I'm off to hike the Appalachian Trail and work on my book

In my absence, my staff will be handling the blog and fielding queries and comments (as well as mice).
































Please be patient if you do not receive an immediate response. The staff is very busy at present, but will eventually get to your query.




If I manage to get an Internet connection, may post this coming week. If not will be back the week of July 6, hopefully with tan lines.

Pitchman Billy Mays goes Kaboom!

The world has lost another voice (literally) with the death this morning of pitchman extraordinaire Billy Mays, who, like Michael Jackson, was only 50 years old.

No cause of death has (as of this writing) been reported for Billy Mays, who was found dead in his Tampa, FL, home, but Vince the ShamWow guy is being sought for questioning.

Now who will yell at me to buy all sorts of great-sounding but totally useless stuff?! Sigh.

RIP Billy Mays.

UPDATED 8/7/09: According to a recently completed autopsy, OxiClean was not the only white powder Pitchman Billy Mays was sniffin'. While technically Mays died from a heart attack, officials found cocaine in his system, which, they said, contributed to (or brought on) the heart attack. So that's why he was always so hyper and loud....

First Ed. Then Farrah. Now Michael. I feel like part of my childhood just died.

For all of us who grew up or came of age in the 1970s, this was a very sad week, as we lost three icons of that period: Ed McMahon, Farah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson.

Take a walk with me down memory lane, won't you, as we revisit everyone's favorite 1970s sidekick...



An angel*...



and smooth operator (I just love this ad)



... and pop king (pre-plastic surgery, sequined glove, spandex pants, and chimps)...



R.I.P.

*Though she wasn't my favorite; I actually preferred Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith and even Cheryl Ladd. I did, however, buy the iconic Farrah poster for a boy I had a crush on, who had a crush on Farrah.

Things that really piss me off (short version, in no particular order )

Because kvetching (in moderation) is good for the soul... and the heart... and the gut... : )

Rain. Enough already. Another few days of this and I'll have to trade in my Mini for an ark.

Renaming the Triborough Bridge the RFK Bridge. What the heck was wrong with Triborough? How many of the millions of people who actually use the bridge do you think remember or know that Robert F. Kennedy was a Senator from New York (or care) -- and will henceforth refer to it as the RFK Bridge? (See "Avenue of the Americas.") Which member of the Kennedy clan was blowing Eliot Spitzer?

Getting addicted to a product sold only at Trader Joe's only to have Trader Joe's suddenly discontinue or stop selling it. (God, I miss Gingeroos. Best ginger cookie EVER.)

The sacrifice bunt. I don't care what the spouse says, it's stupid.

Professional sports teams with losing (i.e., under .500) records that make it into the playoffs. What is up with that?

People who don't use their turn signal -- or flip it on after they've come to a screeching halt or are already halfway into the other lane.

Similarly, people who are so effing busy chatting on their cell phones -- without a headset or ear piece -- that they drive right through red lights and stop signs. (One nearly killed me as I was driving to pick up my daughter from camp today.)

Supermarket baggers who haven't a clue how to bag.

Being ignored in a restaurant.

Bleach splash.

People who cut in line.

Traffic, particularly the kind caused by rubbernecking. (Will there ever NOT be construction on I-95?)

Celebrities who piss away their money in lavish style then whine and cry and seem absolutely amazed when it's all gone and the bank is foreclosing on their house.

Reality TV stars. (See also "people who are famous for being famous" and "being blonde isn't a talent.")

Hypocritical politicians (see Mark Sanford, John Ensign, Eliot Spitzer, Newt Gingrich, etc.).

What are some things that really piss you off? Let me know via a Comment.

(Note: Personal attacks and inappropriate comments will be deleted.)

Spanx for men? Male "enhancing" underwear has arrived.

Wish I had known about this before Father's Day! Well, better late than never. And while Equmen, the Aussie company that makes the high-performance, male enhancing undershirt and skivvies featured in the video, wants you to think that any man could benefit from its high-tech compression clothing, I think not (as the video proves).

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Btw, as I recently learned, Equmen is hardly the only maker of men's compression undergarments. Many leading sports apparel companies, such as Nike and Under Armour, sell men's compression shorts (which, frankly, sound painful).

Welcome to our world, gents!

In other underwear-related news... apparently the contents of a man's underwear drawer says a lot about the state of the economy (amongst other things). "If men are wearing threadbare jocks - or worse, undies with holes - the nation is in real trouble, according to a growing number of economists who say the condition of men's underwear is a valuable fiscal indicator," wrote Rachel Wells in the Sydney Morning Herald earlier this month.

CNBC even did a piece on the Undies Index (the video is quite amusing), which is attributed to former US Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan. Btw, on the critical "boxers vs. briefs" question, the former Fed chairman had no comment.

UPDATED 2/8/10: Big news, people: Spanx has just announced it has created... (drum roll, please) Spanx for men! You can read all about it here.

Surfing has gone to the dogs

Watch out, Moondoggie! You've got some real four-legged competition! Who knew Jack Russell Terriers (two of whom won their respective categories) could hang twenty? And just looking at the basset hound and the bulldog (see the video) make me smile.

Btw, all proceeds from the 4th Annual Loews Surf Dog Competition went to its Good Neighbor Partner, Modest Needs Foundation, an organization that aims to prevent poverty before it begins.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Hmm... Wonder what the chances are of getting Felix and Flora to surf...

JibJab reveals Barack Obama's secret identity (video)

During the campaign, Barack Obama was frequently portrayed as Superman, fighting for truth, justice, and change. More recently, after the notorious White House fly incident, some in the press have been comparing the President of the United States to Spider-Man.

But after checking out the latest JibJab video, titled "He's Barack Obama," maybe a modern, hipper (and, okay, bigger-eared) version of Captain America is more appropriate.

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

[H/T to my sister-in-law, who not only told me about the clip but got me the Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter for Father's Day. Thanks JudgeJ.!]

While I think the JibJab video is cute, I don't think it's a great idea to portray politicians (even the President of the United States) as superheroes. They have big enough egos. Ditto athletes.

Just because someone is good at what he does doesn't make him a hero.

Though if Obama does manage to fix the financial mess, help create jobs, get us out of Iraq and Afghanistan safely -- and doesn't get us embroiled in a war with Iran or North Korea, make health care affordable for everyone while keeping the quality of care high, get kids to stay in school, find a cure for baldness, and doesn't bankrupt the country, I will absolutely consider him a hero -- or make sure someone at least names a sandwich after him.