jeudi, août 31, 2006

Mee meee Meeeeemmmmmme.....

...No, I promise I won't sing. You'll all be sorry if I do inflict that on you someday, btw.

Chris also mentioned me in his meme. So here is my carnival of the bookshelf:

1) A book that changed my life:

The Impersonal Life by an anonymous writer (1926). Elvis Presley also had this book. It's the pure, unadulterated, agnostic voice of the spirit.

2) A book I’ve read more than once:

The Tao of Health, Sex and Longevity.

3) A book I’d take to a desert island:

The New Testament

4) A book that made me laugh:

I know 12 Sharp by Janet Evanovich will.

5) A book that made me cry:

A book of Ronald Regan quotes

6) A book I wish had been written:

Probably the five-book series of the Life and Teaching of the Masters of the Far East. I lost book number two which is a very influential volume in the series. After losing two, I never really got through the rest of the five.

7) A book that should never have been written:

There are too many to list here. Let's start with anything that has Fabio on the cover. Or Al Gore.

8) A book I’m currently reading:

The King Within

9) A book I’m planning to read:

12 Sharp, Women who run with the wolves, some more Suze Orman, and Freakanomics.

Oh, and I'm about to go to Barnes and Noble right now to pick up my very own copy of The Supermodel Diet.

10) Five people I’ll send these questions on to: Would like to send to Sliver who does not have a blog but I think her answers will be interesting (honey there is lotsa room in the comments section!), Aaron, Lynn Hayes, Brenda Love, and... Chris Goodman. Nah just kidding. Sean has some experiences with a book or two...perhaps he can entertain :)

Whenever I move, the weight in the U-Haul is...mostly books.

mercredi, août 30, 2006

Here at the Confidentials, Much of the World Is Black and White

Bergdorf Goodman: $6k. Photoshop? Priceless

I'll take a side of Ben and Jerry's with that. You know, with that fat mouth. Why couldn't they have photoshopped her mouth? Oh - nevermind - that would have been too obvious.

Thanks, NYP...

The SHUT UP Files

The Early Spin had a nice little feature this morning. The question was this: who irritates you to the point where the person can't even open their mouth to speak before it irritates you.

Some examples were Oprah, Rosie, Uncle Teddy the Swimmer...

I tried and tried to get through on the lines but I just got that delayed "all of our circuits are busy" message. Let me tell you I was ready. Sweaty palms, and all...

WHY didn't anyone call in and say Jim Doyle?

Or Russie Feingold?

I can barely make it through watching them inflate their lungs to speak.

How Many Down, How Many To Go...

Hmmm.

Shape of things to come?

Or a flash in the pan?

Temporarily or otherwise checking out of the blogosphere are:

Belle
Billiam
Casper
Ragnar's long gone
Truly will be on assignment at some point
Who knows what Aaron's fate will be...

...oh, wait...we're talking about Aaron!

And uhm... I've been somewhat remiss. I don't make a lot of promises because I'm unreliable, but if I can tell you anything, it's that I'm gifted with a sense of direction and like any old cat, I always end up finding my way home....

So for however near or far I am, you're all stuck with me.

mardi, août 29, 2006

Spotted Horse Three

Lawd....

I been busy.

lundi, août 28, 2006

Best Flick, Ever

...Heaven... I'm in heaven....

I'm the proud owner of Top Hat (1936) with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. It's the pinnacle of their career together, IMHO.

Why do I love this movie so much? Well...

- What couldn't Fred Astaire do? He could sing, dance, act, and he was naturally...endearing

- The whole look and feel of the movie epitomizes class without being blue blood

- Every frame is artfully filmed, framed, and positioned. Hitchcock was the master of this, but before that, we had the aesthetic of Top Hat. From the ivory backgrounds of the art deco hotels that accented the black suits and dresses of the main characters, to the Piccolino scene where the viewer would think a curtain is going up but it's one of the dancers dresses swinging to the side.

- Ginger's wardrobe. Nuff said.

- It's romantic and fun

- The best scene, ever - Fred and Ginger's dance scene with the feathered dress, scored by Irving Berlin's "Cheek to Cheek"

And Astaire was 35 when this was filmed.

I could watch this movie over and over again... I couldn't do the plot justice here but it's a hilarious take on mistaken identity with cleverly written lines.

