On Location in Colorado

Live from Colorado Springs it's Thursday night!

On a borrowed computer so no photos, maybe tomorrow. Thoughts:

Air travel sucks (though I love Jet Blue.) I know Greg Verdino has had some struggles with them, but they haven't lost anything of mine (yet...)

Staying with dear friends Cindy and Mark and their wonderful girls Cassidy & Alexa while I visit Mom.

Won Wii bowling (against a 13 year old and a 9 year old - I am so mean.) Lost miserably at tennis and golf (repeatedly...)

Colorado Springs: There's no ocean here, but there are fine margaritas.

My brother Al

Sweet Alexa

The talented Cassidy

Me and Cindy, best friends since high school. The only person I liked in high school because she was a cool chick from New Jersey.

Cassidy kicks my butt at Wii Golf. 11 over par...

Belated Banner Blather

The new Moda di Magno banner is the work of my friend and co-worker James Biggie.

James is a Master's candidate at the New England School of Design and an all around good peep.

Working in advertising I should be able to give a pretty good creative brief (I do work in creative...) Here's what I said to James. "Make me a banner, standard size, with my lingo on it." He did a fine job with piss poor direction from me. I am very grateful.

Thanks Troy, for prompting me to announce the awesome contribution of my friend James.

Good Luck, David Armano

Dear David:

Good luck on the first day of your new adventure. I hope the Gods of creative smile on you. Can't wait to hear all about it!

xoxoxo

Magno

Evan and the Almighty Forest

My most recent post is up at The Digital Hive blog wherein I ponder the newly minted greeness of some of our corporate founding fathers.

From the Evan Almighty page you can make a $5 donation to the “Almighty Forest” project (via Universal/NBC's Get on Board.org) and they will plant a tree, you can decorate a virtual tree and it gets your name added to the Evan Almighty DVD. How many DVDs do you think they will sell just so people can see their name?

Memorial Day 2007

On Friday night I watched Bill Moyers Journal. The show was about author Maxine Hong Kingston and her most recent project called Veterans of War, Veterans of Peace. The show details her experience in helping veterans, and in some cases, families of veterans heal through the process of writing poetry. The show was devastating, completely and utterly emotionally devastating.

Maxine Hong Kingston's kindness and quiet reverence in dealing with veterans is remarkable. Her insight and understanding of the pain that can devour a living being is astounding. The show is entirely amazing.

You can watch the interview by following the link above. Watching it would be a fine way to honor those brave souls who fought, right or wrong, for this country.

A Race to Finish the Race

The Indianapolis 500 race is underway on ABC right now. I have enjoyed Indy racing over the last 16 years (since I met my husband...) I really like Formula One racing, but since the Monte Carlo race started at 7am this morning - all I caught was the awards ceremony when I finally dragged my bones out of bed. The first place Red Sox play against the (almost dead last)Texas Rangers later today, so I'm amusing myself with Indy until the. And I do mean amusing.

ESPN announcer commenting during the Indy 500:

"There’s two races going on here – a race to halfway (so the race is complete in case weather moves in) and a race to finish this race. "

Me:

A race to finish this race?

Tom:

Does ESPN have the football crew in today?

Massachusetts Will Bite You, Willard

The former Governor of Massachusetts (a man declared by my good friend Mara as "TPJ" for The Pretentious Jackass") is running for president. It's been good for a laugh here as he seems to be running against Massasachusetts. His first TV ad "Mitt Romney, Business Legend" leaves me in sputtering disbelief that the ad can play without my TV exploding from the bullshit.

The man born with the name Willard (like the rat) has played both sides of the fence for a long time. The debate in 1994 against Ted Kennedy is available in bulk on YouTube, along with many recent gems including the "varmint" episide.



But Willard does not seem to learn from his flip floppy (Mitt Floppy) ways. In an interesting Op-Ed in today's Boston Globe, Joan Venocchi spells out what Willard is up against - himself, his past statements and his lies. The column Romney's Skeletons in the Closet is worth a read.

Happy Graduation Lila

Niece Lila Murphy graduated from UMass Amherst today. Your grandparents would have been so very proud. Congrats Miss Lila, now go forth and take over the world!

Satan's Shoes, Now with Manpris!

