Bowled over.

Unleaded : 35.37 / Liter
US $ 1.00: 49.04 Php

Took the Little Guy bowling today at his insistence. He's always loved knocking down stuff ever since he was old enough to knock down stuff. Bowling seemed like a natural progression.

It's the first grown-up game he's tried his hands at and he was loving it. He thought the rented shoes were a hoot. He rolled the ball a number of different ways figuring it all out and by the fourth frame he got his groove. Every throw was followed by a happy jump or two and his smile never left his face. Heck he was even smiling while waiting for his ball to come back. After 20 frames he declared himself winner scoring "three thousand sixty-six million forty eleven" pin falls. Well, he did manage two spares which was two more than what I had -- and we were playing the same lane, gutter bumpers and all.

Which reminded me of why I've never been to a bowling alley in about 15-odd years. I've always said that if my scores in bowling and golf were switched I'd be more than decent -- no, deadly-- in both sports.

But this morning, seeing the little guy do his little jig everytime he knocked a pin down also reminded me why games are played in the first place. Just one of the twenty-nine million and ninety twelve things we grown-ups can (re)learn from kids.

Too early to buy our own shoes, but I think we'll be knocking more of 'em pins down in the weekends to come. At least until his fancy turns to whacking white balls.

The Rockin' 30 Rock

Been watching episodes of this show -- one of the better ones to debut this 2006, rumors have it. Turning out to be true: there have been two references to the Philippines already in it's 8-episode life:

S01 E01: Jack (Alec Baldwin) tells Liz (Tina Fey, wearing a dress from the wardrobe department): "That's how you should dress for work, by the way." To which Tina retorts, "Yeah, if I was president of the Philippines!"

S01 E05: Jack introduces an old protegé who's done well for himself with his help: "Now Howard's earning seven figures and he's married to a swell Filipino gal."

It's a TV show on NBC about an SNL-like TV show on NBC, created by and starring SNL alum Tina Fey who has said she wrote the Jack character especially for Alec Baldwin, but you know that already. You also know that Baldwin's turning out to be a good bet to sweep the best TV comedy actor awards next year. You've noticed that despite the costumes and blue make-up some characters look a lot like out-of-work SNLers. You're quick to get every single inside joke.

But were you fast enough to catch all of Liz's Pros and Cons re: "Dennis The Boyfriend" in S01 E08? Well, it's your lucky day:

Pros:

• basically nice
• takes good care of his feet
• makes good chili
• remembers my birthday
• rarely wants to do it
• is funny when he goofs on his friends
• doesn't care about money
• loyal
• too lazy to cheat
• would increase likelihood of blue-eyed kid
• loves The Simpsons
• has good hair
• has already seen me throw up two times
• fixed tv
• Jack likes Dennis

Cons:

• not super smart
• listens to Winger
• dental hygiene
• wears acid wash denim
• always wants foot rubs
• not much money
• Catholic
• doesn't like his mother
• I don't like his mother
• his mohter doesn't like me
• loves Family Guy
• reads The Post
• insists on spending holidays with his mother
• has already seen me throw up
• attempted threeway
• racist
• wears Italian horn even though Irish
• Jack likes Dennis
• Dennis on Dateline
  

Thank you, pause button. Any questions?

PS. The list means nothing if you're yet to see the ep. But you'd want to come back when you do so email it to yourself or flag it with a bookmark. Cheers!

It's that "It's a Wonderful Life" time again

Time was in the nineties when two or three local networks (usually on UHF) aired this Capra classic b&w on Christmas eve like they do in the US. It stopped after a couple of years or so which was too bad. For a while there it seemed we had our own TV tradition in the making.

This month, you can catch the colorized version (gasp!) on Cinemax December 29 and that's about it. Of course, there's bound to be a DVD copy of this in your favorite tiangge. But in this age of broadband, the default it appears is to Torrent it. Any which way you get it, it's well worth the trouble.