Jibberish, all of the above. That's what happens when I'm smitten.

dimanche, août 27, 2006

It's Time For A New Feature Here At The Confidentials

In the spirit of "I Just Felt Like Sayin' It", I present to you a new feature:

"Do You Understand the Words That's Coming Out Of Your Mouth"

Inaugural post is Ray Nagin, who was on 60 Minutes this evening:

"You guys in New York can’t get a hole in the ground fixed, and it’s five years later. So let’s be fair"

That's in response to questions about why it's taking so long to make progress in New Orleans. Which kind of proves the point that throwing money at a problem doesn't solve it. Ok Ray, then let's be fair. Katrina was a natural disaster and we know what a city should look like . That hole in the ground, as you call it, was an f'ing terrorist attack. And uhm, last I checked, we weren't in the process of bidding out the entire city of New Orleans as a memorial. Get your ass to work.

It was one of those episodes where I had to remind myself that I couldn't have an argument with a television.

Or for that much, with Ray Nagin. Both have no actual intelligence. And really, who insults another group of victims to defend his own group of victims.

Maybe they should get Honore in there for Mayor. Stuck on Stupid.

Hurricane Che


How ironic would it have been if hurricane Ernesto had been a massive storm and wreaked havoc on Cuba.

Especially, you know, with Castro in repose and all...

viva!

vendredi, août 25, 2006

Other Reason To Get Out And Vote

Yeah... I know she's not running for office... but I can't get over this one.

mercredi, août 23, 2006

A Very Gracious Invitation

I'd like to thank Joel Kleefisch for inviting a group of us to an event he held this evening. For a variety of reasons I think he will be very good for Waukesha county, and I wish him the best of luck in his race. Although I'm not a Waukesha county resident, I think it's really important to be interested in overall politics of the state. Why? Being the southeastern WI kind of lady that I am?

Their decisions affect me. The body politic and individual representation aren't mutually exclusive.

While I won't blog directly on who I met this evening or the conversations, I absorbed a lot of data about who I spoke with, what I overheard, what was said and how it was said, and of course, what wasn't said.

It was good to have the chance to voice my opinion to some of these folks with regard to what I think is the lack of a true fighting spirit among the conservative representation. This doesn't mean I think we should fight dirty, but I don't think we fight competitively. I think that while a lot of the constituency is affected and fully understands how the issues that affect them - and to a good extent some of the people who want to represent them get it - but the passion and frustration of the constituency does not appear to be reflected in their campaigns.

Worse than that, is Rino-ism. Hell that's worse than not getting called the next day. Voters put an extraordinary amount of emotional energy into races since the issues affect their way of lives and their pocketbooks and our culture. I hate feeling like my investment is getting dissed.

Many conservatives DO get it though. Scott Walker is an excellent example of someone who holds the line and walks the talk. And many truly won't stand for letting criminals off the hook. I just wish more of them lived in Milwaukee. Waukesha county, you have a lot of good options. Good for you.

And... I didn't let the night go by without saying that I'm concerned about Kohl being unchallenged, Doyle running for office, and the conditions that exist with that combination. Namely that if Kohl retires, Doyle could appoint any one of a horrible choice of representation in his place.

Yep. That should motivate you all to vote.

As Chris Rock Once Said, Just Stab 'Em

They caught the guy who was terrorizing my neighborhood. The best part about habitual criminals is they have a built-in self destruct mechanism. It's only a matter of time until they sabotage themselves.

And a big haaaayy to the heights. We have a long tradition of chasing down folks who are messing with the safety. As long as I've lived here - and it's a long time - that's the way it's been. Who knows how much longer it will be that way, but I'm glad to see that spirit is still in place.

lundi, août 21, 2006

Fault

Over the past few days I've heard more than one comment about the steadily declining state of safety in Milwaukee. Patrick has a great post, and Dan Deibert touched on the subject last week when he said that Mike McCann('t) is responsible for this sharp decline with his lackadaisical approach. And we're about to see more years of the liberal tradeoff between PC and safety.

So I ask this question. If the sharp decline in safety and steady and sharp increase in crime can be connected to McCann's practices, can we hold him responsible? Can the citizens of the city file a class-action lawsuit against him?

It took a village to do something about Ament, didn't it?

Well, Guess What

The morning of mayhem was in a place that I kinda know a lot about.

Chris, you out there? Might take up on the Free Range Chickens offer....

