Correction

For anyone interested in seeing my sis's cautionary tale, the real address is:

web.mac.com/carrollc

OK, so we're slow

It's been an adventure around here lately. Cindy the cat-scratch victim is staying here, and I get to play nurse again after all these years and give her the IV meds each p.m. She's such a weenie, she won't let me experiment with tequila. But, hey, if you've got a PICC line, use it, I say. (Especially if it isn't in my vein). Wish we'd had a camera to record the great hair-washing adventure. To see Cindy's artistic web parable of her adventure, try (no www) mac.com.carrollc
It's pretty cool, but she made it at work to demonstrate creating one of these little logs for teachers. It will scare them! (It might be mac.com/carrollc; I can't remember).

I opened a can of whup-ass on Slothrop in our Oscar picks (thanks to Wallace and Grommit and the penguins), so I have a big old pay-up coming my way. We rented Crash on Saturday and both thought it just might pull an upset, and lo and behold it did. I was disturbed by the "coincidences" in the plot, but then we discussed the fact that it is set in a 24-hr. period, as Aristotle demands, and is merely following Shakespeare's lead in all the unlikely scenarios. We both really liked the film and didn't begrudge it its win over Brokeback.

It's going to be quite a thrilling gubernatorial election here in TX. Kinky promises that as the first Jewish governor, he will lower the speed limit to 54.95. How can you argue with that? My money's on Carole Keeton Rylander McClellan Strayhorn; she was no fool to go indy at the last minute.

OK, that's the blogging obligation over with. We're waiting anxiously for the time when we can get a couple of Beltway insiders down here to where it's all happening. Yee Haw! (Not that we're cowboys or anything).

Peace.

Blog or Albatross?

I knew this would be hard to keep up with! One of our many, many fans says we've been saiiiiling for 3 weeks. I WISH! This transition business is crazy crazy crazy, doing my old job(s) until they get moved up to Dallas (end of MARCH, NOOOOOO!) and doing my new job of hiring new writers and stuff. We got some amazing applications. One of our new guys wrote a novel that was an LA Times Notable Book of the year, and was positively reviewed in NY Times Book Review. And he wants to write test prep questions for the likes of us! He's moving to Austin in May, so hopefully Slothrop will have a fiction-writing buddy to bounce things off of. He's doing his best to bury himself in the writing room each day, but it will be so much easier when transition time is over.

Lots of emotional goings-on this week. Slothrop can fill in via telephone, I guess.

We saw Bonnie Raitt Tuesday night and she was rocking. She's going touring in Europe with Keb Mo, who Slothrop discovered shares his real name with our new owner.

Watching Olympics, looking out at the drizzly days . . . that's about it.

Interesting discussion last night about why guys, even BROTHERS, for crying out loud, will NOT share a bed. One will sleep on the floor if need be, even if there's a kingsize bed in the room. Too weird. We girls say there's always room for one more. What's up with that? One of those profound questions of the universe.

Anybody out there read any Peter de Vries? I've ordered "The Blood of the Lamb," which recently was highly recommended to me.

Oh, no, just found out my sister has to go into hospital tomorrow for surgery on her hand. Her cat bit her and now it's very infected (no, not the cat). Cindy, when you call me back, I'll find out all about it. So sorry!

Maybe when Slothrop arises from his nap (can't have him cranky, you know), he'll add something. Maybe people with boring lives just aren't supposed to have blogs.

I'm SAIIIIILING!