Speaking of, it was once believed that the film lost its copyright protection in the 70s when the holders failed to extend it. Several US networks then started airing it multiple times during the holidays at no cost to them (reviving public interest in the process as Ebert observed in a 1999 article on his site.) But even granting that the film itself fell out of copyright protection, it was not thrown into the public domain, the legal theory being that the film is a mere derivative of still copyrighted (and thus protected) works. It appears this is indeed the case as the multi-network marathon broadcasts are no more and NBC is the only one now authorized to play it.

It is also believed (by me at least and until now notwithstanding claims to the contrary) that Ernie and Bert of Sesame Street were named after the movie's Ernie the cab driver and Bert the policeman. Before the days of Google or the internet for that matter, I would interject this as fact in any conversation where this movie came up and everyone would nod at the plausibility. It appears though that this theory is being debunked of late.

I also believed that "Zuzu's Petals" would be a great name for a band, certainly better than Feet Like Fins or Datu's Tribe or Agaw Agimat or Kelt's Cross which you felt alluded to something of substance, but really did not. It appears though that a bunch of sorry-looking debs has beat me to it. They never had a hit in the musical sense but the Zuzu's Petals homepage is a Google topper.

Speaking of, Zuzu is alive and well and doing the fan circuit. Tragic as movie careers go but it's not as bad as it sounds. Having lived one that's had more downs than ups, she still finds life "a wonderful gift". We should all be so lucky.

Caffeine OD : The Starbucks 2007 Planner

Unleaded : P35.37 / Liter
USD 1.00 : 49.30 Php

Hello Planner!

You were born at exaclty 13:56 on December 17, 2006 at Starbucks Shell Station SLEX, having been conceived 24 days earlier after a brief dalliance with an over-eager barista at Starbucks Metrowalk who wouldn't take no for an answer.

Can't believe you're finally here. I didn't know I had it in me. Like I said to the girl, my urges for P140 beverages were few and far between if not nonexistent. In fact, I have never stepped into a Starbucks of my own volition in its entire local franchise life. But 21 steamy encounters later, give or take a frigid few, here you are in my arms, fresh and clean and hermetically sealed, ready to take on the world half a page at at a time.

Before all this I hardly drank or felt the the need to drink coffee. Come to think of it I've never made or bought a cup of coffee for myself ever in my life. Now, my caffeine quota for the next year has been filled this early and my pocket sure feels lighter. Even so I still find myself hankering for a Toffee Nut fix now and again and going out of my way to get one. Seems more than I'd bargained for when I made my choice to have you. (Update: Toffee Nut has been officially "Sold Out" since about a week before Christmas. No surprise there since the other two "holiday brews" taste like sweetened tar.)

So, are you worth it? Can I make a place for you in my life? You look good enough and the prospects are open as can be. But you don't even have a place marker, or a slot to put my calling cards in. Not to mention the fact that I've been using a Palm since 2001. And to be honest, sometimes when people look at you and me together I can almost hear them think, "Sucker!".

But you are here and we're both in this together. You and me for the next 365. I don't know how long it will take for you to finally misplace yourself and leave me for good. But until that happens, let's make the most of the days ahead.

Leno by way of Letterman

Unleaded : P37.37 / Liter
USD 1.00 : 49.58 Php

In this here country we get Letterman, Jon Stewart, Conan and Leno (even Ellen, Rachael Ray and Dr. Phil) just a few hours after the US broadcast with the local carrier wisely choosing to air them primetime nightly rather than live and midday. In Hong Kong Letterman's slot is also on a same-day delay basis airing just before midnight Tuesdays to Saturdays. I'm sure this is the case in many other countries as well, including the substitution of the US commercials with local ones during the break.

But I'm not so sure you can watch The Late Show anywhere else in the world and see a KFC commercial somewhere in the middle touting a raffle contest where two lucky fried chicken lovers can win a trip to LA and catch . . . Jay Leno live in action on The Tonight Show!

