my father tells me. "Given your genetic heritage, and the fact that you're prone to depression, it's just amazing that you aren't overweight."

"I'm not sure it's to my credit," I tell him.

"But look at your relatives!"

"I've seen them," I respond. "But when I get depressed, the last thing I want to do is eat."

I was hearing this crap from my stepfather when I was 15 years old. As if there were some fat monster out there, just waiting to pounce on me.

Posted by: Attila Girl at 10:28 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Richard Manitoba points to this T-shirt as appropriate attire for those of us who are . . . well, a bit unyielding on issues of punctuation and language structure. (Except for the split infinitive thing, on which I'm extremely liberal: I figure English is a Germanic language, and the rhythm of a sentence is often superior when we T-bone that infinitive. Also, some infinitives really want to be split, deep down.)

But the "sic" pun leaves me cold. I like this hoodie, however. And this issue has been a linguistic pet peeve for decades.

But this one here says it all.

Posted by: Attila Girl at 10:04 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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1 $20+ for a t-shirt? Who can afford grammar these days?

Posted by: Darrell at November 05, 2007 10:27 PM (GnmHB)

2 I'm a former high school English teacher. Grammar mistakes are definitely peevish. I shudder when reading my stepkids' rough drafts of assignments for various classes, and realize they have had no formal grammar training probably since 5th grade. I love these shirts, and have put them on my Christmas list!

Posted by: Anne at November 06, 2007 07:53 AM (R/ik3)

3 As a joke, my sister uses the word "irregardful."

Posted by: Attila (Pillage Idiot) at November 06, 2007 02:32 PM (ztNrs)

4 Nice, Cuz.

Posted by: Attila Girl at November 06, 2007 04:40 PM (aywD+)

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I'm not saying that I'm going to run a topless pic of myself if I win the Weblogs Award in my category.

I'm only pointing out that I will not do so if I don't win. That's all.

Posted by: Attila Girl at 09:56 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Eric on the reinvention of morality.

My mother and I squabble over this all the time. She tends to drink tap water, but I feel that (depending on the municipality I'm in at any given time) it tends to improve my water-consumption to drink bottled. Sometimes I drink tap stuff for the fluoride and extra minerals, or for conservation reasons, or to save money.

But plastic bottles are lighter than anything else out there, and the water doesn't spill out of them in a car as it does from water tumblers/glasses. Furthermore, ordinary bottles can be thrown away at airports and the like, when one is prohibited from bringing liquids into any given area. Finally, the smallest water bottles ("vendable" versions, and those marketed to kids) can fit in one's purse, so one can always have water around.

And regular bottles are supremely recyclable. So I just don't see the problem.

Growing up in a parsimonious family, I'm well aware that just about any move any person can possibly make can be considered "wasteful." Any consumption of resources whatsoever can be made into a source of shame.

But what, exactly, is the point to that? We have to make rational cost-benefit analyses on these issues.

At least, I have to.

Posted by: Attila Girl at 09:47 AM | Comments (12) | Add Comment
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1 As I posted on the classicalvalues.com post, if you have any reason to watch what you send through your kidneys, you'll probably back up bottled water. Some municpal tap water, while perfectly fine for a person with two healthy kidneys, is verboten for a dialysis patient. Even those with one kidney (naturally or via surgery) should keep an eye on the water content.

Posted by: Lysander at November 05, 2007 01:04 PM (ShW/G)

2 What Lysander says should be tempered with the knowledge of both your municipality's track record of water quality, and the company that produces the brand you are considering drinking. As for it being a "sin," it brings to mind the point that the radical environmental movement is trying to inculcate guilt into anyone who is affluent.

Posted by: John at November 05, 2007 03:01 PM (yYn5l)

3 When the $$ were going to Europe for Perrier and Evian. it was the thing to do. Now that Coke and Pepsi lead the way, it is now a sin of excess.

Posted by: Darrell at November 05, 2007 04:15 PM (+6xS/)

4 John - I agree. I'm not advocating some "Brand X" bottled water over tap, but knowing what is coming out of the tap and what is coming in the bottle.

Posted by: Lysander at November 06, 2007 10:38 AM (ShW/G)

5 Flouride (actually flourosic acid) + copper pipe = Alzheimers. Most of the webpages that carried the original story have disappeared, but this, less scientific one, is still up. http://www.azcentral.com/community/glendale/articles/0628gl-alzheimers28Z18.html -Bob

Posted by: Bob at November 06, 2007 12:01 PM (CP6tB)

6 "Flouride (actually flourosic acid) + copper pipe = Alzheimers." Absent any scientific knowledge of that "fact," of course. Ditto aluminum, lead(including solder for copper pipes), smoking, lack of intellectual stimulation, acetylcholine deficiency, genetic abnormalities, lack of physical exercise, aging(and senescence in general), lack of social interaction, head injuries, etc., etc., etc.

