The More You Know

Funny that NBC let the Office folks make these spoof The More You Know spots. I wish they would re-air the ". . . and that's One to Grow On" spots from 80's Saturday mornings.

The Office spots got me to wondering, who is the superior Office receptionist:





Pam or Dawn


I'm partial to Dawn (and not just because she looks like our Tanya Turner*), but would like to know your thoughts.

*

Like a Rose

In advance of the 2006 Oscars, I saw Transamerica - I tend to see most of the Oscar nominated performances. I liked the picture well enough. In fact, I thought Felicity Huffman should have won the Oscar. In my opinion, her role was much tougher than Reese Witherspoon's June Carter Cash, but I'm not an actor so my opinion doesn't count for much.* Irregardless, the highlight of the movie for me was when Felicity's character went in for surgery. A lovely Lucinda Williams song played. (Generally, speaking I'm not a Lucinda fan. There are a few songs of hers that I really like, e.g. Blue, but mainly her catalog is too, I don't know, car wheels on a gravel road for my taste. ) The song is Like a Rose. I tried to download it on iTunes, but it was only available for download with the purchase the entire Transamerica soundtrack. I wasn't about to do that. So I stole the song on-line. Here it is for you to download:

Like a Rose mp3

*My b-in-law Tom believes FH is a transsexual in real life. When he watches Desperate Housewives with my sister, he likes to point out the scenes where FH is clearly "tucking." Tom is funny like that.

Public Service Announcement:

I discovered last night that the downtown Lumpy's no longer has Bar Trivia. Very disappointing. That means Green Street is apparently the only place to play downtown.

However, it appears that the trivia games can be played on-line. Who wants to give it a go? Stella?

Afternoon Diversion

S recommended another game. Enjoy.

http://www.brookviewcottage.com/miles/cards/noah/noah.html
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"Throw the Paper" game. My aunt Susie (hereinafter "S") says it is perfect
amusement during long conference calls. And she would know.

More BBC

If you aren't watching Footballer$ Wive$, trust me: you should be. This fantastical romp beats any "reality" series hands down.


I (heart) Tanya Turner.

London State of Mind

Gems from the BBC's "The Office":



Office Romances? Loads.



What did you do last night? Peak Practice.

And this is a real treat:

Free Love mp3 (the Remix) download; or listen here (click Free Love Freeway 06b).

Special thanks go out to this site.

Sigh . . .

The cold, gray Utah weather makes me nostalgic for life in London. I lived there several years ago. Due to my close proximity to Hyde Park, I ran the park's perimeter at least once a week (and was always surprised how few runners there were). My favourite spot in the park, and in all of London really, is the Serpentine Bridge. On a clear day, you can stand on the bridge, look across the water, and see the Houses of Parliament. It's beautiful. On all of my subsequent visits to London, I've visited the bridge and taken a photo of the view. It's a pilgrimmage of sorts. Sadly, it's been far too long since my last photograph was taken. Here is a picture of the Serpentine Bridge*:

*I didn't take this photograph. I "stole" it from someone's website. Upon request, I will remove it.

Hustle Ladies - GO!

You have until 6pm:

http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_3646081

On the Bumper of My S.U.V.

I listen to country music. Not often, but every once in awhile. Just to keep my hand in it. I feel it somehow connects me with a vital part of America. And, from time to time, the shit cracks me up. Working late on Monday night, I heard this song while streaming a country station on iTunes:

Chely Wright - Bumper Of My S.U.V.

I've got a bright red sticker on the back of my car
Says United States Marines
And yesterday a lady in a mini-van held up a middle finger at me
Does she think she knows what I stand for
Or the things that I believe
Just by looking at a sticker for the US Marines
On The Bumper Of My SUV

See, my brother Chris, he's been in for more than 14 years now
Our dad was in the Navy during Vietnam
Did his duty then he got out
And my grandpa earned his purple heart
On the beach of Normandy
That's why I've got a sticker for the US Marines
On The Bumper Of SUV

But that doesn't mean that I want war
I'm not Republican or Democrat
But I've gone all around this crazy world
Just to try and better understand
Yes I do have questions I get to ask them because I'm free
That's why I've got a sticker for the US Marines
On the Bumper Of My SUV
Cause I've been to Hiroshima
And I've been to the DMZ
I've walked on the sand in Baghdad
Still don't have all of the answers I need
But I guess I wanna know where she's been
Before she judges and gestures to me
Cause she don't like my sticker
For the US Marines
On the bumper of my SUV

So I hope that lady in her mini-van
Turns on her radio and hears this from me
As she picks up her kids from their private school
And drives home safely on our city streets
Or to the building where her church group meets
Yeah, that's why I've got a sticker for the US Marines
On the bumper of my SUV

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My first thought, of course, was that perhaps it wasn't the bumper sticker that prompted the finger from the lady in the mini-van, and the singer was terribly quick to jump to a conclusion. I'm sure that thought occurred to nearly everyone. My second thought was doubt that this driver of the SUV had actually been to Hiroshima, DMZ, and walked the sands of Baghdad. (Unless the lady in the SUV is Condoleeza Rice.) So anyway, I got a kick out of the song and looked the lyrics up on-line. In so doing, I came across this discussion about the song. (I think Reviews #30, 32, and 33 are highlights). Now these are my country music loving people. Not surprisingly, the consistent theme of their posts is "LOVE America or LEAVE IT!" Someone really ought to school them on the complexities of immigration/emigration including visas, green cards, and just how incredibly difficult it is for Americans to obtain foreign work permits. I would try, of course, but I suspect they would simply give me the finger.

