Really?

So, earlier this week I heard this story about a Texas city attorney who after 9-11 vowed to wear a single patriotic tie until Osama bin Laden was captured or dead. Nearly six years later his tie is so tattered the guy declared he would stop wearing it unless Osama proved he was alive by 9-11-07. A day or two later bin Laden pulled through with a new tape proclaiming the usual praise for terrorists and violence to western heathens. Coincidence?

In other news, MPR reported that a U of M study found a link between a certain amino acid and gambling addiction. The study was too small to be statistically significant, but the scientist folks think taking the amino acid supplement could reduce addictive behavior. I'm totally weirded out by the idea that we will eventually be able to chemically alter all aspects of our behavior, right on down to basic personality characteristics.

Shout out to the (famous) men in my life

It was a big night for TV. Both of the (famous) men in my life were on, and in fine, fine form.

First, Jon Stewart presented a great (rerun) interview with Barack Obama. The best question:

Do you feel like you're stuck in a narrative now, and the narrative is that Hilary Clinton is unlikeable but knows what she's doing and Obama is inexperienced but brings change--and no matter what you do, because [these scenarios are] easily categorized, the media or everyone else will just slip whatever happens into [that narrative]?



It's at 2:29 in part 1. I'd recommend part 2 also. By the way, I asked Paul the other night if Jon Stewart could be my free pass, to which he replied, "What does that mean?" Apparently the concept of a free pass is not universal. After I explained, he did not look too happy at the thought, even though I pointed out the probability is low that Jon Stewart would cross my path and agree to sex.

Second, Peyton Manning played some gorgeous football against the Saints. Sorry Brett Favre, but there's a new QB in my life. As some of you know, I was auditioning last season for a new quarterback love. I was holding out for Eli Manning to come into his own because he is so darn cute. But at the end of the day Peyton is just a superior player and stirs all the old feelings from the days before Brett threw a million interceptions per game. Commentator Al Michaels also mentioned that Indianapolis is the most homegrown team in the league, with only four Colts having played for other NFL teams. I like that. Similar to how Green Bay residents own shares in the Packers.

Clockwork

For those of you keeping score at home, I charged plane tickets to Boston and the second Barbados payment on my WF credit card this week. Which of course prompted a call from the monotone computer voice asking me to verify charges. I should be glad they're protecting me from identity theft, but really it just feels like Big Brother has declared travel illegal.

Kitters and Chubbers

Paul can't remember my cats' names most of the time so he refers to them collectively as "kitters" and individually as "chubbers" (Audrey) and "the male" (Jackson). They love him anyway, but mostly because he is unpracticed in the art of living with cats. He's such an easy target--for everything from tripping and covering in fur, to full-scale restroom-use-interruption tactics.

This past weekend, the kitters decided to escalate. After a lengthy beer pong tournament on Sunday night, Paul passed out on my couch. The next morning I noticed his arm was covered in bright red scratches. We're talking a 4 inch by 1.5 inch area of skin full of claw marks. He has absolutely no recollection of tangling with the cats, but I thought I saw a proud glint in Audrey's eye.

She got her comeuppance, though. While trying a clever new launch off the speaker, Audrey miscalculated the landing and ended up wedged between the TV stand and the wall--feet dangling just out of reach of the floor. I just about died laughing, and received a very miffed look. The extraction process was complicated, so I took a moment to capture it midway:

(The intended landing site was the patch of wood to her right. By this point she had managed to back her ass onto the speaker, but hadn't found traction for any paws. I eventually had to haul her out upside down by the front legs.)

You can just see part of Jackson--who was sitting unhelpfully on the speaker giving her a look like, "oh, wow...geez...that's too bad..."

Speaking of happy

I stole this picture from Go Fug Yourself because of how incredibly happy Suri and her mom look:

Tonight I saw a child walking down the street hand in hand with his mom. He had the most gleeful smile on his face--likely was related to the giant green lizard costume he was wearing. You have to wonder if mom lost the "what should I wear today" battle on the first day of prekindergarten.

I appreciated the reminder from Suri and lizard-boy: happiness is uncomplicated.

A is for apple

In honor of the first day of school for all my teacher friends, I'd like to comment on a Strib story about the new Shakopee High School. After several paragraphs describing how the new school design will better serve students and community members, the article reads:

Although mostly pleased with the way the school turned out, Tomczik noted that you can't always get everything you want. Teachers' lounges, for instance, are small and unappealing. And because of the small learning pods, there are no centralized departments for specific subjects.

In short, the new design fails to recognize that a school is also a workplace. Now I know it's all about the kids, but research shows good teaching is the second most important factor in student achievement after the kids' own families and experiences. And I would hazard a guess that happy teachers are better teachers. So I'm just saying I'd probably try to accommodate their needs a weensy bit.

(It is quite possible the Shakopee design does provide some nice features for teachers that were not covered in this article. If so, I apologize to Shakopee for using it as an example of a wider problem.)