I read the NY Times every morning online. There are many ads, which I occasionally glance at. There are also no printing presses, reams of paper, delivery trucks or paper boys. Sometime in the last year, the Times chose to make certain Op Ed and occasional column for pay only. "Times Select" is the option. I have not read John Teirney or Maureen Dowd in a year because of it. Frankly, I would rather sit through an ad every time i want to read their columns than subscribe to a small section of the paper.

I don't read Salon for the same reason. Occasionally, there is a link to something interesting, so I get the free sign up for one day or whatever. I'm married to a writer who's work is often on The Internets. I should understand that money out is really money in at our house. Except Steve doesn't write for the NY Times, and I'm guessing that Maureen Dowd is not getting a piece of the action every time someone clicks on her Special Column.

Nothing is free, I get that. That's why there are ads. If you don't want ads, you should pay for the service. Satellite radio, HBO, that sort of thing. I question where the line of profitability and how much more can we squeeze out of customers before they go somewhere else is.

I'm not dead, really. I just haven't had a day off since the last post, as ridiculous as that sounds, considering I'M ON VACATION. The lighthearted phone call at the end of January promising a "week, week and a half tops!" in the middle of February has turned into the Bataan Death March. I'm working for my old and dear friend Leon making costumes for a production of "Ubu Roi" at A Noise Within Theater. The budget per costume is literally $30, and they all wear wigs and leather boots, so we are eating spools of thread and pooping out costumes (which would be very appropriate considering the show.) It has been quite enjoyable working with Leon, and we are constantly cracking each other up, but the long hours are taking their toll. The flat fee that seemed reasonable for one week has become slave wages when spread over three. I'm sure good things will come of it- more work at real money later this year plus a new comedy character. The theater's wardrobe woman is "a piece of work" and became the base for my ACME assignment last week, which got huge laughs.

Steve and I finally went to see Brokeback Mountain this weekend, and it truly lived up to the hype. Yes, it is a movie about two gay cowboys. But it is a heartfelt, engaging love story that made me cry at the end. And the sex scene was way more "Wild Kingdom" than "Bruce and Tad's XXXcellent Adventure." You really want these two people to be together, and it is so tragic that they cannot be. Ang Lee rocks. So does Heath Ledger.

On Saturday night, we went to Medieval Times down in the O.C. for Alicia's going away dinner. She is moving to Australia in a few weeks, and nothing says "Farewell to Thee" like eating chicken with our fingers while knights fight for the honor of our designated section of an arena. Our blue knight won, icing on the cake of the evening.

It was both much cheesy fun and quite horrific. The Medieval theme is carried through every detail and everyone has a great time. The booze flows freely, the food was pretty good and watching handsome men riding horses can never be underestimated. There are opportunites to spend extra money at every turn, from drinking vessels to crowns to flags to wave at your knight. The ladies room was the only place all night without some kind of gift shop. Almost the entire operation is staffed and run by young college types, and ID's are not rigorously checked, so there were MANY drunken O.C. 18 year olds careening around. Fun to watch, up to a point.

You can tell the ladies were native to the OC by the combo of spray on tans, flat ironed long hair, with tube tops and flip flops for an evening out in February. A step up from the Honeys of Glendale (no muffin tops hanging over) but not quite the pulled together casualness that the hotties in LA sport. It was Bridge and Tunnel all the way. Not that they cared a bit.

The place is huge, seats 1100 per show, and they have 3 shows a day on weekends. I was amazed at the sheer number of staffers. Everywhere you looked was a worker of some sort, and they were all extrememly busy that night, as it was sold out. Everyone there was celebrating something, and if you are between 8 and 17, it must be the greatest evening out ever. I will remember to offer it up next time I have to entertain someone in that age group. Otherwise, one visit was quite enough.

New Project Go Away footage in beautiful daylight. I wasted two freshly applied Crest White Strips to talk to them, but I think it was worth it. This project is evolving into "How should I phrase my sign to keep people like you away?" I'm really starting to enjoy the excuses people have for why they are not solicitors. Like children splitting hairs. "You never said I couldn't put the cat down the toliet, just no toys."

I think the next question will be "don't you understand the 'spirit' of the sign?" Perhaps if a "No Solicitors" sign is up, the occupants don't want ANYONE to knock that isn't invited? I need to interview the UPS guy. He was the one who worried that he shouldn't knock!

In a few months, hopefully after a few more interviews, I will modify the sign to specifically list who and who should not knock on the door.

The one Superbowl comment I forgot...

The Steelers uniforms look like football uniforms. The Seattle Seahawks uniforms look like My Official NFL Big Boy Footie PJ's.

The other comment I forgot...