Just Pull Hard

Last week I traveled to LA with my younger sister and her husband. We stayed here in Hollywood. One morning, we walked from our hotel to a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf across the street on Hollywood Blvd. We ordered our coffees and then moved over to the drink pick-up area and waited for our names to be called. Next to the drink pick-up counter was a unisex public restroom. The restroom's door was within just two or three feet of the pick-up counter. The door also had one of those intimidating handles that served as both door knob and vending machine. This was a "pay toilet." One puts a coin or token in the box attached to the door knob and the door then opens. My sister commented that the whole set-up was rather off-putting. No stranger to public toilets (I drink alot of water), I find these pay toilet set-ups easy to navigate and foil. I walked over to the door and said to my sister, "You don't really need a coin, you just have to pull really hard on the handle." And then I demonstrated: I pulled really hard on the handle and the door flew open. To our horror, a respectable looking man was sitting on the toilet clearly in the middle of a "no. 2." To his horror, most of the patrons in the coffee shop caught a glimpse of him in his compromised state. He instinctively jumped up to shut the door, but I was able to close it nearly as quickly as I'd opened it. I felt terrible. But that didn't stop us from making "no. 2" jokes the rest of the day.

Lazy Sunday

I went to bed late Saturday night following a raucous birthday party for slcup that involved roller skating*, miniature golf, and heavy arcade action. Consequently, I woke up late on Sunday. Moments after waking, I dressed, grabbed the current issue of The New Yorker and the book I'm currently reading, and walked to the Avenues Bakery for breakfast. I don't often go to the bakery on weekends, but occasionally go before work on weekdays. For some reason, this restaurant attracts a seemingly "East Coast" clientele - transplants to Utah, I guess. As I approached the entry door, I could see people were waiting to be seated. Entering right behind me was a middle-aged woman in black leggings, a leopard print fleece, large sunglasses and exuding an east coast, Jewish air. I suspected she had just come from a light workout at the nearby JCC. I walked in and immediately inside was a sign clearly stating, "Please Wait for Hostess to Seat You." Various groups were standing just inside the door waiting to be seated. I stood with them waiting to register my presence with the hostess. But Ms. JCC had her own plan.

She walked in the door right behind me, flew passed the sign and the people waiting to be seated, and headed straight to the take-out counter. She spoke with a guy standing at the counter, and he pointed her toward the hostess who was clearing a table right in front of me and the other people waiting to be seated. She walked over to the hostess, said a word or two, and then sat down at the table. The people waiting to be seated saw this, rolled their eyes, and let it go. But I didn't.

I walked over to the hostess, who was still at the table with Ms. JCC, and said: "These people behind me were here before this woman, and really they should be seated first." Ms. JCC pointed to the guy at the take-out counter and said, "I just did what he told me to do. He said I needed to talk to you and I did." Bullshit. Ms. JCC knew exactly what she was doing: bypassing the line. And the ease with which she'd done it indicated that it wasn't her first time, nor was it her first time playing dumb when caught. I told Ms. JCC that she should stand up and let the hostess seat the people that were ahead of her in line. Again, she said that she'd only done what the guy at the take out counter told her to do. The hostess quickly took charge of the situation and handled it well. She had Ms. JCC stand up, seated the people that were there before Ms. JCC (they all thanked me for intervening) , and then finally seated Ms. JCC (she didn't like me) and her husband (he came in after having parked the car). As for me, I'd hoped to sit at the counter facing the windows that look out over South Temple, but there wasn't an open seat. So I left and walked a block down the street to Oasis (they have better coffee anyway). As I walked, I hoped that I'd caused Ms. JCC just enough embarrassment that it ruined her breakfast, and as I read the New Yorker and 740 Park, I was glad to have had a seemingly east coast morning.

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*Sadly, the roller rink dj did not have the quintessential roller skating song:
We Built this City mp3

All Star Su Doku

I love Capital FM radio in London. They offer an on-line stream and it is nice to listen on Friday afternoons because the dj's announce all the happenings at London's clubs for the weekend. And the site also features a number of diversions, including an All-Star photo Su Doku game. The celebrities change every week - this week it is actors from EastEnders. (Incidentally, for fans of the BBC version of the The Office, it appears that Dawn's ex-fiancee Lee now appears on EastEnders.)

Word of Advice . . .

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays I venture over to www.sltrib.com for one specific reason. Carolyn Hax. She's a nationally syndicated advice columnist - the Washington Post is her home base. She's a straight talker (not unlike Dolly Parton in the movie Straight Talk), tells it like it is. Unlike Dear Abby (is it still Abby?), she writes to a younger audience. An audience with more pressing problems. Like, for example, how to tell a girl you want her for sex, but nothing more. See here. She doesn't pass overt judgment on the writer, although it is seemingly there in subtext, but instead gives good, common sense advice. I enjoy her writing style and wry humour. And naturally, I am thankful that people take the time to write her so that she can demonstrate her writing style and exhibit her wry humour. However, I just do not understand what possesses these people to write her. Do they not like the advice their friends give them? Do they not have friends? And if they don't have friends, how do they find girls to sleep with them? I suppose I'll have to write in and ask.

I've been thieving for years:

stealing from this world wide web. Music, humour, "how-to's", pictures, and well everything really. And I've been stealing to the point that I feel actual guilt over my lack of contribution. But do I have anything to offer? I suppose I do. Otherwise, how could I read blog after blog after blog and come away from each thinking, "Well, I would have said . . ." So, for better or worse, the time has come for me to give back to this medium that has given me so much. And my first gift, is this song and not coincidentally, the title of this blog. Is this illegal? I suppose I should know, being a lawyer and all . . . (don't you judge me).

Nevertheless let's commence:

Comfort of Strangers mp3