I suck at this blogging thing, eh?

Well, some news and notes:

1. Uma Thurman and Jesse L. Martin have joined the cast of the new Muppet Christmas movie, which is especially notable as it’s been filming in my corner of Brooklyn. I, in fact, walked through the set last week when they were filming on 8th Ave in Park Slope conveniently between work and my apartment.

2. Gawker had an interesting round-up on Friday of scientific explanations for why people vote Republican.

Speaking of politics, I am going to try my darnedest to liveblog or at least write extensive commentary on the debates.

3. Did you know that the very first baseball park to charge admission was right here in Brooklyn? And now, thanks to the new Yankee and Shea Stadiums (or “Citifield,” whatevs) we New Yorkers get to pay through our noses for baseball. So much for America’s pastime.

more animals

+ Hollywood’s 5 saddest attempts at feminism.

+ Related: Masculinity and Disney movies.

+ Fashion at my alma mater. I’m sure glad I graduated before that words-on-the-ass-of-your-sweatpants trend started. Or, maybe what I really need are some of these. Hot, right?

+ I’m kidding.

+ McCain Shenanigans Watch: McCain pulled out of an interview on CNN because Campbell Brown actually, you know, did her job by asking some tough questions.

+ Cool skyscraper photography.

+ Some baseball card fun: The 23rd card in a set of 22.

+ Grease in Lego.

Just listen to the rhythm of my typing.

I’ve been out of town 8 out of the last 14 days. In other words, it’s time for some quickies:

+ John McCain on the captors who held him as a POW: “A lot of them were homosexual.”

+ Baseball pitcher Dottie Collins dies at 84. Quoth Dottie “I pitched and won both games of a doubleheader once pitching underhand. I think I could have pitched a doubleheader overhand, too. I don’t think it would be that hard. Nowadays, the men can’t do it, but hell, they can’t do nothin’.” Ha!

+ Julia Child was a spy!

+ Today’s internet oddity. Cats swimming.

+ I’ll admit that I’ve been watching as much Olympics coverage as my schedule allows, and part of it’s for the eye candy. (Call me, Michael Phelps!) Turns out I don’t have to feel shame because that’s what the Greeks intended.

+ Polygamy watch: courts say a few of the kids taken from Yearning for Zion should go into foster care.

*sigh* I’ve been out of town without my computer. Here’s what’s come up since last we met:

+ Studying E. coli is demonstrating interesting things about evolution.

+ Is the New York Magazine cover with the girls from SATC with duct tape over their mouths telling the movie to shut up or telling women to shut up?

+ Polygamist Watch! Kids allowed to go back to their parents, but there were a few proven cases of sexual abuse. The church won’t accept marriages of underage girls anymore, allegedly.

+ Cool random historical thing: Construction in my neighborhood is unearthing some old trolley tracks.

+ And speaking of odd historical things: pneumatic tubes in New York.

+ And also from historical New York, the 1840s equivalent of a skin mag.

+ And also bad driving in 1928. Look out for the cameo by a constipated-looking Babe Ruth!

+ Blogging is good for you! I should do it more!

+ Props to the MBTA! The Boston transit authority is running ads targeting harassers.

+ You might be going to hell if you’re a sports fan.

Ack, so much to post about! In no particular order:

+ I fear I might be an urbane tomboy, though at least I’m trendy, right?

+ Dana Perino might be a Barbie doll, or is at least undermining her own position by playing dumb on military matters. Thanks for making women look so smart, Dana!

+ Toni Morrison’s novel The Bluest Eye was in an inspiration to many young feminists!

+ Publisher thinks it’s too good for editors or something. Probably just more evidence for the fact that I’ll be completely unemployable in ten years, when editors are considered superfluous expenditures.

+ This guy wants you to debate him.

+ Alexander Hamilton’s house might get relocated… or not.

+ Journalists perpetuate the she was asking for it myth.

+ 50 animals with drinking problems.

+ Apparently, there is no crying in football. Although, dude, Favre had an awesome season, it’s totally sad that he’s retiring. And I’m a girl, so neener.

+ Bear gets convicted for stealing honey! OMG, Pooh is our #1 Threat!

+ The Times has an interesting profile of Obama’s mama.

The Giants won, so we got that taken care of. Now we just have to deal with Super Duper Tuesday. I will be getting up early tomorrow morning to cast my vote. But for whom? The news media’s still trying to tell me who to vote for. Are you also feeling put out?

+ This pretty much sums it up.

+ OMG, I can’t believe someone with PMS might get near the big red button! (*sigh*)

+ Do hot chicks ruin good athletes? Seriously, you guys, it’s like sexism just exploded on teh internets today.

+ Mac vs. PC? Obama vs. Clinton? If I am a Mac user, does this mean I have to vote for Obama? All these arbitrary criteria are confusing my poor feeble female brain.

We here at the fshk blog are nothing if not New York sports fans, and, sure, we prefer baseball, but it’s hard not to get wrapped up in a Super Bowl featuring your home team (and I spent most of my childhood in North Jersey, so I mean, for real home team) and that of your chief rival city. I like Boston fine, but not when our sports teams are competing. And it’s on!

Fun and games to tide you over until kick off:

The mayor of both cities have made their bet. I gotta say, Boston gets the better end of this one.

Boston bet:
* 100 cups of New England Clam Chowder from Legal Sea Foods
* 42 pounds of coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts (in honor of Super Bowl XLII)
* 12 dozen Boston Cream Pies and 12 Dozen Parker House Rolls (in honor of Tom Brady’s #12) from Boston’s Omni Parker House Hotel
* 100 Old Tyme hot dogs and 100 Alfresco chicken sausages from Kayem
* 20 pizzas from Sal’s
* 5 cases of Brigham’s Boston You’re My Home Ice Cream
* 5 cases of Cherry on the Top Frozen Yogurt Bars from Elan
* 100 servings of Stonyfield Farm Organic Yogurt

Lame. I can get Dunkin’ Donuts and Stonyfield Farm yogurt and Legal Seafoods clam chowdah right here in New York. That’s not much of a bet.

New York is betting:
* 42 pastrami and corned beef sandwiches from Carnegie Deli
* 42 “Big Blue Cheese Eli Mann-Eater Burgers” from Gallagher’s Steak House
* One case of beef cocktail patties and one case of chicken cocktail patties from Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill in the Bronx
* A selection of five pizzas from Goodfella’s Pizzeria on Staten Island
* 42 pounds of rugelach, 42 pounds of assorted layer cakes and 42 black and white cookies from Junior’s
* One 2.5 gallon tub of lemon ice and one 2.5 gallon tub of ice of the flavor of Boston’s choice from the Lemon Ice King of Corona
* 100 servings of Manhattan clam chowder and one bushel of Blue Point Oysters from the Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant
* 20 pounds of “Super Steak” from Peter Luger Restaurant and six bottles of Peter Luger steak sauce.

That’s a lot of meat.

Bonus: Gawker compiled the 25 most memorable Super Bowl ads.

Here’s a good rundown of the Mitchell Report and what it means. Roger Clemens is the big loser here, being the biggest name named. Andy Pettite is the biggest disappointment to me, assuming the allegations are true.

I wonder what it really means, though: will Baseball be better about policing its players when it comes to performance enhancing drugs? Should we be more vehement in our public outcry, to discourage boys from causing harm to themselves by using steroids? Will Baseball lose credibility in the wake of this scandal? Guess we’ll find out next season.