WanderingAmylessly 2.0

Yesterday: The Dow just suffered a 778-point drop -- the largest one-day loss ever. Today: Dow comes back big, The third-highest point gain ever for the blue-chip measure comes on bets that a bailout plan can get passed. ...And they call ME bipolar.

Airplanes. Helicopters. Once in a while, a hot air balloon. It's not unusual to see these things from our house. But today, when Mags and I were on our way home from a walk on the trail, we looked up in the sky and maneuvering straight above our house - buzzing like a swarm of mutant bees through a megaphone - was a blimp. I'd expect it at a sporting event or maybe even a state fair. Little did I realize we're directly beneath the flight path of the Outback Steakhouse blimp as it leaves the Iowa City Airport. What it was doing at our piddling little airport on a Tuesday afternoon in September, your guess is as good as mine. It did send my mind whirling. So now I present to you this bit of completely useless information about the Outback Steakhouse blimp ...because I can. • They call it an "Airship," not a blimp. • It's 130 feet long, 38 feet wide and 45 feet tall. • It contains 68,000 cubic feet of helium. • It weighs 4,400 pounds. • It carries three passenger...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican John McCain's campaign blamed presidential rival Barack Obama and his fellow Democrats on Monday for the congressional rejection of a $700 billion rescue plan for Wall Street and said Obama failed a test of leadership. "Barack Obama failed to lead, phoned it in, attacked John McCain and refused to even say if he supported the final bill," McCain adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin said in a statement after the House of Representatives voted 228 to 205 against the plan. WESTMINSTER (AFP) — Democratic White House contender Barack Obama expressed confidence Monday that a rejected bailout package would still get through Congress and urged markets to stay calm. At a rally here, Obama also scorned Republican rival John McCain's claims of leadership over the financial crisis and said his very philosophy of economic management had been exposed as bankrupt.In a shot at McCain's intervention in delicate congressional talks over the bailout, Obama s...

Wow. This is the kind of news I love to read. Maybe I'm bad luck. I watch them, they lose. I keep the TV off, they beat the Broncos. I'm a great fan -- I stay far far away! KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- So much for Denver's lucky streak and so long to the longest losing streak in the history of the Kansas City Chiefs.

What I knew about Paul Newman before church this morning: He was a highly respected actor, film director, humanitarian, political activist, and obsessed with auto racing. He'd won a boatload of awards, including an Oscar, some Golden Globes, and an Emmy. He may have had the longest-running successful marriage in the history of Hollywood, to fellow actor Joanne Woodward (something like 50 years...no kidding). He made a pretty damn tasty line of foods -- my personal favorites were the peach salsa and the black bean and corn dip -- and in the process donated all profits and royalties to charity (I just looked it up; as of May of last year, the donations exceeded $220 million). And he passed away Friday at the age of 83. What I didn't realize until our minister pointed it out: Paul Newman was a longtime member of the Unitarian Universalist Society .

On Wednesday, a project manager in our office sent an e-mail out to all the copy editors, wishing us a happy day. I think others around us find us completely geeky and obsessed. Maybe so. But don't you wish you had a national holiday centered around you? It seems that Wednesday was National Punctuation Day. Click here for a bit by USA Today columnist Craig Wilson. Perhaps only others with my affliction will enjoy it.

Henry and I fought our way through the rabid Hawkeye masses along the streets of downtown Iowa City last night to experience the spectacle that is the UI Homecoming Parade. Frat boys dressed as SpongeBob. A pack of assorted-size dogs in sweaters walking alongside an "ark" float representing the local doggie daycare that was flooded this summer. Classic cars carrying University officials and, of course, the king and queen. And let's not forget...the candy. Forget anything you ever imagined from your biggest haul on the best Halloween year. Henry now has a grocery sack filled to the brim with enough sweets to sugar-shock Willie-Freaking-Wonka. My favorite moments of the evening involved the political marchers in the parade. The Obama folks, loud and proud and well supported from the parade route sidelines, chanted and tossed beads and buttons and passed out pamphlets to those interested in volunteering to accost others in the name of trying to save our country from the doom...