Fair warning men: This look has been deemed unacceptable and may prove harmful to your health. There is no scenario in which this ensemble is acceptable at rush hour on the subway. The manpris hot-pants are utterly vile, but Satan's personally designed footwear push this little outfit straight into the fashion abyss. Can't you smell the sulfur? I can't even be bothered to mention the toe slippage out the front of the Devil's shoes. For shame young man - I was pre-coffee when you thrust your nasty visage in front of me.

Who knew Lucifer's slippers came in so many "styles"?

McQueen didn't have toe slippage. Man up, men.

Superbad, Super Dumb

Oh Columbia Pictures, why could your marketing weenies not learn from the always-difficult-to-access Bud.tv with the age verification stuff?

I gather from the landing page at Are You Super Bad? that you earned your "R" rating for the following reasons:

"Pervasive crude and sexual content, strong language, drinking, some drug use and a fantasy/comic violent image - all involving teens."

Okay - I'm guessing your marketing weenies thought the web content should accurately reflect the film's content to dissuade underage youths from trying to attend the film - but I'm not underage. Way not underage. Unless you are operating on the maturity scale.

I want to like your project - Michael Cera, whose talented presence as George Michael in the brilliant and much lamented Arrested Development was a key factor for me. But now I am annoyed. I would have watched the "all audiences trailer" if I was able to find it on your unfinished site. Why do you annoy me with an unfinished site?

Annoyance + Annoyance = Ignoring you.

Right after I bitch about you.

WTF Thursday

60-year-old mother of twins says she hopes to inspire other women: 'Age has been redefined'
May 24, 2007 (From Boston.com)

HACKENSACK, N.J. (AP) -- The psychologist who gave birth to twin boys at age 60 said Thursday she was on a mission to let women know they have choices.

"It's really basically about women and empowerment," Frieda Birnbaum told NBC's "Today" show.

Um, Frieda, you seem very nice so it pains me to say this: Learning to drive a racecar at age 60 is empowering. Having twins (THAT'S TWO BABIES AT THE SAME TIME) at age 60 is absolutely, positively f*ing nuts.

Good Work, Good for a Laugh

Kiwi brewer Steinlager recently launched a great campaign called Win Nick's Life to introduce their product to the United States. On the splash page Nick looks prohibitively young - but in the videos that introduce the contest he presents himself with no doubt that he is of age.

The New Zealand sense of humor is similar to the Aussie sense of humor (hold your angry comments) and I hope visitors will recognize it as completely different than the British sense of humor.

You must be 21+ to enter the site, but unlike the pitiful Bud.tv - it's actually worth the entry.

Friendless

OMG - this just struck me as so funny this morning. Especially since I attended an MITX meeting last week called: Social Media Platforms for Your Marketing Solutions. One of the featured speakers was from Fox Interactive, and when speaking about MySpace used the phrases "neverending friending" and "friendbase" with a straight face.

According to YouTube, I have no friends. I'm gonna go sit in the corner and eat some worms. Gummy worms to be sure.

And Then I Met

I have been enjoying my little blog universe quite a lot lately. For the most part I don't deal with a lot of freakshows. I've only had to delete one comment - and that was because it was so utterly vile I had to shower after I read it. I've met (in the blogosphere) some mighty cool people; Paul, Matt and the cast of 100 from The Age of Conversation Project prime among them. Paul introduced me (via email) to CK - I think the phrase was "CK meet Lori, Lori meet CK" or something along those lines (and he introduced me to zefrank.com at the same time!)

I've actually met, met (in person!) some cool people CK, The Diva, Megan and David Armano - making the bloggy thing even more amazing. In New York this past March, CK arranged a blogger meeting at Flute (nee, writers as Mr. Armano wishes) where I got to meet Valeria and CB and Copyranter (OMG!) and the Archeress and a cast of dozens over fabulous cocktails.

Yeah, so?

So on top of meeting cool people - I have also been turned onto some very cool music by Paul. A few weeks ago in one of his "Tune In Saturdays" posts, Paul featured the band Dr. Dog - and what do you know - they are on David Letterman tomorrow (Wednesday) night. I am so looking forward to seeing this group perform. So thanks Paul - I'll be thinking of you!

Heroes Finale

My favorite show had its season finale tonight. The show was as awesome as it always is. If you aren't into it, I couldn't begin to explain it. NBC has all of the episodes online at the Heroes website. But I'm not posting about the coolness of the show, I'm posting about the red circle in the banner image above. I clicked on the highlighted object and it brought forward an ad for the Fantastic Four & The Rise of the Silver Surfer with a link to a microsite on NBC.