What was with the Dr. Suess and "I'm only doing this to fulfill my Community Service" Harrison Ford? I don't even know what the promos were about. I'm sure Something For the Kids, but what? Bizzaro and creepy. And so was Shaq shooting a free throw and chatting about Desparate Housewives.

A little Superbowl party wrap up...

Unlike the soiree our pals Marty and Rebecca attended, the gathering at the Moody-Disario pad was calm and child free. The food was great, and there was even an impromptu post game Texas Hold'em tourney, which Mr. Johnson won.

My favorite commercials in no particular order:

The giant Burger King Whopper dance number. How could you not love that?
The Sprint ad for ring tones with the Benny Hill music. As Dave Schnieder said, "a true comic left turn."
Fed Ex cavemen.
I work for monkeys. Careerbuilder.com
There was one really funny investment company ad. I meant to write it down. Perhaps that I can't remember it two days later says something. About me or the product, I don't know.

The bestest part? PUPPY BOWL 2!!!!

Animal Planet had the best counter programming EVER. Puppies. Just puppies, in a little football game play pit with toys. For three hours. There was even a water bowl cam. Supposedly there was Kitten Halftime, but it didn't actually synch up with the real Half Time, so we missed it. When there were boring commercials (the ones with the players fondling the trophy, etc) we would flip to Puppy Bowl. The entire room would shout in unison, "Puppies!" and we'd watch for 20 seconds and flip back.

Who ever came up with that idea deserves a big fat raise. It has to be the cheapest programming ever, and they even had sponsors. Dyson vacuum cleaners, Subaru and Pedigree Pet Foods. Why did I remember? They had little billboards around the puppy "stadium."

A funny little song for all you videogame widows out there.

Steve has been too busy playing World of Warcraft to look at the link!

Liberal radio that doesn't suck so hard is our own KCRW. for those of you not in SoCal, check out the website. I know they stream and podccast many of the shows. My faves are Morning Becomes Eclectic, except on some Mondays when it can become Morning Becomes Catatonic. Most days, though, by 10am, things are more upbeat and rocking. Harry Shearer does a show on Sunday mornings called Le Show which is really funny. He's the voice of many Simpsons and one of Spinal Tap. This American Life is on right after, and is great as well. KCRW is one of the local NPR stations, so there are your liberal news and ideas.

I went yesterday for my first of three shifts manning the pledge phones. The station is located in a basement on the campus of Santa Monica College. I was a little nervous at first, but after handling a few calls, I was a pro.

Why does Air America suck so hard?

In the twenty minutes or so this morning since I've been checking email and cruising my fave blogs, I've come across this twice. Emailed to me by Andy in what looks like something that has already been forwarded around a bit, and posted on the usually precise Sloth's blog. In her defense, her mom sent it to her, and she writes very early in the morning.

"This year, both Groundhog Day and the State of the Union Address fall on the same day. As Air America Radio pointed out, "It is an ironic juxtaposition: one involves a meaningless ritual in which we look to a creature of little intelligence for prognostication, and the other involves a groundhog."

What kind of bullshit is this? It just contributes to liberals/democrats/comedians looking like a bunch of jackoffs.

Exhibit A-
Groundhog Day is February 2nd. Any elementary school child can tell you that. The entire school year is broken down into major and minor holidays, coming approximately two weeks apart, each having their own construction paper art project and 1/2 hour story time. Groundhog Day comes one month after New Year's, two weeks after Martin Luther King Day, two weeks before Valentine's Day, and three weeks before President's Day. President's Day is fudged because of winter holiday break. When the kids come back, there is a slight lull before St. Patrick's Day that is filled with the "March Comes in Like a Lion" craft project.

If this wasn't enough, there is the movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell. For myself, it starts off funny, but every time that alarm clock goes off, again and again, it gets harder to sit through. But it is always February 2nd, that is burned into my brain.

Exhibit B-
The State of the Union address was last night. January 31st.

Perhaps Air America meant "fall in the same week?" Still a weak joke, but at least factual. They are going through a major overhaul over there. The new guy in charge wants it to be less funny, and more like NPR. They certainly have got the less funny down, but I'm pretty sure NPR would fact check. The base joke itself is mediocre but amusing. This version of the Switcheroo is not particularly Bush-centric, and set up and punch can be used for any less than beloved president, CEO or school principal, with a few modifications. For me, it is the wrong dates that ruin the entire thing.

Perhaps it is a quote from someone else, who then glommed on the Air America comparison joke. Who the hell get that kind of forwarding action? The kind where even your mom is forwarding it around in only 24 hours? There must be some sort of clearinghouse for this kind of crap. A humor page on AOL or Yahoo! or something. It is run by a couple of overworked and underpaid 23 year olds who really don't give a shit, because they are SO moving on from this lame-ass job!