Why couldn't I have been on this flight?

You'd be dining out on this story for years.

My favorite part: New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said it "appears" Steven Slater was quitting.

Yes, it certainly appears so.

"Screw you all! Now I'm grabbing a beer and blowing this joint." So much more memorable than a letter of resignation.

Very occasionally, I wish I could draw.

This is one of those occasions. Check out this very funny illustrated diary of an overnight flight.

Kristen, it is 8AM and I am getting in line to hold Wes.

Kris and I are headed to Liz and Zack's this weekend for some awesome fun. There might be some Rock Band, there might be some farmers' market, but there will definitely be pottery painting.

Craftiness! Cute babies! Witty repartee! It's gonna be off the hook.

I think I might need this chair

I laughed so hard at this I had tears streaming down my face and I had to muffle my guffaws with my cardigan because I was at work.

Great balls of fire!

I just received word from Melis that the aunts went to see Million Dollar Quartet today and they were "giddy as schoolgirls to meet Fake Johnny Cash, Fake Elvis, etc."

I can picture it now. And it's delightful

Also, I like saying "Fake Johnny Cash." Because I am a dork.

So, that's how Salander is pronounced.

As though I wasn't traumatized enough by The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo book, I spent this evening watching the Swedish version of the film. (Netflix streaming through the Wii is awesome, btw.) I liked the casting for Blomkvist and Salander, but mostly I spent two and half hours muttering, "Hey! In the book...

...she was alive."

...she was dead."

...he wasn't that guy's brother."

...he was much older."

...he was slightly younger."

...she was far less rude."

...none of this stuff took place."

...there was a plotline that explained this."

...that thing did not happen at all."

Etc, etc, etc...

It's always difficult to watch a book be translated to film (unless Peter Jackson is doing it), but this wasn't too bad. They did have a boatload of information to pack into it, and they did the best they could. I'm interested to see how the upcoming American version handles it. I predict that with Daniel Craig in the role, Blomkvist will spend a lot more time shirtless.

Mad Men is killing me.

Last week, Thanksgiving. This week, Christmas. Are they trying to kill me? It's the middle of the wretched, hot summer. How can they tease me with lovely, lovely snow and huge tinsel trees?

Even with the dysfunctional families, the spitting out sweet potatoes at the dinner table, the depressing effects of divorce on the holidays, the tacky trysts, the disturbing children, and the creepy cigarette mogul forcing Roger to don a Santa suit and let Pete sit on his lap, I am still overwhelmed by vicious envy that they are existing in December and I'm stuck in August. Not fair.

Go ahead, flaunt your mirth.