I Want Candy

...just felt like sayin' it.

Or - singing it!

samedi, août 19, 2006

A Swell Afternoon


Today, Sliver and I went to the Cheaters Car Show at the Nite Owl on Layton. We saw cars.

Just kidding.

There were about 150 cars at this show, and it was by members of a few car clubs from Wisconsin and Illinois. All greasers in the classic sense and most of the folks were pretty friendly. Except for the fella who kept yelling "hey hussy". You know, to hide his homosexuality around his macho friends. If you're reading this pal, I'm sure you've slept with more men than I have.

So I'm writing this post in the same spirit as our visit - saw a few cars - got the asshole out of the way - now it's time to look at a few more cars :)

Here's a small sampling of a few of my favorites of the day. The rest can be found at my Flickr account.













A big thanks to Jim and Lisa Dutcher at Tip Top Atomic Shop on south KK.

Fareed Zakaria Needs A Reality Check

h/t to one of my favorite bloggers, Hampton Stephens

Here is a link to his post which features an interview with environmentalist Bjørn Lomborg of Denmark. The interview is about which problems in the world we actually can fix for less money and see some result, compared to what's out of our control - "global warming".

Two things: I'm glad to see a somewhat influential UN-ish enviro talking about prioritizing problems according to what we can do about it in relation to return. And that we have much larger problems facing us than "global warming"

Secondly, Fareed Zakaria shows how passionately ignorant he is. You have to hear this guy talk about Al Gore's movie as a benchmark on the state of the global climate. But what's interesting is hearing this enviro tell him straight up "New York is not going to be under water".

So I ask - is there any chance we'll move toward this sense of prioritization. That the climate will take care of itself, while we take care of problems that actually exist?

vendredi, août 18, 2006

Rest... Relaxation


This cat's tired and done been workin' hard all week... I'm hitting the snooze for ten more minutes....

dimanche, août 13, 2006

Homer MAD!!!!

For various reasons, I found the recent spanking that the Homer gave Belling, amusing.

First and foremostly, nobody has ever really blasted Belling before. Sure, the usual suspects have defaulted to name calling and the like, but they do that with anyone who is a conservative leaning commentator. Or anyone who has a conservative following.

But when was the last time you heard anyone who knows and has worked with Belling, produce scathing commentary like this?

There isn't any doubt in my mind that it's at least 80% true.

When you've worked with someone and seen their response in different situations, you get a good idea of who that person is. It's one sided, but their intentions can't be hidden.

Although much of the blogosphere (men in particular) has no affection for Belling, I'll come to his defense on a few points:

Belling is a product and he needs to maintain the integrity of his product. If everyone at the station had a bobblehead, the "value" of the bobblehead and listenership would decline.

If everyone had a cruise, they would just "wait for the next one". No problem.

Agreement. Who cares. Does Paul Schaefer disagree on air with Letterman? Does Max Weinberg utter a peep to Conan O'Brien? Nope. Face it, disagreement is for the audience. And it's all about the audience. They aren't interested in Homer's "disagreeing" with Belling. They aren't.

Now, really. This whole Hatfields and McCoys attitude of Belling and Homer is petty. Belling has a serious problem with not being able to talk and talk and talk and whinges about not being able to take over the turf of "some nobody station with six listeners" just to satisfy himself. It's narcissistic and self-important. But it sure makes good radio. Do you want to listen to some mushball, or someone who is past confident?

Hey, I respect that. I could use a little of that extra confidence and get a few more things done at work. And make a little more scree. And win some races. And....

I've known the guy, yes. He's not perfect. He has more than one side. Don't you when you're trying to get something done? Don't you when you want to maintain the integrity of the service you offer, or the product you sell, or the expertise you bring?

And really, in the end, good for Homer.

vendredi, août 11, 2006

Jib Said It

Must We Bring In The Recess Supervisor?

I don't mean that literally, but come on.

Patrick and Wigs have copies of the letter from JB Van Hollen to Paul Bucher regarding ground rules. What I want to know, is why it's necessary for two men who both believe they are qualified to hold office, feel the need to do this.

I just find the behavior disturbing.

What's the Buzz?

Why is everyone googling hottie Chris Goodman??

jeudi, août 10, 2006

Best Buds

Or as high schoolers write in each others' yearbooks: "BFF"

Relic Mike Wallace had tea with his buddy Ahmadinejad. And it was just like old times....