Them folks at KFC probably think the prize may well be a chance to see some prematurely balding 7-Eleven store clerk doing a cable access show from his mom's basement (the entertainment value of which will likely be comparable if not superior to Leno's show, but that's not an issue here) and we won't care. As long as that basement is somewhere within the 48 contiguous states and the plane ticket outta here is free, people will grab those greasy thighs and breasts faster than you can say "Finger lickin' good!" Them folks at KFC are probably right.

If a tree falls in the forest...

Unleaded : P37.37 / Liter
USD 1.00 : 49.67 Php


If I say "I'm back!" and no one had really noticed I was gone -- pitiful or what? So enough small talk, I'm diving right in.

"So how's the political climate there?"

Unleaded : P38.70 / Liter
USD 1.00 : 50.12 Php

Something I posted in our highschool Yahoo Group. Then again, the US-based classmate who asked might just have been making small talk.

In a nutshell--

We have a president whose moral legitimacy to office is at best highly suspect. You may have heard of the "Hello Garci" tapes where she was recorded goading a COMELEC official to make sure she wins the election by a margin of 1M votes minimum. The opposition tried to impeach Arroyo twice on this ground but twice too her allies in Congress shot the action down before it even left the ground.

Which brings us to Congress. Congress, using the above as illustration, still operates principally through the politics of patronage -- the favors, trade-offs, wheeling-and-dealings and the mutual back-scratching which constitute the moving force behind every elected Congressman (give or take a hopeless idealist or two). God forbid they ever do anything out of principle, integrity, the decent regard for truth, public service, the common good, justice and the rule of law.

Which brings us to the Judiciary. They are the dedicated observers of the Golden Rule. They rule in favor of whoever brings the gold. In my personal experience, very true. The Supreme Court however is said to be the last beacon of hope in this Godforsaken land of ours. True, it has shown its "independence" in recent rulings such as those on the illegality of Comelec contracts, unconstitutionality of Executive Orders, non-exemption of PCGG officials from Senate inquiries. But these are matters which hardly steer the fate of the nation as a whole. We still have to see how it decides on the issue of people's initiative to amend the Constitution (a GMA pet, for her reign beyond 2010) pending before it. Makes for a good show since ten of the 15 Justices are Gloria appointees.

So, in a nutshell, we have a president who's not elected and the most unpopular ever, Congress who's currying her favor (as a matter of political survival some would argue), and a justice system that lets you get away with anything if the price is right. Nothing new aboutall this, really. It's just more in-our-face real to us now since the stakes for us are markedly higher -- we're at the age where we play a major role as productive citizens in society, and we now have the future of our own kids to think about.

So why is Gloria Macapagal Arroyo still in power, in fighting form, and even bold enough to maneuver an extension of her run till God knows when? The answer is simple. There's nobody stopping her. The people are demoralized, weak and exhausted. And the opposition, in a word, is shit. But that's another post altogether.

Saturday morning.

Unleaded : P38.37 / Liter
USD 1.00 : 50.01 Php

There was a time in my unmarried life when I never knew what Saturday morning looked like. I'd catch a sunrise or two now and again, but only because I was just getting in from a night of partying that had gone a little harder than usual. Noon was the earliest I'd get up -- to rehydrate, lunch a little (very little in fact), then veg out as kids today would say.

Needless to say, practically nothing got done on weekends. Rearranging my CDs would be the height of productivity. Having the car washed or getting a haircut was done only if it's reached a point where it was morally reprehensible to forego. For the most part I'd be hovering somewhere between catatonia and zombiedom till sundown. Holed up alone in my room all day with the tv, Saturday went quickly as it came. Fine by me.

Flashforward to this morning. Woke up at at 6:00 with the kids jumping on the bed, on me and on the wife. Horsed around a bit (literally; I'm on all fours with 2 kids on my back), washed up, got kids dressed. We're out of the house by 7:00 and heading for Emerald Garden on Roxas Boulevard for a congee and dimsum breakfast.

