The woman who killed her infant daughter a few weeks ago killed herself. Should they have been watching her more closely? Probably. Would it have made a difference? Probably not. I feel sorry for her husband...

Again, I'm surprised that this story doesn't involve either of my sisters.

This story is getting bigger and uglier. Take the old guy's license away and let him do a little jail time. (I'm kinda crabby this morning...)

Sad, but true: it's not even surprising anymore.

Okay, ALL the news is making me crabby, so I'm going to stop reading for now. I'm going to try to just have a peaceful morning, and then the rellies ALL descend this afternoon. It'll be fun! Hope your days are most excellent as well.

Here are a few fair pictures from today:

Oh my gosh. What a beautiful morning. It's 60 degrees on the balcony.. Last week, it was 102. This is why I love living in Minnesota.

This guy is from here. And it sounds like he was talking to his friends about what he did. I don't doubt that law enforcement is going to make an example of him. You wonder if he knew what he was getting into.

Attention Bishops: Before you go aftersame sex marriages, why don't you make absolutely sure that none of your priests are going after children anymore. Removing the speck from your neighbor's eye while ignore the plank in your own, etc. etc. Grrr.

Follow up to a story from yesterday: You CAN fight city hall!

It'll be a quiet day, can't decide if I want to run to the fair for a while or not... maybe a few pictures, though.
Tell me what you're up to.

The sky looks different today. It's Fall now. Amazing how it literally changes overnight. I remember when I was a kid, I always got sad for a couple days at the end of August at the prospect of having the fun summertime end.. and then it turned to excitement at the prospect of going back to school. Yes, I was one of those geeky kids that actually LIKED school. I was never afraid of tests or anything. (I loved the days that we took the standardized tests). I even liked taking the SATs. Of course, by then I'd figured out that it wasn't cool to like tests, so I pretended that I was nervous, and that I was afraid that I'd done poorly.
I don't know where all that came from! Anyway, it's a beautiful day, and I'm still on vacation, CuzGirl. So Ha.

And in the news:
The best punishment for this guy would be to lock him up somewhere with no computer! Think of it! It would be geek hell!!

And check it out: the guy is from here!

I didn't watch one second of it. Proving once again that I am old...

This doesn't even seem possible! Ten years? Really?

People! I mean it:Stop flying in those little planes!

Instead of doing stuff like this, why doesn't the city focus on stuff like, oh, I don't know, arresting REAL criminals?

Okay! It's taken me two hours to get this written and posted. good day to the rest of ya. Ciao.

Yesterday was all about the fair food again:

Corn Dog - not those weird jive 'pronto pups'
Elk Burgers - surprising good, but a bit dry
Sweet Martha's Chocolate Chip Cookies - dunked in milk, of course
Walleye Fries - lots of batter

We rode the double ferris wheel, which freaked me out more than I thought it would! Not as bad, though, as the year that we decided that it would be a good idea to go on that spinning black spider ride. We were both so sick afterwards that we had to leave.
We rode on the open-air gondolas that go from the Grandstand to Machinery Hill. If you don't know what a big deal it is to be transported from one end of the fairgrounds to the other click here to see a map of exactly how HUGE the fairgrounds is!

Beware of disgruntled ex-coworkers. I like to look around the office from time to time and wonder who will snap first..!

What a weird, weird headline...

Here's one way to avoid a court appearance: fake your own death

You couldn't PAY me enough to get into one of those little planes. What a tragedy...

Pretty funny... as restaurant managers the whole world over cringe.

Have a most excellent day!

And one more thing: Lileks (and the Diner) will be on the radio again! Hurray!

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm on vacation, and I suck. CuzGirl already informed me of this fact.

Check out this cool picture of Mars.

Thank God that everybody loves Raymond and everyone else now as well. Good show, but it should probably just end on a high note and go off gracefully, like Seinfeld did.

I always knew that chocolate was good for you. This proves it.

EWWWWWW!

This book is keeping me up too late! The best I've read in a long time. AND it's the first time I've read a mystery and not looked at the last page first.

