And Baby Makes a Foursome

Tiger Woods and his wife happily announced today they are expecting another child, due 'in late winter.' [The lion cub in winter? No! The Tiger cub in winter!] Woods has been off the golf circuit, recuperating from a knee injury and reconstructive surgery that will keep him out of competition for a year. This baby has an older sister Sam who was born in 2007.

Best Wishes to the Woods! Go get 'em, Tiger.

What Goes On at the Games...

...stays at the Games. This funny article, by British writer Matthew Syed, describes exactly what those athletes do when they're away from home and done competing. As a former Olympian himself and a Brit with bad teeth [I know, redundant], he knows of whence he speaks.

Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, "Swifter, Higher, Stronger."

Big News for Big Foot Optimists...

...and Yeti...

I read this article and the first thought that ran through my mind was, "Oh, I bet Michael Medved is over the moon excited about this" [scroll way down to the section entitled "SOME EMBARRASSING SECRETS ABOUT MICHAEL MEDVED," to the sentence about Dan Sytman. ]

I listened to his podcast/musings and my suspicions were confirmed. Tune in Friday for the press conference in Palo Alto, California.

UPDATE: Based on an interview I heard today on the radio, expect this report to be dismissed as a hoax.

These Were My Winners of the Commercial Bowl

I simply loved these ads. Remembering that the elements of comedy are surprise, exaggeration and reversal, I'll tell you they both have it all. Note that the baby is using a webcam. [They grow up so fast!] Knowing my child, that's not too much of a stretch.



And the twin ad for E*Trade:


And, yes! Clowns are creepy.

Just in it for the Commercials

So we're watching the Super Bowl, but it's sort of backwards: I tune out the game and tune into the ads [a couple funny ones already!]. I do not have a dog in this fight [Green Bay lost to one of the competitors], so I suppose I'm pulling for the team that has a chance of finishing a perfect season. The fact that one of my blogfriends built a part of their stadium figures into that, too.

My mom is a sports junkie...she follows many sports and knows the players and can recall sports trivia without hesitation. I took after my father and became a political junkie. I know I only tune into these big sports events when there's a pop culture angle to it. I suppose there are people who tune into politics about the same way. At least I hope so.

Maverick vs. Maverick

So John McCain won the Florida primary. Looks like the Senate's Maverick will live to fight another day. I listen to talk radio and am mystified at the intense loathing some pundits have for McCain. Then I thought of this analogy:

Tom Cruise played a self-assured fly-boy in "Top Gun."


His call sign was "Maverick." Tom Cruise's character showed loyalty, guts, cockiness, despair and grit. The movie was beloved by many in my age group [especially for the beach volleyball scene.]

Tom Cruise hung around, made a lot of movies, and went nutso on Oprah's couch.


So maybe those talk show nay-sayers don't hate John McCain per se. They might've liked "Top Gun" McCain; they loathe couch-hopping McCain. They've lost that lovin' feeling.


IN THE COMMENTS: Matt directs us to this little catchy tune called "Tom Cruise Crazy."

SAG Musings

I noticed from good ole Reader_Iam's comment over at Althouse that the SAG Awards were on TV. I found them on the re-hash and watched 'til almost one a.m. Why? I don't know why, but I really enjoy awards shows.

Some errant thoughts:
--unlike previous bra-less shows, these really were the "Sag" awards because of the very old actors being honored. [Ruby Dee, Hal Holbrook, Julie Christie, Mickey Rooney, Charles Durning and more.]
--Tina Fey is a delightful woman with the heart of a writer. She delivered the nicest, most gracious acceptance I think I've heard in years. I can't help but like her.
--When Alec Baldwin won the award and was absent, laughter bubbled up within me, wondering if his little girl, Ireland, would leave a harsh voicemail on his cell phone, haranguing him for not being at his appointed place at his appointed time. ["Daddy, you big, selfish pig!"]
--I am glad the Sopranos went out with a bang.
--Steve Carrell should kiss Ricky Gervais's shoes for all Gervais's influence on Carrell's work life.
--I don't mind the writers being on strike for awards shows because they move a lot faster.
--I was surprised they got Heath Ledger on the RIP reel, but glad they made the effort.
--Tom Cruise ended the show and all I could think of was that weird scientology vid of his.

The College Class of 2011 Mindset

Beloit College was always a conference foe of my alma mater. But for the past 10 years, they've published this mindset list to clue in the staff and faculty about the new freshman entering college.

Here are some examples:

~Humvees, minus the artillery, have always been available to the public.
~They never “rolled down” a car window.
~Eastern Airlines has never “earned their wings” in their lifetime.
~Al Gore has always been running for president or thinking about it.

Read the whole list.

The Beatles or Elvis?