Posted by: Darrell at November 07, 2007 09:13 AM (Yguc3)

7 Darrell, the guy is a scientist and he's published. Also, (from one of the vanished articles) the water has to be acidic enough to get the copper in it. FWIW, last I read, the "flouride" the MWD puts in our water was actually industrial flourosic acid, not some sort of pharmaceutical additive. And they've been sued because they regulate the content so poorly that allegedly kids are getting flourosis of the teeth. -B

Posted by: Bob at November 07, 2007 05:19 PM (k94s3)

8 I thought there were genetic contributors to Alzheimer's. And that nuns who do crossword puzzles don't get it as much. Or something.

Posted by: Attila Girl at November 07, 2007 11:37 PM (aywD+)

9 "nuns who do crossword puzzles don't get it as much." You were referring to Alzheimer's, right? Lately, I've been reading "Faith and the Placebo Effect" by Lolette Kuby. Her thesis is that whatever you believe will heal you will heal you. She also discusses the "nocebo effect" -- which might be described as whatever you believe will kill you will kill you. She had breast cancer. http://www.originpress.com/pXaceboeffect/ (Replace the 'X' with an 'l' -- your content filter doesn't like "pX".) -Bob

Posted by: Bob at November 08, 2007 10:25 AM (CP6tB)

10 Yes--Alzheimer's. Though I was being facetious. I had a great-aunt with Alzheimer's, and I may be third in a matrilineal sequence of women with an extreme fear of dementia. The placebo effect does, I think, provide us with a window into the unharnessed power of the human brain.

Posted by: Attila Girl at November 08, 2007 02:01 PM (aywD+)

11 Just saying nothing explains it totally. Not yet. Correlations are not causation. When an answer is found I will let you know. All the factors I listed have been linked at one time or another. They comprise the questions. One day we'll have an answer.

Posted by: Darrell at November 08, 2007 09:43 PM (bckFZ)

12 By the time an answer is found, you'll let me know and I'll promptly forget Yeah--I know about the causality arrow problem. But the genetic argument is very seductive to me (in areas other than obesity, of course--though it could be that there are families in which such things run, but every once in a while a supremely disceplined ubergirl arises, and maintains something like a normal weight against all odds, which makes her all the more admirable, blah blah blah . . .).

Posted by: Attila Girl at November 09, 2007 12:25 AM (aywD+)

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Though I might drive up to Santa Barbara for a day or two of the YAF conference.

BlogWorld Expo is, of course, concurrent with the YAF's West Coast Leadership Conference, and it occurs to me that a person could conceivably become a full-time blogging gadfly, jumping from event to event, talking about—and covering—the emergence of New Media.

Which, silly as it sounds, would beat workin'.

Posted by: Attila Girl at 08:33 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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The American Mind is up for "Best 501-1000."

And The Anchoress is up for "Best Individual Blogger"—had I mentioned that?

Furthermore, Jane (Armies of Liberation) and I are up for "Best 1751-2500"

And you can only vote once each 24 hours, so set an alarm or something.

Posted by: Attila Girl at 07:46 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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It turns out that Hooah Wife and I are not the only Cotillionites who have been nominated. So here's a handy-dandy cheat sheet of Cotillion candidates and their friends/allies:

Best Religious Blog
GodDivas

Best Diarist
Ruthlace
The Median Sib

Best Video Blog
HamNation
(Mary Katharine Ham)

Video of the Year
HamNation—Sopranos DC Edition (MKH)

TTLB ECOSYSTEM CATEGORIES

Best of the Top 250 Blogs
My Pet Jawa (Jane Novak, Guest Blogger)
MY Vast Right Wing Conspiracy
Blue Star Chronicles

Best of the Top 251 - 500 Blogs
Knowledge is Power (SondraK)
Baldilocks (Juliette—on hiatus, but still going great guns)
Fausta (Fausta, the premier blogger on issues Latin American)
PC Free Zone

Best of the Top 1001 - 1750 Blogs
Agent Bedhead
Merri Musings

Best of the Top 1751 - 2500 Blogs

Armies of Liberation (Jane)
Hooah Wife
Little Miss Attila (Joy)

Best of the Rest of the Blogs (8751+)
Kiss My Gumbo
Photos by Seawitch

Remember: voting for Cotillion candidates is a blow to the patriarchy. And it might get you laid. Plus, it wards off skin ailments.*

[Special thanks to Janette for compiling this list!]

* Promises not guaranteed, but deemed accurate.

Posted by: Attila Girl at 09:53 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Apparently, I'm up for an award among the "Blogs Hardly Anyone Reads" (ranked 1751-2500), and I must choose among 1) my egomania, 2) my respect for Hooah Wife, and 3) my conviction that Jane at Armies of Liberation is the very best in this particular group.

Is there, uh, a financial prize if I win? Just askin'.

Well, you can vote every 24 hours up until 11/8. And it is cheaper than hitting our tip jars.

Posted by: Attila Girl at 09:42 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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I love Chris Muir's use of the title "Your Inevitableness" for Mrs. Clinton.

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Attila the Hub and I dropped by for a time last night. It was fun to see Ace again, even though he's cut his hair too short. (I did get to point out that he looks better on this coast versus the other, because he's got a healthy California glow going. He must have accidentally gotten some sun at some point, which is always a stunning achievement for any internet nerd/writer, including me.)

