Friday, February 29, 2008
the cutest thing just happened
This means that people feed them, which I won't do becuase I think it is bad for them, but wow, it sure was cute!
what I look at on the internet
On the right-hand side of my homepage there is a section called 'LINKS'. Here is where I keep all my favorite sites that I visit daily. I run through them in a particular order every day.
Eat Drink Laugh Love - This is the first site I look at every day. My friend Stephanie maintains this blog and I love to see what she and her husband Andreas have been up to. Whether it is a new recipe or a yummy bottle of wine, this blog is perfect for food lovers.
Andreas' Blog - This is the second site I look at every day (no offense Andreas!). This is Stephanie's husband. He is a funny, witty guy, and his blog is loaded with interesting and humorous tidbits that he stumbles across during his web travels.
Auntie Scotch Raves - I read this site in the afternoons. Auntie Scotch used to blog quite often, but she had a dry spell for a while and is just now getting back into the blogosphere. She is a very funny writer and her thoughts make me laugh out loud.
Best Celeb Gossip? - I also read this site in the afternoon. It is kind of silly, and some other blogs carry the same updates at this one, but sometimes there is a good post or good picture.
Blogging LA - I'm not exactly sure how I came to read this blog. I don't live in LA, but it is fun to hear people rant and rave about one of America's largest cities. I don't read this blog daily.
Celebrity Dirty Laundry - This is another site I read in the afternoons if time allows. Similar to 'Best Celeb Gossip?', this site has fun pictures of the celebrities and the goings on in Hollywood.
Defamer - I have contemplated taking this site off of my favorites list. I really don't like the layout and find this site hard to read. But they do have some funny stories and the occasional story that isn't on the other blogs.
I Don't Like You In That Way - This site cracks me up. I believe it is written by the same guy who runs WWTDD (covered later). His sarcasm and raunchiness are pretty funny to me.
Perez Hilton - This is the #1 gossip site on the Internet right now. I have been reading this site for a few years, and while I didn't like Perez at first, he has grown on me (I even wrote him a fan letter, he didn't write back). This site is looked at throughout the day and is my main source of gossip news.
Pink Is The New Blog - For a long time, this site was my main source of gossip news, but lately I have found the posts to be a little too long for me to quickly glance at during the day, like I can do with PerezHilton.com. However, I have grown to "know" Trent and enjoy the end of his daily posts where he talks about what he is doing. Although I don't know him personally, it is interesting to see how he is progressing through life.
The Blemish - Another silly blog. Celebrity gossip, pictures, yada yada yada.
TMZ - A newer site on the celebrity gossip scene, TMZ has quickly become a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood. They often have videos of the celebrities to accompany the posts. I read this site daily.
Towle Road - Arguably the leader in gay news, the peeps at Towle Road post the latest gay happenings, with particular attention to legal issues affecting gays across the world. Sometimes funny, but mostly informative, I read this site daily or every other day. Sometimes it can be a downer, but it is well written.
What Would Tyler Durden Do? - Written by the same guy who does 'I Don't Like You in That Way', this site is effin' funny. There isn't much substance to it, but the pictures and commentary on the celebrities is really second to none. I read this site daily.
Boing Boing - This is a nerdy site with sometimes funny postings and informative information about technology and all things geeky. I read this site daily.
SlashDot - More nerdy than BoingBoing, this site delves a little deeper into the technological aspect of geekdom. I read this site every few days.
Justinsomnia - I was trying to remember how I found this site. I have been looking at it for so long, I can't even remember. Justin Watt, a techie, posts interesting stuff about technology, news, and his cooking. It is an interesting site and I read it daily.
Ebaum's World - Wanna laugh? Check out Ebaum's World. Filled with funny videos, pictures, jokes and games, this site is funny stuff. I read this almost daily.
CNN - My main source for news. I check this site a million times a day.
Sun-Sentinel - My main source for local news. I check this site a few times a day.
Boston.com - My source for Boston news. I check this site once or twice a day.
Cape Cod Times - My source for my hometown news. I check this site daily, or every other day.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
our house is finally geting painted!
We have been planting new plants in the yard, too. I will post pics once it is done, which might be as soon as this weekend. Yahoo!
Oh, and check out this YouTube posting. It is a very catchy song. I find myself singing it throughout the day: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wNvvuG309s
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
things that give me gas
This is not a complete post, so bear with me.
Lately I have been noticing that more and more foods are giving me gas. Sometimes the gas isn't stinky, but, oh lord, sometimes it is really bad. Only our dog Millie can fart worse than I can.
I was thinking of putting together a list of things that make me fart, so I would be armed with the knowledge to avoid these foods if I so choose.
Here is the start of my list. What makes you fart?
Makes me fart:
steak
coleslaw
beans
eggs
sausage
tomato suace
ice cream (really bad, with cramps)
Progresso soup
salad (sometimes)
bagels
cream cheese
garlic
onions
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
do you wear shoes?
Do we all do this? Why do we wear shoes in the first place?
what will happen to britney?
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/25/business/media/25britney.html?_r=2&scp=2&sq=Britney+Spears&st=nyt&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
Monday, February 25, 2008
ferdos grill
I thought the place might be a take-out style restaurant and I didn't think they served alcohol. Boy, was I wrong! When we arrived, I was amazed to see that the restaurant was a cute place (and they have belly dancers on Saturday nights). There was no sign of take-out and I saw people enjoying wine with their meals. Score.
According to their website, Ferdos Grill prides itself on providing the some of the finest Mediterranean/Middle-Eastern food in South Florida. And they aren't kidding. We started out with a delicious Baba-Ghannouj,which is char grilled eggplant with tahini, garlic and lemon juice. We snacked on that with warm pita while we decided what to order for our entrees.
I ordered the Shish Kafta, which is two char grilled skewers of ground beef minced with parsley and onions, served with steamed vegetables. Steven ordered the Galaba which is beef sauteed in olive oil and lemon sauce and is served with assorted vegetables and rice. We both loved our choices.