Lots of Elvis making his way 'round the internet today, the 30th year since his death. Elvis is inextricably linked with my husband in my mind.

I know "Pulp Fiction" summarized the question of all pop music lovers to Beatles or Elvis? I was a little too young for the Beatles. Even if you spot me the five years older I got because of my oldest sister, she only first bought "Revolution" as a single. I can remember peering over the top of the stereo console, about 6 years old, watching that little yellow plastic doohickey spin in the middle of a big green apple. She caught the tail end of the Beatles. I missed them entirely. And Elvis? How does a child get Elvis when your parents are playing showtunes and big bands and symphonic music? I never got either the Beatles or Elvis.

Until Dave.

Dave's Daddy robbed the cradle when he married a woman 10 years younger than him at the age of 29. Dave's Mama loved pop music. She played Elvis for him. And her love for the singer and the son translated when the son played The King for me.

'Are you lonesome tonight?'

That question is never as lovely as when it's half-whispered, half-sung into your ear by the man you know you're falling in love with. A crisp uniform and the scent of clean manliness are all that separates you. And who knew Elvis sang gospel? It's even possible that our son's first name stuck in my husband's head from hearing "Swing Down Sweet Chariot" innumerable times.

When Elvis died, I couldn't understand the hoopla. Before the 24-hour-news-cycle, we had several days of Elvis coverage. Many years later, I met the man who shared Elvis with me.

So ask me now Beatles or Elvis? The answer is Dave.

Political Images

Althouse ably live-blogged the Democratic debate. She posted this screen shot of the Senators Clinton and Obama.

For some reason, known only to my subconscious mind, I thought of this TV moment of Petula Clark and Harry Belafonte breaking barriers.

Republican Idol

I started by watching American Idol tonight. My favorite, by far, is Melinda Doolittle. I hope she wins, but not enough to actually pick up the phone and vote.

I joined in progress a more important reality show: the Republican presidential debate. I get to see the top 10 the Republican party has to offer. So far, the biggest laugh out loud line was one clearly planned by Gov. Huckabee: he talked about the Congress spending more freely than John Edwards in a beauty parlor. Perfectly delivered and it stopped the proceedings for a moment. Already the panel of inquisitors is so far superior to Chris Matthews, that I am enjoying the show so much more. I have strong misgivings for different reasons about the three front-runners [Rudy McRomney] that I'm listening carefully to the best of the second tier. I'm planning to vote my conscience at the primary and be a party gal at the general election.

Rainy Days and Sundays

Many I know have been snowed in. We just got a lot of rain today. But who cares? We had Mass and everyone was well-behaved and the Oscars are on tonight. Happy as a clam, I am.

Oscar Fever

I stumbled onto an ABC Special tonight after watching the best ever NBC Thursday comedy line-up. We pretty much laugh out loud regularly at "The Office" and "30 Rock". Hilarious. Keep it coming. Anyway, I stumbled onto an Oprah Winfrey Oscar special. She set up interviews with Oscar winners interviewing other Oscar winners. I watched Julia Roberts interview George Clooney. Now it's Nicole Kidman interviewing Russell Crowe. It is very interesting and well done. They interviewers know their subjects on a personal level and so the questions are probing, playful and difficult. They're the type of questions I've answered with my friends into the wee hours of the morning or over a drink in a quiet bar during college. They're the kind of questions friends should ask friends. And I get a voyeuristic delight in watching.

My superbowl arrives on Sunday--The Oscars. I'm sure to watch the show, even if I haven't seen any/many of the nominees. Having no dog in any fight means I can be really catty about the fashions.

How I Knew This Was Going to Be a Good Day

[1] Althouse linked to me on the front page of her blog.
[2] My doctor said my sore throat was not strep [for the 4th time].
[3] Movie-time Monday on Playhouse Disney featured "Monsters, Inc."
[4] I picked up a free box of Godivas at the mall on the way to work.
[5] Our Best Man is on his way home from Iraq after 14 months away.
[6] The Amazing Race All-Stars will feature Rob and Amber Marino [known to some as "Romber"].
[7] It's another hour of '24.'

Super Bowl Sunday: A Whole New Season

I am not an avid football fan, but I do like watching the Super Bowl and I particularly like the new commercials. Tonight, Dave and I are ousted from the living room TV to our bedroom where the game is on. I missed the National Anthem and am hoping to catch the half-time show with Prince performing. I am betting there won't be a wardrobe malfunction. Maybe a Little Red Corvette? Raspberry Beret? Let's hope he salutes middle America with his classics before he sells his latest CD.

Doesn't really matter, though. The kids are bathed and jammied [smelling sweet], teeth are brushed and all we have to do is put them to bed at the proper time. We're doing well in the Mama-and-Daddy Bowl. This phase should last a little while longer, I hope.