What a lovely Thursday night. We sat down to watch the season premiere of The Office, enjoying a meal of fettucini alfredo with buffalo-style chicken sausage and a FABULOUS new favorite wine. It's the Artezin Zinfandel 2006 Mendocino County. Big, rich, and spicy, the only thing that would've made it better would've been consuming it on a Friday night. Damn, the work week. Winemaker's Notes Personally selected for Artezin, this fruit comes from some of California’s finest Zinfandel regions including Sonoma’s Dry Creek Valley, Amador (Shenandoah Valley), and Mendocino (Ukiah Valley). Deep ruby red in color, this Zinfandel shows forward blackberry and raspberry aromas melding with black pepper, licorice and currants. Black cherry flavors follow with nutmeg, allspice, pepper, and dark chocolate undertones while the texture is rich and round with some sweet tannins giving backbone and structure.

Henry grew a watermelon plant in our garden this year. I call it a garden, but really it's a gigantic pit in our backyard that is home to weeds and yard clippings and bunnies that Maggie torments. (Or perhaps they are tormenting her. At any rate, it's a tortured relationship.) The watermelon is the only thing we planted, and this is the only piece of fruit it produced. But isn't it a beaut? We're planning to slice into it tonight. It's so pretty on the outside; I hope we're not shocked and awed when we open it up.

Thanks to an inspiring blog post from my friend Anne, who a few months ago learned to knit socks and has been posting her successes, I kicked my own butt in gear and managed to not only create one sock but actually an entire pair. These snuggly, slipper-sock style ones are made from Opal Sock Yarn , which knits up in these funky, stripey patterns. I'm working on my second pair now, which will be for Tim. He has big feet. I'm not sure they'll actually fit him. Details, details...

It doesn't look like what it sounds like. It doesn't sound like what it is. I actually think what it is, is a lot like heroin dusted with powdered sugar. (IS that powdered sugar??) I made some this afternoon. And now I may insist that my husband hide it from me, before I gorge myself on the entire container. For your enjoyment (and because I do not wish to be a pig all by my lonesome), here's the recipe. Note: despite the name, do NOT feed it to your dog. It contains chocolate, which can be lethal to the pooches. Puppy Chow 3/4 cup peanut butter 1 cup chocolate chips 1/4 cup butter 8 cups Crispix cereal 2 cups powdered sugar Melt the peanut butter, chocolate chips, and butter together. Pour over the cereal in a large kettle or bowl and stir well. Pour the powdered sugar into a large brown paper bag (or I divided it into two gallon-size Ziploc bags) and add the cereal. Fold the bag to seal and shake well to coat evenly.

Tim and I planned a cozy night in, getting yummies from our favorite Thai place and vegging out in front of the TV. We're still doing it, but it lost some of its appeal when I went to pick up the food. I drove all the way across town because it's usually worth the drive. At least two other Asian restaurants floated belly-up in the flood, so there aren't a lot of choices. I was greeted by some indications that perhaps there'd been a management change. The place seemed in alarming disarray. The fish tank in the front had cloudy, scummy water. There was a grubby pile of children's toys next to the cash register cabinet, along with a spilled bowl of some sort of sand usually used to hold incense. Then I saw the child (I'm guessing the owner's child) who probably was supposed to be playing with the toys, but instead she was munching on some messy bit of food while sitting on top of a pile of menus used by the in-restaurant customers. How many health codes would ...

This was a news bit regarding my employer from last September: For the eighth consecutive year, Pearson, the world’s leading educational publisher (NYSE: PSO), was named today to Working Mother magazine’s prestigious list of "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers." This annual list cites corporations that recognize the value of meeting the needs of working families. I'm guessing we'll be getting a similar release in the next few weeks noting year number nine on the list. Comprehensive Work/Life programs, flexibility, and great benefits are among the notables that make it a supportive work environment for women...and everyone, really. I know. I promised no more work talk. But I read this in my new employee orientation materials and had to brag a bit.

We all survived the day. No one puked. But I'm ready to collapse. I'm all HR'd out. My new coworkers made me feel right at home. And I have a mentor! (Nevermind that she's something like half my age...) I'm making a concerted effort to NOT write about work on my blog. If you'd like me to rant and rave incessantly about what I do during my weekdays, email me and I'll provide you more details. If you asked me right now, I'd be able to tell you the company's core values (maybe), how many vacation days I get a year (not many), and how's the clam chowder at the sports bar up the road (very clammy, in a good way). I'm up to my neck in paperwork and benefits enrollment and relearning how to use a PC. I might get to do actual copyediting work by the end of the week. But like I said, NOT going to write about it here from now on. I am taking requests for topics you think I should touch upon. Sort of a piano-bar, I-take-requests, stump-the-bloggirl si...