And speaking of books: If you go to this website, and type "Botsford" as the author, you will find this new book:

"Hijinks at Six Feet" - written by Jim Botsford, a guy I've known and worked with for years. There's a free preview chapter on the website as well - VERY funny. Jim is absolutely hysterical! He'll do well as a writer. Check it out!

I'm off now, and I get to go BACK TO THE FAIR today, so I will have new stories for later. Ciao, Bellas.

Here's the deal with the gas prices. Yikes. Glad that I filled up on Sunday.

Doodlepad is a fun thing to do if you're a little bored.

This is just a ploy by the Vikings to disguise their true intentions - to bring back Gary Anderson! (yeah, yeah, I know... but a girl can dream).

One more absolutely insane day at work (meetings from 10:00-4:00... how did I manage to do that?), and then 6 days off. Ahhhh.

Have an excellent day.

What's the deal with gas prices?? I paid $1.85/gallon yesterday!

We went to the Apple Store yesterday (it occurs to me that it sounds like we went on a grocery expedition. Apple COMPUTER store). Now I'm leaning toward just getting an iPod for now, and waiting for the iBook until after taxes are paid. Oh, I don't know. Then again, I could just get a new camera. Or really, I could just keep saving.

Good Ol'Cuz Boy just e-mailed this picture from Okinawa, where it's about 7:30pm. Check it out..

Yep, it's the wonder technology. Where I can be blogging in St. Paul, while half a world away my cousin takes pictures of the sunset, sends it to me, and I can put it on the internet instantly. A pretty miraculous thing, when you think about it.

First things first.... WHY AM I AWAKE SO EARLY ON A SUNDAY?!

What can you say about this? The archdiocese describes his death as tragic, yet one can't help but remember that as the families of 130 people came to the diocese to accuse this monster, they didn't think of that as "tragic" at the time, they just moved him to other parishes. It's up to some higher power now. And no one's gonna be there to move him somewhere else.

One of the Boy Meets Boy contestants got discharged from the navy for appearing on the show. AND he wasn't chosen. Bummer for him! But I'm guessing now he'll just become a media queen..

Much as I hate to admit it, I've gotten hooked on The Restaurant. What a surprise! She likes the reality show... (but to be fair, I've never watched one minute of that Amazing Race thing... or the Marry My Dad thing, so I'm not a complete loser.)

Please, someone, give this guy a job!

This is not surprising at all. Which is why everyone should just buy a Saturn. There's your daily PSA. Thank you.

The average cheese intake in America is30 pounds? Heck, I bet I eat at least 35 or 40!! (heh heh heh..)

Sis2 and her hubby lived in the carriage house behind the big one years ago, right after she got out of school. It was WAY cool.

More Fair Pictures!

Besides the food, the Fair has many fine attractions which are both fun and educational. Take, for example, the Crop Art exhibit:
(yes, these pictures are made entirely of CROP seeds: wheat, barley, flax, soybeans and other stuff I'd never heard of, like timothy)


a clever play on the whole "George" theme


a whole WALL of crop art (look closely and you'll find Oprah and Garrison Keillor)


a tribute in seed to the late great Nina Simone


as well as a tribute to the late Senator Paul Wellstone

And finally, what crop art example would be complete without this:


yes.. a portrait of our Lord and Savior rendered entirely of seeds.
This, folks, is why I love the fair. That, and the people watching (which we'll deal with tomorrow..)

Now, one thing you have to understand about the fair is that it's all about the eating. Here are some of the foods we saw (but didn't necessarily eat!)

Why can't they just let Susan Lewis get a real boyfriend? She should have married Mark Greene way back when. (Oh, except for the fact that it's a TV SHOW and it's just pretend, chele!)

Bwah ha ha ha YACK!

YIKES! Hang on to thos cell phones! (the techs at work have a particularly hard time holding on to phones. They run over them, lose them, drop them in toilets... and they are always compelled to tell me long long tales of how exactly they did it. Just tell me they're lost, guys. Spare me the details...)

Tell me again - exactly WHY can't we have the death penalty here? Or if we can't have that, can't we just lock this guy up forever now?

And help me understand this as well - abortion is wrong, but this is okay?