The place is teeming with early birds, mostly chinoys, a whole section in fact wearing their tai chi club shirt. Sen. Fred Lim has been holding court in a corner for hours it seems judging from the mess on the table and his SRO crowd. I have a mind to heckle him, but you don't want to start a brawl in a place like this. Think Zhang Ziyi in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. The food is unbloggably so-so but filling. The service is a rant blog entry that will write itself. That's ok, we didn't come all the way to Malate just for the lukewarm lugaw anyway. We came for the sea!

So, we drive north towards Luneta. Get a glimpse of Rizal with the sun behind him. Point out the huge flag to the kids. Make a left at Manila Hotel. See the floating restaurant docked behind it and wonder if people actually go there and if they do what kind of people they were. Slow down to a crawl in front of the Quirino grandstand and imagine ourselves in a parade among APVs and tanks and Metro Aides waving at the stage. We turn left at Kalaw then right, back to Roxas Boulevard. The sun is up, the traffic light and so the road is lousy with student drivers everywhere.

We park at the Baywalk and walk up and down the walk. The kids love the sea. They climb up the seawall, they point at the ships, they run to the men with fishing rods and look at the worms in the bait box. They see a dragonboat cutting through the water and jump up and down with excitement. They ask if we could buy one. They watch as a seabird lands on a rock and all the ipis dagat scamper away for dear life. But one of them is too slow and is caught in the snapping beak. The seabird flies away with his breakfast and the kids say Wow! They look at me and wait for my comment, and all I can say is Wow, too.

When the kids finally agree to go home, we decide to stop at the kiddie barbers' on the way. It's early so there is no wait. The four-year-old got to go first while the younger one played on the slide. No hassle on the barbers' chair with the first customer: done in ten minutes. He's really a big boy now, we tell him. His kid sister on the other hand threw a fit the last time she was here. But this time, she sits still on her mother's lap while the barber cuts away. She's done in five. Maybe the full tummy inspired her good behavior.

Everybody climbs into the van. My daughter looks particularly nice in her new 'do. My son asks where else we're going, and I say home. He says ok, but only because his neck is itchy from the haircut. We reach home finally, and I look at the clock. It's 10:52.

There was a time in my life when Saturday morning did not exist and the rest of the day was a haze at best. Today, we've eaten chicken feet, taken the parade route around Luneta, smelled the sea, saw wildlife in action, had haircuts. And it isn't even lunchtime yet.

I feel like I'm making up for all the Satrudays I've wasted and it's fine by me. In fact I hope to be doing this the rest of my life, or at least until that morning when my son rides the A1 or Socialites car himself for his driving lessons. I hope that Saturday takes a long time coming.

The Stewart/Colbert 08 t-shirt.

Unleaded : P38.87 / Liter
USD 1.00 : 50.01 Php




"Nothing says 'I am ashamed of you my government' more than 'Stewart/Colbert '08,'" said Jon Stewart this week. And with that 300,000,000 shirts were sold in one hour.

What about us, of our government? I'm sure one of us out there can easily come up with our own t-shirt if we wanted to, witty bastards that we are. It's just that we've long realized that this government is impervious to shame so we won't bother.

Quick Getaway

Unleaded : P39.57 / Liter
USD 1.00 : 50.05 Php

Spent the weekend at Club Malarayat up in Lipa. It was an unplanned getaway so we ended up booking the only room available -- "The Premiere Room" -- which had a price tag to fit the name, but despite which no breakfast, no round of golf, not even a welcome drink was included. They even charged us P30 for pool towels (!) All in all, it was a pleasant enough stay. The facilities were working and the kids had a mighty grand time with the pool and the practice greens. All you can ask for really.