From the Drudge Report:

"PITBULL JOURNALIST GOES SOFT ON IRANIAN MADMAN: 88-year-old CBS journalist says Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a 'reasonable' man on Sean Hannity's ABC radio program... Points out Ahmadinejad not anti-Jewish... just anti-Zionist state. Says many Jews in Iranian Parliament, in great positions in Iranian life... Believes Ahmadinejad sincere in his hope for peaceful coexistence between Iran and West... Troubled by comparisons of leader to Hitler... Marvels at Ahmadinejad's civil engineering degree, 'intellect', 'savvy'... Asks viewers not to bring 'prejudices' to Sunday night '60 MINUTES' broadcast... Proclaims 'discussion' was sincere and not for propaganda purposes... Developing... "

Let's look at the above. Because it's really disturbing. I can't find if it's a direct quote from a particular piece, but if it's the quickie journalistic summary, it's bad. Reading both articles is almost like an issue of Highlights magazine, where you can find many, many, many hidden images and meanings. Firstly....

- Isn't there any form of morals, ethics, or patriotism that trump the "guess who I nailed" gene so prominent in the journalistic makeup? Really, it seems like it's all about Notches. The fact that this raisin interviewed M.A. isn't impressive. He thinks he's scored, but he's been used. (Where have we seen this before?)

- "Toubled" by comparisons to Hitler, the use of the word "Prejudices", other buzzwords like "Propaganda", "Discussion". This is someone who has intent - the very use of these words shows that he understands what terms, thoughts, and ideas against which he has to defend himself. Or turn the tides.

- The fact that Mike Wallace calls him "reasonable" is a testament to Amahdinejad's persuasiveness. It doesn't take much to persuade a piece of Jello like Mike Wallace, but he impressed him enough to make those words come out of his mouth for all of us American infidels to hear. To educate us. Us ignorant bunch of fools.

Need proof?

"He's actually, in a strange way, he's a rather attractive man, very smart, savvy, self-assured, good looking in a strange way," Wallace said. "He's very, very short but he's comfortable in his own skin."

And that's just f'ing disgusting. Where have we seen this before? Oh yeah, Hitler had a lot of famous friends, too.

Dear UK....

Thanks

mercredi, août 09, 2006

Flickr To The Rescue

Nick has published his pics from DR. Now, if we can get Hackbarth to get his narrow rear in gear!

I Thought I Had It Bad

...with the drama in my neighborhood. But it's nothing like waking up to find that a Samurai sword attack has taken place in your apartment building...

Courtesy of the owner of Cinnamon The Disapproving Rabbit:

http://www.birdchick.com/2006/08/my-mind-is-blown-not-bird-related.html

mardi, août 08, 2006

I Heart Drinking Right

Folks, if you missed it, and I know some of your asses did, we had a great time at Drinking Right this evening over at Papa's Social Club.

In tow were:

(...and this doesn't mean you shouldn't be there the next time, because everybody and anybody should be...)

Clint
Dean
Aaron and Kelly
Elliot
Sliver
Asian Badger
Josh Schroeder and his lovely lady
Buzz
Truly
Sean Hackbarth
Wigs
Nick

...and the lovely and talented social director, Casper

If I missed anyone, continue to slap me upside the head until I recall the events accurately. If I have missed anyone, well, it just proves what a great time we had.

Lots and lots of topics this evening... but it isn't always political although it's unavoidable. Because you know, it's not about being right....

Now those of y'all that haven't yet made it (and you know who you are) hop to it. You have about one month to get it together. And, it's fun. Can't ya just shake yourself loose for one evening?

I thought so... ;)

PS

Tonight after returning from drinking right I got comfortable, put on my bathrobe, made some limeade, and went to the fridge. I opened it and sat on the floor and took out my box of Leonidas (Belgian) chocolates. I pulled out a few perfect pieces and realized the following:

My life rocks.

- Phel

lundi, août 07, 2006

Anson Kaye

Wasn't Potsie's name, Anson?

Deep dark secret time...

I own a Ralph Malph shirt.

