Happy birthday, Sheryl!

Anyone who bought a ticket to the Laugh Factory on Sunday night ended up getting two surprises.

The first came when Dave Chappelle appeared onstage at 10:36 p.m. for an unannounced set. The second shocker: Chappelle kept telling jokes until 4:43 the next morning--- making his entire set a whopping six hours and seven minutes.

That's the longest performance by any comedian in the the 28-year history of the Laugh Factory, according to founder Jamie Masada.

Amazingly, the previous record was established just a few days earlier. On April 10, Dane Cook performed his own marathon act, appearing on stage for three hours and fifty minutes.

"It was just one of those nights," Masada said of Chappelle's appearance. "He had everyone laughing for six hours."

Indeed, Masada said only about a dozen of the 150-plus original members of the audience left the club before Chappelle wrapped his set. "The audience was with him 100 percent," he said.

[link]

In her memoirs, long-time Atlanta Constitution columnist Celestine Sibley talks about how the newsroom hated the pneumatic tubes that were installed to take copy to the typesetters, in part because it replaced at least one copyboy. To prove it wasn't that great an invention, several guys regularly put copy in the tube and then took the stairs to race it to the pressroom.

Thanks everyone!

I thought I was on Nilly's calendar. Guess I'll have to noodge her on this.(Gently, as I know she's been busy and stressed)

Happy birthday, Sheryl!

Oh, THIS is classy

Virginia Gun Giveaway To Go Ahead Despite Massacre

They are calling it the "Bloomberg Gun GiveAway". On Thursday two gun shops in the state of Virginia will stage a prize draw. Anyone spending more than $100 in either Bob Moates' stores or Old Dominion Guns and Tackle will be entered, and the first prize a free handgun or rifle worth $900. . .

Despite yesterday's tragic events at Virginia Tech, a clerk at Bob Moates said the draw would still go ahead. It will underline the unbending adherence of many Virginians to the right to bear arms - the state has been ranked as the second easiest in the country in which to buy guns - in the face of renewed calls for tighter gun control.

Happy Birthday, Sheryl!!!

Oh, also -- do they have Zipcar or similar where you are? That could be a good weekend alternative for you, so you aren't spending half the day waiting for the bus! My dad got rid of his car, and is loving the Zipcar. He can walk or take the subway most places, but sometimes you do need to drive.

I have signed up for it, but here you can only get the Zipcars at the University. However, taking a bus to the University is easy peasy, and I have a monthly bus pass(because otherwise it would be, like, $10.00 per day since I take 2 busses to get to work, one to the theatre, and two back home) so it won't cost me anything more. I haven't got my card yet, and I really need groceries. There are no grocery sotres on my route (or on any close bus route, frankly) which sucks. Well, there is one, but it is in the neighborhood where shootings occur, and while I don't mind the store, I think I would mind waiting for the bus there, at night, after work!

I am, theoretically, environmentally pro-public transportation, although when I had a car I was just too lazy to use it!

Speaking of enviro things - I just got a new phone and the box came with a postage paid envelope to send the old one (any old ones) to their recycling center. Neat.

Maybe you could ask for the occasional weekend grocery-run favor from the would-be-car-giver as a guilt-reducing move? You could give her gas money and then you'd both be ahead!