We will definitely be back to Ferdos. The atmosphere is cute, the service is good and the food is outstanding.
our pool is open for business!
The last time we used our pool was last October when Stephanie and Andreas visited us. Since then it has been too cold for us to use. It was in the 60s for much of the winter.
Yesterday Steven and I were planting in our yard and we worked up quite a sweat in the process. I was excited at the prospect of a swim after we finished our work. As we finished up, we noticed thunder clouds in the distance which meant that my pool time was going to be cut short. Not to be beat, I dusted off my bathing suit and jumped into the pool, swam around for a minute or so and jumped out just in time for a nasty (but quick) storm to roll through.
I love that I was able to take a dip in our pool in February!
Sunday, February 24, 2008
bowling in boca and missing teeth
I am really good at Wii bowling, but, my word, I was sucking big time last night. My first problem was that the only balls they had were too heavy. I started out with a 15 pound ball and moved to a 14 pound one, which worked better for me. I can't explain how much I love bowling. I could do it every day. In fact, I want to do it right now.
We bowled a couple of games and then stopped by Monkey Business on the way home. They have a drag show on Saturday nights. What really amazed us was the lack of teeth in the people at this place. One drag queen was missing some of her front teeth and she sang every song with her lips over her teeth, which is hard to do while trying to sing. Many patrons and even the bartender were dentally challenged, as well. We couldn't figure out how this all happened. I thought it must be poor hygiene, but Steven, who is probably more accurate, thinks a lot of teeth have been punched out. That makes more sense.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
i heart karaoke
We didn't even know it was karaoke night at this bar. When we walked in there were about 10 people in the joint and almost everyone was taking turns singing. I leafed through the giant song book, but wasn't really considering singing. I even filled out a song form to quiet Steven, who was egging me on to sing (but wouldn't sing himself, scared-y cat). Finally the DJ pointed to us and announced to the whole bar that we were the only ones who hadn't sang yet. Since we were busted, I gave him the song I had written down and he called me up.
The song I chose was Mandy. Everyone else was singing Barry Manilow songs for some reason so I jumped on the bandwagon. And you know what? I did pretty good.
I totally blew it on the next song, however. Get Here by Oleta Adams is a hard song to sing and I fucked it up royally. Not because I didn't know the words, but because I was trying to sing like her. Yeah right.
The last song I did was Penny Lover by Lionel Richie. WTF? This isn't a particularly fun song to sing, but I did. And I blew that one too.
Steven will also sing next time. Mark.My.Words.
Friday, February 22, 2008
man takes test drive - never returns
HYANNIS - Police are searching for a 51-year-old white male who took a car for a test drive yesterday and never returned.
Barnstable Police Sgt. Sean Sweeney said the man took a silver 2004 Chevy Cavalier for a test drive from the Premier Hyundai on Yarmouth Road around 3:30 p.m.
He still hadn’t returned it by this morning, Sweeney said.Police know who they are looking for because the Hyannis resident handed the car salesman a veteran’s I.D. card.
And this isn’t his first joyride, Sweeney said.
In April of last year the man went AWOL with a car from a Ford dealership, which resulted in his being arrested on a stolen car charge.
meatloaf the cat survives three weeks in storage container
Pompano cat survives 3 weeks in storage container (Sun-Sentinel)
WTF? This kid is a major freak or rosemary's baby
your bedside manner needs some work
Yesterday I went for a follow-up appointment and instead of my usual doctor, I got his assistant. I think. He talked so fast that I wasn't sure exactly who he said he was (I think he said he is a medical student). My old doctor in Boston was affiliated with a local hospital and it wasn't uncommon to have a student following the doctor around during his visits. I don't love the idea of taking my pants off in front of a stranger and really don't like to do it in front of two strangers, but I got used to it and hoped that the students were learning whatever they needed to learn.
Back to yesterday - my doctor down here apparently does the same thing. But this student was such a jerk. He was asking me all these questions that were already in my file. I was sitting on the table and he was sitting on a chair and from my vantage point I could see my paperwork, so I kept pointing to the paperwork when he would ask me a question that was plainly in front of him (How old are you? I pointed to my age in big numbers at the top of my chart). This went on for a while. Also, he didn't just ask the questions, he barked them. And he was odd looking. He has really thick glasses, orange hair and it looked like he was trying to grow a moustache, but not having much luck. He was really irritating to me.
After he barked more questions at me, he left. For a while. I read Out Magazine and The Advocate (another reason I love this place - they have skateboarding magazines in the waiting room and gay magazines in the exam rooms!). I read an entire article on Kathy Griffin. I really love her. She is so fierce...but I am getting off topic. Finally, the door opened and this time it was my doctor. I'm sure he thought I was creepy because I had a huge smile on my face. Not only was I thrilled that the sketchy jerky student didn't return, but I was happy that my nice doctor made an appearance. He talked to me for a few minutes and sent me on my way. I hope I never have to deal with the scary student doctor again. He scares me!
Thursday, February 21, 2008
don't pull my hair, m*therf**ker!
From the article:
Q. What do you say to a person who pulls your hair at work? Co-workers seem to feel they can come up behind me and tug at my hair. My response has been to ignore it. Any advice?M. C., St. Louis
A. I can't imagine why anyone in an office environment, or anywhere else, would think that pulling a person's hair was appropriate behavior. Usually, I tell people to talk to the perpetrator in private. In your case, an immediate response is called for. Your silence is telling others in the office that the behavior is appropriate. Your response should be direct and serious, not a joke or an off-the-cuff comment. "Jane (or Tom - gender doesn't matter), what do you think you are doing? Please do not pull my hair again. If you do, I'll have to report your behavior." Not only will the person doing the pulling get the message loud and clear, so will everyone else in the office.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
list of obsolete skills
http://obsoleteskills.com/Skills/Skills
From Slashdot
rain, rain, please come back another day
Sigh. I guess our house is going to have to look like hell for a little while longer.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
how to talk
http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/html/icb.topic58703/winston1.html
Monday, February 18, 2008
our trip to the hard rock casino
It is a nice place (and also the place where Anna Nicole died) - when you first pull in you can't help but notice the lush tropical landscaping which is certainly maintained using some of the money that people "donate" to the casino in the form of lost bets. Once inside, the slot machines are right beyond the Ferrari in the lobby. It is very easy to become disoriented in the large casino. Steven and I split up from my parents for a bit and gambled on our own. Neither of us are big gamblers so we stayed with the slot machines and away from the game tables.
