Rant of the Week

I love Keith Olbermann on MSNBC's Countdown. Even when I don't agree with everything he says, I love him. He's a broadcasting wonk (quick! how many references to bygone TV and radio broadcasting can you find in the show?) and a policy wonk and a sports wonk, and he is passionate to the point of self-caricature about politics. And when he lights into a "special commentary," like the one he did about Prop 8 last fall, and the one he did about Dick Cheney's fear-mongering refusal to shut up and go quietly into that good damned night, Olbermann shakes with passion and his rhetoric becomes positively Edwardian ("how dare you, sir!").

I just thought you should know. The Spouse knows about my crush on Olbermann and is totally okay with it (although he's a little confused by my crush on Rachel Maddow).

Bjorn Again at the Kremlin

Is this real news? I mean, it might be embarrassing for him, but does Vladimir Putin really have to issue a public denial of dancing to an Abba cover band?

Bjorn Again says it performed 15 Abba songs during the private gig, claiming that it was paid by the Kremlin.
Mr Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied that the prime minister attended any such concert.

Hey, the music that moves us is the music that moves us. No reason to be ashamed, Mr. Putin. After all, the article continues on to note that Putin's successor, Dmitry Medvedev, is very public with his fondness for the music of Deep Purple.

Movin' On Up

Well, not miraculous progress, but this damned book seems to be fighting me every inch of the way--mostly because I keep stumbling over things I don't know and (having recently read a couple of historicals that failed, Otherness wise) I really don't want to just pretend I know what I'm talking about.

But: almost done with Chapter 5--I'd say another 1500-2000 words. Then I have a big leap of time and pick up some years later.

Current state o' book: 23,409 words.