding you?

miller-
have you checked out http://www.mnartists.org.
all minnesota artists.

Miller – if you’re looking for local and reasonably priced, MCAD has it’s annual art sale the first weekend in December. I know it’s kinda far out, but I’ve found some really cool pieces there.

Aliecat, if you liked that site, you might also like Jay long. He’s from Austin and one of my favorite artists. I have a couple of his Giclee reproductions.

http://www.jaylongstudio.com/

Tara, that Harper painting (Colette) reminds me of Chris Mars’ (aka former Replacements drummer) work …except not maybe quite as disturbing.

Josie: Let me know if the OK Magazine piece is posted anywhere online where I can read it. Not that I care about such fripperies or anything. I’m, uh, being ironic. Yeah. That’s it.

Alie, that’s very disappointing to hear. I thought you were smarter than that.

Tib, I can see how you make the parallel. I think Chris Mars’s work is interesting, but it doesn’t have that ethereal beauty that Harper’s has. The Mars stuff gives me the same feeling as H.R. Giger, kind of a creepy alien thing that seems like it would appeal more to boys. I like work that is spooky and a little unsettling, but I want it to be pretty at the same time.

Tib: disturbing is a tad of an understatement about Chris Mars’ work. Couldn’t imagine having one of his works in my house and walking by it – it would have that creepy eye following me feel to it in addition to thinking that the thing would climb out of the frame to eat my head.

Kevin…I know…I got all caught up in spending money…

I, too, am looking forward to Erasure. It’s the first time they’ve played here since 1990. And, actually, I interviewed Vince Clarke for a story that’s running on Thursday, although he was totally boring (nice, but boring).

Ross, that’s awesome that you got to interview him. Which publication will it be running in? At least he was nice. I hate it when you meet someone you have liked for a while and they turn out to be a turd.

Thanks for the ideas everyone.

Chris Mars’ work? Popular Creeps indeed.

I was just at Caribou and in the card stand I saw a card featuring Ze Frank teaching people how to dance properly.

I never thought I would see Ze Frank on a greeting card. It was actually a pretty cool card.

“Ross, that’s awesome that you got to interview him. Which publication will it be running in?”

I would assume that would be running in his employer’s publication: PiPress

I hate it when you meet someone you have liked for a while and they turn out to be a turd.

Why I don’t attend MNspeak get togethers. Don’t want to ruin the already low opinion I have of these knuckle draggers.

Ross, that’s awesome that you got to interview him. Which publication will it be running in? At least he was nice. I hate it when you meet someone you have liked for a while and they turn out to be a turd.

That would be the Pioneer Press.

And, to be clear, I didn’t say he was a turd. He was really nice, just a really boring interview.

“Is there anything better than running on a hot, humid, polluted day until your lungs can’t possibly take it anymore?“

Yeah. The first cigarette when you get back.

- (To the “Mpls Assessor wants to inspect inside my home!” guy – if you don’t arrange a time and let them in, they get to “guess” at the value of your home. They will guess quite high, and your taxes will suck more hugely than they do now, and then it’s your burden to ask for and schedule a re-inspection, and if you miss some tight deadlines, I think you’re stuck with the inflated value for the year. Unless you’re concerned that they’ll see your 740 sinsemilla plants under the grow-lights downstairs, Let Them In! It’s lots easier and cheaper in the long run.)

- And, finally, the heavy plastic in the yard’ll be perfect. Once his chips rot (September, probably), he’ll be able to just lift up the corners of the entire yard and carry it all away.

Tara_j: “I like work that is spooky and a little unsettling, but I want it to be pretty at the same time.”

If you don’t already know of him, you might like Mark Ryden, who can be both macabre and whimsical in his surrealism. Sometimes at the same time.

Ross, I didn’t mean that you thought he was a turd. I was just saying that being boring is at least better than being a turd. I have met people in the past that were just kind of jerks, I’m glad that Vince is nice (even if a little boro).

I need a new place to live, just found out my apartment has already been leased for next year. Guess it’s time to visit the creeps on craigslist.