We got a heaping helping of life last night. Dunked in irony, rolled in Murphy's Law, sprinkled with a bit of "well-this-just-sucks." At about 10 p.m. last night, Henry started throwing up. For those of you paying attention, that would be the night before I start my new job. Keep in mind that for the last two years, I've been home nearly every day. He was maybe sick twice in all that time. The one day he might really need me, I've committed myself back to the 8-5 world and can't stay home to hold his head and wipe his brow and force Pedialyte down his poor little throat. Not only that, but horrible me, my first thought was, "Ohmigod. When am I going to start puking?!" My son ceased to exist as a beautiful cherub and became a giant, repulsive germ. Luckily, my husband is a sweetheart, a wonderful daddy, and the parent with the awesome benefits and sick leave policy. So he said he'd watch over H and stay home with him today. Go to bed honey, he sai...

I love this skit. Love it love it love it. Can't wait for more Tina Fey as Sarah "Gun Totin' Bible Thumpin' Moose Wraslin'" Palin.

Football fanatics across the state have been tailgating since 6 a.m. today in preparation for the big in-state rival smackdown between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Iowa State Cyclones. Beer and barbecue for breakfast, sounding more alliterative than tasty to me...but to each his own. Lots of signs and t-shirts floating around with the little boy who pees, peeing on the opposing team's mascot. All in good, tacky fun. Go team! Tim's off to shoot the game and its accompanying hysteria. I'm not sure how much shooting he'll actually do. We're in for an estimated 2-3 inches of rain today. Perhaps it's a fitting matchup - the two beloved teams from a waterlogged state fight for bragging rights in a flash flood. Meanwhile, I have to entertain the kiddo while we're stuck indoors. So we're off to the indoor playground at the mall, then a Happy Meal at Mickey D's, and back home for a feature-length Bob the Builder DVD. I can, with little doubt, say that I cannot w...

Between 8:46 a.m. and 10:28 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001, 19 Islamic extremists hijacked four commercial airliners and crashed them into the World Trade Center towers, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania (after a struggle with passengers who fought until their final moments). We all know the story: 2,998 killed, more than 6,200 injured. We remember the shock. The fear. The anger and bitterness. The desperate need for revenge and retaliation. What disturbs me most, though, is that for a lot of people those feelings have faded, replaced by the concerns of the everyday. I'm one of those people. I didn't even realize that today was the anniversary until just a few minutes ago, when I glanced at my phone and saw the date. So I took a moment to sit quietly and simply...remember. I'm sure that those who lost loved ones in the attacks constantly remember. To live with that pain, day in and out, a part of your world missing -- taken in such a senseless and violent way -- I c...

Doggone it, people really DO like him. MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) - Al Franken, a comedian and former liberal radio talk show host, won the Democratic nomination on Tuesday to run for a U.S. Senate seat from Minnesota. In the November election, he will face incumbent Republican Sen. Norm Coleman and the Independence Party's Dean Barkley, who also won their nominating contests, according to returns from the state's primary election. Franken, who once starred on the late-night sketch comedy program "Saturday Night Live," outran six opponents, taking 66 percent of the vote, with more than half the returns counted. And if you aren't lucky enough to live in Minnesota (come on, say it right -- Minn-ee-sewwwww-tah), I'd recommend the following reading. Enjoy! • I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me!: Daily Affirmations with Stuart Smalley (Dell Books, 1992) • Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations (Delacorte Press, 19...