It's a Twentieth Century Fox production, so the reasons for the appearance on NBC are a mystery to me. It's not my kind of movie - but the advertising tie in didn't annoy me. And that my friends, is hard to do.

The Simpsons brought to you by...the Marines?

Doh! It's Sunday night, that means after the end of the baseball game (Boston 6, Atlanta 3) and 60 Minutes, the Simpsons will be on. You know the Simpsons - the cartoon family that has been on since the days of the Tracey Ullman show - and will later tonight air its 400th episode. The original "Eat my shorts" show is airing its version of 24 right now. Why mention it? Because after the 60 second set up the first commercial was from the Marines. Are we so desperate we are recruiting the kids? Really? Doh.

A Nice Shout Out, from Oman

Writing from Muscat in the Sultanate of Oman, new bloggy friend Arun Rajagopal has done some nice profiles (one, two, three, MINE, five, six, seven) of the authors involved in Drew McLellan and Gavin Heaton's wicked cool project The Age of Conversation.

Meeting the authors of the project has been mighty interesting, and every day I am amazed that I was allowed to join such a cool group. I still have a nagging feeling that I shall want to bury my head in the sand when the book comes out and our work is laid out side by side - but since it is for charity, I'll suck it up like a big girl.

Truism

A true friend doesn't notice that you've answered the door in your tiger striped pajamas at Noon when she stops by to deliver a gift certificate to her hair salon - because her hair is fabulous. Thanks Cathy!

Read This Instead of my Bitchiness

I enjoy many blogs on a regular basis, but Anjali's Giant Jeans Parlor is fantastic (especially her weekly Friday feature "Japanese Candy Friday".)

I particularly enjoyed her post from yesterday entitled Dorodango-Sensei and Me.

Warning: Irritant

DEFINITION: irritant

noun
something that causes irritation and annoyance; "he's a thorn in my flesh"

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.

It was a day of triumph, a day of annoyance. But checking email at night can cause the irritation to live on past the hours it should. I'll be better tomorrow. Promise.

Sending Up Some Love for Bo Diddley

Bo Diddley was taken to the hospital during a concert in Council Bluffs, Iowa with an apparent stroke. So I'm sending up some love and prayers and energy for the author of so much music that I love. Who do you love? I love Bo Diddley.

On The Train Home

It was pouring buckets of rain at rush hour, so I felt bad for a young man who got on my train with a bike and just soaked to the bone. He got on early enough that he moved the bike out of the way of those entering, and he even got a seat.

An attractive young woman got on the train and sat down next to him. She whipped out a sheaf of papers from her handbag and began reviewing a document. I wasn't really tuned into their conversation - I was deep in a game of computer scrabble, but I assumed she was his co-worker. And then the first whiff of controlly-wife-lady came my way.

The document was actually a checklist of items she had for him. She started with a lecture on their financial planning and what stocks needed to be sold and consolidated into what account. She moved on to demanding that he decide if she was "going to the graduation or to the lunch, I can't do both..." The weird thing is they didn't seem to be arguing, she just launched on the kid.

The first station stop out of North Station is only a ten minute ride, but by the time we pulled into the station the guy sitting next to me was mouthing "leave her" and I was hoping he would. And then it just kept repeating in my head "Run Forrest, run!"

Surreptitiously? Allegedly?

Firmly in the I LOVE THE BRITISH TABLOIDS bucket comes this little gem from the Daily Mail (via the always awesome Make the Logo Bigger.)

WARNING: This blurb actually contains the words Paris Hilton, surreptitiously and allegedly. This is completely improbable as she is incapable of surreptitiously or allegedly doing anything. Anything at all.

Joint before the joint? Prison-bound Paris pictured smoking cannabis
BY NATALIE TROMBETTA and DONNA McCONNELL
Last updated at 01:04am on 16th May 2007
--------
Just when she thought things couldn't possibly get any worse, pictures have surfaced of Paris Hilton surreptitiously smoking cannabis.

The 26-year-old heiress was photographed allegedly smoking a joint while backstage at last month's Coachella music festival.

Um, that is so not allegedly it isn't funny. Even Kathy Hilton couldn't question that - could she? Paris, you are totally grounded young lady.