Tuecer, Mark Ryden is one of my favorites. I was just on his site today and saw that he just released a little package of prints that I plan to buy. I love Marion Peck too. Whenever she releases a new print, I always seem to miss it though.

news to me: my husband is going to purchase a foosball table. where he plans on putting it in our apartment is beyond me.

doug: i’ve found every single apartment i’ve ever lived in since 2000 on craig’s list. haven’t been disappointed yet.

Is anybody else going to the Cocktails with Preservationist thing tomorrow at the Water Power Park?

Teucer: the OK! piece comes out at the end of this week…Friday, I think? Usually I save things like US Weekly, InTouch, et al for airplane reading, but I am not ashamed to say I find Britney’s downfall fascinating.

One thing I don’t get about all these drunk girls and their DUIs: why don’t they hire a driver, for crying out loud? My God, if I made that much money, I would never drive myself anywhere, let alone to a nightclub where I planned on drinking vast quantities of expensive champagne and doing blow in the bathroom. Even I manage to scrape together cash for a cab on boozy nights out.

Mark Ryden, who can be both macabre and whimsical in his surrealism.

And who paints many females who resemble the young Christina Ricci: enormous eyes/foreheads. It’s a thing.

Ryden actually did paint Christina Ricci.

Josie: “One thing I don’t get about all these drunk girls and their DUIs: why don’t they hire a driver, for crying out loud?”

Indeed. What’s the point of having an entourage if you don’t have someone who can drive your ass around when you’ve had a few too many?

Maybe it’s like having a bunch of recalcitrant children that you have to marshal into big sensible vehicles like Renault Espaces. So, eventually, you yearn to escape the entourage and head off on the open road and try and figure out how that gas cap thingy works, or what all those little dials mean.

Note that Lindsay wasn’t out clubbing. She was in her Denali trying to chase down her former assistant in an Escalade. So, it may have been difficult to round up a sober driver to assist in the SUV chase.

Also, couldn’t one person in your vast entourage carry your illegal drugs for you, so if you do get busted it’s not in your pants pocket?

Mrs. Champs and I found our apartment on craigslist. We have a great deal on 28th & Girard, but we’re reluctant to do anything to remind him of that fact, i.e. asking for repairs.

I love that Gawker uses the word Insaner in the headline.

Miller: ” So, it may have been difficult to round up a sober driver to assist in the SUV chase.”

That’s why my entourage will include a teetotaller whose sole job is to pursue former employees/entourage members on my behalf. “Sober ex-employee retrieval guy – Sebastiane, is it? – this is where you earn your salary. I want that amended non-disclosure agreement signed. American Werewolf In London – you’d better go with him in case things get iffy.”

Well, SUV chases certainly are a special occasion.

Is it only convention that says “insane” can’t have a comparative ending, rather than coming in the expected form “more insane”? I don’t see why not, in which case I’m wondering what Heschian PR nightmare would warrant the superlative “insanest”?

Insanest

My GOD, I love today in celeb gossip, even though it makes me feel like a shallow and useless person. I’ll read some Jared Diamond or something tonight to stay balanced.

With that said: more on Britney.

Ooh, I really liked Guns, Germs, and Steel. It was a very intriguing book indeed. Which of his are you reading atm?

That’s why my entourage will include a teetotaller whose sole job is to pursue former employees/entourage members on my behalf. “Sober ex-employee retrieval guy – Sebastiane, is it? – this is where you earn your salary. I want that amended non-disclosure agreement signed. American Werewolf In London – you’d better go with him in case things get iffy.”

Teucer, you are brilliant. We should have to pay for this stuff.

MunsingW: “Teucer, you are brilliant. We should have to pay for this stuff.”

Ooh dunno about that, but thank you. I was just scrabbling to come up with anything more absurd than the idea of an entourage itself.

I’ve been working my way through Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed for (seriously) two years now. I’ll read a chapter and be totally into it, but it’s not exactly light bedtime reading, which makes it tough for me to stick with at times (see: addiction to Lohan gossip). Especially in the summer; it totally weighs down your beach bag.

It’s worth it for the factoid that a common insult among Easter Islanders back in their cannibal days was “the flesh of your mother sticks between my teeth!”

