. . . was, well—an interesting experience, from what I hear.

Posted by: Attila Girl at 08:13 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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that particular line did come off like a joke. Not a particularly funny one, but a joke.

After all, I suspect Coulter hasn't missed an election in years.

Posted by: Attila Girl at 06:43 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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This all sounds pretty normal to me.

Of course, I'm from Whittier.

Posted by: Attila Girl at 02:57 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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A: Good news! The estrogen fairy has come. That means I'll be out of the man-hating business for the next 7-10 days.

B: Excellent. That takes attention away from really good things, like gin-appreciation.

A: Or, more to the point—vodka.

B: Lush. How are things going at the church?

A: Really well. Are you guys still saying the rosary?

B: Yes.

A: Cool. I'm thinking of becoming a nun.

B: I'm not sure . . . you might want to think that over just a little bit.

A: No, it's okay. Now that I'm older, I'm really good at going without sex. I can manage a whole ten days at a time these days.

B: Look. You've got the wrong time frame. The horizon has to be a bit further out than that, if you're thinking of joining an order.

A: Right. Good thinking. Well, I'll mull it over a bit longer.

Posted by: Attila Girl at 02:51 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Finally. And that's just installment #1!

Posted by: Attila Girl at 08:25 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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. . . at the top GOP candidates' websites (those of Fred Thompson, Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, and Mitt Romney) convinces me that one of the most important things a politician's site can do is to have an "issues" tab that leads to a clear, coherent set of thoughts on how that candidate will address the leading questions of the day.

Preferably without any scrolling or further clicking before one gets into the substance of the candidates' positions; the basic data should be available to non-wonks who are in a hurry.

So far, only Rudy and Fred really pass that test. (Rudy, however, gets mixed marks: it's nice to have an audio-visual presentation that accompanies his positions text, but it's unfortunate that the video plays automatically. Web pages should always ask permission before turning the sound on. Also, the Rudy "issues speech" presents information in a different order than that of the actual text. This is almost worse than not having it at all.)

On the other hand, Ann Romney has her own website, which is kind of cool. It would be even cooler if her site had equal billing with those of Mitt's sons (that is, in the site's actual navigation bar; one hopes his web team is planning on putting it there soon). And it would be excellent if she passed the "no surprise sound" test. (Sounds on a website should exercise the basic courtesy that vampires extend to their prey: they shouldn't get into one's home uninvited.)

I'm trying to think of a kind of hell that would be worse than being a close family member—or a spouse—of someone who is running for a high public office. It escapes me. I'm sure that the ordeal is made worse by having to pretend that one doesn't hate every minute of it.

Of course, the Ann site doesn't seem to contain any actual, you know—blog entries. So it's still a bit anemic, despite the distinction of being first. Sometimes, being first doesn't matter . . .

Memo to the John McCain people: get the biographical info onto its own page! Stuff like that doesn't belong on the home page; it smacks of John "I Served in Vietnam" Kerry. We know McCain's record, and we respect it. But enough is enough.

Posted by: Attila Girl at 04:48 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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. . . I have to decide what kind of gin I want in my martini. I feel that this really brings me close to the memory of my great-great-grandfather, who used to ferry people to the West Coast over the Oregon Trail.

I'm sure at the end of a long day, as they circled the wagons and started a campfire, my g-g-g was wondering whether it was a Bombay Saffire night or a Tanqueray occasion.

Times were hard back then, and I imagine he had to go without ice now and then. But he was a tough guy, like his descendent, the blogging chick.

Of course, it might be a slightly different type of toughness, now that I come to think about it. He probably had to hunt small game to keep the wagon train fed. I hunt grammatical errors, to keep my Cruiser fed.

Other than that, it's exactly the same lifestyle.

Posted by: Attila Girl at 07:55 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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I'm at the restaurant with my mother. She insists on picking up the tab. I protest, but I'm secretly relieved.

The waitress runs her card, and comes back with two pieces of paper. They are both the same color (white). Neither of them says "customer copy," or "merchant copy," or anything that obvious.

"I can't figure out which one is mine," she complains.

"Hand 'em over," I insist.

After less than a second of examining the slips I give them back, explaining that "this one is yours; they put a thank-you note at the bottom of it."

Had I looked for another split second, I would have noticed the fact that the merchant copy had a line on it for her to sign.

Later that evening, as we were discussing the oddity of being nearsighted in one eye, and farsighted in the other, it occurred to me that not only is that a potentially adaptable trait; it might also be one of the reasons I'm such a good proofreader.

In any event, if you want someone to compare two documents to see whether they match—and, if not, to figure out what all the differences are—then I'm your man.

Posted by: Attila Girl at 07:47 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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But I'm freakin' exhausted. It's raining clients—but not raining paid invoices. Not quite yet. However, the check that arrived last week (slightly ahead of schedule) is still keeping me going. I should get two more small ones in in the next few days.

After that, I'm in uncharted territory.

The financial uncertainty may help me decide whether I'm driving to Reno for CLC, or driving: I may not be able to afford actual plane fare.

Now would be a great time for my readers—all three of them—to hit my tip jar. (At least, those who aren't at the "platinum sponsor" level, like Darrell.) In return, I promise an exclusive scoop. (Not, um, the kind of scoop that one shares with the opposition . . . sorry. Long day.)

Posted by: Attila Girl at 06:46 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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