Such a Dick Move

The Obamas have been told they cannot move into Blair House until Jan 15, meaning Sasha and Malia can't start school on time.

The official reason is that there are guests that cannot be displaced, but I don't think anyone could be more important than the president-elect. Good move, Bushies. I suppose you'll also be removing all the "o"s from White House computers as well.

Can we just have our bike?

Japanese Subway Manners Posters

So the Japanese subways have started a campaign to help people stay nice and polite on the subways. This being December, and the traditional start of the end-of-year mind-numbing drinking parties, this month's poster has to do with drunken behavior on the train. The can of beer, the vomit, the shoe removed and ankle akimbo are all too much for our bug-eyed, freaked-out regular-joe salaryman. He even has to look the other way.

The funniest thing? The plea to "Please do it at home." Um, I think a few million Japanese housewives would disagree. Do it on the train! Do it on the train! Nobody like a drunken vomiting husband with his shoes off. It traumatizes the whole family. Behavior like this is much better in a place where the bug-eye dudes won't even look at you.

You Will Be Missed, Bettie

The Notorious Miss B passed away recently. May she rest in peace. 

We Went to New York

Christian and I went to New York to see a taping of the Daily Show and also to see Maggie Z read. Both were excellent events. We stayed with my cousin Neil in Long Island City. It was fantastic spending time with him but it was also great to see the city lit up and ready for the holidays. At the Daily Show they don't allow photographs, so there isn't any from that. I took some at Maggie's reading, but it was too dark. I guess she likes it moody. (DO you Maggie, Do you really?) But I got these from our adventures out and about in the ci-tay.

I Love Tabla

It's near Madison Park, and it is exquisite. They really commit to their desserts. This is their crepe pie--layers of pie, with some apple butter in between. To the left you'll see their churned cinnamon ice cream, some white rum sauce, and a brown sugar wafer and whipped cream on top of the pie slice. It is so goddamn good. Oh me, it is good. So go to Tabla, and learn about committing to desserts.

Got Some Christmas Shopping In . . .

We walked all around and saw the big storefront windows and everything. We went to Bloomingdales too.

And I Will Leave You With This

Neil, worried about his puffy eyes.

We stayed up late the night before and being a publishing professional, he needed to look fresh for look. Fresh, indeed. I'm waiting for this look to catch on around the world.

Thinking About a Puppy

I have some news to report: Billy and Blossom are mousers! It took them forty-five minutes together to catch a mouse and force it to submit to their will. Not bad. Blossom is now posted by the bathroom door, and Billy is re-tracing his hunting steps to search for any other mice. I think they have probably caught the only one here, but it's nice to see them get work done.

In other news, we are thinking about a puppy dog. Any ideas? Sal would like a Bernese Mountain Dog, but they are expensive, hard to get, and have really short life spans (less than seven years, more like four).

Canada, Rife with Strife

While I hate Canada so much that I don't really want to get into their politics, I'm pleased to hear there is some sort of parliamentary crisis happening there. Rheir conservative leader Stephen Harper is apparently putting together some coalition to subvert the will of the people, blag blah blah (it's a typo, but it stands). If you care about these idiots and their frozen wasteland that so many consider to be some kind of shangri-la, you can read about it here. But remember, the Canadians have perfected passive-aggressive mind control, and you may get sucked into their vortex. Just saying, is all. 

This is What I Want for Christmas

The tiniest, wee, darling baby octopus. Look at her! She is so cute I can't stand it. I bet she lives on a diet of rainbows and happiness.

Me and Billy Chillin' Like Villians

Me

Him

We Like Windows

Margaret Moose's New Tattoo Shop

While I was in NC in November, I got a little more work done on my tattoo. My tattoo lady, Margaret Moose, moved into her own shop and this is the front of it. The magic happens in back. She has tables, so I don't have to be in a chair anymore. Yay! And she is still so cool and nice. If you want to get a tattoo, I'd advise to check her out. You really couldn't do better.

My camera battery died

So there was a long section with no photos. Sorry. I did the best I could.

Some Thanksgiving Photos

Ma True was there! Here she is working on her pie crusts. I got some other photos of our Thanksgiving peeps below. The only person missing is Sal, and I will find a photo of him somewhere.

I couldn't get a great picture of Simon because he kept hiding behind the refrigerator, but he and his lady Cyb (below) came for the holiday. Thank God too, because this man knows his way around the kitchen.

I think this is a beautiful picture of Cybelle, even if it is a wee bit out of focus (my battery WAS about to die). Something about her eyes I really like. Cyb and mom and I took a walk in Hopkins Forest on Thanksgiving Day. I must be a glutton for punishment because I weighed myself after Thanksgiving dinner, but then I found out I lost seven pounds! I think Hopkins must be some sort of magical forest.

Christian and his brother Josiah sharing a beer and a laugh. Josiah just got back from Spain in time for the holiday, so we were so happy he was here. Christian thought he'd stay in Spain forever.

Shh! Billy's Special Foot Style

I know you probably think that no cat can possibly sleep with splayed back feet this way. I know it probably looks like he is getting ready to run. I assure you, this is the way Billy's feet look when he sleeps. It makes me laugh.

The Feet in Action

He really sleeps this way. Honest