I think October has been ruined for me, ever since Carl Rove promised an October Surprise.

Until it actually happens, I'll be keeping my spirits up by assuming it's going to be a surprise lobotomy, for himself.

And What Cindy Said, re: October. It's the beginning of fall! Cooler air, changing leaves! Halloween is in it! October ROCKS!

Also *coughmybirthdaycough*

October is the best month of all, the worst of the summer heat is gone, and the winter storms aren't quite here. Spring gets too hot too quickly, so October wins.

Nora, our anniversary is this month, too. I caught myself thinking it would be our 16th anniversary, when it will actually only be our 12th. I was counting the years we've been together instead of just the years we've been married.

Cindy and her DH are me and my DH, except our anniversary is in June.

Finally, an answer to the question we've all been asking -- is drinking yogurt faster than eating it?

Ha. That's so cute, Jessica. I think I want to marry this paragraph, particularly the last sentence:

I intend to leave yogurt-making to those Azerbaijanis who want to live to be a hundred. In fact, I generally prefer to eat a product similar in many ways to yogurt but providing far fewer health benefits—sour cream. It is the Jewish answer to yogurt and promotes early entry into nursing homes. I also admire the makers of sour cream because they are honest fellows who never pretend it's good for you.

There's a commercial here for Bulmer's Cider that features a bunch of people picking apples in a golden-autumn orchard looking delighted to be alive and eventually people in a pub joyfully drinking the cider, apparentl just-pressed and yet vintage at the same time. I want to know where *that* autumn in Ireland is taking place, because here it remains wet and effortlessly green.

Unrelatedly, there are way too many pretty boydoctors (well, medical students) running around this hospital right now. It's a little overwhelming, like working on the set of the Irish ER back when it was good and had lots of hot people.

And in less lighthearted news, Flier detained by TSA for writing opinion on plastic bag:

I was detained for about 25 minutes today after passing though the TSA checkpoint at MKE terminal E.

I thought about posting this in the other treads devoted to their experience today under the new new liquids-are-okay-in-a-quart bag rule, but I decided it needed its own thread.

Yesterday, while discussing the new rules a fellow Flyertalker suggested we write "Kip Hawley is an Idiot" on the outside of our clear plastic quart bags. So I did just that.

At the MKE "E" checkpoint I placed my laptop in one bin, and my shoes, cell phone and quart bag in a second bin. The TSA guy who was pushing bags and bins into the X-ray machine took a good hard look, and then as the bag when though the X-ray I think he told the X-ray operator to call for a bag check/explosive swab on my roller bag to slow me down. He went strait to the TSA Supervisor on duty and boy did he come marching over to the checkpoint with fire in his eyes!

He grabbed the baggie as it came out of the X-ray and asked if it was mine. After responding yes, he pointed at my comment and demanded to know "What is this supposed to mean?" "It could me a lot of things, it happens to be an opinion on mine." "You can't write things like this" he said, "You mean my First Amendment right to freedom of speech doesn't apply here?" "Out there (pointing pass the id checkers) not while in here (pointing down) was his response."

(The ACLU has been contacted regarding this incident, and is on the case.)

The neighborhood where I work is God's Socialite Waiting Room.

I just saw an inbred, overcoiffed, octegenarian in gauchos.