What's in the News These Days?

News coverage of celebrity deaths has become a cottage industry, hasn’t it? I can only imagine the number of LA residents whose full time job involves listening to police scanners all day, trying to recapture the magic that was Anna Nicole Smith.

At least the coverage since Michael Jackson died last Thursday hasn’t been THAT over the top (all things being relative). I was in the San Diego airport [shocker] watching CNN spend the first 30 minutes of their coverage running nonsensical footage of an entry gate while a trailer across the bottom of the screen indicated that “media outlets are reporting Michael Jackson’s death”….ummm, YOU’RE a media outlet, CNN. I don’t think you get to hedge your bets on this death thing just in case Michael Jackson turns out to be in the back of an ambulance with Dr. Phil. I mean…you’re CNN for chrissakes…not a blog.

Upon final confirmation, CNN immediately cut to Al Sharpton giving a presser in Harlem. Seriously? I know Michael Jackson had his issues, but I think he deserves better than Al Sharpton as an official spokesperson. Besides, just because you’re black and crazy doesn’t mean you get to speak for all black and....eccentric.

But it was no more than 11 minutes after he died, and CNN had a 400 word obituary up on their website. I know they pre-write these things for the next most likely candidates, but Michael Jackson? Does Miley Cyrus know her obituary is already written?

I bet the only person in America who really wants more of this Jackson coverage is Mark Sanford.

Summer Hours

I am back blogging again...but I have negotiated a Jon Stewart-like schedule - Monday through Thursdays with Friday's off. So tune in tomorrow when I don't air a re-run.

But Molly Hasn't Changed...

I may have taken a hiatus from blogging…but rest easy that Molly hasn’t changed a bit. While she hasn’t bitten any mailmen lately, she DID trap one of our dinner guests in the bathroom last month. (I mean of COURSE she’s ill-behaved. Let’s count how many dinner parties she attended during the first 11 years of her life in Nashville…ummm, yeah there was that one…lessee, and that other night….oh yeah, that’s right… ZERO would be how many dinner parties she attended before moving into the Williams-Sonoma sponsored epicenter of entertaining fetes here in California)

And there was that one incident where she nibbled on the neighbor’s finger…and it required stitches…and who even KNEW that you have arteries in your finger anyway??? Puh-leaze.

But even with her curmudgeon side, she has COMPLETELY conned the dog sitter into thinking she is starving to death. Yeah, you know the little Spanish cleaning lady who can’t seem to tolerate ME – yeah, she’s slipping Molly puperoni on the sly. “But ze is so hungreee.”

But ALL of that is going to pale in comparison to the story I will have to tell if she ever catches that skunk in the back yard.

Riding with the Boys

My brother has recently started riding bikes. Despite coming to the sport in his fifties, he has really taken to it. So it was quite exciting that during my recent trip home, I got to ride with him and his buddies.

Upon joining the group…my first reaction was “Wow – and I thought girls spent a lot of money on their riding ensembles”. Clearly, it’s important to look good at 6 in the morning in Southern Indiana when not another living soul is awake to see you. Who knew they even made NASCAR biking apparel? Having not packed appropriately for the trip, I tried to ignore the fact that I was wearing one of dad’s old t-shirts and a set of knee socks.

I did notice that in between their 19 mph pace…there was a lot of banter about why my brother had to cut his ride short for an antique show. Then they quickly settled into a discussion about how they never get to ride very much…but that was mostly in between discussions of their Tuesday, Saturday, Sunday and weekday rides.

But if any of you are trying to feel better about your biking…might I suggest that you spend an entire ride drafting off some solid, 6’3” joe of a biker in Southern Indiana. I only had to peddle about once every six strokes and still managed 19 mph. Those tiny little bitches in California never create THAT kind of slipstream. But these guys really ARE great - there’s even a post-ride newsletter…but it mostly recounts the wrecks during the ride and includes helpful hints like “broken collarbones – fact or fiction”.

She may be back...

Top 10 reasons I may start blogging again:

• My boss has finally taken a vacation
• Most of my family has started talking to me again, so I figured…what the heck
• Molly’s intensive, in-patient obedience classes are finally over (if by “over”, you mean expelled)
• The summer really is high season for me doing stupid things…wait til I tell you about this sunburn…
• I finally managed to thin the herd of readers…don't tell Anonymous I'm back
• I actually did blog the entire spring – but thought better of posting any of the 53 installments about someone’s 50th birthday
• I cannot let another Sarah Palin appearance go by unremarked
• Did anyone know Rita took a new job
• Popular demand. Seriously, both emails were greatly appreciated.