I like the new album too. The first song is the theme for "Atomic County."

ETA: Now ya'll went and made me change my tag

Huh.

PUTTING ON THE POUNDS: As the body mass index of runway walkers continues to make headlines, skinny models just might present a whole new problem for editors. Everyone has a story of a celebrity cover slimmed by Photoshop, but several editors have been quietly ordering the retouching of gaunt model shots to make them look, well, a little fatter. "A model shows up and you realize she's too thin and has lost weight since the booking, but the show must go on," said Allure editor in chief Linda Wells. "When the film comes to me, I realize I don't want to see hip bones and ribs in the magazine."

Enter the retouching process, which helps make the haggard look healthier. "If a girl shows up at a shoot and she's too skinny, a good stylist can pose her so that the reader doesn't have as much of a sense of it," said Lucky editor in chief Kim France. But, she added, "There are angles at which a girl's arm can look haunting."

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In general the booms are good because of the new home building--the construction business hires a lot of people in low, middle and high pay scales which gets more money where it needs to be in the economy, rather than just mortgage brokers and realtors.

There is an argument to be made that the boom side of the cycle results in more high end homes being built - resulting in shortages on the low and middle ends. Overall I think we would be a lot better off if the highs did not get so high, and the lows so low. Fewer McMansions and fewer actual mansions, more apartments and more building of small and midsize homes.

Man, you know it's bad when you'd rather listen to Bill Kristol on the Daily Show than the president's news conference.

I kinda like Bill Kristol even though I disagree with him on about everything. He will often actually make a case for policies without resorting to questioning patriotism or stuff like that.

There is an argument to be made that the boom side of the cycle results in more high end homes being built - resulting in shortages on the low and middle ends.

From town politics I get the impression that contractors would like to build more low and middle end housing because they move quickly. However, the town wants mostly high end housing because it raises property values and tax revenue. At least that's how it works around here. Also, if you get city council people in a private conversation you can uncover racial reasons for limiting lower end housing.

Bill also doesn't act like he's lecturing a bunch of sullen teenagers.

I am all shopped out. I think I've left just enough for rent, but that's about it. Oh, and taking the nephew to the Children's Museum.

That's another thing. I don't want to go back to LA, I want to stay here and watch the boy grow up. I don't think anything has been as awesome as his hugs in the past ten years or so. I mean, there's nothing awesomer than a big, HI AUNTIE! and a hug. Seriously. Who could leave that?

I'm a Bill Kristol-hater. Just because he doesn't pander to the lowest common denominator, he doesn't get a free pass from me for his constant warmongering and unfailing advocacy of the most destructive economic policies in the past century. In fact, he's more dangerous because his demeanor makes it appear as if sane men can believe such things when, in fact, he'd stomp on his own mother's head (and his mom is some kinda piece of work, too) and tell her that it was her fault for not getting out of his way. She'd probably approve.

I mean, there's nothing awesomer than a big, HI AUNTIE! and a hug.

Not even room service?

Enter the retouching process, which helps make the haggard look healthier.

I think the practice of extreme retouching has got to reinvent itself. I'm no expert visualist, but whenever I open a magazine I can usually point to exactly where photos have been retouched. Invest in a newer Photoshop, people!!

I don't understand how housing works at all, except to say that it is too damned expensive and I could have told you the market would "slow down" as soon as HGTV started airing Flip This House. Any market trend enshrined in a TV show is on the cusp of its own demise, don't you think?