Come for the race, stay for the fight!

I had the little neighbor girl's room finished on time and (barely) under budget! She really loved it, too. So did her friends, who came over for a sleepover for her birthday. I'm very happy about that. I also think more jobs may come from it.

However, a more important celebration occurred this weekend. L'Ailee turned 31 on Saturday. When other people say "Don't make a big deal", they usually mean, "Please make a big deal!" Not her. My introvert girl was happy to receive a pair of titanium-and-diamond earrings from me, have a raspberry-and-chocolate icebox cake, and walk around the city a bit. Do you know, that sweet girl--and she never thinks of that as an adjective for her, but it *is*--gave *me* a gift? It was a small one, a pack of Happy Feet stickers that she just couldn't resist passing up for me, but how amazing was it for her to give me something on her day anyway?!

Last year, she freaked out over thirty. A lot of it was because people kept telling her her metabolism and joints would just completely go to hell, like a car the month after you make your last payment. Her body has, so far, failed to go all to hell, TTG. :-) Plus she's had a year to get used to being thirty-something, and there were no joke gifts like the ones we gave her last year. Even my mother and brother sent her gift cards, which she loved. I'm glad my mom acknowledges her as a daughter-in-law now. For too long, she considered L'Ailee "the little Russian bitch", or if she was feeling polite, just a temporary way station in my life. That changed abruptly right before we went to Massachusetts. So far it hasn't changed back.

Another really cute butch woman came to my company today, and I had to look. Who knew temptation came with a dolly and a back belt?! She was delivering Pepsi products, which of course made her alluring to me anyway, but she also had a delicately pretty face, good muscles, and a lip ring. (I always want to know how that would feel to kiss, but that's one thing L'Ailee will never try, which is just as well.) She gave me a free Diet Pepsi Jazz! I'd feel guilty, except that L'Ailee looks at other women and the soda tastes really good and damn it, it's nice to know I *have* it sometimes. Most of the time, I think my wife is the only woman who considers me at all attractive.

We've decided we don't like Carl Edwards anymore. L'Ailee thought Tony Stewart's penalty for rough driving was more than fair, and so did I, to be perfectly honest. If he were more calculating and less emotional, like Jeff Gordon or Ryan Newman, he'd know to shake his fist at Clint Bowyer *or* bang into him, but not both. Carl Edwards was on the other side of Clint Bowyer, so his car was an inadvertent casualty. The boys kept fighting throughout the race. I really don't like that after the penalties, the exchanges of gestures, etc., Edwards decided to threaten Stewart in the post-race interview: "I've got to choose my words carefully - if it weren't for the respect of the sport and the people watching and his team, he'd be out there bleeding right now," Edwards fumed. "That's so frustrating. How can a person make it this far in life being such a jerk?" Well, I think Carl would know! Contrast this to Tony's response. I'm very glad he's back in the top 10 for points now, and very glad that they all have a week to calm down before the Brickyard! I'm thinking NASCAR's new motto, particularly during the Chase, should be "Come for the race, stay for the fight!"

Regarding my arms, I'm using Veet on them. The stubble came back dark and *very* prickly. The color was similar to how my hair gets naturally in winter, so that didn't freak me out--I know a couple of surfing excursions would lighten it back up, if I wanted. But I love how it feels when I swim, and I'm more used to it now. My body hair is relatively light, but it's also thick. I tease my brother about being the Abominable Snowman because of his white-blond back hair. I'm not *quite* that way, but I figure if people have noticed a difference all on their own, it's because there was something to notice!

Oh, and I've got some links.

Abraham Cherrix doesn't have to report for chemo...for now. I'm a bit divided on this one--I mean, chemotherapy can really help. But it can also really hurt, and it seems like this 16-year-old and his parents did a lot of research and put in a lot of thought. I also think there's something to be said for living a short and happy life as opposed to enduring miserable attempts to prolong life. I do not believe that the hospital or a court had any right to force the family to accept this treatment, and I'm glad there's a judge with sense out there. Cases like this can make bad precedents for the rest of us.

Sinead performs an all-too-timely song from her upcoming CD in Italy. Very powerful, very pointed, very pretty, just like her. A bit long, but if the rest of the CD's like this, I'm looking forward to it!

The Goodridges, who have made other same-sex marriages possible, have separated.

An economist explains why banning candy from schools won't help anything. My brother and I would certainly have circumvented the rule--we both had coolers in our lockers during very temporary soda bans in the high school we both attended!

Operation Save America has alienated its supporters.

And while I have a weakness for all black-and-white creatures, these unfortunately-marked cats did make me rethink that for a hot second...