Lipeño food is always a highlight of any visit. It can be as adventurous as it is unique. Just ask anybody who's had a bowl of gotong Lipa (with chopped onions and rice on the side). Or lined up for hot bibingka, heavy but small at 3 inches across with the improbable name, "D' Lovers Line".

In this particular trip though, the best meal we had was common fare. Hapag Filipino along the road leading to Lipa town has always been the old reliable. We had sinigang na maliputo with the broth a savory contest between sourness and the flavor of fish. Inihaw na pusit, very fresh and cooked just enough to bring it beyond raw. Chicharon bulaklak, a house specialty that was clean-smelling, crisp but not burnt. To complement all these, an assembly of sawsawan was present (and actually served ahead of everything.) Bagoong na isda for the maliputo,
made from scratch by the owners. Sawsawan for the pusit, soy sauce-based but thick, sweet and laced with fresh onions and chilis. And plain vinegar with onion, salt and pepper for dunking the chicharon. It was the grown-ups who had a mighty grand time with this one, triglyceride and uric acid levels be damned.

The Departed

Unleaded : P39.57 / Liter
USD 1.00 : 50.04 Php

The opening minutes of The Departed may go down in film history as the best pre-title sequence ever. With Jack Nicholson in the shadows, the wailing strains of "Gimme Shelter", a flurry of face shots and dialogue, this movie grabs you by the short ones and never lets go. It's instantly clear that this is a villain's movie and you better hang on.

It's quite a thrill the way Scorsese never lets go of his initial grip. His movie is electric, relentless and fast. You take everything in, get information when you can and in brief moments when the action lets up, manage a hushed "wow". You also don't have time to think if the story makes sense or not (if you can catch up with it, that is) and if the many coincidences are too gratuitous for comfort. But who cares. This is Scorsese in a long-missed Mean Streets/Goodfellas mode.

There are fine performances all around. DiCarpio in particular is impressive in his maturity and restraint. Then there are bullets in the head and blood all over. In one scene three skulls are popped in a span of one minute. And then there's the music. Don't get me started on the music.

You don't want to miss this ride.


The Departed opened in Manila October 4th. It's one of those movies the Philippines gets to see a few days ahead of the US. Coolness.

The Theft of The Catcher in the Rye

Unleaded : P39.87 / Liter
USD 1.00 : 50.02 Php

Something I posted on Jessica Zafra's blog. Topic was stolen books.

Two weeks into my college freshman year, i stole The Catcher in the Rye from the university library. Hi-jinks that could have meant expulsion a la Caulfield had it gone haywire, the chances of which were fairly high due to a mandatory bag inspection at the exit performed by the most athletic-looking guy in the library staff.

I’d always heard of and read of the book but never had a chance to actually read the book. The library in the parochial high school I came from didn’t have it and buying something you could in theory borrow from your relatives was unheard of in my family.

One day “digression” got mentioned in English class and the discussion quickly digressed to Holden Caulfield and ding! Went straight to the library after and read it in one sitting (which I’d never done before or since with any other book). With all those thoughts on isolation and adulthood and of my own kid sister freshly swirling in my head, how was I expected to walk out of there without that book in my possession on a permanent basis?

I stuffed it in the outer pocket of my backpack and headed out. I didn’t even take deep breaths or do anything to psych myself up to the task. I walked straight to the exit and held my bag out. Mr. Athlete/Inspector unzipped the main compartment, put his hand in, moved stuff around and took a really good look inside. Found nothing, zipped up the bag and handed it over to me. Didn’t even notice the alien-like bulge in the outer pocket.

I walked out of there and the book was mine forever. Thank God for jocks.

Nice Figures (daw).

Unleaded : P39.87 / Liter
USD 1.00 : 49.88 Php

Posting those figures big for the record.

Government says they indicate "improving economic conditions. " I'm still trying to figure out how when government itself hardly ever adjusts public transport fares and prices of basic commodities downward despite cheaper fuel, and cheaper dollars always translate to even lesser pesos for OFW families back here.

