Yesterday, I listened to a bunch of CDs for free and then decided not to buy any.

It was at an HMV store, at the listening stations. What, you thought I meant MP3s, didn't you? Kazaa can't help me kill an hour between appointments downtown.

Anyway, my heart swelled with school spirit (a rare thing for me indeed) to see that my fellow alumna Dar Williams has a new album at #31 on HMV's charts. That's crazy. I remember when she was an obscure folk musician with one full-length album. Some friends of mine saw her play a student lounge at my college, for crying out loud. Go Dar!

I figured out part of the reason for the sudden popularity (well, not so sudden. She's had a growing cult following for years). According to her website, a major commerical radio station in Boston is playing one of her songs. Also, like Aimee Mann, whose website streams all the tracks on her most recent album, Dar's website has a Flash player that serves up all the songs on the new album in random order.

Now, I have four Dar Williams albums and I'm not sure I need another one. But it's good to see a hardworking artist start getting some mainstream exposure.

By the way, the complete list of other Wesleyan alumni you might have heard of: Dana Delaney, Joss Whedon, Robin Cook, John Perry Barlow, and, er, the guys who made PCU. Either we shun such base things as celebrity to pursue worthier goals, or we're unambitious and flaky. No comment.

Another workplace shooting. He was a temp. I'm not ruling out justifiable homicide.

What do lovesick geeks do when their partners travel without them? Watch the plane land.

LA Times: "Europeans think Americans are ignorant, bullying, greedy, trigger-happy barbarians. Americans think Europeans are snobbish, cowardly, bureaucratic, decadent, traitorous wimps. That, at least, might be the conclusion drawn by a visitor from another planet these days. The Iraq crisis has brought the relationship between the United States and Europe to new lows, unleashing ugly instincts and shrill voices on both sides."

Maybe there's more public squabbling these days, but Europeans and Americans have always thought dumb things about each other. Though I'd be tempted to say that, while they don't apply to the Americans *I* fill my world with, the Euro stereotypes about us are closer to the mark than the uninformed American hatred of, say, all things French just on general principle. And it's really not fair to hate the Germans anymore because of the Third Reich unless we're going to equally hate ourselves because of Japanese internment, Jim Crow, slavery, our treatment of American Indians, etc etc etc. C'mon. It *could* happen here. (And plenty of Americans living in Europe do, in fact, hate themselves and their country, but that state of denial is another topic for another day.)

When I was living in Germany, I felt like the freakin' US ambassador. Europeans rarely guessed I was American, and I hope I dispelled some stereotypes with my general politeness, intelligence, and willingness to speak a few words of a foreign language occasionally. ("But you're *American*! And you're speaking *German*!") Likewise, few Americans believe me when I say I visited Paris for four days and found everyone exceptionally nice, despite my absolutely craptastic tourist French.

The basic problem here is ignorance. Not stupidity, not meanness, but simple lack of knowledge. How many people are homophobic because they think they don't know any gay people? How many double-takes have I gotten, right here in the US, when it comes up in conversation that I come from a Jewish family? ("But you don't *look* Jewish...") Going back to an earlier conversation, why do East Coasters who've never been west of the Mississippi think California is to be avoided because of the high freak content? Go out, travel, meet some people. If you have the resources, use them. Then come back and tell everyone else.

Twenty inches of snow on the way?

Really, why does anyone live here?

Well, I've got food, catfood, toilet paper, and booze. Bring it on.

My relationship couldn't be better. Honestly. Sharing my life with this guy for another 50 years or so, God-or-whoever willing, seems like a treat, not a chore. And you know what? I still think Valentine's Day is pretty stupid, just like I did when I was an embittered, celibate teenager. Sure, it's cute the first time you're not single on that day, so you get to see what the fuss is about. But otherwise, I'll take an anniversary any time, thanks. If you were single yesterday, I hope you didn't feel bad. If you were coupled, I hope you didn't feel too obligated.

So we spent V-Day at a friend's house eating Chinese food, drinking homebrew, listening to Miles Davis, and bitching about the government (and the idiots wrapping their houses in plastic). That couldn't have been better, either :)

Let's review. Plastic and duct tape aren't going to save us from biological or chemical attacks. The government knows this, but is telling us to buy them anyway. People are doing it, just to keep busy so they don't worry so much.

1) Do you need any more proof that the government misleads us, and that their statements should be viewed critically and not swallowed whole?
2) Lots of people in this country need hobbies.
3) People seem to have trouble grokking that if some baddie lets loose with biowarfare, chemical weapons, or -- hello -- nukes, we're screwed. Just screwed. So if these really are our last days (which I doubt), make 'em good -- don't spend 'em wrapping your house in plastic.

Oh yeah. Happy Hallmark Day. Are you buying lots of crap for your sweetie like a good American?

I heard the Ramones' "I Wanna Be Sedated" once on Tuesday night and twice on Wednesday. Twenty, twenty, twenty-four hours to go til *what*?

I also heard the Monkees at two different bars last night. Why? Why?!

Looking on the bright side, I finally got around to watching the anti-SUV ads that are such a genius response to the idiotic smoke-pot-and-you're-a-terrorist/let's-take-a-dig-at-the-pro-choicers-while-we're-at-it war on drugs ads.

I am so sick of winter. Especially winter in my old, cold house where I can't afford to crank the heat. A highlight of my weekend was I stayed at a friend's house and the heat (which she does not control) was up so high I could sleep without my socks on. Woo hoo!

Currently playing on MP3: "California Dreamin'." I'd be safe and warm if I was in L.A., yo.

My friend Josh is getting married today. If you live in the Boston area and drink beer, buy him (and yourself!) a present: tickets to the Boston Beer Summit, which Josh organizes. The event doesn't take place until April 5 but it will sell out.

Mature drinkers only, please; I'm volunteering for this thing and I don't want to swab your puke off the floor.

* That damn (Massachusetts) Protestant work ethic.

* The Henry Rollins 7-word diet plan

* More Boston-metro institutions possibly under siege: the drag club, Skewers and the nearby liquor store, the semi-scuzzy all-ages arcade, and my local non-Starbucks, gay/AA coffeehouse. Yes, let's make this already snoozy area as vanilla as possible!

* Year of the Goat? Year of the Sheep? Eh. Year of the Shroat (via Elkit).

* I baked lemon-glazed muffins (for a gathering that was cancelled, but I decided I still wanted the muffins) and strawberrry-blueberry pie with a hazelnut crust (for a potluck) this weekend. Yum. Baking is not as hard as I'd always thought, and cheap. I feel sorry for people who use, as a friend put it last night, "any diet with a name." Except for the Henry Rollins diet, of course.