Mark Green Could Be On To Something

Courtesy of Brenda Love, here is a first-hand account of how well-recieved a tax free weekend is for the purchase of school supplies. Oh, the horrors of trickle-down economics!
Wow! It was a busy weekend. It was good ol' TAX FREE WEEKEND in North Carolina and every single person in the good State was at the mall. Jeans for school, shirts for school, underwear for school, school supplies....all of these were purchased. At Borders bookstore, I tried to convince the cashier that issues of Filter, Uncut and Classic Rock were required school reading for my daughter, who would soon be attending the Julliard School of Music.....but she wasn't buying my story. I had to pay the tax on the magazines. People were buying computers and laptops and software and dorm refrigerators and luggage and clothes, clothes, CLOTHES! The Dollar Store was offering everything tax free whether it qualified or not!

Now if only North Carolina would offer a Free Gas
Weekend.....
And... I reckon Brenda is on to something... Ah!(gas tax)choo!

Hope you're reading this, Mark.

dimanche, août 06, 2006

Hey Chicken

You got a lotta nerrrve hangin around with those french fries man.




Must Sliver Sleep Everywhere?


I mean really, must ya?

Changing an Ipod Battery

Stan Miller of JS Online shows us how. Yay! Mav, you reading this???


http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=481744

samedi, août 05, 2006

Feeling Jipped

There's no mistake that you're born when you're born. And lots of people say they feel like they're living in the wrong time. That's well and good, but for me more than anything, I feel jipped.

And a lot of people in other times may have said, gee, why couldn't I have been born in the future...when people can communicate instantaneously... take their music with them... have cars that do all sorts of things... or can make transatlantic flights.

Soldiers may have said, I wish we could know where the enemy is. If we could only get high powered photos, we might have an edge.

But if you're a regular here, you well know that I have an affection for other times. When things were simple and you could live life a little more. You weren't taxed to death, populations were smaller, people talked to each other and looked at each other.

And then there's me. Perhaps what draws me to these times more than anything is the sense of beauty. The completeness in the way people presented themselves: hats, gloves, jackets, shined shoes, and of course, the glamor and sense of the demure.

When people visit my house, I guess they're surprised by the presentation: the old, the new, the tangible, and of course, the pinup girls. They aren't everywhere, but they are there, and they are beautiful.

I was a pinup girl for halloween last year and I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of people who approached me to ask "how did you..." It's sad that those simple things are a thing of the past.

In fact, one man approached me and said I should be painted on the side of a B-52 bomber. I think that's the neatest compliment I've ever recieved.

So I don't think it's any mistake that these images of the golden era have perservered. The attraction is similar for both men and women: men appreciating the simple, true femininity that is not only beautiful but truly alluring. And for women, I think it's the same. The beauty and glamor are more organic and in a sense, powerful. Nothing needs to be over the top, and it's not necessary to be overly exposed to be sexy. More is left to the imagination and if anything, men want to know more.

Below you'll find some of my favorite pinup galleries. Enjoy them, download them, share them, or just simply appreciate them!

Billy DeVorss - Extraordinary lighting, soft images
The Bill Underwood collection
Earl Moran - My personal favorite
Pearl Frush - One of the few female artists
Harry Ekman - 50s glamor
And of course, Al Buell

The Difference Between Public and Private Education

...is evident in the latest MPS ad, where they claim to be "accountable" and responsible with the taxpayer dollar. That the cash goes to the classroom. Even in the 80's when I was in high school, the teachers were spending their own money for supplies.

And they made less back then.

So the difference between public and private? In a private school, they teach the virtues of truth and honesty. In other words, don't lie. The fact that these folks in the commercials are saying these things with a straight face is for one thing, not accountable for honesty.

And if they're blatantly dishonest in a commercial, imagine what's happening to your money.

On Notice!

I don't have cable and I have no idea who this guy is, but I kinda like the idea.



h/t Dad29

Separated at Birth???

Well, if you look away from the TV and just listen, I'd say so.

jeudi, août 03, 2006

The End of Civilization

As we know it. Or at least for 10 days. Time to see every animal under the sun, including all kinds of shirtless people... breaking the laws of shirtlessness....

Get the scoop here.

(Not that all shirtlessness is piggy, and stuff)

Is it Really A Sincere Form of Flattery?

Especially if it's the JS Online? The JS anything?

mercredi, août 02, 2006

Thursday is Sliver's Birthday!!!!


Love you my pix!!!!! You are the best friend I could ask for.

mardi, août 01, 2006

Process, We Don't Need No Stinking Process

Tell me you haven't just felt like sayin' it....