Maybe government has a different definition for improving economic conditions, one that has nothing to do with empirical data whatsoever. Wouldn't surprise anyone at all.

Good Luck, Bad Luck

Unleaded : P40.87 / Liter
USD 1.00 : 50.21 Php

Hit a rough patch recenlty so I haven't been here.

Two weeks ago I queued up at an ATM in SM Mega. Wanted to get my card ready before my turn was up so I pulled out my wallet. But before I could open it, the guy ahead finished up and the machine was free. I stepped up to use it and scoured my wallet for the card. I fanned out all the plastic, no ATM card. Before I could do a thorough search, the security guard tapped my arm, handed me an ATM card and said, "Sir, senyo ito?"

"Uy, thank you," I said, "nahulog ko ba?" thinking I had dropped it when I pulled out my wallet.

"Hindi ho, naiwan nyo dyan sa ATM last week. Tinago ko ho baka sakaling bumalik kayo."

It took me a few seconds to realize what he was saying and to appreciate my unbelievable luck -- I didn't even know I had lost my ATM card, and now it was being handed to me just as I noticed it was missing. Wow!

Imagine all the aggravation I was spared from. Imagine the cosmic confluence that took place in that 4-foot square spot at that moment. Imagine . . . the backlash this kind of good luck would wreak in the balance of things.

As I walked out that booth, I just knew the yang was coming at me soon after this ying. And true enough it happened few days later. I won't go into details so as not to disrupt the process of suppression going on in my head right now, but suffice it to say it's going to cost me five figures (at least), a massive rebuilding of my crumbled self-confidence, and the mockery of my friends if they ever find out.

Rather disproportionate, no? Story of my life.

Pinay in Jeopardy!

Unleaded : P41.37 / Liter
USD 1.00 : 50.43 Php

The kids have been going to bed early these past few days and I've been catching up on the tv. Watched House on Monday, Letterman Tuesday (Sharapova!). Tonight it was Jeopardy! I sat up quick when I saw that the lone girl contestant looked distinctly Pinay. (Don't ask me how we do it but we Pinoys can spot a fellow Pinoy like the word was tattooed on their foreheads, am I right people?)

Her name was Trisha. I didn't catch her surname so I thought the only time Trebek would say it again was if she won which looked like a long shot in the early going. She ranked last after the Jeopardy round but had a streak off the bat in Double Jeopardy. At the end of that round, she placed second with $8000 to the champion's $14,800. In Final Jeopardy the champ fumbled; our suspected Pinay nailed it and wagered enough to win.

Trebek congratulated his new champ, "Trisha Barrero". I typed it in and quickly got lost in Googleland. After a few sidesteps, I hit the right track. It turns out her name is Tricia Barreiro, "an interactive project manager from Santa Monica, California..." and Pinay indeed (GI in fact). Graduated with honors from Poveda and packed up for the states in '87. Turned 30 in 2003, single and looking. Loves traveling and game shows. She even won Ben Stein's money a few years back.

The Jeopardy stint was fairly recent (May 23, 2006) and is discussed in the Jeopardy Boards, detailed in J! Archive. I peeked at the thread about her next game and something interesting came up during chit chat:

"COIN CON CONNOISSEUR"

Alex: Tricia Barreiro is our champ. She's from Santa Monica, and she has a little strange streak in her, I think, because you taught the daughter of a foreign ex-president to do something illegal. What? Who was the ex-president?

Tricia: Oh, gosh! I don't wanna name names.

Alex: What country?

Tricia: The Philippines.

[Laughter]

Alex: Okay.

Tricia: There's not a lot to choose from.

Alex: Uh-huh. Was it a man or a woman?

Tricia: Okay, well--oh, gosh.

Alex: And what did you teach the daughter to do?

