I can't be held responsible for what I might do if I hear either one of the two following songs ever again: "This Love" by Maroon 5 or "The First Cut is the Deepest" as sung by Sheryl Crow. They are in near constant rotation on my coworker's radio. I'd rather listen to the royal coronation muzak they play at the bookstore where I work. Between that and the lady whose laugh makes me want to kill myself a little bit, I just don't know.

Thanks Joe, for the swell poster. It reminds me of the SJP Gap ad I can't shut up about. It will class up the (take your pick) shabby shitty/shabby shacky/shabby shabby design aesthetic I currently have going at my place. You're sweet.

My friend Amie came over Saturday. We rented one pretty good movie and one that was an experiment in torture. The schlock-fest was Stage Beauty-boring and uneven with an ill-suited score that drove Amie crazy. Rieschelle left before it was even over. The best thing about it was trying to come up things worse than being forced to watch it again with director's commentary. The Slipping Down Life was the pretty good one. The movie stars Lili Taylor, who is so cool. Sara Rue has a small part in it- she's too cute. The movie has that quirky, small town slice-of-life feel, much like What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Heavy and All the Real Girls. It was a fun time, even with my embarrassing gushing about The X-Files and the new Sarah Jessica Parker Gap ad.

Weird tangent alert:

Amie thinks her car smells like mold. I think it smells kind of like chocolate chips.

Joe got back from his New York trip in one piece. Whew.

Tonite my friend Rieschelle and I did laundry. The place we go to is marginally clean and only a tiny bit sketchy. (High marks for two people with OCD) Plus it features a quaint Western-themed mural. My friend Amie has cute laundry stories which include conscientious ladies who pick up litter and fold tiny, pink clothes. On the contrary, I usually encounter one of two things- old men Spray'n'Washin' their dirty drawers or scary dogs. Tonite it was scary, scary dogs. Rieschelle shielded me, as she knows dogs freak me out. Thanks Rieschelle.

Quote o' the day:

"I don't even know why they make tapered jeans."

Later on we watched What Not To Wear. One of the co-hosts, Clinton Kelly, uttered his disdain for tapered jeans. I cheered. I love this show. That Stacy London is so chic. They always do such a smart job with their makeover candidates, without resorting to the creepy tactics of shows like Extreme Makeover and The Swan. Plus the show has just the right amount of snark factor.

I'm about halfway through with Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. It is so sad and lovely.

Not much new to report here. Bravo is running a Queer Eye mini-marathon. The boys are in London. Right now their subject is a scraggly redhead who looks like a cross between Tim Roth and the lead singer of Simply Red. Kyan Douglas looks even more dashing than normal, which is no easy feat. He just referred to sandwiches as "sammies."

Quote of the day:

"And John Stamos plays a pimp in it."

Gina, my cubicle mate at work, gave a spirited account of a made-for-tv movie she just watched called Daughter of the Streets. The cringe-inducing dialogue she recited and the fact that Stamos plays a pimp named Joey puts it on my must see list. Sold.

Other must see movies:

Sin City

The Squid and the Whale

Strangers with Candy: The Movie

More to follow........

Sad as it may be, one of the perks of my life right now is the gritty crime drama The Shield. It is my favorite cop show, second only to Homicide: Life on the Street. My favorite character is Dutch, the dorky and bookish detective. I thought last season's Armenian mob moneytrain storyline was riveting, but this season is shaping up to be quite explosive as well. My mom is two hours ahead in Wisconsin and always gives me a heads up on the show. Tonite's hint: "Aceveda has really gone off the deep end." How true Mom, how true.

My brother Joe is in New York City for spring break. Of course I'm jealous as hell. I'm glad he did not choose some cliched frathole destination for his travels. So far his highlights seem to be the cinema (he gave rave reviews to The Downfall) and the "hot Russian chicks." His stories bring me back to my own jaunt to the Big Apple, way back in 1997, with my friend Kaela. I just loved the art museums (Klee! Rauschenberg! Lichtenstein!), Central Park and the endless comparisons to Woody Allen movies. Plus we caught a glimpse of the always quirky Michael Ian Black. My only regret is having missed a taping of Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Next time. Have fun Puder.