We withdrew $200 when we arrived and we each got $100 to gamble. My strategy is to bet the most on each bet. You can't make money if you don't spend money, right? Steven takes a more conservative approach, betting smaller amounts. I won $100 early on, but lost it plus my original $100 before we even ate lunch.
After lunch I watched Steven gamble his remaining $30. We visited the bar where we had a Bloody Mary and Steven gave me another $20 to wager. That didn't last long.
After that we met my up with my parents who were ready to leave, but told us that if we signed up for a Players Club card the casino would give us $20 in free plays. We signed up and took our $20 to lose before we left for the day.
My stepfather suggested that we play the slots on the way out of the casino, as he believes that the ones near the door pay better returns than the others. Steven put in his free $20 and so did I. My strategy was to spend as much per bet as possible, Steven's was to make his money last as long as possible. Check out below for our final results:
Steven
Original Amount: $-100
Additional:$-40
Winnings:0
Total: $-140
Mark
Original Amount: $-100
Additional:$-40
Lunch for us:$-30
Winnings:$381
Total: $211
Total won between both of us: $71!
And what is most amazing is that we were down over $200 before we signed up for the Player's Club cards and received the free plays. Who knew??
We won't be back soon, but it was nice to spend a few hours having fun and have it not cost us any money. And, we might win a Ferrari.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
yo ho ho, tivo
Down here in Florida we found that we were missing having the ability to watch Good Times or Golden Girls or Family Guy whenever we wanted. After bugging Steven for a little while he gave in and let me order a new Tivo.
This Tivo is even better than our original one. For starters, it has dual tuners, so it can record two shows at once or we can watch one show while it records another. Our old one couldn't do that. Also, they have improved the Ethernet interface so that our Tivo connected up to our home network immediately once it was plugged into the network. I bought the wireless LAN adapter that was suggested by Tivo but it wasn't compatible with our WPA wireless network. That was disappointing. Supporting only WEP security is so two years ago. Not to be stopped, I plugged the Ethernet port into a portable network jack and voila!, connection established.
Now we can watch Cashmere Mafia, my new favorite show. I am working on getting Steven to watch it. I know he will love it. Thanks HD for tipping me off to this show.
Friday, February 15, 2008
when your spouse announces he is gay
Wow, this article is interesting. Jim, the husband, announces to Anna Marie, the wife, that he is gay. And then they stay married. Jim goes off and has sex with men and Anna Marie stays home. There's some big ol' trust going on here.Thursday, February 14, 2008
valentine's day mushroom lasagna
Looking online, this recipe seemed the best to us. And we weren't dissapointed. How could we when using over a stick of butter!
This recipe is actually quite easy to prepare and it makes a lot. We both had our fill and there were 9 pieces of lasagna left, which will make for yummy lunches.
a very unique valentine's day gift

Wednesday, February 13, 2008
it is raining like a cow peeing on a flat rock
This time of year is supposed to be the dry season, but we have done fairly well with the rainfall. Everyone down here knows how badly we need rain, so no one is complaining, except perhaps my parents who are here for a month. They probably don't want rain.
Also, this is my 303rd post! Wow, it seems like just yesterday that I hit post #100.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
drunken orgies at florida jail system
This article from CNN.com describes the scene at drunken, wild orgies held by the top brass of Florida's prison system. Nice.
From the article:
TALLAHASSEE, Florida (CNN) -- Softball, drunken orgies and a prison system run like the mafia. That's what Florida's former prison secretary says he inherited when he took over one of the nation's largest prison systems two years ago.
In fact, on his first day on the job, James McDonough says he walked into his office -- the same one his predecessor used -- and there was crime scene tape preventing anyone from entering.
"That was an indication we had a problem in the department," McDonough told CNN in an exclusive interview before he stepped down last Thursday.
McDonough revealed a startling list of alleged abuses and crimes going on inside Florida's prisons:
• Top prison officials admitting to kickbacks;
• Guards importing and selling steroids in an effort to give them an edge on the softball field;
• Taxpayer funds to pay for booze and women;
• Guards who punished other guards who threatened to report them.
"Corruption had gone to an extreme," McDonough said, saying it all began at the top. "They seemed to be drunk half the time and had orgies the other half, when they weren't taking money and beating each other up." Watch a corrupted prison system »
He added, "Women were treated like chattel in this department."
McDonough described a bizarre prison culture among those that ran the system -- one that he says seemed obsessed with inter-department softball games and the orgies after games.
"I cannot explain how big an obsession softball had become," he said. "People were promoted on the spot after a softball game at the drunken party to high positions in the department because they were able to hit a softball out of the park a couple times."
"The connection between the softball and the parties and the corruption and the beatings was greatly intertwined."
The parties and orgies were often carried out at a waterfront ranch house built on prison grounds for a former warden with taxpayer dollars, McDonough said. The house was complete with a bar, pool table and hot tub. See photos of the "party house" »
McDonough is a former Army colonel who commanded troops in Vietnam and Africa. He served as Florida's drug czar before taking on the job as the head of Florida's prison system, which oversees 90,000 inmates.
He left his post last Thursday as secretary of Florida's Department of Corrections because, he says, he feels he has cleaned up the corruption. It's time, he said, "to turn this over to law and order people that have made this their life's goal."
A Brooklyn, New York, native, McDonough says he witnessed the way the mafia worked in his youth and it provided him a keen insight into how his prison predecessor, James Crosby, operated.
