Eva Destruction

And here we thought Esther was adjusting so well. Our 10-pound Chihuahua has managed to mangle two of Michael's books -- Christmas gifts he hasn't even read. Apparently she's either suffering from separation anxiety (which we hadn't suspected) or is undernourished (doubtful in this household) . Then again, Jimmy Carter book; expose on Iraq. Maybe she's a Republican?!

No one beats my prices ... just my team

My friend Curt (a Mizzou alum) has this prediction on Quin Snyder's future. Though I have to admit, that might persuade me to frequent Wal-Mart!

Quote of the day

"She was so jealous, she said she would spend her Valentine's Day with President Bush." -- Conan O'Brien, saying his wife wasn't too happy about his Feb. 14 meeting with "look-alike" Finnish President Tarja Halonen

Lloyd Dobler vs. Jake Ryan

Thanks to Maria for sending this Valentine's Day column by Hank Stuever of The Washington Post (and formerly of The Albuquerque Tribune).

Personally, I liked Jake and "Sixteen Candles" better (though could identify more with Lloyd and am in no way knocking "Say Anything"; it just took me longer to warm up to that one). Jake was cuter (John Cusack had to grow into his looks, if you ask me, and Lloyd's clothes were all wrong) and came along when I was a starry-eyed high school senior. AND they played one of my favorite Thompson Twins songs when Jake went to rescue Samantha from the church. AND he got her undies back! If that's not chivalry, what is?

Funny. While Googling for Jake Ryan photos, I found this Hank Stuever column from Valentine's Day 2004.

Brokeback to the Future

Brilliant! (Thanks, Jen!)

In a similar vein, "The Shining" -- a romantic comedy? (Thanks, Aaron!)

Cute shoes to fill

Mizzou's Quin Snyder has resigned. Men's NCAA basketball has lost its cutest coach! Thanks (?) to Ann for delivering the sad news.

Odds & ends

We took the dogs for a walk in Evergreen, Colo. (about 45 minutes away) , and found this frozen lake that's set up for ice skating and hockey. Pretty cool, though you'd never get me out there. The "Houdini" scenes where he got trapped under the ice freak me out. This is in keeping with Michael's description of me as "worst-case scenario" worrier.


We also found this dam with partially frozen spillover. Pretty cool.


Along the trail, saw this gate behind a home. Someone has a Les Nessman complex, it would seem.


The lovely Kate stopped through on her way from Oregon to D.C. That's us with our 2-year-old friend Emma at Wynkoop Brewing Co. in LoDo (lower downtown).


That's Emma (with mom Franchesca) at our place modeling her "Pimp my Ride" birthday T-shirt, compliments of Little Ginger and family.

See it jiggle

Some people have a lot of time on their hands, but what a result! Bay Area artist Elizabeth Hickok has sculpted San Francisco out of Jell-O and adds effects like dry ice and jiggling to simulate an earthquake. Go see more.

View from the top

Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre offers a stunning view of Denver, plus the drive up and the venue itself are amazing.

City of Lights

Check out this panorama view of Paris at night. Once the image builds, use the horizontal scroll bar at the bottom of your screen to see the 360 image. (Thanks to cousin Lynyrd for the link!)

Alternatives schmalternatives

"Keeping America competitive requires affordable energy. And here we have a serious problem: America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable parts of the world. The best way to break this addiction is through technology. Since 2001, we have spent nearly
$10 billion to develop cleaner, cheaper, and more reliable alternative energy sources -- and we are on the threshold of incredible advances." -- President Bush, Jan. 31, 2006

***

The Bush administration on Monday again asked Congress to allow oil drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), but almost tripled its estimate for the amount of money that would be collected in leasing fees from energy companies.

In its proposed budget for the 2007 spending year, the White House said it assumed the initial tracts in the refuge could be leased in 2008 and bring in $7 billion in new revenues, half of which would be shared with the state of Alaska.

That is almost triple the $2.4 billion the administration said in last year's budget it thought could be raised from the first round of ANWR leasing.

The administration did not explain what was behind its higher estimate for leasing fees, but it presumably reflects the jump in oil prices. -- Reuters, Feb. 6, 2006

***

What an a-hole. This guy makes James Frey look like Mother Teresa. -- Little Ginger, Feb. 7, 2006