I'm not the type of person to freak out over something like the mad cow scare, but I'll be honest, it did cross my mind as I opted for the chicken crispers last week at Chili's. Chili's just seems like the kind of place that would let some poison meat slip by (apparently you can't really get mad cow from beef that's used in foods).

Tangentially, I was shocked to discover while watching VH1's "I Love the '80s" (one of the most addictive
things on TV) that Chicken McNuggets were not introduced until 1982.

I won't go so far as to create a top 10 list for this, but in my book it's a dead heat between Asian and black kids for the coveted title of cutest little kid ethnicity. White kids can be cute, too, but for my money I'd definitely go with ethnic kids. Hispanics and Native Americans are also cuter, while you gotta admit Arabs are also very "in" right now, what with the war on terror and all.

There's definitely a non-linear relationship between ownership of cats and being fucking nuts. Owning one cat or, in the case of families, up to two cats is perfectly normal, but once you get into that 1 cat/household member ratio, it can get pretty scary.

Rosa suggested a great radio station that has its stream available online--Seattle's KEXP. I've never been much for internet radio, despite the fact that I love looking for new music. It took me all of one day listening to find a new band and go out and buy a new cd--Her Space Holiday, Young Machines. The only comparison I can make is to "Fresh Feeling" by eels; simple beats, strings, and chill vocals. Dope. There's also a massive live section with in-studio performances by almost every band whose cd I've bought in the last year--Interpol, Earlimart, Flaming Lips, The Stills, Nada Surf, the list goes on.

I saw "Big Fish" tonight--great movie. Highly recommended...I think I might add a little sidebar with my ratings of movies I've seen recently, but until then here you go...I've heard people rate movies by their willingness to see it in the theaters/rent it/wait for it on tv/etc, so that's how I'll do this:

The Last Samurai - 2x in the theater full price
Big Fish - 1x in the theater full price, 1x matinee
Secretary - Watch it on HBO
Elf - 1x in the theater full price, 1x matinee
School of Rock - 2x in the theater full price
Sum of All Fears - 1x in the theater full price

The best shows on TV right now, in no particular order:

Reno 911!
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Arrested Development
Line of Fire
Late Night w/Conan