A couple of quick hits, as it's late and I'm tired:

If you're in Chicago, go see Lotti's show -- her portion is called "Fear Itself", and it's a funny-as-hell take on fear and anxiety in this day and age. It's part of a program called "Battle Scars" in Live Bait Theater's Fillet of Solo. (Beth Ann Bryant-Richards' piece is called "Daddy Died For His Country" -- also quite good.) It's running Fridays and Saturdays until August 24. Go see it now.

I got a message from someone calling him/herself "Death Quaker." Said Death Quaker is thinking of starting "The Religious Society of Fiends." I'm so there. Death Quaker is apparently born and raised Quaker, unlike me (I'm just a Quaker-educated poser.) Apparently the name came about thusly:

A friend named me it because despite my pacifist upbringing I tend to like to play violent video games and read comic books and the like... for some reason he was disturbed when I was sitting in front of his computer screaming "DIE DIE DIE!!!!"

Obviously a person after my own heart.

Speaking of screaming at violent bloody mayhem on the screen -- just got back from a Girl's Night Out at XXX, the Vin Diesel spy flick. Good big stupid fun. There was much pointing and laughing and cheering and cringing and saying "well that can't be a good idea." It's all about explosions and extreme sports and wisecracks and scantily-clad females writhing. You know, the usual.

I know I'm supposed to check my brain at the door, but I had a couple of problems with the leaps of logic required for a couple of scenes. Yeah, yeah, I know, "logic" and "Vin Diesel flick" should not be mentioned in the same sentence -- actually, the two concepts should probably not be contained in the same brain. But anyway, here are my quibbles (in white, so I don't ruin the surprise for anyone):

I was willing to suspend my disbelief for the snowboarding-in-front-of-the-avalanche bit. Yeah, I know, impossible, but cool. The part that bugged me: OK, you got a gazillion tons of snow and ice careening down a mountain. Fine. It's headed for this tiny, flimsy little communications tower and this reinforced concrete bunker. So what does Our Hero do? He leaps his snowboard to the tippy-top of this gossamer-thin comm tower and clings for dear life. The gazillion tons of snow and ice crash down around the tower and then completely demolish the reinforced concrete bunker below it -- tears it to pieces. Nothing is left. But hey, look what's still standing -- the comm tower! And Our Hero was not torn limb from limb when he tried to hang on despite the tons etc. at his back. Whee!

Now this part just bugged me on principal. You have this deadly biological/chemical weapon that can wipe out cities in a heartbeat. The only thing that can neutralize it -- water. So what, pray tell, do you think would be the optimal device for delivering this agent? Planes? Trains? Automobiles? Crop dusters? Cans of Spam? Weather balloons? Candygram? All valid choices, but NOT what the supervillain decides to use. No, he puts the missiles on a submarine -- you know, a water-born vehicle. What the hell?

I still recommend the movie if you're into brainless fun and big explosions. It's laughable, but amusing. It helps if you goo with people who are into the point-and-laugh school of moviegoing. Fortunately, that's just what Girls' Night Out is for.

And hey, Jordan, thanks for being the Grill Bitch. You cook a mean turkey burger, my friend.