Tricia: Well, there's a public pay phone that used to take four different kinds of coins, but it's really hard to get four coins together, but it was quite easy to get two or three, and we figured out how to use two. So one day, the daughter walked up and said, "Does anybody know how to use the 2-coin trick?" And all my friends turned and pointed to me!

Alex: You don't even need the coins. If you hit it in a certain--well, that's another story.


(Hey! I knew how to do that 2-coin trick on those red payphones that took 4 ten-centavo coins. A rare craft, but it's not asked in her compatibility test.)

So who's the presidential daughter? She's the one who's been in a number of game shows herself -- as the person who uses her brains the least but never goes home empty-handed.

Return of the Manc.

Unleaded : P41.37 / Liter
USD 1.00 : 50.56 Php

The Ricky Gervais Show has returned for Season 03 and is now midway through its 6-ep run. (You know where to get it.) So far, no monkey news, no knob news, no Rockbusters. Karl's diary, check. And a new segment, poetry!

Pilkington is up front and center like before, but now seems a little blasé about it all. Maybe it's just his health -- been to hospital, tube up me knob, kidney stones. Gervais and Merchant are somewhat subdued as well. Maybe it's just slack, both fresh off the Extras Series 2 post-prod.

But make no mistake, the podcast still kills. Not to be listened to when alone in public, performing surgery, or operating heavy equipment.

Deal or no deal ordeal.

Unleaded : P42.37 / Liter
USD 1.00 : 50.26 Php

Saw a girl lose big time in Deal or No Deal tonight. After a lucky run that had the audience rallying wildly behind her, she said Deal to P299 grand with only 100G, 200G, 300G, 400G and 1M left on the board.

In a snap the crowd turned on her like she just missed the game-winning lay-up. They moaned and groaned, slapped their foreheads, tore their hair out, all shocked (shocked!) at her decision to take the money and run, not the least of whom were her personal miron a few feet away -- her posse of friends, sisters, and a co-teacher -- who earlier were screaming, squealing, bouncing in their seats with the rest of the pack.

Even the millionaire hostess got in on it. "Why oh why did you do that?" she cried as she lectured her on statistical probability and DoND logic.

"I just feel I am going to end up with less if I go on," was all the girl could muster.

Everyone in the studio shook their heads. Just imagine the head-shaking that must have been going on in her home town. Probably enough to cause a mild quake.

The girl was an awful sight. Her whole being screamed, "What have I done please don't hate me can i undeal the whole thing!" I never saw anybody become so alone so instantly. Abandoned even by friends and family quicker than you can say "Balato ko, ha!". Left on her own on national TV.

This is the way this game show works. It's as merciless as it is mindless. Nothing works up a crowd like moolah and doing next to nothing to get it. And nowhere else can you be love object one minute and leper the next in more spectacular fashion.

It would turn out (the show is played to its alternate conclusion, just to drive the stake deeper) that she would have won the million bucks had she said No Deal til the end. I'll leave the ensuing pandemonium to your imagination.


If there's any justice or decency left in this world the girl will be left alone with her loot just as promptly -- no gratuities to nobody, nothing to her favorite charity, zilch to her posse. Especially her posse. Just as the ordeal was all hers, so should the money. Big if.

New blog but not really.

I decided to do some housecleaning around here and found that my blog (or what passed for it) and its URL were stuck somewhere in the bowels of Blogger, never to be seen by anyone but me. Didn't know how to fix it so I just picked some posts to save and flushed the rest down to oblivion. I figured I'd just as soon start with a clean slate.

Easier said than done though. Staking your claim on a URL is tougher than ever in this shrinking cyber frontier, with everyone wanting their own piece of web real estate and knowing how to do it. All the prime locations are taken, some flourishing with life, others laid to waste with nothing in them but token test posts -- tombstones to mark the birth-death of the blog/URL.

Some examples of the latter: hit or miss, stuck in a moment, hunt and peck, flotsam and jetsam, the light fantastic, warts and all. Nice hooks, gone forever.