Likemind | Boston

Hey! Another Likemind is coming up on Friday, May 18th.
Where: Starbucks, 755 Boylston Street, btwn Exeter and Fairfield, Boston (GOOGLE MAPS) When: Friday, May 18th at 8am (EST) - Hosted by: Stephanie and Gareth. Coffee courtesy of Anomaly.

Free coffee and bloggy people - I am so there. Slinky, Ryan - you guys in? Tom & Jeff - how 'bout you?

Hookup via the lovely and talented Paul at Hee Haw Marketing.

Warning: Silly Season Ahead

Peeps, can I ask a favor for the upcoming summer season? Please leave any wardrobe item that ends in 'pris' in the closet unless you are at the beach. Another season of young women in lycra gaucho pants is such a vile thought that I kind of just threw up in my mouth a little. I can't handle another year of wondering why you want all that polyester up your cracky parts. You kids seem to have rolled them out a bit early this season - I squawked about them last year. So did Glamour magazine:

Men - it is no different for you. MANPRIS SUCK. Get yourselves some shorts and go hiking or biking or do whatever the hell you do, but stay out of the frickin' manpris. They are gross and you look stupid. You look like you borrowed your big brother's pants. I didn't like them last year and I won't like them any better in 2007. Shorts are short, pants are not. For men, there is nothing in between (except for a kilt.) To help you avoid wearing them - I'm going to rename them "hot pants" - that should help.

McQueen did not wear manpris (or hot pants.) Man up, men.

Red Sox Win! Red Sox Win!

I just watched the Red Sox in one of the most fun/amazing 9th inning come from behind wins in ages! Baltimore was winning 5-0 heading to the bottom of the 9th and the Sox pulled out a 6 run win - the final two off a weak Julio Lugo infield bloop (that should have been an out) and the fans went wild. I'm still wild - and I'm in the living room!

It was also pink bat day in honor of Mother's Day. You can buy a full-size Louisville Slugger pink bat (for only $69.99) with $10 per bat benefitting the Susan G. Komen Foundation for The Cure at MLB.com store. What mom wouldn't want one?

The win also puts the Sox solidly in first in the American League and FINALLY they have nudged the Milwaukee Brewers out of the top spot MLB-wide. A good Mother's Day indeed!

I can't be with my Mom today, so I'm sending some blog love out to Blanche. Hi Blanchie! I love you!

The Thank You Note

A couple of weeks ago I received a suprise in the mail - a handwritten thank you note from my optometrist Dr. Rosanna LaMalva. I've gone to Dr. LaMalva for several years, originally visiting because she was close to my downtown Boston office and she accepted my vision insurance. When I joined a company that was on the other side of town I visited another optometrist and while amused by the front office person, I didn't make a connection with the Doctor. For my next annual visit I took the green line back to Dr. LaMalva's office where her office manager/receptionist Deb welcomes everyone with a warm and welcoming "Where ya been?" (As if she should see us weekly!)

I have referred many co-workers and friends to Dr. LaMalva over the years, many co-workers of late since we are only a block away from her office. Everyone comes back to me to say how much they liked their visit to Dr. LaMalva's office. I can't think of many other places that I have directed people to (restaurants, movies, car dealers) with so much success.

I've tried to narrow down what it is that results in such positive feedback.

1. You are made welcome from the moment you arrive, if you are returning, it is as a long awaited friend and then you get a rundown of your last visit, prescription and benefits used.

2. The office is small, but has all of the modern equipment you need for a thorough eye exam. I feel like nothing is wasted on flash - it's all about the Dr. and the patient and quality care.

3. They will help you maximize your insurance benefits. We pay for our insurance, they know how to give us great care and provide maximum return on our insurance investment.

4. They are grateful for referrals and they acknowledge it.

I'm sure Dr. LaMalva has hundreds and hundreds of patients, so a personal thanks was quite extraordinary. Oh how I wish more business operated in such a direct and personal way.

Things That Suck

Mean people.

Rude people.

Real estate agents (particularly Sotheby's Waterfield) who push the limits of fairness and truth.

Weird clothes. 

Mingus Dynasty & Mingus Big Band

Tom and I visited the fabulous Regatta Bar at the swank Charles Hotel in Cambridge tonight to hear the Mingus Dynasty and Mingus Big Band. In a word: OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG!

