...you can find my brand-new lj presence at philbutrin.

i hope you'll join me there.

--phil

according to a blurb in the chronicle, brad pitt and angelina jolie have announced that they're will consider getting married "when everyone else in the country who wants to be married is legally able."

i think it's really cool of them to make a public declaration like that.

either katie lee joel got a serious makeover, or tom's got a new co-host this season...



update: "Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons are back with new host Padma Lakshmi."

so here are the points awarded for the last four hundred twenty questions question.

furmuslbulk = 87.5 points (5 correct answers)
that_grr = 77 points (3 correct answers)
bestbear_icanbe = 52.5 points (4 correct answers)
boyshapedbox = 52.5 points (4 correct answers)
quirkstreet = 49 points (2 correct answers)
auntie_lukers = 49 points (2 correct answers)
robearal = 21 points (2 correct answers)
pectopah = 21 points (1 correct answer)
daved010 = 10.5 points (1 correct answer)

many thanks to those of you who participated. here are the current score totals if you're interested...

( here are all the answers... )

if it weren't for jeff, i might never see any current television shows. he's the reason we have cable, and he's the one who programs the DVR to check out new shows. if it wasn't for him, i would never have even known about project runway... can you imagine?

aside from PR, the one show i make it a point to watch these days is lovespring international on lifetime. it's sort of like the office but set in a dating service. the cast is great, the guest stars are fun... check it out if you get a chance.

hey, did you hear that laura bush is against same-sex marriage?

yeah, she's been nagging george to try something new for years!

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Steve Irwin, the quirky Australian naturalist who won worldwide acclaim as TV's khaki-clad "Crocodile Hunter", was killed by a stingray barb through the heart while filming a new documentary on Monday.

Irwin, 44, tangled with some of the world's most dangerous animals but he died in an extremely rare attack by a normally placid sea creature while he was diving on a reef off Port Douglas in northern Queensland.

"He came over the top of a stingray and the stingray's barb went up and went into his chest and put a hole into his heart," Irwin's shocked manager John Stainton told reporters in Cairns, south of Port Douglas.

A helicopter rushed paramedics to nearby Low Isles where Irwin was taken for treatment, but he was dead before they arrived, emergency officials said.

yeah, so you were probably thinking that the whole four hundred twenty questions thing had gone away. and it did for a bit there, and it may again, but for today it's alive and well.

you can check your current score here. if you don't know what i'm talking about, look here.

( Today's question. No sports or social relevance, I promise... )

so apple is recalling certain laptop batteries that can apparently burst into flames.

turns out i have two of the defective batteries.

i guess i'm lucky that i've still got a lap!

when i lived in vermont, my car had the custom license plate "REDBEAR".

i've got one of the two old plates hanging over my closet now, and i just ran across the other in a box recently. i was going to toss it, but then it struck me that there might be a redbear or redbear admirer on here who would enjoy it.

first come, first served. preference given to locals who can come fetch it, but if no one here wants it i'll be happy to mail it off.

( pic behind here... )

ever wanted to have your name tattooed on someone? well now you can!

hi all,

if you're not following my posts in jeff's journal, the latest news is that he's doing OK but not great. he's still in the ICU, and each day is a little better, but he's not where we'd like him. he's not yet able to speak, which is a concern because speech impairment was a known risk of this surgery -- although it may just be that he just doesn't have the strength for it yet. speaking has been an effort for him since his left-side vocal cords were paralyzed during the first surgery.

also of concern is the fact that he's got some right-side motor deficit. stroke during surgery was another stated risk this time, and right-side weakness could be an indicator that he had a small stroke. or it may just be a temporary thing due to localized inflammation in the brain and will resolve itself in time. we can only wait and see.

either way, jeff is looking at another week in the hospital and then probably a few weeks in rehab before coming home. it's very odd to think that i'll be living alone in this apartment for another month. right now it feels really lonely...

if you don't follow jeff's journal, you may not know that his friend dave (dhbearguy) has set up a donation fund for people to contribute money to help jeff with expenses during his recovery. jeff hasn't been able to work since the end of last year, and his disability benefits are slated to run out next month. i've taken him to apply for social security and medi-CAL, but those could take a few months to reach a decision, and i found out today he was already rejected for one of the two SS programs. so he's facing a period of no income while he's recovering from surgery. he knows i'll help as necessary, but he's also highly uncomfortable with feeling dependent. so dave's recovery fund turned out to be a great idea.

as of this morning, dave has raised over $3000, which nearly floored me when i heard it. i was incredibly touched by everyone's generosity. if you might be interested in contributing to the fund, please look here.

thanks for reading.

this afternoon i was catching up on wednesday evening's Project Runway (the tv in the surgery waiting room didn't get Bravo), and at one point they were interviewing Laura about something. i looked up at the tv just as the text, "Laura Bennett, 42" appeared on the screen.

the vcr sits right next to the tv, and it shows the time. so in the same instant i saw "Laura Bennett, 42", i also saw that the time was "4:20".

coincidence? perhaps. perhaps not.


