A podcast about books, art & life — not necessarily in that order
We brought Rufus back to the dog park on Saturday! I was hoping he’d be more at ease with the other breeds. He wasn’t. He still prefers to stand with us or walk over to other people and get affection. The only dogs he showed any sustained interest (more than 3 seconds) in was a Great Dane and . . . Mini-Me!
Oh, well. Enjoy the pix! (Here’s last week’s visit.)
It doesn’t give his name (medical privacy) and all, but there’s a great article in the NYTimes Magazine this weekend about Nathanael Sandstrom, the guy I asked you to donate platelets for. I use “great” because it’s all about how his doctors finally figured out what he was suffering from and started him on the road to recovery!
The story really comes off like an episode of House, except without the mean-spirited doc at the center of it. Oh, and no Omar Epps, either. Still, give it a read!
I worked at home today, partly because I’d tweaked my back overnight and partly because I’ve become more productive at home than in the office. Must have something to do with wearing pants.
Anyway, I had the urge to watch The Royal Tenenbaums during the day, so around 4:30 I put it on and took care of some e-mails.
After it finished, I took Rufus out for his evening walk, and as we climbed one of the big hills up the street, I thought, “Of course you wanted to watch Tenenbaums today! Your dad’s 71st birthday is tomorrow!” For someone so inward-obsessed, I’m amazed that it took me so long to make the connection.
On the plus side, Dad doesn’t seem fazed by the fact that we’re going out to dinner tomorrow night at a restaurant with the same name as his mother.
It’s time for another round of my Unrequired Reading links, dear readers! Have fun! And go visit the archives to check out previous installments!
Continue reading “Unrequired Reading: Feb 20, 2009”
I know it’s gotta burn my mom’s ass that there’s a big “Fly Emirates” logo on the jersey of her favorite FC, but she’s gotta be happy that the UAE has caved and will now allow Andy Ram, an Israeli doubles-tennis player, to participate in an ATP tournament in Dubai.
Weirdly, the ESPN article (derived from Reuters & AP) treats the ban on Israelis as though it’s a UAE response to the fighting in Gaza, and not, y’know, long-standing official policy. (Allegedly, they’ve been loosening up a little, partly in response to Dubai’s growth in the diamond trade).
But keeping the surreal quotient high:
On Wednesday, Swedish authorities said that Sweden and Israel will play their first-round Davis Cup tennis match in an empty arena next month because of security concerns.
Anyway, I still won’t do PR for Malaysia.
Good thing I got an early start today! It put me on the road with perfect timing, so I could get behind this guy —
— for two miles. At this moment, I was going around 17 mph, or one-third of the speed limit on that sign to the right. We got up to about 25 mph by the time he turned off this road. TWO MILES LATER.
At least I had the new B.S. Report to listen to on my iPod.
Is there some reason you’re not reading Carrie Fisher’s blog?
Dead Man Blogging was the first post I read, after which I said, “Yes, this needs to go in my RSS feed.”
(Many thanks to Kate Coe @ Deepglamour.net)
I know brands sometimes try to stand out by going against tradition, but there’s a reason certain things become traditional. Like the color black standing in for anything except the word “clean.”
Bonus points for the sickly pink cap.
See the whole Lost in the Supermarket series
It’s been a long time since I’ve had the opportunity to check the “apes” box in my list of categories!
Today’s paper has the story of Travis, a 200-lb. chimp on Xanax in Connecticut who, um, went ape after seeing his 70-year-old owner’s friend wear a different hairstyle. This fashion choice led to mauling, stabbing, and gunplay.
On the plus side, Travis was able to brush his own teeth, something I’m hoping Rufus will get around to learning.
What I’m reading: Montaigne & Clive James. And this lengthy article by Michael Lewis about Shane Battier and the intangibles on NBA statistics.
What I’m listening to: Some podcasts of the B.S. Report.
What I’m watching: To Die For, Lisa Lampanelli’s HBO special, and the first episode of Dollhouse.
What I’m drinking: Dona Paula Malbec 2007
What Rufus is up to: Celebrating his 4th birthday on Saturday! Happy birthday, Ru! We took him to a dog park to celebrate, but he seemed less interested in the other dogs and more interested in people. Probably because dogs don’t carry dog-treats in their pockets. He also got his hike in on Sunday, so he’s pretty zonky now. Don’t disturb him.
Where I’m going: Nowhere special.
What I’m happy about: Long-ass weekend to go nowhere special!
What I’m sad about: That I was so befuddled/frustrated by Montaigne’s Of vanity.
What I’m pondering: When we’ll see a movie in which Michael Cera and Jack McBrayer play totally villainous scumbags.