Just read a fascinating scribe called “The Book of Honor: Classified Lives and Covert Deaths in the CIA.” by Ted Gup. He writes about some of the namelss stars in the agency’s Book of Honor and who they were, how they died, etc. Many of them are actually officially recognized by the State Department because of their cover stories but given anonymous recognition by their real employer, the CIA. Many other nameless stars are still classified and every so often y ou’ll see the Agency declassify a few or add some names from several decades ago. Really good read. Also read “Taking Heat” by Ari Fleischer before that. Now reading “The Case for Democracy” by former Soviet prisoner Natan Sharansky.

Josie: “It’s worth it for the factoid that a common insult among Easter Islanders back in their cannibal days was “the flesh of your mother sticks between my teeth!”

That’s an awesome insult. It’s interesting to see that mother disses are truly a universal meme, though (although probably not unexpected). It’s hard to get more remote than Easter Island.

I haven’t read Collapse yet. It’s on my list of ‘things I need to get around to doing’.

Collapse rocks. I finished it a few months back, but Josie is right, it isn’t exactly Danielle Steele. I think it’s oddly contradictory of some of the premises in Guns, Germs and Steel, but I find it somewhat comforting that even a brilliant scholar can undermine his own case.

Yo’ momma was nasty stringy, son.

Brings new meaning to “I had yo’ momma on the dining room table.”

Although the phrase “I cooked your mother and then I ate her” doesn’t change meaning at all, strangely.

I used to read obnoxiously thick non-fiction books constantly; right around the time I started Collapse was when I started to burn out on them a little. I’ll have to give it my devoted attention this winter, maybe: right now I’m either re-reading obsessively (hello, Harry Potter) or reading beach books (otherwise known as chick lit).

My taste runs either Velveeta or Brie, with no real in-between.

Unless you’re a necrophiliac. In which case, it could have some additional meaning.

Necrosexalicious.

The last book I read was Diary by Chuck Palahniuk. It was deliciously weird and pretty short.

I really dislike Chuck Palahniuk as a writer, but he’s a good idea guy. I think his writing style (particularly the dialogue) is immature and clunky, but his plot ideas would nearly all make for fun movies.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was the last book I read. All in one day last Saturday, with a huge box of tissues next to me on the couch (oh, how I cried).

I felt like I was ten years old again, locked up inside on a gorgeous day, obsessed with a book.

Josie, I am reading HP now. I just started reading it late last night so I’m not very far into it yet. I’m scared to find out what happens!!!

I was seriously shaking with excitement when I started reading it. Enjoy!!!

Did you both manage to avoid the spoilers? I think this year was worse than the last one where the owner of the forums I frequented started the post-book-launch day with a post using the headline “*** dies – *** kills him” – only with the character names in place of the x’s.

There were quite a lot of rather enraged people on that thread.

I failed to get caught up in Pottermania, so I’ve been left largely unscathed.

All I have read are the spoilers.

I am spoiler-free. I haven’t gone anywhere on the internet that might have them and my friends know I would knock them down some stairs if they told me anything that happens!

Ain’t got time for no jibber jabber!

Ain’t got time for no jibber jabber!

I can’t believe that it really took seven hours for this comment to appear.

Einsteinian time dilation. It’s basic general relativity. Mr T may be posting from somewhere near a seriously large and compressed mass that has significantly warped space/time.

So although it only took him a few moments to compose his post and hit “send”, seven hours passed for us in our own temporal frame of reference.

Mr. T doesn’t need to hover near a black hole; Mr. T. is such a badass that neither light nor matter can escape his destructive pull.

Look, I know it’s miserable outside and I lived for five years without central air, so I feel. I do. But I hate how fucking loud my central air is. It’s like a damn jet engine in there.

It’s not all gold and blow jobs in the high life, people. Don’t forget that.

Unless you’re concerned that they’ll see your 740 sinsemilla plants under the grow-lights downstairs, Let Them In!

bobby_b, thanks for the advice…but it’s my *ahem* slightly less than legit rental unit upstairs that has me worried. will the assessor rat me out?

I really dislike Chuck Palahniuk as a writer, but he’s a good idea guy. I think his writing style (particularly the dialogue) is immature and clunky, but his plot ideas would nearly all make for fun movies.