The room was packed and I was so excited to see the large number of young musicians who came to witness this amazing show. We ran into our friend Jay's son Zack, who plays sax for his high school jazz band (who took a band trip to the Regatta Bar for the best jazz education ever.) How fortunate for us that Sue Mingus carries on the mission of her late husband by keeping watch over his music and guiding the bands all over the world. She also manages the Jazz Workshop program "Let My Children Hear Music." God bless her.

Sue was in the front row as the band tore through a hot set. I don't want to come off like a Grateful Dead list freak but after the Mingus Dynasty (featuring the lovely and fierce Helen Chung on piano) burned it up for 20 minutes, the big band (3 trumpets, 3 trombones, 5 saxophones, drums, bass and piano) blew the roof of the joint, blazing through Shades of Blue, Haitian Fight Song (which elicited a huge cheer from the high school set), a 5 minute selection from Epitaph (Children's Hour Dream), Don't Let it Happen Here, Invisible Lady (featuring the super-amazing Lauren Sevian on baritone sax) and the band closed with one of my favorites, Song with Orange. It was like going to church. Transformationally gorgeous.

I learned a lot about Charles Mingus on the website, but I was previously unaware of this scholarly study conducted by Mr. Mingus himself. I'm going to get Tommy started on it immediately. Freaky. Deaky. Cool.

Worried About One of My Favorite Places

Ten years in Los Angeles left me with warm feelings for few things "L.A." - but the Griffith Park Observatory is truly a national treasure. When I awoke to NPR this morning they were on the story, not so CNN and MSNBC. I went to the LA Times online and trusty disaster standby, KTLA, to find out what was happening. The images brought me to tears. On that location I laughed, I learned the secrets of the cosmos, and I attended more than one midnight Led Zeppelin-fueled laserium show. I pray the weather begins to cooperate.

(Photos from: L.A. Times online)

The Twitter Fritter

All right, after refusing to Twitter for many months, ModaMags has joined the twittering masses. I'm planning to play along for 60 days to see how much time it wastes vs. how much pleasure it brings. Let's see where the twitter leads. Barack Obama is twitterish, I wonder if any of my other politcal friends are out there...

The Real Wedding Crashers Must Die

Borrowing a page from Make the Logo Bigger's jihad on Saturday Night Live, I want "The Real Wedding Crashers" television show to explode in a flame of fury. Soon. It is the lamest, most painfully stupid thing on television now. The Google search actually returns this line from NBC: "The Real Wedding Crashers NBC TV Show: Funny Marriage Prank Series ..." I thought Deal or No Deal was the epitomy of moronic (except for the Italian version, which is rustic and charming) - The Real Wedding Crashers sucks big ugly polyester bridesmaid's gowns. Go away you piece of crap.

*Explanation: It was on after Heroes (which I love) and I'm in the middle of writing something so I never bothered to change the channel. I want that hour back NBC.

Cocaine (the drink) Bust!

My next rant post is up at the Digital Hive - wherein I take no pleasure in the fact that the FDA finally woke up and is yanking the bottled hillbilly speed known as Cocaine the Drink. When I first encountered the most heinous-tasting beverage last fall I wondered how long it would take - if not for the harm it can cause, then for the utter lame factor.

The FDA cited as evidence the drink's labeling and Web site, which included the statements "Speed in a Can," "Liquid Cocaine" and "Cocaine -- Instant Rush." The company says Cocaine contains no drugs and is marketed as an energy drink.

Energy drink, smenergy drink I don't care what you call it - this was just crap marketing. Good riddance. BTW, I'm still not the Church Lady - I just hate crap marketing.

Had Dinner Out Last Night

Tom and I went to dinner with our friend Harold last night. We stopped for supper at Joe's American on Newbury Street before heading out for the final concert of the Spectrum Singers' season at Emmanuel Church.

Emmanuel Church sanctuary hosts many concerts and throughout the year. It is an awesome space in Back Bay, near all the shopping and dining you could ever want to do in Boston. Tom's brother Henry sings with the Spectrum Singers.

At dinner we were seated in what I'm going to call (forever) "the breastfeeding section." I have no problem with women who want to breastfeed their children. Others do. Not me. By many accounts breastfeeding is healthier for the baby and the mother.

