OK, so I'm a little late to this party, but one of my students told me about the Web site AnySoldier.com so tonight I spent an hour reading about the logistics and needs for sending a package to a soldier who doesn't get much mail. It's a very cool Web site and a great way to brighten a soldier's day. I cleared at least a foot of bookshelf space; I'm sending a duplicate copy of Snow Crash (LOVE that book) and Moby Dick (ditto), Bill Cosby's Childhood, plus Memoirs of a Geisha, Bee Season, a couple James Herriott novels, a book of after-dinner games, and a book of picture postcards of California.

Best of all, you only have to pay the postage to New York or San Francisco. Motormouth sez, “Check it out.”

Sheesh, people… everyone comments on the kinky-dating-in-SF article I linked to, but nobody comments on the fact that our kid is two years old and read his first words this week. Tough crowd!

The challenge: Get inspired by something at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Yeah, because THAT's hard.

Cut to the chase: Christian wins. Jillian gets to go to Fashion week, too. Sweet P is out. Rami and Chris both get to design collections, but before Fashion Week they'll each show their three strongest looks for judging, and the winner will get to show at Fashion Week. And, Roberto Cavalli liked Chris's best. All the judges griped that Chris's dress looked too much like his avant garde look, but jeez, Rami's shown the same stinkin' draped dress every week since the show began. I'm really glad Chris gets a chance.

Danish newspapers have reprinted all 12 of the Mohammed cartoons that caused such a furor two years ago. See them for yourself. Goooo, freedom!!!

The other night, I was teaching at the women's college and so Monstro had charge of the boy, who wanted to watch Raffi. We only have a Raffi videotape so Monstro had to switch the cables from the DVD to the VCR and set the television accordingly. Whenever this changeover happens, the words “Hi-Fi” appear on-screen.

“Fi,” the boy said.

Monstro wheeled around. “What did you say?”

“Hi-Fi,” said the boy.

Dumbfounded, Monstro pointed and said, “what's that letter?”

“Eff!” he said.

I came home at nine that night. “How old were you when you started reading?” Monstro asked.

“Two-something,” I said. “Why?”

“Because your son can read!” he told me.

Pretty cool new trick, huh? Thank you, Sesame Street!

Oh boy. Thank Christ I'm not single.

Our boy used to answer any question with “No.” Then we'd ask, “Are you sure?” He'd reply, “Okay!”

Now, in order to save time, he's developed some verbal shorthand. “Do you want a waffle for breakfast?” I asked him this morning.

“Nokay,” he said.

Verrrry helpful, that boy of ours.

Our two-year-old is getting cantankerous about things that never used to bother him. He'll fight us pretty hard when we try to put his jacket on. This morning was no exception. A little Mommy-channels-Amy-Winehouse did the trick:

They tried to make me go to preschool,
but I said, “No, no, no.”

Amy Winehouse put in a spectacular performance via satellite at last night's Grammy's, and I could not be happier about that fact. Do you suppose they showed her the Britney VMAs performance as a cautionary tale? Seventeen days sober and man, that girl rocked it. Woo hoo!!! See it for yourself by clicking here.