"It reminded me of the petty mafia I saw on the streets of Brooklyn when I was growing up in the late 1950s, early 1960s -- petty, small-minded, thugish, violent, dangerous, outside the law, and completely intolerable for a society such as ours in the United States of America," he said.
Crosby would later plead guilty to bribery charges in relation to kickbacks from a prison vendor. He's now locked up in a federal prison. He refused CNN's request for an interview for this report.
"He's serving time in a federal prison. I hope he reforms and gets out and prospers," McDonough said.
He added, "When you have a rotten guy at the top, or gal at the top, it can be very invasive, and it's a cancer that needs to be excised."
And getting rid of this "cancer" is exactly what McDonough says he did. McDonough fired 90 top prison officials -- wardens, supervisors, colonels and majors -- claiming they were corrupt or, at the very least, not to be trusted. He demoted 280 others.
Criminal charges were filed against more than 40 others, and most were convicted. In addition to the orgies and other misconduct outside the cell blocks, there were other allegations of prisoners being harmed, McDonough said.
"In some of the pockets of corruption that we found, they [prisoners] were being abused," he said.
Among those arrested were seven officers accused of beating inmates, including five accused of forcing a prisoner to drink toilet water. All have pleaded not guilty.
Tina Hayes, the director of the prison's department initiatives who has worked in the prison system for 28 years, said the atmosphere before McDonough arrived was "a little tense" with workers "always on edge."
She said employees who didn't attend softball games or play on the teams were "isolated" and "pushed aside."
"I used to tell staff day in and day out: Keep your head high; do what's right; you know what morally is right; you've got some ethics; don't bow down to it," Hayes told CNN.
McDonough, she said, brought "standards back into the department."
"People can speak out now without being afraid to say what they need to say."
McDonough says the majority of the prison system's 28,000 employees were honest, hard-working people who weren't corrupt at all. But he says many of the top prison officials weren't and he believes he has weeded out "an organized vein of corruption."
"They were like frat boys out of control."
heidi
The dog in question was Heidi, who belonged to the son of our next door neighbor. I took Heidi next door and knocked on our neighbor's door (it was 9:15 on a Friday night - I hoped she was still awake). When she answered the door she took one look at me and saw Heidi. "Oh Heidi, did you get out again?" she said. I thought she meant that the dog had escaped from her yard and she was watching the dog for her son, who lives in our neighborhood, but on the other saide. It turns out that the dog had escaped from the son's yard and wandered all the way across the neighborhood to come visit Grandma. It is important to note a couple of things about this dog, Heidi. First, she is 15 years old. Second, our neighborhood is pretty big, especially for a 15 year old dog to be wandering around at night. Lastly, this dog STINKS. And I don't mean in a typical dog kind of way. This dog hasn't been bathed in a long time. By the time I went back to our house I was thoroughly drenched in Heidi's funky smell. She is a friendly dog, but she is a German Shepard, so there is a lot of her. And she likes to walk between your legs, rubbing in the stink.
My shorts and shirt were covered in dog hair and odor. I couldn't get that smell out of my nose for almost two days. And Millie is still pissed at me becuase she smelled Heidi on me when I returned and I am sure she thinks I am cheating on her with another dog.
coconuts in the canal
The most efficient way to remove the coconuts is to saw down the stalk that the coconuts cling to. Steven is a master with the tree saw, so he usually heads up this project. On this particular day we had quite a few coconuts that were sawed down. About 100 I'd guess. We bagged them up as well as some random debris that we had collected during our cleanup. There were a few coconut stragglers that I kicked into the canal behind our house. I didn't think much about it until a little while later our next door neighbor* came over and told us that we were in the "dog house" because her neighbor across the canal had called her to complain that we were throwing things into the canal and that was illegal.
I was horrified that the neighbor called her and didn't just yell over to us from their yard. Our canal isn't so big that we wouldn't have heard them. I mean, come on. Aren't we all adults here? Just yell over to us that we shouldn't be throwing things into the canal. Honestly it never occurred to me that a few coconuts in the water would hurt anybody. It's not like I was pouring oil into the water. When my neighbor told me this I responded in the best way that a 5-year old could. I told her to tell the neighbor that we see them wasting water by washing their concrete many times a week and that during these times of drought and water restrictions we can't have them doing things like that. WTF? Could I be any more childish?
I haven't thrown any coconuts into the water since. And I also refuse to look at the neighbors that complained about us. It’s not such a bad thing, though. They have a tendency to walk around in their Speedos and they are in no shape to be doing that (either are we, but I digress).
* Our neighbor is an 80-year old German woman. The people who owned our house before us loathed her and the feeling was mutual. We have been lucky with her, but still tread lightly. We often find branches and the like in our backyard, which have been obviously thrown over our fence by her. But it could be much worse...
Monday, February 11, 2008
how the other half lives
The Ritz was amazing. We sat outside, near the pool and had a yummy lunch. My mother had a turkey BLT, Steven had a panini sandwich and I had mini burgers. The food was delicious and our surroundings were way over the top.
After lunch we hopped in the car and went to Worth Ave. It really is the Rodeo Drive of Florida. There were Bentleys parked all over the place. We even saw a few Rolls Royces. On the way to Worth Ave we passed Donald Trump's place. Once at Worth Ave we weren't disspointed. They had Gucci, Tiffany's, Ralph Loren, Chanel, a million jewelry stores, you name it, it was there. My mother found a cute pair of earrings at Tiffany's, but Steven and I didn't buy anything (lunch was our treat to ourselves). It was a little snooty on that street, but everything was so clean and looked brand new.
What was so amazing to us are all the houses along the beach on A1A as you're driving from Fort Lauderdale to Palm Beach. Every single house has a private beach and a motrgage in the millions. We saw so many mansions that we were wondering who all these people are that can afford such large homes. There were literally thousands of them. It was quite a sight.
If you ever make it to south Florida, be sure to take a drive along A1A to Palm Beach. It is truly how the other half lives.
