Colbert and Stewart...

are great!! I am so happy they are back, even though it makes me a scab. And they have been really funny- of course this is the best time in the political cycle for what they do.

Did Bill Clinton Go Too Far?

Not according to everyone, but here's what the Onion says.

Yoga with Nola

With all the stress in my life right now I have decided to start each day with a little yoga. Nola thinks this is perhaps the best thing I have ever done.

Usually Nola goes outside to play when I do yoga but the past few days have been cold and rainy and that just won't do for Nola. So he has been right beside me, and I do mean right beside me.

I wish I had a video camera to document our fun. Nola sits right beside me while I do the poses and sometimes decides that I am doing it wrong and pushes me over. He also licks my face constantly to let me know how good I am doing.

Nola actually does downward dog with me. I am not lying. He will actually stand beside me and do the pose. Maybe I should consider making a yoga video with him for owners and their dogs.

Eye Contact

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Originally uploaded by neilsonabeel

As I have mentioned to a few people, I have been valiantly trying to get Otis, Neilson's nephew, to make eye contact with me for months, to no avail. But today I finally succeeded. Neilson memorialized the moment.

When will it end?

I know the writer's strike has been going on too long when I start watching the red carpet interviews before the SAG awards.

GrandMary's Grilled Cheese

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Originally uploaded by Red Peonies

GrandMary is doing much better. Here is the evidence--one of her famous grilled cheese sandwiches.

A Little Helper

Audrey had been very helpful today as I get ready for my classes. She has not stepped on the keyboard once when I was trying to work.

Happy Birthdays!

Happy Birthday Calvin, Bets and Matt!!! (I think I may be missing some other early Aquarians/late Capricorns-- happy birthday to you too!)

Scanned Pictures

I'm in Geneva, visiting GrandMary. There is now a scanner here, so I scanned in some pictures. Below is a Brennan Christmas card, some shots from Cape Cod in 1977, and a picture of GrandMary and GrandDaddy right after they got married. I think we need a scanner in Oswego.

Fair Use

A discussion of fair use in the digital age in a blog in the Times read it here.

Even more on Project Runway

Laura Bennett, from season three of Project Runway, is writing a comic- Case Clothed.

If you have some time to waste, you might enjoy Project Rungay, a very amusing blog about one of my favorite shows.

Jody and Frank at the Bistro

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Originally uploaded by Red Peonies

This is a test run. I'm trying to post directly from Flickr.

A few more Christmas pictures

Neilson has now loaded his Christmas pictures onto Flickr. You can also see a ton of Otis, in December and January if you are so inclined.

Flickr

I have upgraded to a pro account on Flickr and loaded my Christmas photos. A lot of them have already made an appearance here, but there are a few new ones.

Cat Updates

Audrey turns 8 this month. The cat rescue people didn't know the exact date of her birth, but it must be before the 21st, as she is clearly a Capricorn and not an Aquarius. She continues to be real sweat heart. As Neilson said this morning, "Can any creature be more adorable?"



Elvis and I had an anxious week, but it has turned out to be ok. I found a lump on his abdomen, so we went to the vet Monday. When the vet aspirated it, the syringe filled with blood, to which the vet replied, "That was unexpected." Not really comforting words. The test results were supposed to be in yesterday, but the lab didn't have them back yet. But this morning I learned that the lump was the result of an injury, not the scary things you might associate with lumps, and Elvis should heal just fine on this own. Other good news--I learned Elvis had lost even more weight that I thought after going on the catkins diet recommended by Kristen last winter. (The catkins diet just involves eating wet cat foot without grains). He was over 21 pounds when I got him, he settled in to around 19 for years, and now he is 15.8.



On other cat fronts, Neilson's cats Mao and Josephine are getting along better and better. They both sleep on the bed most nights and they were briefly both on Neilson's lap the other day. If you are Neilson's friend on Facebook, you can see a whole album of the kitties.

Wedding accomodations

Kym has magically negotiated a deal with a hotel on the Island for the wedding weekend (sort of amazing since it is Memorial Day weekend).

There are 15 rooms available at the Beachside Inn for $99 a night. The Beachside Inn is the favorite of Jody and Calvin. Included in those 15 rooms are 5 suites that have efficiency kitchens and a pull out sofa. The rooms are reserved under the name Neck/Borshard. Call (956) 761-4919 to reserve your room.

This will probably be the best deal available. Of course there are tons of other hotels to choose from but I suggest reserving early since it is a holiday weekend. Check out www.mollyandjerry.com for more info.

Steve Zeitchik Blogs

Calvin's friend Steve Zeitchik has taken over a blog for the Hollywood Reporter-Risky Business. Steve used to work with Calvin at PW. I often pitied the people who sat in the cubicles near them, as Steve and Calvin bellowed at each other about the Knicks, the Islanders, all possible sports topics and all possible book and movie topics as well. Actually, they talked about every topic you can think of, in great detail.

I should make it clear, it was only the volume of the conversation that was disturbing, not the content. The blog should be entertaining.

Kissing babies

Salon has a slide show in which the author gets pictures of almost all of the candidates with his baby daughter. I have to say, the images pretty much mesh with my gut feelings about all the candidates.

Colbert and Stewart Back

So what did everyone think about the return of the Daily Show and the Colbert Report?

I was so happy to have them back, and I thought both shows were good. In fact, I thought Jon Stewart was better than he sometimes was last season.

Am I a scab for watching?

An Op-Ed

There is a very interesting op-ed in the NY Times by Gloria Steinem, which basically says, in a more articulate way than I could, what I feel about Clinton. But, like her, I will happily vote for Obama, if that is the ways things play out. I did love his Iowa victory speech. (But why doesn't he have a women's issue section on his website?)

Somebody's Birthday is coming....

And other somebodies are getting ready!
















The big day is almost here. Stay tuned.















I think it's pound cake. YUM!

How the Strike affects your shows...

You probably all know this already- this chart in the Times shows how the strike affects different TV shows.

I Love Hong Kong Movies!

If there are any Hong Kong movie fans out there (or fans of any other Asian movies), LoveHKFilm has tons of information about the latest productions, hottest stars and all the usual fan stuff.

Private Eyes, They're Watching You

My friends' blog, Salt Butter and Bacon, is now private, so people can write a little more freely about their jobs, etc. If anyone here reads it, I am happy to give you permission. Just put a note in the comments. (Mom, I already sent you permission)