I use the "in-ear" buds that Dana linked to, and I love them. They have rubber covers that come in three sizes so you can pick the ones that are best for your ears.

Happy Nutty Day!

From the weird news section of the local paper:

FRESNO, Calif. -- Authorities say they've arrested a man who broke into the home of two California farmworkers, stole money, rubbed one with spices and whacked the other with a sausage before fleeing.

Fresno County sheriff's Lt. Ian Burrimond says 22-year-old Antonio Vasquez was found hiding in a field wearing only a T-shirt, boxers and socks after the Saturday morning attack.

He says deputies arrested Vasquez after finding a wallet containing his ID in the ransacked house.

The farmworkers told deputies the suspect woke them Saturday morning by rubbing spices on one of them and smacking the other with an 8-inch sausage.

Burrimond says money allegedly stolen was recovered.

When I was working news, I would have paid money to be able to use the phrase "whacked with a sausage".

Authorities say they've arrested a man who broke into the home of two California farmworkers, stole money, rubbed one with spices and whacked the other with a sausage before fleeing.

It sounds like Tony Bourdain saw Rachel Ray once too often and he snapped.

A perfectly hysterical dance review.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NUTTY!!

May all cheetahs and squash courts flee from you in terror.

That link doesn't show anything, Dana.

It did for me -- maybe I got in before the store was put in stasis pre-Steve Jobs speech.

And thanks, amych and Dana (and Jess for the confirmation of the ear-friendliness of the Apple buds). I have an Apple store across the street from my office, but it's in a mall t spits so I try to avoid it like the Black Death. Maybe I'll make an exception.

Happy Nutty-licious Birthday!!!

I may have to get Bonk! downloaded today. Oh DH is going to die.

My work here is done. (I've been earwormed with "Tin Drum" since yesterday afternoon.)

Wait, I'm not sure I understand. Are you saying I should worry about the calories first, then worry about cutting out the carbs? Because I'm actually not finding it that hard to count calories.

Yes, because you are thinking about quitting -- cutting out a significant food source right now will just make it harder to find something to eat.

I have a pair of those Sony earphones. They work fine, though one wire got stripped and mine are now broken after a year and a half. But I think the fact that the rubber covers come off and become lost during normal use is a serious design flaw. (And Sony doesn't sell replacements!) Personally I'm looking for a different type without pieces that simply pop right off.

Wait, I'm not sure I understand. Are you saying I should worry about the calories first, then worry about cutting out the carbs? Because I'm actually not finding it that hard to count calories. And I totally had a bean and cheese burrito that I felt a little guilty about at lunch. But it was only $0.99! And all my other meals were much healthier. And delicious. But will get boring over time.

Well, I don't really believe in diets so I'm probably the wrong person to ask, but I just meant that a calorie is a calorie in terms of weight gain, since weight loss is a result of expending more calories than you take in.

But, as Cash noted, certain foods obviously satisfy/energize you for a longer period of time (complex carbs, protein, fat). You just need to figure out what combo of those works for you. High-protein doesn't work for everybody, and is often not necessarily the best for long-term health.