It's making its way around the web, but this is disturbing (I'm using the Kos version because it includes a second set of AP and AFP photos).

I suppose I should mention that the new teeth are finally in permanently. I had the bridge temporarily cemented in for about six weeks, in between various fittings and readjusting. I'm relieved to have it all over with. Insurance ended up covering a tiny fraction of the whole thing and denied all of my appeals, so this year pretty much decimated my bank account. Parents, when you cart your kids to the orthodontist, be sure to ask about root resorption as a side effect.

I'm only posting this for the picture...
I hope Kevin's getting some royalties from okcupid!

Modern, Cool Nerd 52 % Nerd, 52% Geek, 34% Dork

For The Record: A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia. A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one. A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions. You scored better than half in Nerd and Geek, earning you the title of: Modern, Cool Nerd . Nerds didn't use to be cool, but in the 90's that all changed. It used to be that, if you were a computer expert, you had to wear plaid or a pocket protector or suspenders or something that announced to the world that you couldn't quite fit in. Not anymore. Now, the intelligent and geeky have eked out for themselves a modicum of respect at the very least, and "geek is chic." The Modern, Cool Nerd is intelligent, knowledgable and always the person to call in a crisis (needing computer advice/an arcane bit of trivia knowledge). They are the one you want as your lifeline in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (or the one up there, winning the million bucks)! Congratulations! Also, you might want to check out some of my other tests if you're interested in either of the following: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Professional Wrestling

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender : You scored higher than 40% on nerdiness You scored higher than 75% on geekosity You scored higher than 61% on dork points

Link: The Nerd? Geek? or Dork? Test written by donathos on Ok Cupid

Worst. Fundraiser. Ever
I think we can all agree that Parkinson's is a terrible disease, and something should be done about it.

A rather fraught way to raise funds for Parkinson's charities: selling bobbleheads.

An even worse way: selling bobbleheads on which the arm also bobbles.

(if you don't get the "circle me" thing, click here.)

And finally, the answers:


1. The Bad Plus Smells Like Teen Spirit - Natalie
2. Blotto I Wanna Be A Lifeguard - Phil
3. The Cardigans Iron Man - JQ. I was trying to compile a covers CD at one point.
4. Digital Underground The Humpty Dance - JQ
5. The Drifters - Saturday Nght at the Movies
6. Carl Douglas Kung-Fu Fighting - Stan I can't believe it took this long.
7. The English Beat Mirror in the Bathroom - Mark. Yeah, it's from the GPB soundtrack, though I probably should also replace my cassette copy of What is Beat? at some point
8. Steve Goodman - Lincoln Park Pirates. I still have my theories about just what happened with the old car.
9. Isaac Hayes Theme from Shaft - Victoria
10. King Missile Martin Scorsese - Anthony
11. Massive Attack Unfinished Sympathy - Craig
12. MC Chris - Fett's Vette
13. Mojo Nixon & Skid Roper Debbie Gibson Is Pregnant with My Two Headed Love Child - Anthony
14. The Presidents of the United States of America - Mach 5. For a bonspiel last year, I was asked to make a mix CD of songs about various forms of transportation.
15. The Runaways Cherry Bomb - Kris H. They recorded more songs?
16. Jill Sobule - Good Person Inside
17. The Specials Pressure Drop - Mark
18. Joe Strummer - Redemption Song
19. Tracey Ullman You Broke My Heart in 17 Places - Rebecca. It's part of the Stiff Records box set, which is a must-own.
20. Tom Waits - Downtown Train. See explanation for #14.

Today was our "annual" trek up to the Wisconsin State Fair, last year's being canceled due to the stolen car thing. Every year either here or in the Gopher State there's some new product where people apparently spent the winter throwing a bunch of sh*t in a Fry Daddy on a dare and trying to see what they could market. Most of the time I resist these "foods" for a couple of years and then cave, and usually find out that they're really good. Deep-fried pickle slices, for example. Or the Snickers bar, which is great if it's fresh. The DF Twinkie, on the other hand, is foul, as the frying brings out the chemical taste, and the Scotch Egg is bearable if you have five people to share the sodium with. I'm still in the resistance stage with the fried mac&cheese on a stick.

Anyway, this year's what-the-hell-are-they-thinking product: Deep-Fried Sauerkraut. I'm still not sure I saw what I saw.

I was surprised to hear at the Burns that some people there had no knowledge of the College of Coaches, the Cubs' ill-fated experiment in the early 60s. Now I know it's inappropriate to compare football to baseball, as the structure of football is already much more committee-oriented than other sports, which of course led to one of the few times I've ever agreed with George Will. But nonetheless, when I read about the Vikings' new "unique collaborative structure," the first thing I thought of was Mr. Wrigley's folly. If Dwight's looking for new FraughtWatch material, here y'go.

oh, what am I doing reading Vikings articles if I'm such a h8er? Comes with the territory when you look at the Strib site more than either Chicago paper site combined.