Ok, when last we left our well-meaning blogger, she had just found out, based on info gathered by her husband over the phone, that she had mowed the entire front and side lawns of her house -- which were far overdue for a mowing and sincerely out of control -- with the whirling blade exposed. Fast forward to 6 p.m., when well-meaning blogger's husband went out to mow the back yard. Tim (sounding immensely puzzled): Did you say you didn't bag the clippings? Amy: Yeah. I didn't put the bag back on. Tim: Uh...the bag's ON. And then that's when the chortling began in earnest. Honestly, I never noticed whether there was a bag or not. I did notice that there was a lot of clipped grass flying around everywhere. That was probably about 1/5 of the way through the mowing when the... BAG BECAME FULL. So Tim, Henry and I were out in the garage, laughing what I feel might have been just a bit too heartily at my expense. Then Henry crossed the line. He uttered what we consider to...

Recent phone conversation: Amy: Guess what I just did for you? Tim: What? Amy (With overflowing pride and excitement in her voice): I mowed the lawn!!!! Very long pause. Tim: Did you catch the clippings? Amy: Uh, no. Tim: Well, did you put the plug back in? Amy: What plug? Tim: The one you put in when you don't catch the clippings. Amy (becoming ever-so-less excited): Uh, no. But hey...I mowed the lawn for you! Equally long pause. Tim: Yeah. Thanks. Lucky you didn't cut your foot off.

I don't know why anyone was surprised by the news. How utterly lame and predictable. Yet another athlete who contemplates retirement and hems and haws for months. Then retires. Then unretires, to a grand flourish of excitement and hubbub. VeloNews reported yesterday that seven-time Tour de France champion, cancer survivor and covert cheater Lance Armstrong was taking himself out of retirement to compete again for world's most coveted cycling championship. I am, personally, unimpressed. Why can't people say they're going to do something and then actually go through with it, these days? Retiring doesn't mean anything. A person's word doesn't mean anything. Make a commitment. Stick to it. Stop trying to relive glory days or achieve some unachievable milestone or land some hot babe who isn't impressed with seven championships (maybe that eighth one will win her over), or truly aim to make more money than God. So Armstrong joins the lot of mental losers who ...

Chiefs fans everywhere are bitching and moaning again, after the first regular season game. Oh woe is us, we once again have a dismal season to look forward to, why-oh-why can't we find us a quarterback, and so on. However, I think we should be proud. I think the NFL should celebrate us. Indeed, I believe that the Chiefs are the unsung heroes of 2008. After all, they took out pro football darling and star quarterback of the New England Patriots Tom Brady. Not just for the game. People are speculating about a season-ending ACL injury. Not that I am wishing Brady ill, and I'm in no way saying the Chiefs purposefully whacked his knee (this is football people, not figure skating, call Tonya if you're looking for THAT kind of business) but I'm betting there were sports fans across the nation who did a little end-zone dance when they heard the news. Even though the Pats were playing with their backup, we still lost the game. What does it say about your team's highlight re...

I went to brunch with my friend Cindy and came home to find Henry and Tim sitting down to lunch. Henry pointed to the TV and said, "We're watching a movie!" Tim corrected him, saying it was a TV show, and asked Henry to tell me what the show was. He said it was about "The Colonel." "Colonel Who?" Tim prompted him. Klink. I went away for an hour and came home to find my 4-year-old watching Hogan's Heroes . Aren't we all glad we have more cable channels? I hear nothing. I see nothing. I know nothing.

When I told you all that Tina Fey would be hosting SNL last night, after seeing the promo on NBC, I honestly thought the network was capitalizing on the Tina Fey/Sarah Palin sistahs-from-anotha-motha comparison and had brilliantly scheduled a timely guest who would make the most of the situation. And then I found out it was a repeat and the season premiere of SNL is NEXT weekend, hosted by someone who looks like NONE of the candidates: Michael Phelps. I guess we'll have to take off our comedic hats and put on our Olympics-lovin' hats for the evening. By the way, what IS it with the hat talk? We keep hearing about how McCain's got to take off his Republican hat and put on his American hat. I'm confused. We thought...we've mentioned it before...I could've sworn...

I was mindlessly searching YouTube this afternoon and came across a gem. It just may be my favorite song ever, recorded in the late '80s by 10,000 Maniacs. This video is a 2005 live version, recorded by former Maniacs lead singer Natalie Merchant. I wish she and her bandmates would reunite. They were the soundtrack to my college years.

I'm so excited -- we'll triple our number of cable channels by tomorrow afternoon, when MediaCom is scheduled to do some sort of voodoo majick with the box outside our house. Then I'll have access to eye-opening clips like THIS ! Thanks Tom, for posting it. Although I think maybe that headline is insulting to unbaked lumps of bread dough.

