Mad Men Yourself!

And everyone you know.

Guess No More Euchre Parties

Card-game organizers busted for gambling in Ohio.

Summer, When It's Civilized

It's eighty degrees out and not at all humid. The sun is out, and the breeze off the lake is merely comfortable. As it's the middle of July, these sorts of things need to be savored. So I spent my lunch hour reading a book in the park. Frankly, this is the way things are supposed to be.

Remind me of all this when it's negative ten, and I'm hanging from my garage door, trying to use my body weight to get it to close.

Gardening Bounty

I am in possession of:

a. A large number of radishes
b. green beans

It would be lovely if my tomatoes would start in already, because the basil looks delicious.

Signs That Perhaps the Control Issues You Have in Your Job May Be More about You Than You Thought

I'm sitting here trying to jot down a quick note to my petsitter--the one who was previously flummoxed by the battery insertion in my autofeeder--to include with her check for last weekend's services rendered. In doing so, I'm trying to, diplomatically, explain why I prefer she not load up my cat's dish with tuna and leave it for 24 hours.

Or, I should say, I'm not exactly explaining why I "prefer," at this point, because she has noted in response to my directions, "I know I give her more than you prefer..." What does it say about me that I'm arguing with someone that I'm paying to perform a specific service per my directions? And that I'm not just arguing but losing?

Ah, Travel, Travel, Travel

Does anyone know any particularly cool things to do in Minneapolis besides toss one's hat in the air and spin around? And don't say Mall of America.

Also, if you're hankering to go someplace, Southwest is having a really good sale on all of their routes. The sale ends today.

Politics and Food

As most of you know from my navel gazing if not my in-person speechifying, I'm obsessed with food, nutrition, and how industrialization of our food production has made us sicker, fatter, and less aware of what we're putting into our bodies.

I haven't seen Food, Inc. yet, but I hear that it's very much worth seeing. And here's a new regular column on food and politics.

On that note, I'm partaking of the first radishes from my garden with my lunch today.