[just before i pulled up lj to make this post, i looked at the clock on the vcr... it showed 8:40. that's 4:20 times two. hmmm....]

wow. groups of seven lesbians are dangerous on the east coast, too...

http://www.gay.com/news/article.html?2006/08/21/3

Poll #799943 Divining the Divine
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: None, participants: 28

Do you believe in any form of divination? ("divination" in this case meaning the use of some technique or tool -- tarot cards, runes, crystal ball, etc -- to answer questions about your life)

View Answers

Yes
3 (10.7%)
Yes, within reason
3 (10.7%)
Yes, if done strictly according to established tradition
1 (3.6%)
I want to, but I really don't
3 (10.7%)
I'm not sure
4 (14.3%)
Only in rare cases
2 (7.1%)
No
12 (42.9%)

If you chose any of the affirmative answers to the last question, which form(s) of divination do you find most believable? (choose as many or as few as work for you)

View Answers

Tarot cards
1 (6.7%)
Runes
0 (0.0%)
Tea leaves
0 (0.0%)
The I Ching
0 (0.0%)
Crystal ball
0 (0.0%)
Aura reading
0 (0.0%)
Chicken bones
0 (0.0%)
Phrenology (reading the shape of the head)
0 (0.0%)
Palmistry (reading the palm)
0 (0.0%)
Ouija board
0 (0.0%)
Dream interpretation (Oneiromancy)
2 (13.3%)
Handwriting analysis
1 (6.7%)
Other
1 (6.7%)

conservative christian values on display...

1) Little Miss Sunshine = best movie i've seen in a long time

2) depressed? try marriage.

3) when i posted about the distasteful recipes book the other day, i forgot an amusing part of the story... i was there at the thai restaurant and there was a family a few tables away with a little girl of about 4. their order included two plates of pad thai: one for the girl and one for her father. apparently they weren't sure if she'd like the crumbled peanuts on top -- even though the little girl said she wanted them -- so they ordered a nut-free version for her. they placated her by saying that if she wanted some peanuts, she could have some of her dad's, and she seemed fine with that.

a little while later, the girl's grandfather (i'm guessing) was walking her around the restaurant while they waited for their food to arrive, 'cause the girl wasn't keen on sitting still. as they were passing my table, the waitress brought their food, and the little girl noticed, so she ran over to their table shouting "daddy's nuts! daddy's nuts! i eat daddy's nuts!"

it was pretty funny in the moment :-)

on the way to get some food this evening, i stopped at Aardvark Books and browsed around a bit. i found one book i wanted, and as i was up at the counter paying for it, i noticed a book sitting in a pile of new arrivals waiting to be distributed to the shelves. The Gallery Of Regrettable Food collects pictures and text out of cookbooks from the 30's - 70's, including several produced by food manufacturers (e.g., Heinz' book of ketchup-inclusive treats, such as Ketchup-Pistachio Cake).

although the author's commentary tends to run a bit too close to the gross-out end of the spectrum (or maybe it's just 'cause i was reading it over dinner), some of the original material is laugh-out-loud funny. seriously, i was laughing out loud in the thai restaurant.

where else these days will you find a recipe for 7-Up Cheese-Filled Pancakes? (combine 2 beaten eggs with 2 cups 7-Up. add to pre-made pancake mix and cook on griddle. fill with creamy cottage cheese. enjoy. blech.)

need a late-night snack for the gals? heat up some V8, and serve it in glasses with a pat of butter floating on top and a celery stick as a stirrer. (aka, the "Butter-Cup").

love meat? try Creamed Brains On toast. or Liver Spoon Cakes. or Braised Heart With Stuffing. or Tongue With Carrots In Spinach Nests. (ideas courtesy of the National Live Stock and Meat Board.)

so many pictures of things suspended in a jello mold...

http://www.google.com/intl/xx-piglatin/

eryvay unnyfay.

has anyone else noticed a recent increase in the amount of spam that gets through your e-mail filters or junk mail program or whatever?

i was wondering if the spammers have learned a new trick, or something, 'cause i'm getting a lot more spam making it to my inbox than a couple months ago.

i'd like to say it's a 42% increase, but i can't be sure...