Friday, February 08, 2008
our town made the homepage of cnn.com...
...but not for a reason that I am happy about.
Recently there has been a lot of local press about convicted sex criminals who live underneath bridges in south Florida. Apparently they have been forced to live under the bridges by the police. I don't really have an opinion on this because I don't know the whole story, so I'm not taking a side either way.
What is interesting to me is that these people have moved out to the edge of the Everglades. They are saying that this isn't fair because they are miles from any bus stops and they are not able to get to work. I understand their frustrations.
Again, I am not taking sides either way on this issue, but forcing these people to live underneath bridges and on the edge of the Everglades doesn't sound like the right approach to solving this problem.
Thursday, February 07, 2008
the story on britney
From PinkIsTheNewBlog
Here is an excerpt from the Rolling Stone coverstory The Tragedy of Britney Spears:
A pop star at the mall is an eternal cause for happiness, especially on a Sunday afternoon in the Valley. One moment, shoppers in the Westfield Topanga mall are living in the real world, monotonously selecting a new shade of eye shadow or rubbing perfume on wrists, but upon the rapture of Britney Spears, they are giggling, laughing, orgasmic, already sharing their secret on cell phones. "Her legs are actually really skinny," an adolescent whispers into her Sidekick, as Britney beelines for the Betsey Johnson boutique, pseudo-punk designer of evening dresses and splashy heels worn to suburban high school proms. In person, Britney is shockingly beautiful — clear skin, ruby lips, a perfectly proportioned twenty-six-year-old porcelain doll with a nasty weave. She cuts through the crowd swiftly, the way she used to when 20,000 adoring fans mobbed her outside a concert, with her paparazzi boyfriend, Adnan Ghalib, trailing behind. Only a few kids are in the store, a young girl with her brother and two blondes checking out fake-gold charm bracelets. Britney rifles the racks as the Cure's "Pictures of You" blasts into the airless pink boutique, grabbing a pink lace dress, a few tight black numbers and a frilly red crop top, the kind of shirt that Britney used to wear all the time at seventeen but isn't really appropriate for anyone over that age. Then she ducks into the dressing room with Ghalib. He emerges with her black Am Ex. The card won't go through, but they keep trying it. "Please," begs Ghalib, "get this done quickly." One of the girls runs to Britney's dressing room, explaining the situation through a pink gauze curtain. A wail emerges from the cubby — guttural, vile, the kind of base animalistic shriek only heard at a family member's deathbed. "Fuck these bitches," screams Britney, each word ringing out between sobs. "These idiots can't do anything right!" Ghalib dashes over to console her, but she's already spitting, growling, throwing a big bottle of soda on the floor so that it begins to spill underneath the curtain, and then she's got a box of tissues and is throwing them on top of the wet floor along with piles of discarded merchandise. A new card finally goes through, but by then Britney is out the door, leaving her shirt on the ground and replacing it with the red top. "Fuck you, fuck people, fuck, fuck, fuck," she keeps screaming, her face splotchy and red as she crosses the interminable mall floor, the crowd behind her growing larger and larger. "Leave us alone!" yells Ghalib. The siblings run after Britney to get a video to put up on YouTube, and some of the shopgirls run after her to hand off the merchandise she left behind, and there's an entire bridal party wearing yellow T-shirts who have pulled out camera phones too. A crush of managers in black shirts and gold name tags try to keep the peace, but the crowd running after Britney gets larger, and now the shopgirls have started to catch up to her, one of them slipping spectacularly in her platform shoes, grazing her elbow. She pulls herself up, mustering the strength to tap Britney's shoulder. "Um, I'm from the South too," she mumbles, "and I was wondering if I could get a picture with you for my little sister." Britney turns to Ghalib and grabs his arm. "I don't want her talking to me!" she screams. She whirls around and stares the girl deep in the eyes, her lips almost vibrating with anger. "I don't know who you think I am, bitch," she snarls, "but I'm not that person."
It is absolutely heartbreaking to read this account. It has been very clear for a very long time that something wasn't even close to "right" with Britney Spears and yet, this sort of behavior has been happening for longer than I care to remember (and this is but one of these manic, public incidents). I absolutely believe with every fiber of my being that "friends" like Sam Lutfi are at the heart of Britney's troubled life. At long last, it appears that something is finally being done to first, keep Lutfi (and others like him) away from Britney ... second, expose any actions on his/their part(s) that may have been damaging to Britney's health and welfare ... and finally, stay committed to keeping our dear Britney under medical care until she can get the help that he desperately needs. Team Spears, led by Britney's parents, seem well on task to make sure that these 3 things happen. The restraining order against Sam Lutfi, filed by Jamie Spears, alleges that he has been drugging Britney in order to maintain a level of control over her:
The L.A. Superior Court has released an 11-page restraining order against Britney Spears' pal Sam Lutfi. He must stay 250 yards away from the singer and the UCLA Medical Center, as well as the homes of her parents, her siblings, her children and the singer's residences. The document reads:
"Britney met Lutfi in or about October 2007. Mr. Lutfi has essentially moved into Britney's home and has purported to take control of her life, home and finances. Mr. Lufti drugged Britney. He has cut Britney's home phone line and removed her cell phone chargers. He yells at her. He claims to control everything -- Britney's business manger, her attorneys and the security guards at the gate. Immediate relief is necessary to avoid the risk of physical harm to Britney by Mr. Lutfi and to allow her to undergo necessary medical treatment without interference by Mr. Lutfi."
According to the document, the restraining order against Lutfi was filed February 1 by James P. Spears.
