THERE'S NO MERCY IN FOOTBALL

My college team, the University of Wisconsin-Madison Badgers, is winning its football game against the Temple Owls, 51-0. At halftime. With the second string in.

I kinda feel sorry for the Owls. But unlike softball, there's no mercy rule in football. They'll have to play this out until the end.

Maybe we should suit up the band and send them in. Or the cheerleaders.

POOR MARKTING

I was invited by a couple friends to join them for dinner. They said they were going to the Market Restaurant at Ninth Ave. and 14th St. So I wanted to find out a little about the place beforehand, and I Googled it. Nothing. I found Spice Market and Chelsea Market in the neighborhood, but no Market. Could it be that new?

Nevertheless at the appointed time I took a cab and went to Ninth and 14th, and sure enough, there it was, right on the corner--except it was Markt, not Market. It's a Belgian restaurant, and they used the Flemish spelling. Not a really great marketing ploy. But the food was very good, and the service was excellent.

YOU CAN'T BE SERIAL

My wife's new laptop (excuse me, notebook) computer arrived today. It has no parallel, serial or mouse ports. Everything is USB today--except our old peripherals. We already ordered a replacement for her old HP Laserjet 4L, which sounds like it's going to spit out pieces with every page it prints. And I happen to have a cordless USB mouse I've never gotten around installing on my computer, so I can use that.

The computer also has no floppy drive. My wife likes to immediately back up all her documents on floppies, so I ordered a USB floppy drive also. That will fill all three USB ports, so if we get anything else I'll have to get a USB hub.

It is kind of amazing about the serial port, though. I remember my first real computer back in 1982 (not counting the VIC-20 toy), the original Compaq. It didn't have a serial port either. It was portable, though--if you consider a 30 lb. suitcase portable.

GO MARTINA!

Martina Navratilova has made it into the doubles semi-finals of the U.S. Open, at the age of 48! She just keeps going and going and going.

OH MY GOODNESS! I AGREE WITH NEWT GINGRICH!

Liz Smith reports:

FOX NEWS emperor Bill O'Reilly tells us in Katrina's wake that if we — Americans — depend on the United States government for any reason, we are certain to be disappointed. Always. The government of the United States cannot help you. Bill's advice to America (to the poor of New Orleans, especially) is educate yourself and get a well-paying job. Only then can you avoid standing on a "metaphorical rooftop" when the next disaster rolls around. Bill did not give the poor any advice on how one finds a proper education or a job. Remember, the government can't help.

Oh, Newt Gingrich told Bill — in the nicest possible way, because they are friends — that his government theory was, well . . . "un-American."

BOB DENVER IS DEAD

Bob Denver has died at the age of 70. While most people remember him as the Gilligan of "Gilligan's Island," I always liked him better in his earlier role of Maynard G. Krebs, the bearded beatnik in "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis," so workophobic that even hearing the word "work" would cause him to react in horror. Thanks for all the laughs, Maynard,Gilligan, Bob.

A CD ON THE SUPREMES?

Over on the Myhusbandbetty boards Michelle wrote:

[A] close friend of mine (a partner in a large Phoenix law firm) who knows Justice O'Connor well related to me yesterday that she likes Roberts well enough but wishes, in her words, "that he wore a skirt".

She wants a crossdresser on the Court?
Seriously, I'm crossing my fingers and holding my breath on Roberts. He does seem to have an open mind, unlike Scalia and his wannabe sidekick. Supreme Court justices frequently do migrate toward the center, or even further--Earl Warren was considered to be a conservative judge when he was appointed.

As for O'Connor's next replacement, I also think a woman is quite possible. But I think Bush's first priority will be to find someone similar to Roberts.

And who knows? Maybe Roberts will wear a skirt under his robes. I'll send him one. Does anyone know his size?

CDI FUNDRAISER FOR HURRICANE VICTIMS

We're (Crossdressers International) putting together a fundraiser barbecue for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, on Wednesday, September 14. CDI will be matching individual contributions up to $20 (with a $500 total limit I think--we're not the richest TG group in the world). See the CDI website for details as they develop.

VERY LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA

I saw The Light in the Piazza last night. From the bit they performed at the Tony Awards I didn't expect that much, and I wasn't disappointed. The music was totally forgettable. The story was weak to start with, and degenerated almost to nonsense--in the second act characters changed their minds for no apparent reason.

The performances were good. Victoria Clark deserved her Tony for Actress in a Musical. The best part, though, were the costumes--the early 50's dresses worn by the younger actresses were to die for. Catherine Zuber deserved her Tony for them.

SISTER V. SISTER: UNAPPEALING UNPLEASANTNESS

One of the television sportscasters opined that everyone likes a Serena Williams versus Venus Williams match, except Serena and Venus. Piffle! I doubt their family likes it. I certainly don't. They generally play relatively poorly against each other--it's hard to exhibit a killer instinct when it's someone you love across the net.

At least the matches are not all one-sided. I rememeber when Andrea Jaeger had to play her older sister many years ago. Despite being ranked in the top 10, much higher than her sister, she kept losing to big sis. It took Andrea a number of tries before she was able to conquer her sibling.