The iParty store in Weymouth, MA had a recent run in with the breast feeding police - and a mother had some trouble in Vermont last fall. I'm not suggesting that women shouldn't breastfeed in public, have at it sisters! - But if you are at a table in the center of a room, with a kid attached to your nipple, and the table of 16 college age kids, mostly boys, begins to stare, point and whisper - please don't feign surprise.

There are lots of solutions to the issue - let's find an answer that is comfortable for all.

Steve Tyrell is a Handsome Man

My dear friend Janet suggested an evening out at Harvard Square's famed Regatta Bar at the fantastic Charles Hotel - and what a lovely evening it was. Tom and I joined Janet, her husband Larry and friends Joan and Shelly for music, adult beverages and laughs.

Steve Tyrell is a handsome man - and he sings pretty too. I haven't seen a man work a room like Steve Tyrell in many years. He made eye contact with every woman in the first three rows. Deep, soulful eye contact. Loved that.

Steve and the band have taken over the late Bobby Short's spot at the Carlyle Hotel in New York. They'll play every Tuesday through Saturday in November and December in one of the great music rooms. It will be totally worth the trip to NYC.

Steve Tyrell sings jazz standards and some "popular" (by popular I'm saying Burt Bachrach) music - and he brought along the most amazing band. Two keyboardists, a stand-up bass, an outstanding young man on a Les Paul guitar, a trumpet player that was talented and funny and a drummer that was hot.

Chief among players in his band was Lou "Blue Lou" Marini - whose work from the time he was part of the Saturday Night Live house band (Howard Shore and his all Nurse Band) through his work with The Blues Brothers and on into the present with artists like Carmen Cuesta and his own Lou's Blues recording. I can't begin to tell you how excited I was to be in the room with Lou Marini. Lou Marini!

Here's Lou in a previous musical moment - with a whole lot of long hair.



We finished the evening with supper at Charlies Kitchen - home of the double cheeseburger. Good food, good friends, nice tunes and a lot of laughs. I call that a perfect Friday.

L-R: Janet, Shelly, Joan, Me.

Larry Gulko, Marketing Guru (who missed the group shot!)

Red Carped Makeover

The amazingly talented Adrienne Shelly's final film, which she wrote, directed and acted in, is hitting theaters next week. By all accounts "Waitress" is quite good on a lot of levels. Fox Searchlight is releasing it and doing their damndest to screw up the positioning of it - check out their site for it. Blechh.

The waitressmovie.net blog is a better source of information, but I'm a little leary of the statement at the bottom "This is a Fan-Run website. We are not affiliated with the creators, distributors or any of the cast & crew including Keri Russell, Nathan Fillion or Adrienne Shelly."

I dunno, the site is good, but warning makes me worry about the source. I find the blog more in keeping with Adrienne Shelly and her indy style, but still, I don't know - I just can't put my finger on it. Maybe it's the lack of an "About Me"...I'll try to figure it out.

In any case - above is an ad from the Metro paper - if you are bold enough to show up to a screening in your waitress uniform, you could win a "Red Carped Makeover."

Can I get some fries with that Carp?

Speech & Debate Club

I spent part of my day doing some informal polling about tonight's first Republican presidential debate. I had some amusing reponses to my questions and some truly horrifying reponses.

I'd also like to poll you - can you name the 10 candidates (so far) in the photo above?

I asked some of my friends and colleagues to tell me if they planned to watch tonight's debate on MSNBC. Here you go:

- I didn't know there was a debate
- What are they debating?
- Who's running

I asked if they knew any of the ten candidates that would appear on the stage for the debate.

- Are ten allowed?
- How many? Really? Ten?
- McCain, Giuliani and Willard Romney.
- McCain & Bush (?!)
- Giuliani
-McCain & Giuliani
- The guy from Law & Order

----OMG, we are so screwed.

I watched the debate, there was no clear winner. There was an equal shame shawl on all of them. I felt just a litle dirty about watching the whole thing.

Peter, you were right - Gilmore's tie was absolutey the best.

Try Not to Cry

I dare you. A message from the Save Darfur Coalition.

Not Scary at All

Presidential Candidate Willard (his real name) "Mitt" Romney (a.k.a. "I'm not nearly as crazy as John McCain") sat for an interview at Fox Faux News Channel. I'm unable to link to any Fox video without breaking into a rash, but I can quote the text of the interview from the New York Times Caucus Blog:

What’s your favorite novel?” is a perennial campaign question, the answer to which presumably gives insight into leadership.