Temp wage per hour for making copies and sorting files...$10 Retail price for the third book in the Twilight saga that I bought today, even though I couldn't afford it...$19.99 Lowest listed suggested contribution to The Democratic Party listed on the party Web site...$25 Estimated price of the earrings Cindy Lou-Who McCain wore on Tuesday night...$280,000. The fact that, after passing her background check (whew!), Amy just officially received and accepted a full-time job offer...priceless! Hello cable TV! Hello paying down the principal on the mortgage! Hello campaign contribution??! I start Sept. 15. One more week of freedom's pretty priceless, too.

I did more of the same last night, watching with a consistent cringe on my face, occasionally with my fingers in my ears to block out the nonsense. And then I again gave up, this time to watch "Titanic." The boat sinks and beautiful Jack dies, but at least I knew the outcome in the beginning and could prepare myself for the disaster ahead. No matter whose ship you're sailing on, someone's going to sink. For the sake of all Americans, I know which life raft I trust to keep me afloat and send me safe to the next harbor. In the meantime, I'll share an email I received from Barack's campaign manager following last evening's spewfest... Amy -- I wasn't planning on sending you something tonight. But if you saw what I saw from the Republican convention, you know that it demands a response. I saw John McCain's attack squad of negative, cynical politicians. They lied about Barack Obama and Joe Biden, and they attacked you for being a part of this campaign. ...

This just struck me funny. Especially given John McCain's history...you know, that little thing about how he left his first wife for his current one, who is 18 years his junior.

Tina Fey is hosting Saturday Night Live this weekend. Coincidence??? This is one of those Tina Fey/Sarah Palin Separated at Birth things. And sometimes the skits just write themselves...

I tried. I swear, I did. For almost a whole ten minutes. I flipped on CSPAN and watched the Republican National Convention, thinking that I would try to be open-minded and compassionate for these horribly misguided individuals. But I couldn't stand it. Because I looked at their faces, with their grand-old flag waving and their minds intent on taking away civil rights and and civil liberties and butting their self-righteous noses into my doctor-patient relationship and into my bedroom, and their continued pigheaded inability to stop getting our troops killed or to believe in rational science...and I guess I'm just too weak. I couldn't be brave. I couldn't be calm. I couldn't stand one more second. I grabbed the remote and quickly switched the station. When Tim came into the room, he laughed at my viewing choice. "Aah. The library channel. That bad huh?" He didn't even see the worst of it. I also spent time on the University's channel with the Deep V...

You wouldn't know the man. But you'd know the voice. And now that voice is silent. Movies will never be the same. (And I guess GEICO won't use that particular ad again.) Don LaFontaine, the voice behind thousands of Hollywood movie trailers, has died. He was the guy who became famous for the movie-trailer catch phrase, "In a world where..." The voiceover king died Monday as a result of complications from the treatment of an ongoing, undisclosed illness, his agent said. He was 68.

Have I mentioned that we've been without real cable TV for two years, ever since I quit my full-time gig for the freelance writing world? We have suffered with network TV, public access, some religious-nut station, Lifetime Movie Network, home shopping and (I could pop my right eye out with salad tongs) FOX News. Since I'm going back to work in the very near future (once my background check -- insert Law&Order theme music here -- is completed and all skeletons have been yanked out of my closet, bones clattering this way and that), I think we may be financially on the road to real programming. What I really mean here is that my self-imposed abstinence from Bravo, Comedy Central, A&E and CNN's ANDERSON COOPER is coming to an end! (I was much better with my abstinence-only commitment than Bristol Palin, it seems.) I know. Second time in a week I've gushed about AC. Perhaps I'll devote one day a week to All Anderson, All the Time? Coop's Corner? Any thoughts...

Just got a link to this site on my Facebook page. Hmmm. I wasn't aware he was being held captive . I would've thought that would've made the news. But there is the hurricane. And all the talk of Grammy Sarah.

5K 36.54 208th place, Women's division Out of 357 women I wasn't fast. It wasn't pretty. But I finished. My very first "running race," as Henry puts it. Now...how about a nap. Actually, I just downloaded the entry form for my next event . Anyone else in?