Yesterday Susie and her husband invited us to join them at the Pearl Jam show tonight at Madison Square Garden. Of course we said “yes,” I mean, it’s Pearl Jam. I haven’t seen them play live for about ten years. Oh, did I mention that we’ll be enjoying the concert in a private luxury box? How civilized! I can’t wait. Eddie Vedder, two times in one week. My sister is GREEN with envy.

Over the past few days, several people have exclaimed to me, “Your teeth are so white!” About twice a year, I rock some Crest White Strips to get the coffee and red wine stains out. My teeth respond really well to them, which is nice as it saves me money from having to get them professionally done. However, when people point it out to me, even though I know they’re being complimentary, I worry. Read the rest of this entry »

After all the talk about REM last week, I sent the geekboy digging for an old photo album. Check it out. Read the rest of this entry »

How was your weekend? Our was eventful. What was supposed to be a productive Saturday afternoon baking cupcakes and cleaning the garage ended up at the mall, waiting at the Genius Bar, because my MacBook’s hard drive dropped dead. So sad. But, it was still under warranty and I didn’t lose too much (I don’t keep work files or photos on the laptop, thank f*ck). While we were at the mall, though, I noticed a sale going on at the Disney store and scored a ton of gifts for all the rugrats in our lives. So that was cool.

Also, Saturday night the geekboy made me dinner (an enchilada recipe I chose from Cook’s Illustrated) and it was INCREDIBLE. I made fresh guacamole and it was delicious. And we get to have leftovers tonight.

Yesterday was my godson’s birthday party — he’s nine. I can’t believe it. Seems like just yesterday his mom and I were walking through Prospect Park, trying to induce labor. Sigh. Pictures after the jump. Click through for details. Read the rest of this entry »

“When you’re born you get a ticket to the freak show. When you’re born in America, you get a front row seat.” — George Carlin, 1937-2008.

You will be missed. Read the rest of this entry »

We got home from a day out to find a piece of notepaper stuck in our door. Written on it are the home and cell phone numbers of our next-door neighbors. And that’s all. No context, no request, no information. That’s weird, right? My guess is that they are going to be away for some length of time and want us to call if there’s some sort of problem with their house. Which is fine. But why not say that? And do you think we should just call them anyway? Because they don’t have our number. I guess maybe I should stick it in their door.

We’ve noticed that Firefox 3 is causing some weirdness on the comments pages here. We’re working on it. Let us know if you see any other oddities.

Run out of things to be angry about, have you? Read the rest of this entry »

I can’t even find the right words to introduce this clip, so I’m not going to try. Read the rest of this entry »

Interesting and alarming read from Ray McGovern, a former CIA analyst.

Put down the bong and hop on over to Too Much Free Time to enter for a chance to win Season 3 of Weeds on DVD!

I picked up our third harvest from the farm today. Lettuce, bok choi, scallions, garlic, arugula and more. Read the rest of this entry »

Reader Kat passes along this gem.

It’s our friend Lara’s birthday today. Happy happy!

Please click through to read a guest post from our friend Frank.
Read the rest of this entry »

Tori Spelling’s little dress-wearing pug died. I don’t know why that makes me so sad, but there you go. I was watching her reality show yesterday, thinking, “Damn, Mimi is looking old.” Awwww. Of course, a small part of me wonders if she taped it for the show.

…was legen … waitforit … DARY. Really, one of the better shows I’ve been to in the past few years. The boys are in excellent form, and Michael Stipe looks — gasp — actually happy. We got to the venue early to secure great lawn seats and meet up with our friends Kerry and Aaron. Mission accomplished! During our picnic dinner, they regaled us with stories of soundcheck, which they were lucky enough to attend. I regaled them back with a story about the time I was kicked out of an REM soundcheck at the request of Mr. Stipe himself — close to twenty years ago. Mind-boggling. Show details and setlist after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

Remember Michael Vick and his dogfighting arrest, along with the revelation of dozens of dead, abused and injured dogs on his property? Today, one of those rescued dogs now spends his days providing therapy to cancer patients. This is why I donate my time to our animal shelter. Rescue animals — their resilience, the way their brains allow them to trust against all odds, and their ability to survive and adapt — inspire me in ways I’ll never really understand. Thank you to every shelter and group that took these animals in and gave them better lives.

We’re going to see REM/Modest Mouse/The National tonight in Philly. Cannot wait. We’re going to try to get there very early to snag good lawn seats, and we’ll be meeting up with some friends we haven’t seen since January. SO EXCITED.

I have this phobia about popsicle sticks. Although I love popsicles, the feeling — even the THOUGHT — of a popsicle stick touching my teeth makes me want to curl up into the fetal position and weep. It makes my hair stand on end, it makes my spine twitch, it makes me want to jump out of my skin. It’s the reason I can’t eat Italian Ice anymore. The other day at the grocery, I picked up some Tofutti Marry Me Bars. They are SO GOOD. So good, in fact, that I temporarily forgot about my problem.

I just finished one and enjoyed it tremendously — until it happened. I sat here twitching for several minutes, regretting every minute of my delicious treat. Finally, I whimpered to the geekboy, “My teeth touched a popsicle stick and I can’t get over it.” He simply handed me some gum and said, “You’re so cute.” Awwww, mental illness is adorable!

I haven’t posted about new music in quite a while. Right now I’m really enjoying Santogold. For a long time, I thought her song “L.E.S. Artistes” was by Tegan + Sara. Oops. Apparently, though, I’m not alone. Santogold video after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

Sigh.

Well, if this is true, I’m going to have to re-examine my religious beliefs, because AWESOME.