THANK THE GODS ABOVE that something is finally happening ... THANK THE GODS ABOVE that Britney's parents have finally been able to step in and try to help her get out of the deep pit she's been living in for so long. Do I believe these allegations against Lutfi? Absolutely. You can just tell that that man was up to no good ... at last, he is being exposed for the person that he really is. In fact, he loves talking to the media so much that he's even confirming the fact that has, in fact, been drugging Britney:
Sam Lutfi, who is now on the receiving end of a restraining order imposed by Britney Spears' parents, was the one person by her side as she unraveled over the past six months. In the latest issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now, Spears' de facto manager and confidant opens up about her bipolar disorder, how he medicated her, what happened the night she was hospitalized, and how her parents reacted. "In the depressive episodes, it's all crying," Lutfi tells Us. "But in the manic episode, there's very little crying or sympathy or compassion. She becomes another person. She becomes somebody that just doesn't care about anybody or anything. The British accent is part of the mania," he adds. "She'll stick to the British accent because she becomes comfortable with it... But you know, when the pink wig comes on, it's getting bad." Lutfi says that when Spears was involuntarily committed to treatment at UCLA Medical Center on January 31, her mom, Lynne Spears, arrived and tried to remove her daughter from his guidance. "Well, he is better family than you guys will ever be," Spears responded, according to Lutfi. Lutfi tells Us that he gave Britney "a handful of pills" before her parents arrived. "I said these pills are working wonders, they are miracle pills," he recalls. Spears, Lutfi says, agreed that the meds were helping her sleep ... Lutfi, 33, tells Us only he, Spears, and her psychiatrist know what brought on her bipolar disorder "roughly five years ago." When the ambulance arrived to take Spears, "she was very quiet," Lutfi tells Us. "When I told her, she wrote me a note and put a big heart on it and it said, 'I love you, Sam. Are there people coming? Circle yes or no,'" Lutfi recalls. "Oh, my God, it was funny, just the cutest little thing. I circled yes and I gave it back to her, and she looked at me and she's like, 'Oh, lord, here we go again.'"
If this is his attempt to get people to think that he is on her side, that he is the only person who cares about her then he's horribly wrong. I'm convinced that his words will come back to haunt him and will, hopefully, help ensure that he gets punished in some way, shape or form. As for Lynne Spears, she filed a 6 page declaration along with the filing of the restraining order against Sam Lutfi which I will quote in it's very long entirety:
I, Lynne Spears, declare:
I am the mother of Britney Spears ("Britney")., who is the subject of this action. I have personal knowledge of each of the facts set forth in this Declaration, and can testify completely thereto, except as this matters stated on information and belief, and as to such matters I believe them to be true.
This past Monday night (Jan. 28), Britney's father, Jamie, and I (in separate cars) went to Britney's house in Beverly Hills because we had heard news reports that Britney had just been in a big fight with Sam Lufti aka Sam Lufti ("Sam"), the man who has inserted himself into my daughter's life, home and finances, and that she was crying. We were very concerned about her safety. We arrived at the Summit Community gatehouse in BHPO at approximately 10 p.m. I was with my friend Jackie.
The guards at the gatehouse stopped us there for awhile. Jackie, Jamie and I finally proceeded to Britney's house and entered it. We were able to enter the house because it was not locked. Britney does not lock her doors and currently there are no security guards around her residence. Britney was not home. We found Sam, and Sam said as we walked in the door that Britney only wanted me to come to the house, and that she was afraid to see her dad.
Two or three paparazzi came into the house and entered the kitchen. They greeted Sam. The paparazzi then reported to Sam where Britney currently was. From the conversation between Sam and the paparazzi I determined that Sam had given Felipe (another paparazzi) one of Britney's cars to get her out of the house when he heard that Jamie and I were on our way to see Britney. I also understood from the conversation that Sam disabled all of Britney's cars. (she has several at her residence.)
Sam had told Britney that Jamie and I were coming to the house to do an intervention, and that Britney panicked and took off with Felipe. Another man named Chad Hardcastle was in the house.
I also heard the evening that Britney's and Sam's fight that evening, Sam had told Britney that she was an unfit mother, a piece of trash and a whore, that she cares more about Adnan, her current boyfriend, than she cares about her kids, and that she does not deserve her kids.
The paparazzi reported to Sam and addressed him with great respect. They treated him like a general. He instructed them to get her back to the house. They later told Sam that Britney was on her way back.
Britney then came back to the house with Adnan, who is also a paparazzi. Sam then told Jackie that we needed to do whatever he tells us. I objected. He then told me, "I'm the one who spends 24/7 with your daughter. I sleep in cars outside her house so she can't leave." Sam then said, "you people throw everyone under the bus, if you don't listen to me I'm going to make your name shit in the papers."
As I looked around the kitchen, I noticed that in the middle of the kitchen table there was a large car battery. At some point during the evening I learned that the car battery was there so Sam could charge his cell phone. Although Britney has several cell phones, he told us that he had disposed of all of the phone chargers and had made the house phones unworkable.
Sam told Jackie and me to tell Adnan to leave Britney alone and to get the Fuck out of the house. Jackie refused. Sam then said to tell Britney that Adnan is gay. Adnan stayed at the house a little longer. Sam quietly said something to Adnan and Adnan promptly left the house.
Britney came into the room looking for Adnan. Sam told her that Adnan was in the bathroom. Britney then asked me, "Is Adnan gay?" While Britney was out of earshot, Sam told Jackie and me that we should pretend that Adnan was in the bathroom so Britney wouldn't leave.
Britney then became very agitated and could not stop moving. She cleaned the house. She changed her clothes many times. She also changed her three dogs' clothes many times. Britney spoke to me in a tone and with the level of understanding of a very young girl. Britney then picked up a bottle of pills and read part of the label and asked us, "What does insomnia mean?" Sam told her that the pills will help her stay awake.
Sam told Jackie and me that he grinds up Britney's pills, which were on the counter and included Risperdol and Seroquel. He told us that he puts them in her food that that was the reason she had been quiet for the last three days (she had been sleeping.) He told us that the doctor who is treating her now is trying to get her into a sleep-induced coma so that they could then give her drugs to heal her brain.