We went sailing on Lake Travis on Sunday, a glorious, cloudless, mildly windy day. It was so much fun! We went with a couple who owns, along with a couple of other families, the boat. I warned them it would be like sailing with Woody Allen, and Slothrop did not disappoint. We were out on the water for about 4 hours and had a blast. Our friend Marilyn's friend had just been to a dinner at Liz Carpenter's house at which La Liz asked each guest to say what his/her bumper sticker would be. So Marilyn wanted to know what ours would be. Slothrop said, "Miracles Happen." I replied, "It's been done." He said, "I don't care, that's what it would be." Bob said, "There used to be one that said something else happens." Slothrop replied, "I know, I used to have that on my car. But now I have "Magic Happens." Marilyn said hers would be simply "Learn," because she thinks that's the most important thing in the world. Bob's would say "Believe." I said, "I don't know what mine is, but it's gotta be a lot more twisted than those," to which Marilyn replied she agreed. About 10 minutes later, I yelled, "I've got my bumper sticker! It's 'I don't know!'" Probably a more eloquent way to put it would be "Embrace uncertainty (or ambiguity)," but my favorite saying of the Kinkster is "Read my lips. I don't know." That's enough for him to get my vote right there. Certainty of one's rightness is the scariest thing in the world, to me.

We're taking our brokers and their wives to dinner at the Four Seasons tonight--the least we could do for all they gave to us during this year. Marilyn and Bob own a very fancy schmantzy event-planning company, have won international awards, plan the TX gubernatorial shindig, etc., so I had about 20 etiquette questions for Marilyn about hosting this dinner, especially given that I was the client, and sometimes men might feel strange about being hosted by a woman, and I wanted everyone to be comfy. After about question 5, Marilyn said, "For God's sake George (I don't use my real name on this blog--just try to find me, Google!), just relax and enjoy yourself!" Good advice, huh?

We're continuing to enjoy the beautiful, sunny, 75-degree days. Yum!

It's fun to be employed!

Wow! What a feeling to be an employee again. I love it. And I love my employer, and I'm not just saying that in case he ever finds this blog (Hi, Kevin!). Seriously, he's so young and enthusiastic and determined to make this business really, really big and successful, it'll be a delight to help him do it. And he's made clear how much he values me and my abilities and even my weird sense of humor. YES! Right now I'm hiring writers/editors/proofreaders, while still doing the day to day UPS, invoicing, phone-answering, etc., but all that stuff is supposed to be over by Feb. 15, when the office in Dallas opens up. Man, that was a hard process, but the broker kept comforting me by saying, "Don't worry, Doni; it only gets harder as it goes along." He was dead right. Hope anyone who reads this is having a good day. Heck, I feel like Tim, playing on the web during worktime!

George on Brokeback

I have to say I was very happy that P.S. Hoffmann won the Golden Globe last night. I think Heath Ledger was excellent, as was the movie, but, to me, Hoffmann showed incredible range--from funny to flamboyant to moody to . . . "sinister" isn't the word, but his moral floundering was fascinating to me. Heck, if two guys being executed will really help your book be better, what's a writer to think (or do or neglect to do?), and I thought Hoffmann played that dilemma brilliantly. It's enough evidence for me that Brokeback isn't a "gay movie" that Slothrop and I saw elements of ourselves in the respective main male characters. Who reflects whom I will leave to the imagination.

Onward and upward. Looks like the sale will close today or tomorrow. If anyone hears a loud, scary noise in the next 24 hours, it's just a champagne cork.

Brokeback

Well, Lauren says it's the saddest movie she's ever seen, but it's definitely an amazing, moving film with two incredible performances. I've already backtracked on Straithairn in Hoffman's favor, but I'd have a hard time not voting for Heath Ledger--and Jake Guyllenall should probably win going away for supporting actor. Gets my vote for best film as well. Until I see Munich tomorrow. It is indeed a heart-wrenching movie. Trying to think of the saddest movie I've ever seen. Right now all I'm coming up with is Frances. Hearts and Minds is up there, but it was a documentary. Maybe I 'll be able to think of more. Brian's Song was pretty weepy, but made for TV probably doesn't count.

No new pix this time.

Feel like a Bush voter

Reggie, not that other asshole. After seeing Capote, gotta give the Oscar to P.S. Hoffman. Straithairn is Reggie Bush to Vince's Capote. And the film itself is wonderful; I went and bought a copy of In Cold Blood to read again (was a long time ago). Here's a few pix of Lauren and the Jewels (if I can remember how to do that).