Tara, that’s precisely why I do like his writing, puts me off center and gets me mentally wonky without chemicals…but I agree, his books are highly adaptable screenplays.

I know I’m late with my wishes, damn work! However, break a leg Brandi!

DouglasG: You’re not late with your wishes! I have almost two weeks before I perform. However, thank you very much for the wishes.

Re: Reading. I’ve been reading an insane amount this summer. I just joined Librarything.com because I’ve decided that a. I want to keep track of what I managed to do with my many books (especially since they are in three different locations right now) and I have decided to keep track of everything I’ve read post-college. Let’s see how long I can keep this up…

I just read The Overachievers by Alexandra Robbins, which is about how kids feel pushed to overachieve. I found it quite interesting in light of the indy study I did the past year on what happens when students at my college fail at things academically, socially, extracurricularly. I’m so glad I’m out of that pressure cooker. Anyway, I recommend it. It a fascinating look at why many millennials (1979-2001 birth year) are bat-shit crazy
(I’m looking at you Lohan and Spears..damn overachievers)

Anyway, right now I am in the midst of trying to read 10 books in 10 days. I’m reading a lot of non-fiction anthologies simulateously and I have until the morning of 8/1 to finish my quest. After that, I start my grown-up job. Sigh.

What else have you guys been reading this summer?

Re: iPod madness. I had something similar happen to my iPod. The solution I was given was to plug it into my PC (via the USB connector) and use the “reset” function in iTunes to, well, reset the iPod software. Worked for me. Haven’t had a problem since.

What else have you guys been reading this summer?

Terrorist by John Updike

The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl

Finishing Krakatoa, The Day the World Exploded, by Simon Winchester

Josie, MySpace me whether or not Harry dies. Apparently, it’s been decided that the media will not report about what happens, even though they had no problem reporting incessantly about the Sopranos finale, forcing me to undergo a media blackout until I could watch it.

And I just have to say about the whole HP phenomenon, it’s great to be excited for a book. But we don’t need grown adults pumping their fists in the air after they purchase it or grown men in their 50s anxiously talking about how reading it is all they’re going to do last weekend. Let’s keep our human dignity, please. and act like grown ups with mature emotions.

Here’s a thought why no one has spilled the beans about Harry but didn’t keep the Sopranos finale “secret:” unlike the Sopranos, no one can be sure just when a critical mass of readers will complete the book. (E.g. a friend starting reading it Saturday morning and plans to be finished by this coming Monday.) On the other hand, there already was a critical mass of Sopranos viewers who witnessed the finale. So, do you spoil the Harry surprise for 98% of the readers who haven’t yet finished the book, or do you complain because you were among the 2% who TiVoed the Sopranos and your friends couldn’t keep their mouths shut?

Just finished Son of A Witch, by the guy who wrote Wicked. Loved it.

I’m reading a Palahniuk book now, just started Haunted.

As for cheap art, I too have had luck at the MCAD sale.

I know, I’m just sayin the media seems to be selective about what it spoils and what it doesn’t. Remember the kerfufu that developed during the last Olympics? As more and more people adopt linear television, it’s going to be a bigger issue, and people are going to be pissed when they visit their favorite newssite and get their favorite TV show spoiled.

They’re building a skyscraper on Discovery Channel right now. OMG, it’s tall.

I think there’s a long-standing tradition in not revealing the endings of movies and books in reviews. For whatever reason, the same tradition does not hold when it comes to TV shows. It drives me nuts, as I’m a TiVo person. I have to avoid morning radio the next day. Not that that’s a real problem.

Change it from the inside, big dog. Exert some influence. Affect change.

I’ll see what I can do. Tonight Terri Gruca is doing a story on ice cream in the Twin Cities– comparing prices, pointing out the best spots. She does the city classics: Sebastian Joe’s, Izzys, Grand Ole Creamery. I am doing a blog counterpoint encouraging people to go to McDonald’s because it’s 59 cents for soft serve on Sundays. I wonder if people will get it.

In the spot light: BWFU welders fought to improve work safety conditions across the country.

Jason: I hope you pointed out that not only is McDonalds ice cream much cheaper, it also has fewer calories than the premium brands.

On the clean air front, Ecel is cleaning up one of its old coal-powered plants.