nina turns 40

blogger blogging about bloggers blogging, bless my soul, it's quite mind boggling

My interview with Mel over at Chandrasutra is up.  Check it out here.  I hightly recommend the whole series, Mel has exquisite taste (not just cuz she picked me, either) and you're sure to find a new must-read among them.

nina and Pattie tinkle their way across Texas

For those of you just tuning in:  I recently took a trip to Texas to visit my good friend Cowtown Pattie.  Meeting someone for the first time in person whom you have known for years online can be a wee bit daunting, if only because your friends and family might not quite understand.  As Pattie's daughter said to her before my arrival, "Exactly how do you know this woman again?"  Luckily, we had at least one thing in common.  Without further ado, I present the next installment of What I Did On My Spring Vacation--Part II nina and Pattie Tinkle Their Way Across Texas:

What happens when you take two small-bladdered chicks, add coffee, juice, water, and Dr. Pepper, and then put them on the road?  They stop a lot, that's what.  We tinkled in Dublin, we peed in San Saba, we took potty breaks all over the place in Fredericksburg, and--I'm rather ashamed to admit--one of the things I remember most clearly about The Alamo was how quickly I made a beeline to the ladies' room once we got there. 

In my former ignorance about the Lone Star State, I never knew that Dr. Pepper was invented there (in Waco, to be precise).  Much to my delight, our route took us through Dublin, which is the home of the world's oldest Dr. Pepper bottling plant, and they are the only place you can still get it with the original cane sugar recipe, made to order.

Another cool thing about Dublin? Great wall art to take fotos of:

We both used the loo--of course--and ordered a super-giganto size Dr. P before heading back down the road. 

To be continued...

you say virgin, I say vagina

Have you seen that water stain in a Chicago freeway underpass that is supposed to look like the Virgin Mary?  [Yer gonna hafta Google it yerself folks, I'm at work.] Funny, but somehow my Rorsach-test interpretation of the stain was quite different.  Call it Our Lady of The Divine Chocha, if you must.

further proof that blogs are taking over

This article in the latest Business Week, headlined "Blogs Will Change Your Business" was written, in the print version of the mag, in the style of a blog: date and time stamped paragraphs, pseudo links, etc.  Of course, the magazine has started its own blog.  They're no fools.

BlogHer Con and what I've been up to

Among the numerous things that I've been meaning to do since I got back is to pimp BlogHer Con a bit.  One of my new blog loves, Jory Des Jardins, is on the organizing team, and it looks like it will be fabulous.  It's about women and blogging, two of my favorite things, but is open to everyone.  If you want to learn more, and I know you do, start here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I've been busy answering Mel's interview questions, which has sucked up most of my admittedly small reserve of writing and thinking energy.  I finally sent them off to her this morning, so I just might, perhaps, finish my post about Texas.

bzzzzzzzz

Miss Pattie has a hilarious account of one of our adventures under the above pictured tree.  She tells it way better than I ever could, so I'm glad she beat me to it.  Go read it now.

still not about Texas

I know a lot of folks think that Microsoft is the evil empire encarnate.  I'm not geek enough to care that much--my computer equipment is usually purchased for me or handed down, so I take what I get and am happy to have it, but local rag The Stranger has broken a story that has really pissed me off. 

"The Stranger has learned that last month the $37-billion Redmond-based software behemoth quietly withdrew its support for House bill 1515, the anti-gay-discrimination bill currently under consideration by the Washington State legislature, after being pressured by the Evangelical Christian pastor of a suburban megachurch. The pastor, Ken Hutcherson of Antioch Bible Church in Redmond, met with a senior Microsoft executive in February and threatened to organize a national boycott of the company's products if it did not change its stance on the legislation, according to gay rights activists and a Microsoft employee who attended a subsequent April 4 meeting where Bradford L. Smith, Microsoft's senior vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary, told a group of gay staffers about Hutcherson's threat."

Holy f*ck!  I expect this sort of thing in certain places, but here in Seattle, in the urban, secular, progressive, cutting-edge technology land of my heart?  Say it isn't so!  If a place as large and influential and rich as MS is so easily influenced by anti-gay church folks then alas, there is no hope.  Granted, as yet, MS hasn't stopped paying benefits to domestic partners, but need I remind you that the company is a huge influence 'round these parts, and others are likely to follow its lead in withdrawl of support for anti-discrimination legislature?  At least Scoble is still on the ball.  Read more about it  in this excellent post.

UPDATE: Ijust learned that the bill in question failed in the Washington State Senate by just one vote.

boys don't

I must confess I'm glad that the first person to break down and cry after being fired on The Apprentice was a guy.

stuff to do until I finish my next Texas trip post

Check out Chandrasutra's interview series, the blogger's blogger, in which I have been invited to participate.  Mine's not finished yet, which will come as no surprise to anyone who knows my track record with interviews and such, but there are several fascinating ones posted already, and of course I'll let you know when mine is up.

If you've been following any of the latest in the round of "guys don't link to women" debates, not to mention the infamous speech by Harvard president Lawrence Summers, do check out this fine and funny post, which I snatched from misbehaving.net.

Finally, there is a great parody of Time's Ann Coulter cover over at  The Heretik [via Rox Populi].

Texas, y'all!

I have been to the Alamo, seen a longhorn steer, and drunk Shiner Bock.  I ate Bar-B-Que, crossed the Trinity, Guadalupe, Colorado and Medina rivers, and took the requisite fotos of bluebonnets:

Cowtown Pattie is, as she might say herself, a hoot. She and her family took the best care of me, and I am forever grateful.  I have stories and more fotos, y'all, but right now I want to hang out with the kidlet, who I missed one heck of a lot more than he appears to have missed me (which is as it should be).