Amuse-Bouche

• Let’s just pause for a moment shall we and visually inhale the sartorial splendor that is Michael Stipe.  Looking at this is better than Yoga. It’s right up there with lying on your back in the grass on a perfect summer afternoon and watching the clouds whirl overhead while sipping cherry Kool-Aid from a thermos lid...
  

• In response to the outrage over monkeying with the English subtitles in the DVD edition of Swedish film 'Let the Right One In,’ Magnolia Entertainment has stated they will use the original captions from the cinematic release on all further copies.  For people who bought one of the currently-released DVD's, Magnolia will not be issuing refunds. I wonder how 'gypped' translates.
    
  
• If food auctions ever hit here, I’d stock up on condiments. Nothing gets you through hard times like mustard sandwiches or pasta with ketchup. Relish is fruit, right?
  
  
• The New York Times reports that Vice President Joe Biden’s daughter Ashley has been allegedly caught on tape snorting cocaine at a party and the person shopping the tape is asking for $400,000.  If this is true, I don’t know if it bothers me more that she’s: a) the daughter of the Vice-President of the United States or; b) a social worker or; c) a social worker with anger managemet issues.  I know social work is an extremely demanding job and cocaine use is certainly far from unheard of in the demanding realm of lawyers, restaurant kitchen staff and literally making the downtime ‘fly’ in professional car sales. However, the Post takes the article to a whole new level of distasteful T(oo) M(uch) I(nformation) by revealing Joe Biden’s two sons are named Beau and Hunter.  See, cocaine and “rules are for the little people” behaviour from the children of powerful public figures I can digest, no problem. Palin-esque names, I can't. Particularly not on a quiet, rainy Sunday. I feel violated and invaded. I need to scroll back up and refresh my sensibilities with that Michael Stipe picture.