You of course know where CuzGirl and I are going this afternoon. The Fair. Of Course. Much eating and mayhem will ensue!

I hadn't heard this song in a long long time. We were going through iTunes yesterday (a very dangerous addiction - I don't know what's gonna happen when I get a iBook and an iTunes account of my own) and we came across this one. Dad used to listen to this album for hours and hours at a time - and sing along with it, as only he could. We used to hold our ears and complain - he had a unique style - a cross between off key singing and chanting (early Italian 'rapping'), and of course, lots of hand waving.. just like people from the old country do.
But we always quieted down when he sang this one. He sang this song to us - his girls. The loves of his life, the joys of his existence, the reasons he woke up every day. This one's for you, Mike:

You're the end of the rainbow, my pot of gold,
You're daddy's little girl to have and hold.
A precious gem is what you are,
You're mommy's bright and shining star.

You're the spirit of Christmas, my star on the tree,
You're the Easter bunny to mommy and me.
You're sugar you're spice, you're everything nice,
And you're daddy's little girl.

You're the end of the rainbow, my pot of gold,
You're daddy's little girl to have and hold.
A precious gem is what you are,
You're mommy's bright and shining star.

You're the treasure I cherish so sparkling and bright,
You were touched by the holy and beautiful light.
Like angels that sing a heavenly thing,
And you're daddy's little girl.

The Fair Starts Today!

Wouldn't it be great if all the geeks who made these worms used their powers for GOOD instead of evil?

Hmmmm, Johnny Depp as Willie Wonka? I don't know if I can picture that.

Nice guy.

This woman is way too excited about being crowned Princess Kay of the Milky Way.

Wild. This story sounded fishy from the start.

Here's another wild story. This judge has to calm down just a little bit. Okay..Time to start the day. Ciao, bellas!

It's raining! Maybe this means that it won't be 700 degrees today...

It seems that NOBODY loves Raymond.

Awww, what a shame. Or not-so-much.

The only surprising thing about this story is that the bride wasn't one of my sisters!

VH1 is now running I Love the 70s - and I am TiVo'ing every moment of it. Because I am actually old enough to have lived thru the groovy decade, I am enjoying the trip down memory lane. My love of this series, combined with my recent trip to see David Cassidy in concert, can only mean one thing. I am freakin' old.

Oh. My. God. THE FAIR STARTS TOMORROW!! I've gotten myself so excited about it that now it will never live up to my expectations - NOT! I love the fair. Did I mention that? CuzGirl has the tickets in hand... we're going on Friday. (she loves the fair almost as much as I do.. but I'm older, so I've had longer to love it).
Yes, I am sad and pathetic. But wait 'til you see the pictures we'll have!

I was going to leave work early, because I got in before even GOD was awake.
I left at 4:50. Sometimes I think I don't do things correctly...

Li'l Miss Maddy Cat just won't leave me alone when I'm on the computer. She sits at my feet and meows and meows and bats at my elbow and jumps up on the desk... anything to be the center of attention. Here's a picture of her, in all her meowing glory!

(eeek. she kinda looks like a demon-kitty, doesn't she?!)

Better posting tomorrow, I promise.

Yes, that time is correct. And I'm on my way to work. This could not suck more.

Paul Magers is leaving the Twin Cities. Those of you who don't live here don't realize what a big deal this is. Paul Magers IS the news in Minneapolis/St. Paul.

That's it. I have to get up at 3-freakin'-45 tomorrow morning. Expect a short, incoherent blog at that time.

Lileks is in rare form today.

This is a cool, yet morbid, idea. What if your friends said MEAN things about ya?! (does this say something about the people with whom I hang??)

It's a Monday morning - not much else in the news. But did I mention?

THE FAIR STARTS THIS WEEK!

CuzGirl and I will be attending on Friday. Pictures to follow, I'm sure..
Have an excellent day. Mine will be busy.

PS - Comments worked for about 5 seconds yesterday, and now they're down again. Send me e-mail if the comments link isn't working...

I still don't know what the deal is with the comments. I'll keep checking.