A “Moby-Dick” lover may understand the perils of obsessively chasing of a goal. A fan of “To Kill a Mockingbird” may well focus on racial justice.

When asked his favorite novel in an interview shown yesterday on the Fox News Channel, Mitt Romney pointed to “Battlefield Earth,” a novel by L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology. That book was turned into a film by John Travolta, a Scientologist.

A spokesman said later it was one of Mr. Romney’s favorite novels.“I’m not in favor of his religion by any means,” Mr. Romney, a Mormon, said. “But he wrote a book called ‘Battlefield Earth’ that was a very fun science-fiction book.”

Asked about his favorite book, Mr. Romney cited (WAIT FOR IT) the Bible.

At least one wag thinks Willard's choice of novel may sink his candidacy. I'm not sure - the teflon Ken doll (or TPJ, The Pompous Jackass as one friend dubbed him years ago) seems to skate more often than not. We'll see.

I watched the second half of the PBS/American Experience/Frontline special on the Mormons. Overall it was a bit snoozy - Monday night was a dry recitation of the history of the religion, Tuesday night presented a bit of the perceived weird stuff. The 4 hour show was well done, included interviews from across the spectrum of prominent and former Mormons. PBS announced at the end of the show that it was viewable on PBS.org and that there was additional content available too. How hip PBS.

(The image above is from this amusing story from American.com)

The Age of Conversation is Nigh

I just submitted my chapter for the e-book (and super cool brainchild project of Gavin Heaton and Drew McLellan) 'The Age of Conversation'. My chapter is entitled "Speak to me TJX". In my chapter I ponder what happened to the deep and abiding relationship I've had with TJX. I mean really, Marshall's has been dressing me since my 9th grade portrait - but lately the company has been treating me like a bad junior prom date.

I have no business submitting anything in the company below, but I'm totally looking forward to the ebook. Like everyone else - to find out what everyone else has written, I’ll have to buy and read the e-book. The details will be posted here soon.

The e-book is dedicated to the memory of Sandra J. Kerley (the amazing CK's mom) and all proceeds from the sale will benefit Variety Children's Charity which serves children across the globe.

Here is the unbelievable cast of characters involved in the project:

Gavin Heaton
Drew McLellan
CK
Valeria Maltoni
Emily Reed
Katie Chatfield
Greg Verdino
Mack Collier
Lewis Green
Sacrum
Ann Handley
Mike Sansone
Paul McEnany
Roger von Oech
Anna Farmery
David Armano
Bob Glaza
Mark Goren
Matt Dickman
Scott Monty
Mindblob
Richard Huntington
Cam Beck
David Reich
Sean Howard
Tim Jackson
Patrick Schaber
Roberta Rosenberg
Uwe Hook
Tony D. Clark
Todd Andrlik
Toby Bloomberg
Steve Woodruff
Steve Bannister
Steve Roesler
Stanley Johnson
Spike Jones
Nathan Snell
Simon Payn
Ryan Rasmussen
Ron Shevlin
Roger Anderson
Bob Hruzek
Rishi Desai
Phil Gerbyshak
Peter Corbett
Pete Deutschman
Nick Rice
Nick Wright
Mitch Joel
Michael Morton
Mark Earls
Mark Blair
Mario Vellandi
Kristin Gorski
Krishna De
Kris Hoet
Kofl Annan
Kimberly Dawn Wells
Karl Long
Julie Fleischer
Jordan Behan
John La Grou
Joe Raasch
Jim Kukral
Jessica Hagy
Janet Green
Jamey Shiel
Dr. Graham Hill
Gia Facchini
Geert Desager
Gaurav Mishra
Gary Schoeniger
Gareth Kay
Faris Yakob
Emily Clasper
Ed Cotton
Dustin Jacobsen
Tom Clifford
David Pollinchock
David Koopmans
David Brazeal
David Berkowitz
Carolyn Manning
Craig Wilson
Cord Silverstein
Connie Reece
Colin McKay
Chris Newlan
Chris Corrigan
Cedric Giorgi
Brian Reich
Becky Carroll
Arun Rajagopal
Andy Nulman
Amy Jussel
AJ James
Kim Klaver
Sandy Renshaw
Susan Bird
Ryan Barrett
Troy Worman
and Me (at my other location)