Sam then encouraged us to sit down on a sofa and do "tequila shots." Jackie and I said we did not want to. Britney seemed to follow our lead. Sam then got some wine out and said, "Let's all do toasts with wine." Britney said that she didn't want to, she wanted a pretty glass. Sam found a glass with a stem and poured wine for Britney when we were not looking. Britney refused to drink her wine and asked to drink mine.
Shortly afterward, Sam went back into the kitchen and was standing behind a raised bar so that we could not see what his hands were doing on the counter. Sam then said to Britney, "let's go upstairs," and Britney followed him. Britney had calmed down by the time she went upstairs.
A little while later, Britney came downstairs. She seemed agitated again and told us that she wanted to go to Rite Aid for lipsticks. It was now past midnight. Jackie and I said we would take her. Sam told us that he wanted to follow us in his car. We told him that he shouldn't because the paparazzi were in front of the neighbor's house and would harass us. As we were about to drive off, Sam jumped into the bask seat of the car. The paparazzi followed. Sam and I were sitting in the back seat, with Chad as well. He told me that he gave Britney something (when they were upstairs) to make her more light-hearted, happy, and fun. We entered Rite Aid and Britney chose her lipstick. The manager said it is dangerous out there, which it was. When Britney gave the cashier her credit card, the cashier told her it was not working. I paid for the lipstick and the manager told us we could leave through the side door so no one could see us. Sam insisted we leave through the front door and he put his arms around Britney and me for the paparazzi to take photos. I disengaged as quickly as I could.
Sam told me, "You'd better learn that I control everything. I control Howard Grossman, Britney's business manger. I control her attorney's and the security guards at the gate. They don't listen to Britney, they listen to me. That's why Jamie was gone tonight."
At another point in the evening, Sam bragged to me that he is the one who receives Britney's checks and that one of them was for me. I told Sam that I hadn't gotten any checks from Britney. Sam then told me that they are in his car. He told me that if he weren't in the house to give Britney her medicine, she would kill herself. Then he said to me "If you try to get rid of me, she'll be dead and I'll piss on her grave."
He then proclaimed that he has been in the family for a year and that he had one nothing but good for Britney. At this point, it was two or three in the morning. Britney was meandering around the house. She would let me hug her, but she was out of it.
At one point during the night, Sam was screaming at me and Britney said to me, "Sam treats me like that." Then she picked up the house phone and said, "Look at the phone, it doesn't work." Sam then blamed the dead phone on Britney. Jackie spoke up and said to Sam, "You said you cut down the phone wire."
Britney then said again at some point during the night, "When do I get to see my babies?" Sam answered,"Wednesday." Britney then said, "What do I have to do to see them?" Sam responded, "Take the pills I tell you to take." Britney said, "I don't like the pills and I don't like the psychiatrist. Can't I see another psychiatrist so I can see my babies?" Sam responded, "If I told you to take 10 pills a day, you should do what I tell you to see your babies." Jackie then said, "Britney, your parents can help you find a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist needs to get to know you to give you the right medicine." Sam then raised his voice and said, "Why don't you get back with Kevin."
Britney then said, "I'll do anything to get them back."
At some point during the evening, Sam said that Britney decided that he should be her manager.
Adnan has called me and told me he's worried about Britney. He told me that Sam hides the phones and tells her he has lost them. He also hides her dog, London. She looks for him all over the house crying and then Sam brings the dog from the hiding place and acts like her savior.
While we were at Rite Aid, Britney went in and out of her British accent.
At 4 a.m., I was exhausted and wanted to leave. Sam blocked my car so I could not leave. I threatened to call Jamie on the phone.
Britney said, "I want my Daddy up here. I want to talk to my Daddy." I reached Jamie on the phone and gave the phone to Britney. I heard her tell him that she wanted to see him. He said, "right now baby?" and she said, "no." He said, "10:00 in the morning?" and she said, "no, noon."
I spent the rest of the night at Britney's house and for the first time in a very long time, when I lay down to sleep, I felt very agitated. I could not fall asleep at all. I felt like I had had coffee. Jackie, who had gone home earlier, later told me that she also could not sleep at all, and felt like she had had coffee.
Jamie came to pick me up the next morning. Jamie gave Britney a big hug and said to her, "baby, you're OK?" Britney said, "I'm fine," then burst into tears.
To my knowledge, Britney never went to sleep that night and was very agitated for most of the night.
Sam and Chad, however, slept in the "smoking room," a small room downstairs on the first floor of the house.
Later the next day, on January 29, Jackie showed me a text message she had received from Sam: "Thanks for telling Jamie all your bullshit. He just hit me. Now you guys did your deed. Much accomplished. Good job."
I did not see Britney again until I arrived at her house on Wednesday night after Sam called me and told me to come to the house. When we arrived, Britney seemed subdued. The police arrived and took her to the Neuro Psychiatric Institute at UCLA ("NPI"). While at NPI, I l earned that Britney informed her doctor, Lee Sadja, MD, that she had also taken Aderol.
I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing is true and correct. Executed on January 31, 2008 at Los Angeles, California.
thieves hold jesus ransom until weiner poops are cleaned up
Jean Mansel of Kent County, Michigan called the news media last month after an 80-pound cement Jesus statue was swiped from her front yard and a ransom note left in her mailbox. The ransom note read, "We are holding Jesus ransom until you clean up the poopie from your wieners and trust us we see you take your wieners for long walks without picking up their poopie in our yards. This has upset us dearly so please clean up all the weiner poopie, if you want to see Jesus unharmed. Sincerely, Lindy Lane Residents." The story was featured on CNN. The statue has since been returned. Apparently, it was not taken by a neighbor, but rather a family member. From WZZM13:
"It has to be a young person because they put these lines around Jesus, no adult is going to waste their time doing that," (Mansel said before the statue was returned). "And referring to weiner poopie…my gosh." Jean has four wiener dogs and admits there was a complaint last year about their leavings. But she says she's cleaned up every pile since. "I take my dogs for walks; I carry a plastic bag with me and pick up anything that they do. I thought something like that would be safe in our yard, it wasn't, it wasn't."