Baldilocks was there, enjoying her blog-hiatus. It was also great to see Patterico. It had been a while. And, of course, a lot of the Ace o' Spades regulars were present, though I probably don't know them all as well as I should.

I got to meet Clark Baker, who was a lot of fun to talk to. I got his card for my "LAPD-related" Rolodex (a crime novelist can never do too much research, even if she's not writing actual police procedurals—and even if Baker didn't do detective work while he was with the LAPD). Once Baker mentioned the USMC, however, I went off to get fresh drinks, figuring my husband (who also studied police science for a while, and was in the MP when he was with the Marines) would have plenty to talk to him about.

Also, they were close to the same height. I felt that my presence would give them cricks in their necks if I stuck around.

Bars aren't really necessarily my thing. But the Santa Monica Promenade is a great place to be on a weekend—albeit slightly crowded—and it's always nice to get back to my second hometown, no matter the excuse.

We were three blocks from the cliffs overlooking the ocean; how could it get better than that?

Posted by: Attila Girl at 09:28 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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1 I had a great time meeting you and the gang last night too. Had I'd known I chased you away by waxing military, I would have quickly switched subjects. Although you alluded to yourself as being less than tall, the fact that your feet reached the floor was tall enough for me. :-)

Posted by: Clark Baker at November 04, 2007 11:14 AM (puXcp)

2 It was blast to meet the people behind the blogs. I wasn't expecting to meet you there Attila girl, so it was a pleasant surprise to chat with you.

Posted by: Mr. Matamoros at November 04, 2007 12:46 PM (FODlD)

3 Hey! I love Marines! For example, I married one. But I was thirsty . . .

Posted by: Attila Girl at November 04, 2007 04:34 PM (aywD+)

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. . . talking about.

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. . . on medical marijuana, and why the Feds should chill in Cali.

Me—I'm finishing a Cohiba. A real, Cuban Cohiba. (Hey: why is Cuba any different from China? Give 'em enough rope—er, hemp, whatever—and they'll build something useful with it.)

I bought my mother a senior steak with the salad bar option at the Sizzler right outside Inglewood. Our personal Sizzler. We talked about Nebraska, of course. Afterward we went back and chatted until the dog calmed down. I showed the mom how to use her new digital camera, and then proceeded to head on home. I wanted a smoke, however, on the way back to the Pasadena area.

"So, where's your cigar cutter?" I asked.

"My what?

I lopped off the end of the Cohiba with one of her kitchen knives, and smoked it on the way back. I kept relighting it, but you know how cigars are. The last couple of inches get wet and weird and difficult to re-light. So I'm going to bed, hoping the drapes and my clothes and my car don't stink too much when I wake up in the morning.

I mean, it all good fun, until I have to do that extra load of laundry to exorcise that wet, doglike, smokey smell out of all my clothes.

It was worth it, though.

And, unlike the case with medical marijuana, it would have been easy to talk my way out of it if I'd been stopped.

Maybe.

Posted by: Attila Girl at 12:39 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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I mean, I know he was rude to the President once, but this is America: if you can't be rude to the President, whom can you be rude to?

And I really dug his work on Strangers with Candy. South Carolina is taking itself way too seriously. We should call for an investigation!

Also, there are only two other people on the planet who can do this sort of thing with their eyebrows:

Namely, Jack Black, and the Scanmaster, David Coons. As a matter of fact, Colbert looks like a sort of brunette—and, well, slightly younger—David Coons. I wonder if I have any pictures of Dave that are good, and feature him wearing clothing.

Here's a crappy pic of Coonsie:

But at least he is fixing his friend's pool while wearing swim trunks. This is a major concession, coming from the guy who inspired the title of Po Bronson's book The Nudist on the Late Shift.

Posted by: Attila Girl at 08:16 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Master playlists. I do not like it when my iPod plays "Boogie Fever," and then follows it up with "Box of Rain."

And of course the scrolling system on the Nano is posessed by the devil.

I'm sure that whatever my forebears listened to on the farms in Nebraska was more user-friendly. This undoubtedly made it more fun to use outhouses in the middle of the night in the dead of winter.

In point of fact, life really has me down right now. I may go smoke a cigar to calm my nerves.

Posted by: Attila Girl at 06:29 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Well, let's see.

I went to the mail drop. Then I went to the bank. Then I filled the car with gasoline (a full tank, mind you—not $5 or $7 or $10 in quarters).

Then I stopped by the jewelers and got a ring.

I priced a few digital cameras. Then I paid a bill.

Then I picked up a bottle of Junipero gin and a couple of Brazilian cigars.

Nope. Can't figure it out at all. Everything's normal; but isn't it a beautiful day? Blue skies (blueish-gray—whatever). Deer running around. The best peanut butter sandwich I've had in a good long time, washed down with 2% milk, and followed by a fish-oil capsule and a multivitamin.

Life is good. Really freakin' good.

Posted by: Attila Girl at 01:53 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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1 ah, payday! Bravo!

Posted by: caltechgirl at November 02, 2007 12:44 PM (/vgMZ)

2 I had almost lost faith.

Posted by: Attila Girl at November 02, 2007 11:47 PM (aywD+)

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