This is because, and I feel certain I've mentioned this before, escalators are evil. They have teeth, they have terrifying recorded voices, they have mysterious substances on their oddly rubbery handholds, and they are lit from below with green.

That green is just the radiation leaking from the reactors into which they stuff their unwitting victims as fuel for their unholy machinations.

Nothing to be worried about.

A bad week.

I worked for a woman who lost her long-time ex, and her sister (in separate accidents) within the same week. She was reeling.

Of course, she wasn't much help during my divorce. "Hey, nobody's dead."

Phone calls made, ultra-super-helpful and faux-apologetic e-mails sent. Now I wait for more stupidity to hit my inbox.

I know somebody whose mother died of cancer -- and then whose father (long divorced from her mother, and living on the far side of the country) died in a car crash a week later.

::decides to call her Mommy tonight::

New reports on Britney's meltdown suggest that the head-shaving came after K-Fed threatened to have her drug tested during their custody fight for the kids, using hair samples.

Though I expect she would've taken greater care to destroy the hair on the floor afterwards, instead of leaving it for the salon owner to auction it off on eBay.

That's all I got on celebrity gossip.

Don't the Oscars look to be insanely predictable this year?

Helen Mirren - Best Actress
Forest Whitaker - Best Actor
Jennifer Hudson - Best Supporting Actress
Eddie Murphy - Best Supporting Actor

I figure Babel will get Best Picture.

Other people's tragedy can make your misfortune look less bad. Of course, then you can fall into the trap of "at least nobody's dead," which really doesn't always make everything OK, you know?

Don't the Oscars look to be insanely predictable this year?

Yes.

I just interviewed someone that I really liked, but I'm a little afraid it was at least in part because she's pretty. Hmm.

That's a whole lot of negroes.

Did anyone like Babel? Or is it this year's Crash?

Though I expect she would've taken greater care to destroy the hair on the floor afterwards, instead of leaving it for the salon owner to auction it off on eBay.

The chain of custody is pretty broken by that point, though. There's not good evidence that it's her hair. Unless they do a DNA test, I guess, but I think you have to find a bulb for that. On the other hand, destruction of potential evidence IS evidence in itself.

God I just had the weirdest conversation at work. A counsel who called me in to see if I thought he should accept an offer of partnership at another firm. How did it get to be 3:15?!

I think Jessica said she hated Babel. I haven't seen it.

I hope Scorsese gets Best Director.