They covered Herb Brooks' funeral on the local news. As they brought the casket down the steps of the Cathedral, they raised their hockey sticks in a salute. Now, this sounds lame to everyone NOT from Minnesota - but what a fitting tribute. I cried.

Yes, it's still the preseason, but the Vikings weren't looking too good last night. The best thing that you can say about this game is that it's over.

Here's the silly story of the day. Stop wearing those killer heels, girls! I can't wear heels at all anymore. I'm a wuss. I remember wearing those black sandals at my sister's wedding.. I barely remember the ceremony! I just remember thinking that my feet hurt so badly that I wanted to cry. That, and the fact that we were ALL sweating so much (90 degrees + 90% humidity + no airconditioning = sweaty bridal party) that I thought if I looked down I'd just see a puddle at my feet.

It's still killer hot.. I need to run my errands early, before I start melting. Write and tell me what you are doing...

It appears that my comments are down.. I'll keep checking and let you know when they're back. In the meantime, use the e-mail link on the right to keep in touch.

Had a much fun dinner tonight, and now we get to watch the game (Currently down 16-10, but it's the pre-season so it doesn't count - no matter what Good Ol'CuzBoy says!)

I remember exactly where I was when I heard that Elvis had died. I was in my oh-so-groovy red, white and yellow bedroom (what the hell? did i have a ketchup and mustard fetish?) talking on my oh-so-groovy princess phone to my best friend Sara. I wasn't a huge Elvis fan then - I like his music more now - but I remember vaguely realizing that this was going to be a big deal, and that I should remember this moment..Somehow take a mental polaroid of the event. I've done that with songs, too. When I hear the song "These Dreams" by Heart, I'm right back - well - never mind. Suffice to say that songs make you remember things. ::blushing::

Hmmm. I don't know what I think about this. Can an atheist teach at a Catholic college? I'm a Katie - I love St. Kate's. Part of why I am who I am is because of my years there. But can someone whose core beliefs are not in sync with the core values of an organization be employed there? Well obviously legally he can and should be.. but wouldn't that create this huge moral conflict? and.. oh hell.. it's Saturday morning, I'm drinking my coffee and I don't want to debate with myself or anyone else about this! Discuss amongst yourselves and tell me what you decide..

So it was just a case of stupid drunken boating. What a shame. People, people. Back off the drinking and driving/boating. Just stop it. Someone will get hurt! (this has been a PSA from your mom...)

We went here for dinner and people watching last night. I could live by the lake..

Anyway - Today is the day for being domestic. No more cleaning lady (I was getting too spoiled anyway...) so now ::sigh:: I just have to do it myself. I'm also going to be a little geeky and work on my archive pages. AND the Vikings play tonight. Quite the day!

-->

So yeah - the new banner! We're gonna tweak it a little bit today. I have a web identity!

The lights are out out east! The first thing I thought of was terrorism.. - isn't that scary? and a little sad. Bob Davis was just talking about this on the radio. We automatically jump to the terrorism conclusion now. What if it WAS just a power failure? When we do jump to those conclusions, we've let the terrorists win. Anyway - all you east coast peoples: be careful out there.

And here are the top ten reasons for the blackout! (from Balkinization via Instapundit.

And I think it's funny that they're trying to blame it on a lightning strike - especially when all weather maps indicate that there WERE no storms in the area! Did they think that no one would figure that out??

Here's why it's not always a good idea to bring your kid to work! I'm surprised this never happened to us when we were kids.. but I don't remember dad ever letting us near the vault.

And speaking of the bank - look at what they're doing to develop the building. Pretty cool.

Show of hands: who thinks that this sounds like the most OBNOXIOUS restaurant in the world? Yeah - I thought so...

I have to work. On a Friday. I'm SO not used to this. Make it a good day, friends!

They forgot about John Goodman in the West Wing. He's part of the reason that I'm anxious for that series to start up again.

EEEK! How'd you like to come home from work to that scene?

It's looking more and more like Herb Brooks fell asleep at the wheel.

What the hell is wrong with ALL people? She was "angry with how her son and daughter-in-law were raising the infant, so she poisoned the infant. Two words: death penalty.

