Now this is just going to confuse people:

We were forwarded an odd email this morning from Morgan Friedman, publisher and co-owner of the incredibly successful Overheard in New York:

I am writing to inform you that Michael “Malice” Krechmer, the former editor of Overheard In New York and Overheard in the Office, is no longer affiliated with either web site.

So now there's Overheard in New York and the completely identical (except for content) New York Overheard. Let the pissing match begin!

I always am sure that you're fine and tell myself "oh, I KNOW she is ok" but then its a happy relief when you finally show up.

Trudy, it won't comfort you to know that I know the feeling all too well, with everybody around here that are supposed to be around a place that gets attacked, right? Sorry. And thanks.

Is this the origin of your name?

Yup.

Well, that's where the word came from. My mom didn't know that at the time, though - she saw the name on a names-list and liked the sound of it, and only later (though before I was given that name) my uncle explained the origin of the name to her. Her mother tongue is French, so she spelled my name the way I still spell it, according to how she thought it should be written, not the four letters of the initials, as it should be.

Oh, and she was looking at that list, in the first place, because she refused to give the ugly baby that I was a name that means "pretty" (after the translation of the originally-in-Arabic name of my grandmother. I'm very thankful that I was born so ugly).

I don't think she realises just how many friends that means, though

Does she realize the across-more-than-one-ocean aspect of it?

that's exactly how I was feeling that day

That's how you look. Which means a lot, since it doesn't always show outwards, even if it's inside. It's so very good to read how you write about her, billy. I'm very happy for you. Both of you.

Let the pissing match trademark infringment lawsuits begin!

Woman survives carjacking, kidnapping, and being buried alive in a landfill.

No word on whether or not she'll be exacting vengeance on her kidnappers wearing a yellow tracksuit and wielding a samurai sword.

Hello Nilly!

I am giddy today for no good reason.

The A/Cs went on in the office today and I am already freezing. Good thing I brought those cardigans in last week.

For a second I thought I'd like to be giddy too, but then I remembered the whole not being giddy thing is why I was able to come to work today.

And going in to work is good, even if it's going in to work.

Krav has paintball this Sunday. I'm torn--I have nothing to wear (which sounds trite, but they recommend camo, and I have none of that--not even anything in army green). Also I'm convinced they'll all be psycho into it and all good and stuff, and I will be less so.

Oh, msbelle! I was thinking about you before Pessakh.

I wanted to buy some new clothes for the holiday, and what I really wanted was a pink shirt. Not a specific one, but in theory. I needed a new "nice" shirt anyway, and it's supposed to be such a time of new blossoms and spring and new beginnings and all, that I just wanted something pink. I tried on a few shirts, in several shades of pink, but none of them worked, and I had to give up (I wore an old white shirt on the "Seder", instead). At least I tried.

Hi Nilly!

I am not giddy. OK, no one fall over in shock.

I am in a doomDOOMDOOM mood but that's because I'm dealing with a recurrent policy issue that is sorta hand-waved due to technical limitations. It always makes me feel doomy because I'm dealing with the local gods and they get all thunderbolty sometimes when you tell them that we can't actually DO what they are telling us to do. Or we can, we just ain't gonna. I hate safings (which is what prompted all this and no, it makes no sense to anyone but me, but I HATE SAFINGS.)

You really must take a look at the Republican Party of Minnesota Permanent Platform. It's full of interesting goodies.

There are 19 items in the section on civil rights: ten of them are various permutations of "NO ABORTION!"; two are against gun control; one is to protect people from being forced to join labor unions; one promotes the public display of the Ten Commandments; and one is a commendable condemnation of torture and slavery, but with an annoying qualifier.

Condemning religious, political and ethnic persecution in any country, specifically the oppression, slave labor, torture and murder of religious believers.

I guess oppression, slave labor, torture and murder of the godless warrants only a "meh."

Oh, they also include some pro-creationism stuff.

[link]

The Republican Party of Minnesota Permanent Platform crashed my browser! Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeevil!

(Okay, all PDFs crash my browser on this computer. But still!)