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
another bar story
There was one time Steven and I were at a bar and this guy and his friend sat next to us, with Steven to my right and the guys to my left. I didn't pay them much attention as Steven and I are usually gabbing away at each other.
A minute or so after they sat down, the guy to my left put his arm around me. I looked over to see who it was and I could tell right away he was blottoed. And I don't mean just drunk, but eyes crossed, head wobbling, mouth hanging open shitfaced. For some reason his friend left a few minutes later. I don't know who his "friend" was anyway. It could have been someone he just met that night, but it was immediately clear that this guy was now alone. And three sheets to the wind.
Here's where it gets interesting. He took off his pants.
I'm not sure what prompted him to do this, but he unbuckled his jeans and slid them off and onto the floor, leaving him sitting on the barstool next to me in his boxers. Steven and I howled with laughter. He thought it was perfectly normal and kept drinking his beer. Well, he wasn't exactly drinking his beer, he was more like knocking over his beer and everything else within his reach.
Did I mention that this guy wasn't wearing any shoes?
I can't remember exactly what he was saying to me, but at one point he was talking to me in a faux-British accent. I used my best British accent and we conversed. I think he said he went to boarding school in Europe. Or maybe I said that. I can't remember. The bartender traded in his beer for some water, but that wasn't helping. When he began to spit into the ashtray, the bartender threw him out.
I feel bad for him in a way. I mean, we've all been there, and believe me, I am no saint. It's just that I hope, hope, hope I don't ever make a fool out of myself like he did. Also, someone could easily have taken advantage of him in his state. Lucky for him the bartenders put him in a cab and sent him on his way.
We never did find his shoes.
funny joke
While he's in there, the husband whispers over to his wife, "Listen, this guy is an escaped convict. Look at his clothes! He's probably spent a lot of time in jail and hasn't seen a woman in years. I saw how he kissed your neck. If he wants sex, don't resist, don't complain... do whatever he tells you. Satisfy him no matter how much he nauseates you. This guy is obviously very dangerous. If he gets angry, he'll kill us both.Be strong, honey. I love you!"
His wife responds, "He wasn't kissing my neck. He was whispering in my ear. He told me that he's gay, thinks you're cute, and asked if we had any Vaseline. I told him it was in the bathroom. Be strong. I love you, too.
pouting lips
After we left Rosie’s we drove the short distance to Lips. As soon as we got close I knew something was wrong: the parking lot was empty. I walked up to the door and noticed that it was locked with a big chain. The sign outside said they should have been open, but for some reason they were not. Very disappointing.
Lips had better get their act together or they won't make it. Fort Lauderdale is a picky area. Places come and places go. Drag queens or not, Lips needs to shape up!
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
sweaty on one side
I didn't find a lot about this, but I did find some articles about this happening to people after surgery or neck injury. I haven't had any surgery, but I really do need to go back to the chiropractor. My neck has been killing me lately. Maybe that will help!
Monday, February 04, 2008
superbowl wrap-up

Sunday, February 03, 2008
our sofa problem
We went to Pottery Barn today to buy the sofa, but the salesperson told us that we could only buy it from the catalog. That's fine, but PB doesn't refund shipping costs from catalog orders, so if we return it we would have to eat that cost. We probably wouldn't return the sofa, but you never know.
We have found a coffee table to go with the set, so we're almost there. Now if we could only get someone to come over and paint our house...
Friday, February 01, 2008
you know what grinds my gears?
Steven and I went to La Bamba for dinner tonight. This was the first time we had been there for dinner as it is usually a lunch place for us. The food is good, the margaritas are good, and the prices are great.
La Bamba is notoriously busy, and tonight was no exception. Rather than wait, we opted to eat at the bar. We like eating at the bar becuase you can chat up the bartender and the atmosphere is oftentimes more fun than in a dining room. It all depends on the place.
From the moment we sat down at the bar we could tell that most of the other people also seated at the bar were drunk. You know how it goes: loud people, laughing, silly stories. We've all been there. But, it is rare that we are drunk at restaurants. Not these people, they were downing their drinks with wild abandon. As our time there progressed, we saw the people become drunker and drunker. At the end of our meal there were a few people who were making fun of the clientele that come to La Bamba on Monday nights.
Monday night at La Bamba is gay night. We have no idea how this happened or really what the draw is for gay people to congregate at a mexican restaurant on a designated night, but Monday night is gay night. And boy, is it gay. We tried to eat there one Monday night in the summer and the line was out the door. That's great. It is good for the restaurant and it is good for the customers. Its a win-win.
Well, back to tonight. The drunk (and ugly) people at the bar were making jokes about the Monday night crowds. One woman (who was hideous looking - yeah, you're cool getting drunk on a Friday night at a Mexican restaurant...anyway) was saying in a loud voice how that on Mondays the customers turn over the stools and offer seats to people. What, are you 10 years old? We were horrified. This is nothing against the owners of La Bamba, but we live in one of the gayest cities in the country. Aren't we past all of this childish bullshit?
posh spice works it at saks in boston
From my source:
"I have a theory. Everyone you see on tv or magazines is MORE SO in real life. So people who seem exceptionally beautiful on tv, say Brad Pitt, must just walk around surrounded by an inch of heavenly light in real life. People who look skinny on tv, like Nicole Richie, must look skeletal in real life. You see where this is going?
Anyway, so Posh. Well, she looks like an alien on TV. I have to say, she looks pretty normal in real life. She's VERY skinny. And she's rather short... 5' 6" in heels, I'd say. She's pretty, but what you notice most is how good her make up is. I mean, she's workin it.
Everyone says she never smiles. And it's true. But what they don't tell you is that her face is completely blank and utterly devoid of any emotion ALL THE TIME. Not a wrinkle, not a crack, not a smile, not a blaze of wit in her eye. I mean, you got the feeling that someone could pull down their pants and set a fart on fire right in front of her, and she wouldn't even blink. It's just her, the crowds and the camera.
So it was pretty much perfect"