Now for some good news: the ticket booths are up! The barricades are up! CuzGirl is buying the advance tickets! It's almost time for the STATE FAIR! No, I do not just have a sad little life waiting for the fair to start every year - it's just one of my most favorite things to do.

On to start the day. Ciao, bellas.

What do they mean, not everyone loves Raymond? It's truly one of the funniest shows on TV.

Please, everyone, wear your seatbelts.

Further proof that the Christian Right are all mean-spirited people.

this is why i love my neighborhood:

Good Morning!

Uh oh. I really think that this will be the last season of ER. Let's consult the Magic 8 Ball!
- yep, all signs point to yes!

Mike Tice is going after those boys! It's gonna be one helluva season.

Another impossibly busy day coming up, so here is an impossibly cute cat.
Don't you think so? Have an excellent day.

RIP Herb Brooks. Hockey suffered a great loss today.

Yeah, like I wanted to wake up this early.. but look at the view from my balcony.

RIP Gregory Hines

We saw all the cabs at William Mitchell yesterday.. I was thinking that maybe they had an influx of taxi-driving students, but apparently not.

That's about all I know so far. If you're a regular reader, you should bookmark this page now, because I'm going to update here and use the blogger site to re-direct people for a while. This is a whole lot easier transition than I thought it would be. Have a most excellent day, all.

I don't wanna go back to work! This was the most fun 4-days off ever.

It's the first day of just updating the new page (but still linking to the old page - in fact I'll do that here right now: the old cheleblog is right here.)

Quite the game last night! Daunte looks great all the time. Onterrio Smith looked great in the 3rd quarter. I'm excited for the REAL season to start! I said this morning that I've finally crossed over into 'real' fan territory in football just like I did in hockey years ago. Now I like to watch football just for the sake of watching the game! I can watch hockey win, lose or tie... I'm that way with football now, too. GO VIKES!

NONE of the straight guys I know are, or will admit to being metro sexuals. Show of hands? Anyone? Anyone? I thought not.

The more I read stories like this one, the more I believe that so-called "Christian" people are the mean-spirited, ugly, NON-Christian people I've ever heard of. Jesus is up in heaven right now saying "All of you! GET OFF MY SIDE!". It strikes me that what this high school is trying to do is quite noble - make a place for gay teens to GO to school and NOT be harrassed.. so that maybe they can finish school and lead productive lives! (is she liberal? is she conservative? I am an enigma!)

She didn't want to see her baby suffer, so she killed her baby. Hello? Baby wasn't suffering. Baby had to be fed through a feeding tube, requiring a little more effort on your part. Baby wasn't suffering. YOU were suffering. Don't take that out on your baby. I'm going to join Mopsa's movement. All women who don't want to take care of your babies - or worse yet if you think you'll harm your babies - GIVE THEM TO ME. Or maybe I'm just being to harsh.. I don't know. It's so sad...

Okay! Let's see what all this hoo-ha looks like live. Comments welcome. Criticism isn't! (if you can't say anything nice than just go read someone else's blog!)

I'm still working on this just a little bit....a few more links just for practice

Yet another cab driver is killed while working. I don't know how they do that - how much trust would you have to have to just let someone into your car?

The teacher was beaten down emotionally by the behavior of his students? Be a man! (sorry - was that insensitive?)

Note to self: Never give or receive restaurant gift certificates!

Just trying a couple of other little tricks. What does this look like?

And just let me add one more picture...

Okay - I'm done playing now.

I just had quite the hissy fit because I couldn't get my workspace to look right. Now I'll add the links yet again and see what they look like.

Two words - Vikings tonight

I wanna go see Freaky Friday. who's going with me?

Okay - let's see if this works. Are ya proud of me?!?

By the way, I'm gonna need some reminding again of how to do my archives...

I want to add a picture!

I think I did it. Whatcha think?

Now I'm wanting to add some more stuff. Why? Because I can! And besides, I need the practice.

So how does it look?

Stay tuned for the new improved version of the daily cheleblog. Now new and improved with PICTURES!

Your comments and feedback